Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the predictors and main determinants of consumers' ratings of mobile applications in the Google Play Store. Using a linear and nonlinear model comparison to identify the function of users' review, in determining application rating across countries, this study estimates the direct effects of users' reviews on the application rating. In addition, extending our modelling into a sentimental analysis, this paper also aims to explore the effects of review polarity and subjectivity on the application rating, followed by an examination of the moderating effect of user reviews on the polarity-rating and subjectivity-rating relationships. Design/methodology - Our empirical model considers nonlinear association as well as linear causality between features and targets. This study employs competing theoretical frameworks - multiple regression, decision-tree and neural network models - to identify the predictors and main determinants of app ratings, using data from the Google Play Store. Using a cross-validation method, our analysis investigates the direct and moderating effects of predictors and main determinants of application ratings in a global app market. Findings - The main findings of this study can be summarized as follows: the number of user's review is positively associated with the ratings of a given app and it positively moderates the polarity-rating relationship. Applying the review polarity measured by a sentimental analysis to the modelling, it was found that the polarity is not significantly associated with the rating. This result best applies to the function of both positive and negative reviews in playing a word-of-mouth role, as well as serving as a channel for communication, leading to product innovation. Originality/value - Applying a proxy measured by binomial figures, previous studies have predominantly focused on positive and negative sentiment in examining the determinants of app ratings, assuming that they are significantly associated. Given the constraints to measurement of sentiment in current research, this paper employs sentimental analysis to measure the real integer for users' polarity and subjectivity. This paper also seeks to compare the suitability of three distinct models - linear regression, decision-tree and neural network models. Although a comparison between methodologies has long been considered important to the empirical approach, it has hitherto been underexplored in studies on the app market.

Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the relationship between country governance quality and worker remittances from foreign countries. Because remittances can be a source of funds for economic development and smoothing economic crises in developing countries, the related topic has been a concern for policy-makers and academic researchers. This paper divides the motives of remittances into altruistic and investment motives through existing papers, and then considers the governance quality the remittance receiving country as one of the determinants of remittances. Design/methodology - Our empirical model considers whether governance quality can affect the volume of remittances, and uses altruistic and investment factors studied in the literature. To do this, a two-step approach is taken. First, the panel data are examined via pooled OLS, random effects, and Tobit estimation. Second, the paper reduces six governance indicators into one variable, Governance, using the principal component technique (PCA) for a robustness check. Findings - The main findings can be summarized as follows. The negative governance variable in the estimation results shows a lower governance quality that induces workers to send savings to their home countries. This means that a country with poor governance quality seems to have more remittance inflows from abroad. It also reveals that poor governance quality is more relevant to an altruistic motive rather than an investment motive, in general. The positive per capita GDP variable shows the investment motive for developed countries. Originality/value - Existing papers have focused on various factors related to the motives of remittances. However, governance quality effects on remittance inflows have not been fully studied so far. This paper considers governance quality in an estimation equation explicitly as one of the determinants of remittances. This area of study is needed, in theory and empirically, in order to fully understand the relationship between governance and remittances.

Purpose - A financial crash triggers asset fire sales by foreign investors and, as a consequence, the price of domestic assets severely decreases. Domestic investors take advantage of these low prices by replacing foreign assets with domestic assets, which helps to alleviate the liquidity shock caused by foreigners. However, is the amount of capital retrenchment by domestic investors sufficient to protect the Korean economy from capital stop by foreign investors during financial crisis? This paper answers this question and suggests the implications of this phenomenon for the Korean economy. Design/methodology - We estimate the associations between capital stop and retrenchment and various financial crises such as banking, currency, debt, and inflation crises using the complementary log-log model. Specifically, we use data of gross capital flows to differentiate between the role of foreign and domestic investors in financial markets. Capital stop and retrenchment designate a sharp decrease in gross capital inflows and outflows, respectively. Findings - Capital stop is significantly associated with financial crises, especially currency and debt crises. This implies that increased risk aversion during times of financial turmoil encourages foreign investors to retrench their investments, worsening liquidity shocks. Conversely, capital retrenchment is not significantly associated with such crises. The results show that, although financial crises reduce gross capital outflows, the reduction is not as large as that with capital inflows. Originality/value - The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, this study investigates how domestic investors behave during times of financial distress by studying gross capital flows-not net capital flows. Second, we concentrate on sharp changes in capital flows during crises. Third, we examine the associations between capital stop and retrenchment and financial crises in general, not specific events.

