• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-29
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• 2014

To provide a fundamental understanding on the inherent relationship between IT capabilities and sustainable firm heterogeneity, we investigate the dual roles that institutional pressures play, namely, as antecedents of IT capabilities and as moderator of the relationship between IT capabilities and IT innovation success, where IT innovation success plays a mediating role between IT capabilities and firm performance. The structural model was tested, and the results of the PLS analysis provided general support for the proposed hypotheses. IT capabilities had an indirect effect mediated by IT innovation success on firm performance. With IT activities assumed to be embedded in the institutional context, the dual roles of institutional pressures are verified. This study contributes to the literature on IT capabilities by considering both the determining role of institutional pressures on IT capabilities and the institutional context of the chain that connects IT capabilities to firm performance. The results suggest that a firm not only manages various institutional pressures to foster its IT capabilities but also adapts to different contexts with a certain level of institutional pressures to facilitate its IT capabilities and outperform its competitors, which could be sustained through IT innovation success.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.116-126
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• 2019

South Korea is known for its major manufacturing capabilities in semi-conductor, automobile, and IT industries. However, little is known about the competitive capabilities of South Korea's textile industry. The present study presents information about how Korean textile firms build their competitive capabilities on multiple fronts. Through a case study of two businesses operating in the South Korean textile and apparel industry, this paper illustrates a series of competitiveness enhancing initiatives, starting with the implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID). The main contribution of this article is the focus on how the interdisciplinary nature of the textile and apparel industry can benefit from and optimize the use of Information Technology through sustained efforts on multiple fronts. This study suggests that Korean textile firms approach their competitive capabilities in terms of strategic direction, innovative priorities, and operational focus. In the competitive global business environment, this could be the solution for the textile and apparel industry, by helping for the survival in the upcoming information age. Specifically, by adopting RFID-based SCM, firms can gain a competitive capability that promises sustainable growth in the future.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.119-131
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• 2018

In spite of a short history of only 30 years in space development, Korea has achieved outstanding space development capabilities, and became the $11^{th}$ member of the "Space Club" in 2013 by launching its own satellites with its own launch vehicle from a local space center. With the successful development and operation of more than 10 earth-orbiting satellites since 1999, Korea is now rapidly expanding its own aspirations to outer space exploration. Unlike earth-orbiting missions, planetary missions are more demanding of well-rounded technological capabilities, specifically trajectory design, analysis, and navigation. Because of the importance of relevant technologies, the Korean astronautical society devoted significant efforts to secure these basic technologies from the early 2000s. This paper revisits the numerous efforts conducted to date, specifically regarding flight dynamics and navigation technology, to prepare for future upcoming planetary missions in Korea. However, sustained efforts are still required to realize such challenging planetary missions, and efforts to date will significantly advance the relevant Korean technological capabilities.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.40-40
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• 2009

Construction firms have long sought success in the global construction market through diversifying revenue sources and project portfolios. The volume of international contracts has contributed to firms' sustained growth by mitigating the impact of the domestic market's cyclical nature. In spite of the importance of international construction, the uncertainty and dynamic changes surrounding global construction pose serious threats to global contactors. Over the last decade, the international construction industry has changed drastically in many ways, particularly including financial resource diversity, competition rules for the selection of contractors, and the terms of delivery systems requiring more competent total service providers. This paper investigates the important changes for global contractors through various documentation analysis as well as in-depth interviews with industry experts. This paper then analyzes the common strategies and lessons obtained from the cases of leading global contractors that have sustained their growth in the competitive global construction during the last decade. In addition, the authors further analyzed the comparisons between those firms and Korean contractors to discern any difference in sustaining their growth in the competitive market. It was found that those leading firms were quite proactive and responsive to changing markets by diversifying their market revenues to stabilize their revenue structure and enhancing their competency through a wide range of 'business convergence'. In addition, they significantly increased their upstream/downstream functional capabilities; hence becoming more competent service providers, able to grow in these rapidly changing market conditions. Finally, this paper benchmarks the critical strategies that support growth, which in turn can provide a strategic guideline for expansion into the global construction market.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.15-23
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• 2012

This study is an attempt to explore the nature and characteristics of strategic impact of green strategy by environmental capital, corporate reputation, and technology strengths on the firm's performance across countries. The main question addressed in this paper relates to how corporate sustainability, corporate reputation, technology strength, and capabilities influence the firm's economic performance with respect to diverse dimensions of performance measures including sustained growth through the leading firms across countries in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia-Pacific countries. Particularly, this study attempts to empirically explore the directions and magnitudes of the operational links between new emerging strategic core competencies (e.g., sustainability green strategy by environmental focus for more sustainable path, corporate reputation by corporate social responsibility and image enhancement, and technology strengths to develop a new product and market) and the firm's economic performance with respect to diverse dimensions of performance such as accounting (ROE and EOA) - and market-based performance (Market value and Tobin's q). Considering all possible limitations that might exist with regard to selected samples and methods, this study demonstrates that environmental sustainability, corporate reputation, technological capabilities and competencies through R&D intensity and patent are most likely to be significantly associated with most market-based performance measures, but the strategic significance of other variables such as capital intensity, leverage, and administrative cost efficiency on performance tends to be different depending on which performance measure is used across different countries with diverse economic and business contexts.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.223-241
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• 2007

