A Comparative Study of Korean and U.S. Firms amid COVID-19 Supply Chain Disruptions: The Role of Relational Capital for Improving Ambidextrous Innovation and Firm Performance

Aaron Rae Stephens(Aaron Rae Stephens ),Charles Arthur Robb(Charles Arthur Robb ),Minhyo Kang(Minhyo Kang) The International Academy of Global Business and T 2022 The International Academy of Global Business and T Vol.18 No.5

Purpose - Supply chain disruptions have plagued firms since the advent of COVID-19 lockdowns. As a result, supply chains remain unstable and dynamic. To better understand supply chain management during periods of disruption, this study compares the impact of relational capital on ambidextrous innovation and firm performance between Korean and U.S firms. Design/Methodology/Approach - This study includes a sample of 200 Korean firms and 227 U.S firms. PLS-SEM is the statistical tool utilized with MICOM multigroup analysis. Findings - Korean and U.S. firms were found to be different on three different pathways indicating that open innovation and investment in supplier relations improve supply chain disruption orientation, exploration innovation, and firm performance Research Implications - Relationship capital can significantly improve supply chain management, innovation, and firm performance. Exploitation innovation is better for enhancing supply chain management in the short-term amid interruptions.

Building Supply Chain Resilience and Market Performance through Organizational Culture: An Empirical Study Utilizing the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model

Aaron Rae Stephens(Aaron Rae Stephens),Min-Hyo Kang(Min-Hyo Kang),Charles Arthur Robb(Charles Arthur Robb) 동아시아무역학회 2022 Journal of East Asian Trade(JEAT) Vol.4 No.1

Purpose – Supply chain disruptions have dominated business planning and performance since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to mar organizations through 2022. This research carefully examines the role of organizational culture in developing both supply chain resilience and market performance amid supply chain disruptions. Design/Methodology/Approach – An empirical study of over 200 South Korean firms were tested. The model is tested using PLS-SEM; furthermore, mediation effects enrich the quality of the findings. This research is framed utilizing the stimulus-organism-response model; thus, emphasizing the highly dynamic business environment that has ensued. Findings – The research confirms that supply chain disruption orientation, a strategic orientation and a proxy for a well-prepared organizational culture, leads to both supply chain resilience and market performance. Results also confirm that resilience reinforces market performance throughout the supply chain. Study contributions suggest that firms should consider themselves as organisms within a highly dynamic environment and develop a highly prepared organizational culture in order to bolster supply chain resilience and market performance. Research Implications – Scholars can further employ the stimulus-organism-response model in firm-level research and further study the link between organizational culture and supply chain performance amid COVID-19. Finally, the results of this research provide guidelines for organizations when they decide on operational procedures during the pandemic, as they aim to produce greater returns for their ventures.

An Exploratory Study on the Expansion of the African Market by Global Firms Focusing on Liberia utilizing the Balassa Index

Aaron Rae Stephens,Yoo Seung Gyun(유승균) 국제e-비즈니스학회 2018 e-비즈니스 연구 Vol.19 No.6

Emotional Intelligence, Self-efficacy and Turnover : Evidence from Service Employees in China

Aaron Rae Stephens,Yu Huaibing 부산대학교 중국연구소 2018 Journal of China Studies Vol.21 No.2

Korean Brand Globalization : How it works for the Vietnamese market

Nguyen-Hanh Tang,Aaron Rae Stephens,Young-Chan Lee(이영찬) 한국아시아학회 2019 아시아연구 Vol.22 No.4

