• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.636-662
• /
• 2018

Recently, the Moon administration established the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups, as part of its national strategy for start-up and innovation growth led by small and medium-sized venture companies. In a slowing economy, as venture companies with excellent internal competencies are seen to be favorable to growth, the government funding for technology development is becoming increasingly important. Previous studies examine the internal competence factors that can strengthen competitiveness through self-efforts and the influence structure of growth stage, which is an important factor in industrial environment, on business performance. As the government support for venture firms has been strengthened, the effect of government funding on the management performance and technological innovation performance of venture firms have been recently discussed in various ways. However, there is a lack of precedent research on the moderating effect of the utilization of government funding on the existing influence structure in which firm's internal competence and growth stages affects business performance. Therefore, this study examined whether the internal competencies of the venture firms and the stage of growth have direct effects on business performance and analyzed the moderating effect in connection with government funding utilization under these influence structures. The results of the study are as follows. First, the utilization of government funding in the venture firms whose R&D personnel ratio is relatively low, not to have own brands and showed an increase of employees has a significantly positive influence on business performance. Second, the moderating effects of the government funding utilization at the high growth stage of the venture firms are shown significantly. These results suggest that the venture policy linked to the job creation of the present government requires not only the support considering R&D personnel but also the necessity of supporting human resources policy to a greater extent and further study on the effectiveness of venture firms in the high growth stage.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.135-144
• /
• 2016

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the moderating effects of social capital on antecedents factors path of export performance in the materials and components SMEs(Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) of Busan and Kyungnam region. In case of materials and components SMEs, they are always trying to achieve business performance including export sales and market share, but it is difficult for them to increase performance due to the limitation of inner & tangible resources. Therefore intangible asset such as technology capability and its antecedents factors which are technology innovation and learning orientation are getting more important to SMEs. In addition, it is supposed that social capital such as local network including distribution channel in overseas market plays an essential role to enhance export performance. Accordingly, the main goal of this study is to find out the relationship between export performance and antecedents factors and the validity of social capital as a moderating valuable. Research design, data, and methodology - Technology innovation, learning orientation and technology capability have been used as antecedents factors for export performance and social capital such as network diversity and intensity has been used for moderating effects analysis. In order to select these valuables mentioned above, this study examined the existing researches on a basis of Resources Based View, Organizational Learning Theory and Social Capital theory. To achieve the objective of this paper, 7 hypotheses including the moderating effects have been proposed with 6 potential variables measured by 24 questions. The survey was carried out from December 2014 to March 2015 and 137 samples out of total 175 were selected for the analysis. PLS(Partial Least Squares) has been used for the methodology of empirical analysis for both antecedents factors path and moderating effects. Results - Research findings are as follows. First, technology innovation has a significant impact on learning orientation, learning orientation has a positive effect on the technology capability and technology capability also has a significant impact on export performance. Therefore 3 valuables are proved as antecedents factors of export performance. Second, the social capital(both network diversity and intensity) plays a moderating role with learning orientation to technology capability. However, there is no moderating effects between both of social capital and technology capability regarding export performance. Conclusions - According to path analysis results, it is suggested that the materials and components SMEs should raise technology innovation and learning orientation in order to improve technology capability and export performance. Meantime, the moderating effect analysis shows that SMEs should consider local network diversity and intensity along with learning orientation to add up technology capability. But local network diversity and intensity does not work systematically with technology capability for export performance and it means that SMEs should find the appropriate local partners for the purpose of establishing concrete distribution channels based on marketing perspective, not for improving technology capability.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.105-118
• /
• 2015

Purpose - Currently, strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in terms of competitiveness is a key economic issue. However, the problem is that many SMEs lack the internal competence required to cope with a rapidly changing market structure. Such problems can act as an obstacle to economic development, yet most SMEs in Korea are dealing with this problem today. A company's source of competitive advantage is changing from quantity to quality, facility to knowledge, and hardwork to creativity. Under such circumstances, a company should place learning and sharing of knowledge and continuously creating new knowledge as its priority. This study aims to identify the effect of a chief executive officer's (CEO) compassion and forgiveness - positive factors in organizational emotion - on learning organization activities and organizational performance, through a theoretical comparison. Research design, data, and methodology - For this study, SMEs based in Daejeon and Chungcheong area were selected. To secure credibility of the data, the subjects were selected among those who have been working at the business for six months or longer. The survey was conducted for 30 days from March 5, 2015 to April 5, 2015. Both offline and online surveys were conducted. Fifty companies were chosen and 700 questionnaires were distributed, with 506 used for analysis. Fifty subject companies (25 from Daejeon, 10 from Chungnam, 10 from Chungbuk, and five from Sejong) were selected and the objective, target, and survey content were explained to a manager at each company either face-to-face or on the phone. Of the total of 700 questionnaires distributed via mail or e-mail, 78.6% or 550 copies were returned. Excluding 44 insufficient questionnaires, the remainder, 506 questionnaires, were used for analysis. Results - This study analyzed how the CEO's compassion and forgiveness affects learning organization activities and organizational performance. First, compassion of the CEO at the SMEs directly affected the learning organization activities and indirectly affected the organizational performance. Second, forgiveness of the CEO at the SMEs did not affect the learning organization activities and organizational performance directly or indirectly. Conclusions - The study conclusions are as follows. First, CEO compassionate behavior at the SMEs was a significant variable that directly and indirectly affected learning organization activities and organizational performance. Therefore, the CEO of an SME can create a positive organizational atmosphere through compassionate behaviors in the organization. Second, the forgiving behavior of the CEO did not have direct or indirect effects on learning organization activities and organizational performance. However, the reason for a CEO to continue his or her forgiving behavior is because it strengthens employee resilience, commitment, and self-efficacy to protect the organization from negative influences such as layoffs, risks, and wrongdoings. The action of forgiveness does not have direct or indirect effects. However, the CEO shall continue such behavior to strengthen members' physiological resilience, commitment, and self - effectiveness, and to protect the organization from risks including layoff and external negative factors.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.505-517
• /
• 2021

