• Korean Business Review
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• v.12
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• pp.189-207
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• 1999

The recent keen global competition makes cooperative Labor-Management relations as one of the minimum requirements for the business firms in order to survive. Accordingly, this study focused upon the comparative analysis of the traits of some major countries' Labor-Management Joint Consultations for the purpose of explaining the core characteristics of them. The way how to develop and enhance the Labor-Management Joint Consultation in Korea was also suggested. As a result, this study shows that the social background of, the authority of, and the relationship with collective bargaining of the the Labor-Management Joint Consultation differed in great extent among the countries, and that these differences caused the various consultation patterns in each country. For example, the Labor-Management Joint Consultation was introduced and used voluntarily in the U.S.A. and Japan, while it was enforced by law in Korea, Germany, and France. Also, co-determination has been popular in Germany, France, and The U.S.A., but only the advising and consulting have been dominant in Korea and Japan. However, the rapid change of business environment and the increase in employees' need will make the co-determination as a desirable pattern even in Korea.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.117-143
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• 2006

This paper illuminates the patterns of growth and declines in sizes of union membership in metal, chemical, financial, and auto transport sectors in three distinct periods during the last four decades from 1963 to 2003. This paper also calculates union densities in auto assembly, auto supply, and shipbuilding industries of the metal sector, cement, petroleum refining, and pharmaceutical industries of the chemical sector, private banking industry of the financial sector, and city bus industry of the auto transport sector. Such diversities in both sizes of union membership and union densities among sectors and industries turned out to be associated with attitudes and choices of employers and unions in interaction with sector- and industry-specific economic (growth stage and path), institutional (degrees of government intervention), and social (demographic features of employees and prevailing sizes of firms) environment. Such finding shows that theoretical reasonings on sizes of union membership and union densities across sectors and industries in advanced nations are also relevantly useful to analyze the Korean case.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.87-106
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• 2009

This paper is intended to suggest benchmarking ascension for the Gwangyang Port as a hub for international logistics. Most countries that seek to join. and lead, the global trading system as they work to develop production and logistics systems that establish a reputation for leadership in international logistics. Our focus in this research is on the Gwangyang Port and whether Gwangyang Port is capable of carving out a competitive niche as a hub of international logistics. Our analysis is based on comparison and analysis with benchmark port developments around the world. As proposals to promote and activate Gwangyang Port as a hub for international logistics, we recommended in this paper several benchmarks. First, Gwangyang Port FTZ must strengthen the incentive system for tenant companies and providing an inducement for new global companies. Second, Gwangyang Port needs to moderation of regulation on the investment tenant companies and strengthening one-stop service. Third, it is required to stabilize labor and management relationship and securing of flexibility of labor market. Lastly, Gwangyang Port must strengthen mutual interaction of Free Economic Zone (FEZ), Customs Free Zone(CFZ) and Free trade Zone(FTZ) in Korea.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.1-25
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• 2016

This study reviews international discussions about the trade-labor linkage and examines the labor chapters of FTAs enforced by the US and the EU from a comparative perspective. Since early 1990s, starting from the NAFTA, the US has included forceable labor provisions in its FTAs and this trend continues to the TPP which was concluded in October 2015. On the other hand, the EU's labor provisions in its FTAs have been composed of promotional elements on labor rights based on cooperations and dialogues. These different features of labor provisions in the US and European FTAs are mainly due to the motives of the FTAs of the US and the EU respectively as well as their domestic situations with regards to domestic law and institutional set-ups. The coordination of labor provisions involves a long-term institutional as well as regulatory convergence which triggers not only economic but also social changes, compared to a relatively short-term effect of tariff elimination. For Korea which has been a FTA partner country both with the US and the EU, it is significant to keep the different characteristics in the labor provisions in mind, particularly in the process of its implementation. Concerning the implementation of Korea-US FTA, it might be problematic if Korean law and its regulatory practice on labor-management relations do not comply with that of the US. The Korea-EU FTA case can also have an indirect impact on Korea's labor laws since it stipulates in its provisions that both parties should have discussions not only within each government but also with the civil communities including NGOs. Thus, Korea should pay more attention to the true meaning in labor provisions of both FTAs in order to promote its firms to be equipped with the right labor-management system in their operations abroad.

• Korean Journal of Comparative Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.247-284
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze firm's motivation of participating and investing in apprenticeship in Germany and Korea, and to investigate institutional factors influencing firm's motivation. By comparing institutional factors of the two countries, it aims to drawing out policy implications for improving Korean apprenticeship. The main method for data collection was comprehensive literature review on international organizations, each countries' government and research institutes' policy materials, statistical data, research outputs and media resources related to each countries' apprenticeship. Considering whether firm's motivation for participating and investing in apprenticeship is production-oriented or investment-oriented, Germany is more inclined to investment motivation with firm's covering net cost during apprenticeship period. On the other hand, Korea is more inclined toward production orientation with firm's expectation of gaining net profit during the training period. Why is firm's training motivation different in these two countries? The author tried to find the reason from the difference of institutional factors of the countries by dividing institutional factors into 4 categories: context(tripartite relations, legal framework), input (flexibility of the system, government incentive), process(training contents, training duration, quality assurance), and output(completion/retention rate, apprentice's productivity). The key implication from the comparative analysis of institutional factors is that it is necessary to enforce companies to have "accountability" on the minimum critical elements, but also to ensure them to have "autonomy" on the rest of the elements.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.191-208
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• 2018

This paper focuses on the integration aspect of operators to determine an improvement strategy for the operating system to enhance competitiveness of Busan Port. This Study proposes the following alternatives: valuation standards for the integration of operators, the road map for the integration period, the scope and role setting of integrated operators' participation of Busan Port Authority(BPA), and the separation and linkage North Port and the New Port operators. First, the valuation standards for operator integration should be based on international standards. Additionally quantitative factors such as financial situation, business performance and participating companies' profitability, and the qualitative factors such as management ability, technology, and labor relations should be considered. Second, the timing of North Port's operator integration should be prioritized in the short term in conjunction with the commencement of its phase 2-4, 2-5, and 2-6. The integration of New Port operators should provide a road map for a relatively long-term perspective. Third, the participation of BPA' integrated operators should be considered in terms of publicity as a policy coordinator between terminals and by pursuing the profitability of entering into overseas business by fostering Korean global terminal operators. The scope and role of participation ensures that the experience and technology of the terminal operation business is maximized. Fourth, because physically intergrating the North Port' operator into a single corporate form is difficult, initially establishing a special purpose company to maximize the effect of the integrated operation is necessary. Then, the operators decided to convert to a holding company given the termination of the lease term contract with the State or BPA, and ultimately proposed a merger into a single corporation.