This paper examines how consumers evaluate digital products with multiple Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs), which are blockchain-enabled cryptographic assets that represent proof-of-ownership for digital objects. The study predicts that people prefer fractioned NFTs (unique fractions of a digital object) versus duplicated NFTs (identical digital objects with distinct numbers) due to their preference for uniqueness. The study also examines the moderating role of product attributes, predicting that preferences for fractioned NFTs will be reduced when the product provides unique aspects, such as a serial number.

PURPOSES : This study verifies the stability and uniqueness of the traffic assignment algorithm. METHODS : The traffic assignment step of the four-phase traffic demand model is an important step in determining the traffic volume of the link in the process of distributing the O/D traffic volume on each link. In this step, primarily, a link-based algorithm based on user equilibrium has been used. The typical link-based algorithm, FWA, is known to provide uniqueness and stability, in theory, regarding traffic assignment results. However, recent studies have raised the controversy that, in reality, the FWA is less stable and unique depending on the termination criterion applied to the FWA in the traffic assignment step. Stability tests and proportionality tests were conducted for the application of algorithms to widely used commercial software (for example, EMME, CUBE, and TransCAD). RESULTS : According to this study, the uniqueness and stability of the FWA were not followed in the process of actual traffic assignment, unlike the theory. CONCLUSIONS : The traffic assignment model has essentially the same result when the optimum level is reached, irrespective of the program and traffic allocation techniques used. Therefore, efforts will be required to recognize limitations in practice and to produce stable results at an appropriate level when predicting traffic demand, traffic volume, benefits, and feasibility studies using a traffic allocation model.

What is the origin of kimchi and what changes did it go through to become the kimchi of today? Also, what makes kimchi different from other pickled vegetables such as Chinese paochai, Japanese tsukemono, and Western pickles, and sauerkraut, and what is the identity of kimchi? This study is the result of thought on these fundamental questions about kimchi which is the only pickled vegetable distributed around the world that uses a fermented and ripened animal seasoning called jeotgal (salted marine life) to dramatically improve its umami taste and nutritional value, thereby securing its uniqueness. Kimchi has further evolved into a unique and high-quality pickled vegetable through the use of its specialized seasoning, adopting a composite fermentation mechanism and absorbing new ingredients such as red pepper. It is expected that this paper will invigorate the discussion on the firm establishment of the identity of kimchi and the future direction that it may take.

The Chinese Sigyeong records the foods of the Primitive Pickling Period, pickling being a universal vegetable storage method, but does not indicate the origin of the pickled vegetables or the location of the source of transmission. Kimchi mainly used salt and sauce-based soaking materials at the beginning of the Fermented Pickling Period (beginning in the 1st to 3rd centuries A.D.), and it differed from the Chinese method, which used alcohol and vinegar. In the Umami-Flavored Pickling Period (beginning in the 14th and 15th centuries A.D.), jeotgal, fermented seafoods, were added, and pickles with a completely new identity were created, one different from any other pickles in the world. Lastly, entering the Complex Fermentation and Pickling Period (beginning in the 17th and 18th centuries), the technical process evolved using a separate special seasoning containing red pepper as the secondary immersion source after pickling in brine, the primary immersion source. As a result of this, kimchi was transformed into a food with a unique form and taste not found anywhere else. The unique characteristic of kimchi is that the composition of original materials, a combination of salted marine life and vegetable ingredients, is its core identity, and there is a methodological difference in that it is completed through a second process called saesaengchae (生菜)-chimchae (沈菜).

Consumers want to express their original unique personality, and even are willing to endure high expenses in order to do this. One noticeable strategy in the market, used by companies to suit for this consumer sentiment, is that of employing limited edition marketing and limited free gifts. This study investigated the effects of limited free gifts on consumer response. Specifically, the present study examined how the need for uniqueness moderated the effects of limited free gifts on brand commitment and attitudes. The online survey method was used to gather the data and a total of 224 data were used to analyze data. The results of the research were as follows. The findings revealed four dimensions of limited free gifts: scarcity/specialty, not for sale, complementarity, and risk. Complementarity positively affected brand commitment, while all four dimensions of limited free gifts positively influenced brand attitude. In addition, the need for uniqueness was proven to be the strongest variable which positively influenced brand commitment and attitudes. Also, when the need for uniqueness was applied as a moderating variable, depending on the levels of the need for uniqueness, the effects of riskiness on the consumer’s response were shown to be different. The findings of this study infer various academic and practical applications.

