• Title/Summary/Keyword: Socio-economic implications

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A study on the Regulatory Environment of the French Distribution Industry and the Intermarche's Management strategies

  • Choi, In-Sik;Lee, Sang-Youn
    • The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.7-16
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    • 2012
  • Despite the enforcement of SSM control laws such as 'the Law of Developing the Distribution Industry (LDDI)' and 'the Law of Promoting Mutual Cooperation between Large and Small/medium Enterprises (LPMC)' stipulating the business adjustment system, the number of super-supermarkets (SSMs) has ever been expanding in Korea. In France, however, Super Centers are being regulated most strongly and directly in the whole Europe viewing that there is not a single SSM in Paris, which is emphasized to be the outcome from French government's regulation exerted on the opening of large scale retail stores. In France, the authority to approve store opening is deeply centralized and the store opening regulation is a socio-economic regulation driven by economic laws whereas EU strongly regulates the distribution industry. To control the French distribution industry, such seven laws and regulations as Commission départementale d'urbanisme commercial guidelines (CDLIC) (1969), the Royer Law (1973), the Doubin Law (1990), the Sapin Law (1993), the Raffarin Law (1996), solidarite et renouvellement urbains (SRU) (2000), and Loi de modernisation de l'économie (LME) (2009) have been promulgated one by one since the amendment of the Fontanet guidelines, through which commercial adjustment laws and regulations have been complemented and reinforced while regulatory measures have been taken. Even in the course of forming such strong regulatory laws, InterMarche, the largest supermarket chain in France, has been in existence as a global enterprise specialized in retail distribution with over 4,000 stores in Europe. InterMarche's business can be divided largely into two segments of food and non-food. As a supermarket chain, InterMarche's food segment has 2,300 stores in Europe and as a hard-discounter store chain in France, Netto has 420 stores. Restaumarch is a chain of traditional family restaurants and the steak house restaurant chain of Poivre Rouge has 4 restaurants currently. In addition, there are others like Ecomarche which is a supermarket chain for small and medium cities. In the non-food segment, the DIY and gardening chain of Bricomarche has a total of 620 stores in Europe. And the car-related chain of Roady has a total of 158 stores in Europe. There is the clothing chain of Veti as well. In view of InterMarche's management strategies, since its distribution strategy is to sell goods at cheap prices, buying goods cheap only is not enough. In other words, in order to sell goods cheap, it is all important to buy goods cheap, manage them cheap, systemize them cheap, and transport them cheap. In quality assurance, InterMarche has guaranteed the purchase safety for consumers by providing its own private brand products. InterMarche has 90 private brands of its own, thus being the retailer with the largest number of distributor brands in France. In view of its IT service strategy, InterMarche is utilizing a high performance IT system so as to obtainas much of the market information as possible and also to find out the best locations for opening stores. In its global expansion strategy of international alliance, InterMarche has established the ALDIS group together with the distribution enterprises of both Spain and Germany in order to expand its food purchase, whereas in the non-food segment, it has established the ARENA group in alliance with 11 international distribution enterprises. Such strategies of InterMarche have been intended to find out the consumer needs for both price and quality of goods and to secure the purchase and supply networks which are closely localized. It is necessary to cope promptly with the constantly changing circumstances through being unified with relevant regions and by providing diversified customer services as well. In view of the InterMarche's positive policy for promoting local partnerships as well as the assistance for enhancing the local economic structure, implications are existing for those retail distributors of our country.

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The Achievements and limitations of the U. S. Welfare Reform (미국 복지개혁의 성과와 한계)

