• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.127-133
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• 2018

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one of the strategies for managing firms' business activities but may have heterogeneity depending on ownership structures. This study investigates the association between group-affiliation and CSR activities. Drawing on a theory from the prior research, this study predicts that group-affiliated firms are less likely to invest on CSR activities. For instance, prior research finds that controlling shareholders expropriate the values of minority shareholders. As one of the motivations of investing on CSR activities is the harmonization among the stakeholders, it leads to the prediction that firms controlled by large shareholders are less likely to engage in CSR activities. Second, group-affiliated firms under poor financial performance benefit from other group members through sharing their financial resources. Thus, there is less incentive for managers of group-affiliated firms to increase their financial performance by conducting CSR. By leveraging firms listed in Korean stock market and CSR score from Korea Economic Justice Institute, the result shows that the group-affiliation is negatively related to CSR activities. The result is consistent in case of applying propensity score-matched sample. Based on the findings of this study, this paper contributes to the related literature by showing the significant association between group-affiliation and CSR decisions.

• Journal of East Asia Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-19
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• 2022

This study suggests an integrated theoretical framework for the relationship between political risk and multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiary's performance in the emerging market. The political risk would have a negative impact on MNC subsidiary's performance in the emerging countries that are developing in Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Africa, and South America. The major reason is that political risks could generate a loss of benefit or a loss of control for MNC's subsidiary. In this study, I suggest that corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy would be a solution to overcome various political risks. Specifically, the affiliated firms with diversified industries or greater financial resources could mitigate the negative impact of political risk than unaffiliated firms. Because they can use their tangible or nontangible asset such as information, technology, and construction in order to gain legitimacy and trust from local government, local community, and local firms in the emerging market. Finally, I claimed the costs of the affiliated firms would exceed the benefits at the initial stages, while the benefits of affiliated firms would exceed the costs over time when political risks become higher. The reason is that the trust gained from local stakeholders accumulates over time and the impact of CSR strategy would become an important solution to overcome the risks in and unstable context.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.19-42
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• 2022

Purpose - This study investigates the effects of foreign investor ownership on firm innovation and the different stages of the firm innovation process for business group affiliation (affiliated firms) and nonaffiliated firms. Design/methodology - Research and development (R&D) intensity is used as a proxy for firm innovation. We use a sample of 7,655 firm-year observations of Korean listed firms from 2001 to 2015. To identify the distinct features of business group affiliation and how foreign investor ownership affects firm innovation, we divide the sample into affiliated and non-affiliated firms. Moreover, we classify total R&D expenditures as research and development expenditures. Findings - This study finds a positive relationship between foreign investor ownership and innovation in non-affiliated firms. However, the foreign investor ownership's role in facilitating firm innovation does not influence business group affiliation. Moreover, the results show that foreign investor ownership encourages firms to increase research expenditures, which is the amount spent in the early stages of a firm's R&D process. Originality/value - Existing studies have overlooked the distinct features of business group affiliation and the different characteristics of research and development expenditures. Thus, this study considers the distinct features of business group affiliation and investigates how foreign investor ownership affects different stages of R&D activities.

• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.63-91
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• 2009

This paper tests the validity of pecking order theory by Myers(1977) and Myers and Majluf(1984) on Korean manufacturing firms listed in the KRX for the years of 1994 to 2003. We also want to see if there is any difference in financing behavior between chaebol affiliated firms and non-chaebol affiliated firms. We develop testable hypotheses from the idea that established relationship between bank and firm mitigates the problem of information asymmetry (Kang and Lim, 2001), and thus makes it easier for firms to raise funds through banks. The test result of the first stage shows that firms prefer cash reserves to debt financing, and prefer debt to equity. Chaebol affiliated firms are found to behave as if they already exploit internal capital markets. The second stage of the test carried out by dividing debt capital into bank loans and corporate bonds also shows a consistent pattern of financing behavior. Firms are testified to prefer cash to bank loans, bank loans to corporate bonds, and corporate bonds to equity. In this case chaebol affiliation seems to make firms behave as if they already establish internal capital markets. Further analysis shows that some, though not in every case, difference of ordering around the occasion of Korean financial crisis exists. It may be from the change of attitude of Korean firms to risk, or from weakened influence of internal capital market along with strengthened market power in the post-crisis period.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.373-381
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate the impact of financial distress on the cash holding of non-financial companies in Indonesia as the largest emerging economy among ASEAN countries. Furthermore, the sub-sample business group to be investigated were divided into two, groups namely affiliated and non-affiliated groups. This was carried out to ascertain the difference in the impact of financial distress on cash holding between both groups. Sample collection was based on all firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) during 2008-2017, comprising 137 firms. The results showed that using the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), the coefficients for financial distress (Z-Score) indices were positive and significant for all models. Therefore, the higher the Z-Score value, the lower the company's financial distress and vice versa. This implies that the lower the company's financial distress, the lower the cash holding. Furthermore, a positive and significant impact of the Z-Score on cash holding for non-affiliated groups was discovered. This implies that there are differences in the amount of cash holding between affiliated and non-affiliated groups. This result indicates that non-affiliated groups hold more cash during financial distress. However, these results had cash policy implications, particularly for non-affiliated groups.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.195-208
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• 2021

