• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.31-42
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• 2021

The importance of startups and ventures in the Korean economy is growing. This study measured whether the start-up and venture ecosystem is growing, including the growth of startups and ventures. The startup and venture ecosystem consists of startups and ventures, investors, and government, which are the main actors of the 'ecosystem', and their movements were measured with 25 quantitative indicators. Based on the original data of the time series from 2010 to 2020, the startup and venture ecosystem index was calculated by applying weights through the comprehensive stock index method and AHP. In 2020, the startup and venture ecosystem grew 2.9 times compared to 2010, and the increase in the government index had a significant impact on growth. Also, the individual indicators that make up each index in 2020, the corporate index had the greatest impact on the growth of the number of 100-billion ventures, while the investment index had a recovery amount and the government index had a significant impact. Based on the original data, the startup and venture ecosystem index was analyzed by dividing it into ecosystems (startup ecosystem and venture ecosystem), industry by industry (all industries and manufacturing industry), and region (Korea and Busan). As a result, the growth of the startup ecosystem over the past decade has been slightly larger than that of the venture ecosystem. The manufacturing was lower than that of all industries, and Busan was lower than that of the nation. This study was intended to use it for the establishment and implementation of support policies by developing, measuring, and monitoring the startup and venture ecosystem index. This index has the advantage of being able to research the interrelationships between major actors, and anyone can calculate the index using the results of official statistical surveys. In the future, it is necessary to continuously update this content to understand how economic and social events or policy support have affected the startup and venture ecosystem.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.13-24
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the existence of related personnel in KOSDAQ technology special listed firms has a signal effect on the market and affects performance when listed. The KOSDAQ technology special listing system is a system introduced to enable future growth by securing financing through corporate public offering based on the technology and marketability of technology-based startups and venture companies. As a result of analyzing 135 special technology companies listed from 2005 to 21 (excluding SPAC mergers and foreign companies) whether or not related personnel affect corporate value and listing period when they are listed, it was analyzed that the presence of related personnel did not significantly affect corporate value or listing period. The same was found in the results of the verification by reducing the scope to related personnel such as public officials and related agencies. However, under certain conditions, significant results were derived from the presence of related personnel on the listing of companies listed in special technology cases. It was found that the presence of related personnel and VC investment had a significant effect on corporate value, and in the case of bio-industry, there was a slight significant effect on the duration of listing. This study is significant in that it systematically analyzed the signal effect of the existence of related personnel for the first time for all 135 companies. In addition, as a result of the analysis, the results suggest that internalized efforts to secure technology and marketability are more important, such as parallel to VC investment, rather than simply recruiting related personnel.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.159-174
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• 2022

Entrepreneurs should continuously invest resource and capital for a long time to get tangible business results. In order to be successful, despite difficulties, it is essential for entrepreneurs to continue entrepreneurial businesses without giving up too early. Thus, it can be said that organizational commitment of entrepreneurs is essential for success. According to previous studies, the organizational commitment of entrepreneurs has a significant effect on organizing, establishments of new firms and new product developments. The purpose of this article is to examine the relationships among learning orientation, innovativeness and organizational commitment of entrepreneurs. Especially, we focus on the mediating effect of innovativeness in the relationship between learning orientation and organizational commitment and the moderating effect of career relevance among the relationships. Based on empirical analysis, we reported the following results. First, learning orientation, innovativeness and career relevance of entrepreneurs had significant positive effects on organizational commitment. Second, it was found that innovativeness of entrepreneurs has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between learning orientation and organizational commitment. Third, using Baron & Kenny's hierarchical multiple regression analysis, we examined the moderating effect of career relevance among the relationships of learning orientation, innovativeness and organizational commitment. Third, because the interaction term was found to be positively significant, it was concluded there is a moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and innovativeness. This means, when career relevance was higher than average, the influence of learning orientation on innovation increases even more. Fourth, it was also found there is a moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and organizational commitment. However, the results of the mediated moderating effect analysis showed the moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and organization commitment is an indirect effect of moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and innovativeness mediated by innovativeness.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.157-172
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• 2023

