• Journal of East Asia Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2021

競争が激しいグローバル市場において, 中小企業はどのようにして持続可能な競争優位を獲得するのかという問題を抱えている｡ しかし, 中小企業のグローバル市場における経営課題や戦略の実態についてはわからないことが多い｡ そこで本研究では, 日本の中小企業がグ ローバル市場でどのようにして競争優位を獲得することができるのかについて事例分析を通じて探ることを目的としている｡ 本稿で取り上げるのは, 事務機器 (例：コピー機およびプリンター)で広く使用されているポリイミドトナー定着チューブで世界最高のシェア (40％)を有する I.S.T (Industrial Summit Technology)である｡ I.S.Tがポリイミドトナー定着チューブ製品の開発・販売を通じて, ど のようにしてグローバル市場の競争優位を獲得したのか, その歴史的な展開から明らかにする｡ インタビュー調査からはI.S.Tが競争力のあるグローバルヒドゥンチャンピオン(Global Hidden Champion)になった主要な要因が, コアコンピタンス, 戦略的ネットワーク, リスクマネジメント, 従業員エンゲージメント, 創業者の起業家精神による従業員とのビジョンの 共有といった５つにあることが判明した｡ 企業の将来像を従業員と共有することはグローバルヒドゥンチャンピオンになるための第一歩である｡ しかし, そのためには, 他社と差別化できる企業固有のコアコンピタンスをもたなければならず, それにはグローバル市場における際立った専門性を確立することが求められる｡ 一方で, 持続的な競争力を維持するためには, 外部組織との戦略的ネットワークを通じ, 経営資源の不足といった中小企業の弱点を補完すると同時に, 強みをさらに強化する必要がある｡ このプロセスでは他社に強みを奪われないためのリスクマネジメントが重要となる｡ また, 組織パフォーマンスに対する従業員エンゲージメントの影響の重大性を確認しなければならない｡ 従業員のエンゲージメントを高めるためには, 企業の歴史と個性に合った理想的な組織文化を構築する必要がある｡ そうした組織文化は従業員に自身の創造的な発想を実現するような取り組みを促すことになる｡

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.225-232
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to explore the necessity of technology commercialization aiding service from government-supported R&D institutions and find key success factors for market performance improvement of business ventures and SMEs. For this aim, we researched relevant theories and KICET(Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology)'s "Ceramic Hidden Champion Supporting Project. As government-supported R&D institutions, KICET is not only providing its original main service which is technology advising and development, but also providing a full range of technology commercialization aiding service for business ventures including diagnosis, strategy planning, capital procurement, overseas marketing activity. Qualitative analysis based on relevant theories and meta-analysis framework suggest that such expansion of services is desirable for government-supported R&D institutions to increase market performance of business ventures and SMEs. To lead this business to success, we should develop effective management system and incentive system for external supporting companies and client companies. Also, coordination between team member's activities and budget procurement issue should be solved for further performance creation.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.75-99
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• 2006

Inje University, a nonprofit-oriented educational institution, was ranked second in the nation and first in all the local universities in the 2001 Comprehensive Evaluation of the Universities in 25 years since it was founded. In order to find out the reason for this high reputation, we had an interview with the chairman and an in-depth interview with other school authorities, interviewed the students and the residents in the community, and collected related data for the second time. We revealed that Inje University had been performing public marketing in the areas of its management philosophy, function, form, and performance. Our interview with the chairman confirmed that Inje University's management philosophy is the frontier spirits that 'contribute to the moor, attracting nobody's attention, in the name of public interest.' It was also revealed that this management philosophy made the function of the university differ from that of the others. Inje University had been focusing on forming a public network for its community, the nation, and the world, not just for its students. Furthermore, we also found out that the university had its unique separate organizations to take care of this business. An excellent on-campus network for the student and the school, a network between off-campus industries, and an international Inje exchange network had been formed. We have concluded that Inje University is a strong nonprofit-oriented hidden champion. The healing art, easily ignored but essential to human beings, and its commitment to education with all its property invested have contributed to Inje University's social status, reputation, and achievements today.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.65-80
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• 2017

Purpose - The purpose of the present study is to discover success factors for small and medium-sized exporting enterprises and to derive factors that can positively influence the export of small and medium-sized enterprises. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the problem solution mentioned above. Research design, data, and methodology - A total of 258 filled-in questionnaires were collected; afterwards, frequency and cross tabulation analyses were conducted. The PPML analytic technique was applied to the core factors analyzed in Stages 1 and 2 to conduct regression analysis (cause and effect analysis and estimation method), thereby deriving success factors. Result - Based on detailed factors, a total of 15 success factors directly/indirectly involved in the success of export in small and medium-sized enterprises comprising 9 success factors, three positive effect factors for export, and three governments support policy factors were identified. Conclusions - The present paper is a rare empirical study paper that found and presented three detailed factors that positively influence on export and three government support policy factors, in addition to the above factors. Therefore, the results can be used by small and medium-sized enterprises that require not only previous studies, but also actual export success factor.

