Since more and more consumers rely on online consumer reviews in their purchase decision making, we have observed the emergence of empirical studies on online reviews in different contexts. Such studies look at various dimensions surrounding online reviews; nevertheless, none of them actually gives a more comprehensive picture as to the rating differences across online rating platforms and/or across time, let alone explains such differences. This study aims to address these understudied but managerially relevant issues. In our empirical study, we focus on hotel ratings across platforms and across time (i.e., across identified change point in time), and explain such differences by review text associating with the ratings. We investigated San Francisco hotels that were rated on both Tripadvisor and Expedia, and utilized the General Inquirer dictionary to identify the categories of words in a review. Regressions analyses were then conducted for the explanation of rating differences. We found that rating differences, in both the cross-platform and the longitudinal cases, are substantially associated with the number of words (in a negative relationship). Furthermore, word tags identified from the review text associated with ratings also explain the rating differences. To conclude, the research reveals that for a specific service provider, online ratings may vary significantly in both the cross-platform and the longitudinal senses. It demonstrates that adopting a systematic approach and utilizing an established semantic dictionary, information extracted from review text can substantially explain such differences.
Firms, especially retailers try to attract consumers by convincing them that its price is lower than the competitors’ by offering price-matching guarantees (henceforth PMGs). Walmart has offered a price-matching guarantee for years, and Target and Best Buy have also introduced their own policies. Not only brick and mortar retailers but also online retailers such as e-Bay, Amazon use this policy. Recently, offline retailers decided to match prices against online retailers as well. Many studies have analyzed the effect of PMGs in the areas of economics and marketing. These studies focus on four effects: price collusion, price war, price discrimination and signaling. First, it has been claimed that guarantees facilitate price collusion by reducing the incentive to cut prices (Salop 1986; Hviid and Shaffer 1999). Meanwhile some authors argue that PMGs has not only anti-competitive but also pro-competitive effects (Cort 1996; Chen, Narasimhan and Zhang 2001). PMGs may be useful for a low-cost firm to signal low prices to uninformed consumers (Moorthy and Winter 2006; Moorthy and Zhang 2006). Finally, PMGs can be used as a means of price discrimination in the sense that firms charge different prices to each segment of consumers differentiated by their information about rivals’ prices (Png and Hirshleifer 1987). Usually firms pay just as much as the price difference, which is called 100% PMGs. However, there are several types of PMGs depending on the refund amount. For example, in case of 200% PMGs, a firm pays twice the price difference when the rival’s price is lower. I compare the effects of 100% vs. 200% PMGs using a two-stage game model where two identical firms decide whether to offer a PMGs in the first stage and prices in the second stage. First, whether or not to offer a PMGs depends on the number of loyal consumers relative to price-sensitive consumers. Both firms offer a 100% PMGs and charge a high price when the number is moderate. When it is large, neither firm offers a PMGs and when it is small, there are two asymmetric equilibria where one firm offers a PMGs. Firms enjoy the same or a higher profit by PMGs. Second, the difference between 100% and 200% PMGs occurs when the number of loyal consumers is small. When it is very small, neither firm offers a 200% PMGs, when it is moderately small, both firms offer a PMGs. Further, when the demand of price-sensitive consumers is price elastic, profits decrease by PMGs. Finally, when firms can choose between 100% and 200% PMGs, it is more likely that 100% PMGs will be chosen.
Export Market Orientation (EMO)- one of the most important strategic orientations of exporting firms- has received much attention in the last two decades within organization and academia alike. EMO has become an emerging issue that benefits the integration of market orientation, internationalization, and export performance literature into coherence. After the introduction of this concept in international business (IB) literature, we observed a surge of research focusing on EMO incorporating scale development for measurement as well as empirical studies that investigate the antecedents to and consequences of EMO along with moderation and mediation. This review systematically examines EMO research, analyzing 31 articles published in 19 leading journals available between 1999 and 2017. What we can conclude from the review is that EMO research is still in its infancy. We attempted to identify some research gaps and suggest some future avenues of research.
