• Title/Summary/Keyword: Survey Questionnaires

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A Study on Strategic Utilization of Smart Factory: Effects of Building Purposes and Contents on Continuous Utilization (스마트 팩토리의 전략적 활용 연구: 구축 목적 및 내용이 지속적 활용에 미치는 영향)

  • Oh, Ju-Hwan;Kim, Ji-Dae
    • Korean small business review
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.1-36
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    • 2019
  • The purpose of this study is to identify the relationships among purposes and contents of smart factory building and continuous utilization of smart factory. Specifically, this study identifies two types of purposes of smart factory building as follows: (1) improving productivity, (2) increasing flexibility. In this study, three aspects of smart factory building contents were suggested like this: (1) automation area (facility automation vs. work automation), (2) big data system focus (radical transformation vs. incremental improvement), and (3) value chain integration area (internal value chain integration vs. external value chain integration). In addition, we looked at how firm size moderates the purposes - contents - continuous utilization of smart factory relationship. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 151 manufacturing companies. More specifically, out of 151 companies, 100 are small-and-medium-sized enterprises and 51 large-sized enterprises. All questionnaires were targeted at companies with Smart Factory level above level 2. The analysis results of this study using Smart PLS statistical programs are as follows. First, the purposes of smart factory building including increasing productivity and flexibility had positive impacts on all of the contents of smart factory building. Second, all of smart factory building contents had positive impacts on the continuous use of smart factory except big data system for incremental improvement of manufacturing process. Third, the impacts of smart factory building purposes implementation on smart factory building contents varied depending on whether the purpose is productivity improvement or flexibility. Fourth, it was founded that firm size moderated the relationships of purposes - contents - continuous utilization of smart factory in such a way that large-sized firms tend to empathize the link between flexibility and smart factory building contents for continuous use of smart factory, while small-and-medium-sized-firms emphasizing the link between productivity and smart factory building contents. Most of the previous studies have focused on presenting current smart factory deployment cases. However, it is believed that this research has made a theoretical contribution in this field in that it established and verified a research model for the smart factory building strategy. Based on the findings from a working-level perspective, corporate practitioners also need to have a different approach to smart factory building, which should be emphasized depending on whether their purpose of building smart factory is to increase productivity or flexibility. In particular, since the results of this study identify the moderating effect of firm size, it is deemed necessary for firms to implement a smart factory building strategy suitable for their firm size.

A Study on the Frequency of Falls, Fear of Falling, and Perceived Health Status according to Cognitive Function in Community-dwelling Elderly Women (지역사회 여성노인의 인지기능에 따른 낙상발생빈도, 낙상두려움 및 지각된 건강상태)

  • Shin, Kyung-Rim;Kang, Younhee;Jung, Dukyoo;Kim, Miyoung;Yun, Eun-Suk;Ma, Rye-Won
    • 한국노년학
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.1155-1167
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    • 2011
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of falls, fear of falling, perceived health status, and number of disease according to cognitive function in community-dwelling the elderly women. This study utilized a descriptive survey design. Data were collected for six months with 311 elderly women who visited in public health center at S city. After obtaining Institutional Review Board(IRB) approval, a face-to-face, and private interview was conducted with each participant who was eligible and agreed to participate in this study by trained graduate-level nursing students. The questionnaires consisted of MoCA-K, K-MMSE, Fall Efficacy Scale, PHS scale. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN 17.0 program, which was used descriptive statistics, Chi-Square test and t-test, Correlation. The major findings of this study were as follows; 1) The average age of the subjects was 71.68±5.13 and cognitive function score was 22.14±4.32. approximately 35% of participants had fallen within one year. 2) there were significant differences in perceived health status according to cognitive function. 3) fear of fall and cognitive function, perceived health status and cognitive function were significant correlation. In conclusion, this study will contribute to establish strategies for preventing fall. Interventions for fall prevention and fear of fall enhancement should be developed with the consideration of the level of cognitive function in the elderly. Reducing the fear of falling through the comprehensive nursing intervention will ultimately improve the quality of life in the elderly.

