• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.159-175
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• 2023

Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the relationship between born global strategy and the accounting- and market- based financial performance of Korean firms. Further, this study identifies the characteristics of born global firms (BGs) in comparison with non-BG counterparts in terms of size, R&D, and liability. Design/methodology - Using a database of listed Korean SMEs in the manufacturing sector from 2010 to 2020, this study applies panel generalized least squares (GLS) estimation and logistic regression techniques. Findings - This study finds that BG strategy is negatively related to the firm's accounting-based financial performance, while it is positively related to the market-based financial performance. This study also finds that BGs have higher sales volume and more total assets compared to their non-BG counterparts. In addition, Korean BGs spend more on R&D, and at the same time have higher liability. Originality/value - BGs, by definition, are firms that are actively penetrating foreign markets from the early stages of their establishment. Previous studies of Korean BGs have tried to identify the determinants of BGs' rapid internationalization and their superior performance. However, most of these studies have utilized either qualitative case- or survey-based analyses with relatively limited numbers of observations. From a different perspective, this study provides more objective evidence by investigating how the BG strategy affects the financial and market performance of firms, and by characterizing BGs in terms of financial data.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.167-198
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• 2023

Purpose - This paper aims to compare and analyze the co-movements and information spillover effects between the international commodity futures markets and the South Korean stock markets during the COVID-19 and the 2008 financial crises. Design/methodology - The DCC-GARCH model is used in the co-movements analysis. In contrast, the BEKK-GARCH model is used to evaluate information spillover effects. The statistical data used is from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2022. It comprises the Korea Composite Stock Price Index data and daily international commodity futures prices of natural gas, West Texas Intermediate crude oil, gold, silver, copper, nickel, soybean, and wheat. Findings - The results of the co-movement analysis were as follows: First, it was shown that the co-movements between the international commodity futures markets and the South Korean stock markets were temporarily strengthened when the COVID-19 and 2008 financial crises occurred. Second, the South Korean stock markets were shown to have high correlations with the copper, nickel, and crude oil futures markets. The results of the information spillover effects analysis are as follows: First, before the 2008 financial crisis, four commodity futures markets (natural gas, gold, copper, and wheat) were shown to be in two-way leading relationships with the South Korean stock markets. In contrast, seven commodity futures markets, except for the natural gas futures market, were shown to be in two-way leading relationships with the South Korean stock markets after the financial crisis. Second, before the COVID-19 crisis, most international commodity futures markets, excluding natural gas and crude oil future markets, were shown to have led the South Korean stock markets in one direction. Third, it was revealed that after the COVID-19 crisis, the connections between the South Korean stock markets and the international commodity futures markets, except for natural gas, crude oil, and gold, were completely severed. Originality/value - Useful information for portfolio strategy establishment can be provided to investors through the results of this study. In addition, it is judged that financial policy authorities can utilize the results as data for efficient regulation of the financial market and policy establishment.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.119-135
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• 2019

This study analyzes the effects of trade globalization and financial globalization on consumption classified by type(durable, quasi-durable, non-durable and service). On the other hand, trade globalization and financial globalization were decomposed into OECD common factor, regional factors, and the idiosyncratic country-specific factors by time-varying dynamic factor analysis. The characteristics of OECD common factor, regional factors, and the idiosyncratic country-specific factors of trade and financial globalization were analyzed. Furthermore, the influences of these factors on consumption by type were analyzed. The analysis shows that globalization has negative effects on consumption. In particular, we found out that the idiosyncratic country-specific factor of Korea in trade and financial globalization had a statistically significant negative effect on consumption. We can infer that the globalization affecting consumption can be attributed to the idiosyncratic country-specific factor, which is economic choice rather than uncontrollable global trend. Accordingly, to solve the sluggish consumption problem caused by globalization, it is necessary to require not only domestic consumption expansion policies but also the efforts to resolve economic polarization problems to be able to stimulate consumption.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.63-82
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• 2022

Purpose - Drawing on relational institutional theory, we explored how demographic similarity between board members of a firm and newly emerged political elites led to firms' increased financial resource acquisition such as leverage ratio and decreased export intensity amidst the Asian financial crisis. We also studied how a firm's leverage ratio and export intensity can further affect firm profitability and financial credit rating. Design/methodology - We revisited and explored a unique, unprecedented crisis that affected most Korean firms: the Asian financial crisis that coincided with a governmental shift from a conservative to a liberal party. We collected demographic information from 432 listed Korean firms' board members and 43 political elites of the Blue House from 1998-2000 to create a demographic similarity measurement. We collected firms' financial information, built panel data, and used ordinary least squares regression to test our theory. Findings - Our results showed that demographic similarity between a firm's directors and newly emerged politicians had a positive association with a firm's leverage ratio but a negative association with a firm's export intensity. A firm's leverage ratio had a negative relationship with firm performance measured by firm profitability and financial credit rating. A firm's export intensity showed a positive effect on firm performance. Originality/value - We highlighted that during an economic crisis that coincided with a governmental shift and change of leading political actors, firms exerted efforts to survey the environment and build new external stakeholder relationships to cope with the changing landscape. We proposed that in an emerging market like Korea where low levels of trust and favoritism are prevalent across society, one of the relational institutional strategies that firms can employ is the selection of directors with similar demographic characteristics to political elites based on factors including birthplace and school affiliations. We examined the efforts of firms to build political networks with newly empowered political elites during a financial crisis, and the consequences of establishing such networks. We highlighted that during a financial crisis, the demographic similarity between a firm's board members and newly emerged politicians can provide firms with access to financial resources but can also result in poor management and reduced effort to enhance its international competitiveness.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.157-168
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• 2020

