• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.45-62
• /
• 2022

Purpose - Using unexpected changes in geopolitical tensions on the Korean peninsula as a quasi-natural experimental setting, we examine whether and how geopolitical risks travel across borders through firm-level imports and exports linkages. We also test whether the effects are driven by either imports or exports and assess whether firms can effectively hedge themselves against geopolitical risks. Design/methodology - We focus on a series of unanticipated geopolitical events taken place in Korea in 2018. Making use of the shocks to geopolitical climate, we identify five milestone events toward peace talks. We employ the event studies methodology. We examine heterogenous firm-level stock price reactions around key event dates depending on firms' exposure to geopolitical risks. As a measure of firms' exposure to geopolitical risks in Korea, we utilize a text-based measure of firm-level trade links. When a firm announces and discusses its purchase of inputs from Korea or sales of outputs to Korea in their annual disclosure filings, we define a firm to have a trade relationship with Korea and have exposure to Korean geopolitical risks. Similarly, we use a measure of a firm's hedging policies based on a firm's textual mention of the use of foreign exchange derivatives in their annual disclosure. Findings - We find that U.S. firms that have direct trade links to Korea gained significantly more value when the intensity of geopolitical risks drops compared to firms without such trade links to Korea. The effects are pronounced for firms purchasing inputs from or selling outputs to Korea. We find that the effectiveness of foreign exchange hedging against geopolitical risks is limited. Originality/value - We document the international transmission of geopolitical uncertainty through trade linkages. Export links as well as import links serve as important nexus of transmission of geopolitical risks across borders. Hedging strategies involving foreign-exchanges derivatives do not seem to insulate firms again geopolitical risks. With the recent movements of localization and reshuffling of the global value chain, our results suggest a significant impact of geopolitical risks in Korea on the construction of the global value chain.

• International Commerce and Information Review
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.239-265
• /
• 2010

After reform and openness action, china has been recorded high rate of increasing in export and continuous economic growth. Also their role in the international economy has been rise. The major reason of these incredible growth of China is the openness by a trade, after all the economic growth of China is evaluated an export-led growth. But, some insist that the growth of China has been accomplished by a domestic-based economy not but an export-led economy. For verification of former insists, using a yearly data, China exports and GDP, from 1979 to 2007 and performs time-series to examine an existence of causality between China's regional exports and GDP. As result of analysis, GDP and exports have two-way causality significantly when not considering region case. After the direction of Chinese reform, the east region has a strong significant relation, which support that export-led growth. While, middle and west region has weak causality between exports and GDP.

• Proceedings of the Technology Innovation Conference
• /
• 2005.08a
• /
• pp.5-28
• /
• 2005

This paper estimates the effect of networks on innovative performance at the firm level , using Korean Innovation Survey (KIS) dataset Product innovation, product improvement , and process innovation are used as proxies for innovative activity. The explanatory variables such as firm size, market concentration ratio, lagged profitability, foreign ownership, export ratio, firm's age, formal R&D activity, and industrial R&D intensity are yet other considerations. With two year-long (2000 and 2001) data from 1,124 Korean manufacturing firms, we estimated the logistic regression model. The research finding indicates that the external networks have a strong positive effect on innovative output regardless of type of innovation. However, the network effects by partner (other firms or research institutions) vary across the type of innovation. Especially, we found that the user-supplier linkage plays an important role in product ion innovation, product improvement, and process innovation.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.35-42
• /
• 2022

The paper aims to examine the impact of exports on the growth of Vietnamese manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by exploring the information of 36,053 enterprises across 24 manufacturing sectors from the Vietnam Annual Enterprise Survey (VAES) in the period 2014-2019. To deal with the problem of variable variance, autocorrelation, and endogeneity of the model, the paper uses the OLS regression method with a strong standard error method and system GMM. Export participation by SMEs is positively associated with business growth in terms of sales and total assets, according to the findings. The GMM estimate shows that the rate of sales growth among exporters is 36.5 percent greater than that of non-exporting enterprises in the case of the sales growth measure. Exporters' average total asset growth rate is 19% greater than the rate estimated for non-exporting businesses. The study's findings indicate the need of adopting policies that promote SMEs in transition economies like Vietnam to engage in exporting activities. Furthermore, the findings show that financial assistance and suitable ownership would enable SMEs to take advantage of export opportunities to increase sales and total assets.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.69-88
• /
• 2018