The recent Fourth Industrial Revolution is accelerating changes due to digital transformation. According to this trend, the existing start-up paradigm is changing, and new business models based on new technologies and creative ideas are emerging. In addition, the diversity of mentoring relationships and environments such as online mentoring, reverse mentoring, group mentoring, and multiple mentoring is also increasing. However, most mentors in their 50s and 60s, who are mainly active in the start-up field, have been able to help mentees a lot based on their own experience and expertise, but they are having difficulty responding to the changing environment due to a lack of understanding and experience of new technologies and environments. To cope with these changes well, mentors must constantly study, acquire and apply the latest technologies to improve their understanding of new technologies and the environment. In addition, it is necessary to have an understanding and respect for the diversity of mentoring relationships and environments, and to maximize the effectiveness of mentoring by actively utilizing them. Therefore, mentors should recognize that they directly affect the growth and development of mentees, constantly acquire new knowledge and skills to maintain and develop expertise, and actively deliver their knowledge and experiences to mentees. Therefore, in this study, was tried to empirically analyze the relationship between mentoring's influence on mentor's job satisfaction through mentor's personal learning and self-efficacy. The results of the empirical analysis were as follows. Among the functions of mentoring, career function and role modeling were found to have a positive effect on both personal learning and self-efficacy, which are parameters, and job satisfaction, which is a dependent variable. On the other hand, psychological and social functions have a positive effect on personal learning, but they do not have an effect on self-efficacy and job satisfaction. In addition, as a result of analyzing the mediating effect, all mediating effects were confirmed for career functions, and only the mediating effect of self-efficacy was confirmed for role modeling. Through this study, mentoring is an important factor in promoting job satisfaction, personal learning and self-efficacy, and this study can be said to be academically and practically meaningful in that it confirmed personal learning and self-efficacy as factors that increase mentor's job satisfaction, and the focus of mentoring research was shifted from mentee to mentor to study the impact of mentoring on mentors.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.165-175
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• 2023

In venture creation research, studying 'entrepreneurial leadership' is important for uncovering and comprehending the underlying causal process in innovative behavior performance. Although previous studies provide that entrepreneurial leadership enhances followers' innovative behavior, there is few research on entrepreneurial leadership and followers' characteristics interaction. The present study's focus is paradoxical effects of entrepreneurial leadership on self-efficacy and innovative behavior. On the basis of individual regulatory focus, this study suggests that interaction effects of entrepreneurial leadership and followers' regulatory focus differed in promotion view and prevention view followers' innovative behavior. To strengthen the casual mechanism, this study conducted in priming experiment method using employees in SMEs. This study used a 2(entrepreneurial leadership vs. control) x 2 (regulatory focus: promotion vs. prevention) between-participants design. The results of this study provide that (1) Individuals in promotion focus especially benefited from entrepreneurial leadership in terms of its effect on their self-efficacy and innovative behavior; (2) whereas entrepreneurial leadership was negatively related to self-efficacy and innovative behavior of followers' prevention focus. In sum, results of the present study supporting evidence for hypotheses, combined effect of entrepreneurial leadership and regulatory focus on innovative behavior through self-efficacy. Experimental results confirmed hypotheses of this study, revealing that promotion focus show more innovative behavior than prevention focus when their leaders' leadership style is entrepreneurial leadership. Also, the paradoxical effect of entrepreneurial leadership and regulatory focus of followers on innovative behavior was mediated by followers' self-efficacy. This study helps explain how leaders' entrepreneurial leadership boost followers' innovative behavior, particularly for those employees who have promotion focus. The current study contributes to the theory of entrepreneurial leadership and regulatory focus and innovation literature. Findings of this study shed light on the organizational processes that shape innovative behavior in venture/startup corporations and provide contributions for venture business field.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1-16
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• 2023

Due to imbalances in supply and demand within the labor market, start-ups have emerged as crucial players in the generation of high-quality employment opportunities, particularly in stagnant job markets. In response to this trend, governments are allocating substantial financial and human resources to initiatives that support start-up development. This has led to an increasing rate of engagement in start-up ventures across diverse age groups, not limited to younger individuals. Start-ups are enterprises focused on the commercialization of innovative ideas with the aim of achieving profitability in the marketplace. Research concerning the successful market integration of new products and the attainment of sustainable growth is pivotal. Such research is instrumental not only for the success of start-ups but also for realizing the broader social functions and contributions that these enterprises can offer. Previous research has often examined new product market-entry strategies, often referred to as new product marketing, particularly for large companies and SMEs. However, there is a gap in studies focusing on prototype marketing strategies specific to start-ups. Thus, this study aims to examine the impact of Pre-announcing marketing strategies on the market attention garnered by start-ups with low recognition and limited infrastructure, and how such attention contributes to their sustainable growth. Specifically, the study aims to uncover the causal relationship between information attributes like relevance, vividness, and novelty in building customer relationships, and their impact on purchase intentions influenced by performance expectations and hedonic motivations. In terms of Pre-announcing information attributes, relevance, vividness, and novelty positively influence performance expectations and hedonic motivations as outlined in the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). These factors, in turn, positively impact the purchase intention for pre-announced new products from start-ups. These findings are expected to provide both theory and practical insights into the factors influencing market entry through the use of Pre-announcing marketing strategies for start-up new products.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.65-80
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• 2022

