The aim of this study is to identify the value structure of active seniors for noodles. Noodles are the secondly most preferred and familiar food in Korea, followed by rice. And noodles also have a variety of tastes/flavors and even a variety of ceremonial characteristics. The necessity of offering proper food to seniors has recently increasing because Korea becoming an aged society. This study conducted 1:1 in-depth interviews with 30 active senior participants using the soft laddering technique, which is based on the means-end chain theory. The Implication Matrix and HVM were derived from performing content analysis. The active seniors mainly consider the ‘taste’, expecting to obtain the ‘satisfying taste’, and pursuing the ‘family affair’, ‘pleasure’, and ‘self-satisfaction’. The results of this study indicated that the taste is the most important attribute and the active seniors consider their family as well as the pleasure and satisfaction of their own. Male seniors mainly pursue the ‘pleasure’ and ‘self-satisfaction’ by satisfying their taste through considering ‘taste’ and ‘familiarity’. But female seniors mainly pursue the ‘family affair’ by ‘satisfying taste’ through considering ‘taste’. These results can be used as a basic data for developing noodle products for the elderly. This study will also contribute to the development of special care food and product concepts for the silver generation.

To enrich a country’s food culture, it is essential that residents understand and care about that culture. Although various efforts to globalize Korean food have been made outside Korea, the importance of understanding Koreans’ perception of and increasing interest in Korean food has been neglected. Thus, this study was conducted to identify the cognitive structures regarding Korean food among 30 Koreans living in metropolitan cities using in-depth laddering interviews based on the means-end chain theory. The most dominant cognitive structures toward Korean food were familiarity (attributes), ease of digestion and health (functional consequences), sense of responsibility and will to live (psychosocial consequences), and family affection and sense of achievement (values). In short, Koreans were found to consume Korean food to achieve perceived high-dimensional values rather than simply for its attributes or benefits. These findings have important implications for future strategies and policies aimed at increasing Korean food consumption by Koreans, as they suggest that underlying and symbolic values rather than the attributes of Korean food are more effective in promoting its consumption. Further studies on understanding perceptions and values using a larger Korean population are needed to preserve and further develop Korean food.

Purpose - This study attempted to identify the value promotion clues that may operate as a consumer’s motive, by shedding new light on consumer value and by reconstructing each variable analyzed through the means–end chain (MEC) theory. Research design, data, and methodology - In this study, 202 copies of effective questionnaires using the data of Yang and Ju (2012) were subjected to correlation, regression, and SEM. Results - All store selection attributes were verified as having a positive influence on the relationship quality. Although the store selection attributes were verified as exerting a positive influence on the relationship quality, according to the verification result of the mediating effect, consumer value was verified to be influenced only by the relationship quality instead of by the store selection attributes. Conclusion - As a result of path analysis on the proposed model after modification, it was verified that only product factor had a statistically significant positive influence and that social value was completely mediating between relationship quality and emotional value. It may be highlighted that the MEC theory concept would be applicable to the cause-and-effect relationship model.