Lots of studies have been conducted on work-life balance in various fields. In particular, while a plethora of studies on the work-life balance have focused mainly on organizational culture and work performance, research to investigate the impact of work-life balance on employees' organizational commitment is scarce. This study aims to empirically analyze how work-life balance of employees affects organizational commitment and mediation effects of job satisfaction on the relationships through a survey of 463 employees working in small and medium-sized enterprises, public institutions, and conglomerates in the COVID-19 era. Also, it examines the impact of a smart work environment as a new way of working during the COVID-19 pandemic on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The findings of the study are summarized as follows. First, work-life balance was shown to positively affect job satisfaction, and job satisfaction had a positive influence on emotional organizational commitment of employees. Second, job satisfaction was found to be completely mediated both in the relationship between work-life balance and organizational commitment and in the relationship between work-family balance and organizational commitment, and partially mediated in the relationship between work-growth balance and organizational commitment. Third, the smart work environment had a positive effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The results of the study show that work and family, work and leisure, and work and growth balance are significantly important factors to improve employees' work attitudes in the changing work environment as a result of COVID-19. The present results suggest that the introduction of work-life balance and the smart work environment is required to increase organizational productivity.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
• /
• 2011.04a
• /
• pp.731-746
• /
• 2011

The successful and sustainable growth of SMEs depends on their ability of strengthen their competitiveness in quality and cost and service more than anything else as a fundamental of operation. Among these key competitive factors of SMEs, quality is the most critical factor in manufacturing business fields. Because quality strongly influence cost and service performance on this manufacturing business field. There are many different ways to improve the quality performance but it needs proper management decision to choose the best way what can maximize outputs with minimum inputs. And it needs effective measurement methods and some indicators to analysis the quality performance properly. The quality cost is one of the simplest key indicators to measure the quality performance and the effectiveness of quality related management decisions. The major purpose of this study is to diagnose the categorized current level of actual quality cost of local SMEs to maximize their quality management effectiveness through comparing their level with others what's expressed in early studies. In this study, through survey on local SMEs, we found that their average annual quality cost ratio versus turnover - Total amount of annual quality cost divided by annual turnover - is around 3.69% excluded some SME's performances what have different quality control measures with others. And we found some results what corresponded with the early studies on the correlations between those categorized quality costs factors and some discrepancies between some of the literature model and the early case study results as follows. There were negative correlations between the Prevention costs and the External failure costs, and the Appraisal costs and the External failure costs, and there was positive correlation between the Appraisal costs and Internal failure costs same as early studies. But, we couldn't found any strong negative correlations between the Cost of control - Preventive costs & Appraisal costs - and the Cost of Failure of control - Internal & External failure costs -. It reveals not only the lack of effectiveness on their preventive or appraisal activities but also it can reveal there were so many effective ways to prevent the failure costs properly such as some innovative investment on Factory automation includes Error Proofing and more preventive actions to improve the effectiveness of the typical management methods likes CE (Concurrent Engineering), APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning), FMEA (Failure Mode & Effect Analysis) etc.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.825-841
• /
• 2024

This study aimed to scrutinize the evolution of cosmetics research and development (R&D) in Korea, utilizing data from nationally funded R&D projects, and to suggest strategies to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A thorough analysis was performed on cosmetics-related national R&D funded project data from 2019 to 2023, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on annual trends, key organization, regional characteristics, major departments, and main functions and efficacy of R&D. The features revealed that the cosmetics industry, predominantly comprised of SMEs, is directing its efforts towards the development of a diverse range of functional products, with a recent shift towards the production of eco-friendly and sustainable materials. From a regional perspective, Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongbuk-do had the highest levels of R&D activities, demonstrating the significant R&D capabilities of these local industry. It provides a systematic comprehensive analysis based on national R&D funded project data, identifies recent trends in the cosmetics industry, and evidence for SMEs to strengthen market competitiveness and establish long-term strategies for sustainable growth. Therefore, the results of this study dispense significant information and insights not only to SMEs but also to policymakers, using critical foundational data for formulating and implementing policies to advance the cosmetics industry.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.113-126
• /
• 2022

