Precursors of intellectual property rights enforcement in East and Southeast Asia

In this study we identify the main determinants of perceived strength of intellectual property rights in four developed (Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan) and five emerging (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand) Asian countries over the period 2003–2016. We use a panel model with additive unobserved individual-specific heterogeneity in a high-dimensional setting. The setting allows the number of time-varying regressors to exceed the sample size. Based on the Cluster–Lasso approach, we found that (1) bribery and corruption (inverse), equal opportunity, administration of justice, knowledge transfer, personal security and private property rights, and qualified engineers are significant determinants of intellectual property rights for developed countries; (2) adaptability of government policy, bribery and corruption (inverse), bureaucracy (inverse), and science in schools are significant determinants of intellectual property rights for emerging countries. Policy makers may use these results to strengthen IP rights and thus encourage indigenous innovation as well as foreign direct investment.     

Estimating and comparing learning curves in three Asian economies

This paper consists of two parts. In the first, a method is suggested to isolate the effects of scale economies on learning phenomena by integrating the conventionally specified learning curve with the production function in neoclassical economics. The problem of establishing the variable for measuring experience is dealt with in the estimation procedure. Using this method we estimated the learning curves of 20 industries in the manufacturing sector in Singapore using data taken from 1961 to 1991. More modern industries like electronics, precision instruments and pharmaceutics have steeper learning curves than older industries. Among traditional industries, the food and beverage industry has a greater learning potential than others. In the second part of the paper, the learning curves for 11 common industries in South Korea, Japan and Singapore were estimated and compared. The Japanese industries are found to have steeper learning curves compared to those in Singapore and South Korea.The authors are from the Department of Business Policy, Faculty of Business Administration, National University of Singapore. The authors would like to thank Ms Tan Mui Lee for her assistance in preparing the time series data used for this study.     

Perceptions of the ethicality of favors at work in Asia: An 11-society assessment

We explore macro-level factors that shape perceptions of the ethicality of favors in Asian workplaces using the subordinate influence ethics (SIE) measure. We also expand and use the crossvergence model to examine the cross-level relationship between socio-cultural (i.e., traditional/secular; survival/self-expression; in-group favoritism) and business ideology influences (i.e., human development level, control of corruption) on perceptions of favor-seeking at work. This study examines the perceptions of a total of 4,325 managers and professionals in a diverse set of 11 Asian societies: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Our investigation focuses on both the “softer” (image management) and “harder” (self-serving) sides of subordinate influence attempts to seek favors, as well as the degree of ethical differentiation across these societies. Key results based on hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) suggest that both the World Value Survey’s socio-cultural values as well as in-group favoritism contribute to our understanding of influence behaviors in Asia. Likewise, level of human development and control of corruption also appear to be promising predictors of influence ethics. In sum, our results suggest that widening the scope of the crossvergence conceptualization of socio-cultural and business ideology influences engender a better understanding of differences in attitudes toward subordinate use of favoritism across Asian societies.     

日本和韩国液化天然气进口探析

日本、中国、韩国液化天然气(LNG)进口量分别为世界前三位。近几年,日本LNG进口量呈稳中有降的变化趋势,韩国规划大力发展天然气消费。日本、韩国的LNG接收站规模分别居全球前两位。日本和韩国在LNG接收站定位、产业链延伸、获取资源模式上存在相似性,包括投资LNG上游项目,建造并运营LNG运输船,合力布局LNG产业,但在LNG基础设施建设和商业模式方面各有特点,各自形成了独特的发展策略。面对"亚洲溢价",两国在推行区域交易中心、调整资源配置、提升买方议价能力上进行了探索与尝试。借鉴日本和韩国LNG进口模式,对中国LNG进口提出建议:鼓励国内企业参与海外LNG采购;从天然气立法角度发布国内LNG产业政策;加强交易中心建设;调配LNG采购资源池;做强LNG运输船队。     

Four tigers and the dragon: values differences,similarities, and consensus

This study examines the influence of economic and political factors that contribute to the convergence and/or divergence in value priorities of five East Asian societies—China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. We find that political and social-economic factors influence the values orientations of managers within this region. However, economic development level is an insufficient explanation for values convergence without consideration of the societal context and cultural traditions in which that development occurred.

