Chankon Kim

The relationships among quality, value, satisfaction and behavioral intention in health care provider choice: A South Korean study

Abstract This research proposes an integrative model of health care consumer satisfaction based on established relationships among service quality, value, patient satisfaction and behavioral intention, and tests it in the context of South Korean health care market. Results based on the data collected from 537 South Korean health care consumers corroborated the causal sequence among these constructs suggested by the multiattribute attitude model framework, i.e., cognition (service quality and value)→affect (satisfaction)→conation (behavioral intention). Between the two cognitive constructs, service quality emerged as a more important determinant of patient satisfaction than value. Results also showed that both service quality and value have a significant direct impact on behavioral intention while value assessment was influenced by perceived service quality.

Brand familiarity and confidence as determinants of purchase intention: An empirical test in a multiple brand context

Abstract Building on previous research, this article examines the relationships among brand familiarity, confidence in brand evaluations, brand attitudes, and purchase intention. The empirical results from structural equation modeling show that familiarity with a brand influences a consumers confidence toward the brand, which in turn affects his/her intention to buy the same brand. In addition, a consumers attitude toward a specific brand is affected by his/her familiarity with the brand. These causal relationships are tested in a multiple brand context.

The service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction relationships in South Korea: comparisons across gender, age and types of service

Purpose – Aims to investigate the structural relationships between out‐patient satisfaction and service quality dimensions under a South Korea health care system where patients have substantial freedom in choosing their medical service providers and to further study the causal relationship between service quality and satisfaction between out‐patient subgroups obtained on the basis of gender, age and types of services received.Design/methodology/approach – After assessing the construct validity of the service quality dimensions based on confirmatory factor analysis, a path model specifying the relationships between service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction was estimated. The next analysis was a series of multi‐sample analyses. A multigroup LISREL analysis was used to test the invariance of structural paths between service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction.Findings – Results indicated that the general causal relationship between service quality and patient satisfaction was well supported...

Italian ethnic identity and its relative impact on the consumption of convenience and traditional foods

Ethnic identity or the retention or loss of the attitudes, values and behaviours of one’s culture of origin is presented as a multidimensional construct. It is further suggested that acculturation or the acquisition of traits of the dominant/host culture constitutes a separate yet correlated process. Initial exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on responses from Italian‐Canadians to various items designed to tap Italian ethnic identity. These analyses revealed that ethnic identity did indeed constitute a multidimensional process. Specifically, three dimensions were identified: Italian Social Interaction and Participation, Italian Language Use with Family Members, and Catholicism. A final CFA model incorporated the three ethnic identity dimensions and two dimensions of acculturation. Consistent with previous findings, LISREL VIII estimation resulted in significant negative correlations between some ethnic identity and acculturation dimensions. The discriminant validity of ethnic identity was also more thoroughly established vis‐a‐vis acculturation by computing 95 per cent confidence intervals for the parameter estimates. Finally, subsequent stepwise regression analyses showed that the three ethnic identity dimensions along with the two acculturation dimensions and three socioeconomic factors had differential impacts on the consumption of various convenience and traditional foods. A hypothesis holding that ethnic identity was negatively related to the consumption of convenience foods was partly confirmed. Another holding that it was positively related to the consumption of traditional Italian foods was better established.

Methods of Measuring Health-Care Service Quality

Abstract Service quality is an elusive and abstract construct to measure, and extra effort is required to establish a valid measure. This study investigates the psychometric properties of three different measurements of health-care service quality as assessed by physicians. The multitrait-multimethod approach revealed that convergent validity was established for measures based on the single-item global rating method and multi-item rating method. On the other hand, almost no evidence of convergent validity was found for the measures based on the constant-sum rating method. Furthermore, discriminant validity for the seven health-care service quality dimensions measured by the three methods was not well established. The high levels of interdimensional correlations found suggested that the service quality dimensions may not be separable in a practical sense. The study suggested an ongoing effort is needed to develop a new service quality scale suitable to this unique service industry.

Motivated Search: Effects of Choice Accountability, Issue Involvement, and Prior Knowledge on Information Acquisition and Use

Abstract The present experiments explore the impact of two types of motives (choice accountability and issue involvement) and prior knowledge on information search and use. The experiments show that accountable subjects examined more information, employed multiple stage search criteria, and were likely to use a more compensatory choice strategy. In addition, a second experiment demonstrates differential effects for accountability and issue involvement: accountability increases search effort regardless of level of prior knowledge; whereas, issue involvement increases search effort only when prior knowledge is low. Accountability also increases the integrative complexity of the thoughts reported during the search process; whereas, issue involvement has only marginal and incremental effects on integrative complexity. Implications of the results for understanding the effects of different types of motives on information acquisition and use are discussed.

Test of a Nonlinear Relationship between Linguistic Acculturation and Ethnic Identification

Following a review of the literature concerning the relationship between acculturation (acquisition of a dominant culture) and ethnic identification (retention of culture of origin), the authors propose that linguistic acculturation is nonlinearly related to ethnic identity. An empirical study was conducted to test this relationship between linguistic acculturation and ethnic identification using data gathered from multiple studies investigating four different ethnic groups in Eastern Canada over a period of 7 years. Regression analysis results indicate that the two underlying dimensions of ethnicity are related and that the postulated function exhibits an excellent fit, thus providing support for the proposition.

An Empirical Study of Multidimensional Ethnic Change The Case of the French Canadians in Quebec

This study provides empirical evidence to support the view that ethnic change is a multidimensional process. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis conducted on measures of several French Canadian (FC) ethnicity facets, it identifies ethnic affiliation and acculturative tendency as two key dimensions of ethnic change experienced by French Canadians in their contacts with English Canadians. The ethnic affiliation dimension was indicated by measures of FC social interaction, FC family, FC self-identification, and attachment to FC culture, whereas the acculturative tendency dimension was indicated by measures of attachment to English Canadian (EC) culture, attitude toward cultural exchange, and EC social interaction. These two dimensions are subsequently used to develop a typology of French Canadian ethnic orientation. Findings provide support for the ethnic pluralism or multiculturalism perspective in describing ethnic change.

Working wives' time-saving tendencies: durable ownership, convenience food consumption, and meal purchases

Abstract Using nationwide Canadian survey data, this study investigates effects of wifes working status on time-saving tendencies exhibited by wives in household production. Contrary to many previous studies, even after controlling for household income, family life cycle, and other covariates, wifes working status was found to significantly increase the likelihood of the familys ownership of several time-saving durables and the frequency of purchasing meals away from home. Working wives, however, did not appear to be heavier users of convenience foods than nonworking wives

Consumers use of price promotions: a model and its potential moderators

Abstract In the context of consumers’ use of price-oriented promotions, a multidimensional model, which follows a cognitive–affective-behavior pattern was proposed. This model integrates all the aspects of how and why consumers use sales promotions and specifies the linkage between consumers’ beliefs, attitude and behavior. The cognitive component of the pattern included two dimensions: (a) the overall evaluation of the benefits triggered by the use of the promotion and (b) the information search about the potential price promotions. It is posited to influence the degree of liking of specific price promotions as well as the liking of deals in general. This affective component is then posited to influence behavioral intentions towards price promotions and stockpiling. A structural equation modeling analysis (SEM) offers relatively strong support for the expected paths. Moreover, the potential influences on this pattern of consumers’ traits are included. Busyness, variety seeking, perceived financial wellness, market maven and brand loyalty are posited to have specific influences on the three components of the pattern. Results are presented and discussed.