• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.246-260
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• 2018

This study examined the customers' perception on Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products. Specifically, there were three research objectives: 1. to identify the customers' HMR purchase patterns and preference of HMR product development; 2. to identify the attributes of the HMR products that the customers perceive; and 3. to examine the customers' level of expectation-confirmation toward HMR product attributes according to the demographic characteristics. This study employed a self-administered survey that was distributed online from November 21~24, 2017. The sample of the study was the customers who had purchased HMR products in the six months prior to taking the survey. A total of 553 respondents completed the survey, which was used for data analysis. The results revealed the customers' HMR purchase patterns. The major HMR product type of purchase was ready to heat (52.6%), while the main reason for purchasing HMR products was convenience (83.2%). For the differences in the level of expectation-confirmation toward HMR products in accordance with the demographic characteristics of customers, the results indicated that there was a difference in the expectation-confirmation level according to age, whereas the respondents aged 29 and under showed a significantly higher level of time-saving for the preparation and ease of cooking (P<0.05) than the other age groups. In addition, there was a significant difference in the expectation-confirmation level for saving meal preparation time (P<0.05) and convenience (P<0.01) among the customer's occupation. These findings can provide the basis for a strategy for developing HMR products reflecting the rapidly changing customers' needs. HMR products should be developed according to the specific target market, as the study indicated that the respective customer segmentation resulted in a difference in their expectation toward HMR products.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.47-56
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• 2018

Purpose - In this research, the expectation level of service of Incheon International Airport was investigated. Service expectation level is critical to the customers' satisfaction and should be managed. Regarding the expectation level of service, the concepts have been defined and introduced by some researchers including Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1993). However, due to the difficulties of measuring the level, researches on the expectation level of service have been limited. The main reason of difficulties of measuring the effects is that desired service, adequate service, perceived service, predicted service which are the conceptual components of the expectation level of service are psychologically described concepts and thus are hard to set up standards and to measure numerically. All that one can discern is that desired service level is higher than adequate service level or perceived service level is lower than predicted service level under the certain conditions, etc. Research design, data, and methodology - In this research, the level of service and factors affecting the level are investigated using the case of an Airport. The main idea of research is to investigate whether a supposed factor that is alleged to affect the expected service level is working empirically. The supposed factor is service provider's promise to provide certain level of service to customers. Results - The research results can be summarized as follow. First, service provider's promise, in this case the Airport's Service Quality Award by Airports Council International which can be regarded as objective promise to provide the certain level of service to customers is turned out to be influential to factors affecting expectation level of service. Second, service provider's promise affects to move the customers' expectation level of service upward especially the service of delivering the necessary information to customers in the airport correctly and swiftly. Conclusions - The implications of the research results are, first, customers' expectation level of service in influenced by service provider's promise, second, airport's service award increases the level of customers' service level and as a result for the airport to meet the customers' expectation level of service more efforts should be made.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.526-540
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• 2010

Due to fierce competition, many domestic fashion businesses are suffering difficulty in securing and maintaining customers. Accordingly, fashion companies are devoting all their energy to secure customers by using high quality and diverse strategies for distribution and promotion, and to secure loyalty by satisfying customers with the offer of excellent service. Thus, it is very important to provide systematic service recovery strategy available for handling service failure effectively. Therefore, the purpose of this study is comprehensively analyzing influences of expectation dis-confirmation and perceived justice for service recovery upon consumers' satisfaction and loyalty. The findings are as follows. First, as for the service failure that customers experienced, the more consumers who expect it to be recovered led to the higher formation of expectation-compensation dis-confirmation. Second, it was indicated that the higher seriousness in service failure that customers experienced led to the lower satisfaction and loyalty to service recovery. Third, as a result of examining influence of expectation-compensation dis-confirmation for service-failure recovery upon consumer satisfaction and loyalty, the customers who showed more positive dis-confirmation to expectation-compensation were indicated to form the more satisfaction and loyalty. Fourth, as a result of examining the influence of the perceived justice in the process of service-failure recovery upon customer satisfaction, all in 3 dimensions of justice had effect on customer satisfaction.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.19-26
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• 2020

