• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.178-189
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• 2018

In this paper, we present a case study of a new emerging business startup involved in smart house appliances. The irreversible investment concept and real-option theory are introduced as the fundamentals of the model. By using games theory we show that the startup's actions can trigger reactions from other firms. The first part covers initial the research and development stage, while the second part covers production and commercialization. The findings of this study suggest that, given a certain amount of initial investment, an open and shared innovation may lead to hurting a firm's investment while strengthening the competitors' position in the market. However, given the sensitivity analysis, when volatility and demand grow favorably, sharing R&D investment is not a bad option for a new player to adjust its position in the market while still maintaining positive returns.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.1-22
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• 2021

The effects of social distancing measures on income distributions and aggregate variables are examined with an off-the-shelf heterogeneous-agent incomplete-market model. The model shows that social distancing measures, which limit households' labor supply, can decrease the labor supply of low-income households who hold insufficient assets and need income the most given their borrowing constraints. Social distancing measures can therefore exacerbate income inequality by lowering the incomes of the poor. An equilibrium interest rate can fall when the social distancing shock is expected to be persistent because households save more to prepare for rising consumption volatility given the possibility of binding to the labor supply constraint over time. When the shock is expected to be transitory, in contrast, the interest rate can rise upon the arrival of the shock because constrained households choose to borrow more to smooth consumption given the expectation that the shock will fade away. The model also shows that social distancing shocks, which diminish households' consumption demand, can decrease households' incomes evenly for every income quantile, having a limited impact on income inequality.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.578-598
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• 2011

This study estimates the value of photovoltaic core material technology, which is getting attention as a clean energy source. The estimation is based on the real option pricing model (ROPM). This study has two main contributions. The first is in the methodology. The process of modeling volatility, which is the most complicated stage in ROPM, is greatly simplified by using the stock price as a covariate representing the volatility of the real option's basic asset. The second contribution is the application of technology. In this study, the economic value of poly-silicon, a core material in the photovoltaic industry and recently surging in demand, is evaluated as a manufacturing technology. In a case study of a company in the photovoltaic industry, the stochastic process of a basic asset follows geometric Brownian motion (GBM), and the option value of firm A's poly-silicon manufacturing technology is estimated at 3.4 trillion won.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.47-85
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• 2009

With a relatively simple quantitative method, this study comprehensively analyzes the characteristics related to business cycles represented by macroeconomic variables of Korea since 1970. This empirical analysis deals with roughly following three topics: How to identify cyclical component with respect to trend; with what characteristics and how the economic variables of each sector move with in the phases of business cycle, and; whether there are signs of a structural change in the phases of business cycle. Section 2 discusses how to identify trends and cycle components, the basis assumption for the analysis of business cycle. Like the Korean economy, where a relatively high growth rate has been maintained, it is appropriate to determine its economic recession based on the fall in the growth trend, not in the absolute level of real output. And, it is necessary to apply the concept of growth cycle against a traditional concept of business cycle. Accordingly the setting of growth trend is of preliminary importance in identifying cyclical fluctuations. The analysis of Korea's GDP data since 1970, the decomposition of trends and cycles through the Band-pass filter is found to appropriately identify the actual phases of busyness cycle. Section 3 analyzes what particular relationship various economic variables have with output fluctuations during the phases of economic cycle, using the corss-correlation coefficients and prediction contribution. Section 4 monitors the stability of the phases of Korea's business cycle and quantitatively verifies whether there is a structural break, and then reviews the characteristics of variations in each sector. And, stylized facts observed through these studies are summarized in the conclusion. The macroeconomic stability of Korea, in particular, is found to continue to improve since 1970, except for the financial crisis period. Not only that, it is found that its volatility of economic growth rate as well as inflation have been reduced gradually. Meanwhile, until recently since 2000, the volatility in domestic demand has remained stable, while that in exports and imports has been increased slightly. But, in an over all perspective, Korea's business cycle variation is on the decline due to shorter response period to shocks and the formation of complementary relationship among economic sectors.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.87-106
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• 2022

Uncertainties in the energy market are increasing due to technology developments (shale revolution), trade wars, COVID-19, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Especially, since 2020, the risk of international trade in the energy market has increased significantly due to changes in the supply chain of transportation and due to prolonged demand reduction because of COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war. Considering these points, this study analyzed connectedness between energy price, tanker index, and uncertainty to understand the connectedness between international trade in the energy market. Main results are summarized as follows. First, as a result of analyzing stable period and unstable period of the energy price model using the MS-VAR model, it was confirmed that both the crude oil market model and the natural gas market model had a higher probability of maintaining stable period than unstable period, increasing volatility by specific events. Second, looking at the results of the analysis of the connectedness between stable period and unstable period of the energy market, it was confirmed that in the case of total connectedness, connectedness between variables was increased in the unstable period compared to the stable period. In the case of the energy market stable period, considering the degree of connectedness, it was confirmed that the effect of the tanker freight index, which represents the demand-side factor, was significant. Third, unstable period of the natural gas market model increases rapidly compared to the crude oil market model, indicating that the volatility spillover effect of the natural gas market is greater when uncertainties affecting energy prices increase compared to the crude oil market.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.87-104
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• 2022

