This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the nutrition quotient and the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 393 adolescents were surveyed to evaluate their Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) scores and dietary intake. The average age of the survey subjects was 15 years and the average NQ-A score of the subjects was 49.11±13.35. There was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to gender and age. The average dietary diversity score was 3.77±0.85, and it was significantly higher in boys than in girls (p< .05) with the scores of 12-14-year-old students being significantly higher than those aged 15-18 years (p< .01). The results of comparing the percentage of recommended intake or adequate intake and the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) according to the NQ-A grade, showed that the ‘High’ grade had a significantly higher intake percentage of vitamin B1, B12, folate, phosphorus, iron and a significantly higher MAR (p< .05). From a long-term perspective, efforts to improve dietary habits are deemed necessary to meet an individual’s nutritional requirements. Adolescents themselves should develop proper eating behaviors and acquire suitable dietary management skills to enhance their nutritional status, ultimately contributing to an improvement in their quality of life.

A checklist of dietary behavior items for the elderly was developed based on Korean dietary guidelines. First, a literature review was conducted, and 63 preliminary items, including 30 items on food intake, 12 on eating habits, and 21 on dietary culture, were obtained to evaluate the dietary guidelines. The preliminary items were evaluated by experts using Lawshe’s method to verify the content validity. They were then revised, resulting in 52 items: 25, 11, and 16 in the food intake, eating habits, and dietary culture domains, respectively. A face-to-face survey was conducted on 331 people over 65 years of age in the metropolitan area, and their one-day food intake was surveyed using a 24-hour recall method in August 2022. The 48 items, including 24, 11, and 13 items on food intake, eating habits, and dietary culture, respectively, correlated significantly with the evaluation indicators of nutrient intake, such as mean adequacy ratio, dietary diversity score, and nutrient intake density. These items were considered suitable for evaluating the elderly's compliance with dietary guidelines.

As interactive marketing devices that serve as proximity-marketing tools, AI-powered voice assistants (VA) provide consumers with highly innovative convenience, which in turn fosters consumer–brand relationships (Wang, 2021). This research aims to explore the role of AI-powered VAs as a positive technology that offers consumers a sense of positive experiences, thus contributing to building a consumer-brand relationship. Based on the positive technology paradigm and transformation of flow strategy, this research conducted a 2 (locus of agency: high, machine-centric vs. low, human-centric) by 2 (brand image and voice congruency effect: incongruent vs. congruent) between-subjects experimental design. Then, ANOVA and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis were conducted to explain how perceived control, flow, and happiness induced by the interaction with brands’ AI-powered VAs lead to the formation of brand loyalty under the moderating influences of brand image and VA’s voice congruency. A total of 316 participants were recruited via Prolific. The ANOVA analysis highlights the importance of user-centric agency, as people tend to desire to control their environment (White, 1959). Further, the results suggest that the congruency between brand image and VAs also leads people to positive reactions, as it improves their comfort and control (Rodero, Larrea, & Vázquez, 2013). SEM analysis results found that perceived control was a crucial factor that led participants to flow experience (Ghani et al., 1991). Further, this study found that perceived control could lead to a much broader aspect, such as an increase in happiness. Therefore, the overall study findings support the potential of AI-powered VAs as a positive technology. This research contributes to human-machine interaction, positive technology paradigm, and VA literature. In addition, this study provides beneficial insights for marketers and app developers.

Metaverse is a virtual world where users can engage in various activities, and its market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years (Hwang, 2021). Generation Z, also known as digital natives, are heavily involved in social media and often share selfies, making them more sensitive to body image concerns (Ameen, 2022). In the metaverse, users can create customized avatars, allowing them to experience an ideal body image. This study applies the “extraordinary self” theory to avatar creation, a concept that explains how people create an ideal, fantastic, or transcendent self by consuming experiences that set them apart from their mundane real self (Procter, 2021). Based on the theory, this study examines how dissatisfaction with body image of Generation Z can lead to the creation of avatars that manifest an ideal body image, which in turn, can influence self-congruence with the avatar and self-esteem in the metaverse. This study also looks into the possible effects of enhanced self-esteem on user’s intention to purchase virtual products and their loyalty to a specific metaverse platform. Therefore, the following hypotheses are developed.

