• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.3-14
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• 2015

Since the global financial crisis, the Korean domestic construction market has continuously experienced downturns, and the Korean domain construction firms'profitability has been persistently deteriorated. Domestic construction firms have rapidly advanced to overseas markets exclusively for the construction contract packages. However, the profitability for the construction contracts has been lower compared to engineering or project management contracts. One of the critical issues the Korean firms have faced was project management capability across all phases in project execution. Even though several project management capability assessment tools were introduced, most tools were applicable to a wide variety of industry sectors rather than construction industry. Project management capability assessment tool specifically applicable to domestic CM firms was developed through this research, in order to assess project and program management capabilities and improve the competitiveness in overseas market Also, the correlation between project, programs, and the CM infrastructure were identified. The CM firms were divided into two groups according to the size of the business, and both were evaluated at the project and the program level based for the 9 different criteria. The project management capability assessment tool developed for the CM firms can be used for self-assessment to distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of each company at the project and program level. In addition, the current status of each group can be identified by spotting improvement areas for the management capabilities.

• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-40
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• 2007

We test a model of investment-cashflow-growth opportunities relationship in order to estimate the sensitivities to investments. In this study, we use a new proxy variable for the value of growth opportunities(hereafter "VGO"), which is based on the seminal papers of M&M(1958:1961:1963) and Lee(2006;2007). The empirical findings on the sensitivities of cashflow and growth opportunities are as follows. First, when the traditional proxy variables for the growth opportunities such as Tobin's Q, MBR and sales growth are included with the new proxy VGO in the estimation, their coefficients are turned out to be insignificant. Second, only the new proxy variable VGO shows a statistically significant positive sensitibity to investment, which can be regarded that the growth opportunities hold the positive influences to investments. Third, the Tobin's Q can be decomposed into three factors such as the value of growth opportunities(VGO), the value of asset-in-place and valuation errors. It turns out that only the VGO shows a statistically significant positive relationship with investment among others. This means that the new variable VGO is a good proxy variable for the growth opportunities in the investment-cashflow sensitivity analysis. In sum, thanks to the above findings in this study, we can say that it will not be proper to choose a proxy variable for the growth opportunities from the traditional set of proxies such as Tobin's Q, MBR, or sales growth rate.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.162-167
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• 2015

Although the perfomance indicators of the nuclear power plants in Korea show optimal, it requires detailed analysis and discussion centered on the radiation dose. As analysis methods, analysis on the radiation dose of nuclear power plants over the past five years was assessed by comparing the relevant radiation dose of radiation workers and per capita average annual radiation dose of the world's major nuclear power stations was also analyzed. The radiation workers over the annual radiation dose limit of 50 mSv were not. The contrast ratio of the radiation exposure according to the reactor type was the normal operation of PHWR was 6.2% higher than those of the PWR. This shows the radiation work of PHWR during normal driving operation is much more than those of PWR. According to the Performance Indicators of the World Association of Nuclear Operator, the annual radiation dose per unit in 2013 showed 527 man-mSv of Korea is the best country among the major nuclear power generating states, the world average was 725 man-mSv. The annual per capita radiation dose is about 80% less than 1 mSv of the public dose limit and also the average per capita dose showed a very low level as 0.82 mSv. Workers in related organizations showed 1.07 mSv, the non-destructive inspection agency workers showed 3.87 mSv. The remarkable results were due to radiation reduced program such as development of radiation shielding and radiation protection. In conclusion, the radiation exposured dose of nuclear power plants workers in Korea showed a trend which is ideally reduced. But more are expected to be difficul and the psychological insecurity against the operation of the nuclear power plants is existed to the residents near the nuclear power plants. So the radiation dose reduction policy and radiation dose follow up study of nuclear power plants will be continously excuted.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.143-150
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• 2020

This research is intended to identify how office worker's recognition of strength affects the intention of starting a business when it is used as a medium for utilizing strength. The survey period was conducted for two months from January 17, 2019 to March 8, 2019. In order to achieve the object of this study, a significant number of employees have been collected nationwide, and 287 office workers were analyzed after collecting 300 questionaires, excluding 13 office workers who were not sincere. The significant data were analyzed by utilizing the structural equation and technical statistics and by verifying the conformity of structural model and measurement model and by investigating the relationship between variables. The results of this study are summarized as follows: First, employee's perception of strength has been found to have a significant effect on the utilizing of strength. Second, the use of workers' strengths has been found to have a significant effect on the intention of starting a business. Third, it has been confirmed that in the relationship between the employee's perception of strength and intention to start a business, the recognition of strength has a significant effect on the intention of starting a business only through the use of strength. Most office workers are nervous about the future and make various plans. The time to live after retirement is getting longer and jobs and working hours are shrinking at an alarming rate. According to the analysis on the status of small business owners in the mid-term of 2017 data, the average monthly operating profit of small business owners across the country is decreasing over the years, and most start-ups are subsistence-type start-ups, and they decide to start their own businesses because they have no other choice than start-ups. As the number of small business owners suffering from financial difficulties has increased since the financial crisis and insecurity of job is pushing those with financial difficulties after retirement to the battleground of the start-up market, the result of this research suggest that the workers need to recognize their own strength and enhance the importance of utilizing the strength.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.1D
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• pp.119-126
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• 2011

