• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.303-310
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• 2023

The current study was conducted to compare the effect of crossbred on the body weight and laying performance of Korean native chicken from hatch to week 40. A total of 873 one-day-old chicks were divided into twelve crossbreds (i.e., CFCK, CFYC, CFYD, CKCF, CKYC, CKYD, YCYD, YCCF, YCCK, YDCF, YDCK, and YDYC) and commercial layer (Hy-Line Brown) were obtained as a counterpart in the study. All the birds are raised in battery cages (76 × 61 × 46 cm³) and then raised until 14 weeks and subsequently moved to layer battery cages (60 × 25 × 45 cm³) and raised until 16 weeks. The body weight and viability were measured biweekly from hatching to week 16. The week of 16, body weight range was about 1,010.24 to 1,411.77 g. The body weight of specific crossbreeds (i.e., CKCF, YCYD, and YDYC) was found to be comparable to that of Hy-Line Brown). The viability hatch to week 14 range was about 55 to 100% and however week 14 to 16 range was 80 to 100%. The crossbred (i.e., CKCF) recorded superior (P<0.05) viability throughout the whole experiment period, even compared with Hy-Line Brown (100% vs 96%). Our results are indicating that crossbreds Korean native chicken including CKCF, and YDYC has the potential to enhance key features of laying hens during the growing phase like optimal body weight and higher viability.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.109-124
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• 2024

The value of platform companies is rapidly increasing, exerting significant influence across industries. Identifying and fostering promising platform companies is crucial for enhancing national competitiveness. Consequently, tailored evaluation standards are necessary for such companies. This study derived investment decision factors specific to platform companies and compared the importance of each factor using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis. Key factors included platform characteristics, finance, entrepreneur (team), market, and product/service attributes. The findings revealed that platform characteristics were deemed the most crucial factor for investors. Specifically, factors such as platform size, ease of value fixation, core participant group, and data value were identified as pertinent for evaluating platform companies. Moreover, analysis distinguished between investors with prior platform investment experience and those without. Significantly, investors with platform investment experience placed greater emphasis on the value of data secured by platform Furthermore, it was observed that investors prioritized future value and growth potential over current value when investing in platform. Notably, founder/team characteristics, typically highly regarded in previous studies, ranked lower in importance in this study, highlighting a shift in focus. The discrepancy between this study's results and prior research on investment decision factors is attributed to the specificity of the questions posed. By focusing on investment decision factors for platform startups rather than generic startup inquiries, investor responses aligned more closely with platform-focused considerations. Given the burgeoning venture investment landscape, there's a growing need for detailed research on startups within specific sectors like IT, travel, and biotech. This approach can replace extensive research covering all startup types to identify investment decision factors suited to the characteristics of each individual industry.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2024

As global warming worsens, it is feared that higher ambient temperatures and relative humidity might result in a more intense heat stress for livestock animals, especially broilers, which lack sweat glands for thermoregulation and have been selectively bred for rapid growth. Therefore, strategic livestock management is needed to mitigate the adverse effects of heat stress on broilers. In Korea's poultry farming systems, tunnel-ventilated broiler houses and pad cooling systems are commonly installed to lower indoor temperatures during the summer. However, caution is advised with pad cooling systems as they can increase the humidity inside the houses, potentially causing further harm. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pad cooling systems in tunnel-ventilated broiler house by assessing the reduction in indoor temperature using the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI), which accounts for the impact of relative humidity. Temperature and humidity data were collected during the summer (Jun to Sep) from eight farms with tunnel-ventilated broiler house located in different regions of Korea. The farms were divided into two groups based on the use of pad cooling systems is used, and temperature and humidity data, along with THI values, were analyzed two weeks before the birds were marketed. Meta-analysis results showed that at the hottest time of the day, 14:00, farms with pad cooling systems had significantly lower indoor temperatures compared to the control group, but observed an increase in indoor temperatures by 16:00 (p<0.05). There is no significant difference in relative humidity (p>0.05). The THI values decreased in the treatment group with cooling pads compared to the control group starting from 15:00, suggesting a diminished effect (p<0.05). This study indicates the potential for developing optimal operational guidelines for cooling pads to reduce heat stress in broilers during the summer season.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2024

