• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.801-824
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• 2022

Recently, United Nations found that 38% of global carbon emissions are generated in the building sector, surpassing other industries (32%) and transportation (23%), and ESG is actively used as a way to reduce carbon emissions in the building sector, led by overseas advanced countries. In Korea, as the National Pension Service announced "Consider ESG with more than 50% of investment assets" this year, the move to introduce ESG in the building sector is accelerating, centering on construction companies and asset management companies. However, as the domestic ESG evaluation system is still mainly focused on corporate governance and social responsibility, interest in the environmental sector is lagging behind that of advanced countries. As ESG in the building sector is expected to grow rapidly over the next 10 years, I would like to suggest the following development directions. The first is the expansion of the incentive system. In order for the government to successfully implement policies related to ESG in the building sector, incentive system such as tax reduction and building standards should be expanded further than now in addition to negative systems such as rent restrictions and punishment taxes due to regulatory violations. Second, standardized ESG standards are established. Rather than creating an independent Korean ESG standard that is far from global standards, it is necessary to organize the common parts of global standards and evaluation methods and create and provide guidelines in the form of standard textbooks that can be used equally by all stakeholders. Third, it is an effort to link ESG in the building sector with Digital Transformation(DX). This is because actual energy savings and carbon emission reduction can be realized only when the operation method of the building sector, which is operated mainly by manpower, is digitalized and converted to an intelligent way.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.77-90
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• 2024

While discussions on ESG are actively taking place in Europe and other countries, the number of countries pushing for mandatory ESG information disclosure related to non-financial information of listed companies is rapidly increasing. However, as companies respond to mandatory global ESG information disclosure, problems are emerging such as the stringent requirements of global ESG disclosure standards, the complexity of data management, and a lack of understanding and preparation of the ESG system itself. In addition, it requires a reasonable analysis of how business management opportunities and risk factors due to climate change affect the company's financial impact, so it is expected to be quite difficult to analyze the results that meet the disclosure standards. In order to perform tasks such as ESG management activities and information disclosure, data of various types and sources is required and management through an information system is necessary to measure this transparently, collect it without error, and manage it without omission. Therefore, in this study, we designed an ESG data integrated management model to integrate and manage various related indicators and data in order to transparently and efficiently convey the company's ESG activities to various stakeholders through ESG information disclosure. A framework for implementing an information system to handle management was developed. These research results can help companies facing difficulties in ESG disclosure at a practical level to efficiently manage ESG information disclosure. In addition, the presentation of an integrated data management model through analysis of the ESG disclosure work process and the development of an information system to support ESG information disclosure were significant in the academic aspects needed to study ESG in the future.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-25
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• 2023

ESG management is becoming a necessity of the times, but there are about 600 ESG evaluation indicators worldwide, causing confusion in the market as different ESG ratings were assigned to individual companies according to evaluation agencies. In addition, since the method of applying ESG was not disclosed, there were not many ways for companies that wanted to introduce ESG management to get help. Accordingly, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the K-ESG guideline jointly with the ministries. In previous studies, there were few studies on the comparison of evaluation grades by ESG evaluation company or the application of evaluation diagnostic items. Therefore, in this study, the ease of application and improvement of the K-ESG guideline was attempted by applying the K-ESG guideline to companies that already have ESG ratings. The position of the K-ESG guideline is also confirmed by comparing the scores calculated through the K-ESG guideline for companies that have ESG ratings from global ESG evaluation agencies and domestic ESG evaluation agencies. As a result of the analysis, first, the K-ESG guideline provide clear and detailed standards for individual companies to set their own ESG goals and set the direction of ESG practice. Second, the K-ESG guideline is suitable for domestic and global ESG evaluation standards as it has 61 diagnostic items and 12 additional diagnostic items covering the evaluation indicators of global representative ESG evaluation agencies and KCGS in Korea. Third, the ESG rating of the K-ESG guideline was higher than that of a global ESG rating company and lower than or similar to that of a domestic ESG rating company. Fourth, the ease of application of the K-ESG guideline is judged to be high. Fifth, the point to be improved in the K-ESG guideline is that the government needs to compile industry average statistics on diagnostic items in the K-ESG environment area and publish them on the government's ESG-only site. In addition, the applied weights of E, S, and G by industry should be determined and disclosed. This study will help ESG evaluation agencies, corporate management, and ESG managers interested in ESG management in establishing ESG management strategies and contributing to providing improvements to be referenced when revising the K-ESG guideline in the future.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2024