Are family ownership and control in large firms good,bad, or irrelevant?

Family ownership and control play an important role in large firms in Asia. There is a puzzle regarding the relationship between concentrated family ownership and control on the one hand and firm performance on the other hand. Three positions suggest that such concentration may be good, bad, or irrelevant for firm performance. This article reports two studies to shed further light on this puzzle. Study 1 uses 744 publicly listed large family firms in eight Asian countries (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand) to test competing hypotheses on the impact of family ownership and control on firm performance. On a country-by-country basis, our findings support all three positions. On an aggregate, pooled sample basis, the results support the “irrelevant” position. Using 688 firms in the same eight countries, Study 2 endeavors to answer why Study 1 obtains different results for different countries. We theorize and document that Study 1 findings may be systematically associated with the level of (minority) shareholder protection afforded by legal and regulatory institutions. Study 2 thus provides critical insights on a cross-country, institution-based theory of corporate governance.     

Do Asian stock market prices follow martingales? Evidence from spectral shape tests

This paper examines the martingale hypothesis for five Asian stock markets using the spectral shape tests of Durlauf (1991). Unlike the variance ratio test employed in previous studies (eg, Panet al, 1991), the spectral shape tests are consistent againstall stationary alternatives to the martingale null.The spectral shape tests were applied to daily and weekly returns on the stock indices of Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan over a period of 17 years. The results show that the martingale null is rejected for most markets. There is some evidence that the rejections may be due to low frequency or long memory influences.The authors are lecturers, Department of Finance and Banking, National University of Singapore. This paper was presented at the Third International Conference on Asian-Pacific Financial Markets, September 9–11, 1993 in Singapore. We have benefited greatly from the comments of Y K Tse and other conference participants.     

The role of the ideal organization in comparative management: A cross cultural perspective of Japan & Korea

It is popular to talk of the Confucian Work Ethic when explaining the successes of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. This is not an accurate impression. The authors of this article found significant differences in management practices — both actual and ideal — between Japan and South Korea.Professors Lane Kelley, Reginald Worthley and Harry Lie are from the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii while Professor Arthur Whatley is from the College of Business Administration & Economics, New Mexico State University.     

Equity diversification among the four Asian NICs

Recent studies have indicated the potential gains to U.S. investors from international portfolio diversification. Due to the rapid growth of the four Asian newly industrialised countries (NICs), namely, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, it is believed that U.S. investors will become increasingly interested in these equity markets. The purpose of the present study is to investigate from the U.S. perspective, the prospects of diversifying across the countries. The results indicate that a diversified portfolio among these markets yields a higher return-to-risk ratio than investing in the U.S. market alone.The authors are with the School of Management, National University of Singapore.     

韩国经济发展中的对外贸易

韩国从20世纪60年代试图开始实质性的经济开发，到2004年为止与230多个国家和地区进行贸易。2004年。其GDP是6801亿美元，为世界第10位，人均收入14162美元。交易额4783亿美元，为世界第12位。2004年外币储备额是1991亿美元．居世界第4位。韩国以韩国式经济开发，即实行市场亲和式政府干预的经济政策，通过出口为主导的经济开发实现了经济的快速增长。正高速增长的中国亦以中国式社会主义．以中国式改革开放追求出口和贸易的共同增长。中国和韩国都持续着经济的高速发展．被公认为是以出口和贸易为主的经济开发模式的典范。韩国进口能源、原材料和资本品，出口工业制成品。中国的贸易由外资企业为主进口半成品和资本品，出口工业制成品。而中国贸易在经济发展中所发挥的影响与韩国相比还小。为了持续增长，韩国需要以技术和经营革新提高国际竞争力．尤其要改善以资本品进口为主的贸易结构。     

Persistence of informal social networks in East Asia: Evidence from South Korea

This study investigates the nature and influence of informal social networks in South Korea (yongo) by analyzing trust levels and network cohesion. Predominantly based on studies on Chinese guanxi, it is widely believed that the further a nation develops stable formal institutions the more the influence of informal relations decreases. Given South Korea’s position as a strong economic powerhouse with established rule of law and democratic institutions, the influence of yongo should play an insignificant role today. We find significant evidence that network cohesion of yongo is still strong in South Korea, despite its economic rise. Contrary to expectation, we observe a higher-than-expected degree of general trust and a continuous commitment to yongo ties at the same time. These findings document recent changes in South Korea such as the beginning of its multicultural opening, whereas informal yongo ties, characterized by emotional interpersonal bonds, still remain pronounced. Foremost, we recommend current beliefs about the correlation of institutional development and decreasing informal transactions to be reconsidered. We propose further studies to better understand how informal social networks evolve over time.     

