• Title/Summary/Keyword: Collaborative Analysis

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Understanding Management of Technology(MOT) in South Korea through an Analysis of Graduate MOT Programs' Curricula (한국의 기술경영전문대학원의 교과과정을 통해 본 한국적 기술경영학의 정체성)

  • Taehyun Jung;Gyu Hyun Kwon;Kwon Yeong-il;Hyunkyu Park;Kyootai Lee;Jeonghwan Jeon
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.31 no.3
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    • pp.39-73
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    • 2023
  • The field of Management of Technology(MOT) emerged in response to the need for research management within U.S. public research institutions during the 1960s. Since its inception, it has proliferated significantly, being practiced in more than 809 institutions globally and over 19 institutions in Korea, encompassing both research and educational endeavors. Particularly noteworthy is the substantial investment of government resources, primarily channeled through the Ministry of Industry since 2007, which has expeditiously established a comprehensive framework for cultivating graduate-level MOT expertise, marked by both quantitative and qualitative advancements. The educational curriculum in the realm of Korean MOT deviates from foreign counterparts through distinctive pathways, exemplified by its emphasis on industry practice-oriented educational programs, standardization and isomorphism across different schools, as well as its interconnectedness with proximate academic disciplines. This research systematically undertakes an analysis of the curriculum in Korean MOT graduate schools, thereby ascertaining its intrinsic identity and distinct attributes. In this endeavor, a comprehensive examination of eleven principal MOT textbooks(three in Korean and eight in English) is conducted to delineate the primary content of the curriculum across seven thematic domains. Moreover, the study deliberates on its differentiation from neighboring academic disciplines and the definitional attributes of MOT. Subsequently, this analysis also encompasses nine Korean MOT graduate programs, projecting the seven thematic domains onto their respective curricula. The findings illuminate that within the context of Korean graduate programs, a substantial proportion of the curriculum, amounting to 62.5%, is dedicated to facets encompassing the operational aspects of technology management within corporate contexts, technology management specific to varying industries and technologies, and collaborative endeavors between academia and industry in the form of projects and seminars. Evidently, the Korean approach to technology management education is notably geared towards the cultivation of adept practitioners capable of executing technology management functions at a mid-tier managerial level, aligned with the exigencies of regional industries. Grounded in the analysis of technology management curricula, this study extrapolates implications for the future trajectory of MOT education in Korea, encompassing a consideration of the stages of industrial development. It underscores the necessity to augment the educational curricula pertaining conceptual foundation of technology and innovation, strategic perspectives of technology and innovation, and the socio-economic context of technology management.

Retail Product Development and Brand Management Collaboration between Industry and University Student Teams (산업여대학학생단대지간적령수산품개발화품패관리협작(产业与大学学生团队之间的零售产品开发和品牌管理协作))

