• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2009

The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced in May 2008 that U.S. retail e-commerce sales for 2006 reached $ 107 billion, up from $ 87 billion in 2005 - an increase of 22 percent. From 2001 to 2006, retail e-sales increased at an average annual growth rate of 25.4 percent. The explosive growth of E-Commerce has caused profound changes in marketing channel relationships and structures in many industries. Despite the great potential implications for both academicians and practitioners, there still exists a great deal of uncertainty about the impact of the Internet channel introduction on distribution channel management. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the ownership of the new Internet channel affects the existing channel members and consumers. To explore the above research questions, this study conducts well-controlled mathematical experiments to isolate the impact of the Internet channel by comparing before and after the Internet channel entry. The model consists of a monopolist manufacturer selling its product through a channel system including one independent physical store before the entry of an Internet store. The addition of the Internet store to this channel system results in a mixed channel comprised of two different types of channels. The new Internet store can be launched by the independent physical store such as Bestbuy. In this case, the physical retailer coordinates the two types of stores to maximize the joint profits from the two stores. The Internet store also can be introduced by an independent Internet retailer such as Amazon. In this case, a retail level competition occurs between the two types of stores. Although the manufacturer sells only one product, consumers view each product-outlet pair as a unique offering. Thus, the introduction of the Internet channel provides two product offerings for consumers. The channel structures analyzed in this study are illustrated in Fig.1. It is assumed that the manufacturer plays as a Stackelberg leader maximizing its own profits with the foresight of the independent retailer's optimal responses as typically assumed in previous analytical channel studies. As a Stackelberg follower, the independent physical retailer or independent Internet retailer maximizes its own profits, conditional on the manufacturer's wholesale price. The price competition between two the independent retailers is assumed to be a Bertrand Nash game. For simplicity, the marginal cost is set at zero, as typically assumed in this type of study. In order to explore the research questions above, this study develops a game theoretic model that possesses the following three key characteristics. First, the model explicitly captures the fact that an Internet channel and a physical store exist in two independent dimensions (one in physical space and the other in cyber space). This enables this model to demonstrate that the effect of adding an Internet store is different from that of adding another physical store. Second, the model reflects the fact that consumers are heterogeneous in their preferences for using a physical store and for using an Internet channel. Third, the model captures the vertical strategic interactions between an upstream manufacturer and a downstream retailer, making it possible to analyze the channel structure issues discussed in this paper. Although numerous previous models capture this vertical dimension of marketing channels, none simultaneously incorporates the three characteristics reflected in this model. The analysis results are summarized in Table 1. When the new Internet channel is introduced by the existing physical retailer and the retailer coordinates both types of stores to maximize the joint profits from the both stores, retail prices increase due to a combination of the coordination of the retail prices and the wider market coverage. The quantity sold does not significantly increase despite the wider market coverage, because the excessively high retail prices alleviate the market coverage effect to a degree. Interestingly, the coordinated total retail profits are lower than the combined retail profits of two competing independent retailers. This implies that when a physical retailer opens an Internet channel, the retailers could be better off managing the two channels separately rather than coordinating them, unless they have the foresight of the manufacturer's pricing behavior. It is also found that the introduction of an Internet channel affects the power balance of the channel. The retail competition is strong when an independent Internet store joins a channel with an independent physical retailer. This implies that each retailer in this structure has weak channel power. Due to intense retail competition, the manufacturer uses its channel power to increase its wholesale price to extract more profits from the total channel profit. However, the retailers cannot increase retail prices accordingly because of the intense retail level competition, leading to lower channel power. In this case, consumer welfare increases due to the wider market coverage and lower retail prices caused by the retail competition. The model employed for this study is not designed to capture all the characteristics of the Internet channel. The theoretical model in this study can also be applied for any stores that are not geographically constrained such as TV home shopping or catalog sales via mail. The reasons the model in this study is names as "Internet" are as follows: first, the most representative example of the stores that are not geographically constrained is the Internet. Second, catalog sales usually determine the target markets using the pre-specified mailing lists. In this aspect, the model used in this study is closer to the Internet than catalog sales. However, it would be a desirable future research direction to mathematically and theoretically distinguish the core differences among the stores that are not geographically constrained. The model is simplified by a set of assumptions to obtain mathematical traceability. First, this study assumes the price is the only strategic tool for competition. In the real world, however, various marketing variables can be used for competition. Therefore, a more realistic model can be designed if a model incorporates other various marketing variables such as service levels or operation costs. Second, this study assumes the market with one monopoly manufacturer. Therefore, the results from this study should be carefully interpreted considering this limitation. Future research could extend this limitation by introducing manufacturer level competition. Finally, some of the results are drawn from the assumption that the monopoly manufacturer is the Stackelberg leader. Although this is a standard assumption among game theoretic studies of this kind, we could gain deeper understanding and generalize our findings beyond this assumption if the model is analyzed by different game rules.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.146-151
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• 2005