Black wood ear mushroom (Auricularia auricula-judae) is one of the most economically important mushrooms in China, Japan, and Korea. The cultivation of wood ear mushrooms on artificial substrates is more efficient in terms of time and cost compared with their natural growth on trees. However, if the substrate cultivation is infected by fast-growing fungi, the relatively slow-growing ear mushroom will be outcompeted, leading to economic losses. In this study, we investigated the competitive fungal isolates from substrates infected with fast-growing fungi for the cultivation of ear mushrooms in Jangheung and Sunchon, Korea. We collected 54 isolates and identified them by sequencing their internal transcribed spacer region with morphological identification. Among the isolates, the dominant isolates were Trichoderma spp. (92.6%), Penicillium spp. (5.6%), and Talaromyces sp. (1.8%). To find an appropriate eco-friendly biocontrol agent, we used five Streptomyces spp. and Benomyl, as controls against Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp. Among the six Streptomyces spp., Streptomyces sp. JC203-3 effectively controlled the fungi Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp., which pose a significant problem for the substrates of black wood ear mushrooms. This result indicated that this Streptomyces sp. JC203-3 can be used as biocontrol agents to protect against Trichoderma and Penicillium spp.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.392-401
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• 2023

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the world's most important crops, along with wheat and rice, with a global corn production expected to reach 1,154.5 million tons in 2023. Considering this grain production, The generation of corn cob is expected to reach approximately 207.8 million tons in 2023. However, as an agricultural by-product, corn cobs are often considered waste and remain underutilized. Phytosterols, which are abundant in vegetable oils such as corn oil, provide a number of health benefits, including liver health, cholesterol reduction, and protection against chronic diseases such as diabetes. In this study, we investigated the potential of Kwangpyeongok ears, which are commonly used as grain and silage corn in Korea. We also examined the variation in phytosterol content with the maturity of corn ears to identify the optimal time for utilization. At the beginning of physiological maturity, corn cobs had 113.3 mg/100g DW of total phytosterols, which was highest phytosterol abundance during the growth stage. Corn kernels also had the highest phytosterol content at the beginning of physiological maturity. While previous studies on corn bioactive compounds have mainly focused on the kernels, the results of this study highlight that cobs are an excellent source of these compounds. Furthermore, phytosterol levels were influenced by genetic factors and developmental stages, suggesting the to increase the use of cobs as a source of bioactive compounds.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.304-312
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• 2023

Plant breeding is a time-consuming process, mainly due to the limited annual generational advancement. A speed breeding system, using LED light sources, has been applied to accelerate generational progression in various crops. However, detailed protocols applicable to soybeans are still insufficient. In this study, we report the optimized protocols for a speed breeding system comprising 12 soybean varieties with various maturity ecotypes. We investigated the effects of two light qualities (RGB ratio), three levels of light intensity (PPFD), and two soil conditions on the flowering time and development of soybeans. Our results showed that an increase in the red wavelength of the light spectrum led to a delay in flowering time. Furthermore, as light intensity increased, flowering time, average internode length, and plant height decreased, while the number of nodes, branches, and pods increased. When compared to agronomic soil, horticultural soil resulted in an increase of more than 50% in the number of nodes, branches, and pods. Consequently, the optimal conditions were determined as follows: a 10-hour short-day photoperiod, an equal RGB ratio (1:1:1), light intensity exceeding 1,300 PPFD, and the use of horticultural soil. Under these conditions, the average flowering time was found to be 27.3±2.48 days, with an average seed yield of 7.9±2.67. Thus, the speed breeding systems reduced the flowering time by more than 40 days, compared to the average flowering time of Korean soybean resources (approximately 70 days). By using a controlled growth chamber that is unaffected by external environmental conditions, up to 6 generations can be achieved per year. The use of LED illumination and streamlined facilities further contributes to cost savings. This study highlights the substantial potential of integrating modern crop breeding techniques, such as digital breeding and genetic editing, with generational shortening systems to accelerate crop improvement.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.18-31
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• 2024