Introduction
Today, many luxury brands use social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube to communicate with their target consumers worldwide. Previous research has shown that engaging consumers in social media can lead to increase commitment and loyalty (e.g., Hudson, Huang, Roth, & Madden, 2016; Wirtz et al., 2013), purchase intentions (e.g., Beukeboom, Kerkhof, & de Vries, 2015; Kim & Ko, 2010) and sales (e.g., Kumar et al., 2016). Although researchers have investigated the role of social media marketing for luxury brands at an aggregate level (e.g., Godey et al., 2016; Kim & Ko, 2012), little is known about the success drivers of luxury brand communication at a more granular level. Therefore, our study aims to identify the characteristics of luxury brand posts that elicit positive consumer affect. Specifically, we examine the effect of different luxury appeals (e.g., conspiciousness, uniqueness, quality), alongside other brand post characteristics (e.g., vividness, call-to-action, informative/entertaining content) on consumers‟ affective reactions (“Love”) towards a luxury brand post. For this purpose, we draw on field data from Facebook that comprises 2,343 individidual brand posts published by 18 leading luxury brands between 1st January 2017 and 30th June 2017. Our study contributes to literature on luxury brand communication in at least three ways: First, from a theoretical perspective, we are shedding the first light on the relevance of different luxury appeals for generating consumer engagement in social media. Methodologically, we further introduce a novel measure of consumer engagement termed Love-Ratio (short, LoveR), which is based on Facebook‟s new “reactions”-feature that was introduced in 2016. Finally, from a managerial point of view, our insights that help managers of luxury brands to „engineer“ emotionally engaging social media content that contributes to strong consumer-brand relationships.
Literature Review
Conceptual BackgroundLiterature provides initial empirical evidence for the general advantageousness of social media activities for luxury brands (Godey et al., 2016; Kim & Ko 2010, 2012). Importantly, these studies commonly examine consumers‟ overall assessment of a brand‟s social media activities, i.e. whether a brand‟s (entire) social media presence “enables information sharing with others” (interaction) or “offers customized information search” (customization; Kim & Ko, 2012, p. 1483). Therefore, it constitutes an aggregate measure of a brand‟s social media presence as a whole, and is not concerned with the specifics of the individual interactions between a brand and consumers (post as the unit of analysis). Recent research, however, clearly indicates that the extent to which consumers interact with a brand in social media (e.g., liking, sharing, or commenting) depends on the characteristics of a given brand post (e.g., De Vries, Gensler, & Leeflang, 2012; Sabate, Berbegal-Mirabent, Canabate, & Lebherz, 2014; Schultz, 2017). Most studies in this regard examined correlations between certain characteristics (e.g., use of photos, videos, and/or links, post length and timing) and different measures of consumer engagement or post popularity (i.e., number of likes, comments, or shares).5) These studies provide useful insights into several “hard” criteria that determine consumer interactions with brand posts. However, due to the tremendous coding efforts required, only few studies have also considered “soft” criteria, such as the appeal – i.e., “the overall theme of a post” (Wagner, Baccarella, & Voigt, 2017, p. 2) – that is communicated within a post. To extend knowledge in the field of luxury brand communication in social media, we are adopting a similar approach by (1) proposing a comprehensive set of luxury-specific appeals that may be communicated within brand posts and (2) empirically investigating their effectiveness in evoking positive consumer affect.
Conceptual Background
Based on a synthesis of prior work (e.g., Vigneron & Johnson, 2004) we propose a set of six distinct luxury appeals that can be communicated via social media posts: 1. Conspicuousness: Conspicuous consumption refers to the consumption of goods or services with the intention of social status improvement and communication to others (Eastman, Goldsmith, & Flynn, 1999). It involves high levels of self-monitoring and a status-signaling mentality (Wilcox, Kim, & Sen, 2009), aimed at presenting oneself by means of a product that is recognized and highly regarded by others. The general aim is to express a brand„s capability to enable a person to become the center of attention and stand out of the crowd by conveying a high social status (Phau & Prendergast, 2000). 