High-speed railway raises global interests with the growing concerns on the green development and the green energy. However, since most of the infrastructure investment of Korea was focused on the highway projects for last forty years, the investment on the railway has been limited around 40~50% of that of the highway projects. In addition, due to the world economy crisis and unsatisfactory support of existing policy for the private investment project, the private investment is given a small deal of weight on the social overhead capital investment. Meanwhile, despite the world high-speed railway market is growing rapidly and the Korean contractors have won the international construction contracts over 70 billion USD, past records of railway projects are very rare. Therefore, it is required to develop strategies for encouraging private investment in the domestic market to achieve efficient high-speed railway development and for advancing into foreign high-speed railway market. This study carried out data collection and market analysis for both domestic and foreign market respectively. Through a structured questionnaire survey and expert interviews, contractors' perceptions on the high-speed railway market and needs for the government support are collected. Summary of strategies drawn from this study are as follows: 1) carrying out BTL high-speed railway projects and revising related policies; 2) upwarding incentive level for the private pre-investment projects considering the contractors' credit rating; 3) carrying out Honam-Jeju submarine railway project; 4) establishing a efficient consortium model for foreign market; 5) improving the capacity of the Korea Railway Association that support Korean contractors' foreign advancement; and 6) expand the budget for Global Infra-fund.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.71-102
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• 2007

There were many comprehensive analyses conducted within the existing research activities wherein factors affecting technology progress including investment in R&D vis-${\Box}$-vis their influences act as the determinants of TFP. Note, however, that there were few comprehensive analysis in the industrial research performed regarding the impact of the economy of scale as it affects TFP; most of these research studies dealt with the analysis of the non -parametric Malmquist productivity index or used the stochastic frontier production function models. No comprehensive analysis on the impacts of individual independent variables affecting TFP was performed. Therefore, this study obtained the TFP increase rate of each industry by analyzing the factors of the existing growth accounting equation and comprehensively analyzed the TFP determinants by constructing a comprehensive analysis model considering the investment in R&D and economy of scale (smallness by industry) as the influencers of TFP by industry. First, for the TFP increase rate of the 15 industries as a whole, the annual average increase rate for 1993${\sim}$ 1997 was approximately 3.8% only; during 1999${\sim}$ 2000 following the foreign exchange crisis, however, the annual increase rate rose to approximately 7.8%. By industry, the annual average increase rate of TFP between 1993 and 2000 stood at 11.6%, the highest in the electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing business and IT manufacturing sector. In contrast, a -0.4% increase rate was recorded in the furniture and other product manufacturing sectors. In the case of the service industry, the TFP increase rate was 7.3% in the transportation, warehousing, and communication sectors. This is much higher than the 2.9% posted in the electricity, water, and gas sectors and -3.7% recorded in the wholesale, food, and hotel businesses. The results of the comprehensive analysis conducted on the determinants of TFP showed that the correlations between R&D and TFP in general were positive (+) correlations whose significance has yet to be validated; in the model where the self-employed and unpaid family workers were used as proxy variables indicating the smallness of industry out of the total number of workers, however, significant negative (-) correlations were noted. On the other hand, the estimation factors of variables surrogating the smallness of scale in each industry showed that a consistently high "smallness of scale" in an industry means a decrease in the increase rate of TFP in the same industry.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.267-278
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• 2011

This study examines the relationship among stock options, pay equity, organizational commitment. Employees who received stock options tend to perceive their pay more equitable and the tendency shows a positive relationship among the amount of stock options and the equity perception. Also employees who received stock options perceive greater procedural equity, as they recognize stock options are awarded to many employees. However, the perception of stock options was not significantly associated with organizational commitment, turnover intention, and pay satisfaction. In 2003, the study surveyed 115 employees who received stock options in 10 publicly owned Korean firms that introduced stock option plans. The statistical analysis leads to the conclusions as follows. First, as the number of stock options increases, the receiver tends to perceive that pay system is more distributively equitable. Second, as the number of stock option receivers increases, the employees perceive the pay system more procedurally equitable. Third, stock option payments don't ensure that it improves pay satisfaction, turnover intention, and organizational commitment. This study shows a positive relationship that stock options work favorably in terms of pay equity, but the effect doesn't seem to be widely positive. The reason is that the introduction of stock options in domestic firms has been made only recently after the foreign exchange crisis in the late 1990s. More experiments and design issues should be discussed for the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.892-901
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• 2012

