• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.129-137
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• 2018

With the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution, destructive technologies have become more frequent and companies are facing difficulties in survival with existing technologies, and companies are pursuing the survival or growth of businesses through business diversification as a countermeasure. There is a lack of research on the effects of perceived possibility of policy finance and management support, which act as a driving force of corporate growth, on firm performance. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effect of business diversification on the performance of SMEs. For this study, data were collected from 525 employees of 20 SMEs. Statistical analysis was performed using regression analysis. First, the product diversification and market diversification, which are independent variables of business diversification of SMEs, have a positive (+) influence on firm performance. Second, it is shown that product diversification, which is an independent variable, is controlled by the possibility of perceiving as a controlling variable in the effect of product diversification, which is a dependent variable, while market diversification during business diversification is not controlled by perception appear. This analysis suggests that SMEs need product diversification to create corporate performance. After discussing the above conclusions and implications, the direction of the research for the follow - up study was suggested.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.105-121
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• 2011

Objectives: This paper presents the framework and protocol design for a construction industry risk management toolbox. The construction industry needs a comprehensive, systematic approach to assess and control occupational risks. These risks span several professional health and safety disciplines, emphasized by multiple international occupational research agenda projects including: falls, electrocution, noise, silica, welding fumes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the International Social Security Association says, "whereas progress has been made in safety and health, the construction industry is still a high risk sector." Methods: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ about 80% of the world's construction workers. In recent years a strategy for qualitative occupational risk management, known as Control Banding (CB) has gained international attention as a simplified approach for reducing work-related risks. CB groups hazards into stratified risk 'bands', identifying commensurate controls to reduce the level of risk and promote worker health and safety. We review these qualitative solutions-based approaches and identify strengths and weaknesses toward designing a simplified CB 'toolbox' approach for use by SMEs in construction trades. Results: This toolbox design proposal includes international input on multidisciplinary approaches for performing a qualitative risk assessment determining a risk 'band' for a given project. Risk bands are used to identify the appropriate level of training to oversee construction work, leading to commensurate and appropriate control methods to perform the work safely. Conclusion: The Construction Toolbox presents a review-generated format to harness multiple solutions-based national programs and publications for controlling construction-related risks with simplified approaches across the occupational safety, health and hygiene professions.

• 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 Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.179-198
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• 2023

Purpose - There is a paucity of literature dealing with exporters' compliance issues in e-commerce exports. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by exploring customs initiatives to facilitate the e-commerce exports of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the changed compliance environment. The central question of this study was divided into five subquestions: first regarding the pros and cons of trade facilitation measures for Korean e-commerce export clearance; second and third questions about risk and compliance management for facilitation fourth about instruments, the changes in Korean SME compliance burden in e-commerce exports, and ways to improve trade facilitation for e-commerce exports. Design/methodology - This study adopts a qualitative approach using a case study method to understand the SME experience in Korean e-commerce export compliance procedures. A qualitative method was selected to answer research questions requiring an in-depth understanding of the regulatory procedures of customs administration and exporters' compliance burden. Because this study addresses the changing compliance environment for which statistical data is insufficient, a quantitative method is considered inappropriate. Based on the approach, data were collected using multiple sources, including an extensive literature review, interviews, and field observations. Thematic pattern matching was applied to interpret the data. Findings - This study examined ways to support SMEs in the changed e-commerce export compliance environment. Facilitation measures for e-commerce exports have contributed to SME access to global markets, simplifying export clearance procedures, and saving exporters' compliance costs. However, such instruments are limited in promoting SME compliance capabilities to cope with intensified competition and strengthened controls over foreign exporters in cross-border e-commerce. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of reshaping facilitation measures for e-commerce exports based on risk and compliance management theories to a system encouraging exporters' voluntary compliance. Originality/value - This study's academic significance derives from verifying the relationship between trade facilitation instruments and risk and compliance management procedures using an actual case in Korea. It is also of practical importance in navigating the directions for improving facilitation measures for e-commerce exports in a changed compliance environment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

As markets and industries continue to evolve rapidly, technology opportunity discovery (TOD) has become critical to a firm's survival. From a common consensus that TOD based on a firm's capabilities is a valuable method for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and reduces the risk of failure in technology development, studies for TOD based on a firm's capabilities have been actively conducted. However, previous studies mainly focused on a firm's technological capabilities and rarely on business capabilities. Since discovered technologies can create market value when utilized in a firm's business, a firm's current business capabilities should be considered in discovering technology opportunities. In this context, this study proposes a TOD method that considers both a firm's business and technological capabilities. To this end, this study uses patent data, which represents the firm's technological capabilities, and trademark data, which represents the firm's business capabilities. The proposed method comprises four steps: 1) Constructing firm technology and business capability matrices using patent classification codes and trademark similarity group codes; 2) Transforming the capability matrices to preference matrices using the fuzzy function; 3) Identifying a target firm's candidate technology opportunities using the collaborative filtering algorithm; 4) Recommending technology opportunities using a portfolio map constructed based on technology similarity and applicability indices. A case study is conducted on a security firm to determine the validity of the proposed method. The proposed method can assist SMEs that face resource constraints in identifying technology opportunities. Further, it can be used by firms that do not possess patents since the proposed method uncovers technology opportunities based on business capabilities.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.1015-1024
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• 2020

