• Informatization Policy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.20-39
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• 2020

This paper introduces the Cryptocurrency Market Potential Index (CMPI) in order to measure the potential of the blockchain-backed cryptocurrency. Adopting the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system as a conceptual framework, the whole process from development to implementation and adoption of blockchain-backed cryptocurrency are examined. This paper selects 30 variables and employs factor analysis for multivariate analysis to produce the CMPI for a total of 213 countries. The results show that although cryptocurrency is decentralized, its development and usage might still be very centralized in Europe, North America, hotspots in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and CIS regions. This result also highlights how important development and implementation are before adoption so that consequent financial transactions can take place.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.13-26
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between resilience of migrant workers and their mental health for improving their quality of life and adaptation in Korean society. Methods: Data were collected from March 21 to May 7, 2011. The participants included 488 migrant workers who lived in Busan Metropolitan City or Gyoungnam province. Results: First, heavy working burdens and lack of rests, low wages, poor living environments, low economic status & deficiency of living necessities, hard physical labors, and conflicts with Korean workers had negative effects on mental health. Second, high perceived stress caused by usual 'living difficulties', high 'cutural shock', high feeling of 'social isolation', and high discomfort from 'lack of Korean language proficiency' gave negative effects on migrant worker's mental health. Third, the most important factor on the mental health was the 'cultural shock' among stressors. Even though many stressors existed among migrant workers, these negative effects on mental health were lessened by their high resilience level. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of migrant workers in Busan, Korea. To improve their mental health, social support including financial supports and educational programs that foster resilience needed.

• Architectural research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2001

Since the late 1990s Korean housing authorities and private companies have been pursuing various initiatives towards sustainable neighbourhood design, however, there has been no attempt to examine their progress. This research aims to suggest a sustainability evaluation framework and analyse the progress of sustainability of a cutting edge project: Shinjung Environmentally Friendly Housing Estate Development, using that framework. The results of the analysis suggest that the project failed to make Significant progress in the sustainability evaluation criteria compared to normal projects in Korea and there exist significant barriers: economic/financial barriers; institutional/structural barriers; and implementation barriers within current planning and design practices. Most of the project's design strategies were simply adopted and used as a marketing tool without public participation, sustainability targets or benchmarking for sustainability. Furthermore, most of the responsibility for maintenance was left to residents who normally lack the knowledge, experience, interest and money to carry out such tasks. These problems cause significant concerns over the future success of the project toward sustainability. The experience of the Shinjung project also highlights the need for a more proactive central and local government stance towards sustainable neighborhood design.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.11
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• pp.213-221
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• 2021

The paper attempts to investigate the optimal capital structure of Vietnamese listed firms based on a structural approach. Using the data from around 70 companies in the Consumer Staples sector listed on the Vietnamese Stock Exchange during the period 2018-2020, this study finds that the optimal capital structure of examined companies has a wide range of diversification. This can be explained by the various types of actual products for each typical firm within the chosen sector. The result also confirms that a large proportion of researched firms were actually overleveraged, which is consistent with the trade-off hypothesis that firms wish to take tax advantages while using more debt, which creates the benefits from tax-shield. Furthermore, the research highlights the reversed correlation, which suggests that the lower the company's risk (the lower the sigma of the assets), the greater the optimal capital structure is suggested. Another interesting finding is that almost all consumer staples companies have a better optimal capital structure under the Leland and Toft (1996) model than under the Leland (1994) model. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation of optimal financial leverage ratio between years. In other words, the optimal debt levels of the latter year are strongly dependent on the gearing levels of the previous years.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

UAE has rapidly developed into one of the leading global financial hubs, with significant transformations in its stock exchanges. In its attempt at economic diversification in the last two decades, the country has also taken a lead in the GCC region in introducing extensive reforms to attract FDI to the Emirates. However, oil price volatilities have posed a significant challenge to all oil-exporting countries. The main aim of this study is to explore the impact of economic diversification and oil price on the UAE stock market. The study applies Granger Causality and Vector Autoregressive Model on monthly Abu Dhabi stock exchange index, Dubai Fateh crude oil spot price, and FDI inflows during 2001-19. The short-term interbank rate has been included as a monetary policy variable. The results show a substantial difference between the two phases of reforms. Oil price and Abu Dhabi stock index show bidirectional relationship during 2001-09 but no causality was found during 2010-19. Furthermore, the second phase was characterized by unidirectional causation from FDI to ADX index. This study highlights FDI inflows as a key driver of stock market performance during the last decade and emphasizes the success of the intense reforms in the UAE initiated for the diversification of its economy.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.917-929
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• 2021

