This study sought to improve the accuracy of estimating national emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from consumer solvent products (CSPs) by updating emission factors and category-specific activity data. The classification of the CSPs, which was originally proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was reorganized to reflect domestic consumption patterns in Korea. VOC contents, product sales, and atmospheric evaporation rates of the CSPs were analyzed for subcategories including personal care products, household products, and automotive aftermarket products to update their emission factors. Additionally, the category-specific activity data, previously based on only population statistics, were newly applied to count the characteristics of each classification, such as the number of households and the number of registered automobiles. The updated emission factors were calculated to be 1.90 kg/capita·yr for personal care products, 4.37 kg/household·yr for household products, and 2.36 kg/car·yr for automotive products. An evaluation of uncertainties revealed the limitation in the product classification, the shortage of sales data, and the lack of information on VOC contents depending on the product forms (liquid, solid, and aerosol). This study highlighted the necessity of developing detailed classification systems and standardized VOC content measurement methods, ultimately contributing to more accurate and practical assessments of VOC emissions from the CSPs.

2022년 우리나라의 합계출산율이 0.78명으로 역대 최저를 기록했다. 그러나, 한 국의 최저 출생률 상황에서도 유아용품 시장은 성장하고 있는 특이한 양상을 보이고 있다. 좋은 제품을 원하는 부모의 소비 욕구와 경제적 합리성을 고려한 양육자의 소비 특성은 유아 용품 시장의 양면성을 나타내는 것이다. 그러나 이에 대한 연구는 미비하기에, 본 연구는 유아 용품 소비자의 양면적 특성을 분석하여 소비가치가 태도와 구매 의도에 미치는 영향을 살펴 보고자 하였다. 특히 유아용품 브랜드 유형을 중저가와 프리미엄으로 분류하고 이에 따른 소비 가치와 소비자 행동 간의 상관관계를 조사하여 시장에 유용한 시사점을 도출하고자 하였다. 본 연구에서는 프리미엄 유아용품 브랜드와 중저가 유아용품 브랜드의 양면적 소비자에게 미치는 영향을 탐색하였고, 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 유아용품의 소비가치는 일반적으로 태도에 긍정적인 영향을 미쳤다. 둘째, 사회적 가치는 유아용품의 소비가치 중에서 통계적으로 유의미한 영향을 미치지 않았으나, 프리미엄 유아용품에서는 사회적 가치가 태도에 긍정적인 영향을 미치지만, 중저가 유아용품에서는 부정적인 영향을 미친것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 중저가 유아용품은 기능적 가치의 중요성이 높았다. 넷째, 프리미엄 유아용품과 중저가 유아용품 간의 제품 구매를 통한 감정적 만족도에는 큰 차이가 없었다. 다섯째, 유아용품 구매 시 대다수의 소비자가 이성적 가치와 감정적 가치를 복합적으로 고려하는 양면적 소비자로 나타났다. 실무 적으로는 프리미엄 유아용품과 중저가 유아용품의 차이에 대한 이해를 통해, 사회적 가치에 대한 브랜드 전략의 중요성과 중저가 유아용품에서는 기능성 강조가 효과적일 것임을 강조 하였다. 본 연구를 통해 유아용품 시장의 동향과 소비자 행동에 대한 깊은 이해를 제공하여 기업 들이 효과적인 전략 수립에 기여할 것으로 기대할 수 있다.

본 연구는 최근 확산되고 있는 한국 사회의 개인주의화가 한국 소비자의 세계주의화와 외국 제품 평가에 미치는 영향을 분석하고자 하는 연구이다. 구체적으로, 본 연구에서는 근대화 이론(modernization theory: Weber, 1922) 을 바탕으로 소비자 개인주의가 소비자 세계주의 성향과 소비자 적대감에 미치는 영향을 검증하고, 이러한 효과가 한국 소비자의 일본 제품 평가에 미치는 영향을 실증적으로 분석한다. 426명의 소비자를 대상으로 한 온라인 조사자료를 분석한 결과, 우선 개인주의 성향이 높은 소비자들은 세계주 의 성향이 높아 일본 제품을 호의적으로 인식하는 것으로 나타났다. 기대와 달리 개인주의와 세계주의 성향이 높은 소비자들의 경우, 일본에 대한 적대감이 낮지는 않았다. 그러나 이들 소비자들은 일본 제품 평가에 있어서는 적대 감의 영향을 받지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 즉 소비자 개인주의와 세계주의는 소비자 적대감의 선행요인은 아니지만, 소비자 적대감의 효과를 완화하는 것이 확인되었다.

