• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.111-127
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• 2022

With the progress of the 4th industrial revolution, interest in smart factories is increasing. The government is implementing a smart factory support project for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. Therefore, in this study, factors influencing small and medium-sized enterprises(SME's) intention of smart factory acceptance were analyzed. In particular, it focused on how the perception of government support affects intention of smart factory acceptance. For the empirical analysis, a research model was established by reflecting the characteristics of SMEs and the technical factors of the smart factory centering on the technology acceptance theory. Based on the model set in this way, a questionnaire survey was conducted for employees of SMEs. In this study, a total of 231 samples of valid data were used for analysis. The empirical analysis results are as follows. It was analyzed that performance expectancy, social influence, technology utilization capability, CEO will, and employee resistance to innovation, all introduced as research variables, had a significant effect on the use intention of smart factory acceptance. In particular, it was found that employees' resistance to innovation had a negative (-) effect on their use intention. Meanwhile, to analyze the moderating effect of government support, it was divided into a group with high expectations for government support and a group with low expectations. As a result, it was found that there was a difference in the effect of CEO's will, employees' resistance to innovation, and social influence on the use intention. On the other hand, no significant difference was found in the relationship between performance expectancy, technology utilization capability on the use intention. Based on the empirical analysis results, the academic and practical implications of this study were presented.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2016

This study examined 142 electronic components, video, audio, and communications equipment manufacturers (KSIC 32) out of all the SMEs that responded to the Survey on Technology of the Small and Medium Enterprises in both 2005 and 2007 and empirically analyzed how the external resources utilization and the absorptive capability affected the management and the innovation performance in two years as well as how the absorptive capability moderated these relationships. According to the results of analysis, the external resources utilization, as measured by the technology collaboration and the governments R&D subsidies, did not have a significant impact on performance whereas R&D investment showed a positive (+) influence on the sales and R&D personnel ratio, negative (-). On the other hand, the moderating effect of absorptive capability varied by measurement method and independent variables. That is, when a technology collaboration takes place, the performance improved with the increase of R&D investment but R&D personnel ration had an opposite effect. The companies whose performance improved as the government R&D subsidies increase are those with low R&D investment or high R&D personnel ratio. These results demonstrate that the SME's external resources utilization cannot replace the internal and that the absorptive capability needs to be accumulated to maximize the effectiveness of external resources utilization. Also, the technology collaboration requires SME's aggressive investment in R&D and the government R&D subsidies turn out to be more helpful for the companies that already have the R&D personnel but have been unable to develop their own technology due to insufficient funds. This study has limitations in that it was conducted within the limited industry categories and samples, but has overcome those of the existing researches by identifying causal relationships through the use of longitudinal data.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.145-157
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• 2017

SMEs play an important role in the domestic economy. Regarding competency to respond flexibly to unpredictable changes, agility of SMEs is more emphasized. Entrepreneurship orientation is an important factor in the source of SMEs that enable such competency. Entrepreneurial orientation refers to the tendency of a CEO or a member of a corporation to be innovative, risk-taking, and active in the face of various market opportunities. In other words, it refers to the tendency to be expressed in the activities of the entire company without regard to specific technologies or industries. Entrepreneurial orientation has a direct or indirect effect on business performance. Therefore, in this study, we conducted theoretical and empirical studies on the effect of entrepreneurial orientation of SME managers on business performance. Research hypotheses were derived through theoretical research. We focused on the mediating effect of innovation activity and tried to identify the mechanism that entrepreneurial orientation leads to business performance through product innovation and service innovation activity. We investigated whether innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking, which are sub-variables of entrepreneurial orientation, affect business performance through product innovation and service innovation. We conducted a survey of SMEs in Busan and Kyungnam regions to examine the research hypotheses. The results show that product innovation and service innovation have mediating effects. The results of the study are as follows. Product innovation has mediating effect of innovativeness and risk-taking on business performance. Service innovation has been found to mediate innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking on business performance. There was a difference in the mediation effect between the two innovations. Product innovation showed a low mediating effect and a large direct effect. On the other hands, service innovation is relatively more mediating than product innovation. The implications of the research results are derived in relation to the essential differences between product innovation and service innovation. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are presented.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.245-287
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• 2015

