• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.23-38
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• 2022

Purpose - This research intends to find out whether R&D cost stickiness shows differentiated aspects depending on exports in Korea. A cost behavior that indicates a lower rate of costs decrease when sales decrease than the rate of costs increase when sales increase is called cost stickiness. This sticky cost behavior is caused by considering the adjusting costs. This study aims to empirically verify that R&D cost stickiness is greater in export firms than in non-export firms. We also investigate the effect of exports on R&D cost stickiness is nonlinear. Design/methodology - We obtain data for the analysis from Kis-Value and TS2000 from 2012 to 2020. This study tests for R&D cost stickiness of exports using the cost stickiness model developed by Anderson et al. (2003) that is used in a lot of prior literature. To explore the nonlinear behavior of R&D cost stickiness we include a quadratic term of exports in our model. Findings - The results of our analysis are as follows. First, we observed that R&D costs of export firms are more sticky than that of non-export firms. Our result indicated that export firms are less likely to reduce R&D costs in decreasing sales periods in preparation for future sales recovery. Second, our empirical evidence shows that export firms view R&D costs much favorably. However, we hypothesize that the effect of export intensity on R&D costs may not necessarily be linear. Our result shows the effect of exports intensity on R&D stickiness is thus nonlinear, forming a reverse U-shaped curve. When export intensity exceeds a certain threshold, the growth rate of R&D costs appears to be viewed negatively. Firms with relatively high export intensity do not support R&D costs, viewing them as taking away firms' resources from other more productive costs. On the contrary, those with export intensity under the threshold view R&D costs as beneficial and therefore promote further R&D costs when revenue decreases. Originality/value - The results of this research can contribute academically to the expansion of empirical research on R&D cost stickiness. R&D cost stickiness varies by industry. As a result of our research, the managers of export firms recognize the importance of R&D to lead innovation. We expected that this research contributes to further studies on R&D costs and cost stickiness. Second, this research has implications from a business perspectives. Our findings of export firms' R&D stickiness suggest that export firms' managers should consider keeping the stickiness of R&D when revenue decreases because it is essential for exporting firms to maintain their R&D stickiness to secure long-term competitiveness. R&D stickiness can be used on a practical basis to emphasize the need for continuous investment in exporting firms' R&D activities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

To secure national future competitiveness, the Korean government announced the 『National Ultra-High Performance Computing (HPC) Innovation Strategy (2021.5.28.)』 and set three innovation strategy goals throughout establishing an innovation ecosystem. This study presented a heterogenous data-based strategic support framework that allowed to understand both the current status of domestic & foreign R&D areas and domestic industrial economy areas in terms of strategic fields related to ultra-high performance computing, and the empirical research was conducted in the life science and public health area. The HPC innovation ecosystem platform based on the connection of heterogeneous data (domestic R&D project-technology-industry-overseas R&D project) presented in this study provided useful and essential information that allowed establishing a specific action plan for the national HPC innovation strategy and contributing to vitalizing the innovation ecosystem. Since the evidence-based policy assumes that a more reasonable consensus is reached through a non-biased decision- making process among stakeholders, the proposed platform may contribute to enhancing policy momentum by increasing legitimacy and trust of planning of the national HPC strategy.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.19-34
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• 2021

The government budget for promoting startup have been skyrocketed as catching up with increasing demands for high-tech startup by disruptive innovation resulted from rapid technology change. However, major trend of startup have still fallen on self-employed type of startup due to the lack of expertise and fund in spite of desperate government policy efforts. In reality, the access to high-tech startup has been very limited and too high huddle to would-be entrepreneur. This paper implement empirical analysis on the effects of entrepreneur competency and satisfaction level to government support, considering these as the KSF for the growth and success of high-tech startup, to the performance of the company. In particular, it focus on defining unique characteristics of high-tech startup through differential proving by the backgrounds of entrepreneur such as major, R&D experience, patent possession, CTO possession. This research carry out survey to 217 entrepreneurs in high-tech company in Daejon and Daegue at R&D Special Innopolis Zone. Research results are as follow. First, entrepreneurial achievement competencies, conceptualization competencies, network competencies and market recognition competencies positively affect the financial and non-financial performance and organizational and technical competencies, while organizational and technological competencies only positively impact on non-financial performance. Second, the satisfaction level of government support showed a positive moderating effect on entrepreneurial achievement competencies and financial performance, while no significant effect in other competencies. Third, positive differential effect by the technological background of entrepreneur such as Major, R&D experience, patent possession, CTO possession) have been confirmed. This paper deliver several significant implications and contributions, First, it propose classified and systematized entrepreneur competency through the domestic and foreign literature reviews. Second, it proves the need for the wider spread of team based startup culture rather then sole startup. Third, it also proves the important role of technological background of entrepreneur among the characteristics of high-tech startup.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.241-253
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• 2023

