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The inability to touch products online is the top reason consumers list for preferring to shop in traditional brick and mortar versus e-commerce stores (Havas Worldwide, 2013). Need for touch (NFT) comprises autotelic and instrumental motives, which, respectively, relate to enjoyment and utility. This study aimed to examine how consumers’ NFT motives affect loyalty intentions toward e-commerce websites, both directly and as mediated by consumers’ level of technology acceptance (ease of use, enjoyment and perceived usefulness [PU]). The moderating effect of synchronous versus asynchronous two-way communication with sellers on the relationships among consumers’ NFT, acceptance of technology and loyalty intention was also examined.

An online survey was conducted among consumers who had shopped from popular e-commerce websites chosen by this study within the 12 months prior to data collection.

Both types of NFT motives affected loyalty and technology acceptance. Specifically, autotelic NFT positively impacted perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived enjoyment (PE), whereas instrumental NFT negatively impacted PEOU, PE and loyalty intentions. Among the technology acceptance variables, PU had the strongest effect on loyalty intention. Tests of moderation revealed that high-quality, text-based synchronous communication (i.e. live chatting) with sellers can compensate for both autotelic and instrumental NFT.

This research shows how the inherent inability of e-commerce to meet consumers’ NFT stymies consumers’ e-commerce acceptance and affects their loyalty toward online retailers and examines strategies that e-commerce sites can use to compensate for this need.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of actual purchase behavior vs satisfaction at the point of purchase and the antecedents of actual unplanned vs planned purchase behavior.

By using both survey and actual purchase data from a total of 3,300 shoppers of a Korean fast fashion brand, the multivariate regression analysis and two separate logistic regression analyses were compared to respond to the research questions.

The noticeable point of the findings is that the factors influencing the level of satisfaction and the probability to purchase were different. As common factors for both actual purchase and satisfaction, value for money, and affordable price are the first things that the practitioners have to keep in mind when developing a strategy for fast fashion stores. However, unplanned shoppers, who are over half of buyers, are negatively influenced by the affordable prices in their buying decisions.

The results of this study have implications for the retailers, especially those selling fast fashion products in South Korea.

The current study has merit because of its use of secondary data collected by a large marketing research company on Korean domestic fast fashion brand. In particular, the combination of the large sample survey data collected right after shopping and the actual receipt of purchase has its unique value.

The main aim of this study is to develop a framework of brand knowledge transfer through sponsorship for sponsors within an insurance industry in South Korea. To this end, this study explores: how pre-event brand knowledge and perceived sponsor–event fit contribute to post-event brand knowledge and if and how consumers’ attitudes toward insurance agents play a role as a moderator in the model. Brand knowledge is examined in terms of brand awareness and corporate image.

Using a paper-and-pencil survey method, data were gathered from consumers (n = 330) who participated in a parenting education program in which an insurance company partnered with a baby food manufacturer in South Korea. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

The results confirm the occurrence of brand knowledge transfer for sponsors via sponsorship. Pre-event brand awareness and corporate image affect post-event brand awareness and corporate image, respectively, while perceived event–sponsor fit affects both attributes of post-event brand knowledge. Further, consumer attitude toward sales agents partially moderates brand knowledge transfer.

Because the data focused on a single segment of sponsorship events in the financial service industry in South Korea, the results must be carefully applied to other forms of sponsorship, industries and cultures.

This study highlights the effectiveness of sponsorship in the financial services industry. By aligning sponsorship events with sponsors’ characteristics and managing their brand knowledge, companies can maximize brand knowledge transfer contributing to brand equity.

This study identifies consumers’ pre-extant attitudes toward sales agents as a moderator that controls brand knowledge transfer, the pre-event and post-event corporate image relationship, specifically.

The purpose of this paper is to construct a novel grey filter model for image denoising and to solve the problems which exist in the image denoising filter method, in which the true intensity value of each noisy pixel cannot be predicted better.

