• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.23-46
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• 2008

The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of business scope and technological capability on firm performance in SMEs. Existing studies on business scopes and technological capabilities have focused on the unilateral relationships with financial performances. This study examines the independent and interaction effects of business scopes and technological capabilities on financial performances of SMEs in capital industries. Based on 228 firm-level data, technological capabilities have positively significant impacts on performance. Business scope measured by product variety and number of buyers have been significantly positive relationships to financial performances. Also SMEs with technological capabilities can moderate the effects of business scope on their performances. However, the results show different relationships depending on measurements on business scope, technological capabilities and performance. The results provide interesting findings on strategic behaviors of SMEs when they pursue growth strategy through expanding business scopes and building technological capabilities.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.261-277
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze whether SMEs' technological capabilities and international marketing capabilities affect the export performance of the SMEs and to empirically test the moderating effect of the CEO's risk propensity on such a relationship. We obtained data from 190 SMEs located in Gwangju and Jeonnam Province in Korea through survey and performed a regression analysis for hypothesis testing based on these data. As a result of the analysis, it was found that SMEs' technological capabilities and international marketing capabilities had a significantly positive (+) effect on export performance, respectively. Also, the CEO's risk propensity was found to reinforce the relationship between technical competence and export performance, and the relationship between marketing capabilities and export performance was also found to be strengthened in the positive (+) direction. These results suggest that it is necessary for SMEs to continuously develop technological capabilities and international marketing capabilities to achieve successful export performance in overseas markets. Also, the CEO's propensity to promote these relationships may be important.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2013

So many researchers have been interested in key success factors of technological start-ups. However, previous studies have not focussed on Concreteness of technological capabilities at the growth stages and industry in technological start-ups. The purpose of this study is to investigate the Concreteness of technological capabilities that have influence on performance of technological start-ups. Empirical data was collected from 342 firms in BI in Korea. It used the questionnaire method for the CEO, It is executed the Regression analysis to test hypotheses of influencing effects. Results of the hypothesis testing are summarized as follows: First, It was found that technological capabilities had statistically significant influence on firm performance. But the property based resources had lower significant influence. Second, This research found that the knowledge based resources had higher significant influence on technological start-ups performance at IT industry. Third, The knowledge based resources had higher significant influence on performance at growth stages. In conclusion, technological capabilities were verified as important firm resources of technology-based start-ups for firm performance. But the Concreteness of technological capabilities was significant differences by growth-stage of firms.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.55-73
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• 1998

In this paper we analyze the technological accumulation processes in the Korean semiconductor industry from the institutional approach. Institutional approach, which is closely connected with Neo-Schumpeterian tradition, has emerged as an alternative theoretical framework to neoclassical approach to understand the process of producing technological knowledge. Traditional wisdom of neoclassical approach revealed the limitation to explain the complex nature of knowledge creation and diffusion. US patent data are analyzed in terms of the increasing trend of numbers and its content to measure the rate and direction of technological capability accumulation. This analysis shows that semiconductor technologies are one of the fastest growing fields among Korean technological activities. Moreover, the analysis of patent content suggests that fabrication technologies are the most important area within the technological development of semiconductors, whilst circuit design and testing technologies are beginning to increase in significance. In addition, it is examined how private sectors and public institutions have contributed to generate technological capabilities, and the relationship between them has been changed during the development processes. It is found that Korean firms enhanced their technological capabilities from the learning and assimilation of imported technology to enhanced in-house R&D capabilities in the later stage. The support of public institution and government policy also played significant role to this successful transformation in conjunction with vigorous R&D investment of public sector.

• Proceedings of the Technology Innovation Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.57-90
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• 1998

This study attempts to explore the evolution paths of Korean SMEs'strategies and their technological teaming processes. Several different evolution paths are identified based on a dynamic strategic group analysis of 115 SMEs'strategy in the Korean electronic component industry for the period of 1990-1995. Further, inadept case analyses on technological learning processes in 5 firms are undertaken. Major findings of this study can be summarized as follows : 1) There are three dominant evolution paths in SMEs'strategy. First path indicates the evolution from a subcontractor or petty imitator group(a strategic group with the narrow product/market domain and the low level of accumulated resource/capabilities) into an innovator group(a strategic group with the narrow domain but high level of technological capability) by accumulating technological capabilities. Second, some firms move from a subcontractor group into a generalizer group(a strategic group with broad product/market domain but relatively low level of technological capability) by simply adding product lines. Third path involves firms which evolve from a subcontractor group into a production focus group(a strategic group with high level of production capability) by investing in production capabilities. 2) An in-depth case analysis shows those who succeeded in technological learning are managed by CEOs, who have technological expertise and strategic vision, and have made an effort to establish management practices to support innovation, such employee educational program, performance-based reward system, etc. The successful firms also aggressively pursue diverse external linkages with outside technology sources to learn product and process technologies. Fiendly, this study discusses several implications of the findings for the theoretical development and strategic management of small firms in Korea.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.87-102
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• 2020

