• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.185-196
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of split ratings on earnings management through cost adjustments based on asymmetric cost behaviors. Using a sample of 2,027 Korean firm-year observations over the 2002-2019 period, we analyze whether a firm deliberately reduces discretionary costs, such as selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses, to improve profits when it receives multiple ratings from credit rating agencies (CRAs). While examining earnings management incentives in the presence of split ratings, we also investigate the moderating effects of Chaebols, Korea's unique corporate governance structure. We find that split-rating firms show less stickiness in SG&A costs compared to non-split-rating firms when sales decrease. This result implies the deliberate reduction of discretionary costs to improve earnings in the presence of split ratings, which are more likely to change in future credit assessments. We also find that the incentives for earnings management of split-rating firms are limited in Chaebol firms, which have high levels of socio-economic surveillance and support affiliated firms through the internal market of corporate groups. This study contributes to existing research by identifying new determinants of cost behavior by using the framework of asymmetric cost behavior in relation to earnings management incentives.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.423-431
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• 2019

This study examines the effect of the liability limitation provision (LLP) adoption on firm's cost behavior. In April 2011, Korea introduced the LLP with the purpose of improving the management efficiency by mitigating the risks caused by the manager's failure to make decisions related to business operation. However, there are concerns that the adoption of LLP may lead the manager's moral hazard, so the need for empirical research to verify the effect of the LLP adoption is emphasized. In this study, we analyze the effect of the LLP adoption empirically, focusing on the cost behavior that is affected by the manager's decision making. From the empirical result, we find that LLP adopted companies have strengthened the cost stickiness of selling, general, and administrative costs rather than non-adopted companies. This suggests that the manager of LLP adopted company makes a more active decision to consider adjusting costs in order to prepare for future recovery in sales when sales is reduced. This study presents empirical evidence to prove the policy validity of the adoption of LLP, and we expect that our results can contribute to the capital market and academia.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.209-216
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• 2018

This study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility activities (CSR) on cost stickiness. The asymmetrical cost behavior in which the cost reduction rate of a company is lower than the cost increase rate of an increase in sales is called cost stickiness. In this study, we separated the companies with CSR and those without CSR, and then compared their cost behaviors. This study reports that the cost stickiness of the companies performing the CSR is stronger than the companies that did not. This means that the company needs ongoing investments to create value through the CSR, so it is difficult to reduce committed resources involved immediately when sales declines. We expect that the result of this study provides meaningful insight to participants in the capital market by presenting empirical evidence that the firms' CSR can affect the managers' costs decisions.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.25-38
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• 2022

The purpose of this paper is to verify the cost behavior of non-listed companies in Mongolia from 2013 to 2018. And we investigate the relationship between cost behavior and earnings management. Earnings management was measured using the Big-Bath and avoiding loss incentives. Big-Bath suspected firms report a very large loss and avoiding loss suspected firms have a bite profit. The results of this study are as follows. First, non-listed firms in Mongolia, operating costs(oc) and selling, general and administrative(sga) costs show the cost stickiness. Second, cost stickiness was different depending on the earnings management. The suspected avoiding loss firms have upward earnings management incentives, operating costs and sga costs all present anti-cost stickiness. The suspected big bath firms strengthen the cost stickiness of operating costs and sga costs. This study is meaningful in that it first analyzed the relationship between earnings management and cost stickiness of non-listed firms in Mongolia using empirical data. It will be meaningful in that it provides relevant information to those interested in research and investment.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.71-84
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to extract the characteristic cost through the time series analysis of each cost from 2003 to 2014, and to grasp the performance and relevance of the enterprise. Therefore, in this section, we analyzed the time-series analysis of selling, administrative, and non-operating expenses as described above. First, depreciation cost, advertising cost, transportation cost, research cost, current research cost, and ordinary development cost were extracted as the variables of interest to be verified in the empirical analysis. However, in the analysis of non-operating expenses, we could not extract the specific cost, but we could grasp the time-series flow of cost data before and after two epochs such as financial crisis and introduction of IFRS obligation. The results of this study show that sales management costs have a positive (+) effect on firm value. Empirical analysis confirms that management is trying to increase or decrease the cost This can be confirmed by the empirical results of this paper. At present, general enterprise accounting is done through ERP system. However, since the ERP system does not have an analysis system for each sales and management cost, the current system has difficulty in knowing the budget item for each cost each time the expenditure resolution for each cost item is made, It is a reality that the expenditure plan must be managed separately and it is inconvenient to keep it. However, if this practical difficulty is solved by the cost analysis system such as sales management cost, the present accounting information system will be further developed. Furthermore, the management will increase the profit item It is thought that coordination actions can also be prevented in advance.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.539-557
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• 2012

This study purposes to analyze how the level of diversification affects cost stickiness behavior. Specifically, we document that cost stickiness behavior is bigger in case of firm with a high level of related diversification. The purpose mentioned above are empirically tested using 1,508 firm-year data listed on Korea Stock Exchange from 2000 to 2009 and regression analysis methods were used for the analysis of the research hypotheses. The following are the results of this study : First, the increase in SG&A(selling, general and administrative costs) as sales increases is greater than the decrease in SG&A in respect to the equivalent decrease in sales. Second, cost stickiness behavior is bigger in case of firm with a high level of diversification. Also, cost stickiness behavior is bigger as the level of related diversification increase. These results imply that the level of diversification effects on the cost stickiness behavior.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.215-224
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• 2022