Local consumption is considered to have a positive environmental and social impact. A new supply chain strategy has been devised to provide small and medium-sized local farms with enhanced efficiency and accessibility: a bidirectional distribution. Bidirectional distribution is a practice of backhauling local produce on emptied wholesale trucks for redistribution through wholesale markets while employing the existing network of rural stores and wholesale suppliers. Building on the cue utilization theory, this study investigated the effect of product information about bidirectional distribution on consumers’ perceived environmental value, personal well-being value, quality beliefs, and community social and economic value.

2020년 경기도내 유통 중인 고춧가루의 미생물 오염도를 구매 장소, 원산지, HACCP 및 살균 여부에 따라 조사 하고, 보관방법에 따른 품질 변화를 연구하였다. 유통 중인 고춧가루 100건을 수거하여 검사한 결과 3건(대형마트 2건, 재래시장 1건)에서 Bacillus cereus가 검출되었으며, 27건(대형마트 9건, 재래시장 18건)에서 Clostridium perfringens가 검출되었다. 대형마트와 재래시장에서 수거 한 고춧가루의 일반세균수 검출량은 통계적으로 유의적인 차이는 없었으나 7 log CFU/g을 초과하는 고춧가루의 수는 대형마트보다 재래시장이 더 많았다. 보관온도(30oC, 4oC, -20oC)와 보관용기(지퍼백, 비닐봉투)에 따라 7개월까지 저장 실험한 결과, 저장 기간에 따라 미생물학적 품질 에는 큰 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 그러나 30oC에 저장한 고춧가루의 수분함량 및 ASTA color value는 저장 3개월 이후 크게 감소하였다. 따라서 고춧가루의 장기 보관 시 품질을 유지하기 위해서는 냉장고 또는 냉동고에 보관하는 것이 바람직하다고 생각된다.

2019년 경기도내 전통시장, 대형마트, 반찬전문점에서 수거한 반찬류의 미생물 품질을 조사하였다. 반찬류 108 건의 식중독 원인균을 검사하였고, 그 중 75건에 대해서는 구매 장소별, 조리 방법별 위생세균 검사를 진행하였 다. 14건(12.9%)에서 Bacillus cereus가 검출되었으며, 나머지 94건에서는 식중독 원인균이 검출되지 않았다. 위생 세균 검사에서 일반세균의 평균 검출량(범위)은 전통시장이 5.8 log CFU/g (3.0-8.2 log CFU/g), 대형마트는 4.3 log CFU/g(2.3-7.8 log CFU/g), 반찬전문점에서는 3.8 log CFU/g (0.0- 6.9 log CFU/g)로 나타났으며, 구입 장소에 따른 유의적인 차이가 있었다(Ρ <0.05). 전통시장의 일반세균수와 대장균 군은 대형마트, 반찬점과 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 있었고, 생채류, 나물류, 볶음류, 젓갈류, 조림류 순으로 일반 세균수와 대장균군이 높게 검출되었다. 콩나물 무침의 보 관온도별 일반세균수의 변화는 냉장보관(4oC)에서는 72시간 경과에서도 큰 변화가 없었으나, 상온보관(20oC) 및 고 온보관(35oC) 시 구입 후 각각 9시간, 6시간 경과 시 부패의 가능성이 제기되어 구입 즉시 냉장보관 할 것을 권장하며, 제품을 판매하는 시설에서도 냉장보관을 하여야 할 것이다.

