• Title/Summary/Keyword: financial stability

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The 'Authentic' Pleasures of Engineering Students (공대생의 '진정'한 즐거움: 과학기술특성화 대학 학생들의 서사적 정체성과 가치 체계에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Hyomin;Cho, Heesoo
    • Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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    • v.17 no.2
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    • pp.113-171
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    • 2017
  • Science and engineering college students, so-called engineering students, account for nearly half of Korean university students. Existing research on younger generations poses a question of young generation after the financial crisis as a 'genuine' survivalist who carries out 'passionate labor' to pursue 'ordinary life' and 'banal stability'. They are diagnosed as failing to "locate the course of their lives in relation to a larger being that transcends self". But is there a value that can replace the survival value in front of us today, which is possible to be practiced and narrated by the young generation of Korea, especially the engineering students? What value (if any) is not captured by survival value, and what mechanisms and processes can and can easily be used by engineering students? Our research uses interviews conducted at one research-centered science and engineering university in a local metropolitan city, Korea. In conclusion, we emphasize that a transformed version of developmental nationalism, in which individual scientists/engineers pursue their 'authentic' passion and unintentionally contribute to the development of the nation through byproducts of their research, exerts strong influence upon the formation of young engineering students' narratives linking their selfhood and the good.

E-Governance Practices in Developing Countries. Its Benefits and Challenges. -The Case of Pakistan- (개발도상국의 전자정부 시행에 따른 장점과 문제 -파키스탄 중심으로-)

  • Aftab, Muhammad
    • Industry Promotion Research
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.79-86
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    • 2019
  • The quality of service delivery by governments to their citizens is a subject of concern in the contemporary society. E-governance is a critical aspect that is transforming government operation and service delivery to citizens and other bodies through application of information technology. This research explores the state of e-governing focusing on nations that are developing with special attention to Pakistan. The difficulties and benefits encountered are identified. The results are vital for implementers of e-governing systems in these countries. The methodology applied entails a secondary research that involves analysis and synthesis of literature relating the research topic. The results reveal that Pakistan has made incredible steps in setting up e-governance systems with growth in internet use and access of data from a digital platform. The findings reveal that e-government is associated with multiple benefits including enhanced quality of services, cost efficiency in service provision, enhance transparency and elimination of corruption, provide the basis for eradication of poverty, boost economic stability of a country, and provide room for direct democracy. The research also found that developing countries experience challenges in form of financial constraints, poor ICT infrastructure, illiteracy on e-government, political consensus constraints, legal obstacles, social and cultural constraints. E-government has the capability to transform the quality of governance provided by governments, and policymakers and implementers should address the constraints that act as a hindrance to its implementation.

A Study on the Stationary State of Military Pension using Markov Chains (마코프 체인을 이용한 군인연금 안정상태에 관한 연구)

  • Bae, Young-Min
    • Journal of Digital Convergence
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.61-69
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    • 2021
  • The military pension deficit is increasing due to an increase in the average life expectancy and pension option rate, and a significant reason for this is estimated to be a continued increase in the number of military pension recipients. In terms of the soundness of military pension finances, this paper uses the Markov chain model to validate the stability of the military group, suggesting the direction of future military pension system in terms of the ratio of pension receipts to employees, and verifying the feasibility of the method applied through verification. Through this paper, we have confirmed that the initial 45,270 military personnel converge to 43,141 after a certain period of time and reach a stable state, which is expected to help us to estimate the long term size of military pension recipients to confirm the direction of national financial support. Military man who are eligible for pensions for more than 20 years have a relatively low rate of turnover or retirement compared to ordinary private groups, making it easier to define their status and simplify state transition probabilities. Therefore, it is expected that the sustainability of the military pension will be confirmed from a long term perspective by viewing the military group as a system and applying it to the Markov chain model by checking the probability of transfer of status such as promotion, maintaining the current grade, and retirement during the period.