  • Carroll, Katherine Emma
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.239-248
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    • 2010
  • This paper describes a collaborative project between academia and industry which focused on improving the marketing and product development strategies for two private label apparel brands of a large regional department store chain in the southeastern United States. The goal of the project was to revitalize product lines of the two brands by incorporating student ideas for new solutions, thereby giving the students practical experience with a real-life industry situation. There were a number of key players involved in the project. A privately-owned department store chain based in the southeastern United States which was seeking an academic partner had recognized a need to update two existing private label brands. They targeted middle-aged consumers looking for casual, moderately priced merchandise. The company was seeking to change direction with both packaging and presentation, and possibly product design. The branding and product development divisions of the company contacted professors in an academic department of a large southeastern state university. Two of the professors agreed that the task would be a good fit for their classes - one was a junior-level Intermediate Brand Management class; the other was a senior-level Fashion Product Development class. The professors felt that by working collaboratively on the project, students would be exposed to a real world scenario, within the security of an academic learning environment. Collaboration within an interdisciplinary team has the advantage of providing experiences and resources beyond the capabilities of a single student and adds "brainpower" to problem-solving processes (Lowman 2000). This goal of improving the capabilities of students directed the instructors in each class to form interdisciplinary teams between the Branding and Product Development classes. In addition, many universities are employing industry partnerships in research and teaching, where collaboration within temporal (semester) and physical (classroom/lab) constraints help to increase students' knowledge and experience of a real-world situation. At the University of Tennessee, the Center of Industrial Services and UT-Knoxville's College of Engineering worked with a company to develop design improvements in its U.S. operations. In this study, Because should be lower case b with a private label retail brand, Wickett, Gaskill and Damhorst's (1999) revised Retail Apparel Product Development Model was used by the product development and brand management teams. This framework was chosen because it addresses apparel product development from the concept to the retail stage. Two classes were involved in this project: a junior level Brand Management class and a senior level Fashion Product Development class. Seven teams were formed which included four students from Brand Management and two students from Product Development. The classes were taught the same semester, but not at the same time. At the beginning of the semester, each class was introduced to the industry partner and given the problem. Half the teams were assigned to the men's brand and half to the women's brand. The teams were responsible for devising approaches to the problem, formulating a timeline for their work, staying in touch with industry representatives and making sure that each member of the team contributed in a positive way. The objective for the teams was to plan, develop, and present a product line using merchandising processes (following the Wickett, Gaskill and Damhorst model) and develop new branding strategies for the proposed lines. The teams performed trend, color, fabrication and target market research; developed sketches for a line; edited the sketches and presented their line plans; wrote specifications; fitted prototypes on fit models, and developed final production samples for presentation to industry. The branding students developed a SWOT analysis, a Brand Measurement report, a mind-map for the brands and a fully integrated Marketing Report which was presented alongside the ideas for the new lines. In future if the opportunity arises to work in this collaborative way with an existing company who wishes to look both at branding and product development strategies, classes will be scheduled at the same time so that students have more time to meet and discuss timelines and assigned tasks. As it was, student groups had to meet outside of each class time and this proved to be a challenging though not uncommon part of teamwork (Pfaff and Huddleston, 2003). Although the logistics of this exercise were time-consuming to set up and administer, professors felt that the benefits to students were multiple. The most important benefit, according to student feedback from both classes, was the opportunity to work with industry professionals, follow their process, and see the results of their work evaluated by the people who made the decisions at the company level. Faculty members were grateful to have a "real-world" case to work with in the classroom to provide focus. Creative ideas and strategies were traded as plans were made, extending and strengthening the departmental links be tween the branding and product development areas. By working not only with students coming from a different knowledge base, but also having to keep in contact with the industry partner and follow the framework and timeline of industry practice, student teams were challenged to produce excellent and innovative work under new circumstances. Working on the product development and branding for "real-life" brands that are struggling gave students an opportunity to see how closely their coursework ties in with the real-world and how creativity, collaboration and flexibility are necessary components of both the design and business aspects of company operations. Industry personnel were impressed by (a) the level and depth of knowledge and execution in the student projects, and (b) the creativity of new ideas for the brands.

The Economic Feasibility Analysis of Crop Cultivation Practice Project in Pirganj and Kurigram Districts, Bangladesh (작물재배기술의 경제적 타당성 분석 : 방글라데시 피르간즈군과 쿠리그람군 사례)

  • Tabassum, Nazia;Lim, Jae-Hwan;Gim, Uhn-Soon
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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    • v.35 no.1
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    • pp.85-100
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    • 2008
  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded collaborative project on The Economic Feasibility Analysis of Crop Cultivation Practice Project in Pirganj and Kurigram Districts in Bangladesh will started during 2008-2012, for 4 years with total project cost of US$ 571,270. The project will be implemented in 6 villages; has 1,097 hectares areas which is divided into 948 hectares of agricultural land, 52 hectares of forest land and 345 hectares of other land, covered 1,059 households equal to 5,305 persons in Pirganj and Kurigram districts The project has proposed to be implemented in joint collaboration by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) Bangladesh with full participation of the farmers' groups of respective project site. The specific objectives of the project are: (1) to estimate the productivity of paddy, wheat, maize, tobacco and sugarcane (2) to determine the cost of production and returns to the above mentioned crops (3) to study the interrelationship between inputs and output of the above mentioned crops and (4) to examine the resource utilization patterns at farm level. In this project analysis, the net incremental profit is US$33,028. The expected incremental project benefit and incremented production cost are estimated as US$ 219,959 and US$ 186,931 respectively. The financial decision making criteria would be followed in this crop cultivation practice project. After the project implementation, the expected project benefits are assumed to be continued for 15 years. The benefit cost ratio (B/C) of the project is estimated at 1.077 (table 11) when using discount rate of 10% as an opportunity cost of capital in Bangladesh. FIRR of project is estimated at 26.15% which is bigger than the opportunity cost by more than double. So this project is financially feasible and acceptable. Therefore, this project should be extended to other areas to increase the farm income and economic growth of marginal poor farmers in Bangladesh.