This inductive study seeks to establish a conceptual background for theoretical development regarding talent misuse in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The two objectives for the goal were (1) to explore and build a list of unethical treatment practiced on young talents; (2) to establish new framework for the special context or refining the existing framework on employee mistreatment. For the first goal, an attempt was made to develop a list of mistreating behavior by collecting and analyzing cases of ethical disputes. Analyses on 64 cases of talent mistreatment, namely 'passion pay', was conducted to present a conceptual ground for further investigation. Then, for the second objective, this study has proposed an integrative approach for assessing these ethical elements. The ethical implications were discussed based on an assessment conducted using three theories of ethics. Finally, a cluster analysis further shows the emergence of three groups based on the mistreating behaviors. We observed seven different mistreatment behaviors under four categories of mistreatment practices. Additionally, the cluster analysis results imply that talent mistreatment may be rooted in work characteristics. Organizational size may provide some contextual reasoning, but the extent to which this factor interacts with work characteristics left unclear.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 2022

Purpose - This study investigates the effects of going public on the innovation of KOSDAQ firms. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses firms that go public from 2007 to 2011 in Korea. We compare a firm's innovation performance over five years before and after IPO. Findings - We find that firm's innovation declines after an IPO. After going public, both the quality and the quantity of patents are decreased. However, this decrease is alleviated in high-tech industries or concentrated industries where innovation is expected to be more valuable. When comparing firms with venture capital(VC), which are more likely to window dress, to firms without VC, VC backing has no meaningful impact on changes of innovation. Research implications or Originality - As the KOSDAQ market was established to provide small and medium enterprises(SMEs) with funds for firm's investments and growth, it is necessary to verify whether the capital raised at the IPO encourages innovation. Thus, our study contributes to the literature by examining empirically whether an IPO boosts a firm's innovation.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.221-234
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• 2015

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the differences between successful SMEs in Korea and German hidden champions, with respect to both strategic importance and performance of major competitive dimensions, and mode of technology development. Data were collected through survey and public databases, and the sample comprises successful SMEs located in regional area in Korea. The results show that Korean hidden champions are relatively low regarding specialization of business domain and globalization while German hidden champions have positioned in global niche market. It is also found that local firms utilize technology alliances actively for technology development while German hidden champions rely heavily on internal R&D as a primary source of innovation. Based upon these results, policy directions for fostering local hidden champions were suggested.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.110-122
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• 2024

This study aims to cultivate specialized professionals equipped with practical skills essential for compliance with textile environmental regulations and analysis of harmful substances. This is achieved through the revision and restructuring of educational programs targeting workers in the chemical analysis industry. To address this, a survey was conducted among chemical industry workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to gauge the demand for educational programs. Specifically, a survey was conducted among 240 SME workers who participated in the 2022 education curriculum to identify their educational needs and specific requirements in the field. The research findings indicate that the majority of SMEs recognize the necessity of education in the chemical field and express a strong willingness to engage in the curriculum. Particularly emphasized was the need to enhance practical skills crucial for compliance with chemical environmental regulations. Consequently, adjustments were made to the curriculum, reallocating time and increasing the duration of practical training. This enables trainees to directly operate analysis machines and interpret results. Additionally, in response to further educational demands reflected by survey participants, the curriculum was expanded from five to six courses, with adjustments made to existing educational programs. Based on these research outcomes, practical educational methods tailored to SME requirements are proposed, aiming to bridge the gap between regulatory compliance and industry needs.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.14 no.spc
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• pp.1187-1208
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• 2011

This research aims to propose a systematic approach to identify emerging technology-product portfolio for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Firstly, operational definition of emerging technology for SMEs is presented. Secondly, research framework is suggested and case study to show usefulness of the newly proposed framwork is analyzed. In detail, reference patent set which represent company's capabilities and business area are constructed. The research constructs patent data set for bibliometric analysis using reference patent set and citing patents to 2nd level. Clustering (expert judgement) and keyword based bibliometric approach are used. Then, cluster activity index (AI) and relevance index (RI) comparing with reference patent set are estimated. With emerging technology-product portfolio using AI and RI, a firm can identify emerging technology-product area and monitoring area.