• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.381-394
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• 2005

There is a little agreement about the characteristics of the company town proposed by the Federation of the Korean Industries(FKI). So the purpose of this study is to figure out the FKI's company town, It is begun with the history and the characteristics of the Western company town and the company town of Japanese type. The process of the company town issue from the first proposal of the FKI is examined. Particularly, the definitions, the examples and the expected effects of the company town in the reports supporting the FKI's proposal are explored. Western company town could be characterized by the economic simplicity and the important role of single firm for supply of jobs, houses, etc. In the light of the results of this study, the FKI's company town was based on the western company town especially in definition, influenced by the company town of Japanese type and then identified with industrial clusters. Consequently there is some disaccordance among the definitions, the examples and the expected effects of the FKI's company town. Giving shape to the FKI's company town project in desirable way, it should be developed in small scale at first, with many related enterprises and public institutions to meet their spatial demand and in related with the other new town projects, for example, future innovative city and innovative cluster.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.59-65
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• 2014

Purpose - The competitiveness of logistics in the 21st century rests on ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of its local hub. While considering entry into a niche market in local logistics, it is pertinent to note that Budapest is emerging as a hub in EU enlargement in Eastern Europe. Big, small, and medium-sized businesses in Korea entered Hungary in the early 1990s since then, there has been a significant increase in Korean presence, of approximately 130 times. This study aimed to identify the key distribution issues that have emerged in relation to Eastern Europe. Research design, data, and methodology - This study indicates that 33 major Korean companies were located in Hungary, which serves as an out post to enter the European marketplace. However, Korea's exports to Hungary have declined (-32.0% in 2012) because of a loss of competitiveness against multinational corporations, due to factors such as the rise in current local distribution costs and wages. Hungary, on the other hand, through diversification and expansion of foreign trade with the non-EU markets, including Korea, is increasing its exports. Strategies of emerging countries are compared and reviewed in this study, by examining the vicissitudes of Hungary's distribution methods. Results - There are issues regarding Hungary's innovative ability. Hungary has a history of low wages and high skilled labor. However, the outflow of high-quality human resources for high-wages has become more extensive, and this underlines concerns that the CEE's trade hub is moving to neighboring countries. After the European financial crisis in 2010, the Hungarian economy is now developing, because of the IMF's measures, and it is being transformed into a trade surplus nation, while regaining distribution volumes rapidly. However, if there is continued lack of investment, the supply chain is weakened and exports decline amidst competition with TNCs or with China's distribution networks. Conclusions - It is necessary to create a new logistics approach for increasing trade between Korea and Hungary. First, Korean small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should build trust by working with advanced Hungarian talent, and they should expand into state-of-the-art fields instead of being confined to traditional sectors. Second, this study focuses on limiting and lowering their high expectations for success according to foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and the role in the CEE distribution hub Korea should try to strengthen the distribution hub with its centralized population, using better, more highly educated human resources, thereby sustaining more innovative ability. Further, the positive effects of these measures are manifested in enhanced business on both sides of Hungary, namely, the EU and non-EU nations such as Turkey and emerging markets around Europe, and a better engagement in the core placement of culture and industry. For this, Korea can contribute to, and benefit from, a Hungarian logistics center, for adopting the high-tech cluster systems and commercializing distribution technology such as RFID·USN.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.69-77
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• 2012

GNTECH-ICEE, which this study seeks to investigate and evaluate, demonstrates a new system of training innovative engineers. An essential component of this operation is a Small Engineering Group (SEG) that links professors, students and industrial experts together, to study and apply different techniques in determining the processes and products that relate industrial sectors needs. As an education program, SEG also provides a right direction for educating students, and generates industry-university link based human resources. Through these efforts, GNTECH-ICEE has effectively trained creative, professional, and practical engineers, by operating a variety of programs for meeting industrial needs and enhancing engineering education. SEG has many merits that have influenced its success so far, but the program also faces some challenges. The merits include; strong group bondage, practical ability incubation, and efficient administrative support. In terms of demerits, it is evident that sufficient theoretical education and local small-middle size enterprises (SMEs)' sustainable participation cannot be warranted. Thus, we propose that initiative strategies have been helpful to maximize GNTECH-ICEE's goal of making students into multi-player engineer, but continuously financial and administrative strategies be put into place in order to guarantee SMEs' long-term devotion to the program, and to help create a sustainable network between students and the companies involved.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2007