2. Uniqueness: Uniqueness refers to the quality of being particularly special due to sheer rarity or remarkable characteristics. Brands express their uniqueness by highlighting their products‟ (a) excellent craftmanship, (b) innovativeness, or (c) their exclusiveness in terms of consumption. Examples for uniqueness through craftmanship include creative product designs, the use of rare materials or ingredients (e.g., diamonds in the context of jewelry), or even tailor-made/personalized products (e.g., configuration of a car; inscription of personal initials onto fashion items). The general aim is to distinguish a product from others, rendering it extraordinary and remarkable. The same can be accomplished through innovation, since a pioneering product is by definition unique in that it has certain features that distinguish it from any other existing competing product. Furthermore, uniqueness can be achieved through exclusiveness of consumption. One method to create contrived rarity is a limitation of the quantity of products manufactured (e.g., limited editions; Vigneron & Johnson, 2004). 3. Quality: Luxury brands are generally expected to deliver high quality products and services (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004). Indicators that can be used in the communication of quality include specific materials (e.g., cashmere, gemstones) or performance data (e.g., power, top speed) that convey a high standard of (instrinsic) quality. 4. Hedonism: In general, the term hedonism refers to the pursuit of pleasure in the sense of sensual self-indulgence. Luxury brands commonly offer emotional and sensual benefits that can be experienced by and transferred to consumers in a consumption situation (Moore & Lee, 2012). Communication aimed at conveying hedonism commonly neglects utilitarian (i.e., functional) aspects of the product of interest and, instead, emphasizes the emotional experience associated with the consumption of that product or service (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004), e.g., pleasure, joy, self-reward, love, passion, or excitement (Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982). 5. Extended Self: The term extended self describes the definition of a person‟s selfconcept by his/her personal possessions. In other words, consumers use products (or services) to define who they are. For example, wearing luxury fashion items enables a person to associate himself/herself with characteristics of the brand, and vice versa (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004). Brand communication reflecting this appeal attempts to suggest that the consumption of a product or service helps them to establish, reinforce, and express an aspired personality trait, such as elegance, confidence, success, or power. 6. Heritage: Many luxury brands have a long history and rich tradition. Communication efforts that intend to convey a brand‟s rich heritage either showcase a brand‟s founder as a person, elaborate on the founder‟s or company‟s history, or highlight a traditional, iconic product which has made the brand what it is today.
Data and Method
To investigate the effectiveness of these luxury appeals in evoking positive consumer affect, we conducted an empirical analysis using field data from Facebook. We compiled a set of 18 luxury brands from different categories, including fashion, cars, cosmetics, and champagne. For this set of brands, we extracted all brand posts (mostly photos and videos) that were published between 1st January and 30th June 2017, yielding 2,343 individual posts that constitute our unit of analysis. We enriched the raw data by manually coding all brand posts in terms of the luxury appeals of interest, following a two step-procedure. First, we developed a detailed codebook that defines each luxury appeal, provides a list of relevant indicators, and further illustrates each luxury appeal with the help of exemplary brand posts. Using the codebook we instructed two independent coders to code the absence (0) or presence (1) of each luxury appeal within a given post. The inter-rater reliabilities were satisfactory for all luxury appeals, ranging from .79 to .91. We further requested the coders to capture other content characteristics and controls that potentially affect consumer interactions with brand posts, e.g., Vividness, Calls-to-Action, Entertaining vs. Informative Content, Visibility of the Brand, and Type of Endorser. Instead of examining conventional measures of consumer engagement, such as likes, comments, or shares, we introduce a new measure of consumer affect that we label “Love-Ratio” or, short, LoveR. This measure is based on Facebook‟s new class of user reactions that enable users to indicate their feelings about certain posts, such as “Love” or “Anger”. LoveR represents the amount of “Love”-reactions relative to all reactions toward a given brand post. Thus, it reflects an aggregate measure of users‟ positive affect towards a brand post. We consider LoveR an important extension of commonly investigated outcomes such as Likes or Shares, which are considered “fairly low-level form[s] of engagement” (Stephen, Sciandra, & Inman, 2015, p. 20). Consumer affect, by contrast, is generally considered a “chief motivator of behavior” (O‟Cass & Frost, 2002, p. 73) and a “mediating factor in the purchase process” (Schiffman, Bendall, Watson, & Kanuk, 1997, p. 361), therefore representing a useful proxy of consumer attitudes.
