• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.115-137
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• 2010

Information technology (IT) outsourcing, the use of a third-party vendor to provide IT services, started in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Korea, and has increased rapidly since 2000. Recently, firms have increased their efforts to capture greater value from IT outsourcing. To date, there have been a large number of studies on IT outsourcing. Most prior studies on IT outsourcing have focused on outsourcing practices and decisions, and little attention has been paid to objectively measuring the value of IT outsourcing. In addition, studies that examined the performance of IT outsourcing have mainly relied on anecdotal evidence or practitioners' perceptions. Our study examines the contribution of IT outsourcing to economic growth in Korean industries over the 1990 to 2007 period, using a production function framework and a panel data set for 54 industries constructed from input-output tables, fixed-capital formation tables, and employment tables. Based on the framework and estimation procedures that Han, Kauffman and Nault (2010) used to examine the economic impact of IT outsourcing in U.S. industries, we evaluate the impact of IT outsourcing on output and productivity in Korean industries. Because IT outsourcing started to grow at a significantly more rapid pace in 2000, we compare the impact of IT outsourcing in pre- and post-2000 periods. Our industry-level panel data cover a large proportion of Korean economy-54 out of 58 Korean industries. This allows us greater opportunity to assess the impacts of IT outsourcing on objective performance measures, such as output and productivity. Using IT outsourcing and IT capital as our primary independent variables, we employ an extended Cobb-Douglas production function in which both variables are treated as factor inputs. We also derive and estimate a labor productivity equation to assess the impact of our IT variables on labor productivity. We use data from seven years (1990, 1993, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007) for which both input-output tables and fixed-capital formation tables are available. Combining the input-output tables and fixed-capital formation tables resulted in 54 industries. IT outsourcing is measured as the value of computer-related services purchased by each industry in a given year. All the variables have been converted to 2000 Korean Won using GDP deflators. To calculate labor hours, we use the average work hours for each sector provided by the OECD. To effectively control for heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation present in our dataset, we use the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) procedures. Because the AR1 process may be industry-specific (i.e., panel-specific), we consider both common AR1 and panel-specific AR1 (PSAR1) processes in our estimations. We also include year dummies to control for year-specific effects common across industries, and sector dummies (as defined in the GDP deflator) to control for time-invariant sector-specific effects. Based on the full sample of 378 observations, we find that a 1% increase in IT outsourcing is associated with a 0.012~0.014% increase in gross output and a 1% increase in IT capital is associated with a 0.024~0.027% increase in gross output. To compare the contribution of IT outsourcing relative to that of IT capital, we examined gross marginal product (GMP). The average GMP of IT outsourcing was 6.423, which is substantially greater than that of IT capital at 2.093. This indicates that on average if an industry invests KRW 1 millon, it can increase its output by KRW 6.4 million. In terms of the contribution to labor productivity, we find that a 1% increase in IT outsourcing is associated with a 0.009~0.01% increase in labor productivity while a 1% increase in IT capital is associated with a 0.024~0.025% increase in labor productivity. Overall, our results indicate that IT outsourcing has made positive and economically meaningful contributions to output and productivity in Korean industries over the 1990 to 2007 period. The average GMP of IT outsourcing we report about Korean industries is 1.44 times greater than that in U.S. industries reported in Han et al. (2010). Further, we find that the contribution of IT outsourcing has been significantly greater in the 2000~2007 period during which the growth of IT outsourcing accelerated. Our study provides implication for policymakers and managers. First, our results suggest that Korean industries can capture further benefits by increasing investments in IT outsourcing. Second, our analyses and results provide a basis for managers to assess the impact of investments in IT outsourcing and IT capital in an objective and quantitative manner. Building on our study, future research should examine the impact of IT outsourcing at a more detailed industry level and the firm level.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.46
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• pp.7-36
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• 2001