In the context of the consumption of luxury goods, WOM generation seems to be an important way for individuals to express their identity. It has long been implied that luxury goods should be “conspicuous” because, generally, individuals are motivated to consume particular goods to communicate their social identity (cf. Belk, 1988; Berger & Health 2007). However, once individuals send positive messages about a luxury good, that item may be adopted by others whom they dislike. Thus, individuals may use moderation in generating positive WOM and prevent use of their favorite luxury brands from trickling down (Berger & Ward, 2010). In this regard, recent research has examined the effects of need-for-uniqueness (NFU) on consumers’ intention to generate word-of-mouth (WOM) and suggested that high-NFU consumers are unwilling to generate (positive) WOM because WOM results in the adoption of the product and would harm the consumers’ unique image (Cheema & Kaikati, 2010). However, they have focused on only one (avoidance-of-similarity) of the three types of NFU: avoidance of similarity (AS), unpopular choice counter-conformity (UCC), and creative choice counter-conformity (CCC) (Tian, Bearden, & Hunter, 2001). The purpose of this study is to examine how different types of NFU affect consumers’ willingness to generate WOM, considering the moderating role of product domain in the relationship between NFU and WOM. We examined the effects of types of NFU and product domain on positive WOM generation using a 3 (WOM sender type: high-AS/high-UCC/high-CCC consumers) × 2 (product domain: more identity-relevant, luxury vs. less identity-relevant, ordinary goods) between-subjects experimental design. The participants were 80 university students. We selected a high-quality coat as a luxury item and a high-end flash drive as an ordinary product. The former was represented as more identity-related than the latter. The results of ANOVA showed that three types of NFU have different effects on consumer’ willingness to generate positive WOM. High-AS consumers, as well as high-UCC consumers, are more unwilling to generate positive WOM, whereas high-CCC consumers are more willing to generate WOM; moreover, these effects are more pronounced when the consumers were referencing a more identity-relevant, luxury good. The implications of this study may help firms understand the factors that elicit or prevent WOM generation.

Modern men are much more interested in their appearance than ever before, as well as showing an increased need for uniqueness in order to construct their own sphere and pursue differentiation from others. Besides, changes in life style and the aesthetic sense are causing men to pursue various kinds of clothing benefits so that they want a suit with characteristics beyond the stereotyped design and style. They have started to be actively engaged in clothing purchases, forming a driving force for the growth of the male suit market. Hence, this study has significance in that it offers data conducive to consumers’ custom suit purchase by reviewing data on the present condition of the custom suit market and bespoke suits. In addition, it aims to give a summary on the theoretical bases of preceding studies, including the need for uniqueness, pursuit of clothing benefit and concern for the appearance of male consumers, as well as examining the factors that influence on their bespoke suit purchase intentions. Accordingly, this work intends to construct a basic environment for consumers to approach the custom suit market easily and pave the way for male suit markets through offering marketing data and information that is helpful for custom suit-related markets.

People tend to maintain and express their individuality in unique ways. Consumer’s need for uniqueness is defined as an individual's pursuit that differentiates themselves from others, thereby developing and enhancing their personal identities. This study examined the effect of consumers’ need for uniqueness on fashion orientation and consumption values. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey distributed to people visiting the fashion show center during Seoul Fashion Week. The survey questions were designed using the 5-point Likert scale and Cronbach’s α value of questions was reliable as .628-.862. The study’s results indicate that people with high need for uniqueness are very interested in fashion and think that is important to be well-dressed. In addition, the results suggest that people with high needs for unusual choices who enjoy challenging the prevailing taste of people want to be fashion leaders and are attracted to products that express their personality well. And people with high needs for creative choices and incompliant choices value their own satisfaction and happiness with the products. On the other hand, consumer’s needs for incompliant choices have a negative effect on social value. As a result, people with high needs for incompliant choices would break social norms rather than consider social status and reputation when they purchase fashion products. The concluding section of the paper discusses the implications of this research for fashion companies.

Conflicting accounts of environmentally-friendly motives exist (see Chan, 2001; Hartmann & Apaolaza-Ibanez, 2012; Haws et al., 2014; Johnstone & Tan, 2015; Rashid, 2009; Royne et al., 2013). Recent research has turned to identity-society explanations (see Park & Lee, 2016). This research furthers this inquiry and narrows the gap. To understand environmentally-friendly clothing options (EFCO) motives better, this study uses uniqueness theory, which posits that consumers adopt dress different from mass fashion simply because it is unpopular (Snyder & Fromkin, 1977; Tian et al., 2001). Accordingly, environmentally-friendly attitudes should have nothing to do with the environment, but with norms, conformity, pressure (Law et al., 2004), and uniqueness. Thus, the research questions consist of: 1) is need for uniqueness in dress related to EFCO purchase intentions? 2) If so, does uniqueness relate to other EFCO motives? A survey was administered (n=220), using existing scales, to an online consumer panel All scales exhibited sufficient reliability. Pearson-Product Moment Scores and ANOVAs were used to assess variable relationships. As predicted, concern for the environment and perceived individual impact on the environment were unrelated to need for uniqueness. There was a significant and positive relationship between need for uniqueness and each of: attitudes toward EFCO and social pressure to act green. This indicates that individuals feel social pressure from important others to adapt to consumer trends. However, the manner in which they adopt mass consumer movements, such as sustainability, may be in more unique ways and via unpopular choice, such as EFCO. Finally, an ANOVA indicated that those high in uniqueness were willing to pay substantially more for EFCO.