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A Study on the Difficulties Faced by High School Science Teachers in Operating LMO Laboratories (고등학교 LMO 실험실 운영에서 과학교사가 갖는 어려움에 관한 연구)

  • Seongjae Lee;Jiwon Yeo;Sang-Hak Jeon
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.43 no.1
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    • pp.1-15
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    • 2023
  • As the social and economic value of living modified organisms (LMOs) increase, so do the potential risks they pose to humans and the environment. Therefore, all laboratories using LMOs must establish an LMO laboratory in accordance with the standards required by regulations. Recently, in high school, LMO-related experimental programs have been developed for their educational effects. Also, in this case, it is necessary to comply with the regulation for LMO laboratories. However, high schools are still unfamiliar with the LMO laboratory, and it is difficult for teachers to manage an LMO laboratory because its implementation applies the same standards to general research institutes. In this study, we used causal chain analysis to discover the difficulties each teacher faced while setting up an LMO laboratory by examining three cases. The difficulties experienced by teachers are as follows: the first problem is "reluctance to set up an LMO laboratory," because of "administrative tasks for laboratory registration" and "difficulty in persuading colleagues." The second problem is a difficulty for teachers to operate LMO laboratory in blind spots, due to "inflexible installation and closure," "medical waste disposal," and "LMO education that does not fit the school context." Through this study, although the difficulty of running an LMO laboratory is caused by a lack of necessity and insufficient consideration of the school context, the more fundamental cause was a lack of collaborative planning between the educational field and the operating institutions. The teachers who participate in this research suggest that "using shared LAB" and "preparing opportunities for knowledge sharing" can be considered as strategies for operating the school's LMO laboratory. We feel that this study will provide a useful reference for teachers or schools planning to build an LMO laboratory.

The Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on the Career Path of University Students (창업교육이 대학생의 진로에 미치는 효과성 연구)

  • Ahn, Tae-Uk;Park, Jae-Whan
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.177-192
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    • 2018
  • The mission of the university is to grow young people who will be responsible for the next generation nation to mature society. In particular, the role of universities in the 4th Industrial Revolution era is to foster creative talents. Therefore, innovative changes are required for existing infusion education and employment-oriented college education contents and teaching methodology. In the high youth unemployment rate, entrepreneurship education is spreading to universities to innovate existing organizations and create new jobs. Until now, however, the effects of university entrepreneurship education have been studied mainly in the field of start-up. Therefore, it is very difficult to study various effects on entrepreneurship education. In this study, empirical analysis of the effect of entrepreneurship training on career preparation behaviors of university students who are about to enter the society is verified. The sample of this study was surveyed from August, 2016, and the questionnaire was applied to 393 university students who selected 5 universities and entrepreneurship education. As a result of the analysis, the ability of communicative communication and creative problem solving cultivated through entrepreneurship education had a positive effect on entrepreneurship and self - efficacy, Entrepreneurship and self - efficacy had a positive (+) positive effect on career preparation behavior. However, cooperative communication ability, creative problem solving ability, and effective work behavior ability by entrepreneurship education were not directly related to career preparation behavior. On the other hand, in verifying the mediating effect of entrepreneurship and self - efficacy, it proved that mediating role of positive communication between collaborative communication ability, creative problem solving ability and career preparation behavior. The implications of this study are as follows This study examines the effects of university entrepreneurship education on career preparedness behaviors.In other words, the university proved the direct effect and the mediating effect that affects positively (+) effect on career preparation behaviors by encouraging entrepreneurship and self - efficacy, rather than quantitative extension based on competency. Also, the implication of the parameters (entrepreneurship, self - efficacy) as a key variable for the effect and performance of career preparation behavior was derived.It also suggests that it is necessary to improve the creativity ability of entrepreneurship education so that it can have a direct and meaningful influence on career preparation behavior. First of all, it is urgent to develop a qualitative evaluation index for entrepreneurship education in order to measure these effects. Therefore, further study is required to verify the various implications for future entrepreneurship education, as well as the implications that entrepreneurship education is indispensable for the preparation of university students' careers.

