• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.213-236
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• 2017

World trade has entered a stagnant state, protection trade measures are spread due to delayed economic recovery in developed countries, sluggish investment in emerging economies such as China, economic recession in resource exporting countries, and geopolitical and political uncertainties along with the election period in the US and other major industrialized countries. Thus, in the economic structure of our country with a focus on export, for small and medium enterprises to grow, efforts for having various markets are necessary. The importance of the trade insurance system, which can support the risk management of enterprises, is emphasized by the fact that the majority of SME exporters have a risk management level and a lack of corporate capacity to enter the global market. This study was surveyed with 87 small and medium export companies in South Korea. The purpose of this study is to verify the effect relationship how service quality of trade insurance and utilization of trade insurance impact on the risk management of trade payment and export performance. The research hypothesis and model was derived from the basis of existing theory and empirical research, and obtained the following results. Firstly, Service Quality of Trade Insurance showed positive (+) effect on Export Performance. Secondly, Utilization of Trade Insurance showed positive (+) effect on Risk Management of Trade Payment. Thirdly, Risk Management of Trade Payment showed positive (+) effect on Export Performance. This study is differentiated from previous research information by empirically evaluating the relationship between the risk management of trade payment and export performance through utilization of trade insurance. This study contributed to academic by examining the research on the risk management of trade insurance and also practically suggested the direction how small and medium export company is to take the advantage of the trade insurance.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.219-227
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• 2020

Rapid changes in the environment, such as the 4th Industrial Revolution, provide crises and opportunities for SMEs. The government is trying to improve and expand the SME support project, but has not been able to achieve the desired results. This study studied the effective performance factors of overseas marketing support projects in response to changes in the role of SMEs. The research was conducted based on a survey of coporations applying for export support projects. As a result of the research, the corporate competence, the support quality from the support institution, and the consultant competency have a significant influence on the utilization of the support project. In addition, it was analyzed that the utilization of support projects has a significant effect on corporate performance. In order to achieve the performance of support projects under a changing export environment, support organizations, consultants, and coporation should strengthen their competences. This study suggests the criteria for judging the actual factors necessary for the improvement of the export support project, and studies on how to strengthen the competences of each factor should be conducted in the future.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.75
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• pp.117-136
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• 2017

Trade finance services have been played an important role in the Korea trade development history since 1960's. These days the trade environment is confronted by the 4th Industrial revolution and new trade protectionism. So we need to improve the Korea Trade Finance Services in order to improve Korea trade volume. Bank of Korea(BOK) also revised the Rule of Korea Trade Finance in 2014 and enlarged the trade fund for commercial banks where they handle the trade finance to small and medium enterprises(SME) in 2016. This article handle the current state and problems of Korea trade finance services and suggest the improvement measures as follows; First, the commercial banks, which handle trade finance fund, should improve the customs and practice of judge loan for SMEs. Second, the export volume counting rule for trade loan should harmonize between BOK's Rule and Foreign Trade Management Regulation under the Foreign Trade Act. Third, the processing trade and intermediate trade also can use the trade finance like other trade. Fourth, Trade finance should be in balance between export and import finance to defend the new protectionism. It means that the trade finance should expand to import in the certain conditions. Lastly, the related trade promotion agencies and their employees should improve their skills and abilities for handling trade finance.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.345-352
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• 2021

Guided by a resource-based theory, this study is the first one that takes a quantitative approach to identify determinants of competitiveness of women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The study employs time series data of Vietnamese SMEs extracted from the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprises Survey conducted biennially from 2005 to 2015 in ten Vietnamese provinces. Firm competitiveness hereby is indicated by revenue, market share, profitability, and export volume. The research reveals a number of determining factors, of all, research and development, labor skills, business environment, technology investment are the most important factors, followed by capital and headcount. It is indicated that the determining factors have different influences on competitiveness obtained by different measurements. Therefore, it is based on specific targets and situations to make wise business decisions. The authors also make comparisons among groups of women-owned enterprises divided by their firm age, location, ownership, export, age, and educational background of business owners. The findings serve as critical empirical evidence and provide policy recommendations for improving the competitiveness of women-owned SMEs in Vietnam. The recommendations range from technology support, education and professional support for female entrepreneurs, access to capital and human resources to business environment improvement.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.3-26
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• 2011

The objective of this study is to improve export performance using e-Trade marketing systems. The use of e-Trade has been increasing but there is some controversy about the performance of e-Trade marketing for Small-to-Medium enterprises (SME). The research construct for determining the export performance is suggested and five factors are introduced in this paper such as: B2B relationship and cooperation, product complexity, online fitness, level of internationalization, and use of e-Trade marketing. Sample data were collected from the companies who are familiar with the e-Trade systems. The result shows that the use of e-Trade marketing mostly contributes to the increase of export performance. The regression and cluster analysis shows that both variables of e-Trade marketing and on-line fitness are significant to high export performance group. The implication for SMEs is that the use of e-Trade marketing methods could contribute to the increase of export performance and more analytical works need to be made for future study.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.199-210
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• 2015

