• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.31
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• pp.27-56
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• 2006

Today's financial institutions usually take environmental issues seriously into consideration as they could not evade lender liability in an increasing number of cases. On the international scene, a brand-new concept of the "Equator Principles" in the New Millenium has driven more and more international banks to adopt these Principles in project financing. Sustainable development has been a key word in understanding new trends of the governments, financial institutions, corporations and civic groups in the 21st century. The Equator Principles are a set of voluntary environmental and social guidelines for sustainable finance. These Principles commit bank officers to avoid financial support to projects that fail to meet these guidelines. The Principles were conceived in 2002 on an initiative of the International Finance Corporation(IFC), and launched in June 2003. Since then, dozens of major banks, accounting for up to 80 percent of project loan market, have adopted the Principles. Accordingly, the Principles have become the de facto standard for all banks and investors on how to deal with potential social and environmental issues of projects to be financed. Compliance with the Equator Principles facilitates for endorsing banks to participate in the syndicated loan and help them to manage the risks associated with large-scale projects. The Equator Principles call for financial institutions to provide loans to projects under the following circumstances: - The risk of the project is categorized in accordance with internal guidelines based upon the environmental and social screening criteria of the IFC. - For Category A and B projects, borrowers or sponsors are required to conduct a Social and Environmental Assessment, the preparation of which must meet certain requirements and satisfactorily address key social and environmental issues. - The Social and Environmental Assessment report should address baseline social and environmental conditions, requirements under host country laws and regulations, sustainable development, and, as appropriate, IFC's Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines, etc. - Based on the Social and Environmental Assessment, Equator banks then make agreements with borrowers on how they mitigate, monitor and manage the risks through a Social and Environmental Management System. Compliance with the plan is included in the covenant clause of loan agreements. If the borrower doesn't comply with the agreed terms, the bank will take corrective actions. The Equator Principles are not a mere declaration of cautious banks but a full commitment of lenders. A violation of the Principles in the process of project financing, which led to an unexpected damage to the affected community, would not give rise to any specific legal remedies other than ordinary lawsuits. So it is more effective for banks to ensure consistent implementation of the Principles and to have them take responsible measures to solve social and environmental issues. Public interests have recently mounted up with respect to environmental issues on the occasion of the Supreme Court's decision (2006Du330) on the fiercely debated reclamation project at Saemangeum. The majority Justices said that the expected environmental damages like probable pollution of water and soil were not believed so serious and that the Administration should continue to implement the project seeking ways to make it more environment friendly. In this case, though the Category A Saemangeum Project was carried out by a government agency, the Supreme Court behaved itself as a signal giver to approve or stop the environment-related project like an Equator bank in project financing. At present, there is no Equator bank in Korea in contrast to three big banks in Japan. Also Korean contractors, which are aggressively bidding for Category A-type projects in South East Asia and Mideast, might find themselves in a disadvantageous position because they are generally ignorant of the environmental assessment associated with project financing. In this regard, Korean banks and overseas project contractors should care for the revised Equator Principles and the latest developments in project financing more seriously. It's because its scope has expanded to the capital cost of US$10 million or more across all industry sectors regardless of developing countries or not. It should be noted that, for a Korean bank, being an Equator bank is more or less burdensome in a short-term period, but it must be conducive to minimizing risks and building up good reputation in the long run.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2001

This study was conducted for ten years to evaluate the effective soil management for preventing the infection of root-knot nematode in the field of continuous cultivation with oriental melon under plastic house in Songju area of kyongbuk province. The content of available phosphate, total nitrogen, organic matter, CEC, and exchangeable base in the soil increased with the increase of continuous cultivation year. Especially salt content in the soil increased form 1.2 to 4.55 mS/cm and the yield of oriental melon dramatically decreased with the continuous cultivation year. The number of root-knot nematode was 91 per $300\;cm^3$ of soil in the field of continuous cultivation for 3 years and showed slight damage on the oriental melon, but it was 518 in the field of $4{\sim}6$ years continuous cultivation and showed that 50% of plants died in August, and the yield of late season was less than 50% compared to normal plant. For the seasonal changes in infection rate of root-knot nematode on oriental melon plant, 15% of the normal plant was infected by nematode in February and increased gradually by $10{\sim}20%$ per month, 60% of plants was infected in July. The density of root-knot nematode nymph was 167 in February and increased to 1,625 in August. The infection rate of nematode was 35%, and the number of nematode was about 54 in nursery soil originated from paddy soil, upland soil, and river sand. There were no relationship between the number of nematode and available phosphate or exchangeable base in the soil of plastichouse where oriental melon plants were grown.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.32-37
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• 2005

