• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.47-57
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• 2018

Purpose - This paper aims to analyze the determinants of licensing behaviors of manufacturing firms empirically in non-advanced exporting countries. Research design and methodology - We try to approach licensing behavior from the perspective of innovation strategy and open innovation, and deal with two activities composing licensing, i.e. licensing-in and licensing-out using the result of Korean Innovation Survey Results - Firstly, Organizational characteristic factors, particularly the size and size related factors influence the firm behavior of licensing-out, but not in case of licensing-in. Secondly, innovation strategy influences the firm behavior of licensing-in, but not in case of licensing-out. Lastly, the determinants of licensing-in and that of licensing-out are different. Conclusions - In general, firms doing licensing-out have many complementary assets and orientation for global markets. Meanwhile, firms doing licensing-in are innovative firms utilizing patent as an appropriation mechanism. Licensing-out have relevance with product market-related factors and licensing-in have more relevance with technology market-related factors

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.215-234
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• 2004

With enormous changes in market condition, firms try to collaborate with their transaction partners. Recently, the diffusion of the Internet has made it possible for firms to directly collaborate with their partners. Accordingly, the importance of the Collaborative Commerce( C-Commerce) based on the Internet and IT has been emphasized. The literature in relational marketing and strategic alliance, however, has focused on the relational characteristics among firms. Therefore, the fundamental objective of this study is to investigate whether C-Commerce can enhance the positive relationships among firms. Based on theoretical and empirical research, some meaningful discussions can be made. First. the asymmetric commitment between buyers and suppliers decreases the C-Commerce utilization. Second, when specific investment is made to facilitate transactions, firms try to trade efficiently and depend on partners in a long-term period.

• Telecommunications review
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.605-621
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• 2015

The diffusion of smart devices has greatly influenced the market dynamics of the telecommunications industry. The competition paradigm has shifted from individual firm-based competition to ecosystem-based competition. To satisfy the diverse needs of market customers, it has become more important for telecommunications companies to form alliances with complementary partners in the ecosystem. This study empirically investigates the influence of ecosystem-based alliance formations on the financial performance of firms in the Korean telecommunications market. Specifically, the impact of a CPND (Content, Platforms, Networks, and Devices) alliance in the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector on firms' profitability is examined using a structural equation model. The results indicate that before the diffusion of smart devices, ecosystem-based alliance formations with other firms in the ICT ecosystem were not effective for enhancing profitability. However, after this diffusion, alliance formation between members of the value chain in the ICT ecosystem contributed significantly to firms' financial performance. This implies that recent alliances with firms that are constituents of the ICT ecosystem are an important element of profit generation in the ICT market in Korea.

• Korean Business Review
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.157-174
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• 2006

In the past, because Korean private venture capital firms could get government support and subsidies, they could be survived in the market without having required management capabilities, advanced venture investment techniques, and professional supporting agencies and institutions. However, business environments have changed a lot recently. Now, only through identifying the optimal financial structures(the ratio of debt to equity), Korean private venture capital firms can minimize investment risks and ensure higher profits. Since Modigliani and Miller(1958) criticized the existence of the optimal financial structure, there have been numerous studies on the optimal financial structure of firms. However, there is no empirical study investigating the financial structure of venture capital firms. The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between firm characteristics, financial security indies, and financial profit indices of korean private venture capital firms. We gathered the data from various sources, including the web pages and the financial statements for 2003 and 2004. By using the student's t-test and the correlation analysis, we showed that there are differences in the current ratio and the ratio of net profit to net sales between new and old korean private venture capital firms. Even though it is known that korean private venture capital firms does not have enough knowledge and investment technique to compete with global venture capital firms, our result show that old korean private venture capital firms have already built some knowledge and understanding of venture capital investing.

