• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.37-43
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• 2017

As the number of SSM(Super Supermarket) has been growing, the conflict between large companies and small-to-medium retailers is being deeper in which large-sized market has been growing rapidly and small to medium retailers has been depressed. To solve the conflict, the government enacted the system of business limiting of large enterprises by SMEs. It brought growth of sales of small-to-medium retailers. However, unintended effects were caused by the system. This research aims to analyze underlying structure beyond conflicts between SSM and small to medium retailers using system thinking and draw relationships between key factors. Thus we can provide political alternatives through simulation model which is developed based on the factors.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.686-693
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• 2011

Small-to-medium retailers in local neighborhood have been managing to survive without outside influence. However rapid change in business environment including consumer needs for goods and the quality of life has brought turbulence into retail business. Petty retailers are facing a crisis as large-sized discount stores owned by big enterprises are entering into traditional markets. To protect small-to-medium retailers from such threats and revive the traditional commercial markets the government is taking on the policy of subsidizing small-to-medium businesses. However, recent emergence of SSM (an industrialized supermarket in forms of direct management and affiliation) in local commercial areas has brought about conflicts and frictions between large companies and local merchants. Under this background this study attempted to make an analysis of vulnerable factors of small-to-medium retailers coping with SSM and probe for the alternatives to SSM business restructuring.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.113-125
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• 2023

Purpose: Support policies for small and medium-sized retailers (SMSRs) have been promoted in various ways over the past 20 years, but they are generally regarded as unsuccessful. The purpose of this study is to analyze the process and impact of policy changes, identify the reasons for the lack of success, and explore policy alternatives. Research design, data and methodology: This study explored major policies in various categories such as the retail industry, traditional markets, and Micro-Enterprises from the mid-1990s to the present. It also analyzed the short- and long-term impacts of major policies at the retail format level like SMSRs, using data from Statistics Korea's service industry survey. Results: This research found that sudden shifts in policy philosophy conflicted with the existing market structure and reduced the effectiveness of policies. It also found that policies aimed at improving competitiveness at the SMSRs-level had some effect, while polices aimed at supporting expenses at the individual store-level were difficult to achieve their intended purpose. Conclusions: The failure of the policy to support SMSRs is fundamentally due to the late response and conflicts between policies. It was also not successful due to the policy's focus on individual store-level expenses and maintaining employment rather than structural improvements of SMSRs format.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.77-88
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• 2014

Purpose - Based on the existing retail policy literature, this study aims to compare Korea with foreign countries, to propose better ideas for the Korean retail market. Research design, data, and methodology - It is necessary to analyze the existing retail regulations after categorizing them into several groups, depending on why governments have regulated retailers and the background for the retail policy. Results - Given that Korean retail regulations have focused on protecting conventional markets, comparing the retail policy objectives of South Korea and foreign countries is difficult. Conclusions - It is necessary examine how to protect independent stores, irrespective of store locations across the country. Rather than limiting the distance between traditional markets and the projected locations suggested by large retailers, various factors such as store size limit, opening and closing times, below-cost selling, land use planning, and competition tests are needed to protect small stores. Further, centralized authority for store operations should be delegated to local governments, to tackle the aggressive expansion of retail giants. To protect independent stores, political background is among the most important factors.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.9
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• pp.43-49
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• 2013

Purpose - The competitiveness of small- and medium-sized distribution companies has weakened with the entry of large distribution companies and Super Super Markets (SSMs). These companies have nationwide distribution networks and capital to take over street markets, thereby threatening the very survival of small merchants. In order to help these small- and medium-sized merchants, the government has recently reinforced distribution regulations for large distribution companies. Research design, data, methodology - The purpose of this study is to review domestic and foreign distribution regulations and to provide direction for establishing domestic distribution policies in the future. Results - The government must fully reassess its assistance policy for small and medium distribution companies to enable them to engage in differentiated competition with large retailers, based on their own strengths. This will allow all interested parties to coexist. Conclusions - Government assistance policies for small and medium distributors such as traditional markets must be reorganized. The objective is to ultimately protect small and medium distributors and allow them to coexist on their own strengths, rather than have regulations for large retail stores.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.5-14
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to clarify the behavioral extraction and ability of venture merchants, who actively challenge commerce in the face of harsh living environments. Research design, data and methodology: Adopting the concept of retail functions and retail skills, this study examines how venture merchants perform retail functions, and identifies the required retail skills. This study analyzed primary data obtained through an interview with a bookstore called Lunuganga. Results: The venture merchant purchases products based on his self-assertion and creates an original "store identification." Moreover, he draws a changing "own-store customers image" and acquires "own-store customers," that is, customers acquired by him by building an original store identity. He sells products to "own-store customers" who identify with the store. The retail skills identified as required by venture merchants to carry out such retail functions were "skill to draw a store identification" and "skill to draw own-store customer image." Conclusions: Venture merchants' unique retail functions and retail skills suggest a new basis for the existence of small and medium-sized retailers. It is necessary to build a generalized theoretical hypothesis model by refining the concept presented in this paper by repeating research targeting venture merchants in the same industry and different industries.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.17-30
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• 2022