In the current rapidly changing environment, each country continues to make efforts to create jobs and strengthen technological competitiveness. In particular, support and revitalization policies for venture companies and start-ups are known to play a role in increasing national competitiveness. Companies should make appropriate replacements amid growing uncertainties in the environment in which business life is shortened and customer needs are diversified due to intensifying competition. First of all, it is important for companies to make efforts to strengthen their internal capabilities on their own. However, venture companies lack internal resources and capabilities, so support from the external environment is important enough to lead to the survival of the company(Timmons, 1994). Financial support and certification systems are being operated at the national level to strengthen the competitiveness of companies. However, financial support can lower a company's self-sustainability depending on the situation, so non-financial support such as R&D support and start-up education is considered to be helpful in the long term for venture growth(Aghion et al., 2012; Jeon & Ko, 2021). Non-financial support is divided into commercialization, facilities, space, childcare, manpower, and certification systems, and this study confirmed the benefits of the venture company confirmation system, which is a certification system. To this end, the 2021 venture company precision survey data and venture company sales data were used, and analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 package and SPSS PROCESS MACRO. As a result of the analysis, it was confirmed that the level of the management environment of venture companies has a positive effect on the benefits of the venture confirmation system or increasing the level of venture company capabilities, but it is difficult to lead to actual management performance. In addition, it was confirmed that the level of venture company competency mediates the relationship between the level of the venture company's business environment and management performance. As a result, even if the level of the venture company's business environment is positive or venture-friendly, it can be said that companies with internal capabilities to digest support from the external environment increase management performance.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.77-85
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• 2006

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-$\rho$-dioxin(TCDD) displays high toxicity in animals and has been implicated in human carcinogenesis. Although TCDD is recognized as potent carcinogens, relatively little is known about their role in the tumor promotion and carcinogenesis. It is known that TCDD can increase of cancer risk from various types of tissue by a mechanism possibly involving the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation. In this study, effects of TCDD on cellular proliferation of normal human skin and lung fibroblasts, Detroit551 and WI38 cells were investigated. In addition, to enhance our understanding of TCDD-mediated carcinogenesis, we have investigated process in which expression of Erk1/2, cyclinD1, oncogene such as Ha-ras and c-myc, and their cognate signaling pathway. TCDD that are potent activators of AhR-mediated activity was found to induce significant increase of cytochrome P4501A1 mRNA expression, suggesting a presence of functional AhR. These results support that CYP1A1 enzyme may be involved in the generation of TCDD-induced toxicity. Moreover mitogen-activated protein kinases (MARKs) phosphorylation and cyclin D1 overexpression are induced by TCDD, which corresponded with the progression of cellular proliferation. However, TCDD did not affected Ha-ras and c-myc mRNA expression. Taken together, it seems that TCDD are could be a part of cellular proliferation in non-tumorigenic normal human cells such as Detroit551 and WI38 cells through the upregulation of MAPKs signaling pathway regulating growth of cell population. Therefore, AhR-activating TCDD could potentially contribute to tumor promotion and Detroit551 and WI38 cells have been used as a detection system of tumorigenic effects of TCDD.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.1-26
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• 2018

This study estimates the technical efficiency and total factor productivity(TFP) of and analyzes the relationship between TFP and exports for Korean manufacturing companies from 2000 to 2016. Specially, TFP is decomposed into Technical Change(TC), Technical Efficiency Change (TEC), and Sale Effect(SE), and compared between large and small enterprises. First, in the case of technical efficiency, the Korean economy has been very vulnerable to external shocks, such as the sharp decline following the 2008 financial crisis. The efficiency of the electronics, automobile, and machinery sectors is low and needs to be improved. In addition, the technological efficiency of large enterprises is higher than that of SMEs in most manufacturing sub-sectors except for non-ferrous metals. In the case of TFP, most changes are due to TC, and the effective combination of labor, capital and the effect of scale have little effect, suggesting that improvement of internal structure is urgent. In addition, volatility due to the impact of the financial crisis in 2008 was much larger in SMEs than in large companies, so external economic impacts are more greater for SMEs than large enterprises. The relationship between TFP decomposition factors and exports shows that TC has a positive effect only on exports of SMEs. Therefore, in order to increase exports, in the case of SMEs, R&D support to promote technological development is needed. In the case of large companies, it is necessary to establish differentiated strategies for each export market, competitor company, and item to link efficiency and scale effect of exports.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.141-152
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• 2023

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological results for the association between occupational exposure as a firefighter and cancer as part of the broader evidence synthesis work of the IARC Monographs program. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify cohort studies of firefighters followed for cancer incidence and mortality. Studies were evaluated for the influence of key biases on results. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate the association between ever-employment and duration of employment as a firefighter and risk of 12 selected cancers. The impact of bias was explored in sensitivity analyses. Results: Among the 16 included cancer incidence studies, the estimated meta-rate ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity statistic (I²) for ever-employment as a career firefighter compared mostly to general populations were 1.58 (1.14-2.20, 8%) for mesothelioma, 1.16 (1.08-1.26, 0%) for bladder cancer, 1.21 (1.12-1.32, 81%) for prostate cancer, 1.37 (1.03-1.82, 56%) for testicular cancer, 1.19 (1.07-1.32, 37%) for colon cancer, 1.36 (1.15-1.62, 83%) for melanoma, 1.12 (1.01-1.25, 0%) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.28 (1.02-1.61, 40%) for thyroid cancer, and 1.09 (0.92-1.29, 55%) for kidney cancer. Ever-employment as a firefighter was not positively associated with lung, nervous system, or stomach cancer. Results for mesothelioma and bladder cancer exhibited low heterogeneity and were largely robust across sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: There is epidemiological evidence to support a causal relationship between occupational exposure as a firefighter and certain cancers. Challenges persist in the body of evidence related to the quality of exposure assessment, confounding, and medical surveillance bias.