• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.391-407
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• 2013

The paper tests the embodiment hypothesis by measuring the technological obsolescence of a specific year (1990)'s technology and investigating the relationship between labor productivity and technological obsolescence. This approach is based on Salter (1969) that emphasizes the economic aspect of technology. We use the rate of economic surplus as the proxy of technological obsolescence for 10 main industries, including food processing, textiles, chemicals, non-steel metals, steels, metal products, machinery, electronics, precision machinery, and transportation equipments. The result shows that the embodiment hypothesis is not accepted for the overall manufacturing sector. However, we found the vintage effect - a positive relationship between technological obsolescence and labor productivity over time - in textiles, chemicals, non-steel metals, metal products, electronics, and transportation equipments. Therefore, the government should support R&D investment as well as capital equipments investment for the industries with large vintage effect.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.74-79
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• 2011

Engineering valuation is a specialized discipline requiring expert knowledge and judgment, which scientifically estimates the economic value of industrial properties. By industrial properties, we mean engineering structures such as mines, factories, buildings, machines, and other industrial facilities as well as facilities of public enterprises. Particular industrial properties can have longer economic life if their performance is excellent and they are still suitable for current manufacturing needs. If not, its economic life will be shorter. As speed of technological progress becomes rapid, life-cycle and development period of a product is becoming shorter. In an industry characterized by rapid development of technology, industrial properties can become obsolescent faster. Even if they are in good working order, they could be no longer suitable for manufacturing new products based on radically different technology. In our research, we apply engineering approach to estimating functional economic life by factoring in technological obsolescence in such an industry.