A Discourse Analysis of Koreans' Attachment in Domestic Coffee Shops

This research paper juxtaposed coffee consumption practices of Korean consumers as well as the meanings associated with them. Specifically, it examined what constitutes Koreans’ attachment in domestic coffee shops draw upon the intersections among physical, social, cultural and environmental dimensions. It also analyzed the parallelism between these dimensions and characteristics of a third place. A total of 274 respondents across five leading domestic coffee shops located in Daejeon City, ROK participated in the study. The study employed Seemingly Unrelated Regression-Structural Equation Modeling (SUR-SEM) using emotions and attitudes as dependent variables, while dimensions of attachment and characteristics of a third place were the independent variables. The results showed that the four dimensions generally come together in defining what constitutes the attachment of Korean consumers in coffee shops. The positive association between Koreans’ dispositions toward domestic brands vis-a-vis the dimensions of their attachment underlines the significant position of local brands with good quality and image among Korean consumers. Business corporations should take their roles seriously such as their relationship to the society and the business organizations as a society itself. The core ideology of any business should be proactive to society. The raison d’ etre of business should not be pure profit-generating interest but preservation-driven organizations as well.