Design Strategies and Processes through the Concept of Resilience (리질리언스 개념을 통해서 본 설계 전략과 과정)

  • Choi, Hyeyoung;Seo, Young-Ai
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.46 no.5
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    • pp.44-58
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    • 2018
  • Cities face new challenges not only in natural disasters by climate change but also in social and economic fluctuations. With the existing simple reconstruction method, it is difficult to solve the overall problems that a city or region may face. As a new approach to cope with various changes, the concept of resilience is emerging. Resilience is also one of the themes of recent major urban design projects. Design with the concept of resilience is a new strategy that can deal with various changes of urban space, rather than a temporary trend. The purpose of this paper is to explore the design method by analyzing cases where the concept of resilience is employed. We aim to examine what kind of design strategies are needed for the resilience design and how this design process differ in character, as compared to general design projects. Cases for this study include the "Rebuild by Design" competition held in 2013 and the "Resilient by Design/Bay Area Challenge" competition held in 2017. This paper consists of literature reviews and case studies. The latter is divided into two aspects: content analysis based on the theory of resilience and characteristics of the design process. Cases are analyzed through literature reviews and process characteristics of resilience design in response to the general design process. The main categories for urban resilience used as the framework for analysis include: Urban Infrastructure, Social Dynamics, Economic Dynamics, Health and Wellbeing, Governance Networks, and Planning and Institutions. As a result, the aspects of resilience concepts considered and design strategies undertaken by each team were identified. Each team tried to connect all 6 categories to their design strategies, placing special value on the role of governance, a system that enables collaborative design and project persistency. In terms of the design process, the following characteristics were found: planning the whole project process in the pre-project phase, analyzing predictable socioeconomic risk factors in addition to physical vulnerabilities, aiming for landscape-oriented integrated design, and sustainable implementation strategies with specific operations and budget plans. This paper is meaningful to connect the concept of resilience, which has been discussed in various articles, to design strategy, and to explore the possibility of constructing a practical methodology by deriving the characteristics of the resilience design process. It remains a future task to research design strategies that apply the concept of resilience to various types of urban spaces, in addition to areas that are vulnerable to disasters.

The Influence of Online Social Networking on Individual Virtual Competence and Task Performance in Organizations (온라인 네트워킹 활동이 가상협업 역량 및 업무성과에 미치는 영향)

