• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.143-154
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• 2008

This paper considers option and non-use values of rail services. The total economic value of a given transport service can be classified into use, option and non-use values, other grouping rules can be applied though. The use value is the consumer's surplus from the actual rides of a specific mode. The option value, on the other hand, can be defined as a traveler's willingness to pay for reserving a travel mode, which is not his or her main choice, as a standby alternative. Finally, the non-use value represents benefits that are not attributable to the actual use or option use, but to the vicarious, altruistic, functional and existing worth of a transport service. A stated preference survey based on a double-bounded dichotomous choice is conducted. A survival model is applied to the data collected. Calculations of trip makers' willingness to pay for option and non-use values are based on the parameters of the estimated survival model. Some suggestions for transport appraisal are also presented.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.257-277
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• 2000

The objectives of this study are to investigate the relationship between the growth of the horticultural sector and horticultural research and extension and to examine the socioeconomic returns to investment on research and extension in Korean horticulture. Data for horticultural production values, producer price indices and research and extension budgets for horticultural sector from 1965 to 1998 are collected from various sources. Multi-variate time series analysis technique with vector auto-regression model and Akino-Hayami Formula were employed for the analysis. This study finds (1) horticultural production responds about seven years later to the horticultural research investment shock. the magnitude of the impacts increases to a peak in seventeen years from the initial expenditures and then declines slowly thereafter until twenty years. and this peak gives a tip that horticultural research impact lasts much longer than grain's or agriculture's: (2) the social surplus from research investment benefits more to the consumer rather than to the horticultural producer: (3) B/C ratios in horticultural research are quite high with the range of 9 to 55 from 1965 to 1998. but these have been decreased since the early 1990s: (4) the socioeconomic returns to horticultural research is quite high with 56 percents of internal rate of return. It remains to be analyzed returns to investment on extension in horticulture because of no statistic significance in this study.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.107-130
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• 2023

This study examines the economic effects of a developed country's minimum quality standards (MQS) and mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) between countries. Based on the results of such analysis, it also considers the optimal MRA strategy for South Korea. For this purpose, the paper constructs a simple three-country model in which the representative firms in each country supply differentiated goods to the developed country market. The analysis results are as follows: First, the rise in the MQS of a developed country intensifies the competition level, reduces the profits of all firms, and raises the developed country's consumer surplus. In addition, if one of the firms exits the market due to the MQS, competition is relaxed, and the profits of the remaining firms increase. Second, countries subject to MQS can improve their social welfare through the MRAs; thus, it is essential to utilize them strategically. In the case of South Korea, the optimal situation is to have an MRA with the developed country or for all three countries not to have any MRA.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.311-342
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• 2015

We evaluate two main rationales of massive policy intervention of Lee Administration in the Korean transportation fuel market: high market share of domestic refineries, perceived by the Administration as the result of high market concentration, and asymmetry in price adjustment, perceived as the result of collusion. Domestic refineries, huge in capacity and located at seaports, maintain international competitiveness in price. Considering market openness offering preferential treatment to importers, they set domestic prices competitively on the basis of MOPS prices. Yet, the price competitiveness of domestic refineries is so high that they are able to sustain high market share. We confirm that the Korean before-tax consumer prices of gasoline and diesel are lower than Japan's and the weighted averages of 27 EU countries by as much as 159KRW and 21KRW per liter in the case of gasoline and 170KRW and 63KRW in the case of diesel. Price asymmetry is caused by diverse economic and managerial reasons and, as FTC (2005) states, price asymmetry does not immediately imply exercise of market power or collusion. We analyzed price asymmetry in Korea, Japan and 14 EU countries, and found asymmetry in Korea and 11 EU countries in the case of gasoline and in Korea and 8 EU countries in the case of diesel.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.195-220
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• 2018

