• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.1-16
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• 2021

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.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.134-144
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• 2022

The development and operation of autonomous ships are spotlighted as a next-generation technology that will provide newbenefits for the maritime business during the fourth industrial revolution. To expand the adoption of autonomous ships, the much more interest of the nation and the industries will have to be changed to actual adoption in shipping companies. For this, it is judged that research to identify the factors impacting the adoption intention of autonomous ships should be preceded. However, most studies on autonomous ships have focused on developing the technology, revising the law, establishing policies, and managing human resources, with few studies on influencing factors in the adoption of autonomous ships. A model, to identify the factors that impact the intention to the adoption of autonomous ships, based on the theory of diffusion of innovation and the TOE framework was developed. The suggested model was verified through empirical analysis targeting the shipping companies and the marine industries in Korea. As the result of this study, it was found that top management support, financial slack, and competitive intensity significantly impacted the intention to adopt autonomous ships. Additionally, it was revealed that the overall awareness of autonomous ships among Korean shipping companies is poor.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.509-530
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• 2007

This paper examined the relationship between innovation and firm performance by integrating industry competitive context and firm-level knowledge constructs. After controlling for firm site, age, and the presence of a union, cross-section analysis of survey data from 1,419 medium sized manufacturing firms yielded following findings. The first was the expected positive relationship between firm-level innovation and firm knowledge and also industry dynamism, as measured by the intensity of industry-level R&D. This results indicate that industries with greater aggregate levels of R&D intensity are home to higher rates of firm-level innovative activity and managers must increase their numbers of technical staff and the level of training. But the interaction between firm knowledge and industry dynamism was non-significant. Second, innovation was not significantly related to firm performance, as measured by revenue growth. This relationship was not moderated by industry dynamism and firm level knowledge. In high and low technology sectors, the relationship between innovation and performance was non-significant, consistent with the full-sample analysis. The results suggest that the effects of firm-level knowledge assets and investments in training don't work in different ways in different industry settings. This research used three control variables to analyze innovation and firm performance. Firm age was negatively associated with firm performance and did not significantly predict innovation. Firm size was positively associated with innovation and performance in the low-technology sector. The presence of a labor union was not a significant with respect to innovation.

• Agribusiness and Information Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.43-62
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• 2011

The goal of this study is to determine, based on survey results, the underlying factors that affect the intention of the farmers who have not adopted the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for the rearing phase of pig production to adopt this system in the future. The research model for this study was con structed based on strategic contingency theory, the theory of the diffusion of innovation, and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Using structural equation modeling with partial least squares (PLS), this study analyzes the effects of the intensity of competition, the environmental uncertainty, the innovativeness and self-efficacy of the individual farmers, and the impact of the credibility of the Agricultural Technology Service Center (ATSC), which acts as the principal agent of technology dissemination and as a leader of change, on the perceived usefulness of technology and the farmers' intention to adopt the system. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, with regard to the underlying factors affecting the intention to adopt the new system, the intensity of competition within the industry and the institutional credibility of the ATSC were inferred to underlie the perceived usefulness. Second, institutional credibility has a positive impact on the perceived usefulness of the system, and the perceived usefulness, in turn, has a positive impact on the intention to adopt. The perceived ease of use also has a positive impact on the intention to adopt. Because the factor that has the biggest impact on the intention of a farm to adopt is the credibility of the ATSC, it is crucial for extension organizations, such as the ATSC, to make greater efforts to promote the expansion of the HACCP system. Because farmers feel that the implementation of the HACCP system is an instrumental strategy for coping with the high intensity of competition within the industry, they attempt to gain a competitive edge through the production of safe livestock products.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.47-57
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• 2019

New product innovation is a key component of a company's survival and sustained growth. With the rapidly changing market environment and global infinite competition, The importance of innovative new product development is growing. In the domestic entertainment industry, Competition is intensifying, and many companies are focusing on developing innovative new products in order to secure continuous competitive advantage in the era of global infinite competition. The problem is that as the intensity of competition increases and the idol production system develops more and more, The costs of planning and marketing are increasing. The fair trade commission estimated the cost of creating an idol group to be about 1 billion won, and some large entertainment companies claim that the investment cost is about 20 ~ 3 billion won. Lean startup is attracting attention as an innovation framework for sustainable competitive advantage of companies. But, there are not many related studies in Korea despite the growing interest. In particular, Case studies that can help to establish specific strategies are limited. Therefore, this study analyzed the successful case of JYP Entertainment's idol singer TWICE who succeeded in new product innovation and suggested practical implications. Theoretically, This study extended the Lean startup to the entertainment industry and suggested practical implications as the basic data for establishing the innovation strategies for the idol singers of domestic entertainment companies.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.107-128
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• 2013

