The Impact of Informatization Level on Productivity

In recent times, most of governments make tremendous efforts to build up the information technology (IT) industry. This study investigates whether the huge amount of injection of money to IT industry is really effective to upgrade the national competitiveness through the examination of the relationship between the productivity and informatization. In particular, we test the hypothesis that the informatization level has a positive effect on the productivity at the national level utilizing the aggregate data on index of informatization and productivity. The proxies for productivity are total factor productivity (TFP) and labor productivity. Our main findings are twofold. First is that the informatization level has a positive relationship with total factor productivity in broad sense. Second, the positive relationship between total labor productivity and informatization gets stronger in the countries with relatively higher informatization level, such as USA or Finland

Success Factors for Implementation of Electronic Commerce by Small and Medium Enterprises

Electronic commerce becomes an essential part of business processes for many business firms. Electronic commerce has a particularly important implication for small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SME\u27s) because the form of competition and business process has dramatically changed in the recent years due to the internet and on-line business activities. This paper investigates various issues about implementation of electronic commerce by surveying a group of Korean SME\u27s as a sample. This study focuses on finding out the critical factors for successful implementation of electronic commerce by SME\u27s. Our research model is more comprehensive than the ones used in the previous research by including moderating variables in the contex

Building Co-Operative Supply Chain in Auto Parts Manufacturing Industry

As competition becomes more intense, it is becoming increasingly important for a firm to build an efficient supply chain for its survival and prosperity. One way to build an efficient supply chain is to integrate the supply chain activities by the member firms of different levels on the supply chain by developing cooperative relationships between firms. Many factors are involved in developing cooperative relationships between firms, and their effects need to be studied. This paper investigates what factors are critical to build a cooperative buyer-supplier relationship in auto parts manufacturing industry. Data was collected from two groups of firms in Korean auto parts manufacturing industry, 1st-tier parts suppliers and 2nd-tier parts suppliers. Our study reveals that there are significant differences in the way of collaboration depending on the level of the relationships

Comparison of E-Commerce Practices between Large Enterprises and Small to Medium Enterprises

E-commerce becomes an important element of the business strategy for both small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises as online business and cyber market space continue to expand its size and volume. E-commerce has a particularly important implication for SMEs because it can help SMEs overcome many handicaps of the SMEs, such as the economies of scale, and compete against the large enterprises on the level ground. The two groups of business firms, large enterprises and SMEs, are often different in not only their sizes but also their business practices. This may also extend to how they use e-commerce in their business. This paper is to study whether there are differences in using e-commerce between large enterprises and SMEs, and what are the differences and why the differences are made. We compare the two groups of business firms in two aspects, format of implementation and their performance. Data used for the study is collected from a group of Korean firms

Treadmill Exercise Alleviates Circadian Rhythm Disruption-Induced Memory Deficits by Activation of Glucocorticoid Receptor and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor-Dependent Pathway

Purpose Circadian rhythm affects learning process, memory consolidation, and long-term memory. In this study, the alleviating effect of exercise on circadian rhythm disruption-induced memory deficits was investigated. Methods BMAL1 knockdown transgenic mice (BMAL1 TG) were used as the BMAL1-TG group and the BMAL1-TG with treadmill exercise group. Female C57BL/6J mice of the same age were used as the wildtype group and the wildtype with treadmill exercise group. The mice in the treadmill exercise groups performed running on a motorized treadmill under the dark-dark conditions for 8 weeks. Short-term memory, nonspatial object memory, and spatial learning memory were determined using stepdown avoidance test, novel object-recognition test, and radial 8-arm maze test. Immunohistochemistry for doublecortin and 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine was conducted for the determination of hippocampal neurogenesis. Using the western blot analysis, we determined the expressions of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and factors related to the neurogenesis and memory consolidation, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine kinase B, p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase, cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinas B, protein kinase C alpha, early-growth-response gene 1. Results Circadian rhythm disruption impaired memory function through inhibiting the expressions of GR and the factors related to neurogenesis and memory consolidation. Treadmill exercise improved memory function via enhancing the expressions of GR and above-mentioned factors. Conclusions Treadmill exercise acts as the zeitgeber that improves memory function under the circadian rhythm disrupted conditions

Living in Harmony with Disaster: Exploring Volcanic Hazard Vulnerability in Indonesia

This article illustrates the multi-faceted notion of hazard vulnerability and the complicated relations a community has with a hazardous area based on a joint urban planning and design studio between Seoul National University and Diponegoro University in 2014. The study focused on an area in Central Java, Indonesia, surrounded by four active volcanic mountains, and explored the economic, environmental and social vulnerability associated with the site. Although initially the study focused on drawing up and improving the relocation plan, it was soon discovered that eliminating environmental vulnerability by relocating residents to new sites may in fact increase their economic vulnerability. This led the study to embrace the concept of living in harmony with disaster. In conclusion, the results of the study are discussed in terms recognizing environmental hazards as a vehicle for understanding local perceptions, and utilizing these perceptions to suggest mitigation measures that are more responsive to the site at risk

Circadian Rhythms in Voiding Function and Dysfunction

While circadian rhythms in fluid intake, urine production, and urine storage have been substantiated in diurnal human and nocturnal rodents, the mechanism(s) underlying it is largely unknown. With the elucidations of molecular clockwork and its functional significance in mammals, new opportunities arise to investigate possible circadian control of voiding function and dysfunction, which undoubtedly needs immediate attentions of researchers in the field