• Journal of Technology Innovation
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.27-52
• /
• 2019

This research studied the determinants of private R&D investment by examining the innovation strategies of 481 small and medium enterprises (SMEs, their employee size is 5 or more and less than 300) in Busan, South Korea. The data is derived from the Technology Survey of Small and Medium Enterprises in 2001 and 2003. Three explanatory variables for the innovation strategies are the R&D portfolio, the organization (personnel) for R&D, and the strategic role of CEO for innovation. The technological levels of industries are controlled in the linear regression model. The dependent variable is the total private R&D investment of a firm in the given fiscal year. The empirical results indicate that the private R&D investment positively correlates with the complexity of the R&D portfolio, the formal organization for R&D team, and the increase of R&D personnel. The formal organization for R&D team and the number of R&D personnel are correlated with the increase of private R&D investment across the four groups in the manufacturing sector but not in the service sector. These findings suggest that the innovation policy needs to target firms who have complex R&D portfolios, the formal organization of R&D teams, and sufficient R&D personnel in order to increase the private R&D investment of SMEs in regions, with consideration of industrial characteristics.

• ETRI Journal
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.258-265
• /
• 2003

In our study, we extracted the market, finance, and government factors determining R&D investment of individual firms in the IT industry in Korea. We collected the financial data of 515 individual firms belonging to IT and non-IT industries between 1980 and 1999 from the Korea Investors Service's database and investigated the empirical relationship between the factors using an ordinary regression model, a fixed effects model, and a random effects model. The main findings of our study are as follows: i) The Herfindahl Index variable representing the degree of market concentration is statistically insignificant in explaining R&D expenditures in the IT manufacturing industry. ii) Assets, which is used as a proxy variable for firm size, have a positive and statistically significant coefficient. These two results suggest that the Schumpeterian Hypothesis may be only partially applied to the IT manufacturing industry in Korea. iii) The dividend variable has a negative value and is statistically significant, indicating that a tendency of high dividends can restrict the internal cash flow for R&D investment. iv) The sales variable representing growth potential shows a positive coefficient. v) The subsidy as a proxy variable for governmental R&D promotion policies is positively correlated with R&D expenditure. This suggests that government policy has played a significant role in promoting R&D activities of IT firms in Korea since 1980. vi) Using a dummy variable, we verified that firms reduced their R&D investments to secure sufficient liquidity under the restructuring pressure during Korea's 1998 and 1999 economic crisis.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.1-16
• /
• 2013

The purpose of study is to promote the development of medium size enterprises(MSE) by analyzing the causal relationship between technology acquisition strategy and firms' performance. In this study, we use the number of intellectual property, sales growth rates, and return on sales as proxy variables of technological and financial performances. This study includes internal R&D investment, cooperative R&D with academy, foreign technologies transferred, and their interaction effects as the independent variables. The results of study are as follows. Frist, R&D Investment, Foreign Technologies Transferred and their interaction effects are positively influence on technological performance. Second, Cooperative R&D with academy and the interaction effects of R&D Investment and Cooperative R&D with academy are negative influence on technological performance. On the other hand, all of the main independent variables and the interaction effects have non-significant relationships with financial performances. These results imply that technological innovation efforts of MSEs do not effectively increase their financial performances. Furthermore, technological supports of government and academy on MSEs' innovation do not effectively increase their innovation outputs. Finally, this study discussed its theoretical and practical implications and the limitations of the study.

• Food Science and Industry
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.410-421
• /
• 2020

Regarding a long-term strategic plan in the food and agriculture sector, R&D policies and investment trends in major overseas countries are reviewel. The importance of efficient resource management is emphasized along with continuous government support for R&D in the agri-food industry. In response to facing social issues such as climate change, food security, food safety, health, and environment, research and innovation agenda is mainly focused on harmony between economy and environment, human nutrition and health as well as animal and plant health, and an integrated ecosystem approach. Particularly in the food sector, public investment is generally made in food safety, nutrition and health, and private investment for food processing and manufacturing. Public-private collaboration is carried out in order to enhance the efficiency of R&D innovation and development strategies in the agri-food industry.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.61-70
• /
• 2020

The 4th Industrial Revolution is a revolutionary change through intelligence, big fusion and personalization, and the importance of sensor technology that is the basis of core technology is emerging. This study empirically analyzes the derivation of national strategy for R&D of sensor technology, and draws out the effect of technology internalization effort through strategic R&D activities on technical performance and further on national economy. The research and development results are calculated for each type of technology internalization, and the results of the research and development are verified to establish a structure that contributes to the national economic performance. As a national technology internalization strategy, considering its own R&D investment and joint research and development, we examine the impact of each factor on patents and GDP, focusing on causality and ripple effects. For causality analysis, Grandeur causality analysis shows that R&D investment and joint research and development in all countries have mutual causal relationship with GDP. The implications are as follows. First, it is necessary to establish the policy of national economic development through the internalization of technology and knowledge. Second, it is necessary to establish policies according to the type of knowledge internalization. Third, it will be necessary to create an ecosystem environment based on a virtuous relationship between knowledge internalization and national technology and economic development.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.139-150
• /
• 2017

