• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.173-180
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• 2014

In this research, we aim to analyze how different external knowledge search strategies of small and medium enterprises affect technological innovation. In particular, since there has been little comparison between Korean small and medium firms, we investigated the differences of the two groups by employing the "Korean Innovation Survey 2010." As a result, it was found that "external search breadth", which refers to expanding the spectrum of external knowledge search due to lack of resources and capabilities inside small firms, spurred technological innovation. On the other hand, "external search depth", which implies seeking a long-term and close relationship with the subjects that provide outside knowledge for medium firms, catalyzed technological innovation. These results emphasize that we need to separately analyze technological innovation of small and medium firms, which was, in most previous studies, viewed as one group, i.e. SMEs. In addition, the results can be, from the perspective of a firm's growth, interpreted as follows. That is, it is more effective to formulate a "diversity" pursuing strategy in the "small firm" stage where little time has passed since its establishment, whilst it is more useful to apply a "focus" strategy on sophisticated knowledge in the "medium firm" stage where a firm has grown to some extent.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.99-117
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• 2012

This study aimed to measure consumer information competency, which indicates consumers' general ability to search and utilize information. The model of this study was constructed in order to identify how consumer information competency influences the efficiency and the effectiveness of external information search. The model was verified with related prior knowledge as a moderator variable in order to understand holistic consumer information search activity. The result of the study is as follows. First, the concept of consumer information competency was constructed with four sub-abilities: define, search, extract, and synthesis & use. The ability of define was the highest, as opposed to the ability of extract, which was the lowest. Second, consumer information competency was lower for women as well as for low family income. The sub-abilities of search and synthesis & use were lower for aging consumers. Third, consumer information competency has positive effects on information search efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, the efficiency influences the effectiveness positively. Fourth, prior knowledge moderates the effect of consumer information competency to the efficiency. Only for consumers with high knowledge the efficiency has the effect of mediating between consumer information competency and the effectiveness.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2015

This study examines the relationships between export intensity and knowledge search activities of Korea SME manufacturers. Using 2,145 firm data from the 2011 SME Technology Statistics Survey, we focused on the nonlinear relationships of export intensity and internal and external knowledge search activities. The results show that there are U-shaped relationships between export intensity and both of internal and external knowledge search activities. Local market-oriented or global market-oriented SMEs than the middle-level of exporters have more search activities both internally and externally. This study extends our understandings on the relationships between export intensity and knowledge search activities. There are some policy implications to develop supporting programs differing in knowledge search activities according to the acceleration of export or globalization of Korean SME manufacturers.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.13-24
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• 2018

Purpose - This study investigates the moderation effect of internal factor, a firms size, on the external knowledge sourcing strategy and its effectiveness in generating radical innovation. We incorporate concepts of breadth and depth as two measures to gauge the degree of openness in firms external search Research design and methodology - The dependent variable in the regression model is the percentage of innovative sales and therefore, Tobit regression is employed for estimating significant factors affecting on the ratio of first-to-market by breadth and depth in external knowledge, internationalization, and size. Results - The results show that the external knowledge, in terms of both breadth and depth, has a positive relationship with radical innovation. However internationalization as external knowledge resources is not statistically accepted. Firm size has moderating effect on innovation negatively only in case of using external knowledge resources to a high degree. Conclusions - Firms obtain external information mostly from customers, competitors, and suppliers etc. empirical knowledge in terms of scope and intensity is an important contributor to innovation. And intensity use of external knowledge and information resources can work in favor of smaller firms rather than larger ones. Internationalization seems to have little effect on innovation but it requires further researches with clear criteria and more data.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.171-191
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• 2015

This paper investigates how internal knowledge dependency and its interaction with external knowledge adoption affect innovation performance in Korean companies. We categorize innovation performance into exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation. Especially, we examine business group effects as group headquarters and sister subsidiaries holistically form the boundary of the firm. Our empirical results first suggest that the degree of internal knowledge dependency is positively associated with exploitative innovation, but negatively with exploratory innovation. Second, internal knowledge dependency is more negatively related to exploratory innovation in independent firms than in business group affiliates. Third, independent firms' adoption of external knowledge tends to strengthen the positive relationship between internal knowledge dependency and exploitative innovation. Finally, exploitative external knowledge search appears to strengthen the negative relationship between internal knowledge dependency and exploratory innovation in both types of firms.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.45-60
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• 2009

This study reviewed the influence of consumer innovativeness and consumer knowledge on external information search behavior for the purchase of high-tech products. The strategies for offering information effectively for high-tech products may be proposed as follows based on the results of this study. First, the advertisements of high-tech products which are generally encountered need to offer sufficient information about the products in addition to fulfilling the function of persuading consumers. Second, it is necessary to implement an information network so that neutral offerings of information about high-tech products may be made promptly by reliable institutions. Third, information about high-tech products should be offered with easier explanations so that there should be no information-underprivileged class in utilizing the function of high-tech products.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2014

This study examines the relationship between firms' external search strategy and their innovation performance. In addition to revisiting the relationship between open search strategy and product innovation, we further extend the impact of use of external knowledge sources to process and organizational innovation. Using the 2010 Korean Innovation Survey (KIS) of manufacturing firms, we report that on average, venture firms search more widely (external search breadth) and deeply (external search depth) across a variety of external search channels than non-venture firms. We then further explore the impact of venture and non-venture firms' use of external search strategies on innovation performance. We find that both searching widely and deeply increase the likelihood of non-venture firm's successes in product, process and organizational innovation. Similar results can be found for the venture firm's success in organizational innovation. However, only searching deeply increases the likelihood of venture firms' success in product and process innovation.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.99-113
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• 2009

The goal of this article is to ascertain the factors that govern consumers' choosing to outbound travel product. The authors assess the consumers' travel product choosing processes with information search(internal knowledge, external information knowledge). alternative evaluation(perceived image, emotional experience, price acceptability, appeal, trust), and alternative choice(purchasing intention). Using data on Thailand travel product, the authors find considerable results and conclude by discussing prescriptive recommendations for the travel industry.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.125-136
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• 2021

Innovation is essential for the survival of a company in the fierce competitive environment of the global era of borders along with rapid technological development and changes from the environment. It is very important to secure your own competitive advantage. In this study, the relationship between internal R&D capability and organizational support as a company internal factor and external R&D capability, external knowledge search, and absorptive capability as a company external factor on performance was examined. As a result of the analysis, it was found that internal R&D capability, organizational support, and external knowledge search had a significant effect on absorptive capability, and innovation performance had a positive effect on new product performance. However, the mediating effect of absorptive capacity has not been verified, suggesting that absorptive capacity has a low correlation between innovation performance and new product performance, or that other important factors act between absorptive capacity and performance variables. The results of this study are expected to be utilized as useful guidelines when establishing R&D strategies in companies.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-165
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• 2012

Recently, the theory of open innovation emerges as a new innovation paradigm. This paper aims to examine open innovation activities of SMEs. Many firms tend to search new knowledge from various external sources and to pursue to achieve innovation resources or knowledge of external innovators. Particularly, this paper focus on the process of external knowledge networking and open innovation occurred in the process of technology innovation. The data used in this study were those that had been collected for total 3,400 sample SMEs that had conducted R&D. and in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 SMEs located at Chungbuk-Technopark. Empirical findings can be summarized as follows; SMEs tend to search new knowledge from various external sources and to pursue to achieve innovation resources or knowledge of external innovators, because they have lack of innovation resources. therefore, the conducting of open innovation affected positively the innovation performance of SMEs. In addition, empirical findings also indicated that expanding flexibility of labor market enhances open innovation activities of SMEs.