Introduction to the Organizational Economics of Interorganizational Systems

This paper describes the current research approaches and directions on the organizational economics of inter- organizational systems, and suggests an alternative perspective to the conventional approach, transaction cost economics. This paper concludes with suggestions on incorporating other theories to the organizational economics researches

The Rise Of The Machines: Robotis, A Frontier In Educational And Industrial Robots In Korea

Robot industry is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Already used in various fields, robots are replacing more and more labors. The prospects for this industry is quite bright since many countries in the world are adopting programs and policies to develop the robot markets. In this paper, we will look into a Korean venture firm that is growing together with the robot industry: ROBOTIS. Beginning with the growth story of ROBOTIS, we will analyze the business environment the firm is facing. We will also look into the main products of ROBOTIS and how they correspond with the trend of the robot industry

Why Are You Sharing Others’ Tweets?: The Impact of Argument Quality and Source Credibility on Information Sharing Behavior

Twitter, a 140-character microblogging social networking service, has garnered attention from researchers and practitioners due to its considerable potential for information diffusion. Prior studies on Twitter typically focused on how user traits or relationships in a network affect information diffusion. However, few studies have been conducted on how posted messages in the service influence this phenomenon. Thus, this paper focuses on posted messages (a.k.a. “tweets”) and how they affect individuals’ information sharing behaviors on Twitter. A model for investigating tweet sharing behavior on Twitter is proposed based on dual-process theory and on social cognitive theory. Results from a preliminary test show that individuals’ perceptions of the argument quality and source credibility of a received tweet play a major role in their information sharing behavior via the perceived level of usefulness of the information and self-efficacy in regard to the sharing of a received tweet. Additionally, the existence of external links in a tweet moderates the impact of argument quality on users’ attitudes toward received tweets

IT Capabilities and Firm Performance: The Moderating Role of Institutional Pressures and the Mediating Role of IT Innovation Success

A review of the literature shows that the underlying mechanisms through which IT capabilities lead to improved firm performance are by no means clear, and IS researchers call for future research which develops better metrics for evaluating IT resources and examines the intermediate variables and context-related variables between IT capabilities and firm performance. This study integrates the moderating role of institutional context and the mediating role of IT innovation success into one structural model. The survey method has been conducted to test the proposed model and the results have been discussed in detail. This research helps identify the full chain of variables connecting IT capabilities to firm performance by adding an intermediate variable and a moderating variable. As a result, we suggest that firms should adapt to the different contexts with the distinct levels of institutional pressures in order to facilitate its IT capabilities to outperform than its competitors

An Empirical Study on Media Characteristics and Knowledge Sharing in Web 2.0 Environment

The success of the Enterprise 2.0 KMS (knowledge management systems) depends on the user’s continuous participation in the process of knowledge sharing. This study attempts to identify the determinants of the user’s intention to continuous knowledge sharing based on Expectation Confirmation Theory and Channel Expansion Theory. We also consider communication process modes (i.e., blog and wiki) as a moderator for perceived channel richness. The results of our analysis show the positive effects of all the predictors. With regard to the moderating effects of communication process modes, the effect of experiences shared with group members is greater in the channel to support conveyance, and the effects of experiences about the channel and the group task are greater in the channel to support convergence

The Impact of Youtube on International Trade

Many researchers in the field of international business have argued that cultural proximity can positively influence bilateral trade. These researchers have attempted to develop proxy measures for cultural proximity, such as language, ethnicity, religion, and trade of cultural goods. However, the conventional measures failed to capture the time-variant characteristics of cultural affinity or digitization in international trade. As an alternative approach, in this study, we focused on cultural affinity in social media like YouTube. Based on the recent popularity of Korean pop (K-pop) on YouTube, we hypothesized that online consumption of K-pop content creates an affinity for Korea as a country, resulting in higher Korean exports. We used panel data analysis for YouTube comments on K-pop music videos that were published from the second quarter of 2009 to the third quarter of 2012; these comments were segregated on the basis of the users’ home countries. We found that the YouTube comments of each country in the current and previous quarters are significant predictors of Korea’s total exports and exports of consumer goods such as processed food, clothes, and cosmetics to that particular country

