• Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.287-310
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• 2010

Developed nations are increasingly seeking to secure competitiveness in the international market through the development of human resources of workers in high value-added industries. And what is especially important in this process is the fact that workers, employers, and concerned government agencies are participating together in building and improving workers' skills through partnerships. This is based on the perception that workers training programs conducted according to the interest of one side are difficult to bring desired results. For the past decades, Korea has focused mostly on labor-management-government partnerships and strategies for developing the human resources of workers in developed nations in Europe. Related case studies show labor-management-government partnerships in European countries established through powerful trade unions, and interested parties actively cooperate and participate in employment and training programs that benefit both workers and employers. In contrast, studies on human resource development participated by workers and employers are relatively rare in the US, the reason being the lack of a mechanism for establishing labor-management-government partnership due to the country's strong tradition of decentralization and the emphasis on market principles. However, while it is difficult to find such channels for dialogue between workers, employers, and the government in th US on the federal level, there are many regional-level or industry-level programs that tackle common problems through partnerships between interested parties. This study analyzes how the regional labor-management-government partnerships in the US work and examines the types of programs operated by investigating the One-Stop Center based on the Workforce Investment Act and the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership. While the One-Stop Center is a regional labor-management-government partnership model that is institutionally executed in each state according to the Workforce Investment Act, the WRTP is a regional labor-management -government partnership model led by the private sector. The two examples are introduced in the OECD as best practice examples of regional partnerships, and are key references to Korea's current human resource development policy.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.83-101
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• 2019

Blockchain is considered as an innovative technology along with Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Internet of Things. However, since the inception of the genesis of blockchain technology, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the technology is not utilized widely, not let alone disruptive applications. Most of the blockchain research deals with the cryptocurrency, general descriptions of the technology such as trend, outlook of the technology, explanation of component technology, and so on. There are no killer applications like Facebook or Google, of course. Reflecting on the slow adoption by businesses, we wanted know about the current status of the research on blockchain in Korea. The main purpose of this paper is to help business practitioners to identify the application of blockchain to enhance the competitiveness of their organization. To do that, we first use the framework by Iansiti et al (2017) and categorize the blockchain related articles published in Korea according to the framework. This is to provide a benchmark or cases of other organizations' adoption of blockchain technology. Second, based on the value proposition of blockchain applications, we suggest evolutionary paths for adopting them. Third, from the demand pull perspective of technology adoption for innovation, we propose applicable areas where blockchain applications can be introduced. Fourth, we use the value chain model to find out the appropriate domains of blockchain applications in the corporate value chains. And the five competitive forces models is adopted to find ways of lowering the power of forces by incorporating blockchain technology.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.223-255
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• 2008

This study explores the determinants and processes of IT consolidation of Korean conglomerates. Through an extensive analysis of cases, this study identifies the drivers, benefits and critical success factors of IT consolidation, and observes the transition of vision for the IT service subsidiaries in the conglomerates. The results show that most firms in this analysis have completed the organizational, physical, and logical consolidation of their IT resources, and currently some of them are preparing for the next stage of IT consolidation such as rational consolidation and virtualization. It is also found that the strategic factor was one of the most significant determinants in consolidating IT resources which leaded the transition of vision of the IT service firms in the conglomerates from "cost center" to "profit center". The results of this study can provide a fundamental and empirical basis for building a theory of IT consolidation, and be used as a valuable benchmarking model for the organizations which consider starting a project of IT consolidation.