This study highlights the importance of remittance, the factors which affect the percentage of income remitted, and the investment options available to reduce remittance. For the year 2019, the remittances from Oman totaled $9.1 billion. Oman was among the top remitters with remittance to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 11.9%. A survey was conducted on 300 resident expats in Oman. The descriptive analysis shows that the maximum remittance percentage is between 21%-40% of income. The multinomial logistic regression results show that outward remittance depends on gender, age, occupation, number of dependent in Oman, and the number of dependent in the home country. Regarding investment, the most preferred investment option is business, followed by real estate and financial services. Age and education are found to affect investment options. This paper tries to fill the literature gap, especially for the case of Oman, by exploring what determines the level of remittance and the preferred choices for retaining funds. This study adds to the existing literature, as no previous study is available regarding how personal factors can influence the level of remittance and investment in a small oil-exporting developing country like Oman. The study will be helpful to policymakers and academicians in devising policies to retain and invest the outwards remittances in Oman.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.140-147
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• 2024

Oil and gas industry is a unique sector with complex activities, long supply chains and strict rules for the business. It is important to use enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to address these challenges as it helps in simplifying operations, improving efficiency and facilitating evidence-based decision making. Nonetheless, successful integration of ERP systems in this industry involves careful planning, customization and alignment with specific business processes including regulatory requirements. Several critical factors, such as strong change management, support of top managers and training that works have been identified in the study. Amongst the hurdles are employee resistance towards the changes, data migration complications and integration with existing systems. Nonetheless, NOCL's ERP implementation resulted in significant improvements in operating efficiency, better data visibility and compliance management. It also led to a decrease in financial reporting timeframes, more accurate inventory tracking and improved decision-making capabilities. The study provides useful insights on how to optimize oil and gas sector ERP implementations; key among them is practical advice including strengthening change management strategies, prioritizing data security and collaborating with ERP vendors. The research highlights the importance of tailoring ERP solutions to specific industry needs as well as emphasizes the strategic role of ongoing monitoring/feedback for future benefits sustainability.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.118-126
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• 2013

We investigated the major trends in health aid financing in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by identifying the primary donor organizations and examining several data sources to track overall health aid trends. We collected gross disbursements from bilateral donor countries and international organizations toward the DPRK according to specific health sectors by using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development creditor reporting system database and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs financial tracking service database. We analyzed sources of health aid to the DPRK from the Republic of Korea (ROK) using the official records from the ROK's Ministry of Unification. We identified the ROK, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) as the major donor entities not only according to their level of health aid expenditures but also their growing roles within the health sector of the DPRK. We found that health aid from the ROK is comprised of funding from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, private organizations, local governments, and South Korean branches of international organizations such as WHO and UNICEF. We also distinguished medical equipment aid from developmental aid to show that the majority of health aid from the ROK was developmental aid. This study highlights the valuable role of the ROK in the flow of health aid to the DPRK, especially in light of the DPRK's precarious international status. Although global health aid from many international organizations has decreased, organizations such as GFATM and UNFPA continue to maintain their focus on reproductive health and infectious diseases.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.17-25
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• 2015

Since 1997, Dr. Shin-ya Nishimura has been developing an actual town planning project named the "Gangi Project". Students, inhabitants and local professionals walk around Omotemachi, examine the characteristics of the environment and the inhabitants' way of life, discuss plans and designs for traditional wooden arcades called locally "gangi". Students and inhabitants build the gangi together every year. The purpose of this study is to clarify how an experimental project aiming to preserve a living environment obtains sustainability as an actual town planning exercise. The research hypothesizes that sustainable town planning should include strategies for financial autonomy, active participation of inhabitants, supports from local professionals, an acceptance of changing environments, and responsible construction. The project has been carried out as a part of actual town planning, and continues to create a daily living environment based on the recent economical and industrial situation of the town. By focusing on the influences of the project on the town and inhabitants, the study has revealed the possibility of an actual town planning with small budget, and importance of a collaborative relationship with various participants in order to foster a sense of responsibility regarding the construction. The project also highlights the implication that sustainable town planning creates not only a participatory system but also a collaborative one in which participants take responsibility for the issues involved in the construction process.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.341-349
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• 2011

As elder abuse has become a social problem, it has drawn a great deal of attention from researchers and policy-planers. While there have been a number of studies addressing various issues related to elder abuse, the present study aims to explain whether and how the perception of elder abuse would differ among the elderly themselves. In particular, the study focuses on the differences between urban and rural areas. Family-centered culture is believed to have a stronger influence in rural areas compared to urban areas. This cultural tradition highlights the importancy of the family compared to the individuals. Thus, the elderly who experience abuse would take it as personal matter rather than publicizing it. In addition, the information and campaigns on preventing elder abuse are less prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas due to limited communication networks. For these reasons, the study suggests a hypothesis that the elderly in rural areas are less perceptive to elder abuse. Using 6,709 persons aged 65 and over from a nationwide survey conducted by the Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2009, the study ran regression analysis on 4 types of elder abuse including psychological, financial, physical and neglect. The results show that regardless of types of abuse, the elderly in rural areas have lower levels of perception than the elderly in urban areas do. In addition, the frequency of social activities is positively related to the perception of elderly abuse. This is also true for the different types of elder abuse. The findings suggest that social effort to prevent elder abuse consider the urban-rural differences and their sources.