The Effects of Self-Efficacy and Social Support on the Quality of Life of the Elderly with Depression (자기효능감과 사회적 지원이 우울증 노인의 삶의 질에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구)

  • Kang, Sun-Kyung
    • 한국노년학
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.629-643
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    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study is, by using the demographic variables, to identify self-efficacy, social support, and quality of life of the elderly with depression and to assess the impacts of these factors upon their quality of life. By analyzing the factors which have an impact upon the life quality of the elderly with depression, this study aims to provide important information which help understand them, and to find out what kind of care is necessary for their happy and satisfactory life. The study took purposive sampling and survey of 215 people among the elderly with depression who were under care of the outpatient clinics, day hospitals, and mental health clinics located in Seoul and Kyunggi Province, Korea. This study was conducted from November 10th to 20th, 2008 and the data were collected using the questionnaires of self-efficacy, social support, and quality of life scales. Using a SPSS/WIN 15.0 program, the analysis of the data showed the following results. First, among the demographic characteristics, the elderly with depression who were male, had spouse, higher education, no public assistance, shorter period of depression, and were healthy turned out to have higher self-efficacy. In terms of social support, the participants who had higher education, no public assistance, and were healthy turned out to have more social support. Further, in terms of quality of life, the variables of spouse, public assistance, period of depression, and health condition were statistically significant. Second, as a result of hierarchical regression, it appeared that the elderly with depression, who had higher self-efficacy, more social support, spouse, good health, no public assistance, and shorter period of depression, turned out to have higher quality of life. Based on the study findings, the implications of social work practice, policy, and future research were discussed.

The Hidden Lynchpin of Startup Accelerators : Accelerator Entrepreneur Passion (스타트업 액셀러레이터의 감춰진 린치핀 : 액셀러레이터 창업가 열정)

  • Kim, Sang-cheol;Chung, Byoung-gyu
    • Journal of Venture Innovation
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.1-18
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    • 2022
  • There is growing empirical evidence that passion is an important part of entrepreneurship and influences the intentions, behaviors and performance of entrepreneurs, employees and startups. Passion is especially important in an entrepreneurial context, given the effort and challenge that entrepreneurs starting a startup must overcome. The purpose of this study was to confirm the effect of the passion of startup entrepreneurs participating in the accelerator incubation program and the passion of accelerator entrepreneurs and managers on the entrepreneurial performance of incubator startups. In addition, we tried to confirm whether entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a mediating role in this influence relationship. The survey was conducted online by startups entrepreneur who completed the accelerator incubation program. A total of 330 questionnaires were used for the analysis. As a result of the empirical analysis, it was confirmed that the passion of startup entrepreneurs and the passion of accelerator entrepreneurs and managers all had a positive (+) effect on the entrepreneurial performance of incubator startups. The influence of passion was found to be high in the order of startup entrepreneurs, accelerator entrepreneurs, and accelerator managers. It was confirmed that entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a mediating role between the passion of startup entrepreneurs, the passion of accelerator entrepreneurs, and the entrepreneurial performance of incubator startups, respectively. However, no significant mediating role was identified between the passion of accelerator managers and the entrepreneurial performance of incubator startups. This study is significant in empirically confirming for the first time that the passion of accelerator entrepreneurs and managers has a positive effect on the entrepreneurial performance of incubator startups. The passion of accelerator entrepreneurs and managers is playing an important role as a hidden lynchpin in creating the entrepreneurial performance of incubator startups. In particular, since the passion of accelerator entrepreneurs has a great influence on the performance of incubator startups, it is necessary to recognize this fact and carefully examine their passion reputation when startups select accelerators.

