• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.113-145
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• 2009

Recently, due to the globalization of the IT(Information Technology) market, devices and systems designed in one country are used in other countries as well. This phenomenon is becoming the key factor for increased interest on cross-cultural, or cross-national, research within the IT area. However, as the IT market is becoming bigger and more globalized, a great number of IT practitioners are having difficulty in designing and developing devices or systems which can provide optimal experience. This is because not only tangible factors such as language and a country's economic or industrial power affect the user experience of a certain device or system but also invisible and intangible factors as well. Among such invisible and intangible factors, the cultural characteristics of users from different countries may affect the user experience of certain devices or systems because cultural characteristics affect how they understand and interpret the devices or systems. In other words, when users evaluate the quality of overall user experience, the cultural characteristics of each user act as a perceptual lens that leads the user to focus on a certain elements of experience. Therefore, there is a need within the IT field to consider cultural characteristics when designing or developing certain devices or systems and plan a strategy for localization. In such an environment, existing IS studies identify the culture with the country, emphasize the importance of culture in a national level perspective, and hypothesize that users within the same country have same cultural characteristics. Under such assumptions, these studies focus on the moderating effects of cultural characteristics on a national level within a certain theoretical framework. This has already been suggested by cross-cultural studies conducted by scholars such as Hofstede(1980) in providing numerical research results and measurement items for cultural characteristics and using such results or items as they increase the efficiency of studies. However, such national level culture has its limitations in forecasting and explaining individual-level behaviors such as voluntary device or system usage. This is because individual cultural characteristics are the outcome of not only the national culture but also the culture of a race, company, local area, family, and other groups that are formulated through interaction within the group. Therefore, national or nationally dominant cultural characteristics may have its limitations in forecasting and explaining the cultural characteristics of an individual. Moreover, past studies in psychology suggest a possibility that there exist different cultural characteristics within a single individual depending on the subject being measured or its context. For example, in relation to individual vs. collective characteristics, which is one of the major cultural characteristics, an individual may show collectivistic characteristics when he or she is with family or friends but show individualistic characteristics in his or her workplace. Therefore, this study acknowledged such limitations of past studies and conducted a research within the framework of 'theoretically integrated model of user satisfaction and emotional attachment', which was developed through a former study, on how the effects of different experience elements on emotional attachment or user satisfaction are differentiated depending on the individual cultural characteristics related to a system or device usage. In order to do this, this study hypothesized the moderating effects of four cultural dimensions (uncertainty avoidance, individualism vs, collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, and power distance) as suggested by Hofstede(1980) within the theoretically integrated model of emotional attachment and user satisfaction. Statistical tests were then implemented on these moderating effects through conducting surveys with users of four digital devices (mobile phone, MP3 player, LCD TV, and refrigerator) in three countries (US, Germany, and Russia). In order to explain and forecast the behavior of personal device or system users, individual cultural characteristics must be measured, and depending on the target device or system, measurements must be measured independently. Through this suggestion, this study hopes to provide new and useful perspectives for future IS research.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Innovation and Scale-up of Start-up companies are becoming important national tasks. In the past, it was spread the start-up policy paradigm such as 'Start-up America', 'Start-up Chile', 'Start-up Britain' to overcome the recession globally. However as the economic recovery has become more visible recently in advanced economies, it is shifting from a start-up support policy to a scale-up oriented policy paradigm such as 'Scale-up America', Scale-up UK', 'Scale-up Denmark'. It is necessary to enter the scale-up phase beyond the start-up phase to increase the number of high-quality jobs and to continue economic growth. Therefore, it is necessary to grow the start-up into a strong medium-sized company and to lay the foundation for survival. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to consider the antecedent factors that influence the scale-up aspiration for the start-up firm to grow into a scale-up company, and empirically identifies the differences between the stages of economic development and entrepreneurs in the country. In order to accomplish the purpose, this study predicted scale-up by aspiration which is a predictor of scale-up behavior because it is difficult to achieve visible growth in a short period of time due to the characteristics of start-up companies. In order to empirically explore these relationships, the data were collected from nascent entrepreneurs who have less than 3.5 years of the Adult Population Survey(APS) among the subjects surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor(GEM) and the national economic development stage are divided into Innovation-driven, Efficiency-driven, Factor-driven type economies. For the test hypotheses, this study adopted the multi-level model analysis for comparison between national economic development stages and using the R 3.5.0 program. The results of this study are as follows. There is difference between the national economic development and the entrepreneur in the relationship between innovation orientation of entrepreneurs and scale-up aspirations. As the economy of the country develops, the innovation activity of the entrepreneur becomes more active. Since start-ups are heavily influenced by entrepreneurs, there is a difference in the degree of aspiration depending on how innovative an entrepreneur is in the same environment. In terms of the relationship between innovation orientation and scale-up aspiration, the fear of failure was found to differ between national economic development and entrepreneurs. The fear of failure differ from country to country, and this is one of the important factors affecting entrepreneurial activities. It is expected that the factors influencing the growth of the start-up companies which are identified through the results of these studies, will be used to create a suitable scale-up ecosystem according to the national economic development stage.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.245-271
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine and assess the major characteristics and changes of politics, economy, and diplomacy in Thailand in 2016. Specifically, it reviewed the New Constitution that was passed in 2016, the confrontation between different political forces and the trend of military regime around the New Constitution, and the political instability caused by the accession of the new king to the throne. This study also set out to figure out changes to the economy and foreign relations of the country, including its relations with South Korea, under the military regime and make predictions for the impact and future prospects of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's death on the politics and economy of the country. In 2016, the politics of Thailand took a step further toward the transfer of power to civil government and established a foundation for an authoritarian system. The draft of the New Constitution, which does not seem to be democratic, was approved by a referendum and enabled the military authorities to continue their political interventions, even after the general election. The New Constitution, in particular, reduces the power of political parties itself in addition to simply keeping the Thaksin's party in check; thus, anticipating ongoing conflicts between the military authorities and political parties. In this situation, the absence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who used to play a decisive role in promoting the political stability of the country, and the accession of the new king to the throne raise concerns about the acceleration of political instability, which has continued after the coup and influenced the diplomatic relations of the country. Today, Thailand is distancing itself from Western nations that do not recognize the current military regime including the U.S.A. and EU member states and instead maintains a rapidly friendly and close relation with China. In 2016, the economy of Thailand made a gradual recovery rather than high growth. The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej has exerted limited direct economic impacts only on individual consumption and tourism and is not likely to cause a recession. An economic crisis will, however, be unavoidable if the political confrontations escalate before the general election to transfer power to the civil government.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.55-73
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• 2024

