Kumju Hwang

Individual strategies for sustainable consumption

Abstract Consumers have a key role to play in meeting government targets for reduced energy consumption, more sustainable waste management practices, and lifestyles with fewer environmental consequences. We discuss some of the assumptions underpinning academic debates about sustainable consumption and describe a research design which has helped us move beyond some of the less helpful conventions. We interviewed consumers in order to obtain a detailed understanding of several of their recent (non-)purchase processes. We identified three groups who have distinct strategies for greening their lifestyles: Translators, Exceptors, and Selectors. We illustrate these groups using empirical data. This detailed understanding of how individuals approach the problem of greening not only provides new insight into how the problem of consumption may be approached in conceptual and practical terms, but also explains some of the difficulties encountered by previous research. We revisit the literature to examine the challenges that this typology offers extant ways of thinking about ‘the green consumer’. We identify ways in which we might influence the groups in our typology through marketing strategies and policy initiatives.

The Inferior Science and the Dominant Use of English in Knowledge Production A Case Study of Korean Science and Technology

This article examines international scientific activities in the context of hierarchical international relations and how English use is related to inequality in core-periphery relationships. However, the author recognizes that the theoretical concept of colonialist discourse is too dichotomous to apply to the multilayered structure of the real world. To some extent, Traweek’s notion of “the acceptance of the Euro-American dominant scientist” can be related to English use in the means of achieving a competent scientist for nonnative English speakers who are located in the periphery. This becomes a social-structural problem of using another language to nonnative English-speaking scientists and engineers. Korean scientists’ and engineers’ international scientific activities are greatly motivated by sociocultural determinants such as cultural prejudice, their peripheral position, reputation and recognition, and English competence. Although English use greatly affects their international activities, especially paper publication in international journals, they tend to disregard the general English problem by separating general English use from scientific English use.

Effects of the Language Barrier on Processes and Performance of International Scientific Collaboration, Collaborators’ Participation, Organizational Integrity, and Interorganizational Relationships

This article investigates how the language barrier influences technical communication, behavior in the workplace, and communication among international collaborators by studying a case of international collaboration between R&D laboratories—one European based and the other a major Korean company. This study finds that the language barrier is a critical handicap not only to non–English-speaking partners but also to English speakers in scientific collaboration. The language barrier hinders organizational integrity by fostering polarized attitudes toward collaboration. This study reveals a “shadow structure” in the Korean company that contributes to structural deformation due to the language barrier and that Korean engineers often suffer from identity conflicts derived from tension between their professional identity as members of the international scientific community and their lack of proficiency in English.

Effects of innovation-supportive culture and organizational citizenship behavior on e-government information system security stemming from mimetic isomorphism

Abstract Using institutional theory as a theoretical framework, this study illuminates organizational changes stemming from institutional pressures to investigate innovation in e-government information system security (ISS). From the perspective of mimetic isomorphism, the study examines ISS innovation by the South Korean government to elucidate organizational factors affecting organizational changes. This study attempted to investigate the interrelation of institutional influences and internal organizational factors in the course of ISS innovation. A research model was developed to elucidate the effects of mimetic isomorphism on innovation-supportive culture, legitimacy, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB); furthermore, the relationships among innovation-supportive culture, legitimacy, and OCB, as well as how they influence organizational ISS effectiveness, were examined. A survey was administered to 489 civil servants working for the South Korean national government; valid data were analyzed using the partial least squares method. The results showed that mimetic isomorphism positively affected both innovation-supportive culture and legitimacy in ISS innovation. However, mimetic isomorphism influenced only individual OCB, not organizational OCB. Consistent with our hypotheses, innovation-supportive culture, legitimacy, and OCB positively influenced ISS effectiveness, whereas organizational cynicism negatively influenced ISS effectiveness. These findings provide interesting insights into how ISS innovation for e-government can be viewed within institutional theory and organizational behavior. As this studys results show the appropriateness of ISS innovation-supportive culture for ISS effectiveness in the government, the government should diagnose cultural manifestations or cultural artifacts to help ISS practitioners formulate, implement, and manage ISS strategies.

The effect of Spectators` Motivation on Satisfaction

This study explored effects of spectators` motivation on their satisfaction from culture-art performance. Most studies of performing arts have focused on effects of marketing elements. However, this study first looked at important elements affecting audiences` satisfaction to identify considerations for effective design processes for performing arts. Second this paper examined how audiences` satisfaction affect their stress in order to understand the relationship between audiences` satisfaction and their psychological stability. This study found that emotional satisfaction and rational satisfaction could improve emotional satisfaction, while only emotional motivation could affect aesthetic satisfaction. According to our analysis, emotional satisfaction led to psychological stability and reduced audiences` stress.