• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.157-180
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• 2018

This paper empirically analyzes how working conditions of employees and executives affect Korean companies' survival. To this end, a survival analysis based on the accelerated failure time model is conducted from the end of December 2012 to the end of September 2018 on the 2012 year-end financial data for corporations whose common stocks have ever been listed either in the KOSPI market or in the KOSDAQ market with fiscal year ending at the end of December. The analysis shows that the average wage level per employee and the number of executives relative to the number of employees threaten while the average duration of service for female employees prolongs firm survival. Here, the average wage level per employee has turned out to worsen firm survivability regardless of the gender of employees in question while the average duration of service improves firm survivability only in case the employees are female: the average duration of service for male employees or the entire employees has turned out not to have any statistically significant influence on firm survival. The average compensation per executive and the percentage of temporary employees have turned out not to have any statistically significant influence on firm survival while the percentage of female employees has shown statistically significant positive influence on firm survival in some, although not all, models employed in our study. These results are expected to be a good reference in the course of our reaching agreements regarding the improvement of working conditions either between firms and employees or among the members of the entire society.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.1-22
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• 2018

We estimate three continuous-time stochastic volatility models following the approach by Aït-Sahalia and Kimmel (2007) to compare the Korean and US stock markets. To do this, the Heston, GARCH, and CEV models are applied to the KOSPI 200 and S&P 500 Index. For the latent volatility variable, we generate and use the integrated volatility proxy using the implied volatility of short-dated at-the-money option prices. We conduct MLE in order to estimate the parameters of the stochastic volatility models. To do this we need the transition probability density function (TPDF), but the true TPDF is not available for any of the models in this paper. Therefore, the TPDFs are approximated using the irreducible method introduced in Aït-Sahalia (2008). Among three stochastic volatility models, the Heston model and the CEV model are found to be best for the Korean and US stock markets, respectively. There exist relatively strong leverage effects in both countries. Despite the fact that the long-run mean level of the integrated volatility proxy (IV) was not statistically significant in either market, the speeds of the mean reversion parameters are statistically significant and meaningful in both markets. The IV is found to return to its long-run mean value more rapidly in Korea than in the US. All parameters related to the volatility function of the IV are statistically significant. Although the volatility of the IV is more elastic in the US stock market, the volatility itself is greater in Korea than in the US over the range of the observed IV.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

Purpose: This study empirically investigates what factors contribute to corporate value in the Korea New Exchange (KONEX) market and determines whether financial constraints contribute any effect on it. Research design, data and methodology: A fixed-effect panel regression model was utilized to analyze financial constraints on firm value for KONEX listed firms through the fiscal period from 2013 to 2020. Results: we find that firms' research and development, volatility, size, and sales growth give significant impacts to firm value, but the significance and direction are different. In addition, no significant relationship exists between the largest shareholder's equity ratio and firm value in all models. The debt-to-equity ratio did not show a significant relationship with corporate value. A significant negative relationship was found between R&D and corporate value in the entire sample. Volitility exhibited a positive relationship with corporate value in the entire sample and financially unconstrained companies. Firm size presented a significant negative relationship with company value in all models. Sales growth showed a significant negative relationship with corporate value in financially constrained companies. Conclusions: No difference is found between financially constrained and unconstrained companies in the KONEX market. We can infer that KONEX companies have a large difference with KOSPI or KOSDAQ. Further analysis is needed on the differences among these markets.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.251-265
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• 2021

It seems a common sense that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a key driver to attain business sustainability. Nevertheless, there has been little research on the performance of socially responsible activities, including economic and environmental responsibility activities in internationally diversified firms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of CSR activities on management performance. For this evaluation, an empirical analysis was conducted with a total of 2,520 cases, selected from companies listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index market for six years from 2013 to 2018. As proxies for management performance, financial date such as a total asset net profit ratio and a total asset-operating ratio were used. A multivariate regression analysis was conducted to test hypotheses. The results of this analysis indicated that firms in the CSR outstanding group are significantly higher than other groups in management performances. In addition, CSR activities of internationally diversified firms positively influence their total asset net profit ratio and total asset-operating ratio. The results suggested that CSR activities of these firms can play a significant role in enhancing management performances amid the economic status of Korea, where a degree of export dependency is high.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.397-415
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• 2021

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to analyze the cost behavior of firms, taking into account both high R&D intensity and situations in which R&D activities are likely to be performed efficiently. Design/methodology/approach - During the sample period from 2002 to 2019, regression analysis is conducted on the manufacturing firms with December fiscal year listed on KOSDAQ. The degree of R&D expenditure was measured by R&D intensity. The efficient R&D situation is measured as the decline stage firms in the KOSDAQ market, which are relatively smaller than the KOSPI market. Findings - Firms in the decline phase and high R&D intensity showed the cost stickiness. Because these firms anticipate an optimistic future, they do little to cut current costs even if their current sales decrease. Research implications or Originality - Firstly, it is confirmed that both the extent of R&D expenditure and the situation in which R&D will be effectively performed are important in the study of cost behavior. Secondly, we present a new perspective on strategy research that favors the use of cost advantage strategy related to cost anti-stickiness for the decline firms.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1117-1126
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• 2022

