Search results

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the debt modification system (DMS) in Korea. We find that DMS does have a positive effect in increasing the credit scores and annual income of DMS users. We also find that a debt management plan (DMP) is more effective in raising credit scores than personal rehabilitation (PR). However, the credit scores of DMS users in the first half of 2019 (551.1–626.1 points) are at a very low level, making it difficult to access low-interest unsecured loans from banks. Therefore, DMS in Kores is still insufficient to support the return of debt-ridden consumers to normal financial life and provide opportunities for a fresh start.

This paper analyzes the communal fund of a school alumni association in South Korea and attempts to expand the understanding of money's social role in maintaining its network. The analysis concentrates on the account book of the 1974 alumni association of Hani High School in Seoul and follows the expenditure traces of its communal fund since 1987. Over the last 30 years, money for the communal fund has been regularly collected at the alumni reunions and distributed on various ceremonial occasions, such as member weddings and funerals. By defining the alumni association as a type of kye, this study explores the correlation between the communal fund's operation and the members' belongingness in the association. Most of them have actively engaged in operating their communal fund. They have applied flexible management regulations, reflecting members' respective financial conditions and life events. In the distribution of their fund, not only economic principles but also moral and normative standards are manifested. The 1974 alumni association and their communal fund demonstrate the symbolic meaning of money and its active role in a community. It also challenges the widespread belief that money is an alienating object in the market society. Indeed, money has morality and the potential to help maintain social ties in the long run.

This study aims to investigate the integration of blockchain technology into the food supply chain within the restaurant industry. It focuses on how blockchain can be applied to enhance transparency and trust in tracking food sources, ultimately impacting customer satisfaction.

A service design workshop (Study 1) and three between-subjects experiments (Studies 2–4) were conducted.

Results indicate that blockchain adoption significantly improves traceability and trust in the food supply chain. This improvement in turn enhances customer satisfaction through perceived improvements in food safety, quality and naturalness. This study also notes that the effects of blockchain technology vary depending on the type of restaurant (casual or fine dining) and its location (tourist destinations or residential areas).

The findings offer practical insights for restaurant owners, technology developers and policymakers. Emphasizing the benefits of blockchain adoption, this study guides decision-making regarding technology investments for enhancing customer service and satisfaction in the hospitality sector.

This research contributes novel insights to the field of technology innovation in the hospitality industry. It extends the understanding of signaling theory by exploring how blockchain technology can serve as a tool for signal transmission in restaurant food supply chains.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic meltdown and social unrest severely challenged most countries, their societies, economies, organizations, and individual citizens. Focusing on both more and less successful country-specific initiatives to fight the pandemic and its multitude of related consequences, this chapter explores implications for leadership and effective action at the individual, organizational, and societal levels. As international management scholars and consultants, the authors document actions taken and their wide-ranging consequences in a diverse set of countries, including countries that have been more or less successful in fighting the pandemic, are geographically larger and smaller, are located in each region of the world, are economically advanced and economically developing, and that chose unique strategies versus strategies more similar to those of their neighbors. Cultural influences on leadership, strategy, and outcomes are described for 19 countries. Informed by a cross-cultural lens, the authors explore such urgent questions as: What is most important for leaders, scholars, and organizations to learn from critical, life-threatening, society-encompassing crises and grand challenges? How do leaders build and maintain trust? What types of communication are most effective at various stages of a crisis? How can we accelerate learning processes globally? How does cultural resilience emerge within rapidly changing environments of fear, shifting cultural norms, and profound challenges to core identity and meaning? This chapter invites readers and authors alike to learn from each other and to begin to discover novel and more successful approaches to tackling grand challenges. It is not definitive; we are all still learning.

Examines work investigating the impact of the crisis on social welfare policies two Asian countries — Hong Kong and Korea, and argues that these two states were not prepared for the crisis. States that Hong Kong is adopting a neoliberal approach to social welfare, contrasting this with Korea taking unprecedented steps to restructure the social security system, after its economy nearly collapsed, taking a more developmental approach to social policy. Posits that only time will tell whether Korea’s momentum of change can be sustained, while in Hong Kong social security policy will still be dictated by a neoliberal agenda in the near future.

COVID-19 has hard-hit the global economy when the majority of developed countries could not demonstrate effective resolutions even a year after the outbreak. This study aims to present how government or policymakers could minimize the negative impacts of major incidents (pandemic) and speed up the process of recovery. It was also intended to identify effective strategies for crisis management.