Most of eyeglasses manufacturers in Korea consist of relatively small-sized enterprises with less than 10 employees. In terms of scale, it performs considerably poor compared to other competing nations like Italy and the People's Republic of China. As a result, domestic eyeglasses industry is facing a difficult position between high-priced products of developed countries and low-priced goods of China, South East Asia, and etc. Considering these factors, the urgent solution for revitalization of domestic eyeglasses industry could be seen as major structural changes in eyeglasses producers. In addition, it is also noted that procurement of competitiveness is an essential scheme to reinvigorate the Korean eyeglasses industry. This objective can be achieved via improvement of ability to develop new designs, exploitation of new material and technology, intensification of own innovative brand and public relations, development of new products such as functional glasses, reduction of sample producing period, provision of administrative support, and designation of special economic zone.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.175-183
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• 2017

In this study, the LINC project is finished and a new LINC+ has begun. For the settlement of mutual cooperation in universities and corporations, the main agenda of LINC+ project, this research attempts to find factors that are important to industries rather than the measurement of performance closely related to universities. From the companies' perspective, it is not easy to measure how much they are benefiting from mutual cooperation, although there are quantitative performance determinants such as sales, employment and export growth. Therefore, while estimating the satisfaction of industrial-educational cooperation and simultaneously estimating the satisfaction's effect to the development of companies, we try to estimate the contribution of satisfaction towards company development through subjective indicators. Through these efforts, we will raise the credibility of government policies through the cultivation of talented individuals who are customized to the industry through the cultivation of "Industry-Leading Universities" that we intend to pursue through the implementation of LINC+ business, and small and medium enterprises. Innovative support and the cooperation of industry-universities will increase job creation and ensure consistent industry. We will contribute to the mutual development of universities and industries.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.199-233
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• 2014

This paper attempts to investigate how and why the additionality effects occur in the case when a firm receives government subsidy as opposed to counterfactual situation. To demonstrate this, we selected 12 SMEs(small and medium enterprises) firms in Daejeon area and have conducted multiple case studies. In order to analyse the multiple cases of firms, we classified firms innovative activities into three stages which are composed of input, behaviour and output stages and related various factors. Furthermore, we investigated the differences according to types of firms and stages of firm growth. Empirical results show that various input, behaviour and output additionality effects exist when firms receive public subsidies. Compared to companies in the growth and mature stages, startup phase companies depend on government subsidy extensively and they use public subsidies strategically to develop new product and to change their strategic direction. The attitude of firms to use government subsidies is different according to their types and stage of growth as well.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.293-301
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to introduce the limit of previously used six sigma quality process evaluation metrics, $Z_{st}$ and $P_{pk}$, and a solution to overcome this drawback by using a metric based on performance evaluation of Z-factor quality innovation. Case analysis on projects from national six sigma contest from 2011 to 2012 is performed and literature review on new drug development HTS (High Throughput Screening) is used to propose innovative performance evaluation metrics. This research shows that experimental study on six sigma evaluation metric, $Z_{st}$ and $P_{pk}$, have no significance difference between industrial type (Manufacturing, Semi-Public Institute, Public Institute) and CTQ type (Product Technology Type CTQ, Process Technology Type CTQ). Following discovery characterize this quality improvement as fixed target type project. As newly developed moving target type of quality innovation performance metric Z-Factor is used for evaluating experimental study, hypothetical analysis suggests that $Z_{st}$ and $P_{pk}$ share different relationship or even show reciprocal relationship. Constraints of the study are relatively small sample size of only 37 projects from past 2 years and conflict on having interview and communication with six sigma quality practitioner for qualitative experimental study. Both moving target type six sigma innovation project and fixed target type improvement project or quality circle enables efficient ways for a better understanding and quality practitioner use by applying quality innovation performance metric. Downside of fixed target type quality performance evaluation metric, $Z_{st}$ and $P_{pk}$, is presented through experimental study. In contrast, advantage of this study is that high throughput requiring product technology, process technology and quantum leap typed innovation effect is evaluated based on precision and accuracy and Z-Factor that enables relative comparison between enterprises is proposed and implemented.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.181-204
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• 2007

