Suk Bong Choi

How transformational leadership facilitates innovative behavior of Korean workers: Examining mediating and moderating processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and the innovative behavior of Korean workers. To this end, this paper also examines whether knowledge sharing and perceived organizational support (POS) influence the above causal relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The paper used a cross-sectional design, with questionnaires administered to 356 employees working in Korea manufacturing firms to test the relationship between TL and innovative behavior through knowledge sharing and the moderating role of POS. Findings – TL was significantly related to both employee innovative behavior and knowledge sharing. The results also shown that knowledge sharing mediated and POS positively moderated the relationship between TL and innovative behavior of employees. Research limitations/implications – Future research should examine antecedents of knowledge sharing and measure the effect of TL in other level such as team level, to enhance generalizabi...

The Effects of Four Dimensions of Strategic Orientation on Firm Innovativeness and Performance in Emerging Market Small- and Medium-Size Enterprises

Abstract: We investigate the effects of technology, entrepreneurial, market, and learning orientations on firm innovativeness, and the mediating effect of firm innovativeness on these relationships, using a survey of 374 small- and medium-size enterprises in Korea. The results reveal that, while technology, entrepreneurial, and learning orientations significantly influence firm innovativeness, firm innovativeness has a significant effect on firm performance. We also find that firm innovativeness has a statistically significant mediating role in the relationships of technology, entrepreneurial, and learning orientations to firm performance. Our study contributes to strategic management and emerging market literature by identifying the pivotal role of innovativeness for firms that seek to benefit from various types of strategic orientations.

Stress caused by social media network applications and user responses

This study investigated the effects of stress caused by social media network applications on the psychological and behavioral reactions of users: these included emotional exhaustion, the intention to switch applications, and resistance. We also examined the mediating role played by coping behaviors in these relationships. We analyzed a data from 446 users of Korean Social Network Services (SNSs) including Facebook, Twitter, and Kakao Talk, using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Our findings showed that SNS-related stress increased users’ emotional exhaustion, intention to switch, and resistance of user. While both approach coping and avoidance coping reduced emotional exhaustion and resistance, avoidance coping had no significant impact on switching intention. Our results also found that approach coping partially mediated the relationships between SNS-related stress, emotional exhaustion, switching intention, and resistance.

Entrepreneurial orientation and performance: mediating effects of technology and marketing action across industry types

Abstract We contribute to the debate on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance. We theorise, firstly, that the relationship between EO and performance is mediated by the firm’s technology and marketing action and secondly, that these mediating effects will differ by industry. We test the model on 489 Korean SMEs. Results indicate both technology and marketing action mediate the effect of EO on performance. As expected, technology action has a stronger mediating effect than marketing action in manufacturing industries, while marketing action has a stronger mediating effect in service industries. We discuss implications for managers and policy-makers.

Innovation and firm performance in Korea and China: a cross-context test of mainstream theories

We investigate the relationship between innovation and firm performance in two divergent emerging economy contexts: Korea and China. Mainstream innovation theories make disparate claims for how (1) intensity of innovation, (2) scope of innovation and (3) spillovers impact firm performance. Using a comparative institutionalist approach we hypothesise how these relationships apply to firms in Korea and China. Analysis of 897 firm–year data points over a 4-year period provides broad support for our hypotheses. Intensity of innovation (patent intensity) is a strong cross-contextual argument. Scope and spillover arguments appear to be more context-sensitive. Firms with innovation depth in specific technological fields enjoy better performance in Korea, while diversified innovation is more beneficial for firms in China. Spillovers have a stronger impact in Korea than China. The findings underline the importance of incorporating change in institutional context when developing policy and theory relating to firm innovation and performance in emerging economies.

The Impact of Career Management on Organizational Commitment and the Mediating Role of Subjective Career Success: The Case of Korean R&D Employees

To determine the importance of career management behavior (CMB) for organizational outcomes, this study investigated the impact of CMB and organizational support for career development (OSCD) on subjective career success (SCS) and eventually on organizational commitment. Based on survey data from 355 employees of large Korean manufacturing firms, we found that both CMB and OSCD were positively associated with SCS. The results show that SCS positively affects organizational commitment and positively mediates both the relationship between CMB and organizational commitment and the relationship between OSCD and organizational commitment. Our findings imply that employee career success, which is affected by individual and organizational efforts, contributes to the outcomes of the organization in which employees are embedded.

Achieving knowledge management excellence for competitive advantage: an integrative model for empirical research

Knowledge management has been approached as practices of large firms. Increasingly, knowledge management for SMEs is critical for their competitive advantage. The aim of this article is to examine knowledge management excellence from the perspective of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Two specific related objectives are to: 1) define key issues that SMEs face in pursuing knowledge management excellence; 2) present a research model that summarises the complex relationships among diverse knowledge management constructs. Emerging research issues in the context of changing global market (e.g., knowledge management excellence in emerging economies) are discussed to promote more fruitful research in this area as well.

Institutions and broadband internet diffusion in emerging economies: Lessons from Korea and China

Abstract We explore the role of institutions in facilitating rapid broadband Internet diffusion in emerging economies. We focus on the interplay between State influence (including educational programs and promotion policies) and market influence (supply and demand conditions) and use the cases of Korea and China as our empirical context. The cases suggest that the configuration of institutional arrangements has an important role to play in facilitating broadband Internet diffusion in emerging economies, above and beyond overall levels of institutional quality and the presence of technological infrastructure. The case data suggests that configuration and coordination between country-level institutional arrangements determine differences in the paths and outcomes of broadband Internet development in emerging economies.

Acquisition of local market information in international joint ventures: service sectors

This research attempts to identify key factors affecting the acquisition of local market information in foreign majority-owned international joint ventures (IJVs). By using Spearman rank correlation coefficient and ordinary least squares regression, we reveal that most of the factors included in our model play a pivotal role in enhancing learning for foreign parents of IJVs. These results contribute to current knowledge by filling several research gaps and provide useful and practical implications for multinational enterprises.

Influences of Creative Personality and Working Environment on the Research Productivity of Business School Faculty

Previous research on creative working environments has focused on business organizations. This study examined the influence of creative personality and creative working environment on the research productivity of business faculty. It was hypothesized that creative personality, family support, colleague support, research resources, and workload pressures would all have a positive association with research productivity. Management faculty people (N = 247) employed in business schools with a doctoral program participated in an online survey. Research productivity was assessed using both objective counts of journal publications across a 5-year period and self-report. Support from colleagues and workload pressures were positively associated with total self-reported publications. Research resources and workload pressures were positivly associated with publications in top management journals. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.