이 연구에서는 선택실험법을 통해 수집한 진술선호자료를 기반으로 세 가지 모형을 이용하여 축산물(쇠고기, 돼지고기 제품)의 이력추적성과 원산지 속성에 대한 소비자 선호도를 분석하였다. 우리의 연구 결과에 따르면 쇠고기의 경우 한우 제품에 대한 지불의사금액 대비 이력추적성 속성에 대한 지불의사금액의 비율이 92~97%로 매우 높았다. 돼지고기의 경우에는 한돈 제품에 대한 지불의사금액 대비 추적가능한 속성에 대한 지불의사금액의 비율은 약 76~82% 수준이었다. 이러한 결과는 국내 소비자들이 국내산 육류 제품에 대한 선호도에 따라 어느 정도 식품 안전 속성(추적성)에 높은 가치를 두고 있음을 의미한다. 다시 말해 축산물 이력제가 쇠고기와 돼지고기의 식품안전성에 대한 소비자의 신뢰를 구축하는 데 크게 기여하고 있음을 보여준다고 할 수 있다.

This study was conducted to select representative agricultural products (4 types of fruits and 4 types of wild vegetables) in Chungju, define their sensual characteristics, derive suitable flavour-pairing and recipes for each ingredient, and use them as a cornerstone in the development of menus. For the experiment, 10 experts were selected to choose 8 representative agricultural products in Chungju, and 18 menus were selected through a flavour-pairing survey. A consumer panel (a total of 413 people, 105 in their 20s, 103 in their 30s, 103 in their 40s, and 102 in their 50s) for evaluating the characteristics of consumer preferences was selected. After the flavour-pairing survey ‘sweet taste’, ‘light flavour’, ‘soft flavour’, ‘savoury flavour’, ‘familiar flavour’, ‘harmonious flavour’, ‘softness’, and ‘harmoniousness with food ingredients’ were determined as drivers of liking, on the other hand, ‘disturbance with food ingredients’ and ‘soybean fishy smell’ were determined as drivers of disliking. The degree of consumer preference and overall acceptance were found to be related to the consumers' familiarity, suggesting that if a menu should be developed using unfamiliar local agricultural products, it should be configured with familiar recipes and seasoning methods.

Food upcycling has emerged as an effective approach to sustainably utilize the food waste generated within the food supply chain. This review article examines upcycled food with respect to its definition, consumers’ knowledge and perception on it, and the process by which by-products from the food supply chain are utilized for the creation of upcycled food products. The definition of upcycled food varied among manufacturers, research institutions, and the Upcycled Food Association, depending on the specific values and objectives of each sector. This has resulted in the use of different keywords to highlight the distinctive characteristics of their respective interpretations of upcycled food. This review also summarizes the various consumer traits that can influence the awareness and acceptance of upcycled food, encompassing functional, empirical and emotional, symbolic and self-expressive, and economic benefits. Additionally, the review presents strategies to utilize by-products produced in large quantities in Korea, while also addressing the control of hazardous components to ensure biological or chemical safety and the changes in nutritional value that may occur during the utilization of these byproducts.

