• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.101-129
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• 2013

Technological innovation is one of critical challenges for small and medium enterprises(SMEs) as well as larger firms. This study focuses on empirical test about the role of absorptive capacity on the relationship between technological collaboration and technological innovation outcomes in the context of SMEs. To achieve the purpose, we conducted hierarchical regression analysis through 266 samples from Korean manufacturing SMEs that is defined as an enterprise less than 300 employees. As a result, more diverse exploitations for types of technological collaboration have significant and positive impact on technological innovation outcomes. Additionally, the results show that absorptive capacity based on knowledge realization capability strengthens the impact on which external sources and types of technological collaboration affect technological innovation outcomes. Based on the results, we propose that SMEs require intense management efforts in establishing capability to create new knowledges, by combining existing knowledges, because excessive exploitations for external sources of technological collaboration necessarily do not help enhance technological innovation outcomes.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.109-115
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• 2022

As the 4th industrial revolution progresses, foreign countries are promoting smart manufacturing innovation through digital transformation as a priority task early on to secure a competitive edge in the manufacturing industry. In response, the Korean government is also promoting a policy to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies by promoting digital transformation in the corporate sector to meet the global trend of the 4th industrial revolution era. Manufacturing powerhouses such as Germany and Japan see manufacturing as a key sector in digital transformation and are leading related policies, while emerging countries such as China are also promoting manufacturing innovation strategies such as building digital infrastructure and creating a digital innovation ecosystem. Korea is promoting the 'Korean-style smart factory dissemination and expansion strategy' by transforming Germany's manufacturing innovation strategy for smart factory supply to suit the domestic situation. However, the policy to supply smart factories so far has been conducted with support from individual companies under the leadership of the government, and most of the smart factories are at the basic level, and it is evaluated that there are limitations such as the lack of manpower to operate smart factories. In addition, while the current policy focuses on expanding the supply of smart factories in SMEs, it is necessary to establish a smart manufacturing system through linkages between large and small businesses in order to achieve the original goal of establishing a smart manufacturing system. Therefore, it can be said that from the standpoint of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who are consumers of smart factories, it can be said that the digital transformation policy can achieve the expected results only when appropriate incentives are provided for the introduction of smart factories in a situation where management resources such as funds, technology, and human resources are lacking. In addition, it is judged that the uncertainty of the performance of digital investment always exists, and as long as large and small companies are maintained as an ecosystem of delivery and subcontracting, there is very little incentive for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to voluntarily invest in or advance digital transformation. Therefore, the digital transformation policy of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the future has practical significance in that it suggests that there is a need to seek ways to attract SMEs' digital-related voluntary investment.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.118-143
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• 2008

This paper examines the effect of innovation strategy and R&D organization on the innovation performances in the Korean small and medium sized enterprises(SMEs). For the SMEs with limited resources and capabilities, the one of key strategic issues is to allocate innovation resources to the exploitation of existing technological capabilities and/or the exploration of new technological capabilities. Based upon survey data from 769 SMEs, this study investigated relationships among exploitation and exploration strategies, the existence of R&D organization, and innovation performance. Exploration is positively related to product and process innovation performances across the industrial sectors. However, exploitation is positively related only to the process innovation performance in the traditional manufacturing sectors. The existence of R&D organizations has positive effects on the product innovation performance and not on the process innovation performance. Finally, it discusses the managerial implications, the limitations of this study and the future research directions.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.199-228
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• 2013

Globalization has been accelerated in today's business environment. In this situation, the opening of economies can be either an opportunity or a treat for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who have limited resources. Especially, managerial perception to the opening of economies carries on significant meaning because managerial perception determines future responses and strategies. Therefore, this study examined which innovation activities are related with SMEs' positive perception to the opening of economies. The activities of innovation are classified by types of generic strategy. Also, this study scrutinized the moderating effects of external search strategy and market entry strategy. In order to test hypotheses, this study analyzed data on Korean manufacturing firms collected in the Korean Innovation Survey (KIS). As a result, SMEs conducting innovation for differentiation strategy perceived the opening of economies positively. Search breadth and search depth moderated this relationship negatively and the first entry strategy moderated this relationship positively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.125-136
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• 2016

The external R&D, which includes the adoption of the external technology and knowledge in addition to the internal R&D, is one of important factors for the innovation. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the external R&D has been considered as a key factor to carry out the innovation more efficiently due to the limitations of their resources and capacities. However, most of extant studies related to external R&D have focused on analyzing the influence of external R&D on innovation outputs or outcomes. Only a few studies have explored the impact of external R&D on the innovation efficiency. This study therefore investigates whether the external R&D effects the industry's innovation efficiency and productivity. On this study, we used Korean manufacturing industry data of SMEs from 2012 to 2014 and employed a global Malmquist productivity analysis technique, which is based on the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), to assess the innovation efficiency and productivity. Innovation performances of external R&D group and internal R&D group are compared. Then, the sectoral patterns of both innovation efficiency and productivity are analyzed with respect to the technological intensity, which is introduced by OECD. The results show that the gap of innovation efficiency between external and internal R&D groups has gradually decreased because of the continuous improvement of the external R&D group's performance, while the external R&D group lag behind the internal R&D group. In addition, patterns of the innovation efficiency and productivity change were different depending on the technological intensity, which means that the higher the technological intensity, the greater the effect of external R&D.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.91-102
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• 2016

