• Asia Pacific Journal of Business Review
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.43-66
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• 2019

Home-based business (HBB) is one of the fastest growing form of business start-ups where the business is conducted from home. In develop economies, the HBB industry is an engine for economic growth that has proven its viability through significant contribution to the national GDP. In view of its importance, the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry encourage local women to start and develop their own HBB as it gives them the flexibility while still contributing to the national economy. Although various initiatives have been taken place, little information is available about Saudi HBB. This study therefore aims to determine the factors that contribute to the growth as well as the challenges of female HBB in Saudi Arabia. The study was based on qualitative approach which adopted an in-depth interview with eleven Saudi females who run HBB. The findings revealed that HBB contributing factors comprised of access to funding, sufficiency of savings and the influence of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in starting the business. Meanwhile, the obstacles are government regulations and policies, culture, and home design. The study recommendations include improving banks and service institution policy and procedures to enable HBB to have access to funding and services and to develop legal policies to protect the right of the HBB operator and customers. Finally, the study also suggests future research on managerial factors that can contribute to HBB female success, the stress coping mechanism of HBB and the factors contributing to the difference between HBB in growth strategies.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.107-125
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• 2019

This study analyzes the effects of FDI on the global value chain (GVC) using participation and export value added using panel data from 2005 to 2016 for 63 countries. This study used the GLS method. Results are as follows: First, foreign direct investment had a positive impact on the global value chain (GVC) participation and export value added of non-OECD economies. Furthermore, tariff rates were more sensitive to non-OECD countries than OECD countries. In addition, logistics infrastructure had a negative impact on global value chain (GVC) participation and export value added, while developed countries, such as OECD countries, with good infrastructure, had a positive impact on non-OECD countries. Finally, research and development costs have been shown to play a very important role in non-OECD countries. This study found that various service sectors, such as research and development (R & D) as well as the general manufacturing industry, are expanding beyond two countries to form global value chains (GVC) in which several countries are connected from production to consumption.

• Architectural research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.29-40
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• 2022

The transition from manufacturing to service-based economies in highly developed societies during the post-industrial period resulted in the decline of the industrial landscape, leaving it abandoned or underutilized. In pursuit of revitalizing the obsolete industrial space, innovative design techniques based on adaptive reuse are applied to retrofit modern functions to create a new cultural space and preserve the historical, symbolic, and cultural importance of the abandoned industrial facilities. Design considerations based on facade redesign have proven to be one of the most adopted techniques that can help in recreating a new function for the vacant industrial buildings and integrating them into the present-day urban fabric. This paper examines the facade renovation elements used for the adaptive reuse of 15 abandoned industrial buildings presently used as multi-purpose facilities in South Korea. Through a questionnaire survey, this study analyzes the respondents' preference for different facade renovation elements in the 15 sites according to age and gender. The study found that both genders showed similar preference patterns between most elements. But on some elements, females were keener and expressed a stronger opinion than males. There were much more females than males who perceived color and material as the most important exterior elements. The findings of this study can be used for the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings according to user preferences for different facade renovation elements.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.101-108
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• 2022

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused serious impacts not only on human health but also on the economies around the world. Enterprises play an important role in the development of every country but it is also one of the most affected sectors during the pandemic. Drawing on panel data of 131 enterprises listed on the Vietnamese stock exchange from 2016Q1 to 2021Q3, this study aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on firm performance. Enterprises are classified into seven industries including Agriculture, Material, Industry, Real estate and Construction, Energy, Consumer, and Service. The paper also analyzes the variation of the effects among companies, focusing on differences in revenue and capital structure. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects business performance. In addition, the empirical findings indicate that revenue and debt decreasing can cause deterioration of firm performance during the pandemic period. The decrease in revenue has a direct impact on firm profitability. The reduction of debt levels affects the corporate leverage leading to adverse effects on firm performance. The negative effect is more pronounced for companies in some specific sectors including industry, real estate, construction, consumption, and services.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.27-59
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• 2022

