International R&D collaboration among entrepreneurial firms: strategic and policy perspectives

This study aims to identify the distinguishing characteristics of successful international R&D collaboration among Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). For this purpose, I used survey and interview data on Korean SMEs. First, investigating the overall patterns of international technology collaboration involving SMEs, I found that the most observed and desired type of collaboration was R&D collaboration among SMEs, but it produced the lowest level of satisfaction and thus needed further investigation. Consequently, I focused only on one particular type of collaboration, that is, “international R&D collaboration among SMEs”. Then, I examined the main motivations behind such collaboration and motivation specific features of the collaboration in terms of collective strength, partner selection criteria, and project management practices. An attention was paid on the diversity of motivation, where resource based theory was adopted to develop a theoretical framework. I also analysed the benefits and costs of international R&D collaboration for SMEs compared to domestic R&D collaboration, where resource based theory with transaction cost theory were integrated. Finally, I suggested a framework to measure the performance of international R&D collaboration from the SME perspective. A logic model was adopted to identify feasible measures to assess the performance of R&D collaboration, from which the most significant measures for SMEs, considering that the collaboration is across firms in different nations, were investigated. This study represents one of the few attempts to explain the mechanisms through which how international R&D collaborations in SMEs are initiated, managed and produce benefits, and to suggest the conditions that can offer SMEs a greater value from international collaboration than domestic collaboration. Practically, the research findings are expected to help establish an R&D strategy at the firm level and will also provide valuable knowledge to develop innovation policies for SMEs at the national level

Perceptual Factors Affecting the Tendency to Collaboration in SMEs: Perceived Importance of Collaboration Modes and Partners

This research aims to explore key factors of SMEs’ external collaboration and identifies the perceived factors affecting propensity for collaboration. Particularly, we focus on two factors – internal strategic activities geared towards open innovation and external collaboration partners, both of which are essential to establishing an external collaboration. We conducted a survey of Korean SMEs regarding their collaboration project experiences, and used logistic regression analysis to analyze the survey data. The research findings are expected to help understanding the complex open innovation mechanism in SMEs and to have meaningful implications for the development of their collaboration model

Service-Oriented Factors Affecting the Adoption of Smartphones

This research investigates the adoption factors of smartphones focusing on the differences of smartphone and feature phone users. We used Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) which incorporates service-oriented and device-oriented functional attributes as exogenous variables for a product-service system such as smartphones. In addition, Decision Tree (DT) and customer surveys were conducted. As a study results, we found that the service-oriented functional attributes - ‘wireless internet’ and ‘mobile applications’ - affect the adoption of smartphones regardless of users. However, the DT results revealed that the more important factor is 'mobile applications' to smartphone users but 'wireless internet' for feature phone users. In conclusion, we discovered that a strategy emphasis on the service-oriented attributes is needed for the adoption of smartphones

The Convergence of Manufacturing and Service Technologies: A Patent Analysis Approach

Active technological convergence of manufacturing industries and service industries has been emerged as a core and essential phenomenon for recent business environment. Technology convergence has already been the basic force behind the both product innovation and service innovation, changing the ways in which firms interact with their customers. Despite the gravity, there has been limited approach to investigate the technological convergence of manufacturing technologies and service technologies from the empirical perspective. In response, this paper aims to investigate technological convergence between manufacturing technology and service technology using patent analysis. For this purpose, we define the service technology and manufacturing technology. Following on this, we analyze the USPC classification of those technologies to analyze the technological convergence. To investigate the dynamic change of convergence, 10-year-dyanamics are observed. As case studies, three industries which show high level of technological convergence of manufacturing and service - banking, healthcare, and education industries are selected and analyzed in detail

MetaMix: Meta-state Precision Searcher for Mixed-precision Activation Quantization

Mixed-precision quantization of efficient networks often suffer from activation instability encountered in the exploration of bit selections. To address this problem, we propose a novel method called MetaMix which consists of bit selection and weight training phases. The bit selection phase iterates two steps, (1) the mixed-precision-aware weight update, and (2) the bit-search training with the fixed mixed-precision-aware weights, both of which combined reduce activation instability in mixed-precision quantization and contribute to fast and high-quality bit selection. The weight training phase exploits the weights and step sizes trained in the bit selection phase and fine-tunes them thereby offering fast training. Our experiments with efficient and hard-to-quantize networks, i.e., MobileNet v2 and v3, and ResNet-18 on ImageNet show that our proposed method pushes the boundary of mixed-precision quantization, in terms of accuracy vs. operations, by outperforming both mixed- and single-precision SOTA methods

Water-Soluble Epitaxial NaCl Thin Film for Fabrication of Flexible Devices

We studied growth mechanisms of water-soluble NaCl thin films on single crystal substrates. Epitaxial growth of NaCl(100) on Si(100) and domain-matched growth of NaCl(111) on c-sapphire were obtained at thicknesses below 100 nm even at room temperature from low lattice mismatches in both cases. NaCl thin film, which demonstrates high solubility selectivity for water, was successfully applied as a water-soluble sacrificial layer for fabrication of several functional materials, such as WO3 nano-helix and Sn doped In2O3 nano-branches.111Ysciescopu

Boost, Control, or Both of Korean Housing Market: 831 Countermeasures

Although the Korean government reported a housing supply ratio of more than 100% in the early 2000s, regional and class disparities in the Korean housing sector have not been correspondingly alleviated. Unfortunately, many Korean households are still enduring the economic burden caused by cyclical price variation, while many housing construction companies are on the verge of bankruptcy. To resolve the ever-expanding socioeconomic problems in the housing and real estate sector, the current Korean government proposed 831 Countermeasures, which has since met with much controversy. In an effort to address these issues, this paper utilizes a qualitative system dynamics model to elucidate and interrogate complex Korean housing mechanisms. By mapping bibliographical and experimental knowledge with causal loop diagrams, the positive and adverse effects of the 831 Countermeasures are also analyzed. Finally, based on the research findings, alternative policy guidelines are proposed that can be used to strengthen positive housing structures and obviate negative ones.

What factors of early-stage innovative projects are likely to drive projects’ success? A longitudinal analysis of Korean entrepreneurial firms

Previous studies have identified the factors affecting successful technology commercialization as outcomes of R&D projects. However, most of them have used cross‐sectional data, whereas there is a dearth of literature using longitudinal data analysis. Longitudinal analysis is essential for investigating the characteristics of early‐stage innovative projects due to the inherent time lag between project evaluation and commercialization. Therefore, this study examines the early‐stage project characteristics that can be used as meaningful evaluation criteria for predicting success, particularly in technology commercialization. We collected data on the ex‐ante evaluation results and ex‐post commercialization results of R&D projects pursued by entrepreneurial firms. We then conducted a logistic regression analysis and identified three market‐related factors as significant in driving technology commercialization success in the early stages of technology development: market potential, commercialization plan, and market condition

Ge-Photodetectors for Si-Based Optoelectronic Integration

High speed photodetectors are a key building block, which allow a large wavelength range of detection from 850 nm to telecommunication standards at optical fiber band passes of 1.3–1.55 μm. Such devices are key components in several applications such as local area networks, board to board, chip to chip and intrachip interconnects. Recent technological achievements in growth of high quality SiGe/Ge films on Si wafers have opened up the possibility of low cost Ge-based photodetectors for near infrared communication bands and high resolution spectral imaging with high quantum efficiencies. In this review article, the recent progress in the development and integration of Ge-photodetectors on Si-based photonics will be comprehensively reviewed, along with remaining technological issues to be overcome and future research trends