Purpose - This study reviews changes in the steel export-import structure between Korea and Japan to strengthen the competitive advantage of the Korea Steel industry using a trade-related index. Design/methodology - This study focuses on analyzing comparative advantage based on the trade intensity index (TII), revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), and trade specialization index (TSI). Findings - Korea's steel import from Japan increased due to the domestic supply shortage of HR (Hot Rolled Coil) and Plate, rather than the sharp decline of the domestic steel industry's competitiveness in 2010. However, after the completion of Hyundai Steel's blast furnace, the Korea Steel industry solved the supply shortage. Additionally, the import of Japanese steel products had decreased significantly from 2009 to 2019. Originality/value - This study attempts to analyze Japanese steel products' competitiveness in trade and the domestic influence of high-quality Japanese steel products. These results are connected to domestic steel supply and demand structure and relations with the Japanese steel industry. After completing Hyundai Steel's blast furnace, the Korea Steel industry solved the supply shortage, and the import of Japanese steel products has decreased significantly from 2009 to 2019.

Purpose - This study provides useful information to stakeholders by forecasting the tramp shipping market, which is a completely competitive market and has a huge fluctuation in freight rates due to low barriers to entry. Moreover, this study provides the most effective parameters for Baltic Dry Index (BDI) prediction and an optimal model by analyzing and comparing deep learning models such as the artificial neural network (ANN), recurrent neural network (RNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM). Design/methodology - This study uses various data models based on big data. The deep learning models considered are specialized for time series models. This study includes three perspectives to verify useful models in time series data by comparing prediction accuracy according to the selection of external variables and comparison between models. Findings - The BDI research reflecting the latest trends since 2015, using weekly data from 1995 to 2019 (25 years), is employed in this study. Additionally, we tried finding the best combination of BDI forecasts through the input of external factors such as supply, demand, raw materials, and economic aspects. Moreover, the combination of various unpredictable external variables and the fundamentals of supply and demand have sought to increase BDI prediction accuracy. Originality/value - Unlike previous studies, BDI forecasts reflect the latest stabilizing trends since 2015. Additionally, we look at the variation of the model's predictive accuracy according to the input of statistically validated variables. Moreover, we want to find the optimal model that minimizes the error value according to the parameter adjustment in the ANN model. Thus, this study helps future shipping stakeholders make decisions through BDI forecasts.

Purpose - Although models of innovation and exporting dominate recent studies of relations between innovation and access to foreign markets, relations between innovation and foreign direct investment (FDI) are less explored. This is especially true of relations between types of innovation and FDI. We fill that gap in the literature with empirical evidence that clarifies whether firms enter foreign markets through exports or FDI. Design/methodology - In order to assess the role of innovation in firms' international engagement strategies, we develop research hypotheses and present new empirical evidence on firms' choice of entry - exports and FDI - based on firm-level data. Findings - Our empirical results suggest that the impact of product innovation is more significant in transition from being a purely domestic firm to an exporter, while process innovation more significantly affect transition from being an exporter to a multinational enterprise. Our results also support 'self-selection into FDI' rather than 'learning-by-performing FDI' in the relationship between innovation and firms' overseas expansion. Originality/value - Recent literature on the relationship between innovation and firms' participation in foreign markets is dominated by models of innovation and export behavior. However, foreign direct investment by multinational enterprises may also be associated with firms' innovative activities. We first analyze how product and process innovations influence firms' choices to initiate exports or FDI.

Purpose - This study examines the role of e-commerce resulting from technological innovation as a new approach toward internationalization. We study the relationship between e-commerce export and country distance, measured in CAGE distance, which has hindered traditional internationalization. As a control variable, entrepreneurship was introduced to check the moderating effect on the relationship between country distance and e-commerce export. Design/methodology - Based on empirical analysis, e-commerce exports from the Republic of Korea to 96 countries were used as dependent variables. First, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis about each country's distance, measured by CAGE distance, and each dimension of CAGE, on e-commerce exports. Next, the hypothesis was tested through the interaction term to examine the moderating effect of entrepreneurship. Findings - The analysis showed that the hypothesis, which postulated e-commerce exports as affected negatively by the country's distance, was supported but not that all CAGE dimensions affected it. Specifically, geographical distance and economic distance have negative effects, but cultural distance and administrative distance did not affect e-commerce exports. Thus, in contrast to the expectation that distance restrictions in e-commerce would not exist, this study confirmed that distance still matters to internationalization and that entrepreneurship can mitigate the adverse effects. Originality/value - Through these results, when export firms try to enter new markets and start internationalization through e-commerce, the entrepreneurship of the importing country should be considered.