AI recommendation service is adopted in consumption consulting such as high-tech and fashion consumption (Thapliyal & Ahuj, 2021). Now, for high-tech and fashion products, the advance selling strategy is widely adopted. Thus, this study targets to detective the consumers’ preference toward AI agents comparing human agents under advance selling and spot selling. The independent variable of this study is consumption type: Pre-sale Products vs. Spot Products. Pre-sale Products are quite popular currently, especially technological products. Construal-level theory (CLT) offers a valuable framework to explain the mechanisms that trigger evaluations, predictions, and behaviors by linking the degree of mental abstraction (the construal level) to psychological distance (Trope & Liberman, 2000; 2003; 2010). Four dimensions including temporal, special, social, and probability distance are argued to present the psychological distance (Trope et al., 2007). Liberman et al. (2022) discuss the time distance and argue the distant-future events are represented in a more abstract, structured, high-level manner than near-future events. Kim & Duhachek (2020) draw on a dimension of persuasion by AI agents to posit that AI agents are perceived as low-construal agents because of the fact that people hold a lay theory that AI agents do not have superordinate goals and cannot learn from their experiences or possess consciousness like humans do. Consequently, they find that individuals perceive greater appropriateness and are more persuaded when an AI agent’s persuasive messages highlight low-construal as opposed to high-construal features. Moreover, consumers prefer abstract information related to a certain product rather than concrete information when a purchase is to take place in the distant future or when construal levels are high (Hernandez et al., 2015). Thus, this research hypothesizes: When consumers buy pre-sale products (vs. spot products), human agents will be the more favorable service provider than AI agents since the consumer is under a high level of construal. This research proposes to adopt a 2 (Advance Selling vs. Spot Selling) x 2 (Short Psychological Distance vs. Far Psychological Distance) x 2 (AI Agents vs. Human Agents) between groups experimental study to test the main effects and mechanism (H1). Furthermore, this study would identify the key moderating effects to discuss the boundary effects of the mechanism for establishing marketing strategies with AI services for managers.

The rapid advancement of technology has created unprecedented opportunities for brands to engage with their existing and potential consumers through digitally enriched products. One such technology that enables the digital enrichment of analog products is augmented reality (AR). Through AR, consumers are able to directly interact with brands, for example, by scanning a product to unlock animated digital content that prompts them to take reciprocal actions. Recognizing that technologies that fail to actively engage consumers may struggle to realize their full potential, our study incorporates consumer brand engagement as a key factor of investigation. Consumer engagement with the brand signifies a higher level of commitment and aids in building lasting and beneficial relationships, as well as enhancing brand knowledge, ultimately positively influencing consumer-based brand equity.

The market for counterfeit luxury goods is growing rapidly, with estimates suggesting that counterfeit trades are valued at around $4.5 trillion globally, with 60% to 70% of this being made up of counterfeit luxury goods. Research has shown that counterfeits dilute the perceived quality of luxury brands and reduce consumers' purchase intentions. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a form of ownership record that is linked and stored on a blockchain.

How much do you like a person who loves the brands you hate? We investigated an effect we call the brand negativity bias, which occurs when an unfavorable brand reduces the attitudes toward an associated target product or person. Using a person perception paradigm in the context of brand placements, Experiment 1 established that unfavorable brands reduced attitudes toward a new digital product (i.e., a movie) in which the brand was placed. Experiment 2 showed this effect was driven by a reduced ability to connect with the character in the movie who was associated with an unfavorable brand in two serial processes (lower perceived similarity leading to lower empathy). These results provide the first evidence showing how unfavorable brands can reduce empathy between people. Supporting the brand negativity bias, we found that unfavorable brands yielded stronger effects across every evaluative outcome suggesting that unfavorable brands held more influence over consumer judgment compared to favorable brands. Lastly, these results add a layer of complexity to B2B partnerships and tell a cautionary story of when unfavorable brand associations transfer between entities.

This study examined factors that influence purchase intention of ethically produced fashion products. Theory of Reasoned Action was used to understand consumer attitude formation and purchase intention of ethically produced fashion products. Two unique variables were studied (environmental awareness, environmental concern) with the consumer attitude toward the purchase intention of ethically produced products. The influence of subjective norms on purchase intention was also examined. The results showed the influence of environmental concern on both attitude and purchase intention along with the influence of attitude on purchase intention. The findings of this study contribute to the body of the existing knowledge in the area of ethical production by providing explanations and a broad understanding of the factors that influence purchase intention of ethically produced fashion products. The results will also provide insight to firms wanting to effectively convey pro-environmental efforts to consumers that will help branding, positioning, and potential sales increase.