• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.1-23
• /
• 2012

The conflict between major corporations and small and medium-sized businesses is being aggravated, the trickle down effect is not working properly, and, as the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the business limiting system continues to swirl, the plan proposed to protect the business domain of small and medium-sized businesses, resolve polarization between these businesses and large corporations, and protect small family run stores is the suitable business type designation system for small and medium-sized businesses. The current status of carrying out this system of selecting suitable business types among small and medium-sized businesses involves receiving applications for 234 items among the suitable business types and items from small and medium-sized businesses in manufacturing, and then selecting the items of the consultative group by analyzing and investigating the actual conditions. Suitable business type designation in the service industry will involve designation with priority on business types that are experiencing social conflict. Three major classifications of the service industry, related to the livelihood of small and medium-sized businesses, will be first designated, and subsequently this will be expanded sequentially. However, there is the concern that when designated as a suitable business type or item, this will hinder the growth motive for small to medium-sized businesses, and designation all cause decrease in consumer welfare. Also it is highly likely that it will operate as a prior regulation, cause side-effects by limiting competition systematically, and also be in violation against the main regulations of the FTA system. Moreover, it is pointed out that the system does not sufficiently reflect reverse discrimination factor against large corporations. Because conflict between small to medium sized businesses and large corporations results from the expansion of corporations to the service industry, which is unrelated to their key industry, it is necessary to introduce an advanced contract method like a master franchise or local franchise system and to develop local small to medium sized businesses through a franchise system to protect these businesses and dealers. However, this method may have an effect that contributes to stronger competitiveness of small to medium sized franchise businesses by advancing their competitiveness and operational methods a step further, but also has many negative aspects. First, as revealed by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the franchise industry is contributing to the strengthening of competitiveness through the economy of scale by organizing existing individual proprietors and increasing the success rate of new businesses. It is also revealed to be a response measure by the government to stabilize the economy of ordinary people and is emphasized as a 'useful way' to revitalize the service industry and improve the competitiveness of individual proprietors, and has been involved in contributions to creating jobs and expanding the domestic market by providing various services to consumers. From this viewpoint, franchises fit the purpose of the suitable business type system and is not something that is against it. Second, designation as a suitable business type may decrease investment for overseas expansion, R&D, and food safety, as well negatively affect the expansion of overseas corporations that have entered the domestic market, due to the contraction and low morale of large domestic franchise corporations that have competitiveness internationally. Also because domestic franchise businesses are hard pressed to secure competitiveness with multinational overseas franchise corporations that are operating in Korea, the system may cause difficulty for domestic franchise businesses in securing international competitiveness and also may result in reverse discrimination against these overseas franchise corporations. Third, the designation of suitable business type and item can limit the opportunity of selection for consumers who have up to now used those products and can cause a negative effect that reduces consumer welfare. Also, because there is the possibility that the range of consumer selection may be reduced when a few small to medium size businesses monopolize the market, by causing reverse discrimination between these businesses, the role of determining the utility of products must be left ot the consumer not the government. Lastly, it is desirable that this is carried out with the supplementation of deficient parts in the future, because fair trade is already secured with the enforcement of the franchise trade law and the best trade standard of the Fair Trade Commission. Overlapping regulations by the suitable business type designation is an excessive restriction in the franchise industry. Now, it is necessary to establish in the domestic franchise industry an environment where a global franchise corporation, which spreads Korean culture around the world, is capable of growing, and the active support by the government is needed. Therefore, systems that do not consider the process or background of the growth of franchise businesses and harm these businesses for the sole reason of them being large corporations must be removed. The inhibition of growth to franchise enterprises may decrease the sales of franchise stores, in some cases even bankrupt them, as well as cause other problems. Therefore the suitable business type system should not hinder large corporations, and as both small dealers and small to medium size businesses both aim at improving competitiveness and combined growth, large corporations, small dealers and small to medium sized businesses, based on their mutual cooperation, should not include franchise corporations that continue business relations with them in this system.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.123-128
• /
• 2017