In this study, we conducted an empirical analysis of the factors that affect the change of Bitcoin Closing Price. Previous studies have focused on the security of the block chain system, the economic ripple effects caused by the cryptocurrency, legal implications and the acceptance to consumer about cryptocurrency. In various area, cryptocurrency was studied and many researcher and people including government, regardless of country, try to utilize cryptocurrency and applicate to its technology. Despite of rapid and dramatic change of cryptocurrencies' price and growth of its effects, empirical study of the factors affecting the price change of cryptocurrency was lack. There were only a few limited studies, business reports and short working paper. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what factors effect on the change of closing Bitcoin price. For analysis, hypotheses were constructed from three dimensions of consumer, industry, and macroeconomics for analysis, and time series data were collected for variables of each dimension. Consumer variables consist of search traffic of Bitcoin, search traffic of bitcoin ban, search traffic of ransomware and search traffic of war. Industry variables were composed GPU vendors' stock price and memory vendors' stock price. Macro-economy variables were contemplated such as U.S. dollar index futures, FOMC policy interest rates, WTI crude oil price. Using above variables, we did times series regression analysis to find relationship between those variables and change of Bitcoin Closing Price. Before the regression analysis to confirm the relationship between change of Bitcoin Closing Price and the other variables, we performed the Unit-root test to verifying the stationary of time series data to avoid spurious regression. Then, using a stationary data, we did the regression analysis. As a result of the analysis, we found that the change of Bitcoin Closing Price has negative effects with search traffic of 'Bitcoin Ban' and US dollar index futures, while change of GPU vendors' stock price and change of WTI crude oil price showed positive effects. In case of 'Bitcoin Ban', it is directly determining the maintenance or abolition of Bitcoin trade, that's why consumer reacted sensitively and effected on change of Bitcoin Closing Price. GPU is raw material of Bitcoin mining. Generally, increasing of companies' stock price means the growth of the sales of those companies' products and services. GPU's demands increases are indirectly reflected to the GPU vendors' stock price. Making an interpretation, a rise in prices of GPU has put a crimp on the mining of Bitcoin. Consequently, GPU vendors' stock price effects on change of Bitcoin Closing Price. And we confirmed U.S. dollar index futures moved in the opposite direction with change of Bitcoin Closing Price. It moved like Gold. Gold was considered as a safe asset to consumers and it means consumer think that Bitcoin is a safe asset. On the other hand, WTI oil price went Bitcoin Closing Price's way. It implies that Bitcoin are regarded to investment asset like raw materials market's product. The variables that were not significant in the analysis were search traffic of bitcoin, search traffic of ransomware, search traffic of war, memory vendor's stock price, FOMC policy interest rates. In search traffic of bitcoin, we judged that interest in Bitcoin did not lead to purchase of Bitcoin. It means search traffic of Bitcoin didn't reflect all of Bitcoin's demand. So, it implies there are some factors that regulate and mediate the Bitcoin purchase. In search traffic of ransomware, it is hard to say concern of ransomware determined the whole Bitcoin demand. Because only a few people damaged by ransomware and the percentage of hackers requiring Bitcoins was low. Also, its information security problem is events not continuous issues. Search traffic of war was not significant. Like stock market, generally it has negative in relation to war, but exceptional case like Gulf war, it moves stakeholders' profits and environment. We think that this is the same case. In memory vendor stock price, this is because memory vendors' flagship products were not VRAM which is essential for Bitcoin supply. In FOMC policy interest rates, when the interest rate is low, the surplus capital is invested in securities such as stocks. But Bitcoin' price fluctuation was large so it is not recognized as an attractive commodity to the consumers. In addition, unlike the stock market, Bitcoin doesn't have any safety policy such as Circuit breakers and Sidecar. Through this study, we verified what factors effect on change of Bitcoin Closing Price, and interpreted why such change happened. In addition, establishing the characteristics of Bitcoin as a safe asset and investment asset, we provide a guide how consumer, financial institution and government organization approach to the cryptocurrency. Moreover, corroborating the factors affecting change of Bitcoin Closing Price, researcher will get some clue and qualification which factors have to be considered in hereafter cryptocurrency study.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.35-55
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• 2013

