This study was conducted to understand the relationship between familiarity and cross-cultural acceptance for an ethnic sweet treat (Yackwa; Korean traditional cookie) by Korean, Japanese and French consumers. Descriptive analysis and consumer testing were performed on six Yackwa samples. Overall, the samples received favorable responses from the foreign consumers. Korean consumers liked samples with a soft and cohesive texture, whereas Japanese and French consumers liked flaky and crispy texture. French consumers rated stronger sweetness to be more appropriate for Yackwa compared to Korean and Japanese consumers. Texture liking was strongly correlated with familiarity rating in all three countries, indicating that the consumers' previous experience with similar products might affect their preference for certain textural attributes. Familiarity was correlated with all hedonic ratings by Korean consumers, who are most familiar with Yackwa, but with overall and texture liking by Japanese consumers and flavor and texture liking by French consumers. These results suggest that familiarity partly contributes to a foreign consumers' hedonic rating.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSGlobalization and cultural diversity have increased interest in ethnic foods. This trend is motivating food industries to expand into the ethnic food market sector. In this study, the sensory attributes and the cross-cultural acceptability of Yackwa (Korean traditional cookie) were evaluated and the potential role of familiarity in determining consumer acceptance was measured. The outcome of this study will help food exporters, R&D scientists and food marketers in ethnic food market to optimize an ethnic food for other cultural communities by educating them to consider familiarity as an important factor for product development and promotion. bs_bs_banner Journal of Sensory Studies * Standard deviation values are shown in parentheses. The highest and the lowest mean scores for a given sensory attribute were highlighted in bold. † Means of four replicates from the eight panelists; mean values within a row not sharing a superscript letter are significantly different (P < 0.05, Duncan's multiple range test). CROSS-CULTURAL ACCEPTANCE OF YACKWA J.H. HONG ET AL.
This research empirically tested a theoretical model by defining senior customers’ intentions to use robot service restaurants emerging in South Korea. Non-face-to-face services have become increasingly important for seniors. Therefore, restaurant marketers should cater to senior customers’ needs by sustaining robot service restaurants. The study analyzed 243 questionnaires to verify the reliability and validity of the measurement items. The research hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM). The suggested model comprised three stages: motivated consumer innovativeness (MCI), perceived value, and planned behavior (attitude, intention to use). The results revealed that senior customers’ perceived values positively influenced attitude and were enhanced by hedonically MCI (hMCI) and socially MCI. Moreover, the hedonic and social elements of motivation improved the attitude and usage intentions of robot service restaurants for senior customers. However, these relationships differed in terms of the income level of the customer groups. For the low-income senior-level group, hMCI was more influential on the perceived value. This study is meaningful because it analyzes the effect of MCI of seniors on the perceived value of robot service restaurants, which are growing rapidly in South Korea. It has empirically proved the moderating effect of different income groups, providing practical implications.
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