The purpose of this research was to analyze fish fauna, distribution patterns, and fish community structures in the Juksan-Weir regions of upper weir(R-UW) and lower weir(R-LW), which was constructed in 2011 on Yeongsan River watershed. Our outcomes will provide valuable information in the impact analysis of weir constructions next decades, even if the current research is limited to distributions and fauna studies of fishes. The fishes observed were 8 family and 30 species in all the sites, and the number of the species in the regions of R-UW and R-LW was 23(938 individuals) and 27(1,680 individuals), respectively, indicating greater abundance in the lower region of Juksan-Weir. Most dominant species was Opsarichthys uncirostris amurensis with relative abundance of 42%, and this species had greater abundance in the R-LW(49%) than in the R-UW(30%). Coilia nasus, was the migratory fish sampled in this region and had no differences of abundance between the two regions. The extic species observed were Carassius cuvieri, Lepomis macrochirus, and Micropterus salmoides. The two formers of Carassius cuvieri(1.2%) and Lepomis macrochirus(3.7%) dominated in the R-UW, whereas Micropterus salmoides had greater dominance in the region of R-LW. According to tolerance guild analysis, the proportion of sensitive species ranged from 0.4 to 0.5%, and that of tolerant species ranged from 65% to 70%, implying a severe pollution of nutrients and organic matters in the water body. In the mean time, according to trophic guild analysis, the proportion of carnivores(57 - 77%) was evidently higher than that of insectivores(10 - 20%), indicating a dominance of the carnivores. Especially, high abundance of the bass, exotic species, may disturb the fish overall food chain, so the efficient ecosystem management may be required for the conservation of endemic species. When we examined fish data files of last 60 years, the species of Culter brevicauda, designated as endangered species, was observed firstly in our research area and the total number was 5 individuals(0.2% of the total). So, this region observed should be conserved as a protection zone and further monitoring studies should be done in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.235-246
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between botanical garden visitors' ecological consciousness and their needs, in order to provide some effective measures to manage them. For this purpose, 3 study points were set up: "botanical garden visitors' ecological consciousness and their needs", "differences of such consciousness depending on their demographic variables" and the "relationship between such consciousness and their needs". To this end, Botanical garden visitors were surveyed for an empirical analysis. The visitors' awareness about ecology was measured with Dunlap's 15-item NEP Inventory, while their needs were analyzed in reference to Maslow's 7-Step Human Desire Ladder. The survey was conducted at Botanical garden for 3 days. As a result, a total of 360 questionnaires were returned. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; First, the visitors' ecological consciousness and their needs were higher than normal level. In terms of their consciousness of ecology, their awareness of the ecological crisis potential and anti-humanism were the highest. In terms of their needs, the aesthetic need was the highest, followed by the cognitive need. On the other hand, the needs for self-achievement and self-esteem were the lowest; except them, the higher the needs were positioned at Maslow's ladder of desire, the more responsive the subjects became. As a result of analyzing the correlation between the subjects' consciousness of ecology and their needs, it was found that the correlation was negative in some sub-areas, while being positive in other sub-areas. After all, the ratio of the sub-areas having a positive correlation was 3 times higher than that of the sub-areas having a negative correlation. Even as for the correlation coefficient values, they were higher in the positive sub-areas, which suggests that the correlation between wetland visitors' ecological consciousness and their needs was positive, although at a lower level, in overall terms. As a result of comparatively analyzing visitors' needs by dividing them into 3 sub-groups depending on the levels of their ecological consciousness, it was found that the higher their consciousness of ecology was, the higher their needs were. Overall, botanical garden visitors' ecological awareness was higher than the normal level, and it was estimated that such awareness would continue to increase. Hence, it could be inferred that their needs, particularly their aesthetic and cognitive ones, would also continue to increase. Accordingly, it is important to manage the wetland landscape making use of its visual resources, while keep providing the visitors with the contents fulfilling their need for knowledge.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 2014

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is currently identified as a restoration target species, because it is listed as level 1 in the Korean National Park Service's endangered species list. The present research was conducted to investigate the basic behavioral patterns distribution of red foxes. For this study, red foxes under semi-natural conditions were observed and recorded from May 2012 to April 2013. The results revealed that the activities of the red foxes began at $16:59{\pm}01:20t$ and ended at an average time of $05:50{\pm}03:02t$. The males began and ended their activities earlier than their female counterparts. Among the seasonal activity durations, the longest activity duration was observed in summer with activity of 14 hours and 5 minutes, while the shortest activity duration was observed in winter with activity periods of 10 hours and 11 minutes. Generally, the red foxes exhibited a nocturnal behavioral pattern; the activity start time of the foxes was influenced by the sunset time. However, the activity end time showed no relationship with the sunrise time. The frequency of daily feeding activity ranged from one to eight times per day, with the males ($2.40{\pm}1.66$) exhibiting higher frequency than their female counterparts ($1.87{\pm}1.24$). The feeding activity peaked in November (average, 3.52 times per day) and was lowest in January (average, 1.28 times per day). Both males and females engaged in daily drinking activity (average, $2.03{\pm}1.296$ times per day). Thus, the increase in the frequency of the feeding activity is related to increase in the frequency of the drinking activity. Although the present research was conducted under semi-natural condition, the findings will be useful for the daily specification management of the species, monitoring of the released foxes, and habitat management based on the behavioral characteristics of the species.