• Korean small business review
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.1-33
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• 2021

This study explores differential value implications of R&D expenditure across firms, especially in terms of growth potential of small businesses. Analyzing Korean listed firms for the period from 1982 to 2014, we document the followings. First, large firms, defined as the top quintile group based on market capitalization, have spent higher R&D expenditure compared to small (bottom quintile group) and medium (middle quintile groups) firms and the difference between groups has enlarged over time. Relatedly, the persistence of R&D spending, measured by the association between current R&D expenditure and cumulative future R&D expenditure over the next five years, is lowest in small firms. Second, R&D of large (small) firms are more (less) likely to generate operating profits over the next five years. Additional analyses suggest that the relation between R&D and gross margin is strongest in large firms, suggesting that R&D underlies their competitiveness in the product market. Third, small firms have borne the highest uncertainty related to R&D investment proxied by the association between current R&D and volatility of future earnings. As a result, the likelihood of R&D leading to future patents is also lowest in small firms. Fourth, the probability of moving up to the next size group within the next five years is significantly lower in small firms than others. Finally, we find that the divergence in R&D expenditure between large and small firms is positively associated with product market concentration. Overall, our findings confirm the small business growth trap in relation to R&D investment.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.113-131
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• 2015

We examine the relationship between firms' environmental (E), social (S), and governance (G) factors, with their financial performance in order to provide an empirical rationale for CSV (creating shared value) pursuing both of firms' profitability and CSR (corporate social responsibility). The financial performance is classified into four aspects such as profitability, stability, efficiency, and cash-flow, and each of these aspects is measured by two financial ratios respectively. To measure the firms' ESG performance, we employ the published performance grades by the Korea Corporate Governance Service for a three year span, from 2011 to 2013. Total of eight regression analyses are performed. The results show that firms' non-financial performance in general has statistically significant positive relationships with return on assets, return on net sales, and cash-flow from operating activities ratio, while it has negative relationships with net working capital ratio, asset turnover ratio, and cash-flow from investing activities ratio. It has no significant relationships with debt ratio and equity turnover ratio. The results imply that firms' non-financial performance may have a negative impact on some financial performance such as liquidity and efficiency in a short term, but it would eventually improve the firms' profitability and cash-generating ability, which provides an empirical evidence for the concept of CSV, and motivates the firms to participate in social contribution activities without sacrificing their profitability for their respective sustainablity management.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.57-77
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• 2021

Purpose - International strategic alliance has been regarded as a strategic decision made by firms' managerial problems and ensure performance growth. From the perspective of the proactive behavior for changing strategies in a global market, this study aims to identify whether performance feedback influences firms' decisions to pursue strategic alliances. This study examines the effects of performance feedback on performance when firms use strategic alliances. Design/methodology - To analyze the impact of performance feedback on forming an international strategic alliance, this study adopt the concept of performance feedback to develop a research model and our hypotheses. Thus, this study used a two-stage least squares unbalanced panel data analysis with random effects. This study is based on 24,543 observations from Korean manufacturing firms from 2007 to 2016. Findings - The results show that firms pursue the formation of strategic alliances more actively, if their past financial and R&D performance are lower than their aspiration level, based on the result of performance feedback. An in split sample analysis for examining the effect of a firm's technology sophistication based on the OECD's classification, negative innovation performance discrepancy has positive effects on the probability of international alliance in high-tech and medium-high-tech industries. Financial performance also improves when a firm decides to form a strategic alliance based on the results of performance feedback. Originality/value - This research extends recent efforts to better understand the effect of performance feedback on firms' performance when they use strategic alliances. These findings suggest that the CEOs and managers of firms should consider the performance feedback perspective when deciding to pursue a strategic alliance to improve performance. In other words, the decision-makers in a firm must analyze and consider various complex variables inside and outside the firm and expand such subjects of examination to more complex and dynamic factors.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.63-82
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• 2022

