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- P-ISSN1738-3110
- E-ISSN2093-7717
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ISSN : 1738-3110
Vol.13 No.4
Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review, analyze, and learn from the most recent cases of plagiarism and to identify and promote ethical practices in research and publication. Research design, data, and methodology - This is a case study, an analytical approach, which focuses on analyzing the most recent cases of plagiarism to identify ethical issues and concerns in journal publication practices. Results - Despite the availability of many software and web-based applications and programs to detect plagiarism, there is no universal or perfect plagiarism detection application available to ease the editorial responsibility. Lack of understanding the concept and ignorance of plagiarism were the main reasons for the cases of plagiarism. Conclusions - Some of the plagiarism cases reveal a lack of knowledge in proper application of in-text citations and references, including quoting, requiting, paraphrasing, and citing sources, etc. Furthermore, the need for recognizing and considering the distorted and falsified primary and secondary research data as plagiarism is essential to enhance ethical practices in journal publication.
Abstract
Purpose - This study focuses on the use of evaluative criteria software for imprecise market information, and product mapping relationships between design parameters and customer requirements. Research design, data, and methodology - This study involved using the product predicted value method, synthesizing design alternatives through a morphological analysis and plan, realizing the synthesis in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), and using its searching software capacity to obtain optimal solutions. Results - The establishment of product designs conforms to the customer demand, and promotes the optimization of several designs. In this study, the construction level analytic method and the simple multi attribute comment, or the quantity analytic method are used. Conclusions - This study provides a solution for enterprise products' multi-goals decision-making, because the product design lacks determinism, complexity, risk, conflict, and so on. In addition, the changeable factor renders the entire decision-making process more difficult. It uses Fuzzy deduction and the correlation technology for appraising the feasible method and multi-goals decision-making, to solve situations of the products' multi-goals and limited resources, and assigns resources for the best product design.
Abstract
Purpose - The Chinese government's policies and funds enable specialized farmers cooperatives to develop vigorously. However, the non-systematic supervision system affects the interests of farmer-members of these cooperatives, which are similar to the Korean NongHyup in many aspects but differ in their supervision systems such as distribution. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the problems of specialized farmers cooperatives, and obtain some insights from NongHyup. Research design, data, and methodology - Data were collected from farmers, the government, and cooperatives in northern China's Shandong Province (the cities of Jinan, Qingdao, Weifang, Linyi, and Heze) through a literature survey, case analysis, and comparative analysis in each city. Results - 1) Specialized farmers cooperatives should establish a transparent regulatory mechanism and be subject to dual supervision from both the Chinese government and farmers. 2) The Chinese government and civil society should offer more support to the cooperatives, and strive to change farmers' backward attitude through education and training. Conclusions - Small cooperatives could merge into large ones and undertake social responsibility through the establishment of labor unions.
Abstract
Purpose - This paper aims to explain the interactive relationship between small and medium-sized enterprises' clusters and regional economic growth, with Jiangsu Province as an illustrative example. It focuses on studying the promotional effects, if any, of small and medium-sized enterprises' cluster-development on regional economic growth, and vice-versa. Research design, data, and methodology - Data were collected from the Jiangsu Statistical Yearbook and the China Industrial Economic Statistical Yearbook, by selecting 26 industries as the research subjects. The sample interval selection is 1981-2012. The data were analyzed with the dynamic panel system using stata 12.0. Results - 1) The small and medium-sized enterprises' cluster degree and Jiangsu's economic growth have a long-term stable equilibrium relationship. 2) In the short term, they have a dynamic adjustment 3) The enterprises' cluster degree leads to regional economic growth in Jiangsu, but not vice-versa. Conclusions - Small and medium-sized enterprises' clusters have an important promotional effect on Jiangsu's economic growth, especially industries with high degree of agglomeration. Therefore, the formation of these clusters can significantly improve economic growth.