In Korea, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an pivotal role in the national economy, accounting for 99.9% of all enterprises, 87.9% of total employment, and 48.3% of production. In spite of their crucial role in the national development, most of SMEs suffer from a lack of R&D related resources. Public R&D organizations such as government-funded research institutes can provide SMEs with valuable supplementary technological knowledge and help them build technological capacity. In this regard, this study estimated the effect of internal R&D investment and private-public R&D cooperation on technological innovation of ICT SMEs based on 2016 ETRI Survey. Building on previous literatures, the study established and tested a research model using binary logistic regression analysis. First, internal R&D investment and preferences for open innovation demonstrated the strengthening of R&D collaboration. Second, internal R&D investment and R&D cooperation showed a positive effect on both product and process innovation. Therefore, internal R&D capability and taking advantage of R&D collaboration are needed to achieve technological innovation for SMEs in ICT sector. This study also discuss implications for encouraging private-public R&D cooperation.

• Korean small business review
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.147-172
• /
• 2020

This study presents the determinants of R&D efficiency as the focus on CEO's competency, which influences R&D competency and R&D efficiency. The research samples are 6,708 technology-innovation small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The independent variable is the R&D competency(existence of R&D organization, level of R&D personnel, R&D personnel management, R&D investment), the dependent variable is R&D efficiency. The moderator is the CEO's competency(experience level in its own industry, technical knowledge level, technology management strategy, management ability). R&D efficiency measures the relationship between inputs(level of R&D personnel, R&D investment) and outputs(patent applications, prototype) by the DEA. and the determinant analysis uses Tobit regression. As a result of the analysis, the existence of R&D organization and R&D personnel management is positively significant, level of R&D personnel and R&D investment is negatively significant for R&D efficiency. The moderating effect of CEO's competency on the relationship between the R&D competency and R&D efficiency is significant determinants of CEO's experience(experience level in its own industry, technical knowledge level) and technology management strategy. The finding is to measure the efficiency of R&D performance, and to analyze its determinants as the moderating effect of CEO's competency, using the technology appraisal data. In the conclusion session, the limitations of the research and future research directions were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.31-40
• /
• 2017

In this paper, we compared the efficiencies of national R&D investments between NT (Nanotechnology) areas in terms of papers, patents, and commercializations, and found ways to improve the efficiencies of national R&D investments for each NT area. This is in response to huge R&D investments government has made recently in NT areas. Here, we collected data on investments, papers, patents, and commercializations for the R&D projects in NT areas through National Science & Technology Information Service. Based on the data, we analyzed the investment and performances (papers, patents, and commercializations) for each NT area, calculated the efficiency for each NT area, and compared the efficiencies between NT areas. Next, using cluster analysis, we identified several NT areas with similar characteristics in terms of paper efficiency, patent efficiency and commercialization efficiency. Finally, we derived implications for the efficiency enhancement for each grouping. The cluster analysis showed that there could be two groups, one being low in terms of technological outcome (papers and patents) efficiencies and high in terms of commercialization efficiencies, while the other being high in terms of technological outcome (papers and patents) efficiencies and low in terms of commercialization efficiencies. Therefore, the strategy for one group calls for support for technology transfer or technology introduction from other R&D performers and grant of guidance for improving R&D performers' commercialization ability to other R&D performers while the strategy for the other group calls for R&D support for transfer of technology to other R&D performers, activation of technology transfer and support for commercialization of R&D performers.

• Knowledge Management Research
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.173-187
• /
• 2021

In that economic growth strategy through maximizing input would not working anymore in the rapidly changing economic environment, now we should focus on the improvement of firms' efficiency. This study estimate the efficiency and determinants of the efficiency using the panel data of 938 Korean manufacturing firms which ranked in high R&D investment firms during 2005~2018. We found that both R&D intensity as R&D input and patent stock as R&D output increase the efficiency of firms independently. And firm size, debt ratio, profitability also affect the firm's efficiency.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.47-63
• /
• 2018

Government R&D grants for SMEs have risen to three trillion Korean won a year, placing Korea second among OECD nations. Indeed, analysis results have revealed that government support has not only expanded corporate R&D investment and the registration of intellectual property rights but has also increased investment in tangible and human assets and marketing. However, value added, sales and operating profit have lacked improvement owing to an ineffective recipient selection system that relies solely on qualitative assessments by technology experts. Nevertheless, if a predictive model is properly applied to the system, the causal effect on value added could increase by more than two fold. Accordingly, it is important to focus on economic performance rather than technical achievements to develop such a model.