• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.57-81
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• 2008

Knowledge is an essential strategic weapon for sustaining competitive advantage and is the key determinant for organizational growth. When knowledge is shared and disseminated throughout the organization, it increases an organization's value by providing the ability to respond to new and unusual situations. The growing importance of knowledge as a critical resource has forced executives to pay attention to their organizational knowledge. Organizations are increasingly undertaking knowledge management initiatives and making significant investments. Knowledge sourcing is considered as the first important step in effective knowledge management. Most firms continue to make an effort to realize the benefits of knowledge management by using various knowledge sources effectively. Appropriate knowledge sourcing strategies enable organizations to create, acquire, and access knowledge in a timely manner by reducing search and transfer costs, which result in better firm performance. In response, the knowledge management literature has devoted substantial attention to the analysis of knowledge sourcing strategies. Many studies have categorized knowledge sourcing strategies into intemal- and external-oriented. Internal-oriented sourcing strategy attempts to increase firm performance by integrating knowledge within the boundary of the firm. On the contrary, external-oriented strategy attempts to bring knowledge in from outside sources via either acquisition or imitation, and then to transfer that knowledge across to the organization. However, the extant literature on knowledge sourcing strategies focuses primarily on large organizations. Although many studies have clearly highlighted major differences between large and small firms and the need to adopt different strategies for different firm sizes, scant attention has been given to analyzing how knowledge sourcing strategies affect firm performance in small firms and what are the differences between small and large firms in the patterns of knowledge sourcing strategies adoption. This study attempts to advance the current literature by examining the impact of knowledge sourcing strategies on small firm performance from a holistic perspective. By drawing on knowledge based theory from organization science and complementarity theory from the economics literature, this paper is motivated by the following questions: (1) what are the adoption patterns of different knowledge sourcing strategies in small firms (i,e., what sourcing strategies should be adopted and which sourcing strategies work well together in small firms)?; and (2) what are the performance implications of these adoption patterns? In order to answer the questions, this study developed three hypotheses. First hypothesis based on knowledge based theory is that internal-oriented knowledge sourcing is positively associated with small firm performance. Second hypothesis developed on the basis of knowledge based theory is that external-oriented knowledge sourcing is positively associated with small firm performance. The third one based on complementarity theory is that pursuing both internal- and external-oriented knowledge sourcing simultaneously is negatively or less positively associated with small firm performance. As a sampling frame, 700 firms were identified from the Annual Corporation Report in Korea. Survey questionnaires were mailed to owners or executives who were most erudite about the firm s knowledge sourcing strategies and performance. A total of 188 companies replied, yielding a response rate of 26.8%. Due to incomplete data, 12 responses were eliminated, leaving 176 responses for the final analysis. Since all independent variables were measured using continuous variables, supermodularity function was used to test the hypotheses based on the cross partial derivative of payoff function. The results indicated no significant impact of internal-oriented sourcing strategies while positive impact of external-oriented sourcing strategy on small firm performance. This intriguing result could be explained on the basis of various resource and capital constraints of small firms. Small firms typically have restricted financial and human resources. They do not have enough assets to always develop knowledge internally. Another possible explanation is competency traps or core rigidities. Building up a knowledge base based on internal knowledge creates core competences, but at the same time, excessive internal focused knowledge exploration leads to behaviors blind to other knowledge. Interestingly, this study found that Internal- and external-oriented knowledge sourcing strategies had a substitutive relationship, which was inconsistent with previous studies that suggested complementary relationship between them. This result might be explained using organizational identification theory. Internal organizational members may perceive external knowledge as a threat, and