During the past two decades, the Southeast Asian region has experienced a range of major crises. Service industries such as tourism and the marginal and migrant laborers who work in them have usually been at the sharp end of these testing events, from natural and environmental disasters, epidemics and pandemics, global financial slumps, terrorism, and political conflict. The latest challenge is the "Novel Coronavirus" (Covid-19/SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. It has already had serious consequences for Southeast Asia and its tourism development and these will continue for the foreseeable future. Since the SARS epidemic of 2002-2004, Southeast Asian economies have become integrated increasingly into those of East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong). This paper examines one of the most significant current crises, Covid-19, and its consequences for Southeast Asia, its tourism industry, and its workers, comparing experiences across the region, and the issues raised by the over-dependence of some countries on East Asia. In research on crises, the main focus has been on dramatic, unpredictable natural disasters, and human-generated global economic downturns. Not so much attention has been devoted to disease and contagion, which has both natural and socio-cultural dimensions in origins and effects, and which, in the case of Covid-19, evoke a pre-crisis period of normality, a liminal transition or "meantime" and a post-crisis "new normality." The transition is not straightforward; in many countries, it operates as a set of serial lockdowns and restrictions, and to predict an uncertain future remains difficult.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.23-35
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• 2020

Mobile Money is a key factor of financial inclusion that can revolutionize the financial service delivery and hence enhance access to finance in emerging economies, especially the East African countries. This study therefore aims to study the determinants of individual's behavioral intention and usage of Mobile Money services in Ethiopia by usiing the UTAUT2 model. The research model was tested by sampling 200 respondents from different areas of Ethiopia. The analysis results found that Government Support, Facilitating Conditions, Performance Expectancy, Trust and Effort Expectancy are the key factors that affect the usage of Mobile Money service, while Lower Transaction Cost factors and Social Influence were not statistically significant. The findings provide useful information that only government's active efforts and support to promote mobile money services, through appropriate policies and regulations rather than lower transaction cost, can facilitate the adoption and dissemination of such services in Ethiopia.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.7-19
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• 2018

Purpose - Recently, global management in Korea franchise industry is becoming an important keyword. As an important branch market, Chinese market plays a major role not only by making experience of the competitiveness among global brands which offers a foothold to become a top global brand, but also by actualizing an economies of scale in production, sales, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to identify key successful factor influencing customer evaluation and responses of Korean franchise restaurant targeting Chinese consumers in China context. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects for Korean franchise restaurant selection attributes on perceived value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Chinese context with SmartPLS 3 and Artifical Neural Network(ANN). Research design, data, and methodology - For these purposes, the authors developed several hypotheses. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the panel of online survey companies for Chinese consumers who have visited Korean franchise restaurants. A total of 404 data were analyzed using structural equation modeling(SEM) and artifical neural network(ANN) with SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.0. Result - The findings of this study are as follows: First, the alternative model findings show that facilities & atmosphere, employee service, and menu influenced on utilitarian value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty directly. Second, employee service influenced on customer satisfaction. Third, menu influenced on hedonic value. Fourth, brand reputation influenced on utilitarian value. Fifth, hedonic value increase customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Sixth, hedonic value increase customer loyalty. Seventh, customer increase customer loyalty. And, the ANN analysis shows that utilitarian value is the first most important factor influencing customer satisfaction, followed by hedonic value, facilities & atmosphere, menu and employee service. However, the ANN analysis shows that customer satisfaction is the first most important factor influencing customer loyalty, followed by utilitarian value, hedonic value, brand reputation, menu, and employee service. Conclusions - This study provides practical implications for enhancing customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by applying the ANN technique that complements the limitations of the linear structural relationship analysis using the proposed model and the alternative model. In other words, the SEM-ANN model provides guidelines on how Korean franchise restaurants should formulate facilities & atmosphere, employee service, and menu mix strategies in China. In addition, ANN 's analysis shows that restaurant brand reputation plays a pivotal role in increasing customer loyalty. The fact suggests that Korean franchise companies should establish their domestic brand reputation prior to their entry into overseas markets such as China.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.129-141
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• 2009