본 연구는 베트남 소비자들에게 있어 한국의 국가 브랜드 세계화와 베트남에서의 한국 제품의 강점을 이론적인 틀을 통해 설명하고자 한다. 특히, 통합적 관점에서 이론적 틀을 개발하기 위해 믿음/인식, 평가/태도, 행동 의도의 3단계를 통합한 개념적 모델을 제안한다. 본 연구는 최근 한-베트남 경제 협력, 무역, 정치 역사에 대한 심층적인 조사와 문헌연구를 통해 원산지 인식에 대한 종합 척도 (민족주의, 적대감, 세계주의)를 개발하고 소비자 태도에 대한 효과 (국가 이미지, 제품 평가, 구매의도)를 실증적으로 조사한다. 연구목적을 달성하기 위해 베트남 소비자에 대한 설문조사를 수행하고, PLS-SEM방법으로 실증분석을 수행하였다. 조사 결과에 따르면 베트남 소비자들은 한국 제품에 대해 복잡한 관점을 갖고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 세개의 독립 변수 (민족주의, 적개심, 세계주의) 중에서 세계주의는 국가 이미지, 제품 평가, 그리고 구매 의도에 가장 큰 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 그리고 제품 평가는 국가 이미지와 구매 의도 관계에 대한 완전한 매개 효과를 가지며, 세계주의와 구매 의도의 관계에 대한 부분적인 매개 효과를 갖는 것으로 조사되었다. 본 연구는 한국과 베트남의 역사, 상호 협력, 한류에 대한 광범위하고 종합적인 검토와 소비자 태도 및 의사결정 과정을 통해 베트남 소비자들이 한국 국가 브랜드와 한국 제품을 어떻게 생각하고 있는지 실증적으로 분석을 시도하였다는 점에서 의의를 갖는다. This study seeks to elucidate the globalization of Korea’s nation branding to Vietnamese consumers and the power of Korean products in Vietnam through a theoretical lens. Particularly, it proposes a conceptual model that incorporates three stages of belief/perception, evaluation/attitude, and behavioral intention to develops a holistic framework. By examining a deeper insight of the recent Korea-Vietnam economic cooperation, trade, and political history, this research uniquely develop through a literature review a holistic measure of the country of origin perceptions (ethnocentrism, animosity, and world-mindedness – a new adopted independent variable) and a delineated view of those effects on consumer attitude (country image and product judgment). To serve the purpose, we conducted an empirical research by surveying on Vietnamese consumer and by using PLS-SEM (partial least square-structural equation model). The results of this research indicate that Vietnamese consumers have a complex set of concerns regarding Korean products. Of the three independent variables (i.e., consumer ethnocentrism, animosity, and world-mindedness), world-mindedness is the most salient with three positive pathways, i.e., in the relationships with general country image, product judgment, and purchase intention. Moreover, the critical role of product judgment is also found through its full mediation effect on the relationship between general country image and purchase intention, and its partial mediation effect on the relationship between world-mindedness and purchase intention. Many academic and practical implications, as well as managerial practices for Korean businesses in Vietnam, are suggested in this paper. The implications can also be extended into other Asian markets. Despite a large number of studies focusing on the impacts of K-wave on young Vietnamese, this study and its findings are valuable for understanding how Vietnamese consumers consider the Korean nation brand and Korean products in consideration of a comprehensive review of historical events, bilateral cooperation and K-wave with relevance to Vietnamese consumer attitudes and decision-making.

Linking Supply Chain Alliance Orientation to Market Performance: Evidence from South Korean Firms

Charles Arthur Robb,Minhyo Kang,Aaron Rae Stephens,Seogsoo Kim The International Academy of Global Business and T 2023 The International Academy of Global Business and T Vol.19 No.5

Purpose - This research aims to provide a greater understanding of the constructs that aid in the mitigation of supply chain disruptions. Recent anomalies in the global supply chain have negatively influenced the performance of institutions throughout the globe. It is therefore advantageous to examine various antecedents of firm performance through the spectrum of supply chain management. To achieve this, an SOR framework was utilized for this study. Design/Methodology/Approach - A hypothesized model was developed to examine the relationship between the study constructs. The sample for this research comprised of 200 South Korean firms. Data were analyzed using Smart PLS-SEM analysis. All the constructs were analyzed through a SOR framework. Findings - Supply chain alliance orientation and supply chain resilience had a significantly positive effect on market performance. Likewise, it was found that supply chain dynamism encouraged supply chain alliance orientation in a supply chain. Further, the mediating effects of alliance orientation showed a positive effect on supply chain resilience and market performance. Similarly, supply chain resilience had a favorable mediating relationship between supply chain alliance orientation and market performance. Research Implications - The SOR framework can be used as model for understanding organizational behavior in the context of supply chain management. Also, the study findings suggest the importance of developing alliances to strengthen organizational operations during periods of supply chain disruptions.