Unicorn companies are attracting attention around the world as they are recognized for their high corporate value in a short period of time as an innovative business models. Their growth process presents good lessons for the startup ecosystem and have a positive impact on national economic development and job creation. However, previous studies related to unicorn companies are focused on 'event studies' and 'case studies' such as characteristics of founders, environmental factors, business models and success/failure cases of companies already recognized as unicorns rather than a multifaceted approach. The occurrence of unicorn companies and Macroscopic analysis of related factors is lacking. Against this background, this study are considering the characteristics of unicorns examined through previous research and the current status unicorns with a high proportion of technology companies, the purpose was to analyze the impact of the country's technological competitiveness, such as 'technology human resource index', 'R&D index', and 'technology infrastructure index', on the increase in unicorn companies. For statistical analysis, data published by various international organizations, the Bank of Korea, and Statistics Korea from 2017 to 2020 and unicorn company data compiled by CB Insights were used as panel data for 44 countries to be tested by multiple regression analysis. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the number of science majors had a positive (+) effect on the increase of unicorn companies in the case of technology human resource index, and in the case of R&D index, the total amount of R&D investment had a positive (+) effect on the increase of unicorn companies, while the number of Triad Patents Families and the number of scientific and technological papers published had a negative (-) effect on the increase of unicorn companies. Finally, in the case of technology infrastructure index, it was confirmed that the number of the world's 500th-ranked universities had a positive (+) effect on the increase of unicorn companies. This study is the first to reveal the causal relationship between national technological competitiveness and unicorn company growth based on country-specific and time-series empirical data, which were insufficiently covered in previous studies. and compared to the UN's ranking of the global industrial competitiveness index and the OECD's total R&D investment by country, Korea is considered to have technological and growth potential, while the number of unicorn companies driving growth as leaders of the innovative economy is relatively small, so the research results can be used when establishing policies to discover and foster unicorn companies in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.29 no.5 s.142
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• pp.692-702
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore global consumer behavior with fashion products, Korean fashion products, and Korean traditional fashion products (i.e., Han-Bok). Clothing selection criteria for fashion products and Korean fashion products were included as major constructs far the comparison among global consumers based on their nationality. Other consumer behavior variables were shopping place, buying frequency, purchase experience/plan, preferred brand, purchase items, information source, purchasing usage, and the product evaluation of Hanbok. A convenience sample of 236 global consumers was selected for this study. A questionnaire was pilot tested, and the revised questionnaire was used for the interview survey. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used for data analysis. Various nationality were existed such as Europe, North America, Japan, China, South East Asia. The results indicated that the most important criteria for fashion buying were design, fit, and size in order. Fit, size, and color item from buying criteria were significantly different among global consumers by nationality. Country of origin was found as less important factor among global consumers. Department store was most favorable shopping place, and once a month is the most mentioned category in buying frequency. Preferred brands were Levi's, Polo, Gucci, and Prada, etc. Secondly, regarding the evaluation of Korean fashion products, textile quality was highly evaluated. Significant difference except design/style category were existed among global consumers by nationality. Thirdly, regarding the evaluation of Hanbok, the product evaluation of Hanbok highly represented as special event clothing, unique image, beautiful details and oriental beauty in order. Significant difference in good quality of textiles, oriental beauty, coordination with good colors and fabrics, beautiful details and unique style and design were existed among global consumers by nationality. Managerial implications were discussed.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.27-39
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• 2014