Despite the uncertainty and risky factors of startups, the special and critical role of accelerators in carrying out professional nurturing and investment for them is becoming increasingly significant in the startup social-system. However, academic research on investment determinants that have a profound impact on the survival of accelerators is lacking, and there are only a few empirical studies on the classification and importance of factors, and they do not enjoy the benefits of theoretical studies. This study proposes a business model innovation framework based on the business model innovation theory that reflects the nature and properties of startups that are investment targets of accelerators and derives 12 investment decision factors. The framework defines that the target, direction, and performable force of startup innovation are a business model, strategy, and dynamic capability. Besides, the framework analyzes the investment decision factors of the existing accelerators based on the business model innovation framework to verify the suitability and sufficiency of the composition. As a result of the analysis, first, most of the items were faithfully composed from a static point of view of business model innovation, but it was found that the factors related to the core activities to evaluate the activity and customer relationship were insufficient. Second, from the strategic point of view, the necessity of developing factors that can encompass the definition and content of core resources, which are internal strategic factors, was raised. Third, from the dynamic point of view, it was found that many of the investment determinants of accelerators were concentrated on the lower level of dynamic competencies. This can be judged as a result of reflecting the characteristics of a startup that needs to develop a solution with few resources and a small number of team members. In addition, the roles and interrelationships between each factor are not clear, thus it was found as a limiting point for startups to view and evaluate the direction and process in which startups dynamically innovate their business models. This study is considerably differentiated in that it provides a business model innovation framework and offers a theoretical basis for investment determinants by deriving the investment determinants of accelerators based on the framework and design the foundation for subsequent research. The business model innovation framework presented in this study has great implications in that it contributes to the achievement of startups, accelerators, and startup support organizations.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.191-211
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• 2022

As the value of highly sustainable companies increases, ESG(Environmental, Social, and Governance) has emerged as the biggest topic of discussion for companies around the world. In addition, as domestically, more research is being done on ESG in line with global trends, it is necessary to examine ESG research trends. Accordingly, ESG academic papers that have been published for the past 10 years were collected for each year, and frequency analysis was conducted using text mining techniques regarding key themes and thesis titles. This paper analyzed the number of selected publications by year and the cumulated number of studies through bibliometric analysis. The findings suggested that the number of ESG papers is increasing each year and that academic interest in ESG-related issues continues to abound. Next, according to the results of frequency analysis of the keywords and titles of the research papers, the words- "ESG", "company", "society", "responsibility", "management", "investment", and "sustainability"- were extracted. This analysis identified the research fields and keywords that have been relevant to ESG in the past 10 years. As a result of comparing the major ESG issues presented in recent overseas studies and the common factors of the ESG key keywords presented in this study, it was confirmed that the environment is the focus of recent studies compared to previous studies. Third, it was found that the data used by domestic ESG studies mainly include the KEJI index, the KRX index, and the KCGS ESG evaluation index. After identifying the main research subjects of ESG papers, research found that 8 out of 152 domestic ESG studies were focused on SMEs. Through this study, it was possible to confirm the ESG research trend and increase in research, and future researchers divided the research topics and research keywords and presented basic data for selecting more diverse research topics. Based on both, the arguments of previous ESG studies conducted on SMEs and the results of this study, there is a lack of studies on guidelines for ESG practice and their application to SMEs, and more ESG research regarding SMEs will need to be conducted in the future.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.87-104
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• 2023

Recently, concerns are growing over small and medium-sized companies holding out on debt as domestic loan interest rates have risen sharply due to the prolonged impact of COVID-19 and soaring raw material prices. In addition, loans from small and medium-sized enterprises, which are difficult in the business environment, are increasingly being rejected due to high loan interest rates and excessive submission documents and financial statements-oriented screening of loans by the financial sector. Therefore, since it is necessary to discuss ways to promote financing and investment by SMEs, this study intends to suggest ways to promote investment through the use of SMEs' ESG systems. The purpose of this study is to suggest that the use of ESG evaluation indicators used as non-financial indicators helps predict the corporate value of SMEs and the importance of SMEs actively participating in ESG information disclosure. This study suggests the necessity of introducing and practicing ESG by SMEs where financing is important, and aims to analyze as an empirical result that the use of non-financial indicators helps predict corporate value. As a result of the study, the ESG performance and corporate value of SMEs showed a positive (+) relationship. It can be seen that both the grades and corporate value of SMEs by ESG sector have a positive (+) influence relationship. The total ESG rating was confirmed to have a positive effect on corporate value, and it was confirmed that SMEs with higher ESG environment, social, and governance ratings were evaluated higher. According to the research results, it is suggested that SMEs also need to use ESG evaluation indicators, and in order to promote the growth of SMEs, it is suggested that research on ways to re-examine the corporate value of SMEs is necessary. Therefore, this study suggests that the use of ESG should be actively recommended and implemented as a way to establish a management strategy for SMEs, and that efforts to disclose ESG information can soon help SMEs solve information asymmetry. In addition, SMEs want to understand the investment mechanism that the introduction and practice of ESG can lead to the improvement of the value of SMEs and suggest the necessity of SME-type ESG policies in the future.