The soil properties of the royal tombs (managed by cultural properties administration) located in Seoul and suburban Gyonggi area were investigated to see the influence of the change in soil environment on the royal tomb s이I. To compare the soil chemical properties of four royal tombs soil of Changdeokgung, Jongmyo, Seooneung, and Dongguneung, pH, organic content, available phosphate, extractable calcium, extractable potassium, extractable magnesium, cation exchange capacity, degree of base saturation, and total nitrogen content were measured. The concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Cu measured as the degree of heavy metal contamination can be an indication of atmospheric pollution in the soil environment. To estimate the degree of soil compaction, soil hardness, pore space, porosity, bulk density, and soil atmosphere were analyzed. Through these studies, following conclusions were made: 1. The soil hardness and pore space which can be used as indexes of soil compaction, were worse in the soil of Seooneung than in those of Changdeokgung and Dongguneury. These phenomena seem to be the result of increase in visitors in Seooneung and Dongguneung better and soil management in Changdeokgung and Dongguneung. When three different regions of forest area, prohibited area, and soil compaction area in Seooneung soil were compared, the degree of compaction in the forest area was less than compaction area, indicating the need for the employment of soil resting period in the compaction area. 2. The pH measurements of all four royal tombs soil were higher in top soil than sub soil. The higher soil pH values in Jongmyo and Seooneung seem to result from the application of soil conditioner. In the case of Seooneung, the values for soil pH and organic content were higher in the forest area than those in compaction area. It is thought that active soil management was employed in the forest area through application of organic matters and soil conditioners. 3. The heavy metal contents from soil of Changdeokgung and Jongmyo were higher than that from soil of Dongguneung. Since Changdeokgung and Jongmyo are located inside Seoul, it is thought that the high level of heavy metal concentrations in these royal tomb soil is the result of accumulation of pollutants from the city.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.1-25
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• 2018

This research performed the empirical test for the effects of learning transfer on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, self-efficacy and work environment using 390 employees who have experienced e-learning in domestic and foreign companies. Analyzed the mediating effects of self-efficacy and work environment in addition to direct effect of each factor on learning transfer. The results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use of e-learning learner had a positive(＋) effect on self-efficacy and a positive influence on supervisor and peer support and organizational climate. Self-efficacy showed a positive effect on learning transfer, and supervisor support, peer support and organizational climate had a positive influence on learning transfer as well. Perceived usefulness also had a positive effect on learning transfer. However, perceived ease-of-use had no significant effect on learning transfer. As a result of the mediating effect analysis, self-efficacy and work environment were analyzed to have mediating effects between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and learning transfer. The implications of this study are as follows. First, this study designed a new research model that reflects factors influencing the effect of learning transfer on acceptance of e-learning that is common in corporate education. It has derived a research model of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use, which were used as mediating variables for external characteristics factors, as independent variables, using self-efficacy and work environment as mediating variables, which were studied as external factors. Second, most of the studies on technology acceptance model and learning transfer are conducted in a single country. The reliability was enhanced by testing the study models using different samples from 26 countries. Third, perceived usefulness and ease-of-use in existing studies have been considered as key determinants of acceptance intention and learning transfer. This study explored the mediating effects of learner and environmental factors on the accepted information technology and strengthened and supplemented the path of learning transfer of perceived usefulness and ease-of-use. In addition, based on the sample analysis of various countries used in this study, it is expected that future international comparative studies will be possible.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.139-155
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• 2014

This study is to examine the linkage of volatility between changes in the stock market of India and other countries through the integration of the world economy. The results were as follows: First, autocorrelation or serial correlation did not exist in the classic RS model, but long-term memory was present in the modified RS model. Second, unit root did not exist in the unit root test for all periods, and the series were a stable explanatory power and a long-term memory with the normal conditions in the ARFIMA model. Third, in the multivariate asymmetric BEKK and VAR model before the financial crisis, it showed that there was a strong influence of the own market of Taiwan and UK in the conditional mean equation, and a strong spillover effect from Japan to India, from Taiwan to China(Korea, US), from US(Japan) to UK in one direction. In the conditional variance equation, GARCH showed a strong spillover effect that indicated the same direction as the result of ARCH coefficient of the market itself. Asymmetric effects in three home markets and between markets existed. Fourth, after the financial crisis, in the conditional mean equation, only the domestic market in Taiwan showed strong influences, and strong spillover effects existed from India to US, from Taiwan to Japan, from Korea to Germany in one direction. In the conditional variance equation, strong spillover effects were the same as the result of the pre-crisis and asymmetric effect in the domestic market in UK was present, and one-way asymmetric effect existed in Germany from Taiwan. Therefore, the results of this study presented the linkage between the volatilities of the stock market of India and other countries through the integration of the world economy, observing and confirming the asymmetric reactions and return(volatility) spillover effects between the stock market of India and other countries.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.17-39
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• 2015