The role of R&D center for technology commercialization can be categorized into three distinct stages: the first stage consists in developing industrial problem-solving capability; the second consists in catching up with industrialized economies developing creative imitations of imported technologies; and the third consists in acquiring advanced knowledge creation capability. Accordingly, the R&D center's organization should be aligned with this development strategy. This case study of Kazakhstan provide a managerial implication for the other developing countries. The first stage of development, which may be called the 'industrial problem solving stage,' the center will build the infrastructure in terms of both technology and human-resources. The second stage will involve building up 'knowledge capability' with a view to becoming a major industrial R&D hub in Central Eurasia. In the third stage, the center will create advanced knowledge as a 'world-class knowledge center'. In this regard, the evolution of the R&D center should be described according to the features of the center's services.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.56-64
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• 2014

Today, travelers are provided large amount information which includes Web sites and tourist magazines about introduction of tourist spot. Many approaches have been proposed to analyze the large amount of available information with the aim of discovering the most popular Points of Tourist Interest and routes. However, it is not easy for users to process the information in a short time. Therefore travelers prefer to receive pertinent information easier and have that information presented in a clear and concise manner. Whether you are looking for banks by company, foreign exchange services, free wireless hotspots, touristic attractions, campsites, supermarkets, restaurants, cinemas, The aim of POI Tourism Services is to enable tourists to find spots that only the locals know, giving the tourists opportunity to the tourists to explore new areas of the place like never before. This paper proposes find the scope for a personalized service for tourist "Special Interest Tourism" recommendation for tourists who travel within India & for the benefit of Foreign Nationals who visit the country. The major focus of the study is to understand the demand for such a service being integrated into the conventional tour package. The major findings made during the course of the show that the market for "Special Interest Tourism" based services stands at approximately 63%. Travel today is mainly for the people from the middle income group having a fixed budget while traveling and would like economic travel solutions that fit their budget. This accounts for a major part of the market for the service. Most tourist prefer to go on week end getaways or trips that last more than a week, this means that a specialized trip plan based on the travelers interests is feasible with these type of travelers. Maximum demand for "Special Interest Tourism" based services would be during the festive seasons.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2019

This study aims to identify the rural spatial structure and to establish the planning characteristics based on urban-rural connections strategy of North Korea. For this purpose, they were collected such as documents and drawings including primary data related to rural planning in North Korea, and the rural space were classified into three elements in order to analyze them by the rural planning's point of the view. Unlike generalized capitalist cities, socialist North Korean cities are characterized by the coexistence of urban and rural areas. This distinct feature of the city is also reflected in creating rural space in North Korea. Thus, The urban-rural integration in spatial planning is a key factor in understanding the spatial structure of North Korea. This study firstly examines the characteristics of the county(gun), the administrative and economic unit established in the post-war period, secondly, examines the planning method of town(eup) which can be called the urban center in rural areas, and lastly grasps the planning method of rural village focusing on collectivization and identifies how they are connected to the town for the shake of urban-rural integration. As a result, the characteristics of rural planning in North Korea has revealed that it has a comprehensive rural planning established with the goal of strengthening the self-sufficiency of the rural area by the means of the create of rural spatial hierarchy in the whole country.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.1281-1291
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• 2015

Compared to the past, people can control end devices via open channel. Although this open channel provides convenience to users, it frequently turns into a security hole. In this paper, we propose a new human-centered security risk analysis method that puts weight on the relationship between end devices. The measure derives from the concept of entropy rate, which is known as the uncertainty per a node in a network. As there are some limitations to use entropy rate as a measure in comparing different size of networks, we divide the entropy rate of a network by the maximum entropy rate of the network. Also, we show how to avoid the violation of irreducible, which is a precondition of the entropy rate of a random walk on a graph.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.275-288
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• 2004

The rising of east-north economic bloc is notable in world economy due to the rapidly growth of china economy. The China's economic standing is gradually higher and higher because the joining of the WTO at 2001, development of the exterior open-door policy and the expansion of the trade between chain and several nations. Since Korea and China normalized diplomatic ties in 1992, the two have made remarkable progress in bilateral relations in the fields of economy and diplomacy in particular. The amount of Korea's trade with China has increased by over 20% a year on the average because of the development of the economic cooperation of Korea and China. That is to say, China was sixth trade partner by the end of 1993, based on the amount of trade. But China became third partner at 1993, second partner at 2003 and first partner at the first half of 2004, based on the amount of trade. Korea can not trade with China from the Korea's port opening period to Cold War period after second world war. But historically, the two countries have shared a active and long history of trade relations from the ancient times up to now. This is because two countries get near geographically and two countries have a implication of history and culture. Not only had Korea trade with China at prehistoric age, but also at BC 7. We knew that Korea had traded with China very actively at ancient times through the Paekje(Korea's ancient country) people's village at Santung province and Changbogo's trade works. Korea-china trade relation has played an important role for the development of world economy. Therefor, based on reviewing the korea-china trade, I study the historical meaning of the trade at the region of east-north asia.