• Korean System Dynamics Review
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.73-97
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• 2004

This paper explores the relationship between technological characteristics within process innovation and selection of the firms of different organizational forms in the evolution of an industry. For this purpose, this paper develops a simulation model for industrial change that replicates dynamic competition for process innovation. The simulation analysis found the following causal relationship. First, the stronger innovation impact in terms of productivity jump tends to enlarge the productivity difference among the incumbent firms and increase the speed of productivity catch-up by the large diversified firms, Second, the possibility of entry, and eventual dominance by the large diversified firms increase when the innovation-productivity linkage is stronger and there is less cumulativeness in productivity determination. These results imply that technological characteristics are important factors that have influence on whether or not the large diversified firms can enter and succeed in an industry.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.79-102
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• 2009

This study reviews the issue of public interests of technologies required in industrial technology policy as well as the demand for changes in industrial technology policy as result of the migration from catch-up to post catch-up innovation system. In fact, the importance of public interests which served as the rationale for government intervention in industrial technology policy have gradually faded, which invited controversies over the legitimacy and effectiveness of government intervention in promoting specific technologies or industries. Today, the existing policy framework has to change to correspond to the post catch-up environment which requires creative technology development. In this context, the Korean government needs to reduce direct support for certain companies or technologies, but increase R&D investment in energy, environment and health and welfare to enhance public interests of technology innovation activities.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.309-333
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• 2014

To meet the challenge of new type of innovation activities requires us to understand the social context of innovation and the potential needs of innovation users and, based on this, to co-construct technology and society simultaneously. Effective 'demand articulation' activities such as the understanding and utilization of user experiences and socio-technical planning are prerequisites for carrying out post-catch up innovations shaping new trajectories and contributing to solving social problems. Living Lab has recently been emerging particularly in Europe as an 'user-driven innovation model', in which users are active participants in innovation activities. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a theoretical discussion of Living Lab as an user-driven innovation model, to make a brief review of cases of Living Lab and to explore Living Lab's applicability in the Korean context. Living Lab is an open innovation model, in which end suers actively participate in innovation processes in a particular geographical space or region and would be able to solve specific problems of that space or region. In that sense, Living Lab would be able to strengthen the problem-solving capabilities of local communities and to become a pioneer in inducing and realizing a new socio-technical system. Furthermore, Living Lab could become an innovative policy tool reflecting recent major changes in innovation policy paradigms such as post-catch up innovation, demand-oriented innovation, regional innovation, societal innovation, innovation eco-system and socio-technical system transition, and thus make a contribution to exploring a new way of bringing about changes in the Korean society.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.61-81
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• 2007

A typical small firm in consumer goods sectors of developing countries is an OEM supplier to big MNCs. Lacking design and marketing capability, a small firm relies on the MNCs for survival but their long term growth is not guaranteed as the MNCs are always looking for, and ready to relocate to, cheaper production sites. In this light, we can say that there is something like "OEM trap" from which most firms from LDCs find difficult to move out (Lee 2005). In this situation, one way for long term growth and catch-up is to make a transition to the OBM (own brand manufacturer). But, the transition is not easy or even risky. This paper analyzes the cases of three companies in Korea to find out common features in their successful transition to OBM. They are Aurora World (a flush toy maker), Hankook Chinaware (a chinaware maker), and Hanacobi (a plastic-made food container maker with the Lock-and-Lock brand). These firms can be commonly characterized by 1) arranging access to external knowledge base and steady increase of in-house R&D efforts and capabilities leading to acquisition of formal IPRs and their management, and 2) establishment of global production networks with factories in lower-income countries as well as their own independent global marketing network.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-27
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• 2009

This study aims at reviewing and assessing the characteristics of the Korean Science, Technology and Innovation(STI) policy of the 2000s. Starting from the 2000s, Korea's STI policy began to show a new look as there was a clear voice calling for the new strategy creating a new technological development path and the scope of the policy was expanded to the social and quality of life issues. "Creation" and "integration" are becoming the key words of the STI policy of Korea. However, these new trends are not easy to be diffused or institutionalized because still there is the legacy of the old practice of the "catch-up" period, which focused on economic development as well as the imitation of advanced technologies. As result, the current period of the 2000s shows characteristics of a transitional period where the past and the future coexist.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.6 no.2 s.12
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• pp.45-75
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• 2006

