KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study aims to analyze the effects of ethical leadership and job insecurity on job performance through the mediating roles of knowledge sharing and knowledge hiding, and to examine the moderating effect of self-enhancement. To achieve this purpose, a survey was conducted with 300 employees working in Korean small and medium-sized enterprises, and empirical analysis was performed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS 4.0. The results show, first, that ethical leadership promotes knowledge sharing and suppresses knowledge hiding, thereby exerting a positive impact on job performance. Second, job insecurity hinders knowledge sharing and reinforces knowledge hiding, which negatively affects job performance. Third, knowledge sharing improves job performance, whereas knowledge hiding serves as a factor that reduces it. Fourth, self-enhancement was verified as a significant moderator in the relationship between knowledge sharing and job performance. These findings provide empirical evidence of the dual effects of knowledge behavior on job performance and underscore the importance of individual characteristics, offering both theoretical and practical implications for establishing effective knowledge management and human resource management strategies.

This study examines the impact of smart manufacturing–based emerging industries on the efficiency of regional manufacturing sectors across Korea’s 17 metropolitan and provincial regions. Using LQs for the AI industry and the Advanced manufacturing and robotics industry, we measure the degree of industrial agglomeration in each region. Manufacturing efficiency is estimated using DEA, followed by Tobit regression analysis. The empirical results show that, over the entire sample period, the LQ for the AI industry exerts a positive and significant effect on manufacturing efficiency, suggesting that the diffusion of AI technologies contributes to the advancement and productivity growth of the manufacturing sector. In contrast, the LQ for the advanced manufacturing and robotics industry exerts a negative effect on efficiency, indicating that transition costs and other short-term adjustment burdens in fact outweighed potential efficiency gains during the study period. This finding implies that even in regions with high industrial specialization, efficiency improvements are contingent upon adequate technological adoption capacity and operational readiness. Policy implications include strengthening empirical foundations for AI technology deployment, building integration platforms between traditional manufacturing and emerging industries, and promoting balanced regional development to narrow efficiency disparities.

This study aims to examine the structural relationships between inherent capabilities and competitive strategies influencing the export performance of advanced manufacturing venture firms in South Korea. Utilizing raw data from the "2024 Venture Business Survey," it empirically analyzes the effects of commercialization capability, technology capability, and brand equity on competitive strategy, the mediating role of competitive strategy, and the moderating effect of founder characteristics. The findings indicate that all three capabilities positively impact competitive strategy, which in turn significantly enhances export performance. Moreover, founder characteristics act as a moderator strengthening the relationship between competitive strategy and export performance. The implications and recommendations derived from this study are expected to provide valuable policy and practical insights for managers and policymakers in advanced manufacturing venture firms.