Press Releases

"Research funding worth KRW 50 million will be granted for the establishment of a Korean corporate management model. Applications will be accepted until May 24."

The Institute for Research in Korean Management (IRKOM, Founding Director Donghoon Kim) successfully hosted its first Symposium and Research Support Program Briefing Session at the IBK Hall, Baekyang Nuri International Conference Rooms, Yonsei University on May 3. The event was held under the theme of “The Past, Present, and Future of K-Management.” The IRKOM is a research institute founded at Yonsei University in 2023 with the goals of conducting case studies with a convergent point of view and from a long-term perspective, and building a Korean-style management (“K-Management”) model. This event was held to inform people about what efforts are needed to duplicate the excellent performance of Korean companies using case studies. The symposium kicked off with a welcome speech by Director Donghoon Kim, followed by a congratulatory address by F&F Group Chairman Chang-soo Kim. The speech by Chairman Kim, who contributed KRW 5 billion to promote Yonsei University's corporate management research and lay the foundation for the establishment of IRKOM, added to the significance of the event.

[Photo 1: 2024 Symposium and Research Support Program Briefing Session]
 

[Photo 2: Donghoon Kim, Ph.D. Founding Director, Institute for Research in Korean Management]

Next, Professor Martin Hammert from Korea University Business School and Professor Kyung-min Park from Yonsei University School of Business School delivered presentations. Professor Hammert talked about the necessity of case studies about Korean companies based on his research on their management styles, cultures, economic environments, organizations, operations, and strategies, while Professor Park, who is also serving as Director of Yonsei Business Research Institute, discussed future directions for Korean companies in terms of management strategies and the value of case studies as the basis for future strategies. After the symposium, Founding Director Donghoon Kim hosted a briefing session on the Research Support Program. He said, "Korean companies have achieved – and are achieving – remarkable accomplishments by constantly innovating, knocking on the doors of overseas markets