• Title/Summary/Keyword: Low costs

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Inward Foreign Direct Investment and Working Conditions in Cambodia (캄보디아 외국인직접투자와 노동환경)

  • Lee, Sung-Cheol
    • Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.832-847
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    • 2014
  • The main aim of this paper is to contribute to building some strategic foundations for future Korean foreign investors in Cambodia by investigating trends and institutional changes in inward foreign direct investment and working conditions in Cambodia. Rapid increase in labor costs, and investment incentives centering on high-tech industries in China and Vietnam has led to the relocation of labor-intensive industries into low wage countries since the early 2000. As a result, Cambodia has emerged as a new alternative investment region in which enable to off-set existing locational and institutional advantages, so that it has implicated in changes in Asian economic geographies. In addition, the Cambodian government has operated two labor relations projects - Better Factory Cambodia and Labor Dispute Resolution Project - with ILO to improve the working conditions of foreign investment firms. These projects could provide an insight into constructing strategies for foreign investment, and also imply institutional embeddedness in Cambodia.

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Methods and Evaluation of Korean Population Census (인구총조사의 방법과 평가)

  • 김태헌
    • Korea journal of population studies
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.27-46
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    • 1997
  • It is generally known that the quality of Korean population census results is very high. The completeness of the census has been over 97% since 1960. The age errors are very low and they belong to the lowest group in the world. However, Korean census has several problems to be solved, which are suggested as the followings: 1) Since most Koreans are basically educated, we will be able to adopt the self-reporting survey method for the next census instead of the interview method. Then, we can save a lot of time and cost in a census. 2) We have to simplify, the items of age since the effects of the four age items (Korean ago, zodiac year at birth, birth date in solar or lunar calendar) are not large enough to compare to the investments of manpower and costs. 3) It should be helpful to improve the quality of census data if the post enumeration survey is conducted more successfully and the results evaluated for more items not only age are published. 4) For the reduction of the error rates for the age groups of infants, young children and the young labours who are moving frequently, we need some special items for the compliteness of the population census by age group. 5) We have to prepare and release the 1995 2% sample data file to the public users for the improvement of the usefuleness in time. Furtheremore, it is also very important for the research in the field of social sciences that the back series of 2% sample files from 1985 census data are reconstructed.

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A Study of the Effect of the Socioeconomic Status of Couple on the Induced Abortion in Korea (부부의 사회경제적 지위가 인공임신중절에 미치는 영향에 관한 일 연구)

  • Lee, Sung-Yong;Lee, Jung-Whan
    • Korea journal of population studies
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.1-25
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    • 2011
  • There are two main purposes in this study. First, we compare the effects of wives' characteristics with the effects of the husbands' characteristics on the induced abortion. Second, we analyze whether the determinants of the induced abortion have changed according to parity and conception period. The main findings are follows. First, both wives' and husbands' socioeconomic characters have insignificant effects on the induced abortion at parity 0, in the 1997 and 2000 Korean Fertility Survey data. Second, during the periods of the lowest-low fertility, after 2000 in Korea, wives' employments have positive effects at parity 0 and 1, while husbands' educational levels have negative effects at parity 1 on the induced abortion. The implications are as follows. First, having children had been the universal social phenomenon before 2000 in Korea. however, after 2000, reproductions have become the women's choice, lather than the duty of married women. Women must weight the balance between the benefits and the costs of children so that women's fertility behaviors become a rational choice. Women's employment is the most important factor in these rational calculations. Second, both Western individualism and the traditional Korean familism have significant effects on the fertility behavior and the induced abortions in Korea. This rejects the diffusion theory, which tells that the traditional familism must be replaced by the Western individualism in order to decline the fertility rates in developing countries.

Beneficial effects of ton-bag and wire-steel pallet on postharvest handling of onion and the cost evaluation (톤백 및 와이어철제파렛트 이용에 따른 양파의 수확후관리 효율성 증대와 경제성 평가)

  • Kwon, Young-Deuk
    • Food Science and Preservation
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    • v.24 no.7
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    • pp.915-922
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    • 2017
  • This study aimed in onion production by evaluating cost and labor efficiencies of onion storage methods using either a ton-bag or a wire-steel pallet. New methods using ton-bag and wire-steel pallets were developed and applied to postharvest tasks, such as harvest packaging, transportation, and storage. The storage parameters evaluated for their effect on the logistics of onion production were: working duration, working hours, and cost expenditure. The longitudinal tensile strength of the ton-bag developed in this study was 16% higher than that of the conventional ton-bag. The wire-steel pallet developed in this study had 10% more storage capacity in a low-temperature storage room, and its truck loading capacity was more than doubled compared to that of the conventional steel pallet. There was no difference in the wasting rate during bulk storage between the newly developed wire-steel pallet and the conventional steel pallet, for 500 kg of onions. However, the bulk storage of 1,000 kg of onions using the wire-steel pallet was not found to be suitable, because the wasting rate of onions stored using the wire-pallet was 3.7% higher than that of onions stored using a conventional steel pallet. The time and the total investing costs for the bulk method decreased by 50.1% and 46.1%, respectively, compared to those for conventional harvest. In the bulk storage using the wire-steel pallet, the total storage cost decreased by 28.8%. Thus, it is estimated that we could have saved 18.3 billion won if the wire-steel pallet method about 30% of the total onion production (1,298,749 M/T) in 2016.