A Study on the Effect of Healing Experience Program on Satisfaction: Focused on Experience Cost and Experience Time (치유체험프로그램이 만족도에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 체험비용과 체험시간을 중심으로)

  • An, Hye-Jung;Kan, Soon-Ah
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.183-200
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    • 2022
  • This study is a study on the effect of a healing experience program on satisfaction in the field of healing agriculture. In the development of a rural experience program, what factors constituting the healing experience program affect satisfaction, and how much time and participation cost affect the satisfaction of the healing experience program from the marketing point of view of the healing experience program. I want to analyze By researching the effect of experience cost and experience time on satisfaction of the healing experience program, I would like to suggest the development direction of the healing experience program. To this end, by empirically analyzing the effect of a healing experience program using experience cost and experience time as parameters on satisfaction, we present a theoretical basis for priority considerations when developing a rural experience program. There are entertainment experience, educational experience, deviant experience, and aesthetic experience as sub-factors of the experience program, experience time and experience cost as parameters, and satisfaction as a dependent variable. In addition, the reliability of the research results was secured by setting the demographic variables of the survey subjects as control variables. The empirical analysis was conducted on 314 valid questionnaires from the unspecified majority who were interested in or aware of the healing experience program. SPSS v22.0 was used, and to test the mediating effect, the three-step verification method of Baron & Kenny(1986) and the SPSS PROCESS Macro Model No. of Andrew F. Hayes(2018). 4 The reliability of the mediating effect was secured by applying the verification method and comparing the analysis resul. As a result of the study, it was found that educational experience (𝛽=.134, t=1.759*) had a positive (+) effect on experience cost, and aesthetic experience (𝛽=.144 t=1.684*) had a positive (+) effect on experience time. +) was found to have an effect. Also, educational experience (𝛽=.239, t=4.112***) was found to have a positive (+) effect on satisfaction, and aesthetic experience (𝛽=.330 t=4.921***) had a positive effect on satisfaction. It has been shown to have a (+) effect. Experience time was found to have a negative (-) inconsistent mediating effect between aesthetic experience and satisfaction. That is, it is the total effect (𝛽=.330 t=4.921***), and the direct effect (𝛽=.349 t=5.241***) increased by 𝛽=.019 compared to the total effect when the experience time was input, while the indirect effect (𝛽=-.019), which was shown to exert a negative (-) mediating effect.

The Impacts of Social Support and Psychological Factors on Guild Members' Flow and Loyalty in MMORPG (MMORPG에서 길드 구성원들의 사회적 지지와 심리적 요인들이 플로우 및 충성도에 미치는 영향)