tend to ignore knowledge from external sources because they prefer to maintain their own knowledge, legitimacy, and homogeneous attitudes. Therefore, integrating knowledge from internal and external sources might not be effective, resulting in failure of improvements of firm performance. Another possible explanation is small firms resource and capital constraints and lack of management expertise and absorptive capacity. Although the integration of different knowledge sources is critical, high levels of knowledge sourcing in many areas are quite expensive and so are often unrealistic for small enterprises. This study provides several implications for research as well as practice. First this study extends the existing knowledge by examining the substitutability (and complementarity) of knowledge sourcing strategies. Most prior studies have tended to investigate the independent effects of these strategies on performance without considering their combined impacts. Furthermore, this study tests complementarity based on the productivity approach that has been considered as a definitive test method for complementarity. Second, this study sheds new light on knowledge management research by identifying the relationship between knowledge sourcing strategies and small firm performance. Most current literature has insisted complementary relationship between knowledge sourcing strategies on the basis of data from large firms. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, this study identifies substitutive relationship between knowledge sourcing strategies using data from small firms. Third, implications for practice highlight that managers of small firms should focus on knowledge sourcing from external-oriented strategies. Moreover, adoption of both sourcing strategies simultaneousiy impedes small firm performance.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

This study quantified annual uptake and storage of carbon by urban greenspace in institutional lands and suggested improvement of greenspace structures to enhance carbon reduction effects. The study selected a total of five study cities including Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Chuncheon, and Suncheon, based on areal size and nationwide distribution. Horizontal and vertical greenspace structures were field-surveyed, after institutional greenspace lots were selected using a systematic random sampling method on aerial photographs of the study cities. Annual uptake and storage of carbon by woody plants were computed applying quantitative models of each species developed for urban landscape trees and shrubs. Tree density and stem diameter (at breast height) in institutional lands averaged 1.4±0.1 trees/100 ㎡ and 14.9±0.2 cm across the study cities, respectively. Of the total planted area, the ratio of single-layered planting only with trees, shrubs, or grass was higher than that of multi-layered structures. Annual uptake and storage of carbon per unit area by woody plants averaged 0.65±0.04 t/ha/yr and 7.37±0.47 t/ha, which were lower than those for other greenspace types at home and abroad. This lower carbon reduction was attributed to lower density and smaller size of trees planted in institutional lands studied. Nevertheless, the greenspace in institutional lands annually offset carbon emissions from institutional electricity use by 0.6 (Seoul)~1.9% (Chuncheon). Tree planting in potential planting spaces was estimated to sequester additionally about 18% of the existing annual carbon uptake. Enhancing carbon reduction effects requires active tree planting in the potential spaces, multi-layered/clustered planting composed of the upper trees, middle trees and lower shrubs, planting of tree species with greater carbon uptake capacity, and avoidance of the topiary tree maintenance. This study was focused on finding out greenspace structures and carbon offset levels in institutional lands on which little had been known.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.99-120
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• 1998

The purpose of this study is to clarify the industrialization process, and locational factors and linkages of manufacturing in Jangyu-Myun, a suburb of Metropolitan Pusan, toward which heavy decentralization of manufacturing from Pusan has been done. Hard data and soft data were used as the basic data. Hard data used for this study were both the statistical data which consists of the number of establishments and employee classified by product type, firm size, organizational type and unit area(dong) which were listed in statistics yearbooks, and the list of the owner's names, addresses, employee number, products and headquarters of firms which were listed in firm directories. Soft data were the results of the interviews with the 53 owners of firms surveyed among the firms selected by Proportional Stratified Sampling Method. The major findings were as follows: (1) Manufacturing location in Jangyu-Myun was regularized in 1980's in which decentralization of manufacturing