• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.334-367
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• 2017

The ICT industry has been the main driver of Korea's economy with international competitiveness and is expected to be the growth engine that will revitalize the currently depressed economy. A broad range of different perspectives and opinions on the industry exist in Korea and overseas. Some of these are stereotypes, not all of which are based on objective evidence. Stereotypes refer to widely-held fixed opinions on a specific group and do not necessarily have negative connotations. However, they should not be viewed lightly because they can substantially affect decision-making process. In this regard, this study sought to review the stereotypes of ICT industry and identify objective and relative stereotypes. In the study, a decision-tree analysis was conducted on a survey result of 3,300 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to identify Korean ICT companies' characteristics that distinguish them from other technology companies. The decision-tree analysis, a data mining process based on machine learning, took a total of 291 variables into account in 10 subjects such as: corporate business in general, technology development activities as well as organization and people in technology development. Identifying the variables that distinguish ICT companies from other technology companies with the decision-tree analysis, the study then came up with a list of objective stereotypes of ICT companies. The findings from the stereotypes of Korean ICT companies are as follows. First, the companies are in need of technology policies that help R&D planning and market penetration. Second, policies must better support the companies working to sell new products or explore new business. Third, the companies need policies that support secure protection of development outcomes and proper management of IP rights. Fourth, the administrative procedures related to governmental support for ICT companies' R&D projects must be simplified. It is hoped that the outcome of this study will provide meaningful guidance in establishment, implementation and evaluation of technology policies for ICT SMEs, particularly to policymakers or researchers in relevant government agencies who determine R&D policies for ICT SMEs.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.237-258
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• 2022

As the global market environment changes, the domestic ICT industry has a growing influence on the world economy. This industry is regarded as an important driving force in the national economy from a technological and social point of view. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the ICT industry are regarded as essential actors of domestic economic development in terms of company diversity, technology development and job creation. However, since it is small compared to large-sized enterprises, it is difficult for SMEs to survive with a differentiated strategy in an incomplete and rapidly changing environment. Therefore, SMEs must make a lot of efforts to improve their own capabilities, and the government needs to provide the desirable help suitable for corporate internal resources so that they can continue to be competitive. This study classifies the types of ICT SMEs participating in government support programs, and analyzes the relationship between resources and performance creation of each type. The data from the "ICT Small and Medium Enterprises Survey" conducted annually by the Ministry of Science and ICT was used. In the first stage, ICT SMEs were clustered based on common factors according to their experiences with government support programs. Three clusters were meaningfully classified, and each cluster was named "active participation type," "initial support type," and "soloist type." As a second step, this study compared the characteristics of each cluster through profiling analysis for each cluster. The third step carried out in this study was to find out the mechanism of R&D performance creation for each cluster through regression analysis. Different factors affected performance creation for each cluster, and the magnitude of the influence was also different. Specifically, for "active participation type", "current manpower", "technology competitiveness", and "R&D investment in the previous year" were found to be important factors in creating R&D performance. "Initial support type" was identified as "whether or not a dedicated R&D organization exists", "R&D investment amount in the previous year", "Ratio of sales to large companies", and "Ratio of vendors supplied to large companies" contributed to the performance. Lastly, in the case of "soloist type", "current workforce" and "future recruitment plan", "technological competitiveness", "R&D investment", "large company sales ratio", and "overseas sales ratio" showed a significant relationship with the performance. This study has practical implications of showing what strategy should be established when supporting SMEs in the future according to the government's participation in the startup program and providing a guide on what kind of support should be provided.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.49-61
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• 2019

As the technological gap amongst manufacturers decreases, the life cycle of products has shortened, and competition accelerates due to the development of technology, incumbent manufacturing companies face growth limitations. In order to overcome such business issues, manufacturing companies are increasingly interested in changes in business models and innovations, especially in the direction of providing services where they can maintain the competitive advantage of their products. In such context, this empirical study examines managerial leadership, differentiation strategies, and products and services pricing as 'servitization factors', which can be driving forces for moving into a new era of growth for Korean SMEs, focusing on the mediating effects of servitization competency. The results are as follows : First, it was confirmed that executive leadership, differentiation strategy, and information & communication technology capability have a direct effect on service sales. Second, the process competency, partnership competency, and ICT competency, which are presented as the service competence of SMEs, were found to play an important role in inducing service sales in managerial leadership, differentiation strategy, product and services pricing. It also emphasized the role of the public policy such as helping to foster SMEs as key partners in the expansion of social facilities and establishing platforms through ICT and data utilization for the convergence of manufacturing services.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.969-980
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• 2020

This study examines the acceptance factors, barriers, benefits, and strategies for resolving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adoption and usage problems based on the different demographic characteristics of SMEs. The demographic characteristics investigated are gender, educational qualifications, age, managerial status, and years of business experience. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to examine a more comprehensive demographic characteristics in the context of ICT adoption. A survey using self-administered questionnaires was conducted to retrieve information from SME owners/managers in Pekalongan, the local city of Indonesia. The items in the questionnaire were discussed with various experts in the field and a pilot study was conducted prior to the distribution of the research instrument. The study made some interesting findings. No significant differences were found in the SMEs' adoption factors between the demographics of gender groups and educational qualifications. However, significant disparities were found to exist among the age compositions, managerial status, and years in business. Additionally, younger managers/owners of SMEs find it easier to understand the background factors of ICT adoption. Lastly, older managers/owners are more likely to stick to the organizational status quo, be less able to learn new technology, and more likely to avoid risky decisions.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.117-125
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• 2009