Based on the definition of stepwise, the defects of traditional grey prediction models are found. A new grey filter model, named grey stepwise prediction model, is proposed. The new filter model for the image denoising is based on each noisy pixel's neighborhoods stepwise, which is the eight pixels around the noisy pixel, to predict its intensity value and to solve the problems which exist in the image denoising filter method.

The experiment results show that the improved filter model can effectively eliminate image noise, preserve the image's details and edges, increase SNR (signal‐to‐noise ratio) as well as PSNR (peak signal‐to‐noise ratio), reduce MSE (mean square error) and MAE (mean absolute error), and significantly improve the image's visual effect.

The new filter method exposed in the paper can be used to 8‐bit gray‐scale image denoising. The method can also be used to binary image denoising.

The paper succeeds in constructing a novel filter method for image denoding, and it is undoubtedly a new development in image recovery algorithm and grey systems theory.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of leader humility on team reflexivity. This study also investigates the mediating role of relation-oriented shared leadership and the moderating role of leader trust.

This study collected data from the information technology (IT) service provider of a large telecommunications company in South Korea. A total of 311 employees (individual response rate of 31.2%) in 59 teams (team response rate of 83.01%) were included in the final analysis. Several hierarchical regression analyses and PROCESS macro were used.

The results indicate that leaders’ humble behaviour is positively associated with team reflexivity and facilitates relation-oriented shared leadership among team members, particularly when they have a higher level of affect-based trust in leaders.

This study may help researchers and practitioners better understand the conditions influencing the impact of leader humility on team members’ behaviour.

The main value of this study is to add to the knowledge on team reflexivity by identifying leader humility as a critical factor affecting team reflexivity. Furthermore, this study provides a deeper understanding of why leader humility influences team reflexivity.

Using latent profile analysis, the authors explored the career profiles of young adult tertiary students (N = 468, 73.9% women; mean age 20 years) to determine the relative importance of traditional career orientation (TCO) and protean career orientation (PCO) beliefs for them.

Young adults studying at university can aspire to traditional career experiences as they believe organizations will support their professional and career development. However, since the development of newer career models, the TCO model has received little research attention compared to the PCO.

The authors found that the dominant profile exhibited average levels of TCO, PCO and career competencies, and that this mixed profile was associated with more mature career identity development and greater organizational commitment. A second profile, with low TCO, average PCO and career competencies, showed a similar level of career maturity to the mixed profile, but exhibited less organizational commitment. A third profile, with average TCO, low PCO and career competencies, especially vocational identity awareness, was related to less career development and organizational commitment.

The findings suggest that a mixed traditional-protean orientation is common in young adult tertiary students and that the development of a vocational identity is important for positive career outcomes, regardless of orientation.

This paper aims to investigate effect of infill density, fabricated built orientation and dose of gamma radiation to mechanical tensile and compressive properties of polylactic acid (PLA) part fabricated by fused deposit modelling (FDM) technique for medical applications.

PLA specimens for tensile and compressive tests were fabricated using FDM machine. The specimens geometry and test method were referred to ASTM D638 and ASTM D695, respectively. Three orientations under consideration were flat, edge and upright, whereas the infill density ranged from 0 to 100%. The gamma radiation dose used to expose to specimens was 25 kGy. The collected data included stress and strain, which was used to find mechanical properties, i.e. yield strength, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), fracture strength, elongation at yield, elongation at UTS and elongation at break. The t-test was used to access the difference in mechanical properties.

Compressive mechanical properties is greater than tensile mechanical properties. Increasing number of layer parallel to loading direction and infill density, it enhances the material property. Upright presents the lowest mechanical property in tensile test, but greatest in compressive test. Upright orientation should not be used for part subjecting to tensile load. FDM is more proper for part subjecting to compressive load. FDM part requires undergoing gamma ray for sterilisation, the infill density no less than 70 and 60% should be selected for part subjecting to tensile and compressive load, respectively.

This study investigated all mechanical properties in both tension and compression as well as exposure to gamma radiation. The results can be applied in selection of FDM parameters for medical device manufacturing.