Browsing by Author "Kim, Eojina"
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- Comparison of college students' behavior toward nutrition information communication between Korea and the USKim, Chang-Sik; Bosselman, Robert; Choi, Hyung-Min; Lee, Keum Sil; Kim, Eojina; Moon, Hyeyoung; Jang, Yoon Jung; Ham, Sunny (2020-08)BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The expansion of menu labeling to restaurants has created a need to study customers' behavior toward nutrition information. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to compare college students' behavior toward nutrition information communication between Korea and the US. This study consisted of three objectives: 1) to compare the frequency of usage as well as degree of trust regarding smartphone-based communication channels in the acquisition of nutrition information among college students between Korea and the US, 2) to compare knowledge-sharing behavior related to nutrition information among college students between Korea and the US, and 3) to identify the role of country in the process of knowledge-sharing behavior. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A survey was distributed via the web to college students in Korea and the US. Data were collected in the 2nd week of March 2017. Completed responses were collected from 423 Koreans and 280 Americans. Differences between Koreans and Americans were evaluated for statistical significance using a t-test. In order to verify the effects of knowledge self-efficacy and transactive memory capability on knowledge-sharing behavior related to nutrition information, a regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the frequency of usage as well as degree of trust in communication channels related to nutrition information between Korean and American college students. While knowledge self-efficacy and tractive memory capability had positive effects on knowledge-sharing behavior related to nutrition information, country had a significant effect on the process. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to compare customer behavior toward nutrition information acquisition and sharing between Korea and the US. Comparative research on nutrition information revealed differences among the different countries. Therefore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on the nutrition information research, in particular, by providing a comparison study between countries.
- Customers' perception of the attributes of different formats of menu labeling: a comparison between Korea and the USBosselman, Robert; Choi, Hyung-Min; Lee, Keum Sil; Kim, Eojina; Cha, Jaebin; Jeong, Jin-Yi; Jo, Mina; Ham, Sunny (2020-06)BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study compared the perception of customers from Korea and the U.S. on the attributes of different formats of menu labeling The specific objectives were 1) to compare the customers' perceived usefulness, ease-of-understanding, clarity, and attractiveness of different formats of menu labeling between Korea and the U.S.; and 2) to compare the customers' use intention to different formats of menu labeling between Korea and the U.S. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A survey was conducted in Korea and the U.S. The participants were allocated randomly to view 1 of the 7 restaurant menus that varied according to the following types of menu labeling formats: (type 1) kcal format, (type 2) traffic-light format, (type 3) percent daily intake (%DI) format, (type 4) kcal + traffic-light format, (type 5) kcal + %DI format, (type 6) traffic-light + %DI format, and (type 7) kcal + traffic-light + %DI format. A total of 279 Koreans and 347 Americans were entered in the analysis. An independent t-test and 1-way analysis of variance were performed. RESULTS: Koreans rated type 4 format (kcal + traffic light) the highest for usefulness and attractiveness. In contrast, Americans rated type 7 (kcal + traffic light + %DI) the highest for usefulness, ease-of-understanding, attractiveness, and clarity. Significant differences were found in the customers' perceived attributes to menu labeling between Korea and the U.S. Americans perceived higher for all the 4 attributes of menu labeling than Koreans. CONCLUSIONS: The study is unique in identifying the differences in the attributes of different formats of menu labeling between Korea and the U.S. Americans rated the most complicated type of menu labeling as the highest perception for the attributes, and showed a higher use intention of menu labeling than Koreans. This study contributes to academia and industry for practicing menu labeling in different countries using different formats.
- An experimental investigation into the timing of service failure communicationDallinger, Ioana (Virginia Tech, 2021-07-12)Service failures are common in the hospitality industry and are often associated with low guest satisfaction. However, guest satisfaction is possible to be restored when excellent service recovery tactics are deployed in a timely fashion. The temporary unavailability of a service offering is a type of failure recognized by practitioners, customers, and the research community, yet it is typically only used for illustrative purposes in research. Given the ubiquity of this type of failure in the industry, the lack of investigations of its various aspects (e.g., communication of the occurrence to the customer, reasons, ramifications, etc.) seems surprising. Using scenario-based experimental design in a restaurant setting, this research tested the effects of timing (early/ late) of the communication of the temporary unavailability of a menu item on customers' satisfaction with the recovery, while taking into account the perceived severity of the failure as well as the relationship between customer and provider. Findings indicate that restaurant guests informed early that a menu item is unavailable are more satisfied than those who are informed later in their dining experience (after they have been given time to study the menu and make choices). This increased satisfaction is mediated through the customers' perception of interactional, procedural, and distributive justice.
- The impact of restaurant innovativeness on consumer loyalty: The mediating role of perceived qualityKim, Eojina; Nicolau, Juan Luis; Tang, Liang (Sage, 2021-01-07)Although hospitality industry has consistently invested resources in innovation, the path by which a brand’s innovativeness influences consumers’ loyalty remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to establish a research model that represents the relationships of customers’ perceived restaurant’s innovativeness at brand level, perceived quality, and levels of loyalty. Specifically, five subdimensions (differentiation, dynamic brand, innovativeness brand, new leader, and idea generator) measure restaurant’s innovativeness at brand level. Perceived quality consists of the food and service aspects. The result shows that among brand innovativeness, differentiation predicts better loyalty whereas dynamic brand, innovativeness brand, new leader, and idea generator are less effective, with mediating effects of food quality and service quality. This outcome potentially expands the theoretical foundation of brand innovativeness in the hospitality discipline, while providing a promising marketing approach that empowers patrons with brand innovativeness through differentiation.