Purpose: The old axion to put the customers first (e.g., customers are king, customers are always right) has been taken for granted in the service sector. In addition, many companies in South Korea are providing customer-first education for employees at their contact points to strengthen their competitiveness. However, excessive increase in the psychological power of the customer can lead to a problem of abuse of power, called 'Gap-jil.' Despite these concerns, most companies hardly discard policies to give high priority to customers because of the assumption that it enhances customer satisfaction leading to organizational performance. However, in recent years, some franchise catering companies have posted warnings about the abuse of power by customers, and a movement to pursue a power-balancing between service providers and their customers is spreading. Research design, data, and methodology: This research is conducted to reconsider the principle of the customer-first perspective and to create a basis for arguments that can solve the problem of abuse of power, which is recognized as a serious social problem. In this research, we test and analyze the effect of customers' psychological power in the context of a restaurant on expectation for service and response to service failure. Result: The result of an experimental study shows that the effect of psychological power on customer satisfaction can be somewhat negative. Also, customers with high psychological power are more likely to have high service expectations. Especially high psychological power of customers causes a difference in the expectation level of human factors such as employee attitude, while the difference in expectations of non-human factors such as restaurant atmosphere was not statistically significant. In addition, when customers with high psychological power encounter service failure situation, they are more likely to feel disappointment and regret with a service provider. Meanwhile, the effect of psychological power on complaining behaviors are not significant. Conclusions: The findings of this research provide meaningful implications that the service providers should reconsider their existing corporate culture and management policies that put customers first. In addition, the result of this research is provided meaningful opportunities to review the management philosophy for the company's customers and the education philosophy for the employee education.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.330-340
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• 2001

This study is to select food offered with higher frequency at restaurants such as hamburger, pizza, chicken, gimbap(boiled rice rolled in laver with seasonings stuffed), and calgooksu(Korean traditional noodles); identify customers' expectation and satisfaction levels on food and service quality and analyze correlation according to each food. The survey was conducted from March 1 to March 24, 2000, by distributing questionnaires. Statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS for t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis. The results of this study were as follows: 1) It is revealed that overall average satisfaction levels on food quality according to individuals' trait came out significantly low compared to their expectation levels, and that balance in nutrition and reasonable prices had problems in relation to food quality. 2) Customers' expectation levels on food quality came out the highest with calgooksu and gimbap, and their satisfaction levels came out the highest with pizza. 3) Customers' overall average expectation levels on service quality showed a very high point, while their satisfaction levels showed a low point with significance. 4) Hamburger was poor in hygiene; pizza showed the highest satisfaction levels over its quality with significance, and calgooksu and gimbap showed very low satisfaction levels over their service quality. 5) Correlation between customers' expectation and satisfaction levels over the nutritional balance and proper taste of the food quality came out significant. 6) Pizza and chicken showed significant correlation with regard to atmosphere, service, and hygiene variables (p<0.01).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2000

The effort to understand customer is essential and customer satisfaction measurement tool is needed in today's intensively competitive environment of restaurants. The objectives of this study were to measure customers' expectation and satisfaction of service quality attributes and to identify relatively important attributes for overall satisfaction in restaurants. The questionnaires were distributed to 232 customers at 78 family-style, pizza and fast food restaurants. Statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS for t-test, ANOVA, factor analysis, Pearson's correlation and regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows: 1) four and six- dimensional structures were established from 25 expectation and satisfaction attributes, respectively. 2) Demographic variables and usage characteristics didn't affect on service quality expectation, but expectations were significantly different according to the types of restaurant. 3) Expectation/satisfaction matrix showed different patterns in 3 types of restaurant. 4) 'Quality of food' and 'atmosphere' were the most relatively important attributes for overall satisfaction in restaurants.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.26
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• pp.205-230
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to research the recognition of hotel customers when the outside special restaurants opens at hotel instead of restaurant owned by hotel in Seoul City. The major factors are showed up factor analysis as specialty and reliability of hotel and outside restaurant image. They are consisted of 5 categorizes and the results of this study are as follows; First, it is proved that the expectation of customers after opening restaurant will be increased in terms of the lower price and more variety of food & beverage products. Also, the food & beverage will be increased. However, the quality and specialty of products will not be improved as much as customers expected. Considering that the results, hotel guests expect the effect of opening restaurant at hotel for variety products and service. So, Hotel management should understand the changing attitude of customer' needs and expectation.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.225-235
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• 2000