A mixed research method was applied. Qualitative research studies of interviews were used to collect primary data from the stakeholders while archival research method of textual and documental information was used for secondary data on the pandemic facts.

The impacts of the governmental and enterprise actions with a focus on effective mega-crisis management strategies were structured based on the three themes, namely, appropriate measures, timely decisions and the role of the government. These strategies can minimize the destruction to the economy (or organization) while stabilize the emotional and psychological aspects of the people during the crisis and lead the society back on track once the crisis starts to diminish.

The experience of Macao in successfully responding to the crisis of pandemic provides constructive references to policymakers on the set up of timely strategic plans and business management on remedy actions, particularly to regions where the pandemic is still out of control.

This study aims to compare commonly used dietary assessment methods in non-obese young adults.

This study was carried out on 22 females and 21 males, who were aged between 20 and 25, with no chronic diseases and were not obese or on any diet. The data was collected face to face. In this study, the authors evaluated the consistency of nonconsecutive three-day 24-h recall method (3 × 24HR), which was chosen as a reference for the determination of food consumption, with one-day 24-h recall method (1 × 24HR), three-day food record method (3 × FR) and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which has been frequently used in food consumption research. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) and Bland–Altman graphs were performed in the statistical analyses to determine the association between dietary assessment methods.

When the data obtained from the food consumption records were evaluated according to reference method, it was found that the PCC was at moderate and higher level (mean r = 0.513 for 1 × 24HR; r = 0.564 for 3 × FR; and r = 0.452 for FFQ), and the mean ICC was 0.456 for 1 × 24HR, 0.557 for 3 × FR and 0.377 for FFQ. In addition, it was determined that energy and macronutrient values analyzed with Bland–Altman method were consistent with the reference method and that the other methods could also be used instead of the reference method. Under and over reporting was detected in all methods. The method with the highest accurate reporting was 3 × 24HR (72.1%) according to Goldberg standard. In FFQ method, accurate reporting is higher in males (p = 0.01); in other methods, it was determined that there was no significant difference by gender.

In this study, the consistency of the reference, 3 × 24HR method, with the other three methods was determined to be at a moderate and higher level and that they could replace each other according to characteristics of the participants.

Solar cells could make textile-based wearable systems energy independent without the need for battery replacement or recharging; however, their laundry resistance, which is prerequisite for the product acceptance of e-textiles, has been rarely examined. This paper aims to report a systematic study of the laundry durability of solar cells embedded in textiles.

This research included small commercial monocrystalline silicon solar cells which were encapsulated with functional synthetic textile materials using an industrially relevant textile lamination process and found them to reliably endure laundry washing (ISO 6330:2012). The energy harvesting capability of eight textile laminated solar cells was measured after 10–50 cycles of laundry at 40 °C and compared with light transmittance spectroscopy and visual inspection.

Five of the eight textile solar cell samples fully maintained their efficiency over the 50 laundry cycles, whereas the other three showed a 20%–27% decrease. The cells did not cause any visual damage to the fabric. The result indicates that the textile encapsulated solar cell module provides sufficient protection for the solar cells against water, washing agents and mechanical stress to endure repetitive domestic laundry.

This study used rigid monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Flexible amorphous silicon cells were excluded because of low durability in preliminary tests. Other types of solar cells were not tested.

A review of literature reveals the tendency of researchers to avoid standardized textile washing resistance testing. This study removes the most critical obstacle of textile integrated solar energy harvesting, the washing resistance.

The purpose of this paper is to revisit previous design principles and guidelines for online makerspaces in public libraries (Kim et al., 2020) and expand the design principles with more updated implications and examples from the literature published during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authors reviewed recently published papers about online transitions of makerspaces, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, summarized their implications and deduced applicable design principles and guidelines.

This paper proposes updated design principles and guidelines based on four key areas: Program and service design; Tools and materials; Facilitation; and Logistic support. These updated design principles considered a wider range of patrons that public library makerspaces may serve, the digital divide issues and logistic concerns that should be addressed beyond the scope of a single makerspace.

This paper compiles various lessons learned and strategies regarding online makerspaces and maker programming for public libraries and provides helpful design principles and guidelines for the continued use of online components for makerspace services and programs.