High-technology Industries Research Articles

The Effectiveness of International Knowledge Spillover Channels in Korea

This study constructs an extensive dataset at the level of the Korean manufacturing industry for the period from 2006 to 2019 to assess the relative effectiveness of knowledge spillover channels on domestic productivity. Unlike previous studies, we consider both embodied and disembodied knowledge channels by analyzing both the aggregated and disaggregated manufacturing sectors. Utilizing a first-difference model, we demonstrate that knowledge spillovers from the inward FDI channel have a strongly positive impact on the productivity growth of domestic manufacturing at both the 1-digit and 2-digit levels. In contrast, while disembodied channels, such as technology imports, do enhance domestic productivity growth, their effect is less pronounced than that of the inward FDI channel. Furthermore, we find that the positive effects of inward FDI vary according to international partners (North America, Asia, and Europe) and the technological intensity of the industry. Specifically, FDI from Europe and inflows into high-technology industries significantly contribute to the diffusion of knowledge spillover effects. These empirical findings provide important policy implications for the Korean government, suggesting the need to encourage and support domestic R&D activities and inward FDI, particularly from Europe and in high-tech industries.

Driving Business Success: Unraveling the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Competitive Strategies in ASEAN Economies

Ease of doing business and effective management practices are significant growth drivers. It is long recognized that technological innovation and competitiveness are leading factors that impact activities related to the management of business processes. For this purpose, we study the effect of Industry 4.0 and competitiveness on ease of doing business and management practices in ASEAN countries. Components of comprehensive development index” developed by the author from secondary data collected from the World Economic Forum and World Development Indicators (WDI) from 2010 to 2019. The researchers used the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and the Random Effects to assess the relationships among these variables. The results indicate a positive and significant relationship between Industry 4.0—measured by medium- and high-technology industries and exports—and competitiveness, as reflected in the global competitiveness index, with the ease of doing business in ASEAN countries. These findings offer important insights for policymakers in formulating strategies for ease of doing business, Industry 4.0, and competitiveness.

Booster or trapper? Corporate digital transformation and capital allocation efficiency

This study examines the effects of digital transformation on firm-level capital allocation efficiency by focusing on Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2022. Using the investment-Q framework, we provide evidence that digital transformation enhances investment sensitivity to Q, suggesting that digital transformation improves firms’ capital investment efficiency. Further research shows that digital transformation enhances capital allocation efficiency by alleviating information asymmetry, reducing agency costs, and easing financial constraints. Cross-sectional surveys reveal that the positive effect of digital transformation on capital investment efficiency is more pronounced for firms with more corporate diversification, in high-technology industry, those with more subsidiaries, and those facing higher industry competition and economic policy uncertainty. Overall, from the perspective of capital allocation efficiency, digital transformation is the booster rather than the trapper for firms in developing markets. This study enriches the literature on investment efficiency and has significant implications for firms’ digital transformation.

The Impact of Trade Credit on Global Value Chain Position: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms

ABSTRACT Conventional wisdom argues that a well functioning financial system is essential to foster economic growth and development. While its financial market is still underdeveloped, China has not only achieved great economic growth and speedy export growth, but also elevated its position as an exporter in the global value chain (GVC). This paper examines the impact of trade credit on the GVC positions of Chinese manufacturing enterprises. The empirical study finds that trade credit has a significant promotional effect on enterprises’ GVC positions, and the effect is more pronounced for private firms, firms with high market position, and firms in high-technology industries. The mechanism analysis shows that trade credit heightens the export quality of products and alleviates the financing constraints of enterprises, thus promoting their GVC positions. The findings have implications for Chinese manufacturing firms to exploit the role of trade credit in promoting their GVC positions and fostering new advantages in international competition.