This study examines the inscription trends and characteristics of 121 cultural landscapes inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List to gain a comprehensive understanding of their inherent values and attributes. By employing a dual methodology involving descriptive statistical analysis and in-depth case studies, this research investigates the geographical distribution, temporal inscription patterns, selection criteria, and typologies of these landscapes. The data for this study were collected from official documents and databases available on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website, ensuring the reliability and authenticity of the information. The analysis reveals that cultural landscapes are predominantly concentrated in Europe and Asia, with a steady increase in inscriptions since 1992. These landscapes are primarily recognized for their uniqueness in reflecting human-nature interactions, as well as the importance of traditional culture and land-use practices, resulting in their inscription mainly under criteria (iv), (iii), (v), and (ii). Furthermore, cultural landscapes can be broadly categorized into three types: designed landscapes, organically evolved landscapes, and associative landscapes. Among these, organically evolved landscapes, formed through long-term interactions between human activities such as agriculture and industry and the natural environment, constitute a significant proportion. These findings suggest that UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscapes possess a complex value system encompassing nature and culture, tangible and intangible elements, and material and non-material aspects. This necessitates a fundamental shift in the perception and preservation approaches to cultural heritage, requiring an integrated approach that emphasizes the overall context rather than individual elements and focuses on the dynamic process of landscape evolution itself. Moreover, cultural landscapes have the potential to contribute to sustainable development models by fostering regional identity, strengthening community resilience, and promoting sustainable economic growth. Therefore, the preservation and management of cultural landscapes require a perspective that holistically views the dynamic evolution process of the landscape and a governance system based on the active participation of local communities and stakeholders. This study contributes to enhancing the in-depth understanding of the characteristics and values of cultural landscapes and provides a foundation for the selection and management of future cultural landscape heritage sites.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.384-395
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• 2023

Since transpiration plays a key role in optimal irrigation management, knowledge of the irrigation demand of crops like tomatoes, which are highly susceptible to water stress, is necessary. One way to determine irrigation demand is to measure transpiration, which is affected by environmental factor or growth stage. This study aimed to estimate the transpiration amount of tomatoes and find a suitable model using mathematical and deep learning models using minute-by-minute data. Pearson correlation revealed that observed environmental variables significantly correlate with crop transpiration. Inside air temperature and outside radiation positively correlated with transpiration, while humidity showed a negative correlation. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Polynomial Regression model, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Long short-term Memory (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) models were built and compared their accuracies. All models showed potential in estimating transpiration with R² values ranging from 0.770 to 0.948 and RMSE of 0.495 mm/min to 1.038 mm/min in the test dataset. Deep learning models outperformed the mathematical models; the GRU demonstrated the best performance in the test data with 0.948 R² and 0.495 mm/min RMSE. The LSTM and ANN closely followed with R² values of 0.946 and 0.944, respectively, and RMSE of 0.504 m/min and 0.511, respectively. The GRU model exhibited superior performance in short-term forecasts while LSTM for long-term but requires verification using a large dataset. Compared to the FAO56 Penman-Monteith (PM) equation, PM has a lower RMSE of 0.598 mm/min than MLR and Polynomial models degrees 2 and 3 but performed least among all models in capturing variability in transpiration. Therefore, this study recommended GRU and LSTM models for short-term estimation of tomato transpiration in greenhouses.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.41-53
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• 2024

