• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.113-129
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• 2024

Purpose - This study aims to empirically identify the quantitative effects of work from home (WFH) on employee productivity using field data. Design/methodology/approach - Based on large-scale field data from a South Korean company which introduced the WFH arrangement in 2020, we conducted fixed effect and moderating effect analyses using individual-level panel data over sixty-three weeks. Findings - The empirical analysis generated several findings. It was found that overall, WFH has a positive effect on productivity. However, the productivity impact of WFH was found to vary depending on task characteristics. Specifically, WFH led to over 20% increase in productivity for simple and repetitive tasks. On the other hand, no significant productivity impact was observed for professional and knowledge-based tasks. Research implications or Originality - As the first study based on field data from South Korea, this study offers convincing causal evidence of the moderating impact of task characteristics on the relationship between WFH and productivity. Further, the above findings provide managers with practical insights concerning their work arrangement decisions.

• Economic Analysis
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.30-69
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• 2019

This paper analyzes the effects of trade on demand for labor of trading firms in Korea. We apply system GMM methodology to estimate the effects of imports and exports on employment of Korean manufacturing firms using firm-level data from the Survey of Business Activities of Statistics Korea between 2006 and 2014. According to our estimated results, for firms with high-productivity, exports have a positive and significant effect on the labor demand, while other firms do not show any such significant effects. Furthermore, our results show that offshoring mitigates the positive effects of exports on employment, since tasks within the firms can be relocated abroad. On the other hand, an increase in imports reduces demand for labor because labor is replaced with low-priced imported inputs. Also, when firms partake in global outsourcing, the negative effects of imports are mitigated as those firms expand their production by enhancing their efficiency in the process of offshoring. Therefore, our results suggest that it is important to consider heterogeneous firm productivity as well as offshoring in analyzing the effect of trade on labor demand of firms.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2012.04a
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• pp.269-275
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• 2012

This study contain below two contents. First, this study analyse an effect of consciousness of the quality cost for quality cost activity. Second, this study analyse an effect of quality cost activity for productivity improvement. The empirical result of this study is meaning that quality cost consciousness effects productivity improvement by quality cost activity. Therefore, this paper emphasize consciousness of quality cost for productivity improvement.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2017

Background: Job stress and job satisfaction are important factors affecting workforce productivity. This study was carried out to investigate the job stress, job satisfaction, and workforce productivity levels, to examine the effects of job stress and job satisfaction on workforce productivity, and to identify factors associated with productivity decrement among employees of an Iranian petrochemical industry. Methods: In this study, 125 randomly selected employees of an Iranian petrochemical company participated. The data were collected using the demographic questionnaire, Osipow occupational stress questionnaire to investigate the level of job stress, Job Descriptive Index to examine job satisfaction, and Hersey and Goldsmith questionnaire to investigate productivity in the study population. Results: The levels of employees' perceived job stress and job satisfaction were moderate-high and moderate, respectively. Also, their productivity was evaluated as moderate. Although the relationship between job stress and productivity indices was not statistically significant, the positive correlation between job satisfaction and productivity indices was statistically significant. The regression modeling demonstrated that productivity was significantly associated with shift schedule, the second and the third dimensions of job stress (role insufficiency and role ambiguity), and the second dimension of job satisfaction (supervision). Conclusion: Corrective measures are necessary to improve the shift work system. "Role insufficiency" and "role ambiguity" should be improved and supervisor support must be increased to reduce job stress and increase job satisfaction and productivity.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.348-354
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• 2017

Agroforestry has been practiced in arid and semi-arid regions for the purposes of preventing desertification and to increase income for locals. However, the intended effects of such practices have been limited due to strong winds and aridity. This study undertook multi-year monitoring of the productivity of income crops associated with windbreak planting in a semi-arid region of Mongolia, and explored strategies of windbreak planning to enhance the multi-purpose effects of agroforestry practices. The tree crown density of windbreak planting was on average 40% in one year after planting and 65% 2-3 years after, and thereby windspeeds were reduced by about 30% and 54%, respectively. Average windspeed reductions at leeward distances from the windbreak planting were approximately 60% within 3H (H=tree height), 50% at 5H, and 42% at 7-9H, presenting a pattern in which the farther the distance the less the reduction in windspeeds. The windbreak planting increased crop productivity by up to 6.8 times, compared to the productivity absent of windbreaks. Increases in the crown density as stated above resulted in increases of crop productivity by up to 3.6 times. Based on such results, this study proposed a model of windbreak planning as a typical land-use system of border windbreak planting or alternate windbreak planting of combining trees and income crops. The model also included tree planting with a crown density of 60% and allocation of income crops within a leeward distance of 5 times the height of the trees to reduce windspeeds by about 50%. The results from this study are applicable to practicing agroforestry not only at the study site but also in other regions worldwide where strong winds and aridity are problematic.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.259-274
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• 2007