Developing employee proactivity in entrepreneurial ventures through training: an organisational identity approach

Purpose This study aims to explore how training influences employee proactive behaviours in entrepreneurial ventures. Specifically, the study develops and tests a model in which organisational identification (OID) mediates the relationship between perceptions of training and two employee proactive behaviours: taking charge and creative behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from 136 employee-supervisor dyads from 24 entrepreneurial ventures in Malaysia’s high technology industry. Smart–partial least square structural equations modelling was used to test our proposed hypothesis. Findings The findings suggest that entrepreneurial ventures can use training to strengthen employees’ identification with the ventures, which in turn encourages proactive behaviours. Originality/value This study shows how HRD practices found in larger firms can work in different ways to influence desirable behaviours among employees of entrepreneurial firms. Specifically, by demonstrating how the relationship between training and employee proactive behaviours occurs through OID in the context of entrepreneurial ventures, the authors provide a complementary explanation of how HRD practices in entrepreneurial ventures can influence employee positive behaviours.

Urine is better for rare earth elements bimonitoring in long-term exposed population: An exposure-response relationship study

With the soaring use of rare earth elements (REEs) worldwidely in high-technology and clean energy industries, there were growing concerns for adverse health effect from the REEs exposure. However, there is a lack of biomonitoring research concerning both urine and blood in population with definite exposure. We performed a biomonitoring study that involved 103 REEs exposed males and 110 males as non-REEs exposed controls. We measured the levels of REEs in environment and urine and blood samples from participants, and explored the exposure-response relationship between REEs in environment and body fluids. The effects of exposure duration and smoking status on the internal exposure level of REEs were also investigated. The results showed environmental REEs level of exposure group was significantly higher than that of control group (range of geometric mean of exposure vs. control: 1.08-4.07 × 104 ng/m3 vs. <LOD-2.16 × 102 ng/m3). Six elements with detection rates higher than 60% in blood or urine samples were lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), gadolinium (Gd). We found the REEs concentrations both in urine and blood of exposure population were significantly higher than controls, median range of the above 6 elements of urine and blood was 0.02–1.06 μmol/mol vs. <LOD-0.01 μmol/mol creatinine and 0.01–0.79 μg/L vs. <LOD-0.38 μg/L. The correlations between both blood and urine level of REEs and environment level showed significant. The correlation coefficients with urine levels are higher than with blood. Biomonitoring results showed good exposure-response relationship in urine REEs, while no positive response in blood samples. Smoking status, drinking status and years of exposure showed little effect on the level of REEs. Our results suggested that both blood and urine can be used to monitor REEs exposure, while urinary REEs is promising for risk assessment in population.

Securitizing high-technology industries: South Korea–Japan dispute over materials–parts–equipment products – CORRIGENDUM

Securitizing high-technology industries: South Korea–Japan dispute over materials–parts–equipment products – CORRIGENDUM

The sectoral aspect of staffing for strategic development of the sphere of artificial intelligence

The resource support of any developed strategy according to the chosen priorities is one of the most important stages of its formation and implementation. The solution of this task affects the dynamics of development of the economy’s high technology industries as the objects of strategizing in the emerging digital economy. One of the priority technological vectors of development of Russia is the sphere of artificial intelligence (AI), and so there arises the problem of the resource support of this direction. The purpose of the article is to study staffing as one of the key factors of strategic development of the Russian AI sphere in the industry context. The analysis is based on the methodology of strategizing by Professor V.L. Kvint and the concept of strategic human resources management by Doctor I.V. Novikova. The calculations are based on the Russian universities’ data on the number of graduates by educational programs in the AI sphere in 2023 and their employment. During the research the authors found out the number of graduates in the AI sphere by the industry specialization of educational programs; defined the sectoral specifics of employment of the graduates specializing in the AI sphere; identified the key employment organizations and jobs. The authors made conclusions about resource support of the AI development strategy in the industry context. The results will be useful for correcting the developed strategies in the AI sphere and for predicting staffing provision with the consideration of the time lag in the staff training.

The impact of board capital on open innovation with the moderating effect of executive equity incentives

As a predominant global innovation paradigm, open innovation constitutes a pivotal means of enhancing firms’ innovation performance. Scholars and practitioners are increasingly concerned about strategies to strengthen open innovation, but previous research has overlooked corporate governance factors. This study empirically investigates the impact of board capital on corporate open innovation using data from Chinese listed firms (1999–2009) within the resource dependence and upper echelons theory framework, employing the fixed effects model for panel data and the hierarchical regression method. Findings reveal that the breadth and depth of board capital positively affect the breadth of open innovation, though not significantly the depth. Additionally, executive equity incentives enhance the relationship between board capital and open innovation breadth. Robustness checks support these findings. Notably, board capital’s impact is more pronounced in large enterprises and high-technology industries. This study offers practical insights for firms to prioritize board capital considerations in fostering open innovation initiatives.