  • Suh, A-Young;Shin, Kyung-Shik
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.22 no.2
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    • pp.39-69
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    • 2012
  • With the advent of communication technologies including electronic collaborative tools and conferencing systems provided over the Internet, virtual collaboration is becoming increasingly common in organizations. Virtual collaboration refers to an environment in which the people working together are interdependent in their tasks, share responsibility for outcomes, are geographically dispersed, and rely on mediated rather than face-to face, communication to produce an outcome. Research suggests that new sets of individual skill, knowledge, and ability (SKAs) are required to perform effectively in today's virtualized workplace, which is labeled as individual virtual competence. It is also argued that use of online social networking sites may influence not only individuals' daily lives but also their capability to manage their work-related relationships in organizations, which in turn leads to better performance. The existing research regarding (1) the relationship between virtual competence and task performance and (2) the relationship between online networking and task performance has been conducted based on different theoretical perspectives so that little is known about how online social networking and virtual competence interplay to predict individuals' task performance. To fill this gap, this study raises the following research questions: (1) What is the individual virtual competence required for better adjustment to the virtual collaboration environment? (2) How does online networking via diverse social network service sites influence individuals' task performance in organizations? (3) How do the joint effects of individual virtual competence and online networking influence task performance? To address these research questions, we first draw on the prior literature and derive four dimensions of individual virtual competence that are related with an individual's self-concept, knowledge and ability. Computer self-efficacy is defined as the extent to which an individual beliefs in his or her ability to use computer technology broadly. Remotework self-efficacy is defined as the extent to which an individual beliefs in his or her ability to work and perform joint tasks with others in virtual settings. Virtual media skill is defined as the degree of confidence of individuals to function in their work role without face-to-face interactions. Virtual social skill is an individual's skill level in using technologies to communicate in virtual settings to their full potential. It should be noted that the concept of virtual social skill is different from the self-efficacy and captures an individual's cognition-based ability to build social relationships with others in virtual settings. Next, we discuss how online networking influences both individual virtual competence and task performance based on the social network theory and the social learning theory. We argue that online networking may enhance individuals' capability in expanding their social networks with low costs. We also argue that online networking may enable individuals to learn the necessary skills regarding how they use technological functions, communicate with others, and share information and make social relations using the technical functions provided by electronic media, consequently increasing individual virtual competence. To examine the relationships among online networking, virtual competence, and task performance, we developed research models (the mediation, interaction, and additive models, respectively) by integrating the social network theory and the social learning theory. Using data from 112 employees of a virtualized company, we tested the proposed research models. The results of analysis partly support the mediation model in that online social networking positively influences individuals' computer self-efficacy, virtual social skill, and virtual media skill, which are key predictors of individuals' task performance. Furthermore, the results of the analysis partly support the interaction model in that the level of remotework self-efficacy moderates the relationship between online social networking and task performance. The results paint a picture of people adjusting to virtual collaboration that constrains and enables their task performance. This study contributes to research and practice. First, we suggest a shift of research focus to the individual level when examining virtual phenomena and theorize that online social networking can enhance individual virtual competence in some aspects. Second, we replicate and advance the prior competence literature by linking each component of virtual competence and objective task performance. The results of this study provide useful insights into how human resource responsibilities assess employees' weakness and strength when they organize virtualized groups or projects. Furthermore, it provides managers with insights into the kinds of development or training programs that they can engage in with their employees to advance their ability to undertake virtual work.

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A Study on the establishment of IoT management process in terms of business according to Paradigm Shift (패러다임 전환에 의한 기업 측면의 IoT 경영 프로세스 구축방안 연구)

  • Jeong, Min-Eui;Yu, Song-Jin
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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    • v.21 no.2
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    • pp.151-171
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    • 2015
  • This study examined the concepts of the Internet of Things(IoT), the major issue and IoT trend in the domestic and international market. also reviewed the advent of IoT era which caused a 'Paradigm Shift'. This study proposed a solution for the appropriate corresponding strategy in terms of Enterprise. Global competition began in the IoT market. So, Businesses to be competitive and responsive, the government's efforts, as well as the efforts of companies themselves is needed. In particular, in order to cope with the dynamic environment appropriately, faster and more efficient strategy is required. In other words, proposed a management strategy that can respond the IoT competitive era on tipping point through the vision of paradigm shift. We forecasted and proposed the emergence of paradigm shift through a comparative analysis of past management paradigm and IoT management paradigm as follow; I) Knowledge & learning oriented management, II) Technology & innovation oriented management, III) Demand driven management, IV) Global collaboration management. The Knowledge & learning oriented management paradigm is expected to be a new management paradigm due to the development of IT technology development and information processing technology. In addition to the rapid development such as IT infrastructure and processing of data, storage, knowledge sharing and learning has become more important. Currently Hardware-oriented management paradigm will be changed to the software-oriented paradigm. In particular, the software and platform market is a key component of the IoT ecosystem, has been estimated to be led by Technology & innovation oriented management. In 2011, Gartner announced the concept of "Demand-Driven Value Networks(DDVN)", DDVN emphasizes value of the whole of the network. Therefore, Demand driven management paradigm is creating demand for advanced process, not the process corresponding to the demand simply. Global collaboration management paradigm create the value creation through the fusion between technology, between countries, between industries. In particular, cooperation between enterprises that has financial resources and brand power and venture companies with creative ideas and technical will generate positive synergies. Through this, The large enterprises and small companies that can be win-win environment would be built. Cope with the a paradigm shift and to establish a management strategy of Enterprise process, this study utilized the 'RTE cyclone model' which proposed by Gartner. RTE concept consists of three stages, Lead, Operate, Manage. The Lead stage is utilizing capital to strengthen the business competitiveness. This stages has the goal of linking to external stimuli strategy development, also Execute the business strategy of the company for capital and investment activities and environmental changes. Manege stage is to respond appropriately to threats and internalize the goals of the enterprise. Operate stage proceeds to action for increasing the efficiency of the services across the enterprise, also achieve the integration and simplification of the process, with real-time data capture. RTE(Real Time Enterprise) concept has the value for practical use with the management strategy. Appropriately applied in this study, we propose a 'IoT-RTE Cyclone model' which emphasizes the agility of the enterprise. In addition, based on the real-time monitoring, analysis, act through IT and IoT technology. 'IoT-RTE Cyclone model' that could integrate the business processes of the enterprise each sector and support the overall service. therefore the model be used as an effective response strategy for Enterprise. In particular, IoT-RTE Cyclone Model is to respond to external events, waste elements are removed according to the process is repeated. Therefore, it is possible to model the operation of the process more efficient and agile. This IoT-RTE Cyclone Model can be used as an effective response strategy of the enterprise in terms of IoT era of rapidly changing because it supports the overall service of the enterprise. When this model leverages a collaborative system among enterprises it expects breakthrough cost savings through competitiveness, global lead time, minimizing duplication.