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management may be one of the recent hot topics in corporate management. The purpose of this paper was to study the level of ESG activities of shipping companies. The shipping industry is known to have low transparency and low favorability (Yun, 2022). This study determined whether ESG activities of shipping companies known to the public or studied qualitatively were consistent with objective facts through quantitative analysis. Analysis was conducted on 8,009 firm-year KOSP I listed companies from 2010 to 2022 using ESG ratings evaluated and published by KCGS. As a result of the analysis, it was found that shipping companies had a lower level of ESG activities than non-shipping companies. Although many research studies have been done on companies' ESG activities, research on corporate social responsibility activities and ESG activities of domestic shipping companies is limited. This paper is significant in that it is the first study to quantitatively analyze ESG management status of domestic shipping companies. Shipping companies should make efforts to improve their images, improve their business performances, and increase corporate sustainability by taking the lead in proactive ESG activities rather than performing passive ESG activities due to external regulations such as IMO 2020 and IMO 2050.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.31-47
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable tool that can classify and measure detailed indicators related to the performance of ESG implementation in the country and verify their applicability. Based on World Bank's data as input data, 67 types of ESG-related detailed indicators measured in a total of 239 countries were tested to derive an optimal model that could group detailed indicators into three categories: environment, society, and governance. As a result of the analysis, it was confirmed that a total of 10 detailed indicators had a statistically significant relationship with the country's ESG performance. In addition, the detailed indicators showed a positive correlation with the primary latent variables E, S, and G, and showed a high overall index in the suitability of the model to secure the validity and reliability of variable input. As a result, this study confirmed that several detailed performance indicators constituting ESG can be classified as latent variables, and it can be said that clear criteria for the selection method and input validity of variables were presented.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 2023

Corporate ESG performance (environmental, social, and corporate governance) reflecting a company's strategic sustainability has emerged as one of the main factors in today's investment decisions. The traditional ESG performance rating process is largely performed in a qualitative and subjective manner based on the institution-specific criteria, entailing limitations in reliability, predictability, and timeliness when making investment decisions. This study attempted to predict the corporate ESG rating through automated machine learning based on quantitative and disclosed corporate financial information. Using 12 types (21,360 cases) of market-disclosed financial information and 1,780 ESG measures available through the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability during 2019 to 2021, we suggested a deep neural network prediction model. Our model yielded about 86% of accurate classification performance in predicting ESG rating, showing better performance than other comparative models. This study contributed the literature in a way that the model achieved relatively accurate ESG rating predictions through an automated process using quantitative and publicly available corporate financial information. In terms of practical implications, the general investors can benefit from the prediction accuracy and time efficiency of our proposed model with nominal cost. In addition, this study can be expanded by accumulating more Korean and international data and by developing a more robust and complex model in the future.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-65
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• 2023

As stakeholder demands and sustainable finance grow, ESG management and ESG evaluation are becoming important. SMEs should also prepare for the trends of ESG rating practices that affects supply chain management and financial transactions. However, SMEs have no choice but to focus on survival first, so there are restrictions on putting into ESG management. In addition, there is a lack of research on the legitimacy of ESG management by SMEs, and volatility in ESG evaluation systems and rating grades is also increasing. Accordingly, it is necessary to review ESG evaluation trends and practical guidelines along with the review of previous studies. As a result of the exploratory study, SMEs need to implement ESG management and make efforts to specialize in ESG related new businesses under conditions in which their survival base is guaranteed in terms of implementation strategies. In addition, it is necessary to focus on the strategic use of various evaluation results along with accumulating information favorable for ESG evaluation through organizational learning and software management. The implications of this study are that various studies such as the classification criteria for SMEs and the relationship between ESG evaluation grades and long-term survival rates are needed in ESG evaluation of SMEs. At the government policy level, it is time to consider the ESG evaluation system exclusively for SMEs so that ESG management can be implemented and ESG evaluation at different levels by industry and size.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.79
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• pp.33-82
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• 2024

