• Journal of the military operations research society of Korea
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.88-111
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• 2003

This paper is to suggest strategic options for improving the export performance of the plant and construction industry. The overall objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of a sustained export performance in the plant and overseas construction industry by an analysis of its international competitiveness and technological competence. The empirical work of this study relates to a chosen sample of Korean and non-Korean firms in the plant and construction industry sector. Primary data was collected through a comprehensive questionnaire survey administered to plant and construction firms in twelve countries, including Korea. The actual number of firms for which full information at a sufficient level of disaggregation was obtained was 62, a response rate of 44.6％. Of these, 42 firms were drawn from Korean plant and construction firms and the remaining 20 firms from 11 other countries. The structure of responding firms by industry shows a total of 29 plant exporters and 33 construction firms. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS statistical technique such as Multiple Regression in order to examine the linear relationship among variables. The findings of the study indicate that export success and failure in plant and construction export markets is determined by firm size and by various qualitative variables. The high export volume (export success) of Plant and construction exporters is more strongly influenced by mutual economic cooperation and number of employees than by sales volume and competent knowledge of the plant and construction markets. It was also found that weak political and diplomatic relation between countries, low sales volume and lack of bid experience have an adverse effect and represent serious barriers to exports.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.345-352
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• 2021

Guided by a resource-based theory, this study is the first one that takes a quantitative approach to identify determinants of competitiveness of women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The study employs time series data of Vietnamese SMEs extracted from the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprises Survey conducted biennially from 2005 to 2015 in ten Vietnamese provinces. Firm competitiveness hereby is indicated by revenue, market share, profitability, and export volume. The research reveals a number of determining factors, of all, research and development, labor skills, business environment, technology investment are the most important factors, followed by capital and headcount. It is indicated that the determining factors have different influences on competitiveness obtained by different measurements. Therefore, it is based on specific targets and situations to make wise business decisions. The authors also make comparisons among groups of women-owned enterprises divided by their firm age, location, ownership, export, age, and educational background of business owners. The findings serve as critical empirical evidence and provide policy recommendations for improving the competitiveness of women-owned SMEs in Vietnam. The recommendations range from technology support, education and professional support for female entrepreneurs, access to capital and human resources to business environment improvement.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.81-95
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• 2016

Software export is very important for developing the domain software industry. Up to now, the study related in this issue is not enough even if exports are not activated. In our study, we treated and analyzed the three SME cases that have each successful record in recent years focusing to sales channels establishment and product localization. This study was done by interviewing the marketing directors mainly, and applied email exchanges, phones, and document analyses. Some implications can be addressed for the potential SME software exports. In the perspectives of sales channels building, the trust for product and firm itself is needed to have a good offshore partners. These are required to make the good relationship with partners, brand value's diffusion, and technical competency. As for product localization, the customization is important to meet the needs for local users effectively. So it is desirable to accept the advisory suggestions from the local consulting experts or representative customers. And the joint export strategy using the platform by linking some related products is effective for SME's software product's export.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1-26
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• 2019

Purpose - This paper investigates the recent trade collapse, recovery, and prolonged slowdown to shed light on the discussions about whether the current slowdown is structural or cyclical. I examine structural, cyclical, and heterogeneous aspects of the recent trade trends using detailed statistics of a small open economy, South Korea, whose economic success and growth have been heavily dependent on exports. Design/methodology - I use both aggregated and disaggregated trade statistics of South Korea. I apply the following methodologies: 1) I decompose the trade growth into the extensive and the intensive margin and observe the effect of prices over time. 2) I estimate the trade-income elasticities focusing on the world's import demand, separately for goods from the world and from Korea. 3) I compare the drop in goods exports in slowdown and trade collapse, which are the two unusual periods in the recent history when world trade has substantially dropped altogether. Findings - I show that while the last drop of trade after 2015 has cyclical aspects, there is evidence that the continued slowdown from 2012 is structural: 1) the so-called 'China factor' is found in the analysis of trade-income elasticity of the world and China for imports from Korea. 2) The bilateral trade barriers between Korea and its principal trading partners are universally tightening. 3) Firm sizes, destination countries, and the mode of transactions affect disaggregated trade flows during the slowdown periods. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the debate regarding whether the current trade slowdown is structural or cyclical. I provide two concrete evidence that the export drop in 2015 stems from low oil prices: one is the divergence of Korean export value index from its export quantity index, which started in late 2014 when oil prices plunged. I also contribute to the literature by providing evidence that Korea's trade barriers with important trading partners are steadily increasing since 2012 as the protectionist measures toward Korea's export products are steeply increasing after the global financial crisis.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.55-72
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• 2020

Purpose - In this paper, we provide recommendations for Korea's long-term direction and strategic measures to attract inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in response to Japan's export regulations. In doing so, we analyze the current situation and characteristics of trade between Korea and Japan, focusing on the parts and materials industry, which is particularly affected by Japan's trade regulations. Design/methodology - Based on the analysis of five successful inward FDI cases (e.g. Toray, IGK, Delkor, GlobalWafers, DuPont) and statistic trend review in the parts and materials industry, we consider various factors pertaining to successful inward FDI in Korea and propose valuable investment attraction strategies. Findings - For a successful investment attraction strategy, we studied some statistical trends in the internal and external environments of the parts and materials industry and successful investment attraction cases in Korea. We have found that in order to increase the probability of success in attracting investment, we need a mid-to long-term strategy considering multiple factors such as "Production-oriented, Demand-linked, Global Value Chain (VGC) linked, and Policy-linked investment attraction." Originality/value - We suggest several specific measures and important strategic implications for the Korean government and firm's managers to attract inward FDI successfully.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.117-143
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• 2017