A Study on the Impact of Employee's Person-Environment Fit and Information Systems Acceptance Factors on Performance: The Mediating Role of Social Capital (조직구성원의 개인-환경적합성과 정보시스템 수용요인이 성과에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 사회자본의 매개역할)

  • Heo, Myung-Sook;Cheon, Myun-Joong
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.1-42
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    • 2009
  • In a knowledge-based society, a firm's intellectual capital represents the wealth of ideas and ability to innovate, which are indispensable elements for the future growth. Therefore, the intellectual capital is evidently recognized as the most valuable asset in the organization. Considered as intangible asset, intellectual capital is the basis based on which firms can foster their sustainable competitive advantage. One of the essential components of the intellectual capital is a social capital, indicating the firm's individual members' ability to build a firm's social networks. As such, social capital is a powerful concept necessary for understanding the emergence, growth, and functioning of network linkages. The more social capital a firm is equipped with, the more successfully it can establish new social networks. By providing a shared context for social interactions, social capital facilitates the creation of new linkages in the organizational setting. This concept of "person-environment fit" has long been prevalent in the management literature. The fit is grounded in the interaction theory of behavior. The interaction perspective has a fairly long theoretical tradition, beginning with proposition that behavior is a function of the person and environment. This view asserts that neither personal characteristics nor the situation alone adequately explains the variance in behavioral and attitudinal variables. Instead, the interaction of personal and situational variables accounts for the greatest variance. Accordingly, the person-environment fit is defined as the degree of congruence or match between personal and situational variables in producing significant selected outcomes. In addition, information systems acceptance factors enable organizations to build large electronic communities with huge knowledge resources. For example, the Intranet helps to build knowledge-based communities, which in turn increases employee communication and collaboration. It is vital since through active communication and collaborative efforts can employees build common basis for shared understandings that evolve into stronger relationships embedded with trust. To this aim, the electronic communication network allows the formation of social network to be more viable to rapid mobilization and assimilation of knowledge assets in the organizations. The purpose of this study is to investigate: (1) the impact of person-environment fit(person-job fit, person-person fit, person-group fit, person-organization fit) on social capital(network ties, trust, norm, shared language); (2) the impact of information systems acceptance factors(availability, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use) on social capital; (3) the impact of social capital on personal performance(work performance, work satisfaction); and (4) the mediating role of social capital between person-environment fit and personal performance. In general, social capital is defined as the aggregated actual or collective potential resources which lead to the possession of a durable network. The concept of social capital was originally developed by sociologists for their analysis in social context. Recently, it has become an increasingly popular jargon used in the management literature in describing organizational phenomena outside the realm of transaction costs. Since both environmental factors and information systems acceptance factors affect the network of employee's relationships, this study proposes that these two factors have significant influence on the social capital of employees. The person-environment fit basically refers to the alignment between characteristics of people and their environments, thereby resulting in positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations. In addition, the information systems acceptance factors have rather direct influences on the social network of employees. Based on such theoretical framework, namely person-environment fit and social capital theory, we develop our research model and hypotheses. The results of data analysis, based on 458 employee cases are as follow: Firstly, both person-environment fit(person-job fit, person-person fit, person-group fit, person-organization fit) and information systems acceptance factors(availability perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use) significantly influence social capital(network ties, norm, shared language). In addition, person-environment fit is a stronger factor influencing social capital than information systems acceptance factors. Secondly, social capital is a significant factor in both work satisfaction and work performance. Finally, social capital partly plays a mediating role between person-environment fit and personal performance. Our findings suggest that it is vital for firms to understand the importance of environmental factors affecting social capital of employees and accordingly identify the importance of information systems acceptance factors in building formal and informal relationships of employees. Firms also need to reflect their recognition of the importance of social capital's mediating role in boosting personal performance. Some limitations arisen in the course of the research and suggestions for future research directions are also discussed.