Capital investment practices: A survey of large corporations in Malaysia,Singapore and Hong Kong

This paper presents the results of a survey on the capital investment practices of large corporations in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Our findings are fairly consistent with those from similar U.S. surveys. However, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong companies seem to use multiple techniques, both simple and sophisticated, in evaluating investment projects, while U.S. companies appear to make great use of discounted cash-flow rate of return. Although Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong companies often make annual cash-flow forecasts over the life of a project, they do not undertake much analysis of risk involved in the project. Moreover, there is room for improving the practice of project implementation, the post-audit of implemented projects, and the use of post-audit data.Dr Wong Kie Ann is with the School of Management, National University of Singapore; Dr Edward J Farragner is with the Department of Finance, DePaul University, U.S.A.; and Mr Rupert K.C. Leung is with the Department of Business Management, Hong Kong Baptist College.     

Pioneering advantages in manufacturing and service industries: empirical evidence from nine countries

Although one might expect differences between manufacturing and service firms in pioneering advantages, the extent of these differences has not yet been investigated. This is the first cross‐national study that compares such differences in nine countries/regions: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore. We develop several hypotheses concerning the perceptions of managers of manufacturing firms and service firms regarding the benefits and post‐entry risks of pioneering, and the cost and differentiation advantages accruing to the pioneering firm. We test the hypotheses with data from 2,419 firms representing all nine countries and both industrial sectors. We find that: (1) managers from all countries perceive pioneering to be associated with higher market share and/or profitability; (2) manufacturing firm managers perceive pioneering risks to be significantly more important than do service firm managers; (3) cost and differentiation advantages of pioneering are, for the most part, more significant to manufacturing than to service firm managers; (4) Western manufacturing firm managers perceive the cost advantages to be more important than Asian Pacific manufacturing firm managers. We conclude by presenting the managerial implications of our findings. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

世界石油贸易新秩序中的亚洲与中国——记“2012亚太石油贸易国际会议”

《国际石油经济》编辑部与士研传媒共同举办的“2012亚太石油贸易国际会议”,聚焦行业热点问题,在开放的平台上与来自各国的专家共同研判未来亚太地区特别是东北亚地区的石油贸易变化趋势,探讨如何利用金融工具规避石油贸易风险,展望石油仓储船运业的发展前景.亚洲与中国在世界石油贸易的新秩序下还没有完成角色转换,缺少在国际石油贸易中的话语权.因此在石油金融领域,中国正在推动石油贸易的人民币结算,推进中国原油期货上市.此次会议还分享了韩国提出的建立东北亚石油枢纽的构想.会议的成果对促进本地区石油贸易、石油合作和石油安全具有重要参考价值.     

Comparison of Chinese and Korean companies in ICT global standardization: Essential patent analysis

The latecomers from Asia—China and Korea—started to participate in information and communication technology (ICT) global standardizations as they accumulated technological capabilities. We observed the current situation of ICT global standardizations in those countries by analyzing the mobile communications standards, WCDMA and LTE, and derived interesting findings and meaningful implications from the analysis. First, this paper provides evidence of the differences in Chinese and Korean standard strategies; China is creating its own standard whereas Korea goes with global standardization. Second, this paper shows the subsequent results of the different strategies. In detail, we conducted an analysis based on (declared) essential patents in WCDMA and LTE. The results indicate that China and Korea hold a significant number of essential patents and their numbers compete with those of leading countries. However, the analysis shows that Korea accumulated domestic knowledge that enables the country to actively participate in standardization,but China still heavily relies on foreign knowledge, probably because China is attempting to create its own standard and accumulating knowledge takes a long time despite its efforts.Our findings have several implications for leading countries and other following countries.     