• Korean small business review
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.73-88
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• 2009

This study examines the characteristics of 24 Korean hidden champions such as key success factors, core competences, strategic problems, and desirable future directions. The study categorized them into 8 types with Danny Miller's four trajectories and top manager's decision making style(rationality and passion). Danny Miller argued in his book, Icarus paradox, that outstanding firms will extend their orientations until they reach dangerous extremes and their momentum will result in common trajectories of decline. He suggested four very common success types: Craftsmen, Builders, Pioneers, Salesmen. He also suggested common trajectories of decline:Focusing(from Craftsmen to Tinkers), Venturing(from Builders to Imperialists), Inventing(from Pioneers to Escapists), Decoupling(from Salesmen to Drifts). In Korea, successful startups appear to possess three kinds of drive: Technology-drive, Vision-drive, Market-drive. Successful technology-driven firms tend to grow as craftsmen or pioneers. Successful vision-driven and market-driven ones tend to grow as builders and salesmen respectively. Korean top managers or founders seem to have two kinds of decision making style: Passion-based and Rationality-bases. Passion-based(passionate) entrepreneurs are biased towards action or proactiveness in competing and getting things done. Rationality- based ones tend to emphasis the effort devoted to scanning and analysing information to better understand a company's threats, opportunities and options. Consequently this study suggested 4*2 types of Korean hidden champions: (1) passionate craftsmen, (2) rational craftsmen, (3) passionate builders, (4) rational builders, (5) passionate pioneers, (6) rational pioneers, (7) passionate salesmen, (8) rational salesmen. These 8 type firms showed different success stories and appeared to possess different trajectories of decline. These hidden champions have acquired competitive advantage within domestic or globally niche markets in spite of the weak market power and lack of internal resources. They have maintained their sustainable competitiveness by utilizing three types of growth strategy; (1) penetrating into the global market, (2) exploring new service market, (3) occupying the domestic market. According to the types of growth strategy, these firms showed different financial outcomes and possessed different issues for maintaining their competitiveness. This study found that Korean hidden champions were facing serious challenges from the transforming economic structure these days and possessed the decline potential from their success momentum or self-complacence. It argues that they need to take a new growth engine not to decline in the turbulent environment. It also discusses how firms overcome the economic crisis and find a new business area in promising industries for the future. It summarized the recent policy of Korean government called as "Green Growth" and discussed how small firms utilize such benefits and supports from the government. Other implications for firm strategies and governmental policies were discussed.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.31-42
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• 2012

After the rapidly changing business management environment and financial crisis, high prices and domestic recession in Korea posed threats to the business survival of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper looks at the potential of micro business owners for sustainable development: those who have a spirit of entrepreneurship and the potential to be a hidden champion. Our study of micro business values uses structure equation modeling by LISREL. We have done so in order to understand the foundation of management innovation and success model of micro enterprise by increasing the entrepreneurship and management performance relationship analysis. A micro-enterprise is a type of small business, found only in Korea, often registered as having ten or fewer employees. We examine the successful type of hidden champions and the influence of entrepreneurship on start-ups in business. As compared to past research on the SME entrepreneurship, this study segments small businesses even further. Small business entrepreneurship was classified into three forms that are most appropriate for the Korean situation today: innovation, risk-taking, and pro-activeness. This research is meaningful as it is Korea's first empirical analysis on four business types: wholesale and retail sales, food and lodging business, service business, and manufacturing business. Thus far, research on small business entrepreneurship was carried out using small-scale investigative analysis. However, this research attempted to develop a model that can explain a cause-effect relation of the motivational level when it comes to the difference of entrepreneurship by each business type and small business start-up success factors. Various conceptual and operational definitions could be developed in a diverse and precise manner. Independent variables that are related to the success of small businesses can be developed additionally to examine the success factors related to the systematization in detailed manner. The research showed that the innovation, risk-taking and pro-activeness of the manifested difference in the degree of perception depending on the type of small businesses. Among the four business types, the ones that manifested the highest successful start-up rates were food, service, wholesale and retail sales and manufacturing. Results after conducting the regression analysis are shown on, which proves that the small business entrepreneurship exerts direct effect on the financial management performance of small businesses. In other words, small business entrepreneurship exerts a positive effect on the small business financial success and management performance. The R² value is 0.61. It is possible to know that the perception of systematization and variables on attitude explains the 61% of the success for small self-employed businesses management performance. We define start-up key factors that are helpful to achieve internal growth of firms by finding business survival strategies. The results also focus on Korean government policy for micro enterprise and small business support.