When Korea's retail industry was liberalized, new store formats such as large discount stores and Super Supermarket(SSMs) have grown. New types of business have borne significant influence on traditional market. Traditional markets have been in gradual decline since they fail to meet to consumer's purchasing behavior. The South Korean government has been making sustained efforts to revitalize the modernization of traditional markets since 2004. This research is conducted to analyze how changes in the distribution of different types of distributors influence the consumer's purchasing behaviors depending on the changes in the market environment. The purpose of this research is to present a policy to invigorate consumer-oriented traditional markets by analyzing the consumption behavior among major retail channels at a point when competition among retail channels is becoming intensified. In order to examine the effect of the spatial competitive landscape among major retail channels on consumption behavior, an empirical analysis was conducted with 613 consumers in 6 cities nationwide, using the multiple regression model. This research identified three main areas of factors. The analysis result indicates that the physical factor (time required to go to the traditional market), socioeconomic factors (the number of vehicles owned and average monthly income), and competitive factors (intensity of competition in spatial locations and average monthly spending in supermarkets) have significant influence on consumption patterns of consumers. The findings present that the Korean government should go ahead with policies aimed to revitalize traditional markets, keeping in mind the factors that influence the consumption patterns of customers based on these results. We propose that the policy supporting traditional markets need to be a customized-strategy, considering traditional market's characteristic.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.87-115
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• 2024

This study examines the effect of R&D investment on firm performance and value of Chinese private firms. Through R&D investment, firms aim to acquire knowledge and technological resources to create innovation and competitive advantage, which ultimately enhances firm performance and value. However, unlike other investments, R&D investments are characterized by high adjustment costs and risks, uncertainty and asymmetric information. In addition, the effect of R&D investment on firm performance and value has been shown to be mixed results due to various internal and external contextual factors. Therefore, this study intends to consider how the ESG activities of firms, which have recently attracted attention, act as a contextual factor in the results of R&D investment. This is because interaction with stakeholders through ESG activities is considered to be an important factor in securing competitive advantages and sustainable growth. In this context, this study measures the effect of a firm's R&D investment on its business performance by dividing it into financial performance and value, respectively, and examines the moderating effect of ESG score on the relationship. Based on empirical analysis of all Chinese private firms from 2010 to 2019, the results show that a firm's R&D investment has a negative impact on performance and a positive impact on value. Furthermore, a high ESG score of private firms positively moderates each relationship, emphasizing the importance of ESG activities.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.105-110
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• 2018

Objectives : We tried to observe the fluorescence anisotropy and intensity of ethidium ion in the intercalating binding interaction between DNA and ethidium ions in the presence of berberine, and then tried to explain the effect of berberine on the intercalating interaction of ethidium ion with DNA. Methods : DNA(calf thymus DNA), berberine and ethidium bromide(EtBr) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Co. Proper amount of each compound was dissolved in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer(pH 7.0) containing 100 mM of NaCl to prepare stock solutions. Collections of the fluorescence anisotropy and intensity data were performed on JASCO FP-8300 spectrofluorometer equipped with a polarizer and a Peltier temperature controller. The excitation of ethidium ion was done at 550 nm and the emission data were collected at 600 nm. For Stern-Volmer plot, the fluorescence data were collected at $18^{\circ}C$ and $30^{\circ}C$. Results : According to the results of this research, the weak competitive binding pattern between ethidium ion and berberine appeared in binding with DNA at low ratio of DNA to ethidium ion. But at high ratio of DNA to ethidium ion, this weak competition disappeared. Instead, berberine might bind to DNA by intercalating way. In other words, berberine could de-intercalate ethidium ion from DNA at low concentration of DNA relative to ethidium ion, but could not at high concentration of DNA relative to ethidium ion. In addition, the mechanism of fluorescence quenching of ethidium ion could also proceed differently, depending on the ratio of the amount of DNA to that of ethidium ion. Conclusions : The effect of berberine on the DNA-ethidium ion intercalating interaction could work differently, depending on the relative ratio of the amount of DNA to that of ethidium ion. This study also showed that fluorescence anisotropy analysis is very useful method to obtain detailed information for investigation of the complex binding interactions. In order to fully understand the mechanism of action of the pharmacological effect by berberine, studies on the effect of berberine on the action of proteins such as various enzymes closely related to berberine-induced medicinal effects should be continued.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.79-95
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• 2013

