• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1239-1261
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• 2010

The main purposes of the study were to identify factors affecting health-related quality of life of elderly stroke survivors, and to suggest social work interventions for improving their quality of life. The participants were 328 elderly stroke survivors over 55 years old recruited from 18 long-term care hospitals and 13 nursing care facilities in Chung-Nam Province, Korea. The data was collected through a direct survey method from Dec. 16, 2008 to Jan. 17, 2009. Statistical analysis revealed that the overall health-related quality of life among participants was relatively low, especially in the social relationships domain. As a result of hierarchical multiple regression analysis, depression emerged as the most significant predictor of elderly stroke survivors' health-related quality of life, followed by financial burden in future, activities of daily living, acceptance of disability, comorbidity, and major financial supporter(spouse). Health-related quality of life of elderly stroke survivors in long-term care facilities was affected by a variety of variables from disease-related factors to environmental ones. Particularly psychosocial variables were the most powerful factors to predict HRQOL of elderly stroke survivors. Based on the results, social work implications were discussed in the context of developing clinical strategies to alleviate elderly stroke survivors' health-related quality of life in long-term care facilities. Living with chronic illness and disability is a great challenge to the elderly. Most of all long-term residence in care facilities can cause deterioration of quality of life in old age. From now on, studies on health-related quality of life of elderly with chronic illness and disability should be activated in social work field.

• Journal of the Korea Knowledge Information Technology Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.327-339
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• 2018

This study is on the elderly people's use and experience of pet robots (companion robots). Applying companion robots for the elderly's daily lives can enhance their quality of life. Leisure is main activity of the elderly who are out of work. Therefore, the quality and diversity of leisure can affect the quality of their life. Companion Robots could provide them with more advanced and interesting experiences. Around the world, population aging becomes one of the most important trends in each country. The social and economic burden of aging is serious challenge on sustainability of the world, including S. Korea. The authors examine use of Companion Robots for elderly (from 50 years old to 90 years old). In this experiment, the authors study and measure many factors including system quality, interface quality, displeasure, enjoyment, willingness to reuse, perception on new technology. In regression analysis, intimacy(t=-2.006, p<.05) is significant factor on displeasure of Companion Robot. In another regression, displeasure of Companion Robot (independent variable) is significant factor on enjoyment(t=-3.327, p<.01) and willingness to reuse(t=-2.636, p<.01). Therefore, when elderly one feels less displeasure of Companion Robot, he/she feels more enjoyment and willingness to reuse. As a result, the elderly who don't familiar to new technology could improve quality of life and leisure activity by using companion robot.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.157-175
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• 2016

Under the market economy of capitalism, several limitations reveal the inequity and redistribution problem of wealth, inefficiency of over-manufacturing and over-consumption, pollution of the natural environment, and the constraint of human liberty and dignity. The new challenge of symbiotic relationships that encourage individual corporations coincides with the need to practice social responsibility and share values to overcome these limitations. Social economy and the social enterprises that simultaneously pursue the making of corporate private profits and the realization of social values have been suggested and disseminated as alternative social value creators. Furthermore, the concept of a sharing economy, which refers to the sharing of things rather than owning them, is growing traction as a new paradigm of capitalism. However, these efforts of social enterprises have fallen short against the conflicts between private profit and social values. This study deals with the case of a start-up social corporation, "Purun Bike Sharing Inc.," which is based on a regional sharing economy business model about bike rental services that use Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This corporation pursues harmonic management to achieve a balance between private profit and social value. Its corporate mission is to achieve sharing, coexistence, and contribution for public welfare. This mission is a possible idea for use in the local community network as a core key for sustainable social enterprises. The model can also be an alternative approach to overcome the structural friction in the social corporation. This study considers the case of Purun Bike Sharing as a sustainable way to practice a sharing economy business model based on a regional cooperation network, which can be combined with social value, and to apply ICT to a sharing economy system. It also examines the definition and current state of social enterprises and the sharing economy, and the cases of the sharing economy business model for the review of prior research.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.457-479
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• 2013

Through a Chinese rise, Chinese dream is actualizing as the world's great power. According to outlook of World Bank and IMF, Around 2030 China will be a great power bigger than America's economic power. The rise of China will give a huge impact to the whole world. China expands her influence through a global manufacturing base and a global market. To actualize 'Peaceful Rise' Strategy, China has many constraints. Chinese society is facing many difficult social problem due to side effects of a rapid development. Such as the spread of corruption, the severity of wealth gap, environmental degradation and energy shortage. Internationally there are containment from hegemon so-called 'China threat' dispute, Taiwan issue and territorial disputes. Western countries are hostile to China for two reasons. Based on expectations, one is China's socialist system and the other is the rising China which will compete for supremacy with Europe and America. Recent emergence of Chinese nationalism and the containment of the neighboring countries are also serious limiting factors. Domestically they have the rampant corruption in the bureaucracy, weakened capacity of Communist rule, wealth disparity due to the discriminatory economic development strategy, seriousness of rural problem, social instability, lack of social security systems and the development gap between the eastern coastal areas and western inland areas, ethnic minorities problems, the constraint of sustainable development issues due to lack of resources, environmental pollution and energy constraints. Like the former Soviet Union, China may face a dismantlement. After the rise, China may encounter possibilities of a war between great powers or a collapse of Chinese society caused by deepening internal conflict. Serious economic polarization would make peasants and urban workers, who are social vulnerable people, to turn their back to communist party and threaten the justification and the appropriateness of the ruling communist party. Chinese government will think internal system security threat is more formidable risk factor than a system security threat from the hegemon. The decline of great country comes from internal reasons rather than external reasons. To achieve peaceful rise, unification with Taiwan is an essential prerequisite. Taiwan issues are complex problems which equipped with international and domestic factors. Lack of energy resources, environmental pollution in China will bring economic crisis to Korean enterprises. Important influence to Korean economy will be a changeover of the method in economic development. It will turn the balance of investment and consumption, GDP-centered growth to consumption and environment-centered growth. Services industries including finance, environment, culture, education, health care and social welfare will grow. Change in China's growth model will give a great challenge upon the intermediate goods industry in Korea. Korea should reduce the portion of machinery, automotive, semiconductor, steel and chemical-centered export industry to China, and should increase the proportion of the service industry.