This study examined the structural changes and volatility in the global stock markets using a Markov Regime Switching ARCH model developed by the Hamilton and Susmel (1994). Firstly, the US, Italy and Ireland showed that variance in the high volatility regime was more than five times that in the low volatility, while Korea, Russia, India, and Greece exhibited that variance in the high volatility regime was increased more than eight times that in the low. On average, a jump from regime 1 to regime 2 implied roughly three times increased in risk, while the risk during regime 3 was up to almost thirteen times than during regime 1 over the study period. And Korea, the US, India, Italy showed ARCH(1) and ARCH(2) effects, leverage and asymmetric effects. Secondly, 278 days were estimated in the persistence of low volatility regime, indicating that the mean transition probability between volatilities exhibited the highest long-term persistence in Korea. Thirdly, the coefficients appeared to be unstable structural changes and volatility for the stock markets in Chow tests during the Asian, Global and European financial crisis. In addition, 1-Step prediction error tests showed that stock markets were unstable during the Asian crisis of 1997-1998 except for Russia, and the Global crisis of 2007-2008 except for Korea and the European crisis of 2010-2011 except for Korea, the US, Russia and India. N-Step tests exhibited that most of stock markets were unstable during the Asian and Global crisis. There was little change in the Asian crisis in CUSUM tests, while stock markets were stable until the late 2000s except for some countries. Also there were stable and unstable stock markets mixed across countries in CUSUMSQ test during the crises. Fourthly, I confirmed a close relevance of the volatility between Korea and other countries in the stock markets through the likelihood ratio tests. Accordingly, I have identified the episode or events that generated the high volatility in the stock markets for the financial crisis, and for all seven stock markets the significant switch between the volatility regimes implied a considerable change in the market risk. It appeared that the high stock market volatility was related with business recession at the beginning in 1990s. By closely examining the history of political and economical events in the global countries, I found that the results of Lamoureux and Lastrapes (1990) were consistent with those of this paper, indicating there were the structural changes and volatility during the crises and specificly every high volatility regime in SWARCH-L(3,2) student t-model was accompanied by some important policy changes or financial crises in countries or other critical events in the international economy. The sophisticated nonlinear models are needed to further analysis.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1-24
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• 2019

This study confirms the responses of consumers when the composition of emoticon bundles can be selected by individuals in MIM service. This aims to verify that customized bundling is a valid marketing strategy in the MIM emoticon market. Currently, the emoticon bundling used in Korean MIM services is in the form of pure bundling. As a result, Consumers must purchase an entire bundle even though he/she doesn't need to use all the emoticons contained in it. Some researches(e.g. Hitt & Chen, 2005; Wu & Anandalingam, 2002) show that when consumers value only part of the products or services included in pure bundling, customized bundling is much more profitable. In their works, customized bundling is appropriate when marginal costs are near zero. Information goods, such as emoticons, meet the condition. On the other hand, customized bundling increase the choosable options, so it can pose a problem of complexity (Blecker et al., 2004). And consumers may experience information overload(Huffman & Kahn, 1998). Thus, judgement on the necessity to introduce customized bundling needs to be made through empirical analyses in the light of characteristics of the product and the reaction of consumers. Results show that when customized bundling was introduced, consumers' purchase intention and willingness to pay significantly increased. Purchase intention for customized bundles has increased by 0.44 based on the five point Likert scale than the purchase intention for existing pure bundles. The increase in purchase intention for customized bundles was statistically independent of the existing purchasing experience. In addition, the willingness to pay was increased by about 2.8% compared to the price of the existing emoticon bundles in the whole group. The group with experience in purchasing pure bundles were willing to pay 5.9% more than pure bundles. The other group without experience in purchasing pure bundles were willing to buy if they were about 5% cheaper than the existing price. Overall, introducing customized bundling into emoticon bundles can lead to positive consumers responses and be a viable marketing strategy.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.61-78
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• 2019

