• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.155-164
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• 2024

This study proposes an unsupervised learning-based clustering model to estimate the ESG ratings of domestic public institutions. To achieve this, the optimal number of clusters was determined by comparing spectral clustering and k-means clustering. These results are guaranteed by calculating the Davies-Bouldin Index (DBI), a model performance index. The DBI values were 0.734 for spectral clustering and 1.715 for k-means clustering, indicating lower values showed better performance. Thus, the superiority of spectral clustering was confirmed. Furthermore, T-test and ANOVA were used to reveal statistically significant differences between ESG non-financial data, and correlation coefficients were used to confirm the relationships between ESG indicators. Based on these results, this study suggests the possibility of estimating the ESG performance ranking of each public institution without existing ESG ratings. This is achieved by calculating the optimal number of clusters, and then determining the sum of averages of the ESG data within each cluster. Therefore, the proposed model can be employed to evaluate the ESG ratings of various domestic public institutions, and it is expected to be useful in domestic sustainable management practice and performance management.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.99-109
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• 2024

This study focused on analyzing the difference in the impact of non-financial performance, specifically ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) activity grade level, on management performance and corporate value among the 25 fashion companies listed on the Korea Exchange that completed their ESG evaluation in 2022. The companies were categorized into three levels based on their ESG evaluations: ESG Integrated Grade (ESG-T), ESG-E (Environmental), ESG-S (Social), and ESG-G (Governance). The study then empirically analyzed how these levels affected management performance and corporate value. The empirical analysis revealed significant differences in the impact on management performance and corporate value depending on the ESG activity grade level. Companies with higher ESG grades exhibited better management performance and higher corporate values across all ESG sub-variables (ESG-T, ESG-E, ESG-S, ESG-G) compared to those with lower grades. This finding demonstrates the influence of ESG activity grade levels on improving management performance and enhancing corporate value in fashion companies. The results of this research provide meaningful insights into the direction of sustainable management through ESG activities in fashion companies.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.19-30
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• 2023

Purpose: Corporate management is under pressure to contribute to social values beyond profit-seeking, and interest in ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) is increasing worldwide. In the recent global climate change crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of non-financial values such as ESG is increasing. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prepare a strategy for future ESG management activities by analyzing the impact of it on corporate performance by food companies. Research design, data and methodology: ESG-related research trends, ESG activities, and corporate performance were analyzed. After that, a regression analysis was conducted to identify the relationship between ESG evaluation grade and corporate performance. Result: ESG management activities measured by ESG scores did not significantly affect the return on assets, one of the variables of corporate performance. However, as a result of setting the return on equity as a dependent variable, ESG management activities have a nonlinear relationship with corporate performance, and ESG management activities have a positive effect on corporate performance when investment in ESG management activities is reasonable. Conclusions: These results show that food companies should engage in an appropriate level of ESG management activities to improve corporate performance.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.87-104
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• 2023

Recently, concerns are growing over small and medium-sized companies holding out on debt as domestic loan interest rates have risen sharply due to the prolonged impact of COVID-19 and soaring raw material prices. In addition, loans from small and medium-sized enterprises, which are difficult in the business environment, are increasingly being rejected due to high loan interest rates and excessive submission documents and financial statements-oriented screening of loans by the financial sector. Therefore, since it is necessary to discuss ways to promote financing and investment by SMEs, this study intends to suggest ways to promote investment through the use of SMEs' ESG systems. The purpose of this study is to suggest that the use of ESG evaluation indicators used as non-financial indicators helps predict the corporate value of SMEs and the importance of SMEs actively participating in ESG information disclosure. This study suggests the necessity of introducing and practicing ESG by SMEs where financing is important, and aims to analyze as an empirical result that the use of non-financial indicators helps predict corporate value. As a result of the study, the ESG performance and corporate value of SMEs showed a positive (+) relationship. It can be seen that both the grades and corporate value of SMEs by ESG sector have a positive (+) influence relationship. The total ESG rating was confirmed to have a positive effect on corporate value, and it was confirmed that SMEs with higher ESG environment, social, and governance ratings were evaluated higher. According to the research results, it is suggested that SMEs also need to use ESG evaluation indicators, and in order to promote the growth of SMEs, it is suggested that research on ways to re-examine the corporate value of SMEs is necessary. Therefore, this study suggests that the use of ESG should be actively recommended and implemented as a way to establish a management strategy for SMEs, and that efforts to disclose ESG information can soon help SMEs solve information asymmetry. In addition, SMEs want to understand the investment mechanism that the introduction and practice of ESG can lead to the improvement of the value of SMEs and suggest the necessity of SME-type ESG policies in the future.