The paradigm of the global logistics network has been rapidly changing from traditional concept of productivity in cost terms, toward the new characteristics of innovative productivity in terms of economies of scale, economies of scope, and economies of network. As the ship or airplane becomes larger and speedier, the less logistics hub required. The more diverse logistics parties integrate each other horizontally or vertically, the higher synergy effects they get. The more systematic concurrent engineering available for global supply chain management such as Korean manufacturers in China, the higher productivity they get. The paper analyzes these three paradigms of logistics into the application for the Korean manufacturers in China and concludes that the Korean government, the companies in China should be more focused on the governance of the logistics and the intermediary such as the 4th party logistics(4PL) is definitely developed its role and functions based on three paradigms above mentioned.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.103-109
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• 2001

Productivity enhancement program of wind tunnel testing has begun at Korea Aerospace Research Institute Low Speed Wind Tunnel (KARI LSWT). A previous test record of a canard airplane model was adopted to examine the current status of wind tunnel testing efficiency. The time consumed to perform testing activities from the model preparation to data collection was broken down and the results were compared with those of the recent Boeing low speed test result. The efforts to improve the wind tunnel productivity consisted of the installation of mini crane underneath of test section, fabricating lift device for image fairings, model configuration changing rigs and the modifications of external balance system. Time reductions for changing strut interface platform and installation of image fairings. These effects showed more than 70% improvement over the previous test time. Integration of the new and modified systems will improve productivity of wind tunnel testing in KARI LSWT.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.179-184
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• 2011

This study contain below two contents. First, this study analyse an effect of consciousness of the quality cost for quality cost activity. Second, this study analyse an effect of quality cost activity for productivity improvement. The empirical result of this study is meaning that quality cost consciousness effects productivity improvement by quality cost activity. Therefore, this paper emphasize consciousness of quality cost for productivity improvement.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.80-95
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• 2012

Few studies have focused on the impact of R&D outsourcing on technological innovation and productivity despite the increased importance of R&D outsourcing. This study analyzes the productivity effects of investment in R&D outsourcing with a sample of Korean manufacturing industries from 2001 to 2009. The estimation results show a nonlinear U-shaped relationship between productivity and the share of R&D outsourcing capital for total R&D capital. This implies that the cost of R&D outsourcing outweighs its benefits in the early stages of R&D outsourcing. The U-shaped relationship is particularly pronounced in high-technology industries.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.88-107
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• 2021

Purpose - Using a model that highlights Ricardian comparative advantage and Cournot competition, I derive theoretical predictions on how bilateral measures of trade intensity, specialization, and intra-industry are interrelated, and how Ricardian productivity differences affect these measures. We test the predictions using trade and production data, and confirm them. Design/methodology - A simple two-country general equilibrium model is constructed to derive theory-based bilateral indexes. We then test the relationships among them using panel data for 35 countries and 14 industries between 1996 and 2008. Findings - Bilateral trade intensity is increasing in specialization, as in the classical trade theory, and in intra-industry trade, as in the new trade theory. However, productivity differences positively affect specialization, and negatively affect intra-industry trade. These effects cancel each other; thus productivity differences have little impact on trade intensity. Originality/value - This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding the relationship among trade intensity, specialization, intra-industry trade, and productivity differences. We derive theory-consistent measures of specialization, intra-industry trade, and productivity differences. Moreover, we reevaluate the empirical relevance of these variables for the study of gravity equations. This paper is also an effort to capture oligopolistic competition in a general equilibrium framework, interests in which recently resurged.