• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.61-81
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• 2007

A typical small firm in consumer goods sectors of developing countries is an OEM supplier to big MNCs. Lacking design and marketing capability, a small firm relies on the MNCs for survival but their long term growth is not guaranteed as the MNCs are always looking for, and ready to relocate to, cheaper production sites. In this light, we can say that there is something like "OEM trap" from which most firms from LDCs find difficult to move out (Lee 2005). In this situation, one way for long term growth and catch-up is to make a transition to the OBM (own brand manufacturer). But, the transition is not easy or even risky. This paper analyzes the cases of three companies in Korea to find out common features in their successful transition to OBM. They are Aurora World (a flush toy maker), Hankook Chinaware (a chinaware maker), and Hanacobi (a plastic-made food container maker with the Lock-and-Lock brand). These firms can be commonly characterized by 1) arranging access to external knowledge base and steady increase of in-house R&D efforts and capabilities leading to acquisition of formal IPRs and their management, and 2) establishment of global production networks with factories in lower-income countries as well as their own independent global marketing network.

• IE interfaces
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.471-478
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• 2000

One of the most important problems encountered by parcel transportation firms or LTL (Less-than-truckload) firms is the planning of daily linehaul operations. The transportation firm's goal is to determine the most efficient way to move all freight from its originating terminal to its destination terminal after each shipment is picked up from the shipping dock. The purpose of this study is to design a transportation system and develop an efficient scheduling algorithm for linehaul operations carrying small amount of shipment. This paper presents three approaches for efficient linehaul operations. The first approach examines drivers using the roundtrips which start from a terminal, visit several terminals, and return to the starting terminal. The second approach uses a freight assembly center where drivers take freight for a number of destination terminals which they then swap for freight for their starting terminal. The third approach is similar to the second approach in that it uses a transshipment point like a freight assembly terminal for shipment, but it has several transshipment points since each shipment may have a different transshipment point. In this study, we developed a mathematical formulation and algorithm for each approach. The experimental results using data of a LTL firm show that the third approach is more efficient than the other two. Mileage and overnight stays of the third approach are reduced by 10% and 30%, respectively.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.304-324
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• 2006

There were considerable researches by finance people trying to find out business ratios as predictors of corporate bankruptcy. However, such financial ratios usually lack theoretical justification to predict bankruptcy for technology-oriented small sized venture firms. This study proposes a bankruptcy predictive discriminant model using technology evaluation data instead of financial data, evaluates the model fit by the correct classification rate, cross-validation method and M-P-P method. The results indicate that linear discriminant model was found to be more appropriate model than the logistic discriminant model and 69% of original grouped data were correctly classified while 67% of future data were expected to be classified correctly.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.373-390
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• 2006

In knowledge-based economies, the facilitation of knowledge diffusion among R&D performing actors has become the most important factor for the growth of national science and technology. Korea has strived for revitalizing R&D partnerships between public and private sectors since 1970, but results of KIS (Korean innovation survey) data analysis show that R&D cooperation with public institute or academic sector are not a great help to Korean firm's innovation on the whole. Especially, in small and medium sized firm, R&D partnerships with public sector do not have positive influence on their innovation. This implies policies of activating R&D partnership should be formulated based on firm's cooperation demand. In addition to this, discriminatory cooperation plans between large firms and small and medium sized firms are needed to raise the effectiveness of R&D partnership.

• The Journal of Small Business Innovation
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.59-84
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• 2016

Using an international setting, this study investigates the relation between cash holdings and financial reporting quality, measured by accruals quality. Empirical results show that the balance of cash holdings is positively related to the opacity of financial reporting in non-U.S. international markets. The relation becomes stronger as the strength of investor protection increases, implying that precautionary motives, instead of agency motives, drive the increase of cash holdings of opaque firms. In addition, the positive relation is stronger for discretionary accruals quality. The decomposition of the aspects of investor protection shows that public enforcement through regulation authorities is the main driver of the positive relation between cash holdings and the opacity of financial reporting.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.107-136
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• 2014

This study aims to suggest research implications that may contribute to preventing turnover of personnel in small and medium sized software companies. A research model is developed based on the Bergiel, et al. (2009) and Woo and Hwang (2010). This model describes how human resource management (HRM) practices (compensation, recognition, job autonomy, technical capability development, work-life conflict) affect turnover intention, through the mediating effects of job satisfaction and job embeddedness. 177 questionnaires are collected and analyzed. Validity and reliability of measures, and appropriateness of the structural model are verified. Results of the hypotheses testing are somewhat different from the expected ones: Only compensation and technical capability development are significant, but the remaining variables are not significant in affecting job satisfaction and job embeddedness. As for turnover intention, job embeddedness and job satisfaction are proved to be significant predictors. From the analyses of data, subsequent interview with several respondents and additional data analyses, more research implications are derived. The study has a limitation of not including more diverse variables that might affect job embeddedness and job satisfaction of so called road warriors.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.309-316
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• 2020