Abstract
Purpose - This study aims to seek various plans to maintain the advancement of the overseas and domestic employment scenario through a case analysis of the Japanese industry, which maintains domestic employment while promoting the overseas advancement of companies despite having a similar industrial structure as Korea. The study further intends to derive insightful implications for Japanese manufacturing companies and government policies. Research design, data, and methodology - We selected four companies from the Japanese manufacturing industry. Being companies that were successful in increasing the domestic employment scenario while advancing in overseas markets. We utilized several secondary data sources including Japanese newspapers and report literature. Results - Previous studies have shown a negative relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) or offshoring and domestic employment. However, our results showed this relationship with respect to the Japanese manufacturing industry as follows: 1. FDI for developing overseas markets does not decrease domestic production. If Japanese companies change their strategy from exports to overseas production, there will be a consequent decrease in domestic employment of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). However, the local production that plans the sales expansion of a foreign market does not substitute domestic production. 2. Several case studies illustrate that, as the production of final goods is expanded in foreign countries, there is a corresponding increase in the export of intermediary goods from Japan. In this case, if the production process of Japanese companies is promoted in foreign markets, the amount of exported material and parts from Japan will consequently increase. 3. It is difficult to consider that the establishment of subsidiary companies in foreign countries by manufacturing companies for wholesale, retail, and services decreases domestic employment. This is because the international development of these industries needs expatriates, expatriate training organizations, and research and development (R&D) activities. 4. When there is overseas demand, the growth of local management activities is expected to increase the work of the overseas business department in the head office in Japan, if competitiveness can be secured for better localization and management speed. 5. The conversion of the domestic manufacturing industry into high value-added production is necessary. The relocation of domestic production to foreign markets decreases domestic employment. To prevent this, the upgradation of domestic production bases, including high value-added production, and R&D capability need to be strengthened. Technology-based companies must develop new technology, patents, processes, and so forth, which require extensive human resources for R&D. Conclusions - Domestic medium-sized companies that are capable of consistently supplying high value-added products should be actively encouraged to deploy into and develop overseas markets. Further, this paper considers the necessity of a guidance policy that provides suggestions for overseas deployment, by the initiation of the government, to companies that cannot do so due to the lack of foreign experience or decisions by the CEO, despite having the relevant capability and technologies to supply high value-added products.
Abstract
Purpose - Online shopping enables consumers to conveniently purchase products irrespective of the time and place. As a result, several online shopping companies have emerged to cater to this growing market and, therefore, the competition among them has become increasingly intense. This paper evaluates the comparative efficiency of online shopping companies for a multi-year period (2009-2013), in order to help online shopping managers identify major drivers for enhancing management efficiency and the subsequent competitiveness. Research design, data, and methodology - The researchers collected the data from 2009 to 2013 from the distribution yearbook. This paper analyzes the marketability (sales figures), profitability (business profits), and management conditions (net profits) of domestic online shopping enterprises by incorporating information on human resources (number of employees) and material resources (total assets and capital). Therefore, the number of employees, total assets, and capital are selected as input variables, and sales figures, business profits, and net profits as the output variables. In this study, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to measure the comparative efficiency of domestic online shopping companies. In addition, the Malmquist Productivity Index was used to evaluate the trend of change of Decision Making Units' (DMUs') efficiency for a multi-year period. Results - First, as of 2013, Interpark (2.415) was found to be the most efficient online shopping enterprise, followed by Aladdin Communications (2.117), Hyundai Home shopping (1.867), Home&Shopping (1.176), NS Home shopping (1.170), Commerce Planet (1.126), CJ O Shopping (1.105), Ebay Korea (1.088), and GS Home Shopping (1.051). Second, this study recognizes how the management efficiency has changed for the period 2009-2013. Third, the lesser the capital and employees, the more are the net profits, and the better is the management efficiency of domestic online shopping companies. Lastly, the productivity of such companies is influenced by endogenous factors rather than exogenous factors such as shifts in business environment and technological advances. Conclusions - DHC Korea influenced various distribution channels to reach customers through the Internet. Consequently, this helped in increasing the awareness about its products, in addition to an increase in sales. These achievements can be attributed to the characteristics of online shopping companies. Although it is easy for these companies to suggest goods for one-off purchases, they however have difficulties in retaining customers. Overcoming this challenge can be one of the ways to benchmark a successful case of an efficient company. For example, an online shopping company can attract customers by developing a corresponding mobile application as a convenient way to shop online. Additionally, they can satisfy customers by quick delivery of purchased products, which is possible by building an effective logistics network. Our study indicates that the productivity of an online shopping company was influenced by endogenous factors driven by improvements in managerial practices rather than exogenous factors. Accordingly, online shopping companies should adopt strategies to improve their operational efficiency rather than sales volume-oriented management.