A New Phase of China's Development Against the Background of "Trade War" with the US: View from Russia (Вступление Китая в новую фазу развития на фоне "торговой войны" с США: взгляд из России)

  • Lukonin, Sergey;Ignatev, Sergei
    • Analyses & Alternatives
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.111-141
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    • 2018
  • By the middle of 2018 there are signs of China's entry into a new period of development, characterized by a change in the old model: "market reforms-inner-party democratization - moderate foreign policy" to another: "market reforms - Xi Jinping personality cult - offensive foreign policy." This model contains the risks of arising of the contradiction between economic freedom and political-ideological rigidity which can lead to destabilization of the political life. However, in the current positive economic dynamics, these risks may come out, rather, in the medium and long term. Today, the political situation in China remains stable - despite growing dissatisfaction in scientific expert and educational circles due to increased control over the intellectual sphere by the authorities. The need for a new redistribution of power between central and provincial authorities could potentially disrupt political stability in the medium term, but, at the moment, is not a critical negative factor. The economic situation is positive-stable. Forecasts indicate a possible increase in China's GDP in 2018 at 6.5%. At the same time, there are negative expectations in connection with the Sino-US and potentially Sino-European "trade war". In the Chinese foreign policy, as a response to Western pressure, China increasingly uses the Russian direction of its diplomacy in the expanded version of Russia + SCO. The nuance here is seen in China's adjusted approach to the SCO: first of all, not as a mechanism for cooperation with Russia, but as an organization that allows using Russia's potential for pressure on the US in the Sino-US strategic rivalry. In the second half of 2018, the Chinese economy will continue to develop steadily, albeit with unresolved traditional problems (debts of provinces and state-owned enterprises, ineffective state sector, risks on the financial and real estate market). In politics, discontent with the cult of Xi will accumulate, but without real threats to its power. Weakening in economic opposition between China and the United States is possible due to Beijing's search for compromises on tariffs, intellectual property, trade deficit. To find such trade-offs, Xi will use the so-called. "Personal diplomacy" of direct contacts with Trump.

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Optimal Asset Allocation for National Pension Considering Cohort-Specific Internal Rates of Return (코호트별 내부수익률을 고려한 국민연금 적정 자산배분)

  • Dong-Hwa Lee;Daehwan Kim
    • Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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    • v.32 no.4
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    • pp.69-76
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    • 2023
  • To improve the financial stability of the National Pension, an appropriate target rate of return should be established based on pension liabilities, and asset allocation policies should be formulated accordingly. The purpose of this study is to calculate the target rate of return considering the contributions of subscribers and the pension benefits, and based on this, derive an asset allocation. To do this, we utilized the internal rate of return methodology to calculate the target rate of return for each cohort. And then, we employed a Monte Carlo simulation-based re-sampling mean-variance model to derive asset allocation for each cohort that satisfy the target rate of return while minimizing risks. Our result shows that the target rate of return for each cohort ranged from 6.4% to 6.85%, and it decreased as the generations advanced due to a decrease in the income replacement rate of the National Pension. Consequently, the allocation of risky assets, such as stocks, was relatively reduced in the portfolios of future generations. This study holds significance in that it departs from the macroeconomic-based asset allocation methodology and proposes investments from an asset-liability management perspective, which considers the characteristics of subscribers' liabilities.

Why Culture Matters: A New Investment Paradigm for Early-stage Startups (조직문화의 중요성: 초기 스타트업에 대한 투자 패러다임의 전환)

  • Daehwa Rayer Lee
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 2024
  • In the midst of the current turbulent global economy, traditional investment metrics are undergoing a metamorphosis, signaling the onset of what's often referred to as an "Investment cold season". Early-stage startups, despite their boundless potential, grapple with immediate revenue constraints, intensifying their pursuit of critical investments. While financial indicators once took center stage in investment evaluations, a notable paradigm shift is underway. Organizational culture, once relegated to the sidelines, has now emerged as a linchpin in forecasting a startup's resilience and enduring trajectory. Our comprehensive research, integrating insights from CVF and OCAI, unveils the intricate relationship between organizational culture and its magnetic appeal to investors. The results indicate that startups with a pronounced external focus, expertly balanced with flexibility and stability, hold particular allure for investment consideration. Furthermore, the study underscores the pivotal role of adhocracy and market-driven mindsets in shaping investment desirability. A significant observation emerges from the study: startups, whether they secured investment or failed to do so, consistently display strong clan culture, highlighting the widespread importance of nurturing a positive employee environment. Leadership deeply anchored in market culture, combined with an unwavering commitment to innovation and harmonious organizational practices, emerges as a potent recipe for attracting investor attention. Our model, with an impressive 88.3% predictive accuracy, serves as a guiding light for startups and astute investors, illuminating the intricate interplay of culture and investment success in today's economic landscape.