The roles of Subcontractors' Entrepreneurship on the Relationship Commitment towards the Parent Companies (수급사업자의 기업가정신이 관계몰입을 유도하는 경로)

  • Nak Hwan Choi;Cheol Seob Byeon;Yong Gyun Lee
    • Asia Marketing Journal
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.51-84
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    • 2011
  • It seems essential to examine the factors that may affect relationship commitment of subcontractors to parent companies in the industrial market in Korea in an effort to construct a win-win-type cooperative network among them. Lots of studies have been focusing on the consumer goods market. Relatively few studies have been focused on industrial market. In the industrial goods market subcontractors used to sell their parts or services only to a small number of parent companies in a large quantity, resulting in decisive control of subcontractors over the quality of parent companies' finished goods. This is why relationship between subcontractors and parent companies is extremely important. From this viewpoint, this study aims to survey and analyze empirically the paths leading to relationship commitment of subcontractors toward the parent companies which are required to incite them to build up a collaborative network by means of subcontractors' entrepreneurship. For this aim, market orientation effects of entrepreneurship as well as factors of performance and trust are particularly set forth as the bases of developing hypotheses in this study in order to explore the paths from entrepreneurship to relationship commitment as follows. First, the path of entrepreneurship-market orientation-communication-trust- relationship commitment; second, the path of entrepreneurship-market orientation-performance-relationship commitment; third, the path of entrepreneurship-market orientation-transaction specific asset investment -trust-relationship commitment; and fourth, the path in which the entrepreneurship is expected to promote direct transaction specific asset investment by parent companies to induce their trust and, eventually, relationship commitment of subcontractors. The outcomes of the empirical analysis in this study may be summed up as follows: First, the conclusions of preceding studies are also supported here by the fact that the entrepreneurship of subcontractors promotes their market orientation (hypothesis 9), indicating that the entrepreneurship can facilitate collection, proliferation of and response to market informations. On the contrary, however, the assumption that the entrepreneurship of subcontractors might directly accelerate transaction specific asset investment by parent companies (hypothesis 8) is rejected. Second, although the influence of subcontractors' entrepreneurship on parent companies' investment of assets peculiar to their transactions is not affirmed, the assumption is found to be supported that subcontractors' market orientation would expedite the parent companies' investment of assets peculiar to their transactions. Moreover, it is also confirmed that parent companies' investment of assets peculiar to transactions would promote subcontractors' trust toward the parent companies (hypothesis 6), signifying that parent companies may level up their trust in subcontractors when they make great amount of efforts to invest in the assets peculiar to transactions, not behaving opportunistically, Third, the hypotheses 4 and 5 also turn out to be supported by the analysis as the former assumes that market orientation could promote communication and the latter relates that the communication between subcontractors and parent companies would prompt trust, both results in affirming that market orientation could introduce open communication to speed up sharing of information and that sharing of information by way of communication might give an impetus to trust. Fourth, the assumption that subcontractors' market orientation would expedite performance (hypothesis 3) is also proved favorably to the significant level equivalent to that of preceding studies. Fifth, same as preceding studies, it is also verified in this study that the benefit (outcomes) awarded by parent companies to subcontractors will be a direct cause exercising a positive impact upon relationship commitment(hypothesis 2) and that the trust of subcontractors toward parent companies may have affirmative influence on the relationship commitment(hypothesis 1). Overall, the first, second and third paths are identified as being supported by the hypotheses among constituent factors, while the fourth path is deemed meaningless since it is shown that the entrepreneurship exercises no effects on parent companies' investment in the assets peculiar to transactions.

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