Since the economic crisis sweeps across the world in 2008, the foreign direct investment of various countries has been greatly impacted. Therefore, this paper regards China as an example to analyze China's outward foreign direct investment patterns in terms of Asian financial markets with a panel data over the period 2003-2017. We mainly focus on the money market oriented outward foreign direct investment and foreign exchange market oriented outward foreign direct investment. Using the individual fixed effect model to conduct empirical analyses, the empirical findings indicate that China will reduce its foreign direct investment amount to a country with large money supply and China will increase its foreign direct investment amount to a country with large foreign exchange reserves. Furthermore, when a country has signed Free Trade Agreement with China, China will increase more foreign direct investment amount to these countries than that of a country who has not signed Free Trade Agreement with China. Moreover, the empirical findings indicate that no matter what the money market oriented outward foreign direct investment or foreign market oriented outward foreign direct investment, China will reduce its foreign direct investment amount to these Asian countries due to the global economic crisis.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.1-16
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• 2021

This study suggests improvements in the management performance of the five largest exhibition and convention centers in Korea through financial ratio analysis. For this research, the financial ratios of each center were compared to the average of the centers as well as to the overall industry average during the past five years. According to the analysis results, the stability and growth ratios of the centers were excellent, but the profitability and activity ratios were poor. In particular, the ratios of profitability were in state of urgent need for improvement because they were at the level of severe deficits. It was analyzed that sales increase can be the key factor to improve centers' operation income and net profit to improve profitability. This study recommends measures to increase sales by using centers' facilities and their functions. The first is to actively host large-scale international meetings and conventions that only exhibition and convention centers can accommodate. The second is to attract brand exhibitions through strategic alliances with global Professional Exhibition Organizers (PEOs). Lastly, it is to organize sports and cultural events that are appropriate for incentive tours of associations and corporations.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.17-27
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• 2020

The research aims to investigate the impact levels of determinants on the conversion of financial statements from Vietnamese accounting standards (VAS) to International financial reporting standards (IFRS) in the multinational firms in Vietnam. The method of data collection was done through the survey and subjects are accountants in Multinational Firms doing business in Hanoi and ten neighboring provinces. After checking the information on the votes, there are 170 questionnaires with full information for data entry and analysis. We use Cronbach's Alpha, EFA analysis and run regression model to investigate the impact levels of each independent variable on dependent variable of the conversion of VAS financial statements to IFRS. The results show that five determinants including Economic, Politics, Law, Culture, and Conditions for implementation have positive relationships with the conversion of VAS financial statements to IFRS. In particular, Economic determinant is the most strongest. Based on the findings, some recommendations are given for improving the conversion of VAS financial statements to IFRS of multinational firms doing business in the context of Vietnam. The results are considered a useful reference for firms when making financial statements to transparently change the financial statement information and improve the quality of financial statement information.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.113-127
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• 2019

Purpose - This paper investigates whether financial crises could be the indicators of capital outflow waves or vice versa in Korea. Korea has experienced two severe financial crises, which are the Asian Crisis and the global financial crisis. Although there were many variables associated with these two remarkable events, one notable variable was gross capital outflows, which had significantly increased around them. Motivated by existing literature which built theoretical frameworks explaining the relationship between capital flight and financial crises, we examine the empirical evidence for this relationship. Design/methodology - We use panel data from 61 countries including Korea from 1980 to 2009 to study the associations between capital flight and diverse financial crises such as banking, currency, debt, and inflation crises. To be specific, we use the complementary log-log model to see whether capital outflow waves are reliable indicators for domestic financial crises. Findings - The results show, first, that banking, currency, and inflation crises are associated with capital flight. Second, debt crises are also associated with capital flight, but the result is not robust to different specifications. And, third, the positive associations between capital flight and crises are mainly driven by banking flows rather than FDI and portfolio flows. Originality/value - This paper is one of a few studies that investigates domestic (not foreign) investors' behavior during financial turmoil. Furthermore, theoretical studies which provide contradictory explanations on the movements of gross capital outflows during financial crises emphasizes the importance of empirical evidence in this paper.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.333-356
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• 2013

The main purpose of this article is to find out the determinants of usage and performance of the uTradeHub system in Korean SMEs. To achieve the purpose of the study, the research model and the hypotheses were developed based on the previous research on uTradeHub and e-Trade. And to test the research hypotheses, empirical survey was conducted to Korean SMEs which were using uTradeHub services. The results of the empirical analyses are as follows. First, among the external factors, intra-industry competition and transaction intensity were significant determinants of uTradeHub usage level. Secondly, among the internal factors, only CEO's support was found to be a significant determinant. Thirdly, among the IT related factors, IT infrastructure and IT training were positively related to uTradeHub usage level. Finally, the uTradeHub usage level was found to have positive effect both on financial and non-financial export performance of the Korean SMEs.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.31-59
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• 2020

China's increasing trade volume and continuous integration with global financial markets have strengthened the influences of the renminbi on the exchange rates of different currencies. Previous studies find closer co-movements between the renminbi and other currencies. This paper is novel to investigate the underlying determinants of the co-movement further, using panel data of over thirty-four countries. Our results show that stronger bilateral trade and financial linkages with China have a positive association with the currency co-movement. Moreover, countries with greater flexibility in exchange rate regimes show stronger co-movements. These findings imply that growing co-movements are the consequence of autonomous decisions at the market rather than that of management by governments or central banks.