  • Kang, Ju-Seon;Ko, Yoon-Jung;Ko, Il-Sang
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.69-98
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    • 2009
  • We investigated what factors motivate gamers to participate in a guild and why they continue to be engaged as members of the guild. We find that, based on the result of focus group interviews with MMORPG gamers, social support and self-esteem factors play important roles. Considering both prior research and the focus group interviews we have conducted, we define social support and character control as independent variables. Character identity, guild identity, and self-esteem are proposed as mediating variables while guild flow and game loyalty as dependent variables. Accordingly, we develop the research model and hypotheses, and verify them empirically. Based on our experiences of playing the WoW game, we proposed a research model and conducted focus-group interviews (FGIs). FGIs involve formulating a hypothesis and then collecting some relevant data. FGIs were conducted face-to-face with students of C University in Korea. We formulated structured interview schedules, and the questions were based on our research variables and personal experiences. The questions for the interviews encompassed the following areas: (a) the demographic characteristics of the focus group; (b) the number of years for which respondents had played online games; (c) the motive for starting a game; (d) the number of game-characters assumed by each gamer; (e) the type of game played; and (f) other issues such as the reasons for involvement in the play, the willingness to reuse the game in case new versions were released, etc. On average, it took two hours to interview each of three groups. A primary set of FGIs was conducted with three groups on the premise that there would be some differences caused by character race (Horde vs. Alliance) or by playable server (Normal vs. Combat). With respect to the manner of playing, we found that guild members shared information, felt a sense of belonging, and played computer games for quite a long time through the guild; however, they did not undergo these experiences when playing alone. Gamers who belonged to a specific guild helped other players without expecting compensation for that, freely shared information about the game, gave away items for free, and more generous with other members who made mistakes. The guild members were aware of the existence other members and experienced a sense of belonging through interactions with, and evaluations from, other players. It was clear that social support was shown within the guild and that it played an important role as a major research variable. Based on the results of the first FGIs, a second set of in-depth FGIs was carried out with a focus on the psychology of the individual within the guild and the social community of the guild. The second set of FGIs also focused on the guild's offline meetings. Gamers, over all, recognize the necessity of joining a community, not only off-line but also online world of the guild. They admit that the guild is important for them to easily and conveniently enjoy playing online computer games. The active behavior and positive attitudes of existing guild members can motivate new members of the guild to adapt themselves to the guild environment. They then adopt the same behaviors and attitudes of established guild members. In this manner, the new members of the guild strengthen the bonds with other gamers while feeling a sense of belonging, and developing social identity, thereby. It was discovered that the interaction among guild members and the social support encouraged new gamers to quickly develop a sense of social identity and increase their self-esteem. The guild seemed to play the role of socializing gamers. Sometimes, even in the real world, the guild members helped one another; therefore, the features of the guild also spilled over to the offline environment. We intend to use self-esteem, which was found through the second set of FGIs, as an important research variable. To collect data, an online survey was designed with a questionnaire to be completed by WoW gamers, who belong to a guild. The survey was registered on the best three domestic game-sites: 'WoW playforum,' 'WoW gamemeca,' and 'Wow invent.' The selected items to be measured in the questionnaire were decided based on prior research and data from FGIs. To verify the content of the questionnaire, we carried out a pilot test with the same participants to point out ambiguous questions as a way to ensure maximum accuracy of the survey result. A total of 244 responses were analyzed from the 250 completed questionnaires. The SEM analysis was used to test goodness-of-fit of the model. As a result, we found important results as follows: First, according to the statistics, social support had statistically significant impacts on character control, character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Second, character control had significant effects on character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Third, character identity shows its clear impact on self-esteem and game loyalty. Fourth, guild identity affected self-esteem, guild flow and game loyalty. Fifth, self-esteem had a positive influence on the guild flow. These days, the number of virtual community is rising along with its significance largely because of the nature of the online games. Accordingly, this study is designed to clarify the psychological relationship between gamers within the guild that has been generally established by gamers to play online games together. This study focuses on the relationships in which social support influences guild flow or game loyalty through character control, character identity, guild identity, and self-esteem, which are present within a guild in the MMORPG game environment. The study results are as follows. First, the effects of social support on character control, character identity, guild identity and self-esteem are proven to be statistically significant. It was found that character control improves character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Among the seven variables, social support, which is derived from FGIs, plays an important role in this study. With the active support of other guild members, gamers can improve their ability to develop good characters and to control them. Second, character identity has a positive effect on self-esteem and game loyalty, while guild identity has a significant effect on self-esteem, guild flow and game loyalty. Self-esteem affects guild flow. It was found that the higher the character and guild identities become, the greater the self-esteem is established. Contrary to the findings of prior research, our study results indicate that the relationship between character identity and guild flow is not significant. Rather, it was found that character identity directly affects game players' loyalty. Even though the character identity had no direct effect on increasing guild flow, it has indirectly affected guild flow through self-esteem. The significant relationship between self-esteem and guild flow indicates that gamers achieve flow, i.e., a feeling of pleasure and excitement through social support. Several important implications of this study should be noted. First, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to conduct this study. Through FGIs, it was observed that both social support and self-esteem are important variables. Second, because guilds had been rarely studied, this research is expected to play an important role in the online community. Third, according to the result, six hypotheses (H1, H5, H6, H7, H8, and H11) setup based on FGIs, were statistically significant; thus, we can suggest the corresponding relationships among the variables as a guideline for follow-up research. Our research is significant as it has following implications: first, the social support of the guild members is important when establishing character control, character identity, guildidentity and self-esteem. It is also a major variable that affects guild flow and game loyalty. Second, character control when improved by social support shows notable influence on the development of character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Third, character identity and guild identity are major factors to help establish gamers' own self-esteem. Fourth, character identity affects guild flow through self-esteem and game loyalty. The gamers usually express themselves through characters; the higher character identity is, the more loyalty a gamer has. Fifth, guild identity, established within the guild, has clear effects on self-esteem, guild flow and game loyalty. Sixth, qualitative and quantitative methods are employed to conduct this study. Based on the results of focus group interviews and SEM analysis, we find that the social support by guild members and psychological factors are significant in strengthening the flow of guild and loyalty to the game. As such, game developers should provide some extra functions for guild community, through which gamers can play online games in collaboration with one another. Also, we suggest that positive self-esteem which is built up through social support can help gamers achieve higher level of flow and satisfaction, which will consequently contribute to minimizing the possibility for the players to develop negative attitude toward the guild they belong to.