Intermodal freight transportation is defined as the movement of freight from origins to destinations by two or more transportation modes. When implemented in hub networks, it could enhance the efficiency of the networks because consolidated flows are transported by more suitable modes and technologies. In spite of this advantage, the intermodal hub network design problem has received limited attention in the literature partly because of the complex nature of the problem. This paper aims to develop an optimization model for designing intermodal hub networks with sin91e allocation strategy. The model takes into account various cost components of intermodal hub networks including transportation, stationary inventory, and service delay costs. Moreover, using transport frequency variables, it is capable of endogenously determining the transportation economies of scale achieved by consolidation of flows. As such, the model is able to realistically represent the characteristics of intermodal hub networks in practice. Since the model Is a complicated nonlinear integer programming problem, we perform model simplification based on the analytical study of the model, which could facilitate the development of solution algorithms in the future. We expect that this study contributes to the design of intermodal hub networks as well as to the assessment of existing logistics systems.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.51-79
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• 2011

Korea has accomplished the establishment of the National Single Window for Paperless Trade. Since 1991, it has developed Trade Automation Service System based on EDI technology. In 2003, Korean government and private sectors jointly began to set up National Paperless Trade Service( e-Trade Service) as one of the e-government projects. In 2008, they commenced the uTradeHub Service which was equipped with Internet based e-B/L and e-Nego service systems for the first time in the world To facilitate the service Korea amended its e-Trade facilitation Act and Law by 2007. At the end of 2011, Korea historically recorded its trade volume of 1 trillion US dollars and joined '$1 trillion trade club' as the 9the member country since the country had started international trade less than five decades ago. A rolling out of the e-B/L and e-Nego service will 'ally reduce the transaction costs of trading businesses and accelerate the activation e-trade services. The purposes of the study are to examine 'e-B/L Korea' service and its facilitation strategies as well as identify obstacles to utilize the 'e-B/L Korea' service. The paper reviewed and analyzed Korea's Paperless trade system and distinctive characteristics of the 'e-B/L Korea Service. Parts of the fOWld distinctive characteristics of the Korea's e-B/L service are as follows; It is well equiped with IT and legal system. It also has more that 30,000 potential users who are already uTradeHub service users. The paper indicated several weaknesses of the current system such as global KPI issues, circulation of the electronic documents not only in the domestic market but also among economies, development of the electronic Bill of Exchange. As resolution measures, the paper recommended the introduction of mutual recognition system of PKI among trade partner counties, setting up e-trade solution for small and medium companies, and special attention to raise users' awareness of the e-B/L service.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.213-236
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• 2017

World trade has entered a stagnant state, protection trade measures are spread due to delayed economic recovery in developed countries, sluggish investment in emerging economies such as China, economic recession in resource exporting countries, and geopolitical and political uncertainties along with the election period in the US and other major industrialized countries. Thus, in the economic structure of our country with a focus on export, for small and medium enterprises to grow, efforts for having various markets are necessary. The importance of the trade insurance system, which can support the risk management of enterprises, is emphasized by the fact that the majority of SME exporters have a risk management level and a lack of corporate capacity to enter the global market. This study was surveyed with 87 small and medium export companies in South Korea. The purpose of this study is to verify the effect relationship how service quality of trade insurance and utilization of trade insurance impact on the risk management of trade payment and export performance. The research hypothesis and model was derived from the basis of existing theory and empirical research, and obtained the following results. Firstly, Service Quality of Trade Insurance showed positive (+) effect on Export Performance. Secondly, Utilization of Trade Insurance showed positive (+) effect on Risk Management of Trade Payment. Thirdly, Risk Management of Trade Payment showed positive (+) effect on Export Performance. This study is differentiated from previous research information by empirically evaluating the relationship between the risk management of trade payment and export performance through utilization of trade insurance. This study contributed to academic by examining the research on the risk management of trade insurance and also practically suggested the direction how small and medium export company is to take the advantage of the trade insurance.