• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.99-117
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• 2012

This study aimed to measure consumer information competency, which indicates consumers' general ability to search and utilize information. The model of this study was constructed in order to identify how consumer information competency influences the efficiency and the effectiveness of external information search. The model was verified with related prior knowledge as a moderator variable in order to understand holistic consumer information search activity. The result of the study is as follows. First, the concept of consumer information competency was constructed with four sub-abilities: define, search, extract, and synthesis & use. The ability of define was the highest, as opposed to the ability of extract, which was the lowest. Second, consumer information competency was lower for women as well as for low family income. The sub-abilities of search and synthesis & use were lower for aging consumers. Third, consumer information competency has positive effects on information search efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, the efficiency influences the effectiveness positively. Fourth, prior knowledge moderates the effect of consumer information competency to the efficiency. Only for consumers with high knowledge the efficiency has the effect of mediating between consumer information competency and the effectiveness.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.475-482
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• 2005

As Korea has approached the aging society, older Koreans have become an important force in restaurant sales today. To succeed with this silver market, it is important for restaurant managers to know who they are and which factor influence the older Koreans' eating-out decision making process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the elderly consumers financial independency on restaurant selection process. Data were collected from 178 older consumers above 55 years old and analyzed using the descriptive statistic analysis, MANOVA, and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that the elderly consumers financial independency significantly influenced the decision making process in determining where they eat out Significant differences were found between high income group and low income group in the Problem Recognition Step(Wilks' Lambda=0.776, F=3.796), Information Search Step(Wilks' Lambda=0.779, F=2.959), Alternative Evaluation Step (I :Wilks' Lambda=0.835, F=1.748/ II :Wilks' Lambda=0.764, F=3.212), and Purchase Decision Step(Wilks' Lambda=0.849, F=2.412), except the Post-Purchase Behavior(Wilks' Lambda=0.933, F=1.179). The more financially independent older consumers were, the more directly they were involved in the eating out decision making process. Older consumers with higher income and more personal property were likely to 'propose to eat out by themselves'(F=10.986), to obtain restaurant information from the 'printed materials'(F=9.707), to consider 'convenient location' as most important factor when they eat out(F=5.594), and to go to 'family restaurant'(F=7.067), 'Japanese restaurant'(F=7.391) and 'fine dining restaurants'(F-=6.382). In conclusion, we found that the elderly consumers financial independency did influence the eating-out decision making process. Considering that older Korean will become a financially independent consumer and will be eating away from home more often, food service operations should actively position themselves for this market and develop the market-driven menus and services to meet their needs and expectations.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.423-429
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• 2012

This study investigated purchasing practice and size satisfaction to offer basic data to establish a marketing strategy and produce down-aging clothes for females in their 40s-50s. For the data analysis, crosstabs, factor analysis, and one-way ANOVA were used. The results were as follows; first, middle-aged women were observed to purchase down-aging clothes "to look younger" and not purchase clothes "due to the lack of right sizes." For women who answered to 'not purchase clothes', they also acknowledged that they intended to purchase down-aging clothes in the future if the right size is available. Second, people in their early 40s significantly considered perceptual qualities such as fashion and brand names while people in their late 50s placed the most importance in practicality and wearability. For body shapes, people with overweight body types were found to significantly consider physical performance, practicality, and wearability. Third, the examination of purchase satisfaction levels by age groups showed that younger age groups had high satisfaction level for wear functionality related items that included size and activity however, the late 50s group had the lowest satisfaction level. Middle-aged women purchased clothes to look younger however, they simultaneously wear clothes that are plain and conservative or respectable and graceful. Therefore, the development of products reflect the analysis of designs that can help create a more youthful appearance and women's preferred styles are needed in addition to the establishment of a differentiated sizing system for middle-aged female consumers in the incorporation of the characteristics of middle-aged women's body parts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.638-643
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• 2005

As Korea has approached the aging society, older Koreans have become an important force in restaurant sales today. To succeed with this silver market, it is important for restaurant managers to know who they are and what factors influence older Koreans' eating-out decision making process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the silver consumers' education level on eating-out decision making process. Data were collected from 178 older consumers above 55 years old and analyzed using the descriptive statistic analysis, MANOVA, and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that the elderly consumers' education level significantly influenced the decision making process in determining where to eat out. Significant differences were found in the Problem Recognition Step(Wilks' Lambda=0.817, F=2.991), Information Search Step(Wilks' Lambda=0828, F=2.218), Alternative Evaluation Step II(Wilks' Lambda=0.741, F=3.596), Purchase Decision Step(Wilks' Lambda=0.859, F=2.223), and the Post-Purchase Behavior(Wilks' Lambda=0.885, F=1.780). The higher education level was, the more directly involved in the eating out decision process. The elderly consumers with university education were likely to 'propose to eat out by themselves'(F=9.346), to obtain restaurant information from the 'printed materials'(F=7.452), to go to 'family restaurant'(F=9.057), 'Japanese restaurant'(F=8.7891) and 'fine dining restaurants'(F=3.936), and to directly express their emotion when they had complaints about restaurant service(F=3.206). In conclusion, older Koreans will become more healthy and wealthy which means the dining out activity will be an important part of their life to socialize with people. Therefore, food service operations should consider the elderly consumers' needs and expectation of restaurant services and actively position themselves for this new market segment.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.78-81
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• 2003

