[Issue]
The tail wagging the dog! The economy of freebies
Consumers buy bread to collect stickers and drink coffee to get diaries. Freebies thrown in by retailers are serving as a key factor for consumers to buy products. More and more consumers are showing a consumption pattern in which they go wild about giveaways more than the main products. Companies are also considering freebies or free gifts as a core element that boosts sales rather than something that are thrown in the deal. Unlike in the past, retailers are focusing on the quality of freebies. The economy of freebies! We will do an in-depth coverage of what's behind the freebie marketing that is opening the wallets of consumers and if there are any problems behind this.
[Interview]
Chinese IT Firms make surprise attack! How should Korea respond?
Interviewee: Professor KIM Ick-soo, College of Business Administration, Korea University
The rise of China's IT industry has been unrivaled in recent years. Debuting on the New York Stock Exchange last year, Alibaba has emerged as a star player in the global market. Others include the world's largest Chinese search engine Baidu, Tencent, which started from the gaming business and is now controlling a huge market with its mobile messenger, Xiaomi and Huawei, which are challenging the smartphone market, and Lenovo. These Chinese firms are trying to establish themselves as global giants. As a result, Korean IT firms which have dominated the global markets as original IT powers are facing a crisis. So why are Chinese IT firms which had images of low quality and cheap price in the past are on a roll? How advanced are their technologies? And how should Korean companies and government deal with the surprise attack by Chinese IT firms?
[Science&Technology]
The future of next generation smart glass
Companies competed fiercely for smart glass at CES 2015 on January 6. Among them, the world-class next generation smart glass developed by Korea Photonics Technology Institu
