• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.11-18
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• 2008

Companies have been making considerable efforts to develop innovative products for better competitiveness in the market, however, the education curriculum for innovative product development (IPD) in domestic universities needs has not been well developed. The present study was intended to identify the needs of students and practitioners regarding teaching subjects, pedagogical methods, and industry-academia collaboration that can be reflected in the development of IPD education curriculum. Through a literature survey 46 IPD teaching subjects of 7 categories (planning, feasibility analysis, concept development, product design, manufacturing process design, production, and ethics & law) were selected. Opinions on the preferences and importances of the teaching subjects, pedagogical methods, and industry-academia collaboration were collected from 53 college students who took courses of product development and 36 practitioners working in product development. While the students preferred the balanced teaching of all the subject categories, the practitioners suggested planning and concept development be taught with high importance; 6 subjects (product development strategy, customer needs identification, market research, concept generation method, design ideation method, and ergonomic design) received high ratings of preference and importance. The students preferred the mix of various pedagogical methods (lecture, discussion, presentation, practice, and case study) and provided needs on each pedagogical method. Lastly, the students wanted an opportunity of learning through industry-academia collaboration and the practitioners provided ideas for mutual benefits between industry and academia. The needs of students and practitioners identified in the study can be effectively applied to develop a better IPD education curriculum.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.116-127
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• 2012

With the recent rapid growth in the number of people who enjoy marine and leisure activities in Korea, the marine leisure industry faces good opportunities for development. Korean brands are in between them. In this situation, new and innovative products related to an inflatable tube, which is one of the most popular marine leisure items, will help to increase sales of domestic companies and to pioneer a new market. Research methods are largely divided into 4: investigation, analysis & synthesis, development and evaluation. This paper introduces a "tube cushion" which is an inflatable tube covered by fabrics. It can be functioned at home 365 days a year as a cushion or a children's plaything. Tactile fabrics, neoprene and air-mesh, are used as the cover with a zipper, making it easy to open and close. Moreover, by putting together tubes and connecting them with snap fastener attached straps, the cushion can be transformed into a chair, a table, a tunnel, a train, and so on, serving as a creative plaything for children. With this paper, it is expected that new and innovative items differentiated from others, like this crossover tube cushion, will help to create a 'Blue Ocean' market for the marine leisure industry from the long-term perspective.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-55
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• 2020

The support policy of Micro manufacturers clusters should reflect the regional characteristics of Micro manufacturers clusters, but only similar policies are proposed based on the normal collection of information from related companies. Since the regional characteristics of Micro manufacturers clusters are not understood, they are not reflected in the support policy. Therefore, this study analyzed the characteristics of Micro manufacturers clusters as the formation factors of localization, networking/embeddedness, and innovation synergy/collective learning which are the characteristics of clusters, and applied the development stage based on the analyzed formation factors. Since regional characteristics may be different in the same industry, Micro manufacturers clusters in Changsin and Jangwi, which are representative clusters of apparel sewing industry in Seoul, were compared and studied in terms of regional characteristics and developmental stages. As a result of analyzing the characteristics of Apparel Sewing Micro manufacturers clusters, clusters of peers were found to be higher in Changsin than in Jangwi in localization. However, in the synergy and group learning, the Changsin area was mainly centered on designers and the Jangwi area was centered on Micro manufacturers, the Changsin area was active while the Jangwi area was passive in participating in fairs and seminars, and in sample and production. As a result of examining the two formation factors, the development stage of Micro manufacturers clusters in the two regions is progressing beyond the industrial district in the case of Micro manufacturers clusters in Changsin apparel sewing, and the Micro manufacturers clusters in the Jangwi apparel sewing are analyzed to stay in the industrial district. Innovative and long-established garment sewing clusters suggest that the government's support policy needs to reflect the characteristics and development stages of the two regions for sustainable growth.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.59-65
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• 2014