본 연구는 2017년 국내에서 유통되는 유산균을 함유한 건강기능식품과 가공식품 120건에 대하여 프로바이오틱스 함량, pH와 산도를 분석하였다. 또한, 건강기능식품 중 프로바이오틱스 5개 제품에 대한 보존방법에 따른 변화를 조사하였다. 프로바이오틱스 제품 85건 중 2건이 표시량 이하였고, 가공식품 35건은 모두 적합이었다. 프로바이오틱스 제품의 프로바이오틱스수, pH, 산도 평균은 각각 1.2 × 1010 CFU/g (표시량: 3.4 × 109 CFU/g), 5.35, 1.29%이었으며, 가공식품 중 유산균 함유량 표시 식품 17건의 유산균수 평균은 5.8 × 108 CFU/g이었다. 프로바이오틱스 5제품의 보존온도(−20℃, 4℃, 20℃, 40℃)와 보존기간(1, 3, 6개월) 경과에 따른 프로바이오틱스 함량 변화를 관찰한 결과, 보존기간 1개월에서 6개월 후 프로바이오틱스수 감소율은 평균 59%이었고, 4℃에서 가장 낮은 감소율과 40℃에서 가장 높은 감소율을 나타내었다. 또한, 5개 제품 중 3제품에서 보존기간 1개월에서 3개월 경과 후 40℃에서 70%이상 급격한 균수 감소를 관찰할 수 있었다. 따라서 프로바이오틱스 제품의 보존온도와 보관기간에 따른 변화를 고려할 때 프로바이오틱스 제품은 냉장보관을 권장하며 구입 후 되도록 단기간에 섭취하는 것이 바람직한 것으로 판단된다.

Despite the importance of retail atmospherics documented in the literature, little empirical research has been done on the issue of what specific aspects of retail atmospherics can enhance experiential marketing. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to compare the effect of product display (lifestyle vs. product-centric) on consumer satisfaction and retail patronage intentions. In so doing, this study examines the mediating role of hedonic shopping experiences operationalized through 3 separate subdimensions (i.e., brand experience, shopping enjoyment, and cognitive pleasure) while controlling a brand effect (i.e., testing two types of product display in a single brand context). Demminga et al. (2012) state that lifestyle display is a cross-merchandised, integrated, aesthetically attractive theme or scene through which consumers could envisage themselves in the scene or nature. On the other hand, product-centric display does not necessarily present a coherent theme. Instead, this type of product display is frequently used in a traditional retail format focuses on merchandise presentation appealing to target customers (Foster and Mclelland, 2015). This study was conducted using two product display stimuli: lifestyle and product-centric displays in the context of a specialty apparel store, Anthropologie. One image of Anthropologie was selected as a lifestyle display because it contained a thematic prop, which illustrates a natural scenario in that store. The results showed that the lifestyle display creates higher brand experience, shopping enjoyment, cognitive pleasure, satisfaction, time spent, and patronage intentions compared to the product centric display. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the importance of experiential marketing. Theoretically, this study demonstrates that lifestyle display could be applied in an apparel store. Rather than focusing only on products retailers could easily develop thematic props in a store because they are easy to set up, cost-effective, and less time-consuming. By setting up a lifestyle display, retailers could easily differentiate their brands from other competing brands.

Racism has changed its form over the decades and has become more subtle and indirect than the blatant forms in the past (Gaertner & Dovidio, 2005; Sue et al., 2007; Sue, 2010; Tropp & Molina, 2012). As a result, it is becoming more difficult for minority groups to identify and call them out (Sue et al., 2007). Subtle racism can be detrimental to minority groups in that they can deteriorate performances and when accumulated, they can have negative consequences such as mental and physical health problems (Sue et al., 2007; Sue, 2010; Ong et al., 2013). Recognizing the issues regarding subtle racism, the research questions were the following: (1) Are there differences in the experience of indirect discrimination in a retail context between racial minorities and majorities?; (2) Do minorities use different strategies to solve these situations and why?; and (3) What are the consequences of subtle discrimination in the retail environment? To test the research questions, a total of 599 participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were randomly assigned to read either a racial microaggression scenario or a control scenario (a scanner unable to read a discount coupon) and they were asked to select why the incident happened to them. Further, they were asked to answer how they felt after reading the scenario and then respond to the outcome variables repatronage intention, word of mouth, and complaint intention. The findings of the study showed that Asians tend to attribute their racial identity as to why retail employees maltreated them. While Caucasians would simply state that an employee was busy or would not put much thought as to why a service failure occurred, Asians were more burdened by the thought that their race was an issue. After an employee showed subtle discriminations, Asians experienced less positive emotions than Caucasians, which resulted in them deciding to avoid the retail store. This may be due to their belief that they have less control over the situation and would rather not confront the employee or a manager on the issue. Implications and future research directions are discussed.