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Patent Production and Technological Performance of Korean Firms: The Role of Corporate Innovation Strategies (특허생산과 기술성과: 기업 혁신전략의 역할)

  • Lee, Jukwan;Jung, Jin Hwa
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.149-175
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    • 2014
  • This study analyzed the effect of corporate innovation strategies on patent production and ultimately on technological change and new product development of firms in South Korea. The intent was to derive efficient strategies for enhancing technological performance of the firms. For the empirical analysis, three sources of data were combined: four waves of the Human Capital Corporate Panel Survey (HCCP) data collected by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), corporate financial data obtained from the Korea Information Service (KIS), and corporate patent data provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). The patent production function was estimated by zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression. The technological performance function was estimated by two-stage regression, taking into account the endogeneity of patent production. An ordered logit model was applied for the second stage regression. Empirical results confirmed the critical role of corporate innovation strategies in patent production and in facilitating technological change and new product development of the firms. In patent production, the firms' R&D investment and human resources were key determinants. Higher R&D intensity led to more patents, yet with decreasing marginal productivity. A larger stock of registered patents also led to a larger flow of new patent production. Firms were more prolific in patent production when they had high-quality personnel, intensely investing in human resource development, and adopting market-leading or fast-follower strategy as compared to stability strategy. In technological performance, the firms' human resources played a key role in accelerating technological change and new product development. R&D intensity expedited new product development of the firm. Firms adopting market-leading or fast-follower strategy were at an advantage than those with stability strategy in technological performance. Firms prolific in patent production were also advanced in terms of technological change and new product development. However, the nexus between patent production and technological performance measures was substantially reduced when controlling for the endogeneity of patent production. These results suggest that firms need to strengthen the linkage between patent production and technological performance, and take strategies that address each firm's capacities and needs.

Determination of methamphetamine, 4-hydroxymethamphetamine, amphetamine and 4-hydroxyamphetamine in urine using dilute-and-shoot liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (시료 희석 주입 LC-MS/MS를 이용한 소변 중 메스암페타민, 4-하이드록시메스암페타민, 암페타민 및 4-하이드록시암페타민 동시 분석)

  • Heo, Bo-Reum;Kwon, NamHee;Kim, Jin Young
    • Analytical Science and Technology
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.161-170
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    • 2018
  • The epidemic of disorders associated with synthetic stimulants, such as methamphetamine (MA) and amphetamine (AP), is a health, social, legal, and financial problem. Owing to the high potential of their abuse and addiction, reliable analytical methods are required to detect and identify MA, AP, and their metabolites in biological samples. Thus, a dilute-and-shoot liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for simultaneous determination of MA, 4-hydroxymethamphetamine (4HMA), AP, and 4-hydroxyamphetamine (4HA) in urine. Urine sample ($100{\mu}L$) was mixed with $50{\mu}L$ of mobile phase consisting of 0.4 % formic acid and methanol and $50{\mu}L$ of working internal-standard solution. Aliquots of $8{\mu}L$ diluted urine was injected into the LC-MS/MS system. For all analytes, chromatographic separation was performed using a C18 reversed-phase column with gradient elution and a total run time of 5 min. The identification and quantification were performed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Linear least-squares regression was conducted to generate a calibration curve, with $1/x^2$ as the weighting factor. The linear ranges were 2.0-200, 1.0-800, and 10-2500 ng/mL for 4HA and 4HMA, AP, and MA, respectively. The inter- and intraday precisions were within 6.6 %, whereas the inter- and intraday accuracies ranged from -14.9 to 11.3 %. The low limits of quantification were 2.0 ng/mL (4HA and 4HMA), 1.0 ng/mL (AP), and 10 ng/mL (MA). The proposed method exhibited satisfactory selectivity, dilution integrity, matrix effect, and stability, which are required for validation. Moreover, the purification efficiency of high-speed centrifugation was clearly higher than 6-15 % for QC samples (n=5), which was higher than that of the membrane-filtration method. The applicability of the proposed method was tested by forensic analysis of urine samples from drug abusers.

Potential Benefits of Intercropping Corn with Runner Bean for Small-sized Farming System

