• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.39-46
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• 2016

Purpose - Recently, as Korean culture and economy develops, Seoul has become a world-famed city. In Seoul, many special grade hotels have been constructed in order to accommodate many tourists from China, Japan and many other Asian countries. And the hotels entered into competition among themselves. Thus many changes are accelerated due to their mutual competition and manpower problems. In this situation, the role of higher officers above all is thought to be very important in order to enhance the management result and to make preparations for the kernel ability of the organization. Research design, data and methodology - This study was intended to verify how the leadership of the higher officers based on trust affects the job satisfaction of employees of the organization. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, some study models and hypotheses have been established through theoretical examinations. The subjects of this study were centered on the constituents of C-Hotel, M-Hotel, and D-Hotel. 200 questionaries were distributed and 190 questionaries were collected and thus the collection ratio was 91 percent. 8 questionaries which were regarded to be insincere or hard to analyzed were excluded. Finally, 182 questionaries were used for analyzing the factors and trust. For the purpose of the verification of hypotheses, structural equation was used. In order to verify the mediating effect of trust between the relationship of emotional leadership and job satisfaction, 'Three-step Mediated Regression Analysis by Baron & Kenny(1986) was utilized. The four hypotheses for this study are as follows: First, emotional leadership will have a meaningful influence on trust in the affirmative. Second, trust will have a meaningful influence on job satisfaction in the affirmative. Third, trust will play a mediating role in the relationship of emotional leadership and job satisfaction. Result - First, the emotional leadership and trust was found to effect a positive effect. Second, the trust and job satisfaction was found on a positive effect on job satisfaction. Third, the emotional leadership and job satisfaction was found to positive effect on job satisfaction. Fourth, the trust in the relationship between emotional leadership and job satisfaction was found that the partial mediating effect. Especially, in the case of the business of hospitality, human services as well as material resources become its keynote, and we can safely say that the degree of dependence toward human resources is very high. Accordingly, the leaders should display their leadership on the basis of abundant emotional and intellectual faculties so that they can grasp, understand and admit the diverse views of value and emotion of the organization constituents and that they can form emotional leadership. On the basis of the analysis results of the verification of hypotheses, some suggestions and uppermost limit of this study have been presented for further study.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.20-20
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• 2011

The purpose of this research aims to evaluate the emergence of new business mode in the Chinese water market since the mid-2000s - Transfer-Operate-Transfer(TOT) Projects. The study pays special attention to the case of the Hefei Wangxiaoying Wastewater Treatment TOT Project, which was awarded to the consortium of Berlin Water International and its Chinese partner in late 2004. The consortium secured an exclusive operating right for 23 years on the basis of a TOT scheme and would take responsibility of all the profits and losses in the operation of the plant. The total investment for the transfer amounted to RMB 491 million(US$70 million). The price was more than 288% of the original value, RMB 170 million (US$24 million). The project can be regarded as a successful case because of the following three causes. First, the Hefei government followed a series of standardized procedures in the international bidding, which ignited best-performed international players' competition for the project. Second, the project will bring in cutting-edge operation skills and management know-how. Third, the government succeeded in raising public asset values, and thanks to this, the government is able to consider other similar projects not only in the water sector but also other sectors in public utility services. Nevertheless, Berlin Water's point of view, there are several challenges. First, the company took a risk to pay such a large amount of cash to the Hefei government. Although such premium can be recouped in the operation period of 23 years, whether or not the company would be able to recover the initial investment and realize profits is in question due to an uncertainty of socio-political circumstances in China. Second, Berlin Water should expect a steep rise of water tariffs over the contract period in order to get the investment back. Water pricing is still a sensible matter to Chinese authorities, and therefore, it is uncertain if such rise of water tariffs would be possible. Third, the TOT mode leads to creation of a large amount of cash to government officials, which might have caused corruption between those who are involved in TOT deals. Then, the final contract fee would soar, which often results in the burden of normal customers. As discussed, the TOT mode has drawn much attention of foreign investors as a new alternative to enter into the Chinese water market. But it is important to note that foreign investors should be aware of possible risks in water TOT projects, which reflects some features of the Chinese political economy landscape and social norms. The Hefei case indicates that benefits can overshadow risks in TOT projects, which will continue to attract foreign investors that are dedicated to establishing their strongholds in the Chinese water market.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.47-69
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• 2010