Research on Green Innovation Capacity Based on Carbon Emission Trading System

Realizing energy conservation and emission reduction, promoting green development, and realizing the harmonious coexistence of human and nature are the major themes of today's social and economic development and corporate environmental management. This project intends to select China's most representative carbon trading system as the research object, and empirically examine the effect and mechanism of carbon trading system on the enhancement of enterprises' green innovation ability by establishing a double-difference model and adopting the panel data of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen during the period of 2007-2021. The results of the study show that: (1) the implementation of the carbon emissions trading policy effectively promotes the green innovation behavior of enterprises; (2) in the heterogeneity analysis, the policy has a more significant impact on the green innovation of the enterprises in the eastern region, state-owned enterprises, and enterprises in high-technology industries; (3) in the process of carbon emissions piloting, the R&amp;D investment of the enterprises plays the role of policy substitution for the green innovation, and the public's concern for the environmental issues degree has a positive moderating effect on enterprises' green innovation. This study reveals the influence mechanism of carbon emissions trading policy on enterprises' green innovation, provides theoretical support and practical reference for sustainable development, and helps the government to formulate policies, enterprises to respond to policies, and guides enterprises to achieve better results in environmental aspects. The results of the study have a positive effect on advancing enterprise environmental protection, promoting green transformation, and realizing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

The impact of R&amp;D classification shifting in high-technology industries

PurposeThis study investigates the motivations and consequences of classification shifting from cost of sales to research and development (R&amp;D) in high-technology industries.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a multivariate analysis using logistic and ordinary least squares regression methods on panel data of high-technology firms for the period 1988–2012 to examine the effect of R&amp;D classification shifting on gross margin benchmarks and future performance.FindingsThe results show that R&amp;D classification shifting increases the likelihood of meeting or beating gross margin benchmarks. They also show that firms engaged in R&amp;D classification shifting exhibit lower future R&amp;D productivity, stock returns, and operating performance. The findings indicate that the short-term benefits of achieving gross margin benchmarks are offset by the long-term negative impact of R&amp;D misclassification.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights that can help regulators develop clearer guidelines for the appropriate classification of R&amp;D costs.Originality/valueMoving beyond the core earnings management paradigm, this study demonstrates the use of R&amp;D classification shifting as a tool to manipulate gross profits and R&amp;D in high-technology industries. Most prior studies focused on the determinants of R&amp;D classification shifting, while few investigated the impact of the practice. The findings in this study provide initial evidence of the consequences of R&amp;D classification shifting for future R&amp;D productivity and firm performance in high-tech industries. Using five methods, this study also validates R&amp;D classification shifting and addresses the alternative explanation of R&amp;D overinvestment.

Embedded hegemony and the evolution of the United States’ structural power

Whilst the United States’ (US) economic hegemony has existed continuously since the end of World War II, it has not been realised in the same way. In the early post-war period, the US’s hegemony rested on its dominance over gross world product and manufacturing output and exports. However, by the 1970s it began to transition to high-technology industries, services and foreign investment. Using a structural power analysis, this article argues that this transition in the economic foundations of US hegemony was not a reaction to an exogenous shift in the international division of labour, but was rather the result of the endogenous policies, decisions and priorities of the US. Moreover, the article illustrates how the interaction between the four aspects of structural power (security, production, finance and information) determined how these new hegemonic interests were embedded in international institutions and norms to better project US power globally. Through a historical analysis, the article demonstrates that the four aspects of structural power went from mutually reinforcing each other in the early post-war period to detracting from each other from the mid-1960s. This spurred a managed transition by the US from one embedded hegemonic order to another. The result was the construction of contemporary US embedded hegemonic order based on dollar hegemony (financial structural power) and the internationalisation of US corporate dominance (productive structural power), supported by the private ownership of knowledge by US corporations (informational structural power). The article also considers the implications of this analysis for current challenges to the contemporary hegemonic order.