The Korean government's SME policy has shifted from the traditional focus of protecting SMEs against large business groups to foster innovative SMEs by upgrading their innovation base. From the government's policy perspective, innovative SMEs are defined as SMEs that can secure technological competitiveness or have the potential for future growth through technological innovation activities. Based on the resource-based theory and resource dependence theory, this study aims to explain whether both R&D capabilities of innovative SMEs and the acquisition of venture certification have a significant impact on enhancing global technological competitiveness. According to the resource-based theory, differences in a firm's tangible and intangible resources and R&D capabilities determine its innovation activities and performance. On the other hand, the resource dependence theory argues that government certification programs to support SMEs positively affect SMEs' innovation activities and performance by increasing their access to the external resources needed for innovation. Going a step further, this study examines the moderating effect of the product life cycle. As a moderating variable, the product life cycle is expected to have an opposite effect on the internal and external resource utilization. The results based on the SME Technology Statistics(2020) support the direct effect of both R&D capability and venture certification on global technological competitiveness and the differential moderating effect of product life cycle. The finding that the technological competitiveness effect of internal resource utilization is greater for longer product life cycles, while the technological competitiveness effect of external resource utilization is greater for shorter product life cycles suggests that product life cycle should be considered as an important contextual variable when studying the relationship between R&D, technological innovation, and performance. These results also suggest that in a global competitive environment where product life cycles are dramatically shortening, innovative SMEs that suffer the dual liabilities of newness and smallness should focus not only on strengthening internal R&D capabilities but also on strategically securing external resources.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.49-71
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• 2010