The current benefit expenditure of National Pension Scheme is comparatively small, as it stands in the early stage in reference to the historical development. On the other hand, the current contribution rate of National Pension is set up beyond which is sufficient to cover the current benefit expenditure. Therefore, National Pension makes big surplus every year such that the size of accumulated fund increases very fast. Nevertheless, the apprehension of financial instability of National Pension prevails these days. If so, is it really well-grounded? In terms of the method of financing. public pension schemes of most of all nations in the world are based on pay-as you go or partial funding. Under these financing methods, financial soundness fundamentally depends on the power that the government is able to impose the burden which is equivalent to benefit expenditure and the attitude of the public which represents whether they will admit it or not. Under this perspective, the judgement of financial soundness of public pension can not be made arithmetically and technically only on the basis of the balance between receipts and expenditure but should be accomplished considering the very complex and diverse aspects. In these context, this paper defines what the financial soundness of public pension means specifically and presents the objective indices which help judge it, that is, implicit debt, cost rate, summarized cost rate, pension expenditure as percentage of GDP, and fund rate. Then, applying the indices, this paper analyzes the long-term financial situation of National Pension empirically and evaluates its financial soundness in exploratory perspective.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.8
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• pp.175-183
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• 2020

This study explores the effect of trade of Information Communications Technology (ICT) products and government's role, measured by three factors: Control of corruption, Government effectiveness, and Administrative tax level, on raising the economy across the East Asia-Pacific region. Secondary data were collected from the World Bank database of 21 countries over 12 years from 2006 to 2017. Applying the Panel corrected standard error model and running a robustness check based on the Dynamic panel data method, this research found that the exported ICT products, control of corruption, and government effectiveness could increase the economic income of a country in the region. The paper also provided the evidence indicating that the imported ICT products and the Administrative tax level are two harmful factors for economic growth. The major finding confirmed the useful contribution on improving government quality and its economy. First, improving the economy of a country always poses various challenges to its government. During the past decades, although much of the literature confirmed that exporting ICT products could promote an economy, very few studies investigated the role of Administrative tax level and the Government effectiveness. Second, there are only a few studies exploring the capability of government and the economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2008

Off the 1,572 km long coastline of Namibia lies known as the Benguela upwelling system, a very rich source of marine life supporting traditional and modern forms of fishery. Commercial fishing and fish processing is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Namibian economy in terms of employment, export earnings, and contribution to GDP. The fishing industry has grown to the extent that it is currently Namibia's second biggest export earner of foreign currency after mining (90% of national output is marketed for export). In 2005, Namibia harvested about 552,164 tonnes of fish. The final value of processed products (export value) that year was around US$ 376.0 million. Besides the marine captured fisheries, Namibia also has a small but vibrant aquaculture sector. Inland captured fisheries exist in the north-east and north-west of Namibia where as commercial freshwater aquaculture of tilapia and catfish is also undertaken. The inland fisheries are mainly subsistence based and typically labour intensive, with low catch per unit effort. However the subsistence fisheries from these regions play a significant role in the lives of rural community. The domestic market for marine fish products is extremely limited due to the small size of the population (2 million). The fishing industry is a source of considerable employment for many Namibians. Huge potential to increase production exists in Namibia, unpolluted high quality marine waters, high natural primary productivity of the seawater, availability of inexpensive fish by-products from established fish processing sector for inclusion in wet aqua-feeds and well-established processing, packaging and marketing systems due to the marine capture fisheries that can be adopted for aquaculture purpose.

• Asia Pacific Journal of Business Review
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.43-66
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• 2019

Home-based business (HBB) is one of the fastest growing form of business start-ups where the business is conducted from home. In develop economies, the HBB industry is an engine for economic growth that has proven its viability through significant contribution to the national GDP. In view of its importance, the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry encourage local women to start and develop their own HBB as it gives them the flexibility while still contributing to the national economy. Although various initiatives have been taken place, little information is available about Saudi HBB. This study therefore aims to determine the factors that contribute to the growth as well as the challenges of female HBB in Saudi Arabia. The study was based on qualitative approach which adopted an in-depth interview with eleven Saudi females who run HBB. The findings revealed that HBB contributing factors comprised of access to funding, sufficiency of savings and the influence of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in starting the business. Meanwhile, the obstacles are government regulations and policies, culture, and home design. The study recommendations include improving banks and service institution policy and procedures to enable HBB to have access to funding and services and to develop legal policies to protect the right of the HBB operator and customers. Finally, the study also suggests future research on managerial factors that can contribute to HBB female success, the stress coping mechanism of HBB and the factors contributing to the difference between HBB in growth strategies.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.927-938
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• 2021