  • Kim, Hwan-Joon
    • Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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    • v.53
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    • pp.129-153
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    • 2003
  • This study examines the socio-economic impacts of recent welfare reform in the United States. Based on the neo-conservative critique to the traditional public assistance system for low-income families, the 1996 welfare reform has given greater emphases on reducing welfare dependency and increasing work effort and self-sufficiency among welfare recipients. In particular, the welfare reform legislation instituted 60-month lifetime limits on cash assistance, expanded mandatory work requirements, and placed financial penalties for noncompliance. With the well-timed economic boom in the second half of the 1990s, the welfare reform seems to achieve considerable progress; welfare caseload has declined sharply to reach less than 50% of its 1994 peak, single mothers' labor force participation has increased substantially, and child poverty has decreased. In spite of these good signals, the welfare reform also has several potential problems. Many welfare leavers participate in the labor market, but not all (or most) of them. The economic well being of working welfare leavers did not increased significantly, because earnings increase was canceled out by parallel decrease in welfare benefits. Furthermore, most of working welfare leavers are employed in jobs with poor employment stability and low wages, making them highly vulnerable to frequent layoff, long-time joblessness, persistent poverty, and welfare recidivism. Another serious problem of the welfare reform is that a substantial number of welfare recipients are faced with extreme difficulties in finding jobs, because they have severe barriers to employment. The new welfare system with 5-year time limit can severely threaten the livelihoods of these people. The welfare reform presupposes that welfare recipients can achieve self-reliance by increasing their labor market activities. However, empirical evidences suggest that many people are unable to respond to the new, work-oriented welfare strategy. It may be a very difficult task to achieve both objectives of the welfare reform((1) providing adequate income security for low-income families and (2) promoting self-sufficiency) at the same time, because sometimes they are conflicting each other. With this in mind, a possible solution can be to distinguish welfare recipients into "(Very)-Hard-to-Employ" group and "(Relatively)-Ready-to-Work" group, based on elaborate examinations of a wide range of personal conditions. For the former group, the primary objective of welfare policies should be the first one(providing income security). For the "Ready-to-Work" group, follow-up services to promote job retention and advancement, as well as skill-training and job-search services, are very important. The U. S. experiences of the welfare reform provide some useful implications for newly developing Korean public assistance policies for the able-bodied low-income population.

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Rural Migration and Changes of Agricultural Population (농민이촌(農民離村)과 농업인구(農業人口)의 변화(變化))

  • Wu, Tsong-Shien;Kim, Kuong-Ho
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.91-116
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    • 1974
  • Taiwan agricultural development in the last decade has not been changed much since the accomplishment of land reform program. This is mainly due to the rapid development taken place within industry that agricultural development can not keep pace with. The increasing gap of rural-urban income discrepancy has caused socio-psychological unstability among rural people and inspire wants of out-migration. From 1961 to 1970, population of the ten largest cities showed an annual growth rate of 4.05%, while the population of the remainder of Taiwan showed 2.06%. Assuming the natural increase rate of these two population sections are similar, the difference of rural and urban annual growth rate can be at tributed to the flow of people from rural to urban sectors. The main objective of this paper is to identify the amount of agricultural out-migration and its impact on agricultural development and agricultural extension programs. Specifically, the objectives are to examine (1) rural-urban population composition (2) rural out-migration estimation (3) changes of agricultural population, and (4) implications for agricultural development and extension programs Some of the important findings are listed below; (1) The average agricultural out migration of the period 1960-1969 is estimated at around 60,000 per year. Take Tainan prefecture for example, the Male-Female Migration Ratio is 0.39 for age 20-24, 0.55 for age 25-29, 0.90 for 30-34. It is understood between age 20 and 34, the rural female migration rate is higher than the rural male. (2) Based on the population growth rate of 1950-1969, agricultural population is projected for the period of 1953 to 1989. By 1978, the agricultural population will reach its peak and begin to dedaine from 1980. The projected agricultural population in 1989 is 5,847,566 which occupies 29% of the Taiwan total population. (3) Assuming area of cultivated land keep unchanged as 905,263 ha. in 1970, and tif we can eliminate all 72% of part-time farms, then the average farm acreage for hose full-time farms will be increased to 3.6 hactares. This is unlikely to happen before 1989 without the government interference. (4) Less than 10% of adult farmer s of age 25-64 in 1969 enrolled in Farm Discussion Club, only 5% of adult farm women enrolled in Home Economics Club, and 5% of rural youth enrolled in 4-H Club. These statistics show a fact that only few farmers are reached by extension workers. Based on findings in this paper, some important suggestions are listed for future agricultural development. (1) Improve agricultural structure by decreasing agricultural population (a) Encourage farmers with less than 0.5 ha. of land to seek jobs outside of agriculture (b) Encourage joint cultivation and farm mechanization (c) Discourage rural migrants to Keep farm land (d) Provide occupational guidance program through extension education programs (2) Establish future farmers settlement project to assure rural youth have enough resources for farming. (3) An optimum Population policy should be integrated into rural socio-economic development and national development programs.