Franchise businesses in South Korea have contributed to economic growth and job creation, and its growth potential remains very high. However, despite such virtues, domestic franchise businesses face many problems such as the instability of franchisor's business structure and weak financial conditions. To solve these problems, the government enacted legislation and strengthened franchise related laws. However, the strengthening of laws regulating franchisors had many side effects that interrupted the development of the franchise business. For example, legal regulations regarding franchisors have had the effect of suppressing the franchisor's leadership activities (e.g. activities such as the ability to advocate the franchisor's policies and strategies to the franchisees, in order to facilitate change and innovation). One of the main goals of the franchise business is to build cooperation between the franchisor and the franchisee for their combined success. However, franchisees can refuse to follow the franchisor's strategies because of the current state of franchise-related law and government policy. The purpose of this study to explore the effects of franchisor's leadership style on franchisee's commitment in a franchise system. We classified leadership styles according to the path-goal theory (House & Mitchell, 1974), and it was hypothesized and tested that the four leadership styles proposed by the path-goal theory (i.e. directive, supportive, participative and achievement-oriented leadership) have different effects on franchisee's commitment. Another purpose of this study to explore the how the level of franchisee's self-efficacy influences both the franchisor's leadership style and franchisee's commitment in a franchise system. Results of the present study are expected to provide important theoretical and practical implications as to the role of franchisor's leadership style, as restricted by government regulations and the franchisee's self-efficacy, which could be needed to improve the quality of the long-term relationship between the franchisor and franchisee. Quoted by Northouse(2007), one problem regarding the investigation of leadership is that there are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it. But despite the multitude of ways in which leadership has been conceptualized, the following components can be identified as central to the phenomenon: (a) leadership is a process, (b) leadership involves influence, (c) leadership occurs in a group context, and (d) leadership involves goal attainment. Based on these components, in this study leadership is defined as a process whereby franchisor's influences a group of franchisee' to achieve a common goal. Focusing on this definition, the path-goal theory is about how leaders motivate subordinates to accomplish designated goals. Drawing heavily from research on what motivates employees, path-goal theory first appeared in the leadership literature in the early 1970s in the works of Evans (1970), House (1971), House and Dessler (1974), and House and Mitchell (1974). The stated goal of this leadership theory is to enhance employee performance and employee satisfaction by focusing on employee motivation. In brief, path-goal theory is designed to explain how leaders can help subordinates along the path to their goals by selecting specific behaviors that are best suited to subordinates' needs and to the situation in which subordinates are working (Northouse, 2007). House & Mitchell(1974) predicted that although many different leadership behaviors could have been selected to be a part of path-goal theory, this approach has so far examined directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership behaviors. And they suggested that leaders may exhibit any or all of these four styles with various subordinates and in different situations. However, due to restrictive government regulations, franchisors are not in a position to change their leadership style to suit their circumstances. In addition, quoted by Northouse(2007), ssubordinate characteristics determine how a leader's behavior is interpreted by subordinates in a given work context. Many researchers have focused on subordinates' needs for affiliation, preferences for structure, desires for control, and self-perceived level of task ability. In this study, we have focused on the self-perceived level of task ability, namely, the franchisee's self-efficacy. According to Bandura (1977), self-efficacy is chiefly defined as the personal attitude of one's ability to accomplish concrete tasks. Therefore, it is not an indicator of one's actual abilities, but an opinion of the extent of how one can use that ability. Thus, the judgment of maintain franchisee's commitment depends on the situation (e.g., government regulation and policy and leadership style of franchisor) and how it affects one's ability to mobilize resources to deal with the task, so even if people possess the same ability, there may be differences in self-efficacy. Figure 1 illustrates the model investigated in this study. In this model, it was hypothesized that leadership styles would affect the franchisee's commitment, and self-efficacy would moderate the relationship between leadership style and franchisee's commitment. Theoretically, quoted by Northouse(2007), the path-goal approach suggests that leaders need to choose a leadership style that best fits the needs of subordinates and the work they are doing. According to House & Mitchell (1974), the theory predicts that a directive style of leadership is best in situations in which subordinates are dogmatic and authoritarian, the task demands are ambiguous, and the organizational rule and procedures are unclear. In these situations, franchisor's directive leadership complements the work by providing guidance and psychological structure for franchisees. For work that is structured, unsatisfying, or frustrating, path-goal theory suggests that leaders should use a supportive style. Franchisor's Supportive leadership offers a sense of human touch for franchisees engaged in mundane, mechanized activity. Franchisor's participative leadership is considered best when a task is ambiguous because participation gives greater clarity to how certain paths lead to certain goals; it helps subordinates learn what actions leads to what outcome. Furthermore, House & Mitchell(1974) predicts that achievement-oriented leadership is most effective in settings in which subordinates are required to perform ambiguous tasks. Marsh and O'Neill (1984) tested the idea that organizational members' anger and decline in performance is caused by deficiencies in their level of effort and found that self-efficacy promotes accomplishment, decreases stress and negative consequences like depression and emotional instability. Based on the extant empirical findings and theoretical reasoning, we posit positive and strong relationships between the franchisor's leadership styles and the franchisee's commitment. Furthermore, the level of franchisee's self-efficacy was thought to maintain their commitment. The questionnaires sent to participants consisted of the following measures; leadership style was assessed using a 20 item 7-point likert scale developed by Indvik (1985), self-efficacy was assessed using a 24 item 6-point likert scale developed by Bandura (1977), and commitment was assessed using a 6 item 5-point likert scale developed by Morgan & Hunt (1994). Questionnaires were distributed to Korean optical franchisees in Seoul. It took about 20 days to complete the data collection. A total number of 140 questionnaires were returned and complete data were available from 137 respondents. Results of multiple regression analyses testing the relationships between the each of the four styles of leadership shown by the franchisor as independent variables and franchisee's commitment as the dependent variable showed that the relationship between supportive leadership style and commitment ($\beta$=.13, p<.001),and the relationship between participative leadership style and commitment ($\beta$=.07, p<.001)were significant. However, when participants divided into high and low self-efficacy groups, results of multiple regression analyses showed that only the relationship between achievement-oriented leadership style and commitment ($\beta$=.14, p<.001) was significant in the high self-efficacy group. In the low self-efficacy group, the relationship between supportive leadership style and commitment ($\beta$=.17, p<.001),and the relationship between participative leadership style and commitment ($\beta$=.10, p<.001) were significant. The study focused on the franchisee's self-efficacy in order to explore the possibility that regulation, originally intended to protect the franchisee, may not be the most effective method to maintain the relationships in a franchise business. The key results of the data analysis regarding the moderating role of self-efficacy between leadership behavior style as proposed by path-goal and commitment theory were as follows. First, this study proposed that franchisor should apply the appropriate type of leadership behavior to strengthen the franchisees commitment because the results demonstrated that supportive and participative leadership styles by the franchisors have a positive influence on the franchisee's level of commitment. Second, it is desirable for franchisor to validate the franchisee's efforts, since the franchisee's characteristics such as self-efficacy had a substantial, positive effect on the franchisee's commitment as well as being a meaningful moderator between leadership and commitment. Third, the results as a whole imply that the government should provide institutional support, namely to put the franchisor in a position to clearly identify the characteristics of their franchisees and provide reasonable means to administer the franchisees to achieve the company's goal.