• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.123-142
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• 2022

The non-face-to-face environment accelerated by COVID-19 has speeded up the dissemination of digital virtual ecosystems and metaverse. In order for the metaverse to be sustainable, digital twins that are compatible with the real world are key, and critical technology for that is AR (Augmented Reality). In this study, we examined research trends about AR, and will propose the directions for future AR research. We conducted LDA based topic modeling on 11,049 abstracts of published domestic and foreign AR related papers from 2009 to Mar 2022, and then looked into AR that was comprehensive research trends, comparison of domestic and foreign research trends, and research trends before and after the popularity of metaverse concepts. As a result, the topics of AR related research were deduced from 11 topics such as device, network communication, surgery, digital twin, education, serious game, camera/vision, color application, therapy, location accuracy, and interface design. After popularity of metaverse, 6 topics were deduced such as camera/vision, training, digital twin, surgical/surgical, interaction performance, and network communication. We will expect, through this study, to encourage active research on metaverse AR with convergent characteristics in multidisciplinary fields and contribute to giving useful implications to practitioners.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.21-42
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• 2023

Purpose - This paper investigates the trade effect of the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (KCFTA) which coincides with political conflicts between the two countries due to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in Korea. The two events occurred in the same year and both are likely to affect trade between two countries but in opposite directions. Therefore, it is crucial to distinguish between the trade effects from the KCFTA event and those from the THAAD event to evaluate the true FTA effects. However, this would be difficult when using only annual data. Accordingly, ex post studies to examine the trade effects of KCFTA are lacking in trustworthiness while many ex ante studies that conjecture the positive trade effects neglect the THAAD deployment impact. This paper aims to fill that gap. Design/methodology - Given that the KCFTA and THAAD events occurred in the same year but in different months, we use the monthly data from 2000 to 2019 of Korea's exports to bracket this period. We employ the difference-in-difference (DID) method within a gravity equation specification that uses hi-dimensional fixed effects to address various endogeneity issues and seasonal effects. We identify the net impact of KCFTA ratification from these two near-simultaneous events to quantify the effects of trade liberalization between these two countries. Findings - After isolating the THAAD effects on trade, the analysis creates a positive and statistically significant coefficient estimate of the KCFTA impact. In contrast, failing to isolate the THAAD effect produced a negative and statistically significant coefficient estimate of the KCFTA impact. Our results indicate that KCFTA independently increased Korea's exports to China by 10.2%, but that this increase was fully mitigated by the THAAD event. Further, our results verify that unobserved heterogeneity and multilateral resistance are technically difficult to account for in those estimations as that rely solely upon annual data, as this type of data are inadequate to control for the potential for endogeneity. Originality/value - This paper is one of the first studies to carefully evaluate the net trade effects of the KCFTA on Korea's largest trading partner while isolating the impact of simultaneously occurred political events that may influence trade in opposing directions. Our findings indicate that the lack of prior evidence of positive trade effects of the KCFTA when using annual data may be attributed to a failure to identify the impact of each event separately. This analysis supports using the correct modeling specification to avoid misleading conclusions when evaluating any important international trade policy.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-25
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• 2022

This study was conducted for technology development and industrial and enterprise system design for the sustainable life of mankind. Human society is facing a crisis. As the power of mankind has increased due to the development of nuclear weapons and information and communication technologies, the risk of human society has greatly increased. The value of growth and freedom is increasing due to capitalism and democratic systems, so technological innovation is accelerating, and industries and companies are growing significantly. New technologies and industries can greatly develop human society and put it at risk. This study was conducted with the aim of redesigning technology, industry, and enterprise systems so that humans who live on Earth can be more sustainable for a longer time. It presented a practical alternative for a long-term sustainable human society. It suggested alternatives for what philosophy and methodology should be developed for the whole of humanity and in each individual national society, for developing technologies, fostering industries, and operating corporate systems. First of all, the problems of the technology development system, industrial system, and enterprise system of human society were analyzed. The characteristics and problems were analyzed in terms of sustainability of human society. The necessary and sufficient conditions for an alternative system to solve the raised problems were derived. A system that satisfies these conditions was designed and presented. The alternative system was named as a servicism system as a system based on the service philosophy. The structure, operation model, and implementation plan of the new technology industry enterprise system were presented. In the future, follow-up studies are needed to be concreted at the level of individual countries and human society as a whole.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.1-22
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• 2022

Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the effect of a rise in the global value chain (GVC) on the industry-level efficiency of resource allocation (based on plant-level inefficiency measures) in Korea, with a focus on various channels through which a rise in the GVC can increase competition among firms and thus induce resources to be allocated more efficiently across firms. Design/methodology - We empirically investigate the relationship between the industry-specific importance of GVC and the industry-level allocative inefficiency that is measured as the dispersion of the plant-level marginal revenue of capital (MRK) as in Hsieh and Klenow's (2009) influential model. We compute MRK dispersion for industries sorted by various characteristics that are closely related to firm/industry sensitivity to the GVC. In other words, we compute the average industry-level MRK dispersion for industries sorted by industry-specific importance of GVC and compute the difference between the two groups of industries (higher vs. lower than the median GVC); we also calculate the difference between industries sorted by industry-specific export (import) intensity. This is our difference-in-difference estimate of the MRK dispersion associated with the GVC for the export (import)-intensive industry versus the non-export (non-import)-intensive industry. This difference-in-difference estimate of the MRK dispersion conditional vs. unconditional on firm-level productivity is then calculated further (triple-difference estimate). Findings - A rise in GVC is associated with a decrease in the MRK dispersion in the export-intensive industry compared to the non-export-intensive industry. The same is true for industries that rely heavily on imports versus those that do not (i.e., import intensive vs. non-intensive). Furthermore, the reduction in the MRK dispersion in the export-intensive industry associated with an increase in the GVC is disproportionately greater for high-productivity firms. In contrast, the negative relationship between GVC and MRK dispersion in the import-intensive industry is disproportionately smaller for high-productivity firms. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on the relationship between GVC and aggregate output, exports, and imports at the country level. We investigate detailed firm/industry-level mechanisms that determine the relationship between GVC, trade, and productivity. Using the plant-level data in South Korea, we investigate how GVC is related to the cross-firm MRK dispersion, an important measure of allocative inefficiency, based on Hsieh and Klenow's (2009) influential economic theory. This is the first study to provide plant-level evidence of how GVC affects MRK dispersion. Furthermore, we examine how the relationship between GVC and MRK-dispersion varies across export intensity, import intensity, and firm-level productivity, providing insight into how GVC can affect firms' exposure to competition in the global market differently depending on market conditions and thus generate trade-related productivity gains.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.145-166
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• 2022

Purpose - The field of online videos has seen rapid changes in information and communications technology (ICT) development. Despite active academic research on the use of online platforms, few studies have analyzed the relative importance among the factors determined. In this study, the relative importance of factors found in previous studies was identified for users of online video platforms in China and Korea. Through this, factors that should be considered first in research on online video use were derived. In addition, the quality level of online video platforms currently used in China and Korea was measured and used for analysis. The analysis results can provide information for companies to enter Chinese and Korean markets and also be useful to platform providers aiming to increase usage. Design/methodology - Among the factors of Online Video Usage identified in previous studies, 13 factors to be studied were selected through focus group interviews and hierarchized into 2 layers. For the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), each factor was designed as a pairwise comparison questionnaire. The survey included questions on the quality of online video platform currently in use. Data collection was conducted on 16 platforms in China and 11 platforms in Korea, and the relative importance of factors and user perspectives was compared and analyzed using importance performance analysis (IPA). In the analytical process, platforms were divided into over-the-top (OTT) group and Creator group according to the weight of user-generated content, and data analysis focused on these groups. Findings - As a result of AHP, China and Korea showed both "Fun" and "Interests" factors at the top, while the importance of the Entertainment factor "Vicarious satisfaction" was very different for China and Korea. "Relationship with content creators" was the most important factor in China, but it ranked the lowest in Korea. The IPA showed that the factors with high importance and performance were fun, interests, and easy accessibility for both China and Korea. In contrast, the factors that showed low performance compared to high importance in China were relationship with content creators, relationship with acquaintances/friends, and trustworthiness. As for Korea, vicarious satisfaction was observed; thus, this study has raised the need for academic and industrial interest in vicarious satisfaction. The results show that fun, interests, vicarious satisfaction, and easy accessibility of the platform are factors that must be included in further studies on online videos. Originality/value - Existing studies related to the use of online platforms have derived factors or focused on the influence relationship between factors and performance. However, few studies have analyzed the relative importance among the determined factors. This paper explores factors to be considered in future studies by deriving the relative importance between these factors from the perspective of users in China and Korea.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.23-38
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• 2022