Purpose - The competitiveness of logistics in the 21st century rests on ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of its local hub. While considering entry into a niche market in local logistics, it is pertinent to note that Budapest is emerging as a hub in EU enlargement in Eastern Europe. Big, small, and medium-sized businesses in Korea entered Hungary in the early 1990s since then, there has been a significant increase in Korean presence, of approximately 130 times. This study aimed to identify the key distribution issues that have emerged in relation to Eastern Europe. Research design, data, and methodology - This study indicates that 33 major Korean companies were located in Hungary, which serves as an out post to enter the European marketplace. However, Korea's exports to Hungary have declined (-32.0% in 2012) because of a loss of competitiveness against multinational corporations, due to factors such as the rise in current local distribution costs and wages. Hungary, on the other hand, through diversification and expansion of foreign trade with the non-EU markets, including Korea, is increasing its exports. Strategies of emerging countries are compared and reviewed in this study, by examining the vicissitudes of Hungary's distribution methods. Results - There are issues regarding Hungary's innovative ability. Hungary has a history of low wages and high skilled labor. However, the outflow of high-quality human resources for high-wages has become more extensive, and this underlines concerns that the CEE's trade hub is moving to neighboring countries. After the European financial crisis in 2010, the Hungarian economy is now developing, because of the IMF's measures, and it is being transformed into a trade surplus nation, while regaining distribution volumes rapidly. However, if there is continued lack of investment, the supply chain is weakened and exports decline amidst competition with TNCs or with China's distribution networks. Conclusions - It is necessary to create a new logistics approach for increasing trade between Korea and Hungary. First, Korean small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should build trust by working with advanced Hungarian talent, and they should expand into state-of-the-art fields instead of being confined to traditional sectors. Second, this study focuses on limiting and lowering their high expectations for success according to foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and the role in the CEE distribution hub Korea should try to strengthen the distribution hub with its centralized population, using better, more highly educated human resources, thereby sustaining more innovative ability. Further, the positive effects of these measures are manifested in enhanced business on both sides of Hungary, namely, the EU and non-EU nations such as Turkey and emerging markets around Europe, and a better engagement in the core placement of culture and industry. For this, Korea can contribute to, and benefit from, a Hungarian logistics center, for adopting the high-tech cluster systems and commercializing distribution technology such as RFID·USN.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.501-525
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• 2009

Recent increase of academic interest in Born Globals has brought abundant researches, which accounts their causes and states, both in and out of the country. However, postulating that types of companies see the different perception of environment of global markets, and this difference will also bring different effects on enterprise capabilities and performance, this study implemented theoretical inquiry and evidential analysis. Technologically innovative SMEs, main subjects of this study, were categorized into Rapid Globals and Gradual Globals according to their internationalization speed, then followed by a CSA. This analysis has shown, regardless of corporate types, early perception of changes in global market environments, affects, in great amount, on marketing and R&D capabilities as well as performance. However, corporate types also showed difference in early perception of changes, marketing and R&D capabilities as well as performance. This evidential analysis provides enterprises pursuing internationalization in early stage with enforcement in their early perception of changes in global market environments.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.113-136
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• 2017

New product preannouncement through global supply chain management and international strategic alliances is a critical issue for firm's survive and gaining the competitive advantage in the global smart-phone market. To identify the impact of exploration alliance and exploitation alliance on the short-term's Firm Performance, respectively, This study implemented the event study and the cross sectional regression analysis, focusing on the case of Galaxy Note series. Research results identified that new technologies by exploration alliance and the existing technologies through exploitation alliance have a positive effect on the short-term's performance of vendors related. Furthermore, information for the new products showed higher the excess earning rate than information related to the existing technologies. This implies the firms that provides new technologies have a stronger innovative ability than the companies serving the existing technologies, recognizing as a positive signal in the market. Finally, this study implicates that new technologies by exploration alliance enhances innovative abilities from new product preannouncement, and is a critical variable that can determines whether to survive in the market.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.28-36
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• 2009