Architectural innovation is being regarded as one having major influence on the rate of performance improvement, even if this type of innovation does not show the highest level of technological discontinuity. Radical innovation firms who made a breakthrough product new to an industry, approach a certain point of time in which the speed of performance improvement very slows down, if architectural efficiency is not improved. At this time, this firm's prior experience in developing inferior, but very creative radical product architecture might work as paradoxical impediments to architectural innovation, the following important event. This study intends to understand the relationship between shifts in market needs and technological problem solving strategy, which exist before. after, and during architectural innovation, based on conceptual framework in which both stage and problem solving perspectives are combined. Korean SME, JAHWA Electronics could succeed in diffusion of vibration motor, by overcoming technological mental model locked in seemingly successful first generation architecture of coin type vibration motor. In-depth single case study including interviews and active participative observations was carried out for building longitudinal understanding of this innovation concept.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.31-44
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of CEO's self-determination on entrepreneurship, business performance (operational and financial performance). Also, this research provide some strategic insights for improving business performance. In the proposed model, self-determination consists of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and entrepreneurship consists of innovation, initiative and risk sensitivity, and proactiveness. More specifically, this study proposes a framework that entrepreneurship and operational performance will play mediating roles between self-determination and financial performance. Research design, data, methodology: In this study, an online survey was conducted on SME CEOs for analysis, and a total of 122 samples were used. In the analysis process for hypothesis verification and evaluation, frequency analysis was first performed to identify the demographic characteristics of the respondents, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement model. In addition, a structural model analysis was conducted to examine the structural relationships between CEO's self-determination, entrepreneurship, and business performance (operational and financial performance) using SmartPLS 3.0. Results: The findings and summary are as follows. First, the autonomy of self-determination has a positive effect on entrepreneurship. Second, the competence of self-determination affects entrepreneurship and operational performance. Third, it affects the innovation, initiative and risk sensitivity of the CEO's entrepreneurship, and ultimately, its operational performance. The results show that the business performance of Start-up also increases when self-determination can be a factor in increasing entrepreneurship in three sub-dimensionalities. Conclusions: The conclusion of this study is that in order for SMEs to develop into a sustainable company by securing competitiveness after start-up, external motivation such as external help and support from the state (local government) is important, but competence and relationship, which are components of self-determination. The intrinsic motivation of the CEO may be more important. To this end, CEO's should prioritize learning for competency development, and the government should pay attention to providing various educational programs through establishment of education policies and education systems to enhance the competency of start-up CEO's.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.130-151
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• 2012

Fraunhofer was founded in 1949 and grew into Europe's largest application-oriented research organization. Fraunhofer currently employs over 20,000 members in Germany, is internationally networked, and manages an R&D budget of over 1,8 Billion Euros per year. An important step for Fraunhofer to become an integral component of the German innovation system was the introduction of the Fraunhofer Model of financing based on a performance-related system of financial management. The underlying model of the allocation and distribution of public funding to Fraunhofer that is subsequently allotted to specific research groups is one of the success factors of Fraunhofer. Fraunhofer is proud of its decentralized organizational model. Fraunhofer is comprised of 60 Institutes in Germany working in different fields, under one legal framework, and with a strong brand value. Every Fraunhofer Institute is affiliated with a German University and every institute director simultaneously holds a chair at the affiliated university. It is a challenge for the headquarter organization to balance the intended competition of individual Fraunhofer Institutes with complementarity cooperation in science among Fraunhofer-Institutes, especially when coming from different knowledge domains; however, this goal results in a significant advantage. The unique strengths of Fraunhofer offer system solutions in a world with increasingly complex R&D challenges. While growing to become the largest organization on Europe to focus on applied research it is the challenge to remain an agile organization that is flexible in organizational structure. Fraunhofer has reached a well-recognized position in the European innovation landscape. It is often referred to by science and governments as a role model for innovation policy and a key element of the latest successes in the German economy that has recovered quicker from the latest economic crisis than most other western economies. The paper explains Fraunhofer as an organizational paradigm and its underlying management model to elaborate on the challenges of managing a research organization. We wish to show how it is possible to transfer the management model and philosophy of Fraunhofer to innovation systems with different framework conditions and challenges. A universal conclusion may be drawn based on the description of Fraunhofer; however, changes in existing structures and innovation systems cannot be implemented over night.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.147-175
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• 2006