Purpose - This research intends to find out whether R&D cost stickiness shows differentiated aspects depending on exports in Korea. A cost behavior that indicates a lower rate of costs decrease when sales decrease than the rate of costs increase when sales increase is called cost stickiness. This sticky cost behavior is caused by considering the adjusting costs. This study aims to empirically verify that R&D cost stickiness is greater in export firms than in non-export firms. We also investigate the effect of exports on R&D cost stickiness is nonlinear. Design/methodology - We obtain data for the analysis from Kis-Value and TS2000 from 2012 to 2020. This study tests for R&D cost stickiness of exports using the cost stickiness model developed by Anderson et al. (2003) that is used in a lot of prior literature. To explore the nonlinear behavior of R&D cost stickiness we include a quadratic term of exports in our model. Findings - The results of our analysis are as follows. First, we observed that R&D costs of export firms are more sticky than that of non-export firms. Our result indicated that export firms are less likely to reduce R&D costs in decreasing sales periods in preparation for future sales recovery. Second, our empirical evidence shows that export firms view R&D costs much favorably. However, we hypothesize that the effect of export intensity on R&D costs may not necessarily be linear. Our result shows the effect of exports intensity on R&D stickiness is thus nonlinear, forming a reverse U-shaped curve. When export intensity exceeds a certain threshold, the growth rate of R&D costs appears to be viewed negatively. Firms with relatively high export intensity do not support R&D costs, viewing them as taking away firms' resources from other more productive costs. On the contrary, those with export intensity under the threshold view R&D costs as beneficial and therefore promote further R&D costs when revenue decreases. Originality/value - The results of this research can contribute academically to the expansion of empirical research on R&D cost stickiness. R&D cost stickiness varies by industry. As a result of our research, the managers of export firms recognize the importance of R&D to lead innovation. We expected that this research contributes to further studies on R&D costs and cost stickiness. Second, this research has implications from a business perspectives. Our findings of export firms' R&D stickiness suggest that export firms' managers should consider keeping the stickiness of R&D when revenue decreases because it is essential for exporting firms to maintain their R&D stickiness to secure long-term competitiveness. R&D stickiness can be used on a practical basis to emphasize the need for continuous investment in exporting firms' R&D activities.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.56-75
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• 2022

Purpose - This study examines the influencing factors of China's cross-border e-commerce exports in the context of the current situation and trends of China's cross-border e-commerce development. Through an improved trade gravity model, it provides more in-depth research and constructive opinions on the development of cross-border e-commerce in China. In this paper, factors such as consumption gap, volume of trade frictions, number of tourists, Internet usage and trade openness are added to the formula of the traditional trade gravity model in the improved trade gravity model to examine the influencing factors on China's cross-border e-commerce exports. Design/methodology - According to the empirical analysis, China's cross-border e-commerce exports to ten countries are used as dependent variables, and consumption gap, trade friction volume, trade distance, trade openness and number of Internet users are taken as independent variables. Regression analysis is conducted through a modified gravity model to test whether the hypotheses hold. Findings - The analysis shows that the hypothesis that China's cross-border e-commerce exports are influenced by trade openness, trade distance, consumption gap between trade parties, and the number of Internet users in the importing country is supported by these four hypotheses, but not all independent variables have an impact on them. Specifically, the number of travelers, trade frictions do not have an impact on China's cross-border e-commerce. That is to say, trade friction between China and the United States and political issues such as China-India and China-Japan territorial disputes that emerged before do not affect the development of cross-border e-commerce in China. Originality/value - The analysis shows that the factors influencing China's cross-border e-commerce exports are the trade openness of the importing country, the trade distance, the number of Internet users in the importing country, and the consumption gap between the two sides of the trade. The trade openness and the number of Internet users positively contribute to China's cross-border e-commerce, while the consumption gap and trade distance are negatively related to them. And the analysis found that the Sino-US trade war and the Sino-Indian territorial disputes and other trade frictions to China's cross-border e-commerce exports did not have a substantial impact.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1-19
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• 2022

Purpose - This study empirically investigates the effects of Official Development Assistance (ODA) on the economic activities of private actors in recipient countries. As a proxy for the economic activities of private actors, we utilize the job creation activities of foreign subsidiaries in recipient countries. The foreign subsidiaries provide a foundation for economic development by creating paying jobs. That is, if ODA has been successfully transferred to foreign subsidiaries, then these foreign subsidiaries should help economic growth and help create a boom in the local market by providing jobs. These jobs eventually lead to the achievement of the primary aims of foreign aid, including poverty reduction. Thus, this study empirically examines the relationship between ODA and the number of jobs created by foreign subsidiaries in recipient countries. Design/methodology - This is the first study to examine the effects of the ODA on the job creation of foreign subsidiaries because it has been hard to obtain internal information related to the employment status of foreign subsidiaries. Fortunately, we have a unique panel dataset provided by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) for 2006 to 2013. In terms of the empirical specification, we use the generalized least squares (GLS) method. The panel GLS estimator allows us to have an efficient estimation that overcomes the limitations of the panel data. It employs assumptions about the heteroscedasticity between the panels and makes an autocorrelation of the error term within each panel. Findings - We find that ODA influences job creation in foreign subsidiaries. In particular, we found that ODA creates more jobs in sales than in managerial or production positions. This study also shows that the effect of the ODA on the foreign subsidiaries' job creation activities depend on the purpose of the ODA. By examining ODA effects on the foreign subsidiaries' economic activities (e.g., job creation), this study fills a gap in the current literature. Originality/value - Existing studies that focus on the ODA effect have either a macroeconomic point or a microeconomic point of view. However, both approaches do not explain how well foreign aid has influenced private economic actors of recipient countries. In essence, previous researchers found it difficult to obtain the necessary data for internal employment status from foreign subsidiaries. However, thanks to the Korea Export-Import Bank, this study shows that ODA indeed influences the job creation activities of foreign subsidiaries even after controlling for other factors such as FDI, GDP growth rate, employment rate, household expenditure, mother firms' share, etc. By doing so, we can examine how ODA influences the job creation of foreign subsidiaries, which might help economic development and reduce the amount of poverty in recipient countries.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.20-40
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• 2022