Trade Portal Site(TPS) is one of the innovative skills which makes it possible for small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to manage international trade activities more efficiently by using the newest information and telecommunication technology. Based on performance and an existing research related to using information technology, this research analyzed the user's degree of utilization of TPSs which moderates effects between SMEs characteristics and export performance of SMEs. According to the results of the empirical study on actual data of 194 sample firms by using moderated regression analysis, there are significant only organizational characteristics among determinants(such as organizational characteristics, export characteristics) as the degree of utilization of TPSs. These research results provide many useful insights to the CEOs of SMEs using the services of TPSs, e-Trade system developers, and government policy makers. First, CEOs and managers of SMEs should have thorough understanding of the importance of the new information technology and e-Trade and positively adopt new e-Trade solutions and systems to their export processes to enhance global competitiveness. Second, TPS managers and e-Trade systems developers must concentrate on improving the user's degree of utilization of TPSs. Finally, the government agency should develop the various e-Trade promotion policies to support the efforts of SMEs organizational characteristics and TPS to increase the degree of utilization of TPS, which have positive effects on the export performance of SMEs.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.209-237
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• 2012

Multinational enterprises(MNEs) try to strengthen their global innovative capabilities by incorporating the foreign subsidiaries' knowledge bases. Foreign subsidiaries play an important role in MNEs' knowledge creation activities. This study develops a strategy model that strengthening the knowledge creation capabilities of Korean firms' foreign subsidiaries. Four strengthening strategy types are derived from three research areas related with center of excellence, subsidiary strategic roles, and knowledge creation capabilities. The strategies that strengthen knowledge creation capabilities are including organizational culture and autonomy reinforcing strategy, subsidiary's absorptive capacity reinforcing strategy, local environment management strategy, and network building strategy. Strategic fit conditions which support the success of each strategy type are also discussed.

• Fourth Industrial Review
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

Purpose - This case study analyzes the internationalization strategy and innovation strategy as key factors contributing to the business success of CAP, a small and medium-sized manufacturing company in Korea producing auto parts such as wipers. This study describes the diversification strategies conducted by CAP Corporation and highlights the company's core competencies that have largely contributed to their global competitive success. Research design, data, and methodology - This paper provides in-depth case study on how CAP was able to grow into a hidden champion company, focusing on their strategies since its establishment. In particular, by analyzing the success factors centering on CAP's aggressive innovation strategy and internationalization strategy, it presents guidelines for small and medium-sized enterprises in Asian countries to become a Hidden Champion company. Result - CAP's product technology has successfully established innovative system on their product called 'vertebra spring' to distribute uniform pressure to the rubber to ensure performance as well as durability of their products. In order to continue benefiting from utilizing core competence and to continue pursuing technological advancement in the wiper industry, CAP has launched a wide range of products (flat blade, conventional blade, hybrid blade) applicable to 95% of the vehicle in the market. Conclusion - Taken together, CAP has many aspects of a hidden champion company by investing in R&D up to 8% of its annual sales to R&D investment even during the crises situation. This number is about 3.36 times higher than the average ratio of listed companies in Korea. Furthermore, the leadership of the management team as well as their vision toward the global market and strong commitment to innovation enabled CAP to become the world's fifth-largest wiper and Asia's No. 1 wiper manufacturer.