低碳绿色增长战略下韩国天然气产业发展及启示

韩国立足本国资源禀赋,围绕社会经济发展和民众关切,制定能源政策和发展规划,能源战略从早期的"供给导向"逐步转向"绿色低碳"。2019年,韩国《第三个国家能源总体规划(2020-2040)》提出将逐步退出核电,阶段性关停老小燃煤机组并禁止新建与扩建,加快发展风能和太阳能,2040年将可再生能源发电占比提高到35%,进一步提升天然气在能源结构中的地位。韩国天然气产业的发展立足引进LNG资源,LNG进口及管网设施建设长期坚持由国有控股公司--韩国天然气公司(KOGAS)主导经营,实行第三方协商准入;同时谨慎稳妥推进市场化改革,渐近式引入民间企业参与LNG资源引进,妥善解决韩国天然气公司持有的国际"照付不议"长期协议的资源采购合同问题。借鉴韩国的天然气产业发展经验,中国的"十四五"规划需全面把握世界能源绿色低碳发展大势,促进天然气消费;支持和引导各类企业"走出去"获取海外天然气资源;稳妥推进天然气结构重组和市场化改革;妥善解决天然气"照付不议"长期贸易合同问题,避免无序竞争;多措并举稳定供应,解决天然气应急调峰问题。     

The Indian broadband plan: A review and implications for theory

Given the benefits of ubiquitous broadband deployment and availability that include economic growth, participation in the Internet economy and increased competitiveness, several countries have launched major national initiatives to accelerate broadband deployment including supporting such initiatives often as a part of their fiscal stimulus plans. These include Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, UK and USA and the European Union as a whole.     

The role of Guanxi in green supply chain management in Asia's emerging economies: A conceptual framework

In recent decades, rapid industrial modernization and economic growth have brought substantial environmental problems such as air pollution, hazardous waste, and water pollution for the Asian emerging economies (AEE), in particular China, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Korea. These countries have started to adopt green supply chain management (GSCM) as a strategy to reduce the environmental impact. There are anecdotal evidences that the adoption of GSCM in this region is partly influenced by Guanxi – a cultural norm, which plays a significant role in relationship governance within supply chain activities among the AEE. Based on a systematic literature review, we develop a conceptual framework that characterizes the drivers and barriers for the adoption of GSCM practices, incorporating Guanxi as a moderator in the manufacturing sector of the AEE. The conceptual framework addresses the roles of two types of Guanxi in the adoption of GSCM: the relational Guanxi at individual level based on social exchange theory and the aggregated Guanxi at firm level derived from social capital theory. This recognition of Guanxi at two separate decision levels help companies better manage their relationships while they green their supply chains. Directions for future research and managerial implications are discussed accordingly.     

Determinants of US multinational banking performance in the Asia pacific region: An eclectic approach

The Asia Pacific region has provided the fastest growing and the most profitable overseas markets for US multinational banks (MNBs) since 1975. In the region, US MNBs remain the dominant banking power despite a recent contraction in their relative market share. This paper discusses major characteristics of US MNB activities in the region and identifies empirically major determinants of MNB performance in the two key countries of the region (Singapore and South Korea) using an eclectic approach.     

High‐Performance Work System and Organizational Turnover in East and Southeast Asian Countries1

In this paper, we examine the impact of high‐performance work systems (HPWSs) on both voluntary and involuntary organizational turnover rates. Most research on this topic has been done in the United States. Given the global competitive pressures confronting many of the countries of East and Southeast Asia, companies in this region are seeking to become more flexible and often adapt HPWSs practices. We explore the impact of HPWSs in both locally owned companies and subsidiaries of multinational corporations in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Thailand. These countries have significantly different national cultures from the United States and most other Western countries and HPWSs effects in relation to turnover might vary from the studies based in the United States. Our findings are, however, somewhat consistent with U.S.‐based studies. In fact, HPWSs were found to be more effective in reducing turnover in locally owned companies than in subsidiaries of Western and Japanese multinational companies.