Purpose - Drawing on relational institutional theory, we explored how demographic similarity between board members of a firm and newly emerged political elites led to firms' increased financial resource acquisition such as leverage ratio and decreased export intensity amidst the Asian financial crisis. We also studied how a firm's leverage ratio and export intensity can further affect firm profitability and financial credit rating. Design/methodology - We revisited and explored a unique, unprecedented crisis that affected most Korean firms: the Asian financial crisis that coincided with a governmental shift from a conservative to a liberal party. We collected demographic information from 432 listed Korean firms' board members and 43 political elites of the Blue House from 1998-2000 to create a demographic similarity measurement. We collected firms' financial information, built panel data, and used ordinary least squares regression to test our theory. Findings - Our results showed that demographic similarity between a firm's directors and newly emerged politicians had a positive association with a firm's leverage ratio but a negative association with a firm's export intensity. A firm's leverage ratio had a negative relationship with firm performance measured by firm profitability and financial credit rating. A firm's export intensity showed a positive effect on firm performance. Originality/value - We highlighted that during an economic crisis that coincided with a governmental shift and change of leading political actors, firms exerted efforts to survey the environment and build new external stakeholder relationships to cope with the changing landscape. We proposed that in an emerging market like Korea where low levels of trust and favoritism are prevalent across society, one of the relational institutional strategies that firms can employ is the selection of directors with similar demographic characteristics to political elites based on factors including birthplace and school affiliations. We examined the efforts of firms to build political networks with newly empowered political elites during a financial crisis, and the consequences of establishing such networks. We highlighted that during a financial crisis, the demographic similarity between a firm's board members and newly emerged politicians can provide firms with access to financial resources but can also result in poor management and reduced effort to enhance its international competitiveness.

• Korean small business review
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.165-184
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• 2016

This paper aims at analysing the effects of venture business finance supporting programs on efficiency and productivity of the venture firms, on the basis of the data envelope analysis (DEA) using data of 406 firms in the 2013 Venture Business Detailed Survey of Small and Medium Business Administration. The conclusions are summarized as follows. First of all, the efficiency of government finance supported venture firms is higher than that other venture firms. The increase of productivity in venture firms enjoying government supporting programs is higher than that in venture business without government supporting programs, especially in the technical progress rather than in efficiency improvement. Also the R&D supporting programs for venture firms lead to an increase in productivity. Taking the above results into consideration, government's venture supporting programs are evaluated to be effective in terms of an increase of productivity and the proper scope for fragile venture firms.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.36 no.2 s.68
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• pp.53-69
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• 2005

The recent emergence of electronic commerce could provide different opportunities to small firms in overcoming part of their technological, environmental, organizational, and managerial inadequacies. However, recent research provided a gloomy picture about electronic commerce uptake and use in small firms. Until now few small flrms adopted electronic commerce. This phenomenon gives us several implications. One of the implications is a need to generate more research to small firms' uptake and use of electronic commerce. So, this research aims at what is determinants in small firms' adoption of electronic commerce, especially business - to - business(B2B). Several previous studies were identified various influential variables in adoption of small firms' electronic commerce. To some extent, by industries these variables may be different in influencing B2B adoption of small firms. This study selected fishery industry's wholesale firms as survey domain. Then, It selected some variables from previous studios and group them in several factors for consistently comparing variable's influential power. Through hierarchical influencing model of B2B adoption, managers who worked for fishery wholesale firms were surveyed. Among the first level's factors of the model, business factor was identified as the statistically most influential factor in B2B adoption. Technological factor and environmental factor at the frist level were identified as relatively less influential factors. Among the second level's factors of the model, it was statistically significant only that technological usefulness factor was more influential than technological burden factor in B2B adoption. And among the third level's factors of the model, it was identified that formal plan and task team for B2B, top management support, and mutual beliefs of inter - firms were statistically more influential than related variables in B2B adoption. These results give us some implications. First, fishery wholesale firms recognized B2B as a new business paradigm, and technological problems as not obstacles in adopting B2B. Thus it would be possible to activate the fishery B2B if they were guided to getting B2B benefits and B2B's relative advantages. Second, they considered the power of influential factors might be different by B2B stages. That is, top management support was more important in the B2B introduction stage, and formal plan and task team for B2B and mutual beliefs of inter - firms were more important in the B2B operation stage.