Interest in ESG management, which spread through the UN PRI in 2006, has recently spread throughout our society. Consumers use a company's activeness in the ESG field as the standard of consumption behavior, and the international community is reorganizing and strengthening various regulatory measures. In the investment market, non-financial performance (ESG information) is used as an important investment indicator along with financial performance (credit rating). Due to these changes in the corporate evaluation paradigm and market pressure, if a company neglects ESG response activities, it is more likely to be excluded from market selection, and accordingly, the importance of ESG management is also increasing. Companies are making various efforts to secure legitimacy in response to these market pressures, but in the process, it is difficult to systematically manage and utilize records/data that are the basis for ESG management. For a basic understanding of ESG management, this paper summarizes the emerging process of ESG and the current ESG-related regulations applied to companies. Through this, it can be seen that ESG management is not carried out with the good will of the company, but is accepted as a management strategy for the survival of the company according to the change in the corporate evaluation paradigm. Through interviews with the company's ESG-related personnel, the company's ESG response process was divided into passive communication and active communication, and the problems identified during the interview were summarized for each communication type. In addition, in the process of passively and actively communicating ESG management information with internal and external stakeholders, the possibility that ESG archives can function as a tool to overcome problems for each communication type was raised, and five types of ESG archives that can play this role were presented.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.785-796
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• 2023

The adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance(ESG) practices in domestic construction firms is predominantly driven by major corporations. These companies not only publish reports on their ESG management but also engage in a meticulous process of identifying key issues and setting priorities. This process entails an in-depth evaluation of the severity of various issues and the gathering of insights from experts in the field. Interestingly, a comparative analysis of ESG assessments for construction companies, both domestically and internationally, reveals significant discrepancies in outcomes. These differences stem from the varied evaluation methodologies and criteria employed by different assessing bodies. Addressing this gap, our study proposes a suite of strategies aimed at bolstering ESG management within the construction sector. We advocate for enhanced policy support and financial backing, especially targeting small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to facilitate their engagement in ESG practices. A critical step forward involves the standardization and transparent disclosure of ESG evaluation criteria, tailored to reflect the unique aspects of the construction industry. Moreover, the standardization and publication of ESG assessments for subcontractors are essential, equipping them with the necessary tools for effective ESG management and evaluation. Given the global nature of construction projects, particularly those commissioned by the European Union in regions like Africa and East Asia, adherence to ESG standards is imperative. Our long-term vision includes the development of a comprehensive database detailing ESG regulations and their impacts, segmented by region and country. This repository will serve as a valuable resource for companies venturing into international construction projects.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2022

Recently, our society and environment has changed rapidly due to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. In this rapidly changing environment, companies fulfill their social responsibilities and require non-financial elements of transparent management activities. ESG has become one of the non-financial factors, and interest of ESG management is increasing worldwide. In this paper, we examine the importance of ESG concept and ESG management performance and the correlation with companies, and examine the necessity of ESG management for companies in the future. The literature reviews are conducted on CU which is currently best practicing ESG management through various secondary data. Also, we used interview articles so that reflect the rich voice of the distribution industry. In addition, after examining ESG characteristics through examples of global companies, we looked at BGF Retail's CU convenience store ESG activities, which is a leader in ESG management, in distribution industry. CU was divided into all sectors of E, S, and G, and all sectors were actively engaged in activities and flexibly coping with changing environments and social needs. In particular, it was confirmed that CU's environmental management, which focuses the most, achieved successful results due to the increase in actual consumption of customers. ESG management activities at CU convenience stores are currently ongoing and future tasks. As a leading company in ESG management in the current industry, it is meaningful to understand the process of growing into a company that shares concerns, efforts, and practical activities and fulfills social responsibility. Through this study, the changes and growth of CU and domestic companies to ESG and sustainable management are expected in the futures.