Some distributions have been used for diagnosing the lead time demand distribution in inventory system. In this paper, we describe the negative binomial distribution as a suitable demand distribution for a specific retail inventory management application. We here assume that customer order sizes are described by the Poisson distribution with the random parameter following a gamma distribution. This implies in turn that the negative binomial distribution is obtained by mixing the mean of the Poisson distribution with a gamma distribution. The purpose of this paper is to give an interpretation of the negative binomial demand process by considering the sources of variability in the unknown Poisson parameter. Such variability comes from the unknown demand rate and the unknown lead time interval.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.79-84
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• 2005

Some distributions have been used for diagnosing the lead time demand distribution in inventory system. In this paper, we describe the negative binomial distribution as a suitable demand distribution for a specific retail inventory management application. We here assume that customer order sizes are described by the Poisson distribution with the random parameter following a gamma distribution. This implies in turn that the negative binomial distribution is obtained by mixing the mean of the Poisson distribution with a gamma distribution. The purpose of this paper is to give an interpretation of the negative binomial demand process by considering the sources of variability in the unknown Poisson parameter. Such variability comes from the unknown demand rate and the unknown lead time interval.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.49-56
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• 2018

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to provide managerial implications for retail brand managers. Specifically, current study divide donation type into direct donation(e.g., corporate philanthropy) and indirect donation(cause-related marketing) and investigate the donation type on the purchase intention. Also, this research intends to provide the mechanism between the donation type on the purchase intention by showing the mediating role of the consumers' perceived warmth. Moreover, the moderating role of the brand type(non-luxury vs. luxury brand) between the donation type, the warmth perception, and the purchase intention will be examined. Research design, data, and methodology - A total of 174 undergraduate students from a university in Korea were recruited and were randomly assigned to the conditions of a 2(donation type: indirect vs. direct) X 2 (brand type: non-luxury vs. luxury) between-subjects design. The hypotheses were tested using SPSS 21.0. Two-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were performed. Results - Empirical results showed that the consumers' perceived warmth was higher in the direct donation condition than the indirect donation condition and moreover this influence of the donation type on the perceived warmth was moderated by the brand type. Specifically, the influence of donation type on the perceived warmth was significant only for luxury brand. And there is an interaction effect of donation type and brand type on the purchase intention. More specifically, the purchase intention for luxury brand was higher in the direct donation condition than the indirect donation condition whereas the purchase intention for non-luxury brand was higher in the indirect donation condition than in the direct donation condition. Conclusions - This research contributed to the CSR literature of retail brand management by showing that the influence of the donation type and the brand type on the purchase intention. Moreover, this study enriched CSR literature by introducing Stereotype Content Model and showing the mediating role of the consumers' perceived warmth. Managerially, these results suggested retail brand managers of non-luxury brand and luxury brand how to select an appropriate type of donation and conduct CSR strategies.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.51-60
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• 2015

Purpose - Among potential marketing strategies, the most efficient method to encourage purchase intention is through sales promotions. Sales promotions also serve to enhance customer satisfaction, which is closely related to the incidence of repurchases. Therefore, the success of retail stores greatly depends on the effectiveness of their promotional activities. The present study aimed to obtain the necessary information for apparel stores to establish more effective promotional activities. To this end, the study's specific research questions were to examine 1) consumer satisfaction with the recent sales promotions of retail apparel stores, 2) the levels of consumer preferences for different types of sales promotions (cash discounts, promotional gifts, prize drawings, discount coupons, stamp cards, or mileage cards), and 3) the differences in purchase intention according to preference levels for different types of sales promotions. Research design, data, and methodology - The research employed a descriptive survey method using a self-administered questionnaire. The sample consisted of 700 men (n=234) and women (n=466) ranging in age from their 20s to their 50s and residing in the Seoul area. Data were analyzed through methods including factor analysis as well as Cronbach's α coefficients, the t-test, ANOVA, and the Duncan test. Results - Differences among consumer preferences were identified for each type of sales promotion according to the purchase amount and the customer's age. In relation to purchase amounts below 500,000 won, participants in their 50s have lower preferences for price discounts than those in their 20s or 30s, whereas participants in their 40s or 50s have lower preferences for stamp cards and mileage cards than those in their 20s. When the purchase amount is greater than 500,000 won, housewives have higher preferences for promotional gifts than respondents with other occupations. However, no gender differences were found with regard to preference levels for the different types of sales promotions. Respondents generally exhibited mediocre satisfaction with the sales promotion events of retail apparel stores. They also expressed negative opinions about sales promotions when such promotions lead to high prices, as well as dissatisfaction with the poor quality of promotional gifts. It was also found that, regardless of the purchase amount, the groups with higher preferences for discount coupons and mileage cards displayed higher purchase intentions. Only when the purchase amount is greater than 200,000 won did the group with higher preferences for lottery system promotional gifts express higher purchase intentions. On the other hand, for all purchase amount sizes, there were no differences in purchase intentions according to preferences for cash discounts, promotional gifts, or stamp cards. Conclusions - The results revealed that greater effort must be devoted to enhancing consumers' satisfaction levels with the promotional activities performed by apparel retail stores. The results also showed that it is necessary to differentiate among sales promotion strategies according to preference levels for different types of sales promotions, purchase amounts, and target consumer ages.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.105-126
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• 2009

