• IE interfaces
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.444-451
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• 2002

Recently, the interest in technology valuation is revived and increasing mainly due to the lack of suitability of the traditional valuation methods in explaining the market reaction to newly-emerging knowledge-oriented companies. Moreover, many firms are now gearing their efforts to the strategic use of technology asset such as technology licensing, transfer and commercialization. Firms are also trying to enhance their technological competitiveness by re-evaluating their technology level and thus identifying the strengths/weaknesses of their technology portfolio. To accomplish this objective, the development of an integrated evaluation system for technology assets is essential. This paper presents a technology valuation system developed for a steel manufacturing company in South Korea. The valuation framework is based on; (1) the multi-attribute evaluation of technological competitiveness using Analytic Hierarchical Process and; (2) the expected future benefit of the technology using four different methods of discounted cash flow estimation. The suggested framework will be easily applicable to various industries where technological competitiveness should be evaluated systematically.

• IE interfaces
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.408-419
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• 2011

R&D is a foundation for new business chance and productivity improvement leading to enormous expense and a long-term multi-step process. During the R&D process, decision-makers are confused due to the various future uncertainties that influence economic and technical success of the R&D projects. For these reasons, several decision-making models for R&D project investment have been suggested; they are based on traditional methods such as Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Decision Tree Analysis (DTA) and Real Option Analysis (ROA) or some fusion forms of the traditional methods. However, almost of the models have constraints in practical use owing to limits on application, procedural complexity and incomplete reflection of the uncertainties. In this study, to make the constraints minimized, we propose a new model named Real Option Decision Tree Model which is a conceptual combination form of ROA and DTA. With this model, it is possible for the decision-makers to simulate the project value applying the uncertainties onto the decision making nodes.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.18-27
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• 2011

Management flexibility to adapt its future actions in response to altered future market conditions can expand the value of an investment opportunity by improving its upside potential without the change in the downside losses. Module manufacturers in solar industry continuously have to decide how much and when its production capacity should be expanded with regards to the demand in the global markets. Either over- or under-investment can cause sunk and/or opportunity costs to the module manufacturers. Option of exercising the additional investments only on favorable opportunities can increase total value of the investment. This paper analyzes the case which shows that the expansion of production capacity with more expandibility can have more value than the rigid plan of capacity expansion. The expansion option value is equivalent to KRW 38.286 billion, thus switching the negative NPV of the initial investment opportunity into the positive value. High volatility and the high growth in the cashflows as the major business features of the renewable energy provide condition where real options can play the crucial role in increasing the investment value as well as in determining the size and timing of capacity expansion in the course of capital budgeting process.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.84-102
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• 2006

This paper compares four models to value a biotechnology R&D project; option tree model, dynamic discounted cash flow(DCF) model, and option thinking DCF model with general DCF model. Real Options, especially 6-folded option tree model yields boner estimate of value than values using other methods. According to sensitivity analysis, sales of final products, number of investigational new drug developments(INDs) and success rates of each stage are key factors for the value of biotechnology R&D investment.

• Proceedings of the Technology Innovation Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.117-130
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• 2001

R&D is the core competence of an enterprise. Furthermore, R&D requires huge capital investment and has very risky characteristics. Therefore, to be successful in R&D process, several approaches of engineering economics are used prior to decision-making. Until now, typical approaches of engineering economics such as NPV(net present value) or DCF(Discounted cash flow) have been used. But, they cannot properly capture managerial flexibility to adapt and revise later decisions in response to unexpected market development. In a constantly changing and always uncertain marketplace, managerial operation flexibility and strategic adaptability have become vital in order to successfully capitalize on favorable future investment opportunities and limit losses from adverse market development. For the alternatives of conventional static decision-making approaches, new concept of using real options is introduced. Real option theory is based on financial option's characteristics and checks every revision interval whether situation have changed favorable to decision maker or not. In advantageous situation, the decision maker has only to go on. In contrast, with unfavorable situation, he abandons the investment immediately. In this aspect, real option model is more suitable in very uncertain and dynamic business environment in that it can provide the opportunity to cope with flexibility. This paper suggests efficient and effective R&D investment strategy by using real options model. In addition, this paper compares financial options and real options.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.159-177
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• 1998