From the review of Korean arbitration systems with the comparison of those of other countries, we can summarize some issues to be tackled as follows: First, Korean arbitration system started with the purpose of export promotion. This may be the main reason that various domestic disputes have not been resolved by arbitration. Second, the Korean Arbitration Law applies to private disputes. The Law's arbitration scope is wider than that of China and France, but narrower than that of the U.S.A. that encompasses a variety of disputes in the filed of consumer, labor, medical services, patents, etc. Third, active judges or public officials in Korea can not be arbitrator and there is no arbitration court. However, if chief judge allows the necessity, court's judges in the UK can be arbitrator with the mutual agreement of the parties and also arbitration system is operated in the court. Fourth, the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board(KCAB), the only representative institution for arbitration in Korea, is under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy(MKE). This makes it difficult for the KCAB to handle other disputes related to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, etc. Fifth, as mentioned, the KCAB is the unique institution for arbitration by the Law in Korea, while other countries allow have a diversity of arbitration agencies such as maritime arbitration organization, consumer arbitration institution, arbitration court, etc. Therefore, we suggest some ideas to expand the arbitration's area of coverage in Korea as follows: First, there should be more active policies that promote various domestic disputes to be settled by the arbitration system. Second, it is quite needed to expand the scope of arbitration to cover many disputes in the fields of consumer, labor, medical service, advertising, fair trade, etc. Third, there should be discussions to allow court judges as arbitrator and to introduce the arbitration court. Fourth, the KCAB should strengthen its status and roles as general arbitration organization to overcome the limited scope of commercial disputes. For this, there should be the strong support and coordination among the MKE and other government agencies. Fifth, to reduce the burden of the court's complicated and expensive procedures, more efficient disputes resolution systems should be established on the basis of the parties' free will. Each central government agency should streamline the legal barriers to allow industrial organizations under its control to establish their own or joint arbitration system with the KCAB.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.21-47
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• 2021

Purpose - Offshoring has emerged as one of the major trends in international trade and has become one of the strategies for achieving competitiveness in the global market. In spite of this, the expected gains of offshoring can be offset by hidden costs and risks, such as those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the trade war between the USA and China, and the ongoing trade dispute between Korea and Japan. To obviate such business failure and prevent critical business blunders, offshoring strategies that efficiently consider both risk elements and potential wealth creation are urgently need. The first purpose of this study is to contribute to the development of more advanced offshoring strategies to help host countries select the best locations to manage supply chain risks and create unique value. The second purpose is to specifically analyze the current status of Korea and provide Korean companies with implications to be considered when deciding whether to offshore or re-shore. Design/methodology - A Network DEA model was applied to measure the comparative location efficiency of national competencies for offshoring strategy from perspectives of wealth creation opportunities (profitability and marketability) and supply chain risk management. The location efficiencies are compared among a total 70 countries selected from the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) and globally attractive locations outlined by Kearney (2017). For the secondary analysis of efficiency, a t-test examining the nature of competitive advantage and the level of sophistication in production processes was implemented in three divisions. We then analyzed differences in offshoring performance in terms of the identified national traits. Moreover, Tobit regression analysis is conducted to investigate the correlation between value-added business activities and each divisional efficiency, seeking to determine how each degree of value-added business activity influences the increase in offshoring productivity. Findings - Regarding overall location efficiency for offshoring performance, only the USA and Italy were identified as being efficient as host countries for offshoring, under circumstances of advanced development, such as productivity and risk management. Korea ranks 13th among 70 countries. The determinants of national competitiveness depend on national traits (the nature of competitive advantage and business sophistication). Countries with labor/resource advantages and labor-intensive industries are more competitive in terms of marketability than others. In contrast, countries with strong technology-intensive industries benefit offshoring companies, particularly in the technology sector, with the added advantage of supply chain risk management. As the perception of a value chain is broader in a country, it can achieve both production sophistication and competitive advantages such as marketability and SCRM. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on offshoring effectiveness from a company perspective. This paper contributes to comparing country efficiency in producing core competencies related to an offshoring strategy and also segments countries into three performance-based considerations associated with the global offshoring market. It also details Korea's position as an offshoring location according to national efficiency and competency.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.341-366
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• 2013

The term, Mittelstand, has no exact english translation for the definition, but, today, Mittelstand refers to small and medium-sized enterprises(SME), mostly family-owned firms in Germany. The Mittelstand is called the backbone of the German economy because it drove the economic miracle after World War II. During the global recession and the euro zone's debt crisis in recent years, in which european businesses have faced the near-collapse of competitiveness particularly in manufacturing, the German exports are booming and exceeded exports of China in 2012. Most importantly, the Germany economic performance has been widely attributed to the strength of the Mittelstand. Many of countries, even some leading public companies are seeking to emulate the success of the Mittelstand. Investors evaluate that many of Germany's investable "hidden champions" are Mittelstand companies. The purpose of this study is to present some of answers to the following questions: Firstly, what makes the German Mittelstand so successful? Secondly, what does the success of the German Mittelstand mean for the Korean SMEs in global competitiveness? Thirdly, what Korean government has to do improve the global competitiveness of the Korean SMEs? Some discussions in this study mention the managerial implications for Korean exporting SMEs particularly in manufacturing. Several factors that account for the success of the German Mittelstand are technological excellence and the tradition of family-owned management, concentration on niche market and globalization, and institutional supports. There are some of important lessons to be learned from the German Mittelstand. If the purposes of Korean SMEs want to remain in the sustainable competitive advantage and withstand unforeseen economic turbulences in the future, they must be able to meet the followings: 1) Technology that meets the global standard or exceeding it 2) Competitiveness in price in the global market 3) Active involvement in the globalization process, utilizing various entry modes Innovative products at globally competitive price are a crucial point for Korean exporting SMEs to achieve their competitive edge over others in the target markets abroad. It is time for Korean SMEs to cultivate a core competence in manufacturing in order to position Korea as a global manufacturing hub with SMEs leading.