• 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.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.105-124
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• 2024

Purpose This study aims to propose a blockchain-based platform that can guarantee enhanced trustworthiness in corporate ESG efforts, demanded by global ESG initiatives such as GRI and TCFD. Blockchain technology, recognized for its transparency and data immutability, can contribute to building trust in ESG disclosures, meeting the data transparency verification needs required by these initiatives. This research also explores the use of NFTs representing unique ESG efforts by companies, helping them in organizing and sharing ESG information with investors and consumers. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes Hyperledger Fabric, a permissioned blockchain known for its enhanced transparency, scalability, and suitability for business transactions, to develop a blockchain platform for managing and disclosing ESG information assets in a trustworthy manner. Furthermore, it introduces the concept of ESG NFTs as a more reliable method for conveying ESG information to stakeholders, where ESG NFTs undergo verification process by third-party authenticators and evaluation by independent evaluators for credibility of ESG disclosure. Findings The use of NFTs, which has been predominantly intended for market trading in public blockchain, offers a credible means of disseminating corporate ESG status and evaluations in a permissioned blockchain, better fit for business transactions. By representing information assets as NFTs, which are tamper-proof and establish clear ownership, the proposed platform enables effective management of ESG-related information assets.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.121-133
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• 2023

Sustainability is bound to be an eternal topic for managers who run companies. This sustainability is required not only by managers but also by various stakeholders. As a result, many companies are implementing sustainable management and are actively utilizing ESG, which has become a hot topic since 2020. In this study, we examined sustainable management and ESG, focusing on LX Hausys, which was the first in the interior industry to write a sustainable management report and received an ESG evaluation grade A for five consecutive years. As LX Hausys promoted sustainable management, it naturally focused on ESG management. As a result of meeting with LX Hausys HR executives and ESG managers for this study, ESG is not accepted as a new one. Rather, he emphasized that there is no need to approach this approach to ESG with grandeur and difficulty. This approach is consistent with the argument that ESG is a true approach to sustainable growth, not a management strategy based on the times. Like LX Hausys, ESG management can be consistently and continuously performed when implementing ESG strategies based on the resources and capabilities of companies, which can be seen as leading to corporate sustainability. This ESG management will be the right way to create a permanent company.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2024

Recently, ESG management has become a global trend, receiving increasing attention from stakeholders such as consumers, investors, and governments, as regulations related to ESG disclosure and supply chain due diligence have been strengthened since the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UN PRI) was announced in 2006. ESG is an acronym for the environment (E), social (S), and governance (G) and is accepted as a key factor for the continuous survival and growth of a company. As a result, there are over 600 ESG management evaluation indicators operated domestically and internationally, and numerous global initiatives have emerged. Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also announced "K-ESG Guidelines (December 2011)" and "K-ESG Guidelines for Supply Chain Response (December 22)" to help SMEs introduce ESG management and respond to supply chain due diligence. However, small-scale manufacturing companies with poor financial, human resources, and technological capabilities face significant challenges in introducing ESG management. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the current status of ESG management adoption in small-scale manufacturing companies with less than 150 people in Korea and propose activation plan ESG management based on the diagnostic requirements of the "Supply Chain Response K-ESG Guidelines."

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.87-101
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• 2021

ESG Investment is emerging as a trend and common sense in the financial market. ESG Investment is an investment method that simultaneously pursue social sustainability and investment returns from a long-term perspective by reflecting non-financial factors such as environment, society and governance in addition to corporate financial performance in investment decisions. This study checked how the characteristics of ESG investment have been changed after Covid-19. Afterwards, it was confirmed that Covid-19 actually acted as a negative factor in the securities market by applying VAR model. At the same time, it was demonstrated that ESG indices of the US and Korea outperformed their benchmark in terms of return and risk during the pandemic regime. The result of this study hints that the importance of ESG investment will be unchanged after Covid-19. At the same time, it suggests that managers should avoid passive ESG management and engage in strategic ESG management based on knowledge management.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.193-200
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• 2023

This paper selects 100 IT companies listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange from 2016 to 2020, and the public announcement in Hwajung collects ESG integrated ratings and grades for each sector and empirically verifies the relationship between ESG ratings and stock returns. Huazheng ESG level data and QIANZHAN database Using corporate financial data, a total of 500 samples were selected through correlation analysis and linear regression analysis with SPSS23 to analyze the effect of ESG on Return. As a result of the analysis, first, the impact on stock returns was found to be a significant positive (+) value for ESG integrated ratings and ratings by E (environment), S (social), and G (governance) sectors, confirming that ESG ratings have a positive mold of corporate stock returns. Currently, the world's major economies have proposed sustainable development strategies and "carbon neutral" goals. Development strategies are very consistent with ESG concepts, and companies that agree and execute ESG concepts may have higher ratings than other companies in the same industry, resulting in certain evaluation premiums. In addition, capital market performance in recent years shows that companies with ESG concepts or "carbon neutrality" concepts are generally considered to have higher growth potential and stronger anti-risk capabilities in the market. For listed companies, they should focus on ESG investment, improve ESG performance, and actively disclose related information to investors. Improving ESG performance should deliver positive information to society, enhance corporate image, increase market confidence in the future development of listed companies, and positively improve corporate value to actively increase financial, financial, trading, and other aspects of negotiation.