This study analyzes various aspects of the successful overseas expansion of SMEs that export consumer goods with their own brands. Through in-depth interviews with CEOs and marketing practitioners of fifteen SMEs that export consumer goods of their own brands, researchers examined the determinants of the decisions to export own-brand products, forms of expansion into foreign markets, firms' distribution networks, firms' technological and marketing capabilities, export barriers, and export support services offered by the government. The results indicate that these companies obtained competitiveness in the design and quality of their products through steady R&D investment, with a focus on niche markets. This study also shows that they established foreign branches, participated in overseas trade fairs, and tapped into foreign markets with Korean home shopping channels and department stores to build distribution channels and to find new buyers. However, the findings of this study reveal that many of those companies export both OEM/OEM products as well as their own-brand products due to the low level of brand awareness in foreign markets. Thus, efforts to improve their brand awareness in the global market are much needed. In addition, this paper demonstrates that the programs and services provided by state-run organizations need improvement in credibility and expertise. This research suggests recommendations for successful export programs, and provides meaningful insights for consumer-goods SMEs establishing foreign market entry strategies with their own brands.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.167-178
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• 2016

This study was carried out for two purposes. One is to analyse the relationship between export performance and the five capabilities of R&D intensive firms (new product development, overseas market information, SNS and communications, brand and marketing). The second purpose is to verify the difference in those capabilities between R&D intensive small companies and mid-sized companies. Based on the OECD's classification of "technology intensity", R&D intensive firms are defined as the firms which are investing more than 5% of their annual sales in R&D activities. This study reveals the significant and positive relationships between the export performance and three capabilities( overseas market information, SNS and communication, brand) except for new product development capabilities and marketing capabilities. Those capabilities increase export performance. On the other hand, this study finds a significant difference in overseas market information capabilities and brand competence between R & D-intensive SMEs and mid sized companies. It is shown that those two capabilities in the mid sized firms are stronger than in the SMEs. These findings have important implications for the growth of R&D intensive SMEs in the global market. First, for higher export performance of R&D intensive firms, three capabilities such as overseas market information, SNS-communication and brand should be strengtened. In particular, SNS-communication capabilities as innovative marketing competences should be developed together with traditional marketing capabilities. Second, the growth of SMEs into Mid-sized firms needs the development of brand competences and overseas market information capabilities.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.49-64
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• 2020

Overseas expansion by small and medium-sized enterprises of the Korean software industry has been sluggish, with many SMEs lacking the necessary capabilities required for successful entry into the overseas markets. This study aims to identify the capabilities SMEs require to advance into overseas markets and develop a diagnosis model for evaluating overseas entry capability appropriate to the characteristics of SMEs. A basic research was first performed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of the software industry, software exports, and SMEs. Based on this research, the study aimed to develop a model for diagnosing overseas entry capability of SMEs by dividing the required overseas entry capability into globalization capability in product area and internal competence from a resource-based perspective. In addition, This study aims to contribute to the success of SMEs in overseas markets by presenting a diagnosis model that evaluates the capabilities required to advance into overseas markets.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.307-327
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the role of the type of strategies on the relationship organizational culture, strategics activities and the export performance of manufacturing SMEs. This study analyzed the moderated effects of type of strategies between the organizational culture, strategic activities and the export performance of SMEs. This study suggested 20 questions latent variables based on existing research. Organizational culture were divided into adhocracy culture and market culture and strategy types were divided into prospectors and defenders. The sample SMEs be analyzed were 200 firms. The 7 hypotheses including moderated effects were analyzed by using LISREL as structural equation modeling. In the result of empirical analysis, the adhocracy culture indicates a positive effect on customer relationship building activities but product quality assurance activities was not significant. Market culture showed a positive impact on both customer relationship building and quality assurance activities. This study conducted multi-group analysis for the purpose of the moderated effects of type of strategies. Multi-group analysis results showed that there are difference effects between the relationship of adhocracy culture, customer relationship building activities and product quality assurance activities. In addition, the group choice adhocracy culture based on the prospectors strategy had a greater impact than the market culture group on the relationship building activities and export performance.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.485-516
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• 2011

Republic of Korea is small nation that is comprised of 0.7% of the world population and occupying just 0.07% of the world territory. Despite this, Republic of Korea once again proved herself to be as the world's major economic powerhouse by becoming the world's 7th largest exporter in 2010. However, the reality is that Republic of Korea is still significantly concerned about the volatile economic nature and anxiety that is spread across the globe since the global depression that began at the end of 2008 and the financial crisis that has been threatening the Euro-Zone recently. This has resulted in the nation reaching the limitation in significant economic growth and limited creation of jobs within the nation and due to such circumstances, the nation is becoming more aware of the fact that she needs to pay more attention on the service sector and service exports if she was to see a more positive economic outlook in the upcoming future. This research is aimed to analyse the cost that is associated with the service export sector, by examining a number of enterprises in relation to the MICE(Meeting Incentives Convention Exhibition) industry which certainly has both direct and indirect influences on the service exports of the nation Further, the prime goal of the research is to encourage the SMEs of Korea, who have substandard experience associated to foreign exports, to intensify and increase service exports and also the goal extends to the degree to suggest appropriate assistance measures to aid these enterprises to achieve such goals. This research is fundamentally designed and based on the literature research associated with the MICE industry and also, this research is premeditated through the analysis of the case of exports to Vietnam. As the result of research, it has been found out that SMEs in the MICE industry and those of in service export sector are reluctant or even feel insecure to attempt any kind of export of their services mainly due to; the lack of foreign market information and also the lack of experience associated with service exports. Furthermore, it has also been revealed that the difficulty to estimate the validity and profitability of service the export is a significant factor withholding those enterprises from attempting any service export to the foreign markets. Henceforth, in order to aid and stimulate service export to the foreign markets by these SMEs (including those in association with the MICE industry), it is imperative to prepare an one-stop service export assistance program which would provide the information associated with marketing, law and legislation, taxation system and financial area in regard to the global markets.