In Small and Medium-sized Enterprises(SMEs) compared to major, competence of CEO relatively has a large impact on management performance, so the biggest factor to strengthen the competitiveness is the competence of CEO. Meanwhile, a consultant is defined as a subject of execution that directly and indirectly participates in management by inducing objective and rational decision-making on various management issues and problems facing companies. The management expertise, problem-solving skills, communication skills, insights, and leadership that a consultant must have in order to perform his or her duties are the same as the role and capabilities that the CEO must have in enhancing the company's performance and competitiveness. Therefore, through previous studies, this study divided consultant competences of CEO into job competence, communication competence, learning competence, and innovation competence and tried to understand whether those competences affect corporate's innovation performance and management performance. The survey was conducted on SMEs and the analysis techniques were reliability and validity analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation analysis. As a result, it was found that the CEO's job competence, communication competence, learning competence, and innovation competence had a significant effect on innovation performance of the company, and second, innovation performance had a significant effect on the management performance. Through, this study derived a common factor of consultant competences of SMEs CEO, and derived implications for the competence characteristics of the CEO necessary to improve the performance of SMEs.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.157-167
• /
• 2022

This study was conducted to confirm the relationship between the proactive accounts receivable management of SMEs on credit sales decision making and business performance, and to derive effective accounts receivable management plan and systematic credit sales decision making plan. Based on 455 copies of data collected through a survey targeting SMEs, it was confirmed through factor analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and model fit verification, and the research hypothesis was verified with a structural equation model. As a result of the verification, credit rating had a positive effect on financial performance, sales performance and credit sales decision, while credit control had a positive effect on financial performance, while negative effect on sales performance and credit sales decision. In the mediating effect hypothesis test, credit sales decision had a positive effect between credit rating and business performance and a negative effect between credit control and business performance. The study suggests that if small and medium-sized enterprises improve their business performance through effective accounts receivable management, they can create a synergistic effect in enhancing the business performance of companies if they simultaneously improve their proactive accounts receivable management and credit sales decision ability. Future research is required to study the impact of factors such as segmentation of research subjects and credit transaction motives and accounts receivables management.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.785-796
• /
• 2023

The adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance(ESG) practices in domestic construction firms is predominantly driven by major corporations. These companies not only publish reports on their ESG management but also engage in a meticulous process of identifying key issues and setting priorities. This process entails an in-depth evaluation of the severity of various issues and the gathering of insights from experts in the field. Interestingly, a comparative analysis of ESG assessments for construction companies, both domestically and internationally, reveals significant discrepancies in outcomes. These differences stem from the varied evaluation methodologies and criteria employed by different assessing bodies. Addressing this gap, our study proposes a suite of strategies aimed at bolstering ESG management within the construction sector. We advocate for enhanced policy support and financial backing, especially targeting small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to facilitate their engagement in ESG practices. A critical step forward involves the standardization and transparent disclosure of ESG evaluation criteria, tailored to reflect the unique aspects of the construction industry. Moreover, the standardization and publication of ESG assessments for subcontractors are essential, equipping them with the necessary tools for effective ESG management and evaluation. Given the global nature of construction projects, particularly those commissioned by the European Union in regions like Africa and East Asia, adherence to ESG standards is imperative. Our long-term vision includes the development of a comprehensive database detailing ESG regulations and their impacts, segmented by region and country. This repository will serve as a valuable resource for companies venturing into international construction projects.

• Information Systems Review
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.199-220
• /
• 2023

Projects to deploy and diffuse smart factories in South Korea are aimed at enhancing national manufacturing competitiveness. However, a significant portion of deployed companies remain at the basic stage and struggle to utilize smart factories regularly. Existing studies have primarily focused on the technical aspects of smart factories, using data analytics and case studies, leading to a gap in empirical research on continuous use and upgrade intentions. This study identifies key factors influencing smart factory usage and user satisfaction, drawing on the Information Systems Success Model (ISSM) and previous research. It empirically examines the impact of these factors on continuous use intention, management performance, and advancement acceptance intention through smart factory usage and user satisfaction. A structural equation model is employed to validate the research hypotheses, using survey data from 287 small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) that have adopted smart factories. Results demonstrate that system quality, information quality, service quality, and government support significantly affect smart factory usage, while service quality and government support influence user satisfaction. Furthermore, smart factory usage and user satisfaction have positive effects on management performance, continuous use intention, and subsequently advancement acceptance intention. This study provides novel insights by demonstrating the specific impact mechanisms of smart factory user satisfaction on the business and the intentions of manufacturing SMEs regarding continuous use and advancement acceptance, leveraging the ISSM.