• Journal of the Korea Management Engineers Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.49-72
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• 2018

Before the financial crisis of 1997 in Korea, many industrial sectors across the country have achieved remarkable economic growth since the 1970s because of the development of large-scale equipment industries such as civil engineering, steel, construction and chemical industries. However, after the financial crisis, the economic growth rate has slowed down. Also, the global recession and the rise of China in the global business environment have led to a long-term recession in the national industry as a whole. In current economic environment, it is not easy for the companies even having excellent resources to continue its competitive advantage. Moreover, the chemical industry, which has an influence as a basic industry of other industries, misses the point of transformation into a high value-added industry, as shown in previous research. In order to meet the rapidly changing global business environment, Korean chemical companies should have a dynamic capabilities which to rapidly reallocate and consolidate the resources and capabilities they possess. The dynamic capabilities to convert, rearrange and develop the resources possessed by the company in the direction of creating high added value and to promptly search for, absorb, transform and fuse newly required capabilities and resources should be continuously applied to Korean chemical companies. It is the core competence to secure competitive advantage. In order to secure the dynamic capabilities of the company, the dynamic capabilities of individual employees should be strengthened and employees should be able to demonstrate their own leadership so that they can proactively work and self-manage in a positive direction. Previous studies have focused mainly on the dynamic capabilities of firms. However, the competence of the human resources that make up the enterprise leads to the capabilities of the enterprise, and the human resources themselves are also important corporate resources. This paper focuses on the dynamic capabilities of individuals and strives to clarify the causal relationship between dynamic capabilities, self-leadership, and organizational effectiveness which have direct or indirect effects on management outcome. The reasons for choosing the chemical industry are based on the fact that a domestic chemical companies are in a long-term recession, and they lacks a innovation and value creation capabilities. Also, chemical industry has a large impact on the national economy.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.113-136
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• 2023

Purpose - Global production chains and their impacts on economic growth have drawn extensive attention from researchers. Close relationships among global production chains, export and economic growth have been illuminated, as evidenced by the fast and stable economic growth of East Asian economies. These economies perform various roles within global production chains using offshoring, in which the impact of import on domestic gross output is as strong as that of export. The impact of import on economic growth would depend on whether imported inputs substitute or complement domestic inputs production, which is likely to vary according to individual countries' functions within global production chains. The economic growth of concerned countries would also be diverse. However, little attention has been paid to the impact brought by imports compared to its significance. Design/methodology - The principal methodology used in this paper is structural decomposition analysis (SDA), widely chosen to elucidate the impact of various factors on domestic gross output using input-output tables. This paper extracts trade data of six Asian economies from the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) 2016 release that covers 43 countries for the period 2000-2014. The extracted data is then categorised into 37 sectors. First, this paper calculates the Feenstra-Hanson Offshoring Index (OSI) of each country. It then applies SDA to measure the changes in each economy's gross output, export, import input coefficients, and domestic input coefficients. Finally, after taking the first difference from pooled time-series data, it estimates the correlations between imported input coefficients and OSI using the ordinary least square (OLS) method. Findings - The main findings of this paper can be summarised as follows. Firstly, all six countries have increasingly engaged in global production chains, as evidenced by the growing size of OSI. Secondly, there are negative correlations in five countries except Japan, with sectoral differences. Thirdly, changes in import input coefficients are not negative in all six countries, indicating that offshoring does not necessarily substitute for domestic inputs production but does complement it and, therefore, fosters their economic growth. This is observed in China, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan. Offshoring has led to an increase in the use of imported inputs, which has, in turn, stimulated domestic inputs production in these countries. Originality/value - While existing studies focus on the role of export in evaluating the impact of participating global production chains, this paper explicitly examines the unexplored impact of import on domestic gross output by considering both the substitution and the complementary effect, using the WIOD. The findings of this paper suggest that Asian economies have achieved fast and stable economic growth not only through successful export management but also through effective import management within global production chains. This paper recommends that the Korean government and enterprises carefully choose offshoring strategies to minimise disruption to domestic production chains or foster them.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.3-23
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• 2017