Logistics companies distinguish between medium-sized business and small business according to the size of enterprises. Of course, conglomerates are called global corporations. In this study, mid-sized companies over a certain size or more and those below are classified and decide the priorities among important factors to secure competitiveness in logistics companies are determined through AHP technique. Mid-sized companies are companies that can provide more than two logistics services. For example, they provide warehousing and transportation services in the same time. small companies are companies that can mostly provide one functional service. Warehousing, transportation, manpower, and information are listed as factors in this study. As a result of the study, medium-sized companies emphasized on the importance of transportation. When it comes to small companies, warehousing was emphasized as an important factor. Due to the simultaneous and contemporary service of warehousing and transportation in small-sized company, the reliable image of the company will be underestimated in case of delays in transportation. Competitiveness will also be weakened. Global corporations or conglomerates will start to consider relocating warehousing areas to others except for the central storage hub. They won't plan to invest directly, either. Therefore, it will be possible to secure competitiveness by providing the function of warehousing and to signed easily partnership.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Information Technology Applications Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.365-368
• /
• 2005

While the goal of new IT adoption in small and medium sized firms is to choose an optimal system to fit with their own environments and conditions, that of IT post-adoption usage is to fully implement new IT and maximize their benefits from it. Therefore, the decision-making environments of new IT adoption is definitely different from those of post-adoption. Also, The direct experience of IT usage can provide some learning effect and the change of users' beliefs on new IT. From this point of view, this study attempts to figure out the differences of influencing factors on IOS usage intention between adopters and non-adopters. The results show that there are clear differences of influencing factors between two groups. Non-adopter group shows that perceived financial cost and ability of use have significant influences on IOS usage intention, while relative advantage and perceived risk in adopter group have statistically significant influences on post-adoption usage of IOS.

• International Journal of Quality Innovation
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.153-172
• /
• 2005

This study develops an exploratory model to evaluate the relationship between origins of corporate competencies and business performance, which targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Taiwan, analyzes 36 competence items in four functional dimensions: marketing, product design and development, manufacturing, and human resources management. The results from 760 valid samples from managers of Taiwan's SMEs reveal that in marketing competence and manufacturing competence were ranked high by Taiwan's SMEs managers. Elements contributed to manufacturing competence regarding reducing the number of suppliers has not been emphasized by Taiwan's SMEs managers. At the very top of the prevailing management competitive priority list are: (1) product or service quality, (2) timely delivery, (3) quality control improvement during the process, (4) increasing reliability of transportation, (5) introduction of new concepts and continuous improvement, and (6) improving after-sale services. The four competence dimensions are found highly correlated to business performance, which reflects the policy adjustments that Taiwan's small and medium-sized enterprises have made in the changing business environment to respond to the global market.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.179-187
• /
• 2011

Small- and medium-sized companies obtain ISO 9000 quality management systems as a way of adapting to the changes of business environment and improving their business performance. Certificates of ISO 9000 quality management systems have been granted to companies by either domestic or foreign certification agencies with different requirements and standards. This study empirically examined whether there are differences in business performance among small- and medium-sized companies that have obtained ISO 9000 quality management system from different types (domestic or foreign) of certification agencies. This study found that there are statistically significant differences in both qualitative and quantitative business performance among them. The findings of this study imply that companies considering ISO 9000 quality management systems be prudent in choosing the type of certification agency to maximize the expected benefits of ISO 9000 quality management systems. This study also provides the government agency regulating ISO 9000 quality management certification system with some valuable information that brings up the need for establishing and managing a more effective quality management certification system.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.223-233
• /
• 2009

This study was aimed at analyzing the structural relationship among such factors as industrial environment, technological cooperation, technological innovation performance and management performance that are essential to technological innovation of small and medium-sized companies. For this aim, an analysis was conducted to determine which of the factors in industrial environment has impact on technological cooperation of small and medium-sized companies. An empirical analysis was also performance to find what kind of effects the technological cooperation may have on technological innovation and management performance. From the analyses, it became known that: first, changes in industrial environment have influence on technical cooperation factors including production technology, technical information, technical manpower and fund for technology that are assorted by means of factorial analysis; second, the technological cooperation of small and medium-sized companies has impact on their technological innovation performance; and third, the technological cooperation of small and medium-sized companies has impact on management performance.