When calculating gains from transfers of assets inherited or donated, the value recognized at the market price as of the date of inheritance or acquisition is recognized as the actual transaction value at the time of acquisition. However, Precedents for the appeal for review by the NTS, the request for adjudgment by the Tax Tribunal(TT) and the request of examination by the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea(BAI) and the cases of the lawsuit have not shown a consistent results on how much such a the actual transaction value will be measured. This study investigates the operating state of the current tax appeal system using the statistical data of the TT, NTS, and BAI and cases of the lawsuit from 2008 to 2017, and suggests the Improvement of Capital Gains Tax Act on the transfer of inherited and donated property. As a result, total number of requested cases has diminished because cases of the pre-assessment review and the reconsideration appeal by the NTS have decreased steadily over the past decade, while the cases of the lawsuit and the administrative trials(the request for adjudgment by the TT, the appeal for review by the NTS, and the request of examination by the BAI) have been steadily increasing. Also This study found that more than 40% of the complainants proceeded with the cases of the lawsuit proceedings in disagreement with the disposition of tax dissatisfaction under the administrative trials. In addition, Even though the retrospective appraisal price is not recognized as the market price due to the strict interpretation of the tax regulations, it can be seen that it is interpreted as a more expanded concept in the application of the market price than the government office or the tax judge. Therefore, according to the precedents of the cases lawsuit, it is necessary to establish a regulation on the recognition of retroactive appraisal value.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2004

Locally advanced (Stage III) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately one third of all cases of NSCLC. Few patients with locally advanced NSCLC present with disease amenable to curative surgical resection. Historically, these patients were treated with primary thoracic radiation therapy (RT) and had poor long term survival rates, due to both progression of local disease and development on distant metastases. Over the last two decades, the use of multidisciplinary approach has improved the outcome for patients with locally advanced NSCLC. Combined chemoradiotherapy is the most favored approach for treatment of locally advanced unresectable NSCLC. There are two basic treatment protocols for administering combined chemotherapy and radiation, sequential versus concurrent. The rationale for using chemotherapy is to eliminate subclinical metastatic disease while improving local control. Sequential use of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy has improved median and long term survival compared to radiation therapy alone. This approach appears to decrease the risk of distant metastases,, but local failure rates remain the same as radiation alone. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has been studied extensively. The potential advantages of this approach may include sensitization of tumor cells to radiation by the administration of chemotherapy, and reduced overall treatment time compared to sequential therapy; which is known to be important for improving local control in radiation biology. This approach Improves survival primarily as a result of improved local control. However, it doesn't seem to decrease the risk of distant metastases probably because concurrent chemoradiation requires dose reductions in chemotherapy due to increased risks of acute morbidity such as acute esophageal toxicity. Although multidisciplinary therapy has led to improved survival rates compared to radiation therapy alone and has become the new standard of care, the optimal therapy of locally advanced NSCLC continues to evolve. The current issues in the multidisciplinary management of locally advanced NSCLC will be reviewed in this report.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.636-662
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• 2018

Recently, the Moon administration established the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups, as part of its national strategy for start-up and innovation growth led by small and medium-sized venture companies. In a slowing economy, as venture companies with excellent internal competencies are seen to be favorable to growth, the government funding for technology development is becoming increasingly important. Previous studies examine the internal competence factors that can strengthen competitiveness through self-efforts and the influence structure of growth stage, which is an important factor in industrial environment, on business performance. As the government support for venture firms has been strengthened, the effect of government funding on the management performance and technological innovation performance of venture firms have been recently discussed in various ways. However, there is a lack of precedent research on the moderating effect of the utilization of government funding on the existing influence structure in which firm's internal competence and growth stages affects business performance. Therefore, this study examined whether the internal competencies of the venture firms and the stage of growth have direct effects on business performance and analyzed the moderating effect in connection with government funding utilization under these influence structures. The results of the study are as follows. First, the utilization of government funding in the venture firms whose R&D personnel ratio is relatively low, not to have own brands and showed an increase of employees has a significantly positive influence on business performance. Second, the moderating effects of the government funding utilization at the high growth stage of the venture firms are shown significantly. These results suggest that the venture policy linked to the job creation of the present government requires not only the support considering R&D personnel but also the necessity of supporting human resources policy to a greater extent and further study on the effectiveness of venture firms in the high growth stage.