Although each company is trying to develop an economic analysis model with its own particular style or format, the appropriate method is not yet developed because there are many problems to be solved such as uncertainity of outcomes and intangible benefits of technology. The purpose of tris paper therefore is to suggest an economic analysis methodology, which reflects the complexity and the risk of R&D investment, through a case study on the development of a superconductor fault current limiter. A self-developed Monte Carlo simulation program utilized as a main tool in this paper was very useful for risk analysis of R&D investment which could not be solved in the previous DCF(Discounted Cash Flow) model. We also introduce learning effect to consider the intangible benefits such as Know-How obtained from R&D execution. The expected value and its probability distribution for R&D investment can be obtained by combining the Monte Carlo method with the decision tree approach. This result is helpful in judging the priority and the resource-allocation of R&D projects. It is however necessary to develop more precise model for quantifying the technology stock and the simulation program using the continuous probability distribution in expected values to improve the reliability of economic analysis on R&D projects.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.1501-1510
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• 2014

Low voltage direct current (LVDC) distribution system is a suitable techno-economic candidate which can create an innovative solution for distribution network development with respect to rural electrification. This research focuses on the use of LVDC distribution system to replace some of KEPCO's existing traditional medium voltage alternating current (MVAC) distribution network for rural electrification in South Korea. Considering the technical and economic risks and benefits involved in such project, a comparative techno-economic analysis on the LVDC and the MVAC distribution networks is conducted using economic assessment method such as the net present value (NPV) on a discounted cash flow (DCF) basis as well as the sensitivity analysis technique. Each would play a role in an economic performance indicator and a measure of uncertainty and risk involved in the project. In this work, a simulation model and a computational tool are concurrently developed and employed to aid the techno-economic analysis, evaluation, and estimation of the various systems efficiency and/or performance.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2023

This study aims to introduce a biowaste processing system that uses spent coffee grounds and implement a real options method to evaluate the proposed process. Energy systems based on eco-friendly fuels lack sufficient data, and thus along with conventional approaches, they lack the techno-economic assessment required for great input qualities. On the other hand, real options analysis can estimate the different costs of options, such as continuing or abandoning a project, by considering uncertainties, which can lead to better decision-making. This study investigated the feasibility of a biowaste processing method using spent coffee grounds to produce biofuel and considered three different valuation models, which were the net present value using discounted cash flow, the Black-Scholes and binomial models. The suggested biowaste processing system consumes 200 kg/h of spent coffee grounds. The system utilizes a tilted-slide pyrolysis reactor integrated with a heat exchanger to warm the air, a combustor to generate a primary heat source, and a series of condensers to harness the biofuel. The result of the net present value is South Korean Won (KRW) -225 million, the result of the binomial model is KRW 172 million, and the result of the Black-Scholes model is KRW 1,301 million. These results reveal that a spent coffee ground-related biowaste processing system is worthy of investment from a real options valuation perspective.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.735-761
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• 2004

As a possible alternative to Traditional Discounted Cash Flow Method, "Option Pricing Model" has drawn academic attentions for the last a few decades. However, it has failed to replace traditional DCF method practically due to its mathematical complexity. This paper introduces an option pricing valuation model specifically adjusted for the natural resource development projects. We add market information and industry-specific features into the model so that the model remains objective as well as realistic after the adjustment. The following two features of natural resource development projects take central parts in model construction; product price is a unique source of cash flow's uncertainty, and the projects have cost structure from capital-intense industry, in which initial capital cost takes most part of total cost during the projects. To improve the adaptability of Option Pricing Model specifically to the natural resource development projects, we use Two-Factor Model and Long-term Asset Model for the analysis. Although the model introduced in this paper is still simple and reflects limited reality, we expect an improvement in applicability of option pricing method for the evaluation of natural resource development projects can be made through the process taken in this paper.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.74-83
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• 2017

The recently introduced public rental housing REITs was just different the business structure from the existing public rental housing system and the basic supply system is the same. So the ownership conversion for public house over 10 years rental duration is possible after half of the obligated rental duration according to the agreement between lessor and lessee. However rental business operators are likely to have a negative attitude to the early ownership conversion because of less expected profit. Thus, there is a need for an analysis of proper early ownership conversion moment that can achieve public purposes while ensuring the profitability of public rental housing REITs. In this study, the characteristics of the ownership conversion rights that can lessee to exercise considered to be options. Also the nature of 'REITs', 'public rental housing REITs' is considered to be affected by the macroeconomic variables. Thus, this study analyzed the value for ownership conversion in the public rental housing REITs according to real option scenarios reflecting macroeconomic variables. As a result, according to the change of the variation rate of the macroeconomic variables, it was found that with adjustable early ownership conversion time using the DCF(Discounted Cash Flow) model. Therefore, it is possible to ensure profitability of early ownership conversion by predicting the variation of variables.