New product innovation is a process of embodying new knowledge in a product and technology licensing is getting popular as a means to innovations and introduction of new product to the market in today's competitive global market environment. Incumbents often rely on technology licensing to access new product opportunities created by other firms. Prior research has examined various aspects of technology licensing agreements such as specific contract terms of licensing agreements, e.g., distribution of control rights, exclusivity of licensing agreements, cross-licensing, and the scope of licensing agreements. This study aims to provide answers to an important, but under-researched question: why do some incumbents initiate more licensing agreement for exploratory learning while others do it for exploitative learning along the innovation process? We attempt to extend our knowledge of licensing agreements from an organizational learning perspective. Technology licensing as a specific form of interfirm linkages can be initiated with different learning objectives along the process of new product innovation. The exploratory stages of the innovation process such as discovery or research stages involve extensive searches to create new knowledge or capabilities, whereas the exploitative stages of the innovation process such as application or test stages near the commercialization are more focused on developing specific applications or improving their efficiency or reliability. Thus, different stages of the innovation process generate different types of learning and the resulting technological resources. We examine when incumbents as licensees initiate more licensing agreements for exploratory learning objectives and when more for exploitative learning objectives, focusing on two factors that may influence a firm's formation of exploratory and exploitative licensing agreements: 1) its past radical and incremental innovation experience and 2) its internal investments in R&D and marketing. We develop and test our hypotheses regarding the relationship between a firm's radical and incremental new product experience, R&D investment intensity and marketing investment intensity, and the likelihood of engaging in exploratory and exploitive licensing agreements. Using data collected from various secondary sources (Recap database, Compustat database, and FDA website), we analyzed technology licensing agreements initiated in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries from 1988 to 2011. The results of this study show that incumbents initiate exploratory rather than exploitative licensing agreements when they have more radical innovation experience and when they invest in R&D activities more intensively; in contrast, they initiate exploitative rather than exploratory licensing agreements when they have more incremental innovation experience and when they invest in marketing activities more intensively. The findings of this study contribute to the licensing and interfirm cooperation studies. First, this study lays a foundation to understand the organizational learning aspect of technology licensing agreements. Second, this study sheds lights on how a firm's internal investments in R&D and marketing are linked to its tendency to initiate licensing agreements along the innovation process. Finally, the findings of this study provide important insight to managers regarding which technologies to gain via licensing agreements. This study suggests that firms need to consider their internal investments in R&D and marketing as well as their past innovation experiences when they initiate licensing agreements along the process of new product innovation.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.77-86
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• 1995

Lead(II) removal efficiency by natural kaolinite was investigated through laboratory experiments. This study was conducted in two phases-sorption and desorption. In the adsorption study, the influence of sorption kinetics and sorption isotherm and various parameters such as pH, temperature, coexisting other heavy metal ions on the lead adsorption was investigated. And desorption study was carried out in order to find the re-usability of kaolinite as an adsorbent. The results of the study are as follows. 1. Sorption kinetics was investigated under the condition of 2.5 mg/l adsorbent concentration, pH 6.5$\pm$0.05, temperature $30\pm 0.5\circ$C, initial lead(II) concentration 25 mg/l. Adsorption rate was initially rapid and the extent of adsorption arrived at adsorption equilibrium with 73% adsorption efficiency in an hour. 2. The sorption isotherm experiment was made with different initial lead(II) concentration. A linearized Freundlich equation was used to fit the acquired experimental data. As a result, Freundlich constants, the sorption intensity (1/n) was 0.47 and the measure of sorption (k) was 2.44. So, it was concluded that sorption of lead(II) by kaolinite is effective. 3. The effect of pH on lead(II) sorption by kaolinite shows that at a pH of 3, only 6% of the total lead(II) was adsorbed and at a pH 9, 97% of the lead(II) was removed. And the effect of temperature on lead(II) sorption by kaolinite shows that as the temperature increased, the amount of lead(II) sorption per unit weight of kaolinite increased. But the effect was minor (p<0.05). 4. Sorption isotherm of lead coexisting cadmium (II) or zinc (II) was lower than that of lead itself. It was caused by the result of competitive sorption to adsorption site. And there was no difference between the sorption isotherm of cadmium and zinc. 5. In desorption studies, only 5.12% desorption took place in distilled water, while 52.08% in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid. Consequently used kaolinite could be regenerated by hydrochoric acid.