was activiated. Though the industrialization of study area resulted from the birth, relocation and establishment of branches of the firms originated from the other regions, the relocation of small outer-oriented firms from the central city was the most important factor among them. (2) The main locational factors which induced the decentralizing manufacturing from the central city into Jangyu-Myun are closely related to land, transportation, personal factor, raw material suppliers and market. (3) The differences of important locational factors by the size and organizational type of firms are relevant to the characteristics of manufacturing location. (4) The changes of linkages attendant upon locational changes of firms were not so great and were localized in labor supply and marketing. (5) The strength of linkages is strong in the procurement of materials, in the subcontraction and in the marketing, but not in the ordering. (6) The main factors influencing on the formation of linkages are different by the types of linkages: monopolistic and oligopolistic supply are important in procurement linkages; characteristics of products and production capacity in the subcontraction and ordering; characteristics of products and the subsequent difficulties, in the marketing. (7) With the exception of procurement linkages, the strength of linkages with the outside of the study area are stronger than the linkages with the inside. The strength of linkages with the outside has distance-decay-function and strong linkages with the central city. (8) These spatial characteristics of linkages are different by products type, firm size and organizational type of firms: the spatial ranges of linkages are wider in the multi-location firms than in the single-location firms; the larger the firm size, the wider the spatial range of linkages: there is no consistent trend by products type. In conclusion, some facts described above were proved to be consistent with the results of proceeding studies in the other areas: influence of central city manufacturing relocation on industrialization in the suburb: different decentralization by products type, firm size and organizational types of firms: different locational factors by products type, firm size and organizational types of firms; linkage changes attendant upon locational changes of firms; spatial differences of linkages by products type, firm size and organizational type of firms. Some other factors were proved to be partly consistent: locational factors and spatial characteristics of linkages. Accordingly I think that the results of previous studies on the other areas can be applicable to the explanation of the location and linkage of manufacturing in Jangyu-Myun. For the better explanation on the characteristics of manufacturing decentralization from the central city, more empirical case studies on the location and linkage of manufacturing in the suburb areas are necessary.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2009

Detailed information on soil characteristics is of great importance for the use and conservation of soil resources that are essential for human welfare and ecosystem sustainability. This paper introduces soil inventory of Korea focusing on national soil database establishment, information systems, use, and future direction for natural resources management. Different scales of soil maps surveyed and soil test data collected by RDA (Rural Development Administration) were computerized to construct digital soil maps and database. Soil chemical properties and heavy metal concentrations in agricultural soils including vulnerable agricultural soils were investigated regularly at fixed sampling points. Internet-based information systems for soil and agro-environmental resources were developed based on 'National Soil Survey Projects' for managing soil resources and for providing soil information to the public, and 'Agroenvironmental Change Monitoring Project' to monitor spatial and temporal changes of agricultural environment will be opened soon. Soils data has a great potential of further application in estimation of soil carbon storage, water capacity, and soil loss. Digital mapping of soil and environment using state-of-the-art and emerging technologies with a pedometrics concept will lead to future direction.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.230-242
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• 1991