This study investigates how entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity influence strategic capabilities (technology, marketing, and market-linking capabilities), as well as how strategic capabilities affect performance in Korean export venture firms. To analyze this empirically, we hypothesized the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, absorptive capacity, strategic capabilities, and firm performance based on an existing resource-based review and empirical literatures. We collected data using questionnaires and used a partial least squares (PLS) structural equation model for hypothesis testing. The following results were obtained from the empirical analysis. First, entrepreneurial orientation has a significant positive impact on absorptive capacity. Second, entrepreneurial orientation has a significant positive effect on technology, marketing, and market-linking capabilities. Third, absorptive capacity has a significant positive influence on technology, marketing, and market-linking capabilities. Fourth, technology and marketing capabilities have a significant positive effect on firm performance. However, market-linking capabilities have no significant influence on firm performance.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.53-74
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• 2017

This paper focuses on the recent extraordinary growth of Chinese cross-border online shopping and draws implications for firm strategies and government policies in Korea to utilize the phenomenon as an opportunity to expand into a broader market via e-commerce exports. I conduct a survey of Chinese cross-border online consumers to identify constraining and determining factors during the stages of their purchase decisions of Korean products. Given the fact that Chinese cross-border online shopping is at the incipient stage and consumers have expressed a strong intent to repurchase, future strategies should focus on attracting new consumers. Accordingly, Korean firms should build a powerful brand image, improve product quality and post-purchase services, and take full advantage of the popularity of the Korean Wave. Meanwhile, the government must step up policy efforts by, for instance, improving e-commerce export statistics, simplifying logistics and clearance procedures, and building trust in Chinese consumers.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.201-225
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• 2012

Developing new technologies and launching new products require a huge sum of money for Research and Development, and there is also market uncertainty. Comparing to advanced countries' companies, Korea's exporting companies have less investment cost in size for R&D and insufficient technology assets accumulated. Therefore, through the open innovation, they should use external technology and enhance the efficiency of the relatively little R&D investment. This paper draws the factors influencing the innovations of Korea's exporting companies, and then it analyses how each innovation influences export performance. First, innovations are devided into two; closed and open innovation. Multiple regression analysis has been done, considering influence factors of innovation such as company's characteristics factors, research's characteristics factors and products characteristics factors to be independent variables, and export performance to be a dependent variable. It shows that firm size and new products launching period have positive effects on each innovation, but research capability and research performance have positive effects only on closed innovation. And open innovation has positive effects on export performance, but closed innovation doesn't have.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.113-138
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• 2012

This study examined the determinants of export performance of small and medium sized manufacturing companies in Korea. Depending on the existing research, taking entrepreneurship and product differentiation capabilities as antecedents of export performance. In addition, the product differentiation capabilities examined whether the role of the mediating effects between entrepreneurship and export performance. Thus, the purpose of the study is look at the integrated model of entrepreneurship, product differentiation capabilities and export performance building and their relationship. On 152 domestic companies, empirical analysis was performed. Empirical analysis was conducted using the PLS(Partial Least Square). And analysis tools were used SmartPLS2.0. In the results of the analysis, risk tolerance and innovativeness of small and medium sized manufacturing businesses, entrepreneurs and product differentiation competence have positive impact export performance in both. Product differentiation capabilities also confirmed that it have a positive impact on the export performance of small manufacturing export enterprises. In analysis of the mediated effect in product differentiation capacity showed a significant mediated effect between innovativeness and export performance. But mediated effects did not indicate a significant risk tolerance. these results suggests the need to actively pursue innovation that more product differentiation capabilities required in export companies to small and medium-sized manufacturing. In other words, when attempting to highlight product differentiation, based on innovation, rather than risk tolerance. In terms of analyzing the mediated role of product differentiation capabilities, this study has theoretical implications for the future research to look at the antecedents of export performance from the perspective of dynamic capabilities and competitive advantage. Also, practical implications in this regard as the innovativeness and taking risks to all important to CEO of small manufacturing enterprises but, stranger in the foreign market competition environment, the role of innovation product is required on raising product differentiation capabilities are presented.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.47-55
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• 2020

Purpose: The issue of access to credit for private enterprises has been given an increased amount of attention given their crucial role in fueling economic growth. Vietnamese small and medium-sized businesses, however, face many obstacles in accessing financing for profitable investment opportunities, with up to 70% unable to access or obtain bank loans. This paper aims to address the factors affecting the credit accessibility of Vietnamese enterprises, and provide further insights of this issue under the new context of Basel II. Research design, data and methodology: We adopt a pooled sections approach to construct a sample of 155 firm observations before and after the implementation of Basel II accord in Vietnam and employing binary logistic regression and interaction terms for data analysis. Results: We find that firm characteristics (export participation, female ownership) and proxies for bank-borrower relationship (deposit, overdraft facility) have significant and positive effects on firm's access to credit. Notably, the sign of interaction coefficient shows that the implementation of Basel II tends to benefit small-sized firms in terms of credit accessibility. Conclusions: The finding further emphasizes the important role of relationship lending in Vietnam's credit market, which is even more critical for small firms when Basel II is universally applied as the new banking standards in the coming years.