Model estimation
Given the nested structure of the data (i.e., posts are nested within brand pages), we use hierarchical linear modeling (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) with random intercepts to analyze the data. We specify the proposed luxury appeals (Conspiciousness, Uniqueness, Quality, Hedonism, Extended Self, and Heritage) alongside additional content characteristics, and brand dummies as predictors of LoveR. After estimating the direct effects, we stepwise include interaction terms to test potential moderating effects of Vividness and Entertainment. The results suggest that three of the six luxury appeals evoke positive consumer affect. The strongest driver of LoveR is Quality (β = .978, p < .001), followed by Hedonism (β = .479, p < .05) and Heritage (β = .451, p < .01). Conspiciousness and Uniqueness, by contrast, are not significantly related to consumers‟ affective reactions towards brand posts. Furthermore, the use of an appeal that communicates Extended Self even decreases LoveR (β = -.530, p < .10), although the effect is only marginally significant. To further contextualize these main effects, we included additional interaction terms involving Vividness and Entertainment. We find (a) that the effect of Hedonism on LoveR is further enhanced by the use of videos (relative to photos and other less vivid types of media; interaction effect: β = 1.023, p < .05, conditional effect of Hedonism for vivid content β = .934, p < .01,) and (b) that the effect of Heritage on LoveR tends to be larger when it is communicated in an entertaining rather than informative style (interaction effect: β = .753, p = .001; conditional effect of Heritage for entertaining style: β = .660, p < .001).
Conclusions
Our study sheds light onto the effectiveness of luxury brands‟ communication in social media in terms of generating positive consumer affect. Our results based on an analysis of 2,343 individual luxury brand posts in Facebook show that only certain luxury appeals can trigger consumers‟ “Love”-reactions towards a brand post. Specifically, we find that brand posts that convey Quality, Hedonism, and Heritage appeals increase the likelihood of a brand post being “loved“, whereas Conspiciousness and Uniqueness exert no influence at all. Posts which communicate an Extended Self may even decrease favorable affective reactions by users. The effects of Hedonism and Heritage are further enhanced by the use of videos or entertaining content, respectively. These findings have direct implications for the marketing communications of luxury brands. From a content perspective, marketers should develop and run media content that (a) emphasizes hedonic consumption motives (as reflected by Hedonism) rather than status-signaling motives (as reflected by Conspiciousness), preferably using rich media such as videos; (b) educates consumers about the history and values of a brand, preferably in an informative rather than entertaining way; and (c) reinforces a brand‟s quality claim.
Marketing and information systems research has a long history of studying the customer’s acceptance and adoption process of new technologies (Venkatesh et al., 2003). These studies are often motivated by the potential of new technologies such as smart home systems to improve our everyday life. To benefit from these technologies, individuals have to accept them in the first place. To better understand the acceptance process, scholars regularly employ various theories in their studies such as technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), innovation diffusion theory (Rogers 2003), and perceived risk theory (Featherman and Pavlou, 2003). Although each of these theories provides valuable insights, only recently scholars started combining them in larger framework and examining their interrelationships. These studies argue that each theory has the potential to make a unique contribution to understanding of technology acceptance, but the combination of theories leads to novel insights. The purpose of this study is the development of a comprehensive adoption model combining constructs from various theories and testing these theories against each other to provide new insights. The study develops this model in a smart home applications context which is a complex technological system. The study is based on an online survey consisting of 409 participants; the data is analyzed using structural equation modelling.
By increasing awareness of product offers and availability in the consumer’s proximity, Location Based Marketing (LBM) increases relevance of placed advertisements. However, depending on how it is executed, such advertising can also be perceived as intrusive, irritating, or even violating consumer’s privacy. Existing knowledge does not offer clear directions for retailers, who are keen to know of LBM’s effectiveness on sales. In this paper, authors investigate the effects of LBM on application (app) driven revenues of 116 major mobile retailers from around the globe. In particular, we examine the contingency effects of the roles of device as well as privacy needs of the brand audience. Findings reveal that effects of LBM on app-based revenues vary by tactic (inbound vs. outbound), type of device (Tablet vs. Phone), and user type based on brand of app (Android vs. Apple). Overall, this research identifies critical factors for retailers to consider, in order to best monetize their location based efforts. Contributions of the analysis and managerial implications are discussed.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Silver Spike Point (SSP) on functional constipation. The subjects were 14 female students who attended a university located in Gyeonggi province and consent to participate in this study. The inclusion criteria were the fulfillment of two or more diagnostic criteria of Rome III or scoring four or more points in Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS). The CAS score was significantly decreased in the experimental group (from 14.29±1.38 to 6.86±2.91) (p<.05), however, there was no significant change in the control group (from 14.29±1.49 to 14.14±1.21). The present study suggests that SSP intervention is effective in mitigating constipation.