• Journal of East Asia Management
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.29-49
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• 2020

In an intensively competitive global market, small-and medium-sized firms are puzzled about how to develop sustainable competitive advantages against global rivalries, thus leading satisfactory economic performance. However, despite the roles and contributions of such small-and medium-sized firms in the local community and national economies in Japan, little guidance has been offered to the practical issues related to their strategic behaviors toward global management. To fill this notable knowledge gap, this study aims to investigate the conditions in which how Japanese small-and medium-sized could dominates global market, which is one of key challenges in the literature of small business and entrepreneurship. To obtain better insights to this research area, this study undertakes an in-depth interview survey with I.S.T (Industrial Summit Technology) Corporation that shows off the highest global market share (40 per cent) with seamless polyimide tube product widely used in office automation equipment (e.g., copiers and printers). This method of survey is designed to deeply understand historical considerations about how I.S.T Corporation could dominate in the global market of such seamless polyimide tube product. Based on findings drawn from an interview, this study identifies five major factors enabling I.S.T Corporation to be a competitive global hidden company: vision sharing through founder's entrepreneurship, core competence, strategic network, risk management, and employee engagement. Specifically, to become a global hidden champion, sharing the vision motivating employees to partake in shaping company's future will be the first step on the road to global success through founder's entrepreneurship. However, in order to achieve such a vision, the importance of company's core competence cannot be overemphasized, which differentiates your customer solution with those of competitors. As such, a group of experts will be naturally formed and demonstrates your expertise in the global market, thereby building sustainable competitiveness. On the other hand, to maintain sustainable competitiveness, it is necessary to make up for the weaknesses small-and medium-sized firms suffer from competitive resources while strengthening their own strengths through strategic networks with external organizations. Here, every company has to understand the critical role of risk management, which is essential in this process of being global company so as not to lose your own strengths. Last but not least, do not forget the significant effects of employee engagement in firm performance. To enhance employees' engagement, a company has to create an ideal organization culture which fits into company's history and personality. In doing so, such organization culture can allow the vision and strategy to be implemented into detailed business tactics while facilitating employees to challenge the status quo by experimenting with creative ideas.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.109-132
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• 2011

While the resource-based view suggests that a firm's competitive advantage rests on a set of valuable, rare and inimitable resources more generally (Barney, 1991), research in new firms has more specially indicated a link between initial resources and early performance and survival (Bruderl and Schussler, 1990; Fichman and Levinthal, 1991; Carroll et al., 1996). The RBV primarily focuses on the particular resources, and their characteristics, that provide the potential for advantage (Conner, 1991). Yet in order to realize this advantage, organizations must not only develop their resources, but also effectively deploy them (Admit and Shoemaker, 1993). This suggests that advantage from resources may reside in both the input (resource development) side and the output (resource deployment) side. This research looks at venture survival as a function of both the resources a firm owns, and the resources it can access from others. We focus more specifically on technology resources, which are among a technology-based firm's most critical resources (Itami, 1987). In addition, technological knowledge can contribute a large portion of the value of a firm's products (Goodman and Lawless, 1994). We look at both the input and output side: the pool of technology resources that serve as an input to a firm's activities, and the market that values and purchases the output of this activity. We take an international perspective, examining whether resources explain internationalization on the input and output side, and in turn, whether this internationalization can explain survival. We explore three sets of questions. First, can survival in entrepreneurial firms be explained as a function of the resources a firm owns, and beyond that, to those the firm can access, and still further, to those the firm can access internationally? Second, do resources explain internationalization on both the input and output side? And finally, does internationalization explain survival? Implications for theory include extending the RBV to not only include a firm's resources, but its access to the resources of other entities. In addition, examining internationalization on both the input and output side enables us to understand not just the potential advantage of resources, but the manner in which they are deployed as a source of advantage. This research also contributes to the literature on international entrepreneurship by examining whether internationalization can explain survival for early stage firms. For practitioners, this research will provide insights on the importance of building alliances and, in so doing, broadening an organization's perspective about the technology resources available to the firm on the input side. The study will also inform practitioners about the value of maximizing the market for a firm's valuable resources. In addition, this research provides an extraordinary opportunity to access a large, comprehensive, and longitudinal dataset on technology-based ventures in Korea.