While existing literature has focused extensively on the strengths and weaknesses of the Chaebol and their ownership and governance, there have been few studies of Korean non-Chaebol firms. However, Lee, Lee and Pennings (2001) did not specifically investigate the competitive strategies that non-Chaebol firms use to survive against the Chaebol in the domestic Korean market. The motivation of this paper is to document, through four exploratory case studies, the successful competitive strategies of non-Chaebol Korean companies against the Chaebol and then offer some propositions that may be useful to other entrepreneurial firms as well as public policy makers. Competition and cooperation as conceptualized by product similarity and cooperative inter.firm relationship respectively, are major dimensions of firm.level marketing strategy. From these two dimensions, we develop the following $2{\times}2$ matrix, with 4 types of competitive strategies for non-Chaebol companies against the Chaebol (Fig. 1.). The non-Chaebol firm in Cell 1 has a "me-too" product for the low-end market while conceding the high-end market to a Chaebol. In Cell 2, the non-Chaebol firm partners with a Chaebol company, either as a supplier or complementor. In Cell 3, the non-Chaebol firm engages in direct competition with a Chaebol. In Cell 4, the non-Chaebol firm targets an unserved part of the market with an innovative product or service. The four selected cases such as E.Rae Electronics Industry Company (Co-exister), Intops (Supplier), Pantech (Competitor) and Humax (Niche Player) are analyzed to provide each strategy with richer insights. Following propositions are generated based upon our conceptual framework: Proposition 1: Non-Chaebol firms that have a cooperative relationship with a Chaebol will perform better than firms that do not. Proposition 1a; Co-existers will perform better than Competitors. Proposition 1b: Partners (suppliers or complementors) will perform better than Niche players. Proposition 2: Firms that have no product similarity with a Chaebol will perform better than firms that have product similarity. Proposition 2a: Partners (suppliers or complementors) will perform better than Co.existers. Proposition 2b: Niche players will perform better than Competitors. Proposition 3: Niche players should perform better than Co-existers. Proposition 4: Performance can be rank.ordered in descending order as Partners, Niche Players, Co.existers, Competitors. A team of experts was constituted to categorize each of these 216 non-Chaebol companies into one of the 4 cells in our typology. Simple Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in SPSS statistical software was used to test our propositions. Overall findings are that it is better to have a cooperative relationship with a Chaebol and to offer products or services differentiated from a Chaebol. It is clear that the only profitable strategy, on average, to compete against the Chaebol is to be a partner (supplier or complementor). Competing head on with a Chaebol company is a costly strategy not likely to pay off for a non-Chaebol firm. Strategies to avoid head on competition with the Chaebol by serving niche markets with differentiated products or by serving the low-end of the market ignored by the Chaebol are better survival strategies. This paper illustrates that there are ways in which small and medium Korean non-Chaebol firms can thrive in a Chaebol environment, though not without risks. Using different combinations of competition and cooperation firms may choose particular positions along the product similarity and cooperative relationship dimensions to develop their competitive strategies-co-exister, competitor, partner, niche player. Based on our exploratory case-study analysis, partner seems to be the best strategy for non-Chaebol firms while competitor appears to be the most risky one. Niche players and co-existers have intermediate performance, though the former do better than the latter. It is often the case with managers of small and medium size companies that they tend to view market leaders, typically the Chaebol, with rather simplistic assumptions of either competition or collaboration. Consequently, many non-Chaebol firms turn out to be either passive collaborators or overwhelmed competitors of the Chaebol. In fact, competition and collaboration are not mutually exclusive, and can be pursued at the same time. As suggested in this paper, non-Chaebol firms can actively choose to compete and collaborate, depending on their environment, internal resources and capabilities.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.157-175
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• 2022