Abstract
Purpose - Multi-dimensional prices comprise multiple components such as monthly payments and a number of payments rather than a single lump-sum amount. According to previous studies, an increase in the number of price dimensions leads to a massive amount of cognitive stress resulting in incorrect calculation, and deterioration in the consistency of the price judgment. However, an increase only in the level of complexity of calculating multi-dimensional prices does not always result in a corresponding decrease in the accuracy of price evaluation. Since diverse variables could affect consumers' purchase-decision-making process, the results of price evaluation would be different. In this study, an empirical analysis was performed to determine how the accuracy of price evaluation varies depending on the extent of the complexity of price dimensions using product involvement and brand preference as moderating variables. Research design, data, and methodology - A survey was conducted on 260 students, and 252 effective responses were used for analysis. The data was analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, and two-way ANOVA. In this study, six hypotheses were developed to examine the effect of product involvement and brand preference on consumers' evaluation effort of multi-dimensional prices. Results - As the number of price dimensions increased, accuracy of price evaluation appeared to be low in high involvement, as expected. However, it showed no differences in price evaluation effort when the level of complexity of calculating multi-dimensional prices is low. When a small number of price dimensions are presented in both cases of high and low involvement, accuracy of price evaluation is much higher in a weak brand preference. On the contrary, a strong brand preference enhances an accuracy of price evaluation only in case of low involvement when the number of price dimensions is increased. An interaction effect of product involvement and brand preference on consumers' evaluation of multi-dimensional prices did not exist irrespective of the level of complexity of calculating prices being high or low. Conclusions - When the number of price dimensions is small, consumers' effort for price evaluation shows almost no difference without the moderating effect of involvement, and a weak brand preference leads to a higher accuracy of price evaluation in an effort to make the best selection. No interaction effect of product involvement and brand preference was found except for a main effect of brand preference. When a price is composed of multiple dimensions rendering it more difficult to calculate the final price, the effort for price evaluation was expected to decrease only slightly in case of combination of high involvement and strong brand preference. This is because people have a higher purchase intentions and trust for that particular brand. However, the accuracy of price evaluation was much lower in cases of high involvement, and there was no interaction effect between product involvement and brand preference except for a main effect of involvement and brand preference, respectively.
Abstract
Purpose - This article aims to present and test a model regarding franchisors' supporting activities that may positively influence franchisees' attitude toward the franchising headquarter and their own business performance. Moreover, the authors examine the moderating effect of competitive intensity between franchisee attitude and business performance. Most previous research focused on behavioral performance measurements such as satisfaction, trust, and commitment. There are few empirical studies that focus on financial performance data because it is difficult to determine a relational mechanism between behavioral and financial performance. Moreover, financial data is confidential and difficult to collect in many cases. However, this study measures financial performance (e.g., sales revenue per square meter) differently than most previous research, which is mostly focused on the behavioral performance measurements. Research design, data, and methodology - To test our hypotheses, we selected 137 franchisee managers who are running chains of one of the foremost bakery franchise brands in South Korea. This study carefully investigated the reliability, content validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the proposed instrument by analyzing the data obtained from the samples. The data was analyzed using the AMOS structural equation modeling program. Results - The results indicated that: non-financial support activities (e.g., information exchange and communication) had a positive impact on the franchisee attitude toward the franchising headquarter. The franchisee attitude in turn had a positive effect on the headquarters' business performance. Furthermore, competitive intensity could enhance the relationship between franchisee attitude toward franchising headquarter and business performance in a local franchise market. However, financial support activities (e.g., rewards and promotional support) and training had no relationship with either franchisee attitude or business performance. Conclusions - This study provides some practical implications to franchisors in terms of franchise operation and store opening strategies. With respect to the franchise operation strategy, franchisors need to focus on non-financial rather than financial support. Most franchisees consider the necessity of financial support activities and not their sufficiency because these activities are specified in their franchise contract. In addition, it is important for franchisees to maintain a positive attitude for the franchise headquarters. The franchisees with a positive attitude for the franchisor can show a high degree of solidarity for various support activities, and it consequently determines franchisees' sales performance. In terms of franchise store opening strategy, this study suggests an additional criterion that can be considered in determining the location of direct and non-direct management stores (e.g., franchisees' stores). In this research, franchise stores located within high level of competitive intensity are shown to have a high relationship between franchisee attitudes of franchisor support activities and business performance compared to the franchisees located within low competitive intensity level. This result shows that opening non-direct franchise stores is more effective than direct stores in higher competitive market situations. Research contribution, implications, and further research directions are discussed at the end of the paper.