Fabrication and Catalysis of $SiO_2$-Coated Ag@Au Nanoboxes

  • Lee, Jae-Won;Jang, Du-Jeon
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2013.02a
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    • pp.588-588
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    • 2013
  • Nanoscale noble-metals have attracted enormous attention from researchers in various fields of study because of their unusual optical properties as well as novel chemical properties. They have possible uses in diverse applications such as devices, transistors, optoelectronics, information storages, and energy converters. It is well-known that nanoparticles of noble-metals such as silver and gold show strong absorption bands in the visible region due to their surface-plasmon oscillation modes of conductive electrons. Silver nanocubes stand out from various types of Silver nanostructures (e.g., spheres, rods, bars, belts, and wires) due to their superior performance in a range of applications involvinglocalized surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and biosensing. In addition, extensive efforts have been devoted to the investigation of Gold-based nanocomposites to achieve high catalytic performances and utilization efficiencies. Furthermore, as the catalytic reactivity of Silver nanostructures depends highly on their morphology, hollow Gold nanoparticles having void interiors may offer additional catalytic advantages due to their increased surface areas. Especially, hollow nanospheres possess structurally tunable features such as shell thickness, interior cavity size, and chemical composition, leading to relatively high surface areas, low densities, and reduced costs compared with their solid counterparts. Thus, hollow-structured noblemetal nanoparticles can be applied to nanometer-sized chemical reactors, efficient catalysts, energy-storage media, and small containers to encapsulate multi-functional active materials. Silver nanocubes dispersed in water have been transformed into Ag@Au nanoboxes, which show highly enhanced catalytic properties, by adding $HAuCl_4$. By using this concept, $SiO_2$-coated Ag@Au nanoboxes have been synthesized via galvanic replacement of $SiO_2$-coated Ag nanocubes. They have lower catalytic ability but more stability than Ag@Au nanoboxes do. Thus, they could be recycled. $SiO_2$-coated Ag@Au nanoboxes have been found to catalyze the degradation of 4-nitrophenol efficiently in the presence of $NaBH_4$. By changing the amount of the added noble metal salt to control the molar ratio Au to Ag, we could tune the catalytic properties of the nanostructures in the reduction of the dyes. The catalytic ability of $SiO_2$-coated Ag@Au nanoboxes has been found to be much more efficient than $SiO_2$-coated Ag nanocubes. Catalytic performances were affected noteworthily by the metals, sizes, and shapes of noble-metal nanostructures.

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Study on the Institutional Control Period Through the Post-drilling Scenario Of Near Surface Disposal Facility for Low and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste (중·저준위 방사성폐기물 천층처분시설에서 시추 후 거주시나리오 평가를 통한 폐쇄 후 제도적 관리기간 연구)

  • Hong, Sung-Wook;Park, Jin-Baek;Yoon, Jung-Hyun
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.59-68
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    • 2014
  • The public's access to the disposal facilities should be restricted during the institutional control period. Even after the institutional control period, disposal facilities should be designed to protect radiologically against inadvertent human intruders. This study is to assess the effective dose equivalent to the inadvertent intruder after the institutional control period thorough the GENII. The disposal unit was allocated with different kind of radioactive waste and the effects of the radiation dose to inadvertent intruder were evaluated in accordance with the institutional control period. As a result, even though there is no institutional control period, all were satisfied with the regulatory guide, except for the disposal unit with only spent filter. However, the disposal unit with only spent filter was satisfied with the regulatory guide after the institutional control period of 300 years. But the disposal unit with spent filter mixed with dry active waste could shorten the institutional control period. So the institutional control period can be reduced through the mixing the other waste with spent filter in disposal unit. Therefore, establishing an appropriate plan for the disposal unit with spent filter and other radioactive waste will be effective for radiological safety and reduction of the institutional control period, rather than increasing the institutional control period and spending costs for the maintenance and conservation for the disposal unit with only spent filter.