CORN CULTURE: FROM THE FIRST RECORDS TO HARVESTING AND STORAGE

The culture of corn (Zea mays L.) has great economic importance, as corn is used in different ways and cultures, ranging from animal feed to high-technology industry. For example, the use of corn grain the animals feed represents the majority of consumption of this cereal. The objective of this literature review is to report on the emergence of corn, its morphology, harvesting and storage of this crop. This study took place in 2023 and used different studies as a basis to develop this review. In this review, we summarize that corn cultivation in both states and countries has been growing and so has its production demand. However, corn-based products make people look for more knowledge about this crop, as information is still very scarce, and it makes farmers look for more information every day, as this crop is growing in demand both production and commercialization in different states and municipalities.

Unleashing stock volatility and its implications for stock crash risk: Evidence from China’s price limit policies

This study investigates the causal effects of increased daily stock volatility on the stock price crash risk. We examine the 2020 adjustment of price limits in the Chinese stock market, which significantly increased stock volatility, using it as a quasi-natural experiment. We employed a difference-in-differences approach, and our findings reveal that firms listed on the ChiNext board experienced reduced crash risk following the relaxation of price limits. This reduction is attributed to the influence of price limits on corporate governance, in which a more pronounced effect is observed in firms with less efficient governance structures. Further, we note that wider price limits prompt reduced information asymmetry between firms and investors, which subsequently mitigates stock price crash risk. Reduced crash risk is notably more evident in state owned firms and in firms inside the high technology industry. Our study illuminates how daily price limit relaxation affects the withholding of adverse news and offers significant policy implications for emerging financial markets.

How Military Executives Shape Digital Transformation of Firms—The Moderating Role of Symbiosis Orientation and Market Power

The requirement of sustainable development has led to challenges for DTF (i.e., digital transformation of firms). Extensive studies have been conducted on how the personality traits of executives influence the behavior of firms. However, the effect of military experience on DTF has yet to be determined. This concern is addressed in this study from the imprinting theory (IT) and upper echelons theory (UET) perspectives. We aim to investigate whether and how military executives impact DTF. Analysis of data from listed firms in China between 2010 and 2020 indicates that military executives positively enhance DTF. This research also evaluates the moderating effects of symbiosis orientation and the market power of firms on the above relationship. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact of executives’ military experience on DTF is only significant in non-regulated, high-technology, and low-pollution industries. Our findings expand the literature on leadership and DTF. We introduce the concept of symbiosis orientation and examine the moderating roles of symbiosis orientation and market power in the above effect, which elucidates the interplay between organizations and the external environment. Our findings provide insights into enhancing digital transformation efforts by strategically selecting suitable military leadership for firms and further promoting the sustainable development of firms.

Agglomeration economies: different effects on TFP in high-tech and low-tech industries

ABSTRACT We study the impact of agglomeration effects on firms’ total factor productivity (TFP) for industry groups defined by technology intensity. This allows for non-uniform effects on firms depending on their technological level. We find that urban economies have the largest impact on firm productivity in high-technology industries, while they have no effect in low-technology industries. For firms in the latter industries, the diversity of the local economic structure is relevant. Localisation effects have a consistently positive and significant impact on TFP, with the effect increasing with the technology intensity of the industries.

Securitizing high-technology industries: South Korea–Japan dispute over materials–parts–equipment products

Abstract The Japan–Korea whitelist dispute (2019–2023) embodies key features of interstate disputes related to economic statecraft ideas. Against the backdrop of the legal dispute over Japan’s “essential security interests” claim based on GATT Article 21 (Security Exceptions), this study analyzes South Korea’s response to the whitelist dispute, with a focus on its materials–parts–equipment localization policy. The findings indicate that the policy process and outcomes align with very few of the criteria suggested by the new industrial policy literature. Notably, the policy’s goals and tools were driven by ideology rather than by science, and the implementing agency—The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy—while competent, was politically captured. In conclusion, this study suggests that policymakers should purposefully and consciously connect security with trade or implement industrial policies within a well-defined strategic framework.