Purpose - The primary objective of this paper is to empirically examine whether the engagement of socially responsible activities in corporations affect the tendency of tax-avoidance by using the sample of Korean companies. We are particularly interested in Chaebol-affiliated firms, which are a special type of Korean conglomerates. Design/methodology/approach - This study is based on a sample of 5,496 firm-year observation data from 2011 to 2017 by using the ESG ratings from the Korea Corporate Governance Service(KCGS), a ESG rating agency in Korea. For our analysis, the firms were separated into 1,547 Chaebol-affiliated firms and other 3,949 firms. All financial and firm data were extracted from Fn-guide, which provides financial information for Korean listed firms. Findings - We find that CSR is generally positively related to the effective tax rate, which indicates a lower level of tax avoidance for more socially responsible firms. In particular, a positive relationship of social score with GAAP ETR was observed. Research implications or Originality - We find that the positive relationship is robust to the group of chaebol and non-chaebol affiliates unlike extant literature.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.74-92
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• 2021

Purpose - Utilizing a large sample of Korean firms, this study examines international diversification impacts on corporate tax avoidance and whether firms affiliated with large business groups (known in Korean as "chaebol") reinforce the relationship between international diversification and tax avoidance. Design/methodology - This paper hypothesizes that 1) international diversification is likely to increase tax avoidance, 2) the positive effect of international diversification on tax avoidance is likely to be more pronounced for chaebol firms. We examine the hypotheses by using Korean firms listed in the Korean stock market between 2011 and 2016. We employ the number of foreign subsidiaries and the entropy index as proxies for international diversification and CASH ETR and GAAP ETR as proxies for tax avoidance. Findings - Our findings are summarized as follows. First, we have found that as firms are more internationally diversified, tax avoidance increases. It means that international diversification can be employed as a method of reducing the tax burden. Second, firms affiliated with chaebol are strengthened by the positive relation between international diversification and tax avoidance. It is interpreted that chaebol firms have more effective opportunities to reduce taxes than other firms. When entering foreign markets, they can share experience and resources to decrease taxation within the large business group. Originality/value - This study provides empirical evidence regarding the tax effect of international diversification. Unlike prior studies, international diversification is positively related to tax avoidance in Korea. In addition, we present additional evidence on the chaebol effects of international diversification on tax avoidance, in which they have an advantage to reduce taxes using transfer pricing through related party transactions, income shifting to low tax rate countries, and establishing subsidiaries in tax havens.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2006

This paper analyzes the technical efficiencies of 40 Korean system integration firms using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist productivity indices. Technical efficiencies on average had been decreased over the five year period and the efficiency difference between best practice firms and catch-up firms had been increased during this period, meaning that the industry structure has become matured and the possibilities for catch-up firms to be efficient are not remained so much. The differences in efficiency by the differences in ownership structures are statistically significant. It implies that the efficiencies of group-affiliated firms have come from benefits such as the captive market umbrellas, not from their own management competencies. In addition, the technical efficiency is highly correlated with captive market sales, information productivity, sales per employees, rates of value added, returns on invested capital, and EBITDA.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.113-134
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• 2018

This study examines the roles of intangible and tangible resources of Korean business groups on internationalization by their member firms. Specifically, we argue that not all affiliates receive same benefit from group-level resource sharing. Instead, the effect of group-level knowledge sharing on affiliates' internationalization depends on individual affiliates' relative financial positions within a business group. Using samples of business groups in Korea, chaebols, hereafter chaebols, we find that foreign market knowledge at the group level has a positive impact on the internationalization of affiliated firms while the product knowledge has no impact. Furthermore, we also find evidences that an affiliate with high level of financial capacity receives internal pressures to stay in domestic market to secure internal capital market and support other sister affiliates' international activities.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.181-194
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• 2006

Economic and political barriers in Northeast Asia including Korea have been eliminated gradually. As results of economic relations are more active in this region. The administration of physical distribution tightened circulation- cost down. This is one of the most important facts to develop world economy. Distribution in China is expected to grow quantitatively and continuously. China is just out of planned economic system. Therefore, it is expected that foreign affiliated firms will take a fierce competition for the next $1\sim2$ years. This study investigates Korea-China trade and distribution index with analysis and expectation of China market. The study analyzes the business conditions, faced problems and differentiated strategies of foreign affiliated firms. Be based on those, it is researched how domestic companies will make strategies to start China successfully.