Purpose - Using a model that highlights Ricardian comparative advantage and Cournot competition, I derive theoretical predictions on how bilateral measures of trade intensity, specialization, and intra-industry are interrelated, and how Ricardian productivity differences affect these measures. We test the predictions using trade and production data, and confirm them. Design/methodology - A simple two-country general equilibrium model is constructed to derive theory-based bilateral indexes. We then test the relationships among them using panel data for 35 countries and 14 industries between 1996 and 2008. Findings - Bilateral trade intensity is increasing in specialization, as in the classical trade theory, and in intra-industry trade, as in the new trade theory. However, productivity differences positively affect specialization, and negatively affect intra-industry trade. These effects cancel each other; thus productivity differences have little impact on trade intensity. Originality/value - This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding the relationship among trade intensity, specialization, intra-industry trade, and productivity differences. We derive theory-consistent measures of specialization, intra-industry trade, and productivity differences. Moreover, we reevaluate the empirical relevance of these variables for the study of gravity equations. This paper is also an effort to capture oligopolistic competition in a general equilibrium framework, interests in which recently resurged.

Purpose - On the basis of knowledge transfer theory, we empirically explored how three types of human resource (HR) innovation knowledge exchange within a Chaebol drive the global subsidiary performance of the headquarters (HQ) of a Chaebol's globally affiliated companies. Design/methodology - Using a sample of 176 Korean HQ firms of the top 53 Chaebols and 1,061 of their foreign manufacturing subsidiaries (n = 1,061), we tested the relationship between the exchange of explorative and exploitative sustainable HR innovation knowledge among HQ firms of Chaebols, their subsequent transfer of technical HR knowledge via technical schemas, and the subsequent impact on the global subsidiary performance. Findings - The Chaebols' decisions about the three strategic knowledge management options (i.e., the degree of exchange of explorative and exploitative technological HR innovation knowledge and the extent of HQ-subsidiary HR knowledge transfer) have highly significant relationships with the global subsidiary performance. The results help explains the conditions under which the explorative versus exchange of exploitative sustainable HR innovation knowledge pays off by showing the moderating role of the degree of HQ-to-subsidiary technical HR knowledge transfer, at least in the case of the Chaebol as one representative type of the emerging-market business groups. Originality/value - As the first of its kind in the field of sustainable HR innovation knowledge management at the business group level, the present study makes a clear contribution in demonstrating how the performance of Chaebols' manufacturing subsidiaries depends greatly on their strategy for management of knowledge, as reflected in the choices they make about sharing both explorative and exploitative sustainable HR innovation knowledge among HQ firms and the subsequent transfer of HQ's sustainable HR innovation knowledge to the foreign subsidiaries.

Purpose - The main purpose of this study is thus to investigate the contingent effect of imitation strategies on firm performance in transition economies such as China, focusing on pure and creative imitation. Design/methodology - We conducted a survey targeting department heads of each company who have more than 10 years work experiences. We assessed that the ability to gain trust and to access information from high-ranking informants would be greater if the firms were from the same country - Korea - as the lead researcher. A total of 200 highly reliable samples were obtained, which could effectively explain the nine variables set in the study. Relevant hypotheses were tested using a hierarchical linear model (HLM). Findings - The findings suggest that SMEs' technology level also had a positive impact on performance. Firms with better technology had a positive impact on performance, irrespective of pure or creative imitation. This reflects the cases where many Korean SMEs entering China without high technology level lose their competitiveness due to Chinese firms' technology catch-up within a short period of time. Originality/value - SMEs that lack technology and know-how need to focus on pure imitation strategies. It is possible that SMEs can perform creative imitation, but it seems difficult under the current circumstances. Therefore, SMEs with limitations in technology and know-how should maintain their competitive advantage for a while, by maintaining their pure imitation strategy.

Purpose - This paper examines China's impact on Korea's ICT exports considering the direct competition channel, the production shift channel, and the indirect demand channel at once. This paper also takes China's economic rebalancing into account and discusses whether it makes any differences in the effect of the three channels. Design/methodology - To quantify the effect of the three channels, I constructed a linear panel regression model and estimated it with various estimation methods including the system GMM. China's exports toward the same destination as Korea's exports, Korea's exports toward China, and the third countries' exports toward China respectively reflect the three channels. China's GVC indicators are included as well to evaluate the effect of further China's economic rebalancing. Since the present paper has a greater interest in the effect of China rather than the determinant of bilateral trade, a (fixed effect) panel model becomes more appropriate than the gravity model because timeinvariant variables in the gravity model, such as the distance and the language, are eliminated during the estimation process. Findings - The estimation results indicate that Chinese ICT exports are complementary to Korea's ICT exports in general. However, when markets are considered in subgroups, China's ICT exports could have a negative effect in the long run, especially for SITC75 and SITC76 markets, implying a possible competitive threat of China. The production shift effect turns significant during China's economic rebalancing in the markets for the advanced economies and the SITC76 product. China's indirect demand channel is also in effect significantly for the advanced economy and SITC75 commodities during China's economic rebalancing periods. In addition, this paper shows that China's transition toward upstream in the global value chain could have a positive impact on Korea's ICT exports, especially at the Asian market. Originality/value - The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it focuses on the ICT industry for which Korea increasingly depends on China and China becomes a global hub of the GVC. Second, this paper quantitatively studies three channels in a model in contrast to the literature which mostly examines those channels separately and pays less attention to the GVC aspect. Third, by utilizing relatively recent data from the period of 2001-2017, this paper discusses whether China's economic rebalancing affects the three channels.