Information technology is a critical resource necessary for any company hoping to support and realize its strategic goals, which contribute to growth promotion and sustainable development. The selection of information technology and its strategic use are imperative for the enhanced performance of every aspect of company management, leading a wide range of companies to have invested continuously in information technology. Despite researchers, managers, and policy makers' keen interest in how information technology contributes to organizational performance, there is uncertainty and debate about the result of information technology investment. In other words, researchers and managers cannot easily identify the independent factors that can impact the investment performance of information technology. This is mainly owing to the fact that many factors, ranging from the internal components of a company, strategies, and external customers, are interconnected with the investment performance of information technology. Using an agent-based simulation technique, this research extracts factors expected to affect investment performance on information technology, simplifies the analyses of their relationship with economic modeling, and examines the performance dependent on changes in the factors. In terms of economic modeling, I expand the model that highlights the way in which product quality moderates the relationship between information technology investments and economic performance (Thatcher and Pingry, 2004) by considering the cost of information technology investment and the demand creation resulting from product quality enhancement. For quality enhancement and its consequences for demand creation, I apply the concept of information quality and decision-maker quality (Raghunathan, 1999). This concept implies that the investment on information technology improves the quality of information, which, in turn, improves decision quality and performance, thus enhancing the level of product or service quality. Additionally, I consider the effect of word of mouth among consumers, which creates new demand for a product or service through the information diffusion effect. This demand creation is analyzed with an agent-based simulation model that is widely used for network analyses. Results show that the investment on information technology enhances the quality of a company's product or service, which indirectly affects the economic performance of that company, particularly with regard to factors such as consumer surplus, company profit, and company productivity. Specifically, when a company makes its initial investment in information technology, the resultant increase in the quality of a company's product or service immediately has a positive effect on consumer surplus, but the investment cost has a negative effect on company productivity and profit. As time goes by, the enhancement of the quality of that company's product or service creates new consumer demand through the information diffusion effect. Finally, the new demand positively affects the company's profit and productivity. In terms of the investment strategy for information technology, this study's results also reveal that the selection of information technology needs to be based on analysis of service and the network effect of customers, and demonstrate that information technology implementation should fit into the company's business strategy. Specifically, if a company seeks the short-term enhancement of company performance, it needs to have a one-shot strategy (making a large investment at one time). On the other hand, if a company seeks a long-term sustainable profit structure, it needs to have a split strategy (making several small investments at different times). The findings from this study make several contributions to the literature. In terms of methodology, the study integrates both economic modeling and simulation technique in order to overcome the limitations of each methodology. It also indicates the mediating effect of product quality on the relationship between information technology and the performance of a company. Finally, it analyzes the effect of information technology investment strategies and information diffusion among consumers on the investment performance of information technology.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.29-54
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• 1992