Home Economics teachers' concern on creativity and personality education in Home Economics classes: Based on the concerns based adoption model(CBAM) (가정과 교사의 창의.인성 교육에 대한 관심과 실행에 대한 인식 - CBAM 모형에 기초하여-)

  • Lee, In-Sook;Park, Mi-Jeong;Chae, Jung-Hyun
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.24 no.2
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    • pp.117-134
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    • 2012
  • The purpose of this study was to identify the stage of concern, the level of use, and the innovation configuration of Home Economics teachers regarding creativity and personality education in Home Economics(HE) classes. The survey questionnaires were sent through mails and e-mails to middle-school HE teachers in the whole country selected by systematic sampling and convenience sampling. Questionnaires of the stages of concern and the levels of use developed by Hall(1987) were used in this study. 187 data were used for the final analysis by using SPSS/window(12.0) program. The results of the study were as following: First, for the stage of concerns of HE teachers on creativity and personality education, the information stage of concerns(85.51) was the one with the highest response rate and the next high in the following order: the management stage of concerns(81.88), the awareness stage of concerns(82.15), the refocusing stage of concerns(68.80), the collaboration stage of concerns(61.97), and the consequence stage of concerns(59.76). Second, the levels of use of HE teachers on creativity and personality education was highest with the mechanical levels(level 3; 21.4%) and the next high in the following order: the orientation levels of use(level 1; 20.9%), the refinement levels(level 5; 17.1%), the non-use levels(level 0; 15.0%), the preparation levels(level 2; 10.2%), the integration levels(level 6; 5.9%), the renewal levels(level 7; 4.8%), the routine levels(level 4; 4.8%). Third, for the innovation configuration of HE teachers on creativity and personality education, more than half of the HE teachers(56.1%) mainly focused on personality education in their HE classes; 31.0% of the HE teachers performed both creativity and personality education; a small number of teachers(6.4%) focused on creativity education; the same number of teachers(6.4%) responded that they do not focus on neither of the two. Examining the level and type of performance HE teachers applied, the average score on the performance of creativity and personality education was 3.76 out of 5.00 and the mean of creativity component was 3.59 and of personality component was 3.94, higher than standard. For the creativity education, openness/sensitivity(3.97) education was performed most and the next most in the following order: problem-solving skill(3.79), curiosity/interest(3.73), critical thinking(3.63), problem-finding skill(3.61), originality(3.57), analogy(3.47), fluency/adaptability(3.46), precision(3.46), imagination(3.37), and focus/sympathy(3.37). For the personality education, the following components were performed in order from most to least: power of execution(4.07), cooperation/consideration/just(4.06), self-management skill(4.04), civic consciousness(4.04), career development ability(4.03), environment adaptability(3.95), responsibility/ownership(3.94), decision making(3.89), trust/honesty/promise(3.88), autonomy(3.86), and global competency(3.55). Regarding what makes performing creativity and personality education difficult, most HE teachers(64.71%) chose the lack of instructional materials and 40.11% of participants chose the lack of seminar and workshop opportunity. 38.5% chose the difficulty of developing an evaluation criteria or an evaluation tool while 25.67% responded that they do not know any means of performing creativity and personality education. Regarding the better way to support for creativity and personality education, the HE teachers chose in order from most to least: 'expansion of hands-on activities for students related to education on creativity and personality'(4.34), 'development of HE classroom culture putting emphasis on creativity and personality'(4.29), 'a proper curriculum on creativity and personality education that goes along with students' developmental stages'(4.27), 'securing enough human resource and number of professors who will conduct creativity and personality education'(4.21), 'establishment of the concept and value of the education on creativity and personality'(4.09), and 'educational promotion on creativity and personality education supported by local communities and companies'(3.94).