Using a panel data set covering 19 Korean manufacturing sectors for the period 2009-2015, this paper investigates the extent to which industry characteristics affect the mode of entering foreign markets. The estimation results across various specifications show that firms prefer affiliate sales to export as firm heterogeneity increases, implying positive effects of productivity regarding foreign relative to domestic operations. The motive for overseas production is reinforced as economies of scale at the plant level decrease and economies of scale at the corporate level increase.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2015

This study examines the relationships between export intensity and knowledge search activities of Korea SME manufacturers. Using 2,145 firm data from the 2011 SME Technology Statistics Survey, we focused on the nonlinear relationships of export intensity and internal and external knowledge search activities. The results show that there are U-shaped relationships between export intensity and both of internal and external knowledge search activities. Local market-oriented or global market-oriented SMEs than the middle-level of exporters have more search activities both internally and externally. This study extends our understandings on the relationships between export intensity and knowledge search activities. There are some policy implications to develop supporting programs differing in knowledge search activities according to the acceleration of export or globalization of Korean SME manufacturers.

• Economic Analysis
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.98-136
• /
• 2020

We empirically investigate the determinants of a firm's exit from exporting, using Korean manufacturing firm-level data for the period from 2006 to 2014. Specifically, we estimate the effects of not only firm-level and industry-level characteristics, but also macroeconomic variables on the probability that a firm stops exporting by applying a Complementary Log-Log Model analysis. The results of our estimation suggest that firm-level heterogeneity, such as workforce size, capital intensity, intangible assets and foreign ownership, industry-level variation, such as the labor displacement rate, and macroeconomic variables, such as domestic demand and world demand, significantly affect the possibility of a firm ceasing exports. Also, we show that market interest rates increase the possibility of an export cessation and that the effects of market interest rates are more pronounced on firms with a higher debt ratio. In the primary exporting industries, the probability of a firm ceasing exports decreases as productivity at the firm rises.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.131-152
• /
• 2021

Political connections may facilitate firms' exporting activities, particularly in developing countries, because politically connected firms may be more likely to receive informational and financial support, allowing them to overcome barriers to export. We test this hypothesis using a unique, firm-level dataset from traditional apparel and textile clusters in the Red River Delta Region in Northern Vietnam. We find that political connection of certain types increases the chance of receiving valuable information or financial support from the government. Moreover, those firms that have access to government information have higher chances of being direct exporters. However, firms that receive financial support from the government are not necessarily engaged in exporting activities. Although politically connected firms are more willing to export, they do not necessarily engage in more exporting activities than firms without such connections. These results suggest that the misallocation of information and financial resources to politically connected but insufficiently productive firms leads to a failure to promote exporting activities. In contrast, political connection increases the chance of importing materials and parts, possibly because high productivity is necessary for exporting, but not for importing.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.9 no.6
• /
• pp.153-164
• /
• 2009

The export on visual and game industry has grown very rapidly and is expanding its role in economic growth. In contrast, researches on these firms' financial performances in strategic and policy point of view are difficult to be found regarding the export of cultural industry. In this study, we analysis the effects of firms export in cultural industry on their financial performances focusing on game and visual industry. We find that the recent activities of export in game industry have positive effect on firm's growth in game industry. However, we find that the export deteriorate the net profit. On the other hand, we find no significant results in the case of visual game industry. Our results suggest that we need more strategic approaches in exporting goods in contents industry.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.195-211
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among innovation activities, innovation performance, and management performance of export firms. I first undertake a review of previous studies related to innovation activity, innovation performance, and export firms' innovation. Based on this, I set up a research model and hypotheses. First, The innovation activity is classified into product innovation activity, process innovation activity, and administrative innovation activity. Innovation performance is divided into product quality improvement and cost reduction. And the business performance is regarded as financial performance of export's firms. This study examined whether innovation activity affect innovation performance such as product quality improvement and cost reduction. In addition, I examined whether these innovation performance affects business performance (financial performance). To achieve this, a total of 368 questionnaires are used in this study and PLS (Partial Least Square) was used to analyze structural equation. As a result, this study shows that product innovation activity have a positive effect on product quality improvement, and process innovation activity also have a positive effect on product quality improvement. However, it was found that neither product innovation activity nor process innovation activity had an effect on cost reduction. And it was found that administrative innovation did not affect product quality improvement, but had a positive effect on cost reduction. Also, it was found that quality improvement, which is an innovation performance, did not affect the financial performance of export's firms, and cost reduction, which is an innovation performance, had a positive effect on the financial performance of the export's firms.