This study analyzed the meanings and drives, and government roles in NIS transformation process. Specifically, I deal with changes in the S&T policy and S&T public administration system as NIS changed from catch-up to post catch-up. As a result, S&T policy and administrative structure has changed as key elements of a new form of steering the transformation process. Though changed from direct to indirect, the role of the state remains strong in 'vision creation' and 'discursive coordination' as supporter and facilitator of the NIS transformation process. Especially, administration structure has been changed to strengthen decentralized pluralism and linkages and cooperation between government and private, between firms and universities, among inter related ministries.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.1-23
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• 2016

The growth of information and communication technology (ICT) has led to a rapid of business paradigm shift incurred in the creation of new social/market value, changes of a value chain and elements producing a value creation, and enlargement of the scope of market competition. It leads to the change and evolution of industrial structure, requiring innovations of policy and institution. However, most studies that have focused on the effect of policy and institution on innovation are based on thick description and qualitative evidence, while paying little attention to these linkages in an empirical way. Hence this study has attempted to empirically analyze policy and institutional factors affecting innovation performance, particularly attention to ICT industry in OECD countries. The findings derived from the empirical analysis provide important implications for catch-up countries in relation to the innovations of policy and institution for effective innovation system and start-up ecosystem.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.662-686
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• 2009

Lately innovation is perceived as a systemic, horizontal phenomenon and requires a new governance for innovation. Subsequently, broader societal questions enter the domain of innovation policy and coordination and integration between innovation policy and various other policy domains, such as economic, educational, social, regional and environmental policies become crucial. Definitions of policy integration include terms such as coherence, cooperation, coordination and put great emphasis on joint working to promote synergies among policies and reduce duplication and the use of the same goals to formulate policy. As innovation capabilities of the private sector have improved and it has become unclear who to catch up with, the Korean government, a leading player in the process of "catch-up," is likely to have more difficulties in maintaining the old way of planning and executing policies. The Korean government is now under the pressure of planning technologies and policies that do not allow any easy imitation or copy of other advanced countries longer, which in turn reveals various limits of the existing policy framework. Policy integration involves a continual process demanding changes in political, organizational and procedural activities. To ensure long term and cross sectoral innovation policy, overall change and improvement in policy and its implementation needed in terms of political commitments, governance systems, policy instruments and monitoring, and evaluation systems.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.247-263
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• 2005

Prior research in R8ED innovation in Korea has been centered around the 'three-stage development model,' which hypothesizes that the Korean innovation process goes from the introduction (of foreign technology) stage, through assimilation stage to the final modification stage. As Korean economy shifts from traditional industry-led development to innovation-centric development, such an approach loses sight of the whole picture. The current study argues that a new framework is required for adequate analysis on newly arising innovative patterns in Korea, emphasizing source technology development and technology leader strategy. For this purpose, we propose the 'Jigsaw Puzzle Model' of technology development, which is then verified by an in-depth analysis on the innovation processes of 3 representative IT products of Korea, DRAM, TH LCD, and CDMA. The model suggests that Korean innovation model is a dynamic, efficient amalgamation of foreign-acquired and dependent technologies, based on internally accumulated technological resources. The model explains better how Korean firms are achieving a rapid catch-up of technological gaps with advanced nations and are able to transfer from the technology follower to the leader position.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.237-264
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• 2009

Many Korean companies wanted to improve technological competitiveness and business performance radically through technology leadership initiatives. In-depth case studies about successful Korean technological innovation in the technology generation stage have potential to minimize Korea and developing country firms' trial and error when they are pursuing new technological innovation in the technology generation stage. There are few studies about developing country firms' technological innovations in the technology generation stage and especially process innovation studies are far less performed compared to product innovation studies. This is an exploratory study of POSCO's FINEX process technology innovation in the technology generation stage. These are my findings from this study. Firstly, leadership innovation in the technology generation stage is not a continuous development of catch-up innovation in the technology internalization stage and only top managements can initiate highly risky leadership innovation. Secondly, developing country firms which lacked in technological capability overcomes difficulties in the early stage through complementary technological collaboration with R&D first-movers. Thirdly, this company become a technology leader in spite of late entry in technology development race with developed country firms through rapid scale-ups.