This study extends prior research of knowledge management by proposing how social capital can positively impact the ability of organizations to manage knowledge. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between social capital and knowledge management and how both help organizations achieve a sustained superior performance. To serve this purpose, I conducted an extensive survey on 143 Korean firms in diverse industries. Analyzing hypothesized relationships with the data collected, I empirically assure that organizations with high levels of social capital have more knowledge management capabilities than organizations with low levels of social capital and there exist statistically significant relationships between knowledge management and organizational performance.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.35-52
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• 2006

Increasing competitive pressure, the constantly accelerating transformation of the economy, and a stronger focus on value creation have initiated the search for sustainable sources of competitive advantage in organizations. In this context, the concept of treating organizational knowledge as a valuable strategic resource has become quite popular recently. Knowledge has become the most critical component in the struggle for sustained competitive advantage and knowledge management (KM) has also been described for its possible role in creating sustainable competitive advantage. In order to examine the contingency between KM resources, KM strategies, and KM performance of organizations, a contingency model of KM, which is based on resource-based theory as well as knowledge-based theory, is developed from the information systems and strategic management literature in order to assess the following questions: (i) What KM resources affect the organization's KM strategies? (ii) Is there a relationship between KM strategies and organizational performance enhanced by KM? A detailed exploratory analysis of survey responses from 79 Korean companies provides the following significant findings: (i) This study found support for the proposed contingency model of KM; (ii) The organization's KM strategies are determined by social resources and its capabilities; (iii) An organization with a culture-based KM strategy is more likely to enhance organizational KM performance than an organization with a technology-based KM strategy.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.271-295
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• 2016

In this study, an extensive literature review has been conducted on the material characterization of UHPC and its potential for large-scale field applicability. The successful production of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) depends on its material ingredients and mixture proportioning, which leads to denser and relatively more homogenous particle packing. A database was compiled from various research and field studies around the world on the mechanical and durability performance of UHPC. It is shown that UHPC provides a viable and long-term solution for improved sustainable construction owing to its ultrahigh strength properties, improved fatigue behavior and very low porosity, leading to excellent resistance against aggressive environments. The literature review revealed that the curing regimes and fiber dosage are the main factors that control the mechanical and durability properties of UHPC. Currently, the applications of UHPC in construction are very limited due to its higher initial cost, lack of contractor experience and the absence of widely accepted design provisions. However, sustained research progress in producing UHPC using locally available materials under normal curing conditions should reduce its material cost. Current challenges regarding the implementation of UHPC in full-scale structures are highlighted. This study strives to assist engineers, consultants, contractors and other construction industry stakeholders to better understand the unique characteristics and capabilities of UHPC, which should demystify this resilient and sustainable construction material.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.263-275
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• 2020

In the vortex of change, commonly referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Korea has a national task of changing the paradigm of economic growth from a chase-type economic structure to a leading one. The era has come when all resources of the country, as well as the government and businesses, must join in innovation and growth in order to maintain the pace of sustained economic development, and significantly advanced countries are stimulating members' innovation activities with various policies and systems as they enter the 21st century. South Korea is also making efforts to create an open creative space referred to as Makerspace or Fab Lab, to create an innovative voluntary environment for its citizens. This study explored factors that Makerspace, which is proliferating in Korea, should consider to secure development and sustainability as an innovation (start-up) space. Through prior research, openness and expertise were derived from the characteristics of Makerspace, and expert interviews confirmed that the capabilities lacking in Makerspace and the capabilities to be secured in the future are openness and professionalism. Also, specific components of openness and professionalism were presented through prior research, and implications for each subject's Makerspace were presented, such as openness, professionalism, and commercialization.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.301-312
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• 2010

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to determine Exercisely the effects of applying an Integrated Exercise Program (IEP) with the adapted use of Thera-Band exercise sets to Korean seniors on their improvement in their physical strength (PS), daily living ability (ADL and IDAL). Methods : The Exercise group consisted of 30 Korean seniors of 65 years of age or older, while the control group had another 30 Korean seniors with comparable aging. The Exercise group received the IEP for 50 to 60 minutes per session, three sessions per week, for a duration of consecutive 12 weeks. Results : This confirms the beneficial effects of the IEP on their MA and PS, and their improvement in PS (p<.05), in turn, can improve their IADL (p<.05). The results of this study indicate the potentialities for IEP to help Korean seniors of 65 years or older to improve their PS, ADL and IADL. Conclusion : The IEP is within the physical and financial capabilities of Korean seniors, can be designed and modified and adjusted according to their individual physiological conditions. Sustained, regular exercises under IEP are expected to help resolve physiological issues of aging of Korean seniors.