본 논문은 바흐의 《평균율 클라비어곡집》이 그의 여타 작품들 및 서양음악의 창작 유산들과 구별되는 수용의 역사, 즉 작곡가 사후 오늘날까지 부단히도 해석, 재생산, 창작의 범주에서 예술음 악과 대중음악 간의 뚜렷한 경계마저 넘나들며 활기차고도 압도적인 생명력을 유지해온 역사에 주 목하면서 그 ‘특별한’ 수용사의 요인들을 역사의 흐름 안에서, 작품의 내부에서 찾으며, 다음과 같은 결론에 이른다. 다양하고 때로는 매우 이질적인 시대, 양식, 장르, 음악적 콘텍스트로의 탁월한 동 화력과 시대, 양식, 장르의 초월성으로 귀결되는 양면적 가치가 《평균율 클라비어곡집》의 ‘특별한’ 수용사를 일군 주요 요인이었다. 《평균율 클라비어곡집》에 기댄 후대의 작품들은 역사적, 예술적 가치를 부여받기도 했다. 《평균율 클라비어곡집》의 수용사는 결국 이 작품이 품고 있는 가치와 속성, 음악적 가능성과 잠재력이 역사의 흐름을 타며 한껏 발현되고 호응될 수 있는, 역사적 · 예 술적 위상의 담보가 될 수 있는 성질의 것이라는 점에 기반을 둔다.

본 연구는 최근에 각광받고 있는 브랜디드 콘텐츠 광고 중에 스토리텔링을 기반으로 하는 웹드라마형과 일반 감성광고가 몰입에 차이점이 있는지 알아보고 독특성 욕구의 조절효과와 즐거움의 매개효과를 검증하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 2(브랜디드 콘텐츠vs. 감성광고) x2(독특성 욕구 낮음 vs. 독특성 욕구 높음)의 집단 간 디자인으로 연구를 설계하여 진행하였다. 연구결과 첫째, 브랜디드 콘텐츠와 감성광고는 몰입에 유의미한 차이가 없는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 브랜디드 콘텐츠와 감성광고가 독특성 욕구에 따라 몰입에 미치는 영향을 검증한 결과 독특성 욕구가 높은 집단의 경우 브랜디드 콘텐츠가 높게 나타났고, 독특성 욕구가 낮은 집단에서는 브랜디드 콘텐츠와 감성광고는 차이가 없는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째 몰입의 경우 구매의도에 영향을 미치지 못했고, 즐거움에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 즐거움은 구매의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 이와 같이 브랜디드 콘텐츠와 감성광고는 독특성 욕구에 따라 몰입이 다르게 나타날 수 있다는 점과 몰입이 즐거움을 통해 구매의도를 높일 수 있다는 결과들은 이론과 실무에 유용한 지침을 제공할 것이다.

본 연구는 전주한옥마을 관광객을 대상으로 독특성욕구에 따른 선호도와 구매의도에 미치는 구매 행동에 관한 연구를 토대로 전주한옥마을 음식관광의 방향을 제시하는데 목적이 있다. 표본의 인구통 계학적 특성 중 전주한옥마을은 30대가 가장 많이 방문하며, 한 달 수입이 201만 원 이상인 관광객이 가장 많은 소비를 하는 것으로 나타났다. 가설 검증을 위해 회귀분석을 실시하였으며 유사성회피는 전통비빔밥의 선호도에 부정적인 영향관계를 보였으나 독특한 비빔밥의 선호도는 독창적선택과 비대 중적선택에 긍정적인 영향관계가 있음을 검증하였고, 독창적선택과 유사성회피는 독특한 비빔밥의 구매의도에 긍정적인 영향관계가 있음을 검증하였다. 전통비빔밥의 선호도는 전통비빔밥의 구매의도에 긍정적인 영향관계를 보였으며, 전통비빔밥의 선호도와 독특한 비빔밥의 선호도는 독특한 비빔밥의 구매의도에 긍정적인 영향관계가 있음을 검증하였다.