At this moment, a paradigm shift is taking place across all sectors of society for the transition movements to the digital economy. Various movements are taking place in the global agricultural industry to achieve innovative growth using big data which is a key resource of the 4th industrial revolution. Although the government is making various attempts to promote the use of big data, the movement of the agricultural industry as a key player in the use of big data, is still insufficient. Therefore, in this study, effects of performance expectations, effort expectations, social impact, facilitation conditions, based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology(UTAUT), and innovation tendencies on the acceptance intention of big data were analyzed using the economic and practical benefits that can be obtained from the use of big data for agricultural-related companies as moderating variables. 333 questionnaires collected from agricultural-related companies were used for empirical analysis. The analysis results using SPSS v22.0 and Process macro v3.4 were found to have a significant positive (+) effect on the intention to accept big data by effort expectations, social impact, facilitation conditions, and innovation tendencies. However, it was found that the effect of performance expectations on acceptance intention was insignificant, with social impact having the greatest influence on acceptance intention and innovation tendency the least. Moderating effects of economic benefit and practical benefit between effort expectation and acceptance intention, moderating effect of practical benefit between social impact and acceptance intention, and moderating effect of economic benefit and practical benefit between facilitation condition and acceptance intention were found to be significant. On the other hand, it was found that economic benefits and practical benefits did not moderate the magnitude of the influence of performance expectations and innovation tendency on acceptance intention. These results suggest the following implications. First, in order to promote the use of big data by companies, the government needs to establish a policy to support the use of big data tailored to companies. Significant results can only be achieved when corporate members form a correct understanding and consensus on the use of big data. Second, it is necessary to establish and implement a platform specialized for agricultural data which can support standardized linkage between diverse agricultural big data, and support for a unified path for data access. Building such a platform will be able to advance the industry by forming an independent cooperative relationship between companies. Finally, the limitations of this study and follow-up tasks are presented.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.215-235
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• 2024

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology is recognized as a key technology that will determine future national competitiveness, competition for AI technology and industry promotion policies in major countries is intensifying. This study aims to present implications for domestic policy making by analyzing the policies of major countries on the start-up of AI companies, which are the basis of the AI industry ecosystem. The top four countries and the EU for the number of new investment attraction companies in the 2023 AI Index announced by the HAI Research Institute at Stanford University in the United States were selected, The United States enacted the National AI Initiative Act (NAIIA) in 2021. Through this law, The US Government is promoting continued leadership in the United States in AI R&D, developing reliable AI systems in the public and private sectors, building an AI system ecosystem across society, and strengthening DB management and access to AI policies conducted by all federal agencies. In the 14th Five-Year (2021-2025) Plan and 2035 Long-term Goals held in 2021, China has specified AI as the first of the seven strategic high-tech technologies, and is developing policies aimed at becoming the No. 1 AI global powerhouse by 2030. The UK is investing in innovative R&D companies through the 'Future Fund Breakthrough' in 2021, and is expanding related investments by preparing national strategies to leap forward as AI leaders, such as the implementation plan of the national AI strategy in 2022. Israel is supporting technology investment in start-up companies centered on the Innovation Agency, and the Innovation Agency is leading mid- to long-term investments of 2 to 15 years and regulatory reforms for new technologies. The EU is strengthening its digital innovation hub network and creating the InvestEU (European Strategic Investment Fund) and AI investment fund to support the use of AI by SMEs. This study aims to contribute to analyzing the policies of major foreign countries in making AI company start-up policies and providing a basis for Korea's strategy search. The limitations of the study are the limitations of the countries to be analyzed and the failure to attempt comparative analysis of the policy environments of the countries under the same conditions.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.597-615
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• 2016

Since 1997 the United Kingdom has pursued creative industry and creative city development in accordance with the New Labor Party policy, strengthening its cluster policy by assigning creative city policies to traditional manufacturing-oriented regions. Tech City in London, one of the most successful examples of digital clusters, is an area in which diverse ecosystems for venture business integration have been established, as the once barren space began to spontaneously develop. For this region, systematic linkages including universities, private companies, start-ups, and accelerators have been added, along with the UK government's active support system. As a result of this opportunity, the scale of the UK start-up ecosystem has significantly grown, the number of local companies has surged, and brand effect has greatly improved. Tech City is an example of a well-balanced combination of public effort and private governance, based on the region's historical background and its potential for growth. It is an effective coordination of public policy and private active investment, services, research, and education. The market platform for institutional technology and commercialization, and aggressive investment shares in the risk, have lead to its growth as a start-up and an innovative city. Britain's efforts to expand the nationwide cluster for the future-oriented digital economy is most noteworthy.