While many previous studies have emphasized that technological and learning capabilities have an important impact on internationalization, however, there have been few attempts to directly identify the mediating role of innovative performance in the relationship between them. Therefore, we tested the relationships among two organizational capabilities such as technological capability and learning capability, innovative performance and internationalization. Specifically, we explored the impact of two organizational capabilities on innovative performance and the mediating role of innovative performance on internationalization. We tested hypotheses based on 206 survey data of Gwangju and Jeonnam provinces' small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The empirical results showed that both technological capability and learning capability had a significantly positive (+) effect on SMEs' innovation performance, and both technological capability and learning capability had a significantly positive (+) effect on internationalization performance. In addition, it was confirmed that the innovation performance is not only related to the relationship between technological capability and internationalization performance but also acts as a partial mediation role in the relationship between the learning capability and internationalization performance. Based on the results of this study, theoretical and practical implications were provided, and the limitations of this study and future research directions were also discussed.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.174-200
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• 2002

Technological capabilities of POSCO (Pohang Iron & Steel Co.) have been developed through acquisition, catch-up, and generation stage. In 1970s standardized operation technologies were acquired based on Japan's technological cooperation. The prime route of technological acquisition was overseas training and operation technologies were articulated by mock and real operation. In 1980s POSCO focused to catch-up advanced technologies through in-house R&D activities. Technological informations were broadly accumulated, task force teams were constructed for important technological tasks, and the scope of technological innovation covered nearly all fields. In 1990s POSCO launched long-term projects based on the large-scale investment and challenged the new fronts of steel technologies. Frontier technologies such as smelting reduction and thin slab casting were early commercialized and new technological concepts were emerged. In conclusion, this article suggests some implications on the development of technological capabilities in Korea.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.7-18
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• 2012

So many researchers have been interested in key success factors of technological start-ups. However, even previous studies have focussed on key success factors, as their findings have not been consistent. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of technological start-ups' performance. The first aim of this study is intended to explores impact of entrepreneurs' characteristics, technological capabilities and network on firm performance. The second aim is to examine the causal relationships among latent variables with firm performance and with the use of path analysis. For this study, information has been gathered through surveys from entrepreneurs of 701 Korean technological start-up companies. As for analysis of the data, SPSS 18.0 OK for Windows and AMOS 4.0 were used for testing of hypothesis. Results of the hypothesis testing are summarized as follows: First, it was found that entrepreneurs' characteristics, technological capabilities and network had statistically significant influence on firm performance. Second, entrepreneurs' characteristics had significant influence on technological capabilities and network. Third, network did not have significant influence on technological capabilities. The major contributions of this study are (1) identifying the determinants on firm performance of technology-based start-ups by means of structural equation model, (2) verifying effects on firm performance of technology-based start-ups by the variables.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.265-289
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• 2009

This research analyzed regional innovation capabilities and technological activities of firms in Chungnam province of South Korea on the basis of a questionnaire survey of 64 regional manufacturing firms. The existence and level of regional innovation capabilities were measured by the perceptions of firms, a core actor in the regional innovation system. The analysis result revealed that research capabilities of academia, capabilities of R&D institutes, technological capabilities of industry, and governmental policy support were recognized as major capabilities of the regional innovation system. Regional proximity was also found to have significant influence on firms‘ sources of technological innovation and selection of collaboration partners. Practical as well as theoretical implications of the findings and future research directions were discussed at the last part.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technology Innovation Society Conference
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• 2002.05b
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• pp.221-228
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• 2002

In viewing R&D as a series of activities of problem solving in the course of technological learning in developing countries, national R&D is very likely to play an pivotal role in incubating and improving industrial technology and competitiveness, especially for S&T-intensive industries, such as nuclear fuel industry. To this end, the national R&D needs to be primarily designed to reinforce technological capabilities of the country including government research institutes (GRIs), industrial firms, etc., from the initial stage of absorption as well as at the innovation stage. Based on this strategic role, national R&D performed by GRIs should provide scientific knowledge and core technologies which are required for the absorbption of foreign technology and development of indigenous technological capabilities with which domestic technological efforts are made to successfully achieve not only technological imitation but also innovation in global sense.