Lithium exploration targeting through robust variable selection and deep anomaly detection: An integrated application of sparse principal component analysis and stacked autoencoders

Lithium is a strategic metal for high-technology industries that plays a vital role in realizing electromobility and effective energy storage for smartphones and electric/hybrid vehicles, in addition to being important in accumulating energy from renewable sources. Motivated by this, the development of state-of-the-art workflows is imperative to make Li exploration more efficient and guarantee a sustainable supply to the demanding markets in the future. In this paper, a computational protocol was described to address two critical challenges raised in the Li exploration: (i) selection of mineralization-related pathfinder variables and (ii) recognition of multi-element geochemical anomalies related to ore-forming processes. Robust sparse principal component analysis (SPCA) was employed to reduce active (non-zero) loading coefficients and straightforward selection of Li pathfinder variables. The selected variables were then fed into the training network of stacked autoencoders (SAE) to learn deep representations of multivariate input signals and quantify reconstruction errors linked to Li-vectoring geochemical anomalies. As a representative example, the proposed workflow, i.e., SPCA + SAE, was implemented in the R programming language and applied to a real-case experiment with stream sediment geochemical data pertaining to the Moalleman district, NE Iran. Moreover, compositional robust principal component analysis (RPCA) and Mahalanobis distance (MD) technique were adopted to constitute two comparative models, RPCA + SAE and SPCA + MD, as benchmarks to judge the competence of the SPCA + SAE model in variable selection and anomaly detection, respectively. A performance appraisal by success-rate curves and relevant area under the curves (AUCs) indicated that the SPCA + SAE model brings, by calculating the highest AUC, spatial patterns that are more promising for vectoring towards Li-mineralized grounds. Moreover, AUCSPCA+MD was measured to be greater than AUCRPCA+SAE, suggesting robust variable selection is a more important paradigm than deep anomaly detection for Li exploration targeting. Student's t–statistic method was eventually applied to the anomaly map from the SPCA + SAE model to define relevant thresholds for narrowing down prospective areas for the next round of Li exploration within the study area.

Does the openness of the Boundary Shell system influence the sustainable development of the high-tech industry?

High-technology industries have gained substantial recognition as pivotal drivers of economic growth and technological advancement in modern society. The imperative of sustainable development in high-tech industries cannot be overemphasized, as it plays a crucial role in enabling long-term growth, fostering innovation, and assuming environmental responsibility. This article presents a study on sustainable development in high-tech industries using Boundary Shell theory. The study investigates the role of the stable and sustainable entropy criterion for the Boundary Shell system of high-tech industries from an entropy balance perspective. It analyzes the upper and lower limits of the Boundary Shell support force. Additionally, it improves the traditional boundary system ratio model to comprehensively and objectively evaluate the sustainable development of high-tech industries. The results illustrate that the Boundary Shell of industrial innovation is stronger than that of external dependency, with a reversed ranking of internal evaluation factor strengths compared to the traditional model. This research integrates reaction-diffusion equations theory with entropy balance equations theory to address sustainability issues in the high-tech industry. We further analyze the sustainable development of the high-tech industry through a Boundary Shell theory perspective to advance sustainability in high-tech industries. Moreover, it provides useful insights into the sustainable development of high-tech industries.

Multiscalar Industrial Strategies and Variegated Foreign Investment in China

ABSTRACT The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) enables investment from outside of Global North, such as the Gulf countries and Latin America, to enter the Chinese market. China’s local governments play an important role in facilitating FDI by new actors. This research uses a case study of three Turkish companies to explore the motivations of companies from developing countries to localize their operations in China, and the motivations for local officials to diversify their FDI portfolios. The results show that local governments are significantly more receptive to investments by developing countries due to inter-regional rivalry within China. The central government’s strategy of prioritizing high-technology industries works against developing countries, as their investments usually come from low-technology heavy industry companies. Turkish companies feel unwelcome by local governments except for the relatively large size of the capital they bring in. The findings demonstrate the transnational relations of China’s local governments and contribute to the multiscalar analysis of the spatialization of industrial strategies in Global Production Networks.