Purpose: Recent emergence of diverse businesses in the distribution industry has led small and medium-sized retailers and their distribution logistics centers to face difficulties. Transactions between companies are connected within a supply chain, and the companies have relationships in the form of a supplier and a buyer. Therefore, it is important to identify causes of problems among companies through supply chain and strategic partnerships, thus developing optimal management plans and maximizing performances of companies. This study proposes that sustainable supply chain management consists of product quality, price quality, distribution quality, and promotion quality based on stakeholder theory and resource-based view. This study examined the impacts of sustainable chain management factors on satisfaction and win-win cooperation. Research design, data, and methodology: In the proposed model, satisfaction plays a mediating role in the relationship between sustainable chain management and win-win cooperation. The data were collected from 245 owners who use small and medium-sized distribution logistics center and analyzed using 2SLS (two-stage least square) with SPSS 28.0. Exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis were used to assess the validity and reliability of constructs. Results: The findings are as follows. In the case of the total and Nadeulgage samples, product, price, and distribution quality had a significant positive effect on satisfaction, but in the case of Neighborhood super, product and price quality have a significant positive effect on satisfaction. Satisfaction has a significant positive effect on win-win cooperation in the overall, Nadeulgage, and Neighborhood super. Satisfaction plays a partial or full mediating role in the case of total, Nadeulgage, Neighborhood super. Conclusions: This study emphasized the need for sustainable supply chain management of small and medium-sized distribution logistics centers by examining the relationship between small and medium-sized distribution logistics centers and chain stores. It was found that store satisfaction plays an important role in the win-win cooperation between small and medium-sized distribution logistics centers and chain stores. Small and medium-sized distribution logistics centers can maximize product quality, price quality, distribution quality, and promotion quality by understanding the effect of chain store-related satisfaction and win-win cooperation on chain stores.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.9
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• pp.5-13
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• 2014

Purpose -This study is to measure the effects of retail legislations on small retailers and traditional markets. Research Design, Data, and Methodology - The authors have developed a questionnaire with five hypotheses on the basis of previous research results and six constructs: the improvement of sales volume, the number of customers, the improvement of store traffic, the increase of store staff, business expansion and retail regulation. Furthermore, the research has adopted a five-point Likert-scale technique. In order to increase research reliability as well as validity, the authors have adopted a few different research techniques such as exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results - Although existing retail regulations might be better than nothing for now, the degree of retail constraints on large retailers should be strengthened. Furthermore, different legal methods to protect mom and pops are needed. Conclusions - In order to improve the effects of retail restrictions on large retailers, the research indicates that the central government should change a retail policy, that is, introduce new technical ways to keep mom and pops and conventional markets.

• The Journal of Small Business Innovation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.37-52
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• 2016

Making efforts to break down the barriers between the intra-company departments as well as cooperating with external partners can become the driving force to create a successful innovation in the new product development (NPD) process. This study deals with how the key factors of collaborative innovation success are working in the process of NPD collaboration. Using case analysis of the NPD process, where a large retailer and small and medium-sized suppliers cooperate, we found that the small and medium-sized suppliers achieved greater 'short-term' performances in the collaboration than the large firm, although the long-term performance is not clear. Among the six antecedents of innovation success, relationship-specific investment played a critical role in motivating the supplier's participation in the NPD process. Adopting a 'closed' network in which the two suppliers interact directly with each other and create new knowledge for the NPD process played an important role in producing a quality product in a reduced development time. Unlike previous studies about the retailer-supplier cooperation for NPD in the food industry suggesting that position differences cause communication problems which is a major obstacle to the NPD success. This study suggests that large retailer's initiative role is a critical success factor in the NPD by the cooperation between small and medium-sized suppliers and large retailers.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.5-16
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• 2017

Purpose - This research is to provide new insights for policy makers in Korea, comparing South Korea and foreign countries such as Japan, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and the forth, in terms of the effects of retail regulations on a retail trade industry. Research design, data, and methodology - After introduction, the research begins with literature review on the background why advanced countries have introduced retail legislations, then, will present their effects. The fourth section will compare the South Korea with the above foreign countries. Finally, the authors will draw conclusions and mention not only research limitations but also future research directions. Results - Based on the previous research, the authors compared Korea and advanced countries, in terms of how retail regulations influence retail employment, retail productivity, retail price, and the protection of independent retailers. The authors found that industrialized countries have made a significant effort to protect small shops for social stability with many different regulations and/or budget. With regard to results, however, the degree of its achievement is lower than expected. Conclusions - In order to protect small- and medium-sized retailers efficiently and effectively, policy makers need to develop better sophisticated retail regulations than those of advanced countries.