Service quality has become an important factor to meet customer satisfaction in the food service industry where competition is getting severe. Organizations are focused upon strengthening customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. Therefore, this study, taking customers as subjects, is intended to analyze factors affecting customer loyalty, on the basis of service quality satisfaction. In doing. so, the analysis has been done with 232 customers who are purchasing service from the food services industry, for general information, and service quality expectation, service quality satisfaction and overall satisfaction. The results of the study are as below. 1) From a factor analysis, the service quality expectation level of customer has been categorized into 4 factors, which are named General ′General management ′, ′Food′, ′Reliability′and ′Reputation′. 2) From the factor analysis, the service quality satisfaction level of customer has been categorized into 6 factors, which are named ′Employee attitude′, ′Food′, ′Reliability′, ′Atmosphere′, ′Reputation′ and ′Price′. 3) After classifying customers into 3 groups according to two criteria-"will buy the service again" and "will suggest to others", a comparison has been done for the service quality expectation dimension of customers by each customer group. The result shows that the group having both the "will buy the service again" and "will buy the service again "and "will suggest to others" criteria, that is, with higher customer loyalty, tend to have higher point than other group in factors of ′Food′, ′Reliability′, ′Reputation′(p〈.05). 4) As per the dimension of customer\`s service quality satisfaction level, factors like ′Employee attitude′, ′Food′, ′Reliability′, ′Atmosphere′, ′Reputation′, and ′Price′have shown differences according to each loyalty group(P〈.001). 5) Customers′overall satisfaction level according to each customer loyalty group has been found to be more important for the group having a higher loyalty level(p〈.001) 6) From the discriminant analysis with employing judging variables, such as the customer′s service quality expectation level, service quality satisfaction level and general satisfaction level, customer loyalty groups have been identified as accurately as 68.9% of the explanatory power.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.31 no.5 s.164
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• pp.753-764
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• 2007

Apparel goods can be customer-oriented in the extreme and the apparel industry is one of the most customer-centered industries that should maximize customers' satisfaction. Recently, mass customization, a customer-centered system is widely discussed in the apparel industry to provide consumers with new, differentiating, distinctive, yet personalized products. The purpose of this study is to provide useful insights for apparel brands' mass customization(hereafter, MC) implementation by comparing the apparel brands' current status with consumers' expectation. One hundred apparel brands' practitioners and 116 consumers were surveyed in this research. First, we found that, on the basis of the five stages of MC presented by Pine(1993), apparel brands' MC stages were identified. Then, customers' expectation levels were examined according to the five stages. When compared the gap between the customers' expectation level and the apparel brands' implementation, consumers' expectation of MC was significantly higher than the implementation level by apparel brands for the stage 2(customized products creation), the stage 5(modular production). Second, by conducting a factor analysis with the scales measuring the MC activities of the five stages, apparel brands' current MC strategies could be classified as 'mass customized strategy', 'quick response strategy', 'MOT(moment of truth) customized strategy', and 'individualized service strategy.' Apparel brands showed significant differences in mass customized strategy, quickresponse strategy, and MOT customized strategy according to their product characteristics. Finally, consumers' expectation level of MC strategies was significantly different by their characteristics such as shopping orientation.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.80-108
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• 2016

Contemporary organizations strive for customer agility through the deployment of digital technologies on customer-focused operations to build enduring customer relationships, with mobile apps being one of its prominent examples. Drawing on prior agility and ECT literature, this study proposes a model to examine customers' view of a firm's customer agility. Our empirical test of conceptual model from data collected in a field study from 128 customers demonstrated that the conceptual model offers good explanation for customers' view of a firm's customer agility through relationships among customer expectations-customer perceived firm's responsiveness-satisfaction. Data were analyzed using PLS, polynomial modeling, and response surface methodology to examine the relationships between customers' digital interactions with the firm, influence of digitized interactions on customer expectations, customers' evaluation of firm's responsiveness, and subsequent customer satisfaction.