With the globalization of the world economy, international trade networks are expanding beyond geographical proximity, and the expansion of such trade networks is playing a role in promoting globalization. Korea has established itself as a strong FTA for the past 13 years, starting with the Korea-Chile FTA. Successful establishment of a short-term FTA network has shown positive economic effects such as increased trade volume with partner countries and market share in overseas markets. Other countries are also turning to the paradigm of economic development through the formation of a regional economic integration and a bilateral trade agreement network, and it is time to investigate new opportunities through understanding the entire RTA and FTA network. In this study, we analyzed the status of RTA and FTA from the 1960s to 2010s, analyzed network structure and centrality through SNA(social network analysis). The results of the study show that the structure of the FTA network is gradually expanding, and the FTA network, which has been expanding to the center of the early European countries, is changing toward the Asian countries such as Korea, China and Japan. As a result of the analysis of the degree of centrality, Korea was ranked as the top in all the degree of centrality(Degree, Betweenness, Closeness and Eigenvector) indicators for a short period of time and it means that Korea's FTA strategy was evaluated as very successful. This study examines the FTA among the global RTAs, assesses the structure of the FTAs and evaluates Korea's FTA strategies and the FTA network from a network perspective.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.59-65
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• 2014

Purpose - The competitiveness of logistics in the 21st century rests on ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of its local hub. While considering entry into a niche market in local logistics, it is pertinent to note that Budapest is emerging as a hub in EU enlargement in Eastern Europe. Big, small, and medium-sized businesses in Korea entered Hungary in the early 1990s since then, there has been a significant increase in Korean presence, of approximately 130 times. This study aimed to identify the key distribution issues that have emerged in relation to Eastern Europe. Research design, data, and methodology - This study indicates that 33 major Korean companies were located in Hungary, which serves as an out post to enter the European marketplace. However, Korea's exports to Hungary have declined (-32.0% in 2012) because of a loss of competitiveness against multinational corporations, due to factors such as the rise in current local distribution costs and wages. Hungary, on the other hand, through diversification and expansion of foreign trade with the non-EU markets, including Korea, is increasing its exports. Strategies of emerging countries are compared and reviewed in this study, by examining the vicissitudes of Hungary's distribution methods. Results - There are issues regarding Hungary's innovative ability. Hungary has a history of low wages and high skilled labor. However, the outflow of high-quality human resources for high-wages has become more extensive, and this underlines concerns that the CEE's trade hub is moving to neighboring countries. After the European financial crisis in 2010, the Hungarian economy is now developing, because of the IMF's measures, and it is being transformed into a trade surplus nation, while regaining distribution volumes rapidly. However, if there is continued lack of investment, the supply chain is weakened and exports decline amidst competition with TNCs or with China's distribution networks. Conclusions - It is necessary to create a new logistics approach for increasing trade between Korea and Hungary. First, Korean small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should build trust by working with advanced Hungarian talent, and they should expand into state-of-the-art fields instead of being confined to traditional sectors. Second, this study focuses on limiting and lowering their high expectations for success according to foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and the role in the CEE distribution hub Korea should try to strengthen the distribution hub with its centralized population, using better, more highly educated human resources, thereby sustaining more innovative ability. Further, the positive effects of these measures are manifested in enhanced business on both sides of Hungary, namely, the EU and non-EU nations such as Turkey and emerging markets around Europe, and a better engagement in the core placement of culture and industry. For this, Korea can contribute to, and benefit from, a Hungarian logistics center, for adopting the high-tech cluster systems and commercializing distribution technology such as RFID·USN.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.257-281
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• 2008

This study aims to draw meaningful points from the Chang Po Go period in which Chang Po Go, who established an integrated logistics system while operating on the seas of three nations including Japan, China, and Shilla by taking Chunghaejin, Shilla, as a base of operations in the 9th century, and to discover the need for the construction of the logistics system in northeast Asia. Also, the study intends to propose strategies for contemporary application of the logistics system used during the Chang Po Go period, based on the modern logistics concept. As a result of specifically reviewing the lesson from the Chang Po Go period, which created a paradigm for a new cooperation in logistics, the leadership of the CEO, who is prepared with the long-term vision of Chang Po Go, the implementation of an integrated system for logistics activity, and the political support of the government for private companies, will initiate a bright outlook for the construction of the logistics system in northeast Asia, amid the growing need for cooperation in logistics among the three northeast Asian countries. In this era in which northeast Asia is emerging as the center of the world economy, the cooperative model in the logistics field, which transcended the border of Chang Po Go, who built a maritime logistics network in the 9th century, will help implement a cooperative logistics system in the northeast Asian region.