정보공유전략이 관계품질, 불확실성, 충성도에 미치는 영향

Abstract

The farm production is a source of foods necessary for human living, and the commodity produced by farming is a source of income for farming folks and the stable production and supply is important for both producers - farmers - and consumers. In this respect, various agricultural production technologies including strains of crops, growing condition, and agro-materials to produce and supply agricultural crops reliably have been used, and among which, agricultural chemicals are contributing greatly to the stable production of agricultural products with increased crop yield and reduced labor force, eliminating insects, germs, weeds, or the like harmful to the crops to grow better crops. The government is making efforts to contribute to the agricultural production and the conservation of living conditions, enacting 『Agrochemicals Control Act』 - partially revised on May 8, 2009: Act No. 9658 - to set forth the terms on the manufacture, importation, sale, and use of pesticides and improving the quality of, establishing the distribution order of, and promoting the safe use of pesticides. But, it might be difficult to guarantee safety from pesticide efficacy, damage from agricultural chemicals, pesticides residue, pesticide toxicity, etc caused by farmer's improper use of pesticides and negligent handling in the field of crop production. For this reason, the physical and economic damage to crops is great, but it is difficult to identify exactly what causes or is responsible for this. Therefore, it is important to educate or train them about the information and knowledge on safety, efficacy of chemicals, pesticides residue, pesticide toxicity, combined application, method, applicable crops, and application time for safe and effective use of pesticides. The market size for domestic pesticides as of 2009 is estimated 1.3 trillion won and that of Jeju region 80 to 100 billion won - about 10% of our whole market. More than 90% of pesticide consumption is concentrated between March and July - seasonality is very high - and the types and quantity to be used depend on the occurrence of insect and weather condition, and thus the imbalance between supply and demand is too severe. A manufacturing company must adjust the supply and demand, identifying the situational conditions quickly, but our domestic pesticides manufacturing companies manufacture products with the raw materials imported from the foreign raw chemicals suppliers. So the supply for demand is difficult. Especially Jeju reserves some products in Nonghyup Materials Center and wholesale dealers for geographical reasons, but the supply condition is poor. In the sale of pesticides, the qualification of the seller is regulated by the 'Pesticide Act.' If one wants to start the sales business of pesticides, one should register oneself as 'pesticide sales manager' to a competent city hall, county office, or borough office. The eligibility for registration as 'pesticide sales manager' is that first, an eligible registerer had worked in the field of agriculture in administrative agency for more than three years; second, an eligible registerer is a professional engineer agricultural chemistry in accordance with National Technical Qualifications Act; third, an eligible registerer is a holder of Industrial Engineer Plant Protection or more; and fourth, an eligible registerer had worked in the field of pesticide and related works in manufacturing business, sales business, or Nonghyup and must qualify for one of the threes, and they ought to complete a training or education every two year after registration. A pesticide sales manager should share information on the safe and effective use of pesticides as well as production, collection of usage information, processing, and distribution with farmers - pesticide users. The manager needs to understand whether the product information provided by manufacturing company is being delivered to farmers rightly, whether farmers are understanding the condition and method of pesticide use, and what an effective information-sharing method between farmer and seller is. Therefore, this study aims to draw strategic information-sharing measures for interdependent concerted action between farmer and seller and decision-making, exploring effective strategies for information-sharing between pesticide sales manager and farmer - pesticide user. It also explores key factors to reduce uncertainty in pesticide purchase and use, forming effective and cooperative relationship between the two pesticide exchange parties. Specifically, this study sets up the following research purposes. First, we look at what impact a pesticide sales manager's information-sharing strategy has on the relationship quality with a farmer. Second, we identify what impact the relationship quality has on the uncertainty and loyalty. Therefore, this study is expected to be utilized as the information on the safe and reliable agricultural production, providing information on pesticide industry. In a concrete way, it founds a new theory related to the major concepts of this study - information-sharing strategy, relationship quality, uncertainty, and loyalty, and to determine the applicability of these into pesticide industry, summarizes domestic and international theses, various publications, statistical materials, etc. And to identify the impact relation between information-sharing strategy, relationship quality, uncertainty, and loyalty, based on the theoretical backgrounds, it sets up hypotheses and presents analysis models.