The Expansion Strategy for the New Route between Korea and Hungary (한-헝가리 간의 신물류 확대전략)

  • Seo, Dae-Sung
    • 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.

Questionnaire Analysis of Geo-Spatial Open Source Application (공간정보 오픈소스 활용 설문조사에 따른 현황 분석)

  • Yoo, Hee-Young;Lee, Ki-Won;Lee, Kwang-Jae;Kim, Yong-Seung
    • Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.106-119
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    • 2013
  • As open source can reduce costs and apply to various fields rapidly, many countries have actively adopted open source. However, geo-spatial open source in Korea is not actively promoted yet comparing to other countries having similar infra environments. In this study, we analyzed the perception of geo-spatial open source, utilization status, the development possibility and future direction using questionnaire survey completed by experts dealing with spatial information. The survey result shows that many experts have experiences of using geo-spatial open source but they got a lack of understanding about open source license or regulations and only a few people got professional training. Insufficient references, the difficulty of maintenance, lack of support and low technical reliability have hindered the adoption of geo-spatial open source. Only some part of geo-spatial open source software or libraries in some field have been used in the country. However, many researchers rate highly development potential and plan to use geo-spatial open source soon. If user's convenience, reference materials, technical trust and policy support are improved, open source field for spatial information will be developed greatly in the future.

Optimum Mix Proportion of the High Strength and Self Compacting Concrete Used Above-Ground LNG Storage Tank (지상식 LNG 저장탱크용 고강도 자기충전 콘크리트의 최적배합에 관한 연구)

  • Kwon, Yeong-Ho
    • Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.99-107
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    • 2011
  • This study is to performed to find the optimum mix proportion of the high strength and self compacting concrete for the above-ground LNG storage tank construction and field application. If LNG storage tank wall thicknesscan be reduced, the construction cost and quality can be improved by using self-compacting high strength concrete with compressive strength 60~80 MPa. For this purpose, low heat cement (Type IV) and class F fly ash are used in concrete mix to control hydration heat, flowability, and viscosity. Mix design variables of unit water, fly ash replacement ratio, water-binder ratio, and fine aggregate ratio are selected and tested for material properties and manufacturing cost of the concrete. Also, fly ash replacement ratio is considered using confined water ratio test. The test results showed that the optimum mix proportion of the self-compacting high strength concrete characteristics are as follows. 1) In case of the concrete with specified compressive strength of 60 MPa, the optimum mix proportion is fly ash replacement ratio of 20% and water- binder ratio of 27~30%. 2) In case of the concrete with the strength of 80 MPa, the optimum mix proportion is fly ash replacement ratio of 10% and water-binder ratio 25%. But unit water and fine aggregate ratio are 165 $kg/m^3$ and $51{\pm}2%$, respectively, regardless of the traget concrete compressive strength range. Also, test results showed that concrete manufacturing cost of 60 MPa and 80 MPa concrete require additional costs of 14~22% and 33%, respectively, compared to the manufacturing cost of 40 MPa concrete. Therefore, application of the self-compacting high strength concrete has proven to be economical in the perspective of the material cost, quality control, and site management.

Third-Party Financing Contracts Between Energy Users and Energy Saving Companies (비대칭정보하에서의 최적계약 도출 -에너지절약시장)

  • Kang, Kwang-Kyu
    • Journal of Environmental Policy
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.75-94
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    • 2009
  • The process of obtaining third-party financing contacts was analyzed via a two-stage game model: a "signaling game" for the first stage,and a "principal-agent model" for the second stage. The two-stage game was solved by a process of backward induction. In the second stage game, the optimal effort level of the energy saving company (ESCO), the optimal compensation scheme of the energy user, and the optimal payoffs for both parties were derived for each subgame. The optimal solutions forthe different subgames were then compared with each other. Our main finding was that if there is some restriction on ESCO's revenue (e.g. a progressive sales tax) that causes ESCO's revenue toincrease at a decreasing rate, then the optimal sharing ratio is uniquely determined at a level of strictly less than one under a linear compensation scheme, i.e. a unique balance exists. Subgames have a unique equilibrium arrived at separately for each situation,. Within this equilibrium, energy users accept energy audit proposals from H-type ESCOs with high levels of technology, but reject proposals from L-type ESCOs with low levels of technology. While L-type ESCOs cannot attain profits in the third-party financing market, H-type ESCOS can pocket the price differential between L-type and H-type audit fees. Accordingly, revenues in an H-type ESCO equilibrium increase not only in line with the technology of the ESCO inquestion, but also faster than in an L-type equilibrium due to more advanced technology. At the same time, energy users receive some positive payoff by allowing ESCOs to perform third-party financing tasks within their existing energy system without incurring any extra costs.

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