  • Bildirici, N.;Aldemir, R.;Karsli, M.A.;Dogan, Y.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.22 no.6
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    • pp.836-842
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    • 2009
  • The objectives of this study were to evaluate potential benefits of intercropping of corn with runner bean for a smallsized farming system, based on land equivalent ratio (LER) and silage yield and quality of corn intercropped with runner bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), in arid conditions of Turkey under an irrigation system. This experiment was established as a split-plot design in a randomized complete block, with three replications and carried out over two (consecutive) years in 2006 and 2007. Seven different mixtures (runner bean, B and silage corn sole crop, C, 10% B+90% C, 20% B+80% C, 30% B+70% C, 40% B+60%C, and 50% B+50%C) of silage corn-runner bean were intercropped. All of the mixtures were grown under irrigation. The corn-runner bean fields were planted in the second week of May and harvested in the first week of September in both years. Green beans were harvested three times each year and green bean yields were recorded each time. After the 3rd harvest of green bean, residues of bean and corn together were randomly harvested from a 1 $m^{2}$ area by hand using a clipper when the bean started to dry and corn was at the dough stage. Green mass yields of each plot were recorded. Silages were prepared from each plot (triplicate) in 1 L mini-silos. After 60 d ensiling, subsamples were taken from this material for determination of dry matter (DM), pH, organic acids, chemical composition, and in vitro DM digestibility of silages. The LER index was also calculated to evaluate intercrop efficiencies with respect to sole crops. Average pH, acetic, propionic and butyric acid concentrations were similar but lactic acid and ammonia-N levels were significantly different (p<0.05) among different mixtures of bean intercropped with corn. Ammonia-N levels linearly increased from 0.90% to 2.218 as the percentage of bean increased in the mixtures up to a 50:50 seeding ratio. While average CP content increased linearly from 6.47 to 12.45%, and average NDF and ADF contents decreased linearly from 56.17 to 44.88 and from 34.92 to 33.51%, respectively, (p<0.05) as the percentage of bean increased in the mixtures up to a 50:50 seeding ratio, but DM and OM contents did not differ among different mixtures of bean intercropped with corn (p>0.05). In vitro OM digestibility values differed significantly among bean-corn mixture silages (p<0.05). Fresh bean, herbage DM, IVOMD, ME yields, and LER index were significantly influenced by percentage of bean in the mixtures (p<0.01). As the percentage of bean increased in the mixtures up to a 50:50 seeding ratio, yields of fresh bean (from 0 to 24,380 kg/ha) and CP (from 1,258.0 to 1,563.0 kg/ha) and LER values (from 1.0 to 1.775) linearly increased, but yields of herbage DM (from 19,670 to 12,550 kg/ha), IVOMD (from 12,790 to 8,020 kg/ha) and ME (46,230 to 29,000 Mcal/ha) yields decreased (p<0.05). In conclusion, all of the bean-corn mixtures provided a good silage and better CP concentrations. Even though forage yields decreased, the LER index linearly increased as the percentage of bean increased in the mixture up to a 50:50 seeding ratio, which indicates a greater utilization of land. Therefore, a 50:50 seeding ratio seemed to be best for optimal utilization of land in this study and to provide greater financial stability for labor-intensive, small farmers.

The Value of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Social Capital for Enhancing Collective Performance in R&D Collaborations of Korean Ventures (벤처기업의 R&D협력에서 사회적 자본과 기업가적 지향성이 협력성과에 미치는 영향)

  • Seo, Ribin
    • Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.1-33
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    • 2017
  • In the last decades, technology-oriented small firms, i.e. venture businesses, have been increasingly engaged in R&D collaborations with external parties as strategic means for technological innovation. Despite ample evidence on the benefit of such collaborations for the firms, there has been less attention to examining whether and how the firms' social interactions with cooperating partners and their managerial characteristics contribute to that benefit. Drawing on the theories of social capital and entrepreneurial orientation, this study is to remedy this gap. The theory of social capital, referring to a sum of the value and potential resources embedded in social relationships of collectives, provides an integrated view of social factors among cooperating partners, e.g. strong ties, network stability, trust, reciprocity, shared vision and value. It categorizes these factors into structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of social capital. Entrepreneurial orientation theory captures firms' managerial characteristics as a combination of innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking. This addresses firms' managerial process to utilize and combine internal and external resources for wealth creation and opportunity realization. Against this background, this study investigates what roles social capital among cooperating R&D partners and entrepreneurial orientation of the collaborating firms play for collective performance improvement in R&D collaborations. In terms of the collective performance, this study adopts two indicators: technological competitiveness and business performance. Technological competitiveness refers to the contribution of a technology developed by a cooperative R&D project to competitive advantage of a firm while business performance is defined as the financial and economic outcome of a collaboration. Using a sample of 218 Korean ventures engaging in R&D collaboration with external parties, the author finds the significant effects of social capital (i.e. structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions) and entrepreneurial orientation (i.e. innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking) on both of the technological competitiveness and the business performance. Further, the higher the social capital among R&D partners, the more likely it is to foster the entrepreneurial orientation at firm-level. Most importantly, the entrepreneurial orientation at firm-level is an significant mediator of the relationship between social capital and collective performance. Beyond these novel empirical findings, this study contributes to the literature on R&D collaboration. The findings' implications for management and policy are deeply discussed in the conclusion.