Information and computer technology(ICT) readiness in SME(small and medium enterprises) in globalized digital world get much attention due to its capability to reach broader customers and to personalized the products to the clients. The purpose of this study is to compare the readiness of ICT capabilities in SME between Korean firms operated in Qingdao China and Incheon, South Korea. The results of the study are presented and the implication of this comparative research is discussed. It is hoped that the finding of the research would be beneficial to academian and practitioners in China and South Korea.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.2238-2249
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relations of innovation and productivity following the introduction of ICT and the effects in the process of innovative investments activity-innovation-productivity, not only by finding causes and effects. For this purpose we conducted surveys of SMEs classified into 7 categories by type of business. To put it concretely, this study was performed to find out the foactors which allow companies to secure competitiveness by enhancing of innovative measures through ICT, and to further analyze the political implications for the development of small and medium-size business by conducting an empirical analysis of the process, from the determination of innovative investments all the way through to production. Analysis model used CDM model using econometric methods such as multiple regression analysis and multinominal logit analysis to produce results. Also we established and analyzed models of innovation investment determinants, innovation determinants and productivity determinants to analyze specifically the relations between ICT and productivity.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.139-150
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• 2017

In Korea, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an pivotal role in the national economy, accounting for 99.9% of all enterprises, 87.9% of total employment, and 48.3% of production. In spite of their crucial role in the national development, most of SMEs suffer from a lack of R&D related resources. Public R&D organizations such as government-funded research institutes can provide SMEs with valuable supplementary technological knowledge and help them build technological capacity. In this regard, this study estimated the effect of internal R&D investment and private-public R&D cooperation on technological innovation of ICT SMEs based on 2016 ETRI Survey. Building on previous literatures, the study established and tested a research model using binary logistic regression analysis. First, internal R&D investment and preferences for open innovation demonstrated the strengthening of R&D collaboration. Second, internal R&D investment and R&D cooperation showed a positive effect on both product and process innovation. Therefore, internal R&D capability and taking advantage of R&D collaboration are needed to achieve technological innovation for SMEs in ICT sector. This study also discuss implications for encouraging private-public R&D cooperation.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.48-79
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• 2016

Recently, to overcome the global economic recession and stimulate the sluggish economy, Korea government has adopted various policies designed to strengthen the innovative capabilities of its small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs). With our focus on ICT technology companies, this study empirically analyzes both the potentials and the limitations of the R&D information support programs which are part of these governmental efforts. Our goal is to generate insights and help develop policies based on evidence. In this study, we used statistics from 2014 on small or medium business technologies to analyze the effect that the government's R&D information support policy has had on the technological or economic performance of small or medium businesses. According to these research results, R&D support programs (assistance with R&D planning and provision of technological information) made available to small or medium businesses did have a significant correlation to technological investment. By contrast, R&D information supporting programs were found to have no direct, significant correlation to technological or economic performance. One exception was that programs that gained the benefits of R&D planning support did have a significant correlation to technological performance in the case of companies engaged in ICT research. The results of this study will provide various insights for policymakers designing policies to support technologically-driven small or medium businesses, including ICT-based companies. We anticipate that this study will be a particularly helpful guide to policy development for corporations or researchers that provide supportive information to small or medium businesses.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technology Innovation Society Conference
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• 2017.11a
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• pp.697-714
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• 2017

국내 ICT 산업은 글로벌 경쟁력을 갖추고 경제발전에 크게 이바지 해왔으며, 현재는 4차산업과 다양한 산업들의 융합의 구심점으로 인식되며 앞으로의 경제 성장 동력으로 주목받고 있다. 이러한 ICT 산업을 국내외에서 다양한 모습으로 인식하고 있다. 그 중, 국내외를 막론하고 ICT 산업에 대해 존재하는 강한 스테레오타입은 ICT는 남성중심(masculine)적인 산업이라는 것이다. 본 연구는 이런 ICT산업의 남성 중심성이 서과에 이떠한 여햐을 주는지 고찰하기 위해서 2015년 중소기업 기술통계조사 결과를 활용하여 ICT 중소기업에서 젠더와 기술적 및 경제적 성과 간 관계를 살펴보았다. 공동연구선호여부나 R&D 지원을 받은 경험이 중소기업의 기술적 및 경제적 성과와 어떤 관계가 있는지 분석하였다. 특히 본 연구는 ICT산업여부와 여성연구원 보유여부가 정책지원과 성과의 관계에 영향을 주는 중요한 요인으로 보고 분석을 수행하였다. 본 연구의 결과에 따르면 ICT기업 중 여성연구원을 고용하고 있는 기업은 그렇지 않은 ICT기업에 비해 높은 기술적 성과를 보이고 있었다. 경제적 성과의 측면에서는 여성연구원을 고용하고 있으며 단독연구를 선호하는 ICT기업이 다른 ICT기업에 비해 높은 신기술개발 매출액을 보였다. 연구의 결과는 ICT 중소기업의 지원정책을 구상하는 정책입안자들과 여성의 ICT산업 고용 및 경제 활동 진흥 정책을 구상하는 정책입안자들에게 다양한 시사점을 제공할 것으로 기대한다.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.57-70
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• 2013

A variety of SME ICT support programs has been very great significance and performance for Improving national competitiveness and constitution strengthening in Korea's industry. However, it could not solve ICT gap between each SMEs. In this qualitative study, we analyzed ICT support programs for SME and collected requirements from the perspective of the consumer. Then we designed ICT policy strategies and detailed support program for SME in Digital Economy.