Considering the complex structure and high volatility in the shipping market, it is important to investigate the connectedness amongst influencing factors. This study explores the dynamic relationship between supply-demand factors and shipping freight indices. We choose Capesize and Panamax in the bulk carrier market and use quarterly data of GDP, world fleet, BCI, and BPI from 1999 to 2021. Applying the wavelet analysis and wavelet Granger causality test, the simultaneous examination of co-movement and causality between two factors and the shipping market in both the time and frequency domains is achieved. We find that co-movement and causality vary across time and frequencies, thereby existing dynamic relationships between variables. Second, compared to multiple coherencies using demand and supply factors together, partial coherencies indicate noticeable causalities. It implies that analyzing demand and supply factors separately is essential. Finally, shipping freight indices show a high correlation with the demand factor in a good market and with the supply factor in a bad market. Generally, GDP positively leads shipping freights in the recovery phase while the world fleet negatively leads shipping freights in the downturn. The research is meaningful in that the rarely-applied wavelet analysis is adopted in the shipping market and that it gives a reasonable ground to explain the role of supply and/or demand factors in different phases of the market cycle.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.67-78
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• 2023

The rare metals used as raw materials in high-tech industries undergo changes in demand structures and supply chains following domestic industrial structural shifts and technological advancements, exhibiting high price volatility. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically analyze changes in the demand structures of rare metals. Since domestic demand for most rare metals relies on imports in Korea, the changes in domestic demand for rare metals can be identified by analyzing changes in their trade structure. In the present study, we analyze the changes in trade volume, trade growth rate, trade rankings, and trading countries from 2000 to 2022 for 35 rare metals, categorized into five types-ores, metals, alloys, compounds, and scrap. The trade of the raw materials of rare metals in Korea has generally increased since the 2000s, except for a significant decline in 2009 and 2016. The total trade volume, encompassing both exports and imports, has increased by approximately tenfold in 2022 compared to 2001. Until the mid-2010s, the trade of the raw materials of rare metals was primarily focused on those used in steel-manufacturing such as silicon, nickel, chrome, molybdenum, manganese, and others. However, after that period, there has been an increase in the trade of platinum group metals like palladium, rhodium, platinum, and the raw materials of rare metals for secondary battery-manufacturing such as lithium and cobalt. Particularly in 2022, lithium has become the largest share in trade of the raw materials of rare metals in Korea, due to the price surge and increase in demand.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.171-177
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• 2015

In March 2015, the milk quota system in Europe that had lasted for more than 30 years was abolished to improve the competitiveness of the European dairy sector in the international market. Despite an increase in the consumption of dairy products in Europe, the milk price is expected to stabilize in the next decade after a decrease between 2015 and 2016. This stabilization of prices will be caused by a significant increase in production, with the proportion exceeding domestic demand to be exported. In the international market, the price of milk will reduce in the next decade, leading to a restructuring of the milk sector with a lower number of farms, but with higher production and efficiency. Mountain farms will follow the same trend, although these farms play an important social role by providing ecosystem services such as maintaining cultural services, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting soil stability, and improving the aesthetic value of the landscape. Nevertheless, they remain at a disadvantage compared with lowland farms. To prevent the loss of mountain farms, there is thus a need to valorize the ecosystem services that they provide and promote the processing of milk into certified products of high quality.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.18-27
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• 2011

Management flexibility to adapt its future actions in response to altered future market conditions can expand the value of an investment opportunity by improving its upside potential without the change in the downside losses. Module manufacturers in solar industry continuously have to decide how much and when its production capacity should be expanded with regards to the demand in the global markets. Either over- or under-investment can cause sunk and/or opportunity costs to the module manufacturers. Option of exercising the additional investments only on favorable opportunities can increase total value of the investment. This paper analyzes the case which shows that the expansion of production capacity with more expandibility can have more value than the rigid plan of capacity expansion. The expansion option value is equivalent to KRW 38.286 billion, thus switching the negative NPV of the initial investment opportunity into the positive value. High volatility and the high growth in the cashflows as the major business features of the renewable energy provide condition where real options can play the crucial role in increasing the investment value as well as in determining the size and timing of capacity expansion in the course of capital budgeting process.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.319-353
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• 2006

This paper shows how weather derivatives can be used to hedge against the price risk and volume risk of purchasing relatively large amounts of electricity. Our specific approach to designing new contracts for electricity is to focus on the return over a summer season rather than on the daily levels of demand and price. It is shown that correct market signals can be preserved in a contract and the associated financial risk can be offset by weather options. The advantage of combining a forward contract with a weather derivative is that the high prices on hot days or when the temperature is high reflect the underlying high cost of producing power when the load is high and that the combined contract with a weather derivative substantially reduces the volatility of the return.