This study applies the cointegration theory to analyse the causality of the prices between imported fisheries and domestic fisheries in distribution channel. We've focused on the prices of import, wholesale and retail about the frozen Alaska pollack, hairtail and croaker which take up high portion and are popular among most of the consumers. In process of analysis, the unit root test was adopted to find the stability of time series data prior to the cointegration test. If the time series data was found as stable one in unit root test, we should analyse the VAR model. If unstable, the cointegratioin test was adopeted to find the long-run equilibrium relationship between the data. When the long-run equilibrium relationship was found among the price of the import, wholesale and retail price, the VECM model was adoped. If not, the differenced VAR model was adopted. The main findings of this study could be summarized as follows ; First, according to the result of the analysis on VAR model, time series data of frozen Alaska pollack was found as stable and has causality relationship and close effect was existing among the import, wholesale and retail price. Second, the data of frozen hairtail was found as an unstable one in unit root test and the result of cointegration test showed the long-run equilibrium relationship at lag 1. From the results of VECM model, we could find that the coefficient of error correction is effective, and the sign is negative(-). It means that the existence of adjustment tendency to long-run equilibrium after a short-run deviation. But the short-run causality of the prices were not found except the price of wholesale. Third, according to the results of differenced VAR model, data from frozen croaker did not have the stability and long-run equilibrium. Moreover, it was found that the import price has a weak causality on the retail price. Because of having difficulties in collecting data, the result of this paper could not explain the relationship among the prices of import, wholesale and retail perfectly. However, it more or less contributed to a long-lasted debate on the direction of causality of price-setting in academic research and provided a useful guide for the policy makers in charge of the price-setting of fisheries products as well.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.5-20
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• 2006

Retail is called location business because it is one of the most important factors to estimate management of stores for retailers who are going to sell products directly to customers. Retailers' management achievements are shown in sale in general. Therefore, retailers tend to focus on ways to increase the numbers of customers in order to raise sales. First of all, in this research, I am going to examine the most fundamental models such as Reilly's retail gravitation, converse model, huff probability model and multiful losit model in selecting stores. Secondly, I am going to provide the process and analyzing ways to predict estimated sales amount with the previous theory model. Also I am going to predict estimated sales amount of the department store L which is located in D metorpolitan city. Lastly, I am going to argue about the problem of this research and the next research subject. Our main goal is to provide ways to complement and inspect sales estimation models, which can be used in fields after taking characters of high class structure of Korea into consideration on the base of previous researches. According to the result of the research, my conclusion is that if the process of analysis and changing factors are complemented, revise model, which can reflect reality of Korea, will be provided. Therefore, in the future study, we have to build up theory models to suit for our retail market through critic reviews about the existing high class structure of Korea.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.107-128
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• 2013

When Korea's retail industry was liberalized, new store formats such as large discount stores and Super Supermarket(SSMs) have grown. New types of business have borne significant influence on traditional market. Traditional markets have been in gradual decline since they fail to meet to consumer's purchasing behavior. The South Korean government has been making sustained efforts to revitalize the modernization of traditional markets since 2004. This research is conducted to analyze how changes in the distribution of different types of distributors influence the consumer's purchasing behaviors depending on the changes in the market environment. The purpose of this research is to present a policy to invigorate consumer-oriented traditional markets by analyzing the consumption behavior among major retail channels at a point when competition among retail channels is becoming intensified. In order to examine the effect of the spatial competitive landscape among major retail channels on consumption behavior, an empirical analysis was conducted with 613 consumers in 6 cities nationwide, using the multiple regression model. This research identified three main areas of factors. The analysis result indicates that the physical factor (time required to go to the traditional market), socioeconomic factors (the number of vehicles owned and average monthly income), and competitive factors (intensity of competition in spatial locations and average monthly spending in supermarkets) have significant influence on consumption patterns of consumers. The findings present that the Korean government should go ahead with policies aimed to revitalize traditional markets, keeping in mind the factors that influence the consumption patterns of customers based on these results. We propose that the policy supporting traditional markets need to be a customized-strategy, considering traditional market's characteristic.