Abstract
Purpose - This study aims to investigate the current state of distribution terminology usage by retailers and consumers nationwide, and to suggest a practical improvement plan for its standardization. The Korean distribution industry is closely related to consumers' daily lives. However, in reality, there exists a gap among producers, distributors, and consumers in terms of the definition, understanding, and perception of the terminology. Therefore, standardizing this terminology is essential for more smooth communication. This paper suggests the necessity of committing overall research and survey activities to the actual conditions of using Korean distribution terminology by organizations and their respective management situations, and further, the necessity of probing the problem and its measures in line with the objective and mission of the "Fundamental Law of the Korean Language." Research design, data, and methodology - This study's scope is limited to wholesale and retail including some information systems. First, the study covers most written material including lexicons and glossary of distribution terminology, university textbooks and teaching material for national certificate of qualification, and related laws and ordinances. Second, the survey covers retailers' management situations by store format. The retailers used as the sample for the survey include department stores, discount stores, SSM, and convenience stores. Altogether, 20 specialists were interviewed in their respective sectors or retail formats. Finally, the project team surveyed a sample of 1,300 consumers nationwide on 50 distribution terms mainly used by consumers, including those about awareness, understanding, usage, and attitude. Results - In total, 1,249 terms are drawn through literature research including distribution terminology used in the related literature, glossary and lexicons, distribution terminology in textbooks, and legal terminology. A classified table comprises four large categories including general distribution, distribution marketing, distribution information, and merchandise. The results of the three-step research including literature survey, field survey of retailers, and consumer survey were advised to be screened by academia (retail associations, faculty etc.), retailers (major retail management by store format), retail specialists and consultants, consumers, and Korean linguists. In total, 1,300 questionnaires for 50 terms of the distribution terminology closely associated with consumers were distributed to subjects nationwide. Conclusions - The desired and expected results from this study are summarized from three perspectives as follows: First, from retailers' perspective, a new concept, or coinage of new terms of the distribution industry stems from advanced countries such as America and Europe. However, the original meaning and definition are diluted and distorted with changes in the language users' situations and context. This study provides basic guidelines for standardization of distribution terms used among various retail formats in most daily life situations that consumers encounter. Second, from the nation's perspective, this study suggests optimal choices of distribution terminology in the context of laws and ordinances regarding concerned Ministries. Last, from the consumers' perspective, this paper enables consumers to understand and use distribution terms properly in their daily life.
Abstract
Purpose - In today's globalized and modern business environment, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are considered to be essential for the sustainable development of enterprises. In addition, the corporate philanthropy that is related to CSR practices, as well as their being capable of reducing the anti-corporate sentiment of people have facilitated a qualitative forward leap into the quantitative growth phase. This study aims to undertake a comparative evaluation of corporate philanthropy through the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method focusing on service and manufacturing industries, and to eventually determine a differentiated approach that is needed for corporate philanthropy. Research design, data, and methodology - The survey responses were collected through online research on specialized companies from consumers nationwide who were aged from 20 to 60 and who are aware of corporate philanthropy. A total of 408 sheets of questionnaire survey were used. Frequency analysis was undertaken in this study. The interviewees had demographic characteristics of gender: 206 males (50.5%) and 202 females (49.5%). They also had demographic characteristics of age: 82 people were over 20 (20.1%), 96 over 30 (23.5%), 105 over 40 (25.7%), and 125 over 50 (30.7%) years of age. The distribution of interviewees' residences is as follows: 154 persons (37.7%) in the Special City, 102 persons (25.0%) in the Metropolitan City, and 152 persons (37.3%) in the Provincial Region. The interviewees have been working for the following companies: 34 persons (8.3%) in LG Display, 80 (19.6%) in KT&G, 49 (12.0%) in Amore Pacific, 42 (10.3%) in KIA Motors, 47 (11.5%) in SBS, 52 (12.8%) in Shinhan Bank, 86 (21.1%) in Asiana Airlines, and 18 (4.4%) in Hyundai Department Store. We applied the paired t-test for the IPA analysis. PASW Statistics 18 was used for statistical analysis. Results - The results of IPA analysis indicated that the importance and performance degrees in both manufacturing and service industries were significantly different. Major empirical results showed that, in consumer, social, economic, philanthropic, and environmental dimensions, in the sub-factors of philanthropy activities in both manufacturing and service industries, the importance degree was found to be higher than performance degree. Further, the average difference between importance degree and performance degree by the sub-factors of philanthropy activities. On the other hand, the average difference of environmental dimension was found to be highest in both service and manufacturing industries. Thus, while consumers consider the philanthropy activities of the environmental dimension as most important, actual companies treat performance of philanthropy activities of the environmental dimension insufficiently or negligibly to some degree. Conclusions - The differentiated approach method that is required for corporate philanthropy may be proposed to uplift corporate accomplishments by analyzing the IPA of the attributes of the sub-factors of corporate philanthropy. This is, to an extent, insufficient in the existing studies related to the use of the IPA technique, and it shows the items that are to be conducted intensively.