This study analyzed the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) score on information asymmetry from the perspective of investors, who are important stakeholders of the company. For KOSPI-listed companies from 2017 to 2020, the effect of ESG overall score and each item score (E, S, G) on the bid-ask spread, which is a proxy for information asymmetry, was confirmed. The results are as follows. First, the increase in corporate CSR activities resulted in lowering information asymmetry of investors. It was found that the higher the ESG score, an indicator of CSR activity, the lower the bid-ask spread, which is a proxy variable for information asymmetry. Second, as a result of analysis using ESG scores for each section, information asymmetry decreased as companies with higher scores in the environmental (E) and social (S) aspects, while the governance (G) score did not have a statistically significant effect. The analysis confirmed that corporate CSR activities can contribute to improving market efficiency by resolving information asymmetry of investors and convergence of the stock market into a state of equilibrium. This means that the company's CSR activities are reflected in the investment decision-making, which suggests that the company should consider the investor as a stakeholder in decision-making related to CSR activities.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.37-45
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• 2015

Purpose - This paper's aim is to investigate whether or not gross profitability explains the cross-sectional variation of the stock returns in the Korean stock market. Gross profitability is an alternative profitability measure proposed by Novy-Marx in 2013 to predict cross-sectional variation of stock returns in the US. He shows that the gross profitability adds explanatory power to the Fama-French 3 factor model. Interestingly, gross profitability is negatively correlated with the book-to-market ratio. By confirming the gross profitability premium in the Korean stock market, we may provide some implications regarding the well-known value premium. In addition, our empirical results may provide opportunities for the fund distribution industry to promote brand new styles of funds. Research design, data, and methodology - For our empirical analysis, we collect monthly market prices of all the companies listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) of the Korea Exchanges (KRX). Our sample period covers July1994 to December2014. The data from the company financial statementsare provided by the financial information company WISEfn. First, using Fama-Macbeth cross-sectional regression, we investigate the relation between gross profitability and stock return performance. For robustness in analyzing the performance of the gross profitability strategy, we consider value weighted portfolio returns as well as equally weighted portfolio returns. Next, using Fama-French 3 factor models, we examine whether or not the gross profitability strategy generates excess returns when firmsize and the book-to-market ratio are controlled. Finally, we analyze the effect of firm size and the book-to-market ratio on the gross profitability strategy. Results - First, through the Fama-MacBeth cross-sectional regression, we show that gross profitability has almost the same explanatory power as the book-to-market ratio in explaining the cross-sectional variation of the Korean stock market. Second, we find evidence that gross profitability is a statistically significant variable for explaining cross-sectional stock returns when the size and the value effect are controlled. Third, we show that gross profitability, which is positively correlated with stock returns and firm size, is negatively correlated with the book-to-market ratio. From the perspective of portfolio management, our results imply that since the gross profitability strategy is a distinctive growth strategy, value strategies can be improved by hedging with the gross profitability strategy. Conclusions - Our empirical results confirm the existence of a gross profitability premium in the Korean stock market. From the perspective of the fund distribution industry, the gross profitability portfolio is worthy of attention. Since the value strategy portfolio returns are negatively correlated with the gross profitability strategy portfolio returns, by mixing both portfolios, investors could be better off without additional risk. However, the profitable firms are dissimilar from the value firms (high book-to-market ratio firms); therefore, an alternative factor model including gross profitability may help us understand the economic implications of the well-known anomalies such as value premium, momentum, and low volatility. We reserve these topics for future research.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.127-132
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• 2015

This study attempts to empirically investigate if relative momentum strategy is effective in the Korean stock market. The sample of the study is comprised of companies which are traded in both Kospi and Kosdaq stock markets in Korea for the period between 2001~2014. The study observes that the momentum strategy buying past winner stocks and selling past loser stocks is negatively correlated with the value strategy buying value stocks with high book to market ratio and selling glamour stocks with low book to market ratio. And each strategy is alternatively effective from period to period. The study demonstrates that the momentum strategy is effective when both strategies which are negatively correlated are treated as one system by estimating Fama and French's[1] 3 factor regression model.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.580-587
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to examine if the trading volume can apply to the short-term forecasting of the futures price change by verificating the casuality between trading volume and futures price in the KOSPI 200 futures market. The outcome of the research is summarized as follows. In the analysis of subordinate periods, based on the yearly time segments, trading volume were found to lead futures price. As for trading volume, it was under comparably greater influence of its self of the past than the return rate of futures. In the analysis of subordinate periods, based on the trend of the futures market, trading volume lead return rate of futures feebly in a bull market. But return rate of futures lead trading volume significantly in a bearish market.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.237-244
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• 2015

Export-led policies, FTA signed and economics of scale through a variety of market-oriented policies, such as regulations to improve market grew constantly. Accordingly, the correct decision making accurately analyze the economics market for decision, a problem has been an important issue in predicting. For accurate analysis and decision-making of the most common indicators of the stock market by proposing a number of indicators of economic transformation techniques were applied to the convergence model combining estimation and forecasts problem confirmed its effectiveness. Experimental result, gave the model estimation method to apply a transform to show the valid combinations proposed model state estimation result was confirmed in a very similar exercise aspect of the physical problem and the KOSPI index prediction.