This research was conducted on the 10 take-out boxed-lunches commercially prepared in the department stores. chain stores. and the public railroad trains in Korea. Sampling was conducted from February 1990 to March 1990. Nutritive values and sodium contents of the 10 boxed-lunch samples are summarized as follows : 1) The average weight(percentage) of the cooked rice and the side dishes were 304.6g(49.4) and 312.4(506%), respectively. The weight of these samples were significantly heavier than that of Japanese style boxed-lunches. 2) The average number of the side dishes was 12. The average numbers of food items classified by the five food groups were 6.1 in protein food group, 0.3 in calcium food group. 6.0 in vitamin and mineral food group. 1.5 in carbohydrate food group, and 1.5 in oil and fat food group. 3) They contained on the average 840.7kcal of energy, 38.9g of protein, 22.7g of fat, 120.4g of carbohydrate. 300.8mg of calcium. 410.8mg of phosphours, 6.61 mg of iron. 219.8 R.E. of vitamin A, 0.46mg of thiamin, 0.67mg of riboflavin, 10.5mg of niacin, 27.5mg of ascorbic acid. Thus. except vitamin t the content of all the nutrients were higher than the value of 1/3 of the RDA for adults. 4) The high priced group(group 2) had more protein, calcuim. iron and niacin contents than the cheaper group(group 1). Probably, it's because the group 2 had more animal foods than the group 1. 5) The average energy content per unit price(100 won) was 37.3kcal and the average protein content per unit price(100 won) was 1.64g. Korena style boxed-lunches had higher energy and protein contents per unit price than Japanese style, and the group 1 higher than the group 2. 6) The average energy Proportions of Protein, carbohydrate. and fat were 18.3%, 57.4%, and 24.3%, respectively. These proportions are good enough. 7) Frequency of cooking methods for the side dishes were found in the decreasing order : pan-frying, frying, braising, seasoning, kimchi, grilling, pickling, stir-frying, steaming and fermenting. Generally simple cooking methods were used, thus the menus were lack or varieties. 8) Frequency of colors for the side dishes were found in the decreasing order : red, brown. yellow, green, black, white. Too much red pepper was used. 9) The average capacity of the containers for the staples and the side dishes were 468.1ml and 590.6ml, respectively. And the containers could not keep the food items well seperated. 10) The average contensts of sodium and salt were 2.287mg and 5.76g, in the range of 1, 398mg to 3, 489mg and 3.53g to 8.80g, respectively. These are much higher values than the recommended amount of salt.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 2005

Purpose: Recently the role of vitamins, folate in particular, has been emphasized in the maintenance of health. Folate deficiency is known to give rise to developmental delay, immature vascular disease, neural tube defect, acute leukemia, atherosclerotic vascular disease, delivery defects, breast cancer, and particularly gastrointestinal neoplasia. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an essential enzyme in folate metaboism, and influences DNA synthesis and DNA methylation. Generally, folate deficiency is associated with gastrointestinal neoplasms. The amino-acid- changing and enzyme-activity-reducing nucleotide polymorphism (766C$\rightarrow$T/ Ala222Val) has been described in the MTHFR polymorphism and leads to low enzyme activity that may reduce the capacity of DNA methylation and possibly uracil mis-incorporation into DNA. These processes may be critical in the oncogenic transformation of human cells, especially in colorectal carcinomas. We investigated the relationship between the MTHFR polymorphism in gastric cancer and the tumor site, the smoking history, and the alcoholic history. Materials and Methods: Ninety-six (96) individuals with gastric cancer and 287 healthy persons were analyzed. Blood sampling was performed, PCR-RFLP was analyzed, and MTHFR polymorphism genotypes of C/C, C/T, and T/T were obtained and analyzed statistically for their correlation. Results: In the gastric cancer group there were 69 ($72\%$) males and 27 ($28\%$) females. There were also 58 cases ($60\%$) involving the gastric lower body, 20 cases ($21\%$) the gastric mid-body, and 18 cases ($19\%$) the gastric upper body. In the control group there were 169 ($59\%$) males and 118 ($41\%$) females. Among the gastric cancer, 56 ($61\%$) smoking patients, 40 ($39\%$) non-smoking patients, 45($47\%$) alcoholic patients, 51 ($53\%$) non-alcoholic patients. In the gastric cancer group, MTHER polymorphisms were C/C in 18 ($19\%$) cases, C/T in 59 ($61\%$) cases, T/T in 19 ($20\%$) cases. In the control group polymorphisms were C/C 116 ($40\%$) cases, C/T 103 ($36\%$) cases, and T/T 68 ($24\%$) cases (P=0.045). In cases of lower gastric body cancer, polymorphisms were C/C in 16 ($24\%$) C/C in 16 ($24\%$) cases and C/T or T/T in 42 ($72\%$) cases. In cases of upper and mid-body cancer, polymorphisms were C/C in 2 ($5\%$) cases and C/T or T/T 36 ($95\%$) cases (P=0.006). In the non-smoking patient group, polymorphisms were C/C in 5 (12%) cases and C/T or T/T in 35 ($88\%$) cases. In the smoking patient group, C/C in 13 ($23\%$) cases and C/T or T/T in 43 ($77\%$) cases (P=0.189). In the non-alcoholic patient group, polymorphisms were C/C in 6 ($12\%$) cases and C/T or T/T in 45 ($88\%$) cases. In the alcoholic patient group, polymorphisms were C/C in 12 ($26\%$) cases and C/T or T/T in 33 ($74\%$) cases (P=0.063) Conclusion: MTHFR polymorphisms are associated with gastric cancer and tumor site, but not with smoking and alcohol drinking.