To verify the impact of the information-sharing strategy between pesticide sales manager and farmer on relationship quality, uncertainty, and loyalty, this study draws hypotheses from the theoretical backgrounds, and to verify these, conducts an empirical analysis on farmers who had ever purchased pesticides. The results of the analysis are summed up as follows: First, in the information-sharing strategy between pesticide sales manager and farmer, the information-sharing quality has a significant positive(+) impact on all components of relationship quality - confidence, commitment, and customer satisfaction. The information-sharing range also has a significant positive(+) impact on all the three components - confidence, commitment, and customer satisfaction. Second, of the components of relationship quality, confidence has a significant positive(+) impact on commitment, and vice versa. Third, of the components of relationship quality, commitment and customer satisfaction, respectively, has a significant negative(-) impact on uncertainty. Fourth, of the components of relationship quality, commitment has a significant positive(+) impact on loyalty. Fifth, uncertainty has a significant negative(-) impact on loyalty. Sixth, uncertainty has a significant negative(-) impact on range of information sharing Seventh, the quality of information sharing and the range of information sharing, respectively, has a significant positive(+) impact on loyalty.

The following implications are drawn from the results of theoretical studies and empirical analysis. First, on the preferential basis, we should improve the quality of information sharing for friendly and long-term relationship between pesticide sales manager and farmer - pesticide purchaser. To achieve this, pesticide sales manager should acquire sufficient information on applicable insects, characteristics of chemicals, spray methods, matters that require attention, etc from pesticide manufacturing companies and pesticide-related agencies, providing them to farmers quickly and exactly; acquire packing-related information on climate, soil, surrounding environment, etc and crops-related information on growth and development, pest density, etc from farmers; share information on procurement of chemicals, price, and demand predictions with farmers; and minimize the gap of information between pesticide sales manager and farmer. He or she also should obtain various communication paths like postal matter, telephone, face to face contact, etc so that the information provided by pesticide sales manager can be consistent with the information required by farmers. Second, pesticide sales manager should let farmers know the importance of information sharing so that they can take interest in confidence building and elimination of used products within store from the inventory list based on the consistent pesticide-related information provided by farmers, increasing their commitment to the elimination of used products within store from the inventory list to minimize the uncertainty of the elimination of used products within store from the inventory list and improve loyalty from farmers and consider the management measures of relationship quality to improve their satisfaction. Third, pesticide sales manager's influence is found to be great in farmer's obtaining information on pesticide and agricultural technology and having confidence in and remembering them. Also, the range of information sharing is more influential than the quality of information sharing to reduce uncertainty. Therefore, pesticide sales manager should play a role as information forwarder rightly using communication paths so that farmers can share information on the technical aspects related to pesticides effectively and efficiently . Fourth, the higher the farmers' trust in pesticide sales manager, the higher their commitment is, but the less the uncertainty is. In order to improve the sales of pesticides-selling stores, pesticide sales manager should gain confidence from farmers. Fifth, the higher the farmers' commitment to pesticide sales manager, the higher their repurchase intention is, the less their change intention to other brands, and the higher their loyalty is. Especially in the nature of credit transaction by farmers, their improved commitment is important. Only when counseling and drug selection suitable for farmers is made, transaction can continue and be recommended to others, despite changes in sales places, changes in grown produce, and relative difference in price. Sixth, the uncertainty toward sales manager or sales stores is an important factor to reduce loyalty in the purchasing process of farmers. The less the farmers' uncertainty toward trademark, efficacy of chemicals, and price, the higher their loyalty is. So the elimination of farmer's uncertainty is considered to be very important in the long-term business relations. Therefore, it is necessary to sell the products with approved effects and safety for trade expansion of pesticide sales manager.