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Tourism and Cultural Landscape at the Tengger, East Java, Indonesia: The Implications for Ecotourism Planning (인도네시아 동자바의 텡거마을의 문화경관과 관광 -생태관광계획에 대한 영향-)

  • Hakim, Luchman;Hong, Sun-Kee;Kim, Jae-Eun;Nakagoshi, Nobukazu
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.207-220
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    • 2008
  • Tourism in the natural environment grows significantly and in many tropical countries it becomesthe important earning of the nations. Nevertheless, tourism impact to environment and cultural values has become the threats to the sustainability and competitiveness of such industry. Therefore, the appropriate planning and management of tourism destination sites where environmentally and culturally fragile are needed in order to increase economic benefits, sustain local culture and conserve environment in balance. The aims of the paper are to examine tourism practices, to determine socio-cultural and natural resources, and to assess local people perception to cultural landscape and its future tourism development in order to formulate the appropriate strategies to achieve sustainable tourism. A case study was carried out at Tengger highland, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park(BTSNP) East Java. Official documents were gathered and interviews with several key persons had conducted to determine recent status of tourism, resources capital and the existence of local people. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were carried out at Tenggerese villages to explore local people perspectives to tourism development, culture preservation, and cultural landscape conservation issues. It is followed by descriptive analysis of vegetation to assess the recent status of environments based on vegetation information. Our findings reveals that tourism grows significantly at BTSNP, and Tengger Caldera as spiritual and cultural sites for local people become the centre for tourism activities. The abundance cultural and natural resources are the significant capital for sustainable tourism. Tenggerese argues that tourism should be planned to provide benefits to local people, preserve tradition and able to conserve nature in order to ensure the living sustainability of Tenggerese. The overall result of the study provide general feature of recent status of the cultural and natural resources as well as positive society perception in order to establish a strategy for sustainable tourism in cultural landscape.

A Study on Ensuring Biosafety of Biotechnology Product under Debate about Trade and the Environment (DDA 무역-환경 논의와 생명공학제품의 안전성 확보)

  • Sung, Bong-Suk;Yoon, Ki-Kwan
    • Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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    • v.13 no.3
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    • pp.519-547
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    • 2004
  • This paper analyze problems about scope of specific trade obligations(STOs), principle of dispute settlement procedure, and non-parties in context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety(POB), which based on sub-paragraph 31(i) of DDA WTO Ministrial Declaration. The implications based on result of this study are as follows. First, to accept the wider scope of STOs under POB in Korea, importing country, won't be harmful to LMOs and Bioindustry. Instead, it will ensure a high level of biosafety concerning the import of LMOs. Exporters can take different kinds of trade measures to countervail adverse effect on the export of LMOs in this case. Therefore importer will endure the aftereffect. However, if korea were in exporter's place, to accept the wider scope STOs under POB will not have a good influence on the export of LMOs. Korea, therefore, should devise scheme for responding to debate about the STOs in MEAs, which have to be based on cost-benefit analysis and scenarios taking into account of speed and level in biotechology progress, status and trend of LMOs R&D and production, and condition of other industries. Second, it is not easy to agree with applying to what's rule between the POB and WTO for settlement dispute. Because there is the incompatibility between the POB characterized according to social rationality and WTO's rules for safety and environmental protection characterized according to scientific rationality. This issue have to be discussed for long period due to gap like that. Accordingly Korea, one of major LMOs importing countries, should suggest continuously that the effort is needed to ensure an adequate level of protection in transboundary movements of LMOs and scientific, environmental and socio-economic study. Third, in case of dispute between party and non-party of the POB, the duties under the WTO of non-party of the POB(if WTO member country) is valid. The country, therefore, will try to settle dispute based on WTO's rules. However, international society have to ensure for sound and safe use of LMOs in the field of transboundary movements. Accordingly Korea should devise scheme for preventing the possibility of dispute between party and non-party of the POB(if WTO member country), which is supported by policy options under the POB.

