• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.43-61
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• 1981

Interest in the Quality of working life is spreading rapidly and the phrase has entered the popular vocabulary. That this should be so is probably due in large measure to changes in the values of society, nowadays accelerated as never before by the concerns and demands of younger people. But however topical the concept has become, there is very little agreement on its definition. Rather, the term appears to have become a kind of depository for a variety of sometimes contradictory meanings attributed to it by different groups. A list of all the elements it if held to cover would include availability and security of employment, adaquate income, safe and pleasant physical working conditions, reasonable hours of work, equitable treatment and democracy in the workplace, the possibility of self-development, control over one's work, a sense of pride in craftsmanship or product, wider career choices, and flexibility in matters such as the time of starting work, the number of working days in the week, Job sharing and so on altogether an array that encompasses a variety of traditional aspirations and many new ones reflecting the entry into the post industrial era. The term "quality of working life" was introduced by professor Louis E. Davis and his colleagues in the late 1960s to call attention to the prevailing and needlessly poor quality of life at the workplace. In their usage it referred to the quality of the relationship between the worker and his working environment as a whole, and was intended to emphasize the human dimension so often forgotten among the technical and economic factors in job design. Treating workers as if they were elements or cogs in the production process is not only an affront to the dignity of human life, but is also a serious underestimation of the human capabilities needed to operate more advanced technologies. When tasks demand high levels of vigilence, technical problem-solving skills, self initiated behavior, and social and communication skills. it is imperative that our concepts of man be of requisite complexity. Our aim is not just to protect the worker's life and health but to give them an informal interest in their job and opportunity to express their views and exercise control over everything that affects their working life. Certainly, so far as his work is concerned, a man must feel better protected but he must also have a greater feeling of freedom and responsibility. Something parallel but wholly different if happening in Europe, industrial democracy. What has happened in Europe has been discrete, fixed, finalized, and legalized. Those developing centuries driving toward industrialization like R.O.K, shall have to bear in mind the human complexity in processing and designing the work and its environment. Increasing attention is needed to the contradiction between autocratic rule at the workplace and democratic rights in society.n society.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.169-193
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• 2013

This paper examines how a social investment approach can be applied in a comparative analysis of childcare arrangements. We compared changes in Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Japan and Korea during the 2000s, focusing on four dimensions of social investment: activation, gender equality, quality of care, and the degree of state's intervention in the family. We considered leave systems and the number of children enrolled in formal care and education facilities as indicators for labour market activation. For gender equality, women's position in employment is considered with respect to labour market participation rates, proportion of permanent employment, and wage-sex ratio. Quality of care concerns child-to-staff ratio and care provided with government quality control. The state's intervention was measured as social spending on families as proportions of GDP and total social spending. Our analysis provides empirical evidence that Sweden and France are pioneers in this arena and that the UK, Germany, Korea, and Japan are path-shifters in their care paradigms, albeit to varying degrees. Is the social investment approach an adequate paradigm for care? In a normative sense, this approach has potential. However, the following issues remain unaddressed: gender equality should be achieved through an expansion in good-quality jobs, fathers should be encouraged to take on childcare duties, and families should have universal access to good-quality childcare services controlled by the government.

• Korean small business review
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.209-223
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• 2010