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is one of several activators that drives the economy of Indonesia because SMEs provide jobs, increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and assure the delivery of products and services. However, Indonesian SMEs are not very competitive in the industrial world, and one of the causes is the low quality of products that undermine customer satisfaction. There are several factors presumed as influencing customer satisfaction, which among others include product knowledge, service quality, and competitive advantage. The objective of this research is to reveal the contribution of product knowledge and service quality to customer satisfaction with competitive advantage as the mediation variable. This research used a quantitative approach. The causal relationship across variables was examined with Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The sample of this research involved 140 respondents. Data was collected through a questionnaire and the items in the questionnaire were processed with a software called SmartPLS version 3.3.2. Results of this research indicate (1) product knowledge and service quality can increase competitive advantage and customer satisfaction in East Java SMEs; (2) competitive advantage can act as a mediator in the effect of service quality on customer satisfaction (3) product knowledge can increase customer satisfaction but the increase is not significant statistically.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2023

Purpose: this study is aimed at assessing the contribution of education and innovation to the economic growth of Kazakhstan, the correlation between them is checked based on two levels on a national scale and a regional scale. Based on the literature review, it was revealed that in the vastness of the scientific community, there are many views concerning the influence of educational and innovative factors on economic growth. Research design, data and methodology: the research methodology is divided into two levels, at the first level, a correlation analysis is carried out between key factors and the economic growth of the country (GDP), at the second level, the same factors are analyzed, but the impact on the economic growth of the region (GRP) is estimated. Statistical data on educational and innovation potential is taken from the Bureau of National Statistics for the period 2003-2021. Results: in this study, it was revealed that the economic development of regions could be influenced by such indicators that cannot affect the entire state in aggregate and vice versa. In addition, the correlation analysis results showed that investments in innovations affect economic growth at the country and the regional level. Conclusions: based on the results of the assessment of educational and innovative potential, policy recommendations and further research in this area were proposed.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.246-260
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• 2023

With the advent of COVID-19, the world economy has undergone enormous losses and unprecedented crises. Moreover, this pandemic has put a significant effect on all business organizations, comprising the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector. MSMEs have been continuing to develop business strategies and are eager to compete in the market. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the full focus of MSMEs from 'business growth' to 'business survival' worldwide. E-commerce readiness plays a crucial role in a time of uncertainty and crisis during COVID-19 and affects the durability and sustainability of the business. This study attempts to study the readiness of online business and "E-commerce" adoption of MSMEs and its contribution to economic growth by utilizing both qualitative and quantitative techniques in the case of India. We use content analysis to determine the readiness of online business and Ecommerce in the post COVID-19 period. The result highlights the specific issues of this sector such as the shortage of resources and disruptions in the supply chain & logistical issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative analysis discloses that almost half of the respondents adopt online platforms along with additional challenges to sustain their business during the pandemic. This study utilizes annual time series data for the period from 1973-74 to 2017-18 to understand the long-run relationship between India's GDP and MSMEs units. By utilizing the co-integration technique, this study reveals that there is a long-run relationship between MSME units and the economic growth of this country.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.49-69
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to analyze contribution factors of economic growth through growth accounting analysis in Korean port-logistics industry. Comparing with the average level of entire industry for 1990-2003, the contributions of total factor productivity and labor in port-logistics industry were high, but that of capital stock was very low. The pattern of growth in Korean port-logistics industry has greatly changed before and after Korean financial crisis. Before the 1997 financial crisis, the economic growth rate of port-logistics industry was 14.1%, which is higher than that of the whole industries, 7.7% for 1990-1998. Main contribution factors of the economic growth rate were the growth of capital stock and productivity, but ratios of their contributions were relatively low and did not come up to that for the whole industry. After the financial crisis, annualized growth rate of GDP in port-logistics industry had rapidly declined at 5.4% for 1998-2003, which did not get to that of the entire industry (10.1%). The main contribution factors of the economic growth rate over the 1998-2003 period were capital stock 13.1%, labor 57.0 %, and total factor productivity 29.9 %, Such growth pattern as excess dependence on growth of labor brought reduction of the rate of economic growth with degradation of productivity growth in the Korean port-logistics industry.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.65-92
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• 1985