Physiologically functional food is a type of the processed foods showing bioactivities in a living body. Physiologically functional food is a healthy food reinforcing biofunctional abilities of the precaution and recovering of the illness, immunity reinforcement. bio - rhythm control, aging repression and cancer precaution, etc. The consumers are taking to expect the improvement of national health and extention of life span. etc., Physiologically functional food must be able to be ingested briefly and taken in the surroundings easily and the reasonable price. To achieve this goals, it is necessary to positive support of the authorities concerned, technique development of an educational - Industrial cooperation. establishment of reasonable standard and right understanding of the consumers on physiologically functinal food.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.151-160
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• 2006

Consumers want to get healthful food which guarantee the aging control, anti-tumor, immunity-reinforcement, obesity prevention, beauty, prevention of adult disease and well-being. Because they want natural foods without food additives and environmental pollution which were used for convenience, we should develop the various food to guarantee the safety, wholesomeness and convenience. And so, we must study and identify basically the functionality and sanitation in foods to use practically. The companies should develop new products and corporate with universities and government. Because there are much more food informations, people believe unidentified information and continue wrong behavior such as food faddism. Consequently consumers should choose wisely their foods in consideration of their health, time, money and purpose.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.923-936
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• 2012

Apparel companies define their target customers to integrate consumers' needs into their product development processes. The sizing standards play a significant role in ready-to-wear garment business. Consumers' body build and sizes are different according to gender, age, and body type. The consumers' morphological feature of the one geographical area has changed with immigration, aging, and lifestyle change. In this study the way of defining body types in the standard garment sizing systems published in USA., UK, Germany, Japan, and Korea were compared. The results of this study show that most of the systems classified the body types by the index value. The chest-waist drop value was used for men's body type classification. Women's body types were defined by hip proportion. The hip-bust drop value was used for it. German and European garment sizing systems provide a wide range of men's body types. US men's garment sizes are developed for very conservative body type. US women's garment sizing system has had clearly defined women's body types. The Misses body types projected in the US garment sizing system had changed as women's waist girth got bigger compared to the past. In 2011 the US Misses sizes were divided into Curvy Misses size and Straight Misses size by the hip-waist drop value. The Curvy Misses sizes have smaller waist girth and larger hip girth than the Straight Misses sizes.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.226-233
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of appearance management behavior, appearance management motives and body image perception according to males' gender role identities. A set of questionnaire was administered to 398 male consumers. Data were analyzed by utilizing frequency, factor analysis, ANONA, and Crosstabs. The results showed that four groups of male consumers according to the gender role identity were androgyny, unclassified, femininity, and masculinity. The androgyny oriented group showed more active and various appearance management behavior. And they were more conscious of their own body image and rated themselves high in body image perception. The masculinity oriented group were satisfied with their bodies and showed positive attitudes on their body figures and hair care. The femininity oriented group showed positive attitudes on skin care and plastic surgery for social life.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.572-581
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of duty free shop consumers' store benefits sought and fashion merchandise shopping orientation on store satisfaction. Survey data were collected from questionnaires filled out by 194 domestic consumers who had purchase experience of fashion goods in duty free shops located in Korea. The data were analyzed by reliability analysis, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows: First, the store benefits sought was categorized into five factors such as pursuit of convenience, salesperson/atmosphere, promotion, product quality, and product fashionability/variety. The fashion merchandise shopping orientation was categorized into six factors such as pleasure orientation, pursuit of fashion, pursuit of brand, planned orientation, pursuit of confidence, and convenience orientation. The store satisfaction was categorized into six factors such as atmosphere/reputation of store, promotion, product fashionability/variety, convenience, price, and salesperson. Second, the store benefits sought, composed of pursuit of convenience, salesperson/atmosphere, promotion, product quality, and product fashionability/variety, had an effect on the store satisfaction. Third, the shopping orientation such as pleasure orientation, pursuit of fashion, pursuit of brand, and planned orientation, with the exception of pursuit of confidence and convenience orientation, had an effect on the store satisfaction.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.401-417
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate consumer concerns about hazardous elements on foods and recognition of the roles of government, food producers, and consumers in securing food safety. The data were collected from the 443 adult consumers living in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Kwangju and Daejeon through a self-administered questionnaire. Frequencies, t tests, analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range tests were conducted using SPSS Windows. The results of the survey were as follows: (1) the respondents were worried about health risks related to hazardous elements on foods, (2) many respondents were more worried about preservatives of imported foods than those of domestic foods, and (3) most respondents mentioned that observance of enforcement regulations by producers was the most important factor for ensuring food safety in the future. These results imply that regulations regarding the safety of imported foods should be increased.