• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.77-92
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of CEO's entrepreneurial orientation on innovation performance and business performance, and the mediating effect of innovation performance on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance in small and medium-sized venture-enterprises (SMEs). To test the hypothesized relationships, we have conducted a survey of Korean SMEs. After excluding unanswered and untrustful item questionnaires, the final sample size for this study is 110 SMEs. The major findings of the empirical research are as follows. First, CEO's entrepreneurial orientation had apositive influence on innovation performance of a firm. Second, CEO's entrepreneurial orientation was positively related to business performance of a firm. Third, innovation performance had the partial mediating effect on the relationship between CEO's entrepreneurial orientation and business performance of a firm. That is, this result indicates that CEO's entrepreneurial orientation indirectly effects on business performance through innovation performance. Based on these findings, implications of the research findings are discussed, and recommendation for future research are provided.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.9
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• pp.593-602
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the effect of human capital supply chain on the firm performance mediated by innovation culture and innovation process on small- and medium-sized construction enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia. A survey has been distributed to all construction SMEs that have direct involvement in construction work (contractors and subcontractors). The construction SMEs including medium- and small-scale construction services in three Provinces, namely, the special region of Yogyakarta, East Java, and Central Java. Through purposive sampling technique, primary data is collected by giving a questionnaire to the owner/manager of construction SMEs. The target sample in this study was 200 respondents who have been operating for a minimum of two years. 154 valid questionnaires could be processed. Data analysis uses structural equation modeling with AMOS 24. The results of the study conclude that there is a positive effect on human capital supply chain on firm performance mediated by innovation culture and innovation process, while innovation culture does not affect firm performance. In sum, the innovation culture mediates the relationship between human capital supply chain and firm performance, and the innovation process mediates the relationship between human capital supply chain and firm performance.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.345-356
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• 2013

The purpose of this study includes: the relationships between corporate entrepreneurship(innovation, proactiveness, risk-taking) and firm performance(non-financial performance, financial performance) and the mediating effect of the self-efficacy on the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance. In order to verify the relationships and mediating effect, data were collected from 368 individuals in employees working in small and medium-sized firms at Gyeongnam region to test theoretical model and its hypotheses. All data collected from the survey were analyzed using with SPSS 18.0. This study reports findings as follows: first, the relationship between the corporate entrepreneurship(except innovation) and the employee's self-efficacy is positively related. Second, there was also a positive correlation between the employee's self-efficacy and firm performance. Third, the relationship between the corporate entrepreneurship and the non-financial performance is positively related. The relationship between the corporate entrepreneurship(except innovation) and the financial performance is positively related. Finally, the employee's self-efficacy played as a partial mediator on the relationship between risk-taking and firm performance. The employee's self-efficacy played as a fully mediator on the relationship between proactiveness and non-financial performance. The employee's self-efficacy played as a partial mediator on the relationship between proactiveness and financial performance. However, there was no empirical evidence for the mediating effect of employee's self-efficacy on the relationship innovation and firm performance. Based on these findings, the implications and the limitations of the study were presented including some directions for future studies.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.65-91
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• 2016

Although the success of industrial clusters largely depends on whether clustering firms can achieve economic performance, there has been less attention on investigating factors and conditions contributing to the performance enhancement for clustering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Along this vein, we adopt the theories of social capital and organizational learning as those success factors for clustering SMEs. This study thus aims at examining what effect social capital accrued in the relationships among actors within clusters has on firm performance of clustering SMEs and what role organizational learning plays in the linkage between social capital and firm performance. For the empirical analysis, we operationalized the variables and their measures to develop questionnaires through the theoretical reviews on literatures. As a sample of 227 clustering SMEs, our collected data was analyzed by hierarchical regression analysis. The results confirmed that a high level of social capital, represented by network, trust, and norm, has positive effect on firm performance of clustering SMEs. We also found that clustering firms presenting high organizational learning, represented by absorptive and transformative capability, achieve better performance than those placing less value on organizational learning. Furthermore the significant relationship between social capital and firm performance is mediated partially through organizational learning. These findings imply not only that the territorial agglomeration of industrial cluster does not guarantee the performance creation of clustering SMEs but that they need to develop social capital among various actors within clusters, facilitating their knowledge diffusion. In order to absorb and mobilize the shared knowledge and information into strategic resources, the firms should improve their capability associated with organizational learning. These expand our understanding on the importance of social capital and organizational learning for the performance enhancement of clustering firms. Differentiating from major studies addressing benefits and advantages of industrial cluster, this study based on the perspective of firm-internal business process contributes to the literature advancement. Strategic and policy implications of this study are discussed in detail.