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of kinematic taping therapy on menstrual distress, pain, and prostaglandinF2α. The experimental subject was a 24 years old woman with the pain of over 5 points on the dysmenorrhea measurement test and no unusual reactions on the taping test. The menstrual distress was measured by the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ), and the dysmenorrhea was measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after the intervention. The prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α) was measured on the first day of menstruation before the intervention and 24 hours after the taping therapy by the blood test. The intervention of kinematic taping was conducted by the instructor of the International Kinematic Taping Academy, and the taping was applied to the lower abdomen and the waist. According to the difference of menstrual distress before and after the intervention, the menstrual distress turned out to be decreased to 96 points after the intervention from the 115 points before the intervention. The dysmenorrhea also reduced 3 points on the VAS from 7 points to 4 points before and after the intervention. The PGF2α decreased from 26pg/㎖ to 20pg/㎖ before and after the intervention. Besides, the PGF2α decreased from 26pg/㎖ to 20pg/㎖ before and after the intervention. Results suggest that kinematic taping therapy could be useful to reduce the menstrual distress, pain, and PGF2α.
This study explores the effect of moral identity on attitude toward and purchase intention of upcycled fashion products by comparing purchasers and non-purchasers. Data from 127 purchasers and 307 non-purchasers collected through a survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, model invariance check, and multiple-group comparison tests using Amos 23.0. Results indicate consumers with purchase experiences of upcycled fashion products showed a higher level of moral identity (internalization and symbolization), positive attitude toward upcycled fashion products, and purchase intention than did consumers with no purchase experience. In model tests, internalization affected attitude toward purchasing upcycled fashion products, whereas symbolization affected purchase intention, regardless of purchase experience. The effect of symbolization on purchase intention was consistent with prior studies focusing on charity behaviors that are highly visible to others. These findings demonstrate that fashion products are visible and symbolic, so it should be carefully considered in ethical consumption studies. From these results, researchers may obtain insights on the process of how consumers apply moral identity to their purchase intention regarding upcycled fashion products. Likewise, marketers may enhance satisfaction of consumers with a high level of symbolization by putting special tags and logos that clearly highlight the products’ upcycled nature.
Government policy supporting the fashion industry in Korea has focused on the future development of rising fashion designer’s brands, and as a part of this support, several Fashion Creative Studios are presently operated. The purpose of this study is to identify the meaning of these facilities and suggest development strategies for their effective utilization. This paper presents a conceptual understanding based on a literature review, and deduces the direction of Fashion Creative Studios through an exploratory analysis of various case studies and in-depth interviews with five designers, who have graduated from the Seoul Fashion Creative Studio. The results are as follows. Firstly, fashion educational institutions have to provide sufficient information about the Fashion Creative Studios to students. They can also consider adding short-term residencies to the curriculum in which students prepare collections or portfolios for the studios. Secondly, Fashion Creative Studios are required to intensify business and marketing programs to increase real-world support. It would be helpful to provide 1:1 management programs with several segmented stages for the design brands, or connect them to investors who could provide financial support and business expansion. Thirdly, Fashion Creative Studios need to find a way to strengthen textile differentiation and craft characteristics to increase designer brand competitiveness. Broadening participation with textile designers, connecting with experts and ateliers, and promoting collaboration with artists and artisans in the Arts Creative Studios can be further examined to this end.
The objective of this study was to develop software to predict the kinetic behavior and the probability of foodborne bacterial growth on processed meat products. It is designed for rapid application by non-specialists in predictive microbiology. The software, named Foodborne bacteria Animal product Modeling Equipment (FAME), was developed using Javascript and HTML. FAME consists of a kinetic model and a probabilistic model, and it can be used to predict bacterial growth pattern and probability. In addition, validation and editing of model equation are available in FAME. The data used by the software were constructed with 5,400 frankfurter samples for the kinetic model and 345,600 samples for the probabilistic model using a variety of combinations including atmospheric conditions, temperature, NaCl concentrations and NaNO2 concentrations. Using FAME, users can select the concentrations of NaCl and NaNO2 meat products as well as storage conditions (atmosphere and temperature). The software displays bacterial growth patterns and growth probabilities, which facilitate the determination of optimal safety conditions for meat products. FAME is useful in predicting bacterial kinetic behavior and growth probability, especially for quick application, and is designed for use by non-specialists in predictive microbiology.
목적: 국내에 유통되고 있는 운전용 기능성 안경렌즈의 종류와 조도변화 따른 대비시력 변화에 대하여 알아보고자 하였다.