This study tried to examine the effect of cost asymmetry on food service companies and what characteristics affect such cost behavior. This study analyses cost behavior for cost of good sold, selling, general and administrative cost over the 2019-2020 period. Also, the rate of change in activity level was measured using change in sales. This study measures the behavior of cost using the research model of [1]. As a result of the analysis, it was found that food service companies exhibited cost asymmetric behavior as their sales level decreased. In addition, the cost asymmetric behavior has been strengthened since the corona virus, and the shorter the operating cycle. Lastly, the shorter the inventory holding period and the collection period of accounts receivable, which are components of the operating cycle, more strengthen asymmetric behavior of costs. These results seem to be meaningful in examining the cost structure and factors that may affect the structure for food service industry. This has approached the cost aspect of the situation faced by service food companies due to COVID-19, and it can be suggested that this pandemic can lead to cost reduction due to a decrease in corporate sales.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.22
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• pp.137-165
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• 2007

It seems high time to increase productivity by adopting e-business to overcome challenges posed by both external factors including the appreciation of Korean won, oil hikes and fierce global competition and domestic issues represented by disparities between large corporations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Seoul metropolitan and local cities, and export and domestic demand all of which weaken future growth engines in the Korean economy. The demands of the globalization era are for innovative changes in businessprocess and industrial structure aiming for creating new values. To this end, e-business is expected to play a core role in the sophistication of the Korean economy through new values and innovation. In order to examine business performance in e-business-adopting industries, this study analyzed the home shopping industry by closely looking into the financial ratios including the ratio of net profit to sales, the ratio of operation income to sales, the ratio of gross cost to sales cost, the ratio of gross cost to selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense, and return of investment (ROI). This study, for best outcome, referred to corporate financial statements as a main resource to calculate financial ratios by utilizing Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART) of the Financial Supervisory Service, one of the Korea's financial supervisory authorities. First of all, the result of the trend analysis on the ratio of net profit to sales is as following. CJ Home Shopping has registered a remarkable increase in its ratio of net profit rate to sales since 2002 while its competitors find it hard to catch up with CJ's stunning performances. This is partly due to the efficient management compared to CJ's value of capital. Such significance, if the current trend continues, will make the front-runner assume the largest market share. On the other hand, GS Home Shopping, despite its best organized system and largest value of capital among others, lacks efficiency in management. Second of all, the result of the trend analysis on the ratio of operation income to sales is as following. Both CJ Home Shopping and GS Home Shopping have, until 2004, recorded similar growth trend. However, while CJ Home Shopping's operating income continued to increase in 2005, GS Home Shopping observed its operating income declining which resulted in the increasing income gap with CJ Home Shopping. While CJ Home Shopping with the largest market share in home shopping industryis engaged in aggressive marketing, GS Home Shopping due to its stability-driven management strategies falls behind CJ again in the ratio of operation income to sales in spite of its favorable management environment including its large capital. Companies in the Group B were established in the same year of 2001. NS Home Shopping was the first in the Group B to shift its loss to profit. Woori Home Shopping has continued to post operating loss for three consecutive years and finally was sold to Lotte Group in 2007, but since then, has registered a continuing increase in net income on sales. Third of all, the result of the trend analysis on the ratio of gross cost to sales cost is as following. Since home shopping falls into sales business, its cost of sales is much lower than that of other types of business such as manufacturing industry. Since 2002 in gross costs including cost of sales, SG&A expense, and non-operating expense, cost of sales turned out to have remarkably decreased. Group B has also posted a notable decline in the same sector since 2002. Fourth of all, the result of the trend analysis on the ratio of gross cost to SG&A expense is as following. Due to its unique characteristics, the home shopping industry usually posts ahigh ratio of SG&A expense. However, more than 80% of SG&A expense means the result of lax management and at the same time, a sharp lower net income on sales than other industries. Last but not least, the result of the trend analysis on ROI is as following. As for CJ Home Shopping, the curve of ROI looks similar to that of its investment on fixed assets. As it turned out, the company's ratio of fixed assets to operating income skyrocketed in 2004 and 2005. As far as GS Home Shopping is concerned, its fixed assets are not as much as that of CJ Home Shopping. Consequently, competition in the home shopping industry, at the moment, is among CJ, GS, Hyundai, NS and Woori Home Shoppings, and all of them need to more thoroughly manage their costs. In order for the late-comers of Group B and other home shopping companies to advance further, the current lax management should be reformed particularly on their SG&A expense sector. Provided that the total sales volume in the Internet shopping sector is projected to grow over 20 trillion won by the year 2010, it is concluded that all the participants in the home shopping industry should put strategies on efficient management on costs and expenses as their top priority rather than increase revenues, if they hope to grow even further after 2007.