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Indigenous psychological analysis of delinquency among Korean adolescents: Comparison of adolescents under probation and high school students (한국 일탈 청소년의 토착심리 탐구: 보호관찰 청소년과 일반 청소년의 부모자녀관계에 대한 비교를 중심으로)

  • Young-Shin Park ;Uichol Kim ;Soo Yeon Tak
    • Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.107-145
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    • 2004
  • This study examines factors that influence delinquency among adolescents under probation using indigenous psychological analysis, focusing specifically on parent-child relationship. A total 268 adolescents under probation and their parents and 251 high school students and their parents participated in the two studies. In the first study, qualitative results indicate that both groups of adolescents were most likely to trust their parents than any other person and reason for their trust is reported to be based on blood relationship. Similarly, majority of parents of both groups reported trusting their children because of the blood relationship. Parents hope that their children will be sincere a person and will be able to maintain harmonious social relationship. Parents of adolescents under probation were more likely to report disobedience as being most problematic, whereas parents of high school students were more likely report providing social and financial support for their children's education as being the most difficult. In the second study, structured questionnaires were administered to the four groups and the following set of results were obtained. First, in terms of family background, the socio-economic status of adolescents under probation was lower, they are less likely to live with both parents or natural parents, and more likely to have ran away from home than high school students. Second, adolescents under probation are less likely to trust their parents and more likely to view their parents as being hostile. Third, parents of adolescents under probation were less likely to trust their children, more likely to view their relationship as being conflictual and hostile, and feel that they had to sacrifice for their children when compared with parents of high school students. Implications of these results for parent-child relationship and delinquency are discussed.

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Understanding Management of Technology(MOT) in South Korea through an Analysis of Graduate MOT Programs' Curricula (한국의 기술경영전문대학원의 교과과정을 통해 본 한국적 기술경영학의 정체성)

  • Taehyun Jung;Gyu Hyun Kwon;Kwon Yeong-il;Hyunkyu Park;Kyootai Lee;Jeonghwan Jeon
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.31 no.3
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    • pp.39-73
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    • 2023
  • The field of Management of Technology(MOT) emerged in response to the need for research management within U.S. public research institutions during the 1960s. Since its inception, it has proliferated significantly, being practiced in more than 809 institutions globally and over 19 institutions in Korea, encompassing both research and educational endeavors. Particularly noteworthy is the substantial investment of government resources, primarily channeled through the Ministry of Industry since 2007, which has expeditiously established a comprehensive framework for cultivating graduate-level MOT expertise, marked by both quantitative and qualitative advancements. The educational curriculum in the realm of Korean MOT deviates from foreign counterparts through distinctive pathways, exemplified by its emphasis on industry practice-oriented educational programs, standardization and isomorphism across different schools, as well as its interconnectedness with proximate academic disciplines. This research systematically undertakes an analysis of the curriculum in Korean MOT graduate schools, thereby ascertaining its intrinsic identity and distinct attributes. In this endeavor, a comprehensive examination of eleven principal MOT textbooks(three in Korean and eight in English) is conducted to delineate the primary content of the curriculum across seven thematic domains. Moreover, the study deliberates on its differentiation from neighboring academic disciplines and the definitional attributes of MOT. Subsequently, this analysis also encompasses nine Korean MOT graduate programs, projecting the seven thematic domains onto their respective curricula. The findings illuminate that within the context of Korean graduate programs, a substantial proportion of the curriculum, amounting to 62.5%, is dedicated to facets encompassing the operational aspects of technology management within corporate contexts, technology management specific to varying industries and technologies, and collaborative endeavors between academia and industry in the form of projects and seminars. Evidently, the Korean approach to technology management education is notably geared towards the cultivation of adept practitioners capable of executing technology management functions at a mid-tier managerial level, aligned with the exigencies of regional industries. Grounded in the analysis of technology management curricula, this study extrapolates implications for the future trajectory of MOT education in Korea, encompassing a consideration of the stages of industrial development. It underscores the necessity to augment the educational curricula pertaining conceptual foundation of technology and innovation, strategic perspectives of technology and innovation, and the socio-economic context of technology management.