Purpose - In recent times, the international trade environment has been changing rapidly, centering on the online market. In the post-COVID-19 era, small and medium-sized trading companies are facing the problem of not being properly provided with overseas market research, market trend analysis, and trade-related information. Cloud-based digital trade is being sought as an alternative to solve these problems; however, there is a lack of research on the intention to switch to digital trade among small and medium-sized trading companies. Therefore, this study empirically analyzes the intention to switch to digital trade based on the migration theory, and through this, attempts to identify each factor that affects the intention to switch to digital trade. Design/methodology - In this study, in order to identify factors influencing intention to switch to digital trade and innovation resistance of small and medium-sized trading companies, through previous research on migration theory and the PPM (Push, Pull, Mooring) model, each variable was selected for the purpose of the study. Based on this, a research model was established for the factors affecting switching to digital trade of small and medium-sized trading companies and empirically analyzed. In addition, considering the differences in the innovation propensity and maturity of information infrastructure of trading companies as the recipients of innovation, this study analyzes the moderating effect of the mooring effect and seeks ways to establish specific strategies according to the degree. Findings - As a result of empirical analysis, the pull effect was found to have the greatest influence on intention to switch to digital trade. However, the pull factor was found to have an effect on user resistance, and it was confirmed that it was a factor simultaneously inducing positive and negative consumption behaviors among users. In addition, it was found that the higher the company's innovation propensity, the higher the pull effect's influence on the intention to switch, and analysis showed that the push effect had no influence. In addition, companies with high information infrastructure maturity were expected to have a relatively high level of intention to switch compared to companies with low information infrastructure maturity, and the difference between the two groups was found not to be statistically significant. Originality/value - This study is a timely study in that it demonstrated the effect on the switching to cloud-based digital trade for small and medium-sized trading companies and that the cloud system related to digital trade is in full swing. There are academic implications in that it revealed that the pull effect is an important factor in the intention to switch to cloud service. Practical implications were presented in that small and medium-sized trading companies suggested ways to increase the value of the cloud system for switching to digital trade and a way to increase the switching ratio by minimizing the mooring effect. In addition, the study argues that active institutional support from the government is needed to activate cloud service.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.21-36
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• 2022

Purpose - Carbon emission standards are based on the "production-based carbon emissions" generated by the production of goods in the relevant country which were the existing measurement methods. However, can such carbon emissions measurement standards be established international? For example, some of the goods produced in developing countries are produced for the demand of developed countries. The method of measuring carbon emission based on the final demand of a certain country is called "consumption-based carbon emissions." This study compares productionand consumption-based CO₂ emissions according to economic growth in ninety-three countries categorized by income level. Design/methodology - Our empirical model considers the difference between production- and consumption-based CO₂ emissions according to economic growth. Also, our model investigated whether the EKC hypothesis in most of the previous studies that had been based on production-based emissions was also established in the consumption-based emission model. Considering the continuous characteristics of CO₂, we utilized the generalized method of moments (GMM), specifically a system GMM econometric technique because CO₂ in the previous period can affect CO₂ in the present period. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows: The results show that for the consumption-based CO₂ emissions model, CO₂ continuously increases as economic growth increases in the upper-middle income countries. The inverted U-shaped result was found in the case of the production-based model. However, in the lower-income countries, an inverted-U shape in which CO₂ emissions decrease at some point as the economy grows in the production-based model does not appear. On the other hand, in the consumption-based model, an inverted U-shaped result was obtained when estimating with system-GMM. Additionally, the proportion of manufacturing, energy imports, and energy consumption had an effect on both the production- and the consumption-based model regardless of the group's CO₂ emissions. On the basis of such assessments, policymakers need to consider not only production- but also consumption-based options. Originality/value - Previous studies have mainly focused on production-based CO₂ emissions, with most of them revolving around economic growth or the effect of various social and economic factors on CO₂ emissions. However, this study considers the relationship with economic growth using consumption-based emissions as a dependent variable by classifying ninety-three countries by income level.