This research aims to revisit the hypothesis that bribery hurts firm performance in the context of a perceptibly corrupt country. Specifically, we use micro-data from Vietnamese small and medium firm surveys in 2013 and 2015 to examine whether bribery impedes firm revenue growth and labor productivity growth. An issue arising in this type of research is the potential endogeneity between firm bribing behaviors and firm performance. To go around the issue, we follow the literature to instrument bribery variable with the average probability of bribery in other provinces. We further employ the Analysis of Variance technique (ANOVA) to unveil if the effect of bribery is dependent on bribing purposes. The regression results show that firm performance is significantly influenced by firm size, firm age and firm bribing behavior. Larger firms are more likely to grow faster while firm performance tends to be negatively related to firm age. Particularly, we find that bribery significantly impedes firm revenue growth and labor productivity growth. The analysis of variance shows that the effect of bribery on firm performance may vary across bribing purposes. Our findings, therefore, support the sand-the-wheels hypothesis that bribery hurts firm performance even in a highly corrupt business environment.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.9
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• pp.341-350
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• 2020

This study aims to verify the relationship between overseas activities and performance of Korea's SMEs during the last financial crisis. Whether overseas activity performance of enterprises differed was determined based on characteristic variables, including the degree of concentration on R&D and marketing. This study also examined how SMEs' international transactions and their performance differed based on internal variable such as the level of stock holding and firm size. This study developed a model for analyzing the relationship between the level of internationalization and performance of Koran SMEs listed in the KOSDAQ. We used firm-level data, including annual reports and various data sources such as the KISVALUE program. To smooth annual fluctuations in accounting data, we used a three-year average from 2006 to 2009 for each variable in the study. The results showed that proactive overseas activities ultimately had a positive effect on an enterprise's performance, even though it initially had a negative effect. Therefore, enterprises should focus their capacity on R&D and marketing environment. Although numerous studies have focused on the relationship between overseas activities and performance of enterprises, the present study analyzed whether enterprises should continuously engage in overseas activities and what capacities they should strengthen during a global economic recession.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.15-30
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• 2015

SMBA (Small and Medium Business Administration) and TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs) have operated the Business Innovation Platform for SME Informatization based on cloud computing technology with the cooperation of seven industry cooperatives since 2013. This project will evolve into the open market platform where service providers and users voluntarily participate and transact. This research conducts the literature review about the concept of open market and the empirical analysis through survey for the software providers and the future users regarding the future operation methods. The policy about how the open market strategy for the business innovation platform needs to be designed and implemented are organized as the three differentiated government support strategies. The first is to provide free IT services including specialized core operation support S/W which is developed only for the small or home office group of firms which lack minimal informatization capability and budget. The second is to augment IT platform service through incorporating ERP supplier initiated commercial S/W sales window for those firms having medium level informatization capability. This includes to provide IT support for customization and system integration with existing government subsidized S/W. The third is to provide upgrading services of existing S/W functions to facilitate better system utilization. The results provide useful insight for government role to enhance SME competitiveness using IT.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.159-169
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• 2003

In the 21st century, a time for smaller companies is fast approaching. A lot of people believe that the small and mid-sized companies will be a main force for industry. However, this concept could only be possible after we find some solutions for the general, labor shortage problem. Specifically, the majority of these challenges stem from improper distribution of labor within each company's divisions. These labor shortages have been influenced by a variety of exogenous (human) variables. The sources of the most serious problems come from the lack of appropriate labor and their fair wages. The work environment is also a contributing factor. These items are considered to be serious challenges to the development of smaller enterprises. The purpose of this study is to explore these difficulties. For solving the labor shortage, enterprises and government should offer employees supportive benefits. Enterprise companies should make an effort to improve their work environments. Companies should also use innovative strategies to raise labor compensation. With this in mind, smaller firms should struggle to retain their employees for an extended period of time and commit to an organizational business strategy. Governments should try to develop a higher recognition of smaller enterprises. They should create human power recruitment, development, and recourse policies as needed. Furthermore, they should manipulate existing policies to support human resource development that aids these companies to be more competitive with larger ones. Additionally, it is necessary to develop new, creative programs to help with the social recognition of smaller enterprises.