Purpose - This study explores the contextual factors that affect the relationship between CEO overseas experience and firm internationalization. This study incorporates a wide range of contextual factors, including mega, macro, and micro variables. In particular, this study goes a step further from prior studies by incorporating a higher-order variable i.e., the global financial crisis that can constrain the managerial discretion of a CEO. Design/methodology - To structure the balanced data set before and after the 2008 global financial crisis, we used the data for the years from 2002 to 2014 from a sample of Korean manufacturing firms. Ultimately, 1101 firm-year unbalanced panel observations from 101 firms were used for the analysis. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows. CEO overseas experience is positively related to firm internationalization. However, this relationship varies depending on the CEOs level of managerial discretion. As for the constraining moderation, the global financial crisis weakened the positive relationship between CEO overseas experience and firm internationalization. As for the enabling moderation, the CEOs tenure strengthened the relationship. Originality/value - This study adopted the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) framework to explain the relationship between CEO overseas experience and firm internationalization. Moreover, we argue that the CEO-internationalization relationship depends on the specific context of the managerial discretion, focusing on the 2008 global financial crisis. Empirically, this study adopted the 2SLS procedure to correct endogeneity. Instead of taking the actual value of prior internationalization as a control, we estimated prior internationalization using the instrument variables at an industry level. This procedure made our estimation more robust.

Purpose - The letter of credit has been playing a major role to diminish overall risks which exist among concerned parties even though there are differences such as language, culture, law, and distance. This paper reviews essence of the letter of credit and its transaction principles, as well as overall practical questions based on the L/C transaction principle. It also investigates the risk of fraud occurrences in L/C transactions and the importance of fraud prevention and preventive measures in international L/C transactions, including the Fraud Rule, which is a major topic to consider in business transactions. Design/methodology - It is considered that an importing country's concerned parties and an exporting country's concerned parties face different situations. This study employs the existing framework to identify liability, responsibility, and obligation for all concerned parties across countries. Using a quite direct measurement of principles in the letter of credit, such as principle of independence, principle of abstraction, and principle of strictness and coincidence, we studied these differences. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follow. The paper enhances the efficiency of the L/C payment method to provide fraud generated from L/C transactions, presentation of a theoretical framework about fraud and fraud prevention, which international trading companies should acknowledge in a material way based on fraud risk resulting from taking advantage of L/C transaction principles. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on fraud accidents in L/C transactions by taking bad advantage of the characteristics of the letter of credit without suggesting risks of fraud. This paper attempts to evaluate and provide preventive measures as a solution for fraud and risky international business in a letter of credit transaction. This area of trade studies is underexplored, both empirically and theoretically, although the issue has long been important to Korean and world community foreign trade.

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the environmental effects of South Korean foreign trade, and the changing relationship between industrial "three wastes" emissions and foreign trade. Design/methodology - Based on time series data of South Korean foreign trade and industrial "three wastes" from 2009 to 2019, a VAR model was used to analyze the long-term internal links and dynamic changes between foreign trade and environmental pollution. Findings - Variance decomposition analysis shows that for the three types of pollutants, self-impact contributes the most to the variance decomposition. It follows that South Korean foreign trade has a certain negative impact on the environment, and this impact has a certain sustainability. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the study on the relationship between foreign trade and environmental pollution. It theoretically proposes a coordinated development path for foreign trade development and green development based on the environmental impact of foreign trade, to provide a reference for the development of collaborative promotion.

Purpose - We assess the trade remedies rules in a host of Korea's FTAs to explore the trade policies for the effective implementation of FTA trade remedies rules. Also we develop the strategies of the future FTA negotiations of trade remedies rules. Design/methodology - After we review the key features of FTA trade remedies rules, we examine whether the rules are WTO-consistent or not. Next, we touch upon the WTO-plus characteristics of some provisions. Our main methodology is to compare the trade remedies rules in the numerous Korea's FTAs. Another methodology is to link those rules to the relevant WTO agreements and WTO dispute cases with a view to drawing lessons for trade policies and FTA negotiations. Findings - We find that most of the trade remedies rules are WTO-consistent. Moreover, we find that notification and consultation requirment, mandatory lesser duty rule, explicit prohibition of zeroing method, and public interest clause are WTO-plus. We also find that there are limitiations in the application of some global safeguard exclusion rules because of their non-mandatory nature. Originality/value - While most of previous studies focus mainly on the unique aspects of specific FTAs, our study analyzes comprehensively the trade remedies rules in the various Korea's FTAs. Based on the comprehensive analysis, we figure out the areas to be clarified and improved for the effective implementation of FTAs and the strategies for the future FTA trade remedies negotiations. As a consequence, our paper is expected to contribute to the academic research on FTA policies as well as the national economy.