방법: 본 연구에 참여한 대상자는 안질환이나 전신질환 및 과거와 현재 병력이 없는 성인 남녀 30명 (25±2세)으로 하였다. 연구에 사용된 렌즈는 굴절률이 1.60인 제작방식이 다른 기능성 운전용 렌즈인 황색 계열(A)렌즈, 코팅방식(B, C)렌즈 3종과 일반렌즈(N)렌즈 1종을 대상으로 하였다. 각 렌즈를 착용 상태에서 대비시력검사, 색각(배열)검사, 시력회복시간 등을 측정하였다.
결과: 실험에 사용된 렌즈를 착용한 상태에서 대비시력은 명소시 50%, 30%, 15% 그리고 암소시 100%, 30%, 15%에서 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 있었고(p<0.05), 명소시 100%, 암소시 50%에서 유의한 차이가 없었다. 대비시력은 명소시 상태의 50%에서 코팅방식(C)렌즈(logMAR 0.003), 30%에서 코팅방식(B)렌즈 (logMAR 0.014), 15%에서 코팅방식(B)렌즈(logMAR 0.053)에서 가장 높게 나타났다. 암소시 상태의 대비 시력 100%에서 코팅방식(B)렌즈(logMAR 0.003), 50%에서 코팅방식(B)렌즈(logMAR 0.007), 30%에서 코팅방식(C)렌즈(logMAR 0.017), 15%에서 코팅방식(B)렌즈(logMAR 0.050)에서 가장 높게 나타났다. 색각 (배열)검사결과는 황색계열(A)렌즈에서 가로지르는 선의 개수 평균은 6.05±1.75개이었고, 일반렌즈(N)렌즈, 코팅방식(B)렌즈, 코팅방식(C)렌즈에서는 가로지르는 선은 0개 나타났다. 시력회복시간은 명소시에서 일반렌즈(N)렌즈 > 코팅방식(C)렌즈 > 코팅방식(B)렌즈 > 황색계열(A)렌즈, 암소시에서 일반렌즈(N)렌즈 > 코팅방식(C)렌즈 > 황색계열(A)렌즈 > 코팅방식(B)렌즈 순으로 나타났으며 통계적으로 유의하였다(p<0.05).
결론: 운전용 안경렌즈와 일반 안경렌즈를 착용한 상태에서 대비시력의 차이가 있었고 시력회복시간의 감소로 인해 시인성 향상이 나타났다. 색각검사에서 황색계열을 착용한 상태에서는 색의 시인성이 매우 감 소함을 알 수 있었고, 시력회복시간도 렌즈의 종류에 따라 차이가 있음을 알 수 있었다. 따라서 운전자의 환경과 렌즈의 특성을 잘 파악하여 상황별 특성에 맞는 적절한 렌즈를 선택한다면 운전시 시기능 저하로 인한 문제들을 보완할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.
The rocky vegetation area of Sanbangsan is designated Natural Monument No. 376 and No. 3 National Scenic Site No. 77, and Yonggi is designated as Natural Monument No. 526 (January 13, 2011) and UNESCO World Geological Park (October 2010). Also, Yongmuri coast is the first candidate to become a World Natural Heritage site such as Mt. Halla, Seongsan Ilchulbong, and Geomun Aulm. As it is a place with excellent cultural value, we need Conservation Policy of Sanbangsan and Yongmari Coastal Heritage.
Chitosan is attracting attention as a health supplement material because of its various physiological activities. In this study, sugar solution containing chitosan was fed to honey bees to induce the production of ‘chitosan fortified honey’ by their same mode of natural honey production. To accomplish this, sugar solutions containing 0.1%, 1%, 2% and 5% chitosan were fed to the honey bees. Fully inverted Chitosan-honey was harvested after feeding the chitosan in sugar solution. To investigate the anti-obesity and immune-enhancing effects of Chitosan-honey, 1% and 10% Chitosan-honey containing drinking water were administrated freely to C57BL mice. Glucosamine concentrations in serum rapidly increased to peak levels in 10 minutes (1261.0 ± 97.6 ng/ml), then decreased gradually for more than 24 hours 793.0 ± 34.7 ng/ml. There were no significant differences in weight and or splenocyte proliferative capacity among experimental mice groups. However, increased granulocytes and monocytes were observed upon flow cytometric analysis. These results suggest that Chitosan-honey could induce removal of foreign antigens. In conclusion, ‘Chitosan-honey’ developed in this study has the potential for use as a honey type dietary health supplement with the same bioactivity as chitosan; however additional research should be conducted to confirm these effects.