Korea's business is composed of a few large-sized enterprises (which can be abbreviated as LSE) and a majority of small-sized enterprises (SSE). Although there has been a growing recognition of the need for the development of medium-sized enterprises (MSE) which can serve as a link between SSE and LSE, as yet there has not yet been a consensus on the definition, characteristics and the function of the MSE in Korea. Nowadays, the world is being globalized, and Japan and China are in competition to ne a great economic power. While East Asia is experiencing rapid changes, promoting MSE which can secure flexibility and efficiency through covering up the limitation of LSE and SSE is needed in order to respond the global market which is being specialized. The features of MSE in Japan can be listed as follows. First, the MSE in Japan is developing the company through getting into niche markets which are hard for major companies to enter rather than developing markets in order to compete against major companies directly. While MSEs are endeavoring to build the business firmly in the domestic market, they can possess special and competitive technical skills through trials and errors; so that they can get a chance develop their business through independent business system rather than putting their effort to compete against major companies. Second, from the MSEs with competitive edge in the market, there are many contributions to the national exportation. Those MSEs produce in domestic and maintain the quality of high price products which need cutting-edge technology, while they relocate the low and middle priced goods to the country where manufacturing costs are low, so that they can maintain the price competitiveness. Third, the industrial structure in Japan is formed from dual structure between major companies and small sized companies. In other words, in Japan's industrial structure which are composed of subcontract structure, this dual structure has taken a major role of small sized companies' growth and manufacturing businesses' international competitive power. Forth, MSE in Japan adopt a strategy of putting their value on qualitative scale growth rather than quantitative scale growth. In this paper, the case of Japanese MSE is analyzed. Along with its long history of Industrialization, Japan has a corporate environment where the SSEs can develop as a MSE and later a LSE through a full-support system. Among its SSEs, there are a number of world class corporations equipped with a large domestic market, win-win cooperation with the LSEs and an independent technology development. It can also be observed that these SSEs develop into MSEs with sustainable growth potentials. This study will focus on the condition under which the MSEs of Japan have been developed, and how they have survived the competition between SSEs and LSEs. Through this study, this paper attempts to offer solutions to Korea's polarization between the SSE and LSE, while providing the basis for SSEs revitalization. In general, if both extremities phenomenon deepen between LSE and SSE, there are possible fears of occurring disutility in national economy by the monopolization of LSE. For that reason, enterprise group, which can make SSE or MSE compete LSE in some area and ease the monopoly and oligopoly problem, is needed. This awareness has been shared for ages long. Nevertheless, there is no legal definition for MSE in Japan, and there is no definition about the enterprise size or unified view of MSE between scholars, but it is defined differently by each of academical person or research institution and study meeting. For that reason, this paper will organize the definition of MSE in Japan, and then will propose the characteristics of the background which has made MSE secure competitiveness and sustainable growth in global market. This study focus on that because through this process, the positive change to the awareness of MSE can be proposed in Korea and to seek the policy direction for building institutional framework which can make SSE become MES. Through this way, the fundamentals for SSE to become MSE can be managed and some appropriate suggestions which will be able to make MSE enter the global market in the future can also be proposed. Due to these facts, this study is very important and well timed task. In a sense of this way, this study will examine the definition and role of MSE in Japan. after this examination, this study will deal with the status, special feature, and promotion policy for MSE. Through this analysis of MSE in Japan, the foundation which be able to set the desirable role model for MSE in Korea can be proposed. Also, the political implication which is needed to push ahead to contribute to creating employment and economic growth through sustainable growth of MSEs in economic system of Korea can be offered through this study. It has been found that Japan's MSE functions as an indispensable link among various industrial structures by holding a significant position in employment rate, production and value added. Although the MSEs took up less than 1% of the entire number of businesses with 2700 manufacturing firms and 7000 non-manufacturing firms, its employment ratios are about 15%, while taking about 25% of the manufacturing industry's exports. In industries such as machinery and electronics which is considered Japan's major industry, the MSEs showed a higher than average ratio of manufacturing exports and employment rate. It can be analyzed that behind Japan's advantageous industries, close and deeply knit MSEs exist. Although there are no clearly stated policies geared towards the MSEs by the Japanese government, various political measures exist such as the R&D Project and the inducement of cooperation between enterprises which gives room for MSEs to participate in the SSE policies. In relation to these findings, the following practical measures can be considered in order to revitalize Korea's MSEs: First, there is a need for a legal definition of MSE and the incentives to provide legal support for its growth. Second, if a law to support the MSEs is established, it could provide a powerful inducement for the SSE to grow as a MSE, rather than stay as a SSE. Third, there is a need for a strategy of MSEs to establish a stable base in the domestic market and then advance to the global market with the accumulated trial and error and competitiveness. Fourth, the SSE themselves need the spirit of entrepreneurship in order to make the leap to a MSE. Because if nothing is to be changed about the system on the firms that grew, and the parts of the past custom was left to be managed alone, confusion and absence of management can take place. No matter how much tax favors the government will give and no matter how much incentive there could be through the policies, there are limits for industries to higher the ability to propagate. And because of that it is a period where industries need their own innovative skills to reform their firms.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.63
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• pp.121-150
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• 2020

The important developmental tasks of young adults are based on encounter and identity. These problems of encounter and identity are also connected to the instinct of longing for the "face" of primary caregivers, who acknowledge and affirm themselves as their cherished children. James Loder emphasizes that human "face pursuit instinct" later reaches "formal-operational stage" and leads to religious yearning for God as "the Eternal Face." This pursuit of "face" and "the Eternal Face" is an existential and ontological move to find out "Who am I?" through meaningful encounters. Religious psychologist Carl Jung also points out that scientific thinking has contributed to the liberation of humans from superstitious beliefs. But this has also led to the loss of the precious value of human spirit and the sense of unity with nature. Jung emphasizes that "symbolic play" should help learners and counseler face-to-face with their unconscious mind. By doing so, learners can overcome the wounds and scars of unconsciousness and mature toward the true self. James Loder is a scholar who critically introduced Jung's "unconscientious confrontation" therapy to his educational theory. Beyond Jung's unconsciousness and "symbolic play," Loder proposed transformational education for the learners to participate in meaningful changes through interaction between human spirit and the Holy Spirit. With many young adults wandering around in their existential voids, it is clear that functional and socializational education cannot overcome their problems and developmental crisis. This developmental crisis requires a foundation of identity and intimacy in the encounter with God, the "Eternal Face." Therefore, this study suggests that when Jung's "unconscious confrontation" and Loder's "transformation logic" are employed, transformational Christian education for the healthy self-identity and intimacy of young adults can be accomplished. This inquiry presents not only theoretical reflection, but also the reactions of young adults and actual feedback obtained through implementing transformational Christian education for young adults. Through all of these endeavors, this inquiry was completed by proving that "Transformational Christian Education for Young Adults" is an educational theory that can yield actual results and abound fruits. (This enquiry was undertaken by the support of the research fund of PUTS 2020.)