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The Influence of Organizational Commitment, Job Commitment and Job Satisfaction on Professionalism Perceived by Radiotechnologists Working in the Department of Radiation Oncology (방사선종양학과에 근무하는 방사선사의 조직몰입, 직무몰입, 직무만족이 전문 직업성에 미치는 영향)

  • Gim, Yang-Soo;Lee, Sun-Young;Lee, Joon-Seong;Gwak, Geun-Tak;Pak, Ju-Gyeong;Lee, Seung-Hoon;Hwang, Ho-In;Cha, Seok-Yong
    • The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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    • v.24 no.2
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    • pp.67-75
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    • 2012
  • Purpose: The study is to check the specialty of radiotherapists working in the department of radiation oncology and find job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job commitment having an effect on professional parts. After making analysis of the mutual relation, it is to provide radiotechnologists with making progress in the future. Materials and Methods: From March 2 to March 30, we had carried out a survey with email. It is possible to have 272 questionnaires answered in the survey. We make use of SPSS 13.0 for Windows to analyze the data collected for study. Frequency and a percentage are meant to show general characteristics, and t-test and ANOVA to do the difference between general properties and professionalism. Pearson's correlation coefficient also is meant to do the correlation of professionalism, organizational job commitment and job satisfaction, and multiple regression analysis to do the factor for a relevant variable to affect professionalism. Results: There are subdivisions in the professionalism informing us of the self-regulation $17.74{\pm}2.32/3.55{\pm}.46$, a sense of calling $17.58{\pm}2.63/3.52{\pm}.53$, reference of the professional $17.14{\pm}2.39/3.43{\pm}.48$, service to the public $15.97{\pm}2.48/3.19{\pm}50$, and autonomy $15.68{\pm}2.28/3.14{\pm}46$. Grand mean turns out to be $83.89{\pm}7.63$(Summation of items)/$3.37{\pm}0.49$ (Numbers of items). When it comes to a statistical relation between general characteristics and professionalism, the statistics have it that these come within age (P<.001), period of employment (P<.001), education status (P<.05), a monthly income (P<.001), radiotherapists who get a special license (P<.001), the position (P<.001), and an opportunity for developing (P<.001). As a result of organizational commitment, job commitment, and job satisfaction, grand mean in organizational commitment proves to be $80.10{\pm}8.15/3.34{\pm}.34$. There are subvisions showing affective commitment $28.64{\pm}4.61$/3.58, continuance commitment $27.54{\pm}4.22/3.44{\pm}.53$, and normative commitment $23.95{\pm}2.94/2.99{\pm}.37$ in order of precedence. The average grade in job commitment is $32.47{\pm}5.77/3.30{\pm}.60$ and that in job satisfaction is $63.39{\pm}10.16/3.17{\pm}.51$, respectively. We find the positive relationship between professionalism and organizational commitment (r=.522, P<.05), between professionalism and job commitment (r=.444, P<.05), and between professionalism and job satisfaction (r=.507, P<.05). And we also get the positive relationship between organizational commitment and job commitment (r=.549, P<.05), between organizational commitment and job satisfaction (r=.433, P<.05), and between job commitment and job satisfaction (r=.462, P<.05). To catch the factors influencing the professionalism of radiotherapists, we used multiple regression analysis. According to the final model, it appears affective commitment (B=.755, P<.05), normative commitment (B=.305, P<.05), job satisfaction (B=.092, P<.05), an opportunity for developing (B=-1.505, P<.05), and the position (B=-1.155, P<.05) in order of precedence. It seems that explaining influece on $R^2$ is 0.504. Conclusion: The results of the factors that influence professionalism working as radiotherapists in the department of radiation oncology have it that the more affective commitment, normative commitment, and job satisfaction we feel, the more professionalism we recognize. We think that the focus of professionalism is increased if getting the chances for radiotherapists to have little to do with developing opportunities given.