• 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.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.329-338
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• 2021

The mobile payment system has not only changed the payment pattern but also has improved the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals' quality of life by saving their energy, reducing the risk of taking cash, and enabling them to give more time to businesses and do international business. Besides, with the current advancement in the Internet as well as the digital transformation, SMEs are being forced to adopt mobile payment systems (MPS). The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of technological-organizational-environmental (TOE) determinants on the adoption of MPS and its impact on SMEs' firm performance operating in Ghana. This research employed a closed-ended questionnaire to collect data from January 2020 - April 2020. This study used a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach using SmartPLS 3.0 for path analysis of 145 responses. The findings of the study include the statistically significant effects of technological (relative advantage and compatibility), organizational (top management support and employees' readiness), and environmental (social influence and competitive pressure) factors on the adoption of MPS. Furthermore, this study also proved the positive and statistically significant effect of MPS on SMEs' performance. This study demonstrated that the TOE factor explains 70% variations in the adoption of MPS.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.149-172
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• 2009

Service industries nowadays have become the subject of a scientific research. However, unlike research on manufacturing, there has not yet been a broader presentation of important aspects theoretically and methodologically. The importance of service sector in both national and global economies has grown significantly. An active participation of service industries in the internationalization process, notably by licensing and FDI, has occurred over time. But a few sub-sectors still dominate on this process, for example, financial institutions such as banks, securities, and insurance as well as producer services in advertising and accounting. On the other hand, personal services that are owned by small- and medium- sized firm have limited capabilities in their transnational transfer. This paper attempts to examine various factors influencing decisions for these small- and medium- sized Korean beauty firms in entering to the foreign markets. Determining factors for these firms in the engagement of internationalization depends largely on competitive advantages in both domestic and host countries, and they may be different from those in the sub-sectors mentioned above. Based on previous researches, i identified three categories of independent variables(characteristics of firms, managers, and competition) that can influence decisions to enter to the foreign markets. Seven hypotheses have been tested by using a sample of beauty firms in Daegu city and Kyungbuk province. The results show that the intention of these firms to enter to the foreign markets is significantly influenced by the factors of the innovative character of CEO's, the competitiveness of firms, and size of firms.

• Journal of East Asia Management
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.29-49
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• 2020

In an intensively competitive global market, small-and medium-sized firms are puzzled about how to develop sustainable competitive advantages against global rivalries, thus leading satisfactory economic performance. However, despite the roles and contributions of such small-and medium-sized firms in the local community and national economies in Japan, little guidance has been offered to the practical issues related to their strategic behaviors toward global management. To fill this notable knowledge gap, this study aims to investigate the conditions in which how Japanese small-and medium-sized could dominates global market, which is one of key challenges in the literature of small business and entrepreneurship. To obtain better insights to this research area, this study undertakes an in-depth interview survey with I.S.T (Industrial Summit Technology) Corporation that shows off the highest global market share (40 per cent) with seamless polyimide tube product widely used in office automation equipment (e.g., copiers and printers). This method of survey is designed to deeply understand historical considerations about how I.S.T Corporation could dominate in the global market of such seamless polyimide tube product. Based on findings drawn from an interview, this study identifies five major factors enabling I.S.T Corporation to be a competitive global hidden company: vision sharing through founder's entrepreneurship, core competence, strategic network, risk management, and employee engagement. Specifically, to become a global hidden champion, sharing the vision motivating employees to partake in shaping company's future will be the first step on the road to global success through founder's entrepreneurship. However, in order to achieve such a vision, the importance of company's core competence cannot be overemphasized, which differentiates your customer solution with those of competitors. As such, a group of experts will be naturally formed and demonstrates your expertise in the global market, thereby building sustainable competitiveness. On the other hand, to maintain sustainable competitiveness, it is necessary to make up for the weaknesses small-and medium-sized firms suffer from competitive resources while strengthening their own strengths through strategic networks with external organizations. Here, every company has to understand the critical role of risk management, which is essential in this process of being global company so as not to lose your own strengths. Last but not least, do not forget the significant effects of employee engagement in firm performance. To enhance employees' engagement, a company has to create an ideal organization culture which fits into company's history and personality. In doing so, such organization culture can allow the vision and strategy to be implemented into detailed business tactics while facilitating employees to challenge the status quo by experimenting with creative ideas.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2022

The paper aims to examine the impact of exports on the growth of Vietnamese manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by exploring the information of 36,053 enterprises across 24 manufacturing sectors from the Vietnam Annual Enterprise Survey (VAES) in the period 2014-2019. To deal with the problem of variable variance, autocorrelation, and endogeneity of the model, the paper uses the OLS regression method with a strong standard error method and system GMM. Export participation by SMEs is positively associated with business growth in terms of sales and total assets, according to the findings. The GMM estimate shows that the rate of sales growth among exporters is 36.5 percent greater than that of non-exporting enterprises in the case of the sales growth measure. Exporters' average total asset growth rate is 19% greater than the rate estimated for non-exporting businesses. The study's findings indicate the need of adopting policies that promote SMEs in transition economies like Vietnam to engage in exporting activities. Furthermore, the findings show that financial assistance and suitable ownership would enable SMEs to take advantage of export opportunities to increase sales and total assets.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.135-146
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• 2022

A safe working environment is an important and crucial factor in the operation of a firm, and is also essential for logistics companies in supply chain management. This study confirmed that the safety climate and safety prevention activities have a positive relationship with safety behavior from the perspective of domestic small and medium-sized logistics companies that continue their business relationships by signing contracts with large logistics companies. In addition, the moderating role of regulatory uncertainty and competition uncertainty in the previous positive relationship was empirically examined.