A RESEARCH FRAMEWORK OF VENDOR FIRMS BODY OF KNOWLEDGE (BOK) AND ITS IMPACT ON OFFSHORE IT OUTSOURCING PERFORMANCE

The vendor firm’s body of knowledge (BoK) has been considered to be vital in IT outsourcing success since outsourcing is considered as flow of knowledge especially from vendor firms to client firms. However, previous researches mostly focused on the client firms’ perspective and less attention on vendor firms and their knowledge bases. In this paper, we investigated the impact of vendor IT firm’s body of knowledge on the success of offshore IT outsourcing through an interaction process based on knowledge based view (KBV) and interaction process model (IPM). At first, vendor firm’s various knowledge bases (that comprise firms’ capability) are identified based on the knowledge based view and then, an interaction process of outsourcing relationship is created as a first order impact of various knowledge bases. It is assumed that vendors share their knowledge by making an outsourcing relationship with clients through an interaction process, which ultimately impact on the success of IT outsourcing

Determining the Antecedents to Use Intention in the Area of Telecommunication-Broadcasting Convergence

The convergence of telecommunication and broadcasting is one of the representative innovative technologies in digital environment. It has recently been empathized as an alternative solution to overcome already saturated telecommunication and broadcasting markets. However, the growth of related service and market cannot reach prior expectation due to the lack of understanding on the real users. Telecommunication technologies support users’ instrumental purpose and broadcasting services usually serve their entertainment activities, which have an inherent value. Our research question is which factors influence users’ attitude and decision making in the use of convergence services in the area of telecommunication and broadcasting. To access the determinants, we propose hedonic and utilitarian values as intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, and perceived control as internal and external conditions. To verify our model empirically, we have selected the DMB technology, a good example for the distinctive convergence service of telecommunication and broadcasting. In order for the DMB service to differentiate itself from the existing media and create unique benefits as a business model, service providers must develop individually customized contents based on each user’s context information and life style and deliver them with the format meeting their hedonic needs and demands

Dose-Dependent Changes of Chemical Attributes in Irradiated Sausages

To determine the effects of irradiation on the chemical attributes of sausages, TBARS values, volatile compounds, gas compounds, and hydrocarbons of vacuum-packaged sausages were analyzed during 60 d of refrigerated storage. A sulfur-containing volatile compound (dimethyl disulfide), a gas compound (methane), and radiation-induced hydrocarbons (1-tetradecene, pentadecane, heptadecane, 8-heptadecene, eicosane, 1, 7-hexadecadiene, hexadecane) were mainly detected in irradiated sausages, and the concentrations of the compounds were irradiation dosedependent. Especially methane and a few hydrocarbons were detected only in irradiated sausages and their amounts were dose-dependent. On the other hand, TBARS values, other off-odor volatiles (carbon disulfide, hexanal), and gas compounds (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide) were found both in irradiated and nonirradiated sausages. Therefore, it is suggested that irradiation-induced hydrocarbons (1-tetradecene, pentadecane, heptadecane, 8-heptadecene, eicosane, 1, 7-hexadecadiene, hexadecane), dimethyl disulfide, and methane can be used as markers for irradiated sausages

Intravascular Photothermal Strain Imaging for Lipid Detection

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the major threats to humanity, accounting for one-third of the world’s deaths. For patients with high-risk CVD, plaque rupture can lead to critical condition. It is therefore important to determine the stability of the plaque and classify the patient’s risk level. Lipid content is an important determinant of plaque stability. However, conventional intravascular imaging methods have limitations in finding lipids. Therefore, new intravascular imaging techniques for plaque risk assessment are urgently needed. In this study, a novel photothermal strain imaging (pTSI) was applied to an intravascular imaging system for detecting lipids in plaques. As a combination of thermal strain imaging and laser-induced heating, pTSI differentiates lipids from other tissues based on changes in ultrasound (US) velocity with temperature change. We designed an optical pathway to an intravascular ultrasound catheter to deliver 1210-nm laser and US simultaneously. To establish the feasibility of the intravascular pTSI system, we experimented with a tissue-mimicking phantom made of fat and gelatin. Due to the difference in the strain during laser heating, we can clearly distinguish fat and gelatin in the phantom. The result demonstrates that pTSI could be used with conventional intravascular imaging methods to detect the plaque lipid