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Typology of Korean Eco-sumers: Based on Clothing Disposal Behaviors (관우한국생태학적일개예설(关于韩国生态学的一个预设): 기우복장탑배적행위(基于服装搭配的行为))

  • Sung, Hee-Won;Kincade, Doris H.
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.59-69
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    • 2010
  • Green or an environmental consciousness has been a major issue for businesses and government offices, as well as consumers, worldwide. In response to this movement, the Korean government announced, in the early 2000s, the era of "Green Growth" as a way to encourage green-related business activities. The Korean fashion industry, in various levels of involvement, presents diverse eco-friendly products as a part of the green movement. These apparel products include organic products and recycled clothing. For these companies to be successful, they need information about who are the consumers who consider green issues (e.g., environmental sustainability) as part of their personal values when making a decision for product purchase, use, and disposal. These consumers can be considered as eco-sumers. Previous studies have examined consumers' purchase intention for or with eco-friendly products. In addition, studies have examined influential factors used to identify the eco-sumers or green consumers. However, limited attention was paid to eco-sumers' disposal or recycling behavior of clothes in comparison with their green product purchases. Clothing disposal behaviors are ways that consumer can get rid of unused clothing and in clue temporarily lending the item or permanently eliminating the item by "handing down" (e.g., giving it to a younger sibling), donating, exchanging, selling, or simply throwing it away. Accordingly, examining purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly fashion items in conjunction with clothing disposal behaviors should improve understanding of a consumer's clothing consumption behavior from the environmental perspective. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about Korean eco-sumers who have ecologically-favorable lifestyles and behaviors when buying and disposing of clothes. The objectives of this study are to (a) categorize Koreans on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors; (b) investigate the differences in demographics, lifestyles, and clothing consumption values among segments; and (c) compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion items and influential factors among segments. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire included 10 items of clothing disposal behavior, 22 items of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) characteristics, and 19 items of consumption values, measured by five-point Likert-type scales. In addition, the purchase intention of two eco-friendly fashion items and 11 attributes of each item were measured by seven-point Likert type scales. Two polyester fleece pullovers, made from fabric created from recycled bottles with the PET identification code, were selected from one Korean brand and one US imported brand among outdoor sportswear brands. A brief description of each product with a color picture was provided in the survey. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education level, income, occupation) were also included. The data were collected through a professional web survey agency during May 2009. A total of 600 final usable questionnaires were analyzed. The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 years. Fifty percent of the respondents were males and about 58% were married, and 62% reported having earned university degrees. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the underlying dimensions of the clothing disposal behavior scale, and three factors were generated (i.e., reselling behavior, donating behavior, non-recycling behavior). To categorize the respondents on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors, k-mean cluster analysis was used, and three segments were obtained. These consumer segments were labeled as 'Resale Group', 'Donation Group', and 'Non-Recycling Group.' The classification results indicated approximately 98 percent of the original cases were correctly classified. With respect to demographic characteristics among the three segments, significant differences were found in gender, marital status, occupation, and age. LOHAS characteristics were reduced into the following five factors: self-satisfaction, family orientation, health concern, environmental concern, and voluntary service. Significant differences were found in the LOHAS factors among the three clusters. Resale Group and Donation Group showed a similar predisposition to LOHAS issues while the Non-Recycling Group presented the lowest mean scores on the LOHAS factors compared to the other segments. The Resale and Donation Groups described themselves as enjoying or being satisfied with their lives and spending spare-time with family. In addition, these two groups cared about health and organic foods, and tried to conserve energy and resources. Principal components factor analysis generated clothing consumption values into the following three factors: personal values, social value, and practical value. The ANOVA test with the factors showed differences primarily between the Resale Group and the other two groups. The Resale Group was more concerned about personal value and social value than the other segments. In contrast, the Non-Recycling Group presented the higher level of social value than did Donation Group. In a comparison of the intention to purchase eco-friendly products, the Resale Group showed the highest mean score on intent to purchase Product A. On the other hand, the Donation Group presented the highest intention to purchase for Product B among segments. In addition, the mean scores indicated that the Korean product (Product B) was more preferable for purchase than the U.S. product (Product A). Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the influence of product attributes on the purchase intention of eco product. With respect to Product A, design, price and contribution to environmental preservation were significant to predict purchase intention for the Resale Group, while price and compatibility with my image factors were significant for the Donation Group. For the Non-Recycling Group, design, price compatibility with the factors of my image, participation to eco campaign, and contribution to environmental preservation were significant. Price appropriateness was significant for each of the three clusters. With respect to Product B, design, price and compatibility with my image factors were important, but different attributes were associated significantly with purchase intention for each of the three groups. The influence of LOHAS characteristics and clothing consumption values on intention to purchase Products A and B were also examined. The LOHAS factor of health concern and the personal value factor were significant in the relationships with the purchase intention; however, the explanatory powers were low in the three segments. Findings showed that each group as classified by clothing disposal behaviors showed differences in the attributes of a product, personal values, and the LOHAS characteristics that influenced their purchase intention of eco-friendly products. Findings would enable organizations to understand eco-friendly behavior and to design appropriate strategic decisions to appeal eco-sumers.