• Journal of East Asia Management
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.29-49
• /
• 2020

In an intensively competitive global market, small-and medium-sized firms are puzzled about how to develop sustainable competitive advantages against global rivalries, thus leading satisfactory economic performance. However, despite the roles and contributions of such small-and medium-sized firms in the local community and national economies in Japan, little guidance has been offered to the practical issues related to their strategic behaviors toward global management. To fill this notable knowledge gap, this study aims to investigate the conditions in which how Japanese small-and medium-sized could dominates global market, which is one of key challenges in the literature of small business and entrepreneurship. To obtain better insights to this research area, this study undertakes an in-depth interview survey with I.S.T (Industrial Summit Technology) Corporation that shows off the highest global market share (40 per cent) with seamless polyimide tube product widely used in office automation equipment (e.g., copiers and printers). This method of survey is designed to deeply understand historical considerations about how I.S.T Corporation could dominate in the global market of such seamless polyimide tube product. Based on findings drawn from an interview, this study identifies five major factors enabling I.S.T Corporation to be a competitive global hidden company: vision sharing through founder's entrepreneurship, core competence, strategic network, risk management, and employee engagement. Specifically, to become a global hidden champion, sharing the vision motivating employees to partake in shaping company's future will be the first step on the road to global success through founder's entrepreneurship. However, in order to achieve such a vision, the importance of company's core competence cannot be overemphasized, which differentiates your customer solution with those of competitors. As such, a group of experts will be naturally formed and demonstrates your expertise in the global market, thereby building sustainable competitiveness. On the other hand, to maintain sustainable competitiveness, it is necessary to make up for the weaknesses small-and medium-sized firms suffer from competitive resources while strengthening their own strengths through strategic networks with external organizations. Here, every company has to understand the critical role of risk management, which is essential in this process of being global company so as not to lose your own strengths. Last but not least, do not forget the significant effects of employee engagement in firm performance. To enhance employees' engagement, a company has to create an ideal organization culture which fits into company's history and personality. In doing so, such organization culture can allow the vision and strategy to be implemented into detailed business tactics while facilitating employees to challenge the status quo by experimenting with creative ideas.

• International Commerce and Information Review
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.3-21
• /
• 2008

This research investigates the strategy for application of E-Trade to SMEs to analyze the economic effect of e-trade. And the influence of the proliferation of e-business and e-trade upon the industrial business conditions, value-chain, and business activities is also analyzed. The subjects of the inquiry are the nationwide petrochemical industries in which small and medium sized companies are in mutual and intimate cooperation. The results show that the business structure of the petrochemical industries are divided into four stages, and, with the introduction of e-business, the value chain is changed by stages. And the change of value-chain explains the transition of the e-business of petrochemical industries including trade business into industrial DB and leads to a variety of the economic effect including the reduction in the trade expense, the change of the production process, and the innovation of trade structure.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.185-195
• /
• 2020

This study is intended to determine that there is a casual relationship between technological innovation capability and new product development performance in small and mid-sized venture companies, and that the introduction of collaboration as a means to step up technological innovation capability will improve new product development performance. To achieve this, a survey was carried out to employees who are engaged in R&D work for small and mid-sized venture companies based in Korea, and the results were analyzed by regression analysis. The findings showed that technology strategy, technology learning and open innovation belonging to technological innovation capability in small and mid-sized venture companies had an effect on new product development performance. In other words, the selection of collaboration as a wider array of core strategies on new product development performance showed that collaboration was a strategy affecting new product development performance. In addition, the moderating role of technological innovation capability in boosting new product development performance through the introduction of collaboration showed that common collaboration had a positive effect on stepping up technology strategy, and collaboration as a core strategy had a positive effect on the size of new product development performance by strengthening technology strategy and open innovation.

• International Commerce and Information Review
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.311-332
• /
• 2010

This study investigate the effects of environmental and organizational characteristics on e-business competence and the influence of e-business competence on export performance in the small and medium sized firms. The development of the research model is based on the literature of e-business and the empirical studies of information technology competence. The data from the survey was analyzed using Partial Least Squares(PLS). The results from the empirical model suggest that e-business competence is affected by environmental uncertainty and market diversity as well as top management support and learning orientation. And, export performance is enhanced by e-business competence.