- Impact of the Menu Labeling Act upon the market value of foodservice firmsKim, Eojina; Nicolau, Juan Luis (Sage, 2020-11-26)The Menu Labeling Act (MLA), which requires restaurants to provide customers with nutritional information, has encountered implementation difficulties for more than 8 years, owing to the imposition of administrative costs on restaurant firms. By investigating the market value of 46 restaurant firms that publicly trade in the United States, this research analyzes the impact of MLA-related announcements on the market value of foodservice firms. Announcements associated with restrictions tend to reduce restaurant market value by 0.29% per day (market value is defined as the number of shares times the share price), whereas announcements related to flexibility increase such market value by 0.80%. The final guideline and compliance date announced by the Food and Drug Administration has provoked significant negative effects on restaurant market value. Meanwhile, the congress’ proposed opposition act has elicited great positive effects. This study provides important implications for policy makers and practitioners in the food service industry.
- Mindful Choices: Unveiling the Driving Factors behind Consumers' Intention to Reduce Single-Use Plastic UtensilsShin, Ju Yeon; Kim, Eojina; Jang, Yoon Jung; Singal, Manisha (MDPI, 2024-01-13)As consumers increasingly access takeaway food from restaurants, the importance of reducing the use of single-use plastic has emerged. To investigate this complex process, the current study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) to discover how this theory and model leads to discovering customers’ behavioral intentions. Data were collected from 436 respondents and reflect people aged 18 years or older who accessed an online food ordering platform within the three months prior to the study data collection. Results present that customers’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, awareness of consequences, and personal norms regarding reducing single-use plastic utensils influence consumers’ behavioral intentions. These findings are meaningful to academia in providing insights into the link between consumers’ behavior and reducing the use of single-use plastic utensils in the restaurant context. In addition, this study provides marketing strategies and implications for improving consumers’ awareness of the use of single-use plastic utensils in retail food services.
- Predicting Conversion Rates in Online Hotel Bookings with Customer ReviewsTang, Liang; Wang, Xi; Kim, Eojina (MDPI, 2022-09-30)E-commerce in the hospitality and tourism field has already ranked No. 2 among all online shopping categories worldwide. However, customers’ visits to a hotel booking website cannot guarantee the generation of sales, while the conversion rate is regarded as the indicator that effectively assesses the e-commerce website performance. This study aimed to investigate the influential factors of conversion rates from both affective content and the communication style of customer’s online reviews. The affective content was evaluated with eight emotional dimensions (i.e., joy, sadness, anger, fear, trust, disgust, anticipation, and surprise) in Plutchik’s emotion wheel, and the communication style perspective was assessed with linguistic style matching (LSM). In total, 111,926 customer reviews from 641 hotels in five cities in the U.S. were collected for the analysis. Results indicated that LSM and four emotions have significant impacts on hotel conversion rates. This research contributes to the knowledge body of customers’ conversion behaviors on hotel booking websites and offers pertinent practical implications.
- Progress Evaluation for Transnational Restaurant Chains to Reformulate Products and Standardize Portions to Meet Healthy Dietary Guidelines and Reduce Obesity and Non-Communicable Disease Risks, 2000–2018: A Scoping and Systematic Review to Inform PolicyKraak, Vivica; Rincón-Gallardo Patiño, Sofía; Renukuntla, Deepthi; Kim, Eojina (MDPI, 2019-07-31)Transnational restaurant chains sell food and beverage products in 75 to 139 countries worldwide linked to obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study examined whether transnational restaurant chains reformulated products and standardized portions aligned with healthy dietary guidelines and criteria. Firstly, we describe the transnational restaurant industry structure and eating trends. Secondly, we summarize results from a scoping review of healthy dietary guidelines for restaurants. Thirdly, we describe a systematic review of five electronic databases (2000–2018) to identify studies on nutrient profile and portion size changes made by transnational restaurants over 18 years. We used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, identified 179 records, and included 50 studies conducted in 30 countries across six regions. The scoping review found a few expert-recommended targets for restaurants to improve offerings, but no internationally accepted standard for portions or serving sizes. The systematic review results showed no standardized assessment methods or metrics to evaluate transnational chain restaurants’ practices to improve menu offerings. There was wide variation within and across countries, regions, firms, and chains to reduce energy, saturated and trans fats, sodium, and standardized portions. These results may inform future research and encourage transnational chain restaurants to offer healthy product profiles and standardized portions to reduce obesity and NCD risks worldwide.
- Social and Personal Norms in Shaping Customers' Environmentally Sustainable Behavior in Restaurants' Social Media CommunitiesJang, Yoon-Jung; Kim, Eojina (MDPI, 2023-04-09)This study aimed to investigate how personal and social norms affect customer engagement with social media that promote environmentally sustainable behaviors. A self-administered survey of potential participants was conducted. Hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. The findings confirmed the strong positive effect of social norms on customer engagement; this engagement had a significant influence on brand commitment and sustainable behavior. The moderating roles of social rewards were indicated by significantly greater effects of social norms on customer engagement in the high social reward group.