Recent studies on the economic effects of trade liberalization and economic integration have emphasized the significant gains associated with product differentiation and scale economies. Securing access to markets in other countries will make it possible to increase product variety and capture scale economies, thus, expanding the gains from trade. Liberalization is also expected to introduce foreign competition into the previously closed market. Concurrently, the liberalization will improve the competitive market environment for firms selling in the domestic market. Firms will be pressed to either exit or reduce cost. The output per firm, then, will increase due to the exit of rival firms, and the average total cost will decline due to the economies of scale. 'Rationalization' of the production process will eventually follow. This paper addresses the economic effects of (counterfactual) bilateral tariff elimination between Korea and Japan. It computationally assesses the gains from liberalization as well as the resource allocations and welfare effects associated with the tariff reduction. The endogenous determination of the key parameters distinguishes this paper from others. The firm's perceived elasticity of demand and elasticity of substitution in the present model are calibrated to be consistent with the base year data. Korea, Japan, and the rest of the world are modeled explicitly. The sectoral coverage of the model includes twenty-three tradable product categories based on three-digit SITC industries and seven nontradable categories based on one-digit SITC industries. Product categories are also classified into perfectly competitive and imperfectly competitive ones. In the imperfectly competitive industries, product differentiation exists at the firm level, while the perfectly competitive industries are characterized by national product differentiation. The simulation results of bilateral tariff reduction are reported. Tariff elimination tends to increase intra-industry trade flows so that the total amount of exports and imports of both countries expand. Yet, Japan is expected to increase the bilateral trade surplus in the wake of the mutual tariff reduction. Terms-of-trade for Korea will not change, while for Japan it will deteriorate. Equivalent variations reflecting the change in consumer surplus (welfare) will favor Korean consumers. Total output, however, will not change substantially, recording 0.5 and 0.6% for Japan and Korea, respectively. An interesting finding in the analysis is that the gains from increased competition and scale efficiency are not as prevailing as expected in theory.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.301-315
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic value of the Kumjung Mountain, using a Individual Travel Cost Model(ITCM). This paper compares Poisson and negative binomial count data models to measure the tourism demands. Interviewers were instructed to interview only individuals. So the sample was taken in 700. A dependent variable that is defined on the non-negative integers and subject to sampling truncation is the result of a truncated count data process. The results suggest that the truncated negative binomial model is improved overdispersion problem and more preferred than the other models in the study. This study emphasizes in particular 'travel cost' that is not only monetary cost but also including opportunity cost of 'travel time'. According to the truncated negative binomial model, estimates the Consumer Surplus(CS) values per trip of about 60,669 Korean won and the total economic value was estimated to be 252,383 Korean won.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.141-151
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• 2016

Recently, technology for energy recovery from waste has been increasing interest globally including the Korea. In Korea, we have interested in using biogas generated from the sewage treatment process. As one alternative, there are operating biogas combined heat and power plant. The generation amount of the Sewage Sludge are expected to grow in the future. For this reason, total processing cost of Sewage Sludge will increase. To solve this problem, it seems will be invested with the expansion of facilities that use biogas as energy. Therefore, quantitative information on such facilities is required. Thus, this study attempts to economic feasibility analysis for Seonam Biogas Combined Heat and Power Plant. Meanwhile, as the benefit items for economic feasibility analysis consider electricity supply benefit except for heat supply benefit. The average prices of electricity use were residence 123.69, commercial 130.46, and industry 102.59 won per kWh for the year 2015, In addition, the economic benefit are calculated to be residence 310.21, commercial 378.49, and industry 222.87 won per kWh. The results of economic feasibility analysis is NPV 72.18 billion won, B/C 1.90, IRR 37%, shows that economic validity of Seonam Biogas Combined Heat and Power Plant.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.3
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• pp.373-379
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• 2001

The objectives of this study were to assess implementation on tariff quotas and tariff cuts committed in the WTO as result of Uruguay Round(UR) negotiations and to examine impacts of reductions in agricultural protection agreed in the UR on major non-timber forest products markets. The implementation of WTO Agreement on Agriculture was analysed based on the relevant data and statistics. The impacts of implementation on tariff cuts and tariff quotas on non-timber forest products markets were estimated by using supply and demand elasticities from previous studies and data on production, consumption and trade after UR. The quantities of Chestnut, Pine nut and Jujube imported by the system of tariff quota did not exceed the committed quotas over the five years from 1995 to 1999. The current level of applied rates on imports of non-timber products is much lower than that of bound rates, which will be maintained until the year 2004. It is estimated that increase in imports after UR reduced prices and that reduction in prices led to decrease in expenditure and to increase in consumer surplus. It is estimated, however, that production level significantly decreased due to rise in imports and that the negative effects on production exceeded positive effects on consumption. Exports of most non-timber forest products decreased after UR even though non-timber forest products could gain access to the export markets at the lower tariffs as a result of UR.