Purpose - The objectives of this study are as follows. First, it aims to suggest an analysis model that has integrated the relationship between the two factors and export performance and conduct an empirical analysis of the factors. Second, the study seeks to analyze the mediating effect by setting direct channel governance as a specific activity to connect market orientation, a cultural asset, to export performance. Third, through these analyses, the study intends to apply the relationship between market orientation and direct channel governance that the existing studies have failed to observe comprehensively on SMEs in Korea. Based on these analyses, the study expects to expand the discussion of previous researches by analyzing the mediating effect of direct channel governance. Research design, data, and methodology - This study developed a model that has integrated market orientation, direct channel governance, and export performance. It established 7 hypotheses including the mediating effect of direct channel governance. Market orientation was consisted of customer orientation and competitor orientation, and 4 latent variables were measured by 18 questions. LISREL, an analysis tool of structural equation model, was used for hypothesis test and there were 183 sample for analysis. Results - The analysis results showed that customer orientation has a positive influence on direct channel governance, but competitor orientation did not have a statistically significant effect. On the contrary, export performance showed an opposite result. That is, customer orientation did not have any influence but competitor orientation had a significant influence on export performance. It was also confirmed that there was a significant influence in the relationship between channel governance and export performance. According to the analysis of mediating effect, direct channel governance had a full mediating effect between customer orientation and export performance. Conclusions - The study results demonstrated that it is important to build a direct channel governance on the export SMEs in Korea, especially since the direct channel governance complements the influence of customer orientation that does not directly influence export performance among market orientation activities. This implies that Korean export SMEs must strive to build an effective direct channel governance.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.499-520
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• 2020

Input ratio of electricity to other production inputs in the Korean manufacturing sector has been higher than for the other OECD countries. In addition, electricity prices in Korea has been relatively lower than the average of OECD countries. Moreover, electricity sector is responsible for most CO2 emissions in Korea as coal and natural gas account 41.9% and 26.8% of electricity production as of 2018. Therefore, it looks inevitable to raise the electricity tariff for the manufacturing sector in Korea, but there is a concern that increase in the electricity tariff might affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) more than large firms. This study estimates electricity demand's price and output elasticities for large firms and SMEs in steel industry by employing a time varying parameter model (Kalman filter). The analysis shows that changes in output levels regardless of firms' size affect electricity demands more significantly than do changes in electricity prices. Second, large firms have higher variances for both price and output elasticities of electricity demand. Third, large firms have higher price elasticity but lower output elasticity of electricity demand relative to SMEs. Policy implications are suggested in association with how to reduce electricity demands in the energy-intensive industry.

• Korean small business review
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.49-75
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• 2019

Market instability offers opportunities as well as the need for careful innovation strategies and learning for a company's survival. Companies that find new opportunities decide to carry out innovation and decide on the size of their investments by considering their position in the market they are aiming for and the intensity of competition. This study was conducted to check whether obstacles to innovation face by SMEs in the manufacturing sector vary depending on the stage of corporate growth and to identify the impact of the government support system on the decision-making process on the performance of innovation. According to the analysis, there were differences in obstacles to innovation depending on the stage of corporate growth. It was found that more innovative SMEs are, more obstacles they face, and to overcome such obstacles, they try to access government support systems more. In addition, the use of a government support system eliminated obstacles to innovation, and the positive and significant effects of investing in innovation were identified. This study is meaningful in that it explicitly approached these hypotheses by applying a multistage model to the process of innovation carried out by SMEs in the manufacturing sector.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2018

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) endeavor to overcome the adverse resource conditions and secure competitive advantage through technological innovation capability. Prior studies have focused on the overall or specific dimensions of technological innovation capability, and examined their performance impact. However, there has been less scholarly attention on the dynamic characteristics such as the relative importance of technological innovation capability or its performance impact at the different growth stages of a firm. In this vein, this study investigates the relationship between SME innovation capability and innovation performance at each growth stages of a firm. Based on the empirical analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Korea, we found that all dimensions of technological innovation capability had positive effects on innovation performance. However, each dimension of technological innovation capability had different effect on innovation performance by the growth stages. The planning capability can improve innovation performance at the growth and maturity stages. Manufacturing capability can have positive effect on innovation performance at the maturity stage. Both of new product development capability and commercialization capability contribute to innovation performance at all of the growth stages. This study suggests the guidelines for enhancing technological innovation capability at the different growth stages of SMEs. It also provides policy implications for the design and operation of growth-stage specific programs. Finally, the limitations of the research and future research directions are presented.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.63-77
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• 2018

In the rapidly to change global market in recent years, as the era of merging and integrating industries and the evolution of technology have come to an era in which everything can not be solved as a single company, it is evolving into competition for the enterprise network rather than the competition for the enterprise unit. In a competitive business environment, it is necessary to provide not only for the efforts as an individual companies but also the mutual development efforts to enhance output through the innovation activities based on the interrelationship with the business partners. In spite of the recent efforts and research through core competencies and innovation activities, some of business activities were unable to achieve enough progress in business performance and this study mainly focused to improve business performance for those companies. This study targeted CEOs and Directors who participates in "manufacturing performance innovation partnership project" carried by The foundation of Large, SMEs, Agriculture, Fisheries cooperation Korea and studied the influences of innovation activities to the core competencies and business performance. Detailed variables in this study were extracted from the previous research and used for verification. The study is designed to determine the influence of individual innovation activities to the core competencies and business performance. Innovation activities as a parameter, the relationship between core competencies and business performance was examined. In the examination of the innovation activities as a meditated effect, those activities carried by SMEs (Collaboration in Technology, Manufacturing, and Management innovations with Large Scale Business) through partnership in manufacturing innovation is significantly related business performance. Therefore, the result reveals that the individual SMEs are having own limitation in the achievement of significant progress in business performance with their own capabilities, and using the innovation activities act as catalyst through the collaboration with large scale businesses would result significant progress in business performance. Mutual effort in collaborative innovation activities between large scale businesses and SMEs is one of the most critical issues in recent years in Korea and the main focus of this study is to provide analysis which demonstrates where the SMEs are required to focus in their innovation activities.