The Evaluation of Food Service Menus in an Immigration Detention Center (외국인 보호소 급식 식단 품질에 대한 인식 및 만족도)

  • Kim, Hye-Jin;Kim, Woon Joo;Lee, Young Eun
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.42 no.2
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    • pp.286-305
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    • 2013
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the recognition and satisfaction with the menu quality of food services in an immigration detention center. The survey was conducted from January 22, 2010 to April 22, 2010 by questionnaires. A survey with 265 respondents was conducted and data analyzed by the SAS Program. In analyzing leftovers, the most common was kimchi (37.61%), followed by breads (21.52%), and beans/bean curd (17.99%). The common cause for leftover were undesirable taste (31.84%), sickness or a lack of desire for eating (19.85%). In terms of cooking methods, stir-frying, broiling, and frying were highly preferred to steaming, boiling, and salting. In the analysis of preferences in the taste and satisfaction of food service, there were significant differences in hot, sour, bitter, and light tastes (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001). Satisfaction was low with hot and light tastes, whereas sour and the bitter tastes showed a high degree of satisfaction. In the opinions for quality improvement, most immigrants wanted a tastier food supply (58.69%), a diverse food supply (40.54%), and clean utensils (36.68%). In the analysis of the gap between importance and performance, food taste, variety, and sanitation were recognized as poorly performed, causing major dissatisfaction with the food. The overall satisfaction score was 'average' (3 points out of 5 points) with 3.26 points. The satisfaction score showed insignificant difference depending on religions and duration of stay in Korea, but showed significant differences depending on nationality (p<0.001).