A total of 12 mineral commodities significant in domestic output, economy and/or strategy of the Republic of Korea are chosen to examine the structural changes in production and demand-supply of these minerals during the last two decades of her industrialization. These include iron and manganese ores as the raw materials for iron and steel making, copper, zinc and tungsten ores among other non-ferrous metallic minerals, limestone (cement), kaolin, talc, pyrophyllite and graphite among other non-metallic minerals, and anthracite coal as the only domestic source of fossil energy. These are reviewed historically in time-series based on the statistical data which are tabulated and graphed in terms of domestic output, export, import, apparent demand-supply, its increasing rate, and self-sufficiency rate of each commodity. The increasing rates of demand-supply (IRDS) of some more important commodities are compared with those of Gross Domestic Production (GDP) and Economic Growth Rate (EGR) to evaluate how the IRDS contributed to the GDP and EGR. The major results revealed are as follows: Among the 12 commodities, the domestic output of 8 commodities appeared to have grown with steady upward trends: they are ores of lead, zinc and tungsten, limestone (cement), kaolin, talc, pyrophyllite and anthracite coal. Two commodities, ores of iron and copper, continued with unchanging or slightly declining trends and varied fluctuations, in spite of their cardinal importance to the heavy industry and strategy of Korea. The remaining two, graphite and manganese ore, have gradualy declined in domestic output in which the former has still enough resource potential but the latter has not and virtually ceased its domestic output. Trade patterns for mineral commodities in the Republic of Korea during the last two decades have changed greatly, being marked by a shift from mineral-exporting to mineral importing, mainly because of increasing consumption of mineral raw materials for industrialization rather than beceuse of decreasing output of domestic mineral commodities in quantity. In terms of trade patterns, the 12 commodities concerned in this study can be classified into the following four groups. The 1st group - ores of lead and tungsten have only been exported without imports. The 2nd group - amorphous graphite, and pyrophyllite have mainly been exported but partly been imported. The 3rd group - kaolin, talc and crystalline graphite have equally been exported and imported, but quantity of imports have rapidly been increased with time. The 4th group - ores of iron, manganese and zinc have shifted from exports to imports during the industrialization, particularly owing to the initiation of iron and steel making by the Pohang Iron and Steel Company in the middle 1970' s and the new establishment of the Onsan Zinc Refinery in the late 1970' s. All of the 12 commodities under considerations were far above 100% in self-sufficiency rate before or in the early 1960' s. Recently, however, most of them have been declined to below 100% except for those of limestone (cement) and pyrophyllite. It is particularly serious to identify that the self-sufficiency rates of the three important metallic minerals, iron, copper and manganese ores in 1982 appeared to be 5.1%, 0.5%, and 0.01%, respectively. The average self-sufficiency rate of the total domestic minerals produced in 1982 was 14.4% (in value) for that year. Mining industry appeared to be extremely high in its intermediate demand rate whereas its intermediate input rate to be quite low indicating that mineral raw materials have been exerted strong forward linkage effects upon the other industries rather than backward linkage effects. In comparing the curves of increasing rates of demand-supply of several major minerals - iron ore, manganese ore, copper ore, limestone (cement), kaolin, and anthracite coal - with those of Gross Domestic Production and Economic Growth Rate drawn on every graph, it is clearly shown that the curves of increasing rates of demand-supply comprise around 6 to 7 periods of cycles which roughly harmonious with those of the curves of GDP and EGR, except for the curve of anthracite coal of which the configuration seems to have resulted from the (artificial) government's mineral policy rather than from economic free market mechanism. The harmonic feature of these curves well suggests that the increasing rates of demand-supply of major minerals have been significantly contributed to the GDP and EGR. In addition, the wider amplitudes of the iron, manganese and copper curves than those of the limestone (cement) and kaolin curves indicate that the contribution of the former, metallic commodities, has been greater than that of the latter, non-metallic commodities.