One of the biggest problems of Korean economy is polarization of firms for export and domestic demand and that of conglomerates and SME's achievement. One of the culprits lies weakness of intermediate industry such as machine tool. Since intermediate industry is important path where export performance affects domestic demand and whose actor usually is SMEs with high spill over effect in labor market. Especially, intermediate industry Is vulnerable because of industrial policy biased In backward linkage effect. However if a country fails to develop intermediate industry above some critical point, that country would fall in low-tech equilibrium without growth. In case of benign circle where final goods industry growth leads growth of intermediate industry and again it leads that of final goods industry, it can reach high-tech equilibrium. By contrast, in opposite case where in industrialization latecomer fails to link industries likewise above some critical point that country would fall in low-tech equilibrium without growth. Moreover, for several reasons, machine tool firms of Korea have difficulty in catching up technology above critical point. Firstly. Conglomerate demander neglects their product. Secondly, even after success of development overcoming difficulties they fail to get market share for response of dumping of foreign competitors. And the last one is patent litigation of foreign competitors that incapacitate the technology development. For these, Korean machine tool firms fell in 'middle-income country trap' itself, since they stuck in some extent when they technologically catch up. Consequently, for latecomer country in machine tool industry to leapfrog meaningfully policy support is necessary, Weak intermediate industry does not Induce domestic firms and remained fragile. Therefore, localization, policy should reflect condition of technological catch up more than before, in order to be effective and fruitful. There should be turning point over relationship between conglomerates, major demander of machine tool and SME's, for only with active purchasing of conglomerate Korean machine industry can grow.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.117-126
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• 2019

This study conducted correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis using financial statements, loan structure, ROA and ROA volatility of domestic commercial banks, regional banks and special banks for the past five years (2012 ~ 2016). The result is as follows. First, as a result of correlation analysis, bank's ROA is positively related to household loans and SME loans, but it is negatively correlated with the ratio of loans to large companies, sector bias, and loan loss provision ratio. Second, ROA volatility was negatively related to household loans and SME loans, but it was positively correlated with large corporate loans, sector bias ratio, and loan loss provision ratio. Third, as a result of the regression analysis, the variables that have a statistically significant effect on the ROA volatility of banks were household loans, SME loans, and large enterprise loans. From these empirical results, special banks with high volatility in profits need to diversify loan types and sectors in order to achieve business performance outside of policy finance. and Especially, Suhyup Bank and Nonghyup Bank, which have a large commercial role, have a large size per unit by focusing on short-term profit and Rather than focusing on large companies or large loans that are easy to obtain financial information, it is necessary to focus management capabilities on household loans and SME loans by developing capabilities such as screening techniques.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.83-92
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• 2021

The construction of smart factories for government SMEs is not easy due to the lack of professional manpower. The use of retired professionals is a way to solve the problem to some extent and to solve the job problem of seniors by effectively utilizing social assets. This study examines the effectiveness of using Meister based on a survey of 195 companies participating in the Smart Meister Support Program. As a result, the better pre-participation readiness and the better management and coordination of change during the participation, the more significant influence was on Meister's ability development and corporate performance. In particular, it was confirmed that Meister's competence plays a role in both 'pre-participation readiness and business performance' and 'between change management during participation and business performance'. In order to improve the performance of the smart meister business in the future, it is necessary to proactively promote the purpose and purpose of the business targeting companies that wish to participate in the business. In addition, it was found that it is necessary to support the development of change management in order to minimize the resistance to innovation during the project. It will be possible to enhance social competitiveness by resolving senior jobs and strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs by discovering and utilizing Meister, who is an expert among retirees.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.19-35
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• 2023

Recently, the government has emphasized the importance of establishing an innovation system for SMEs as part of an innovative growth strategy for national economic development. SMEs in Korea are experiencing many difficulties due to the loss of industrial competitiveness due to the powerful wave of the 4th industrial revolution along with the pandemic of COVID-19 that started in 2020. In relation to environmental changes, it is emerging as an important issue for SMEs to pursue open innovation for survival and growth, as well as to possess excellent technological innovation capabilities. In accordance with the need for such research, this study analyzed the factors that affect business performance or technological performance of small and medium-sized manufacturers, and identified the relationship between these influencing factors and corporate performance. The results of this study suggest that it is important for SMEs to effectively utilize R&D services and technology innovation capabilities and resources possessed by SMEs to secure a competitive advantage. The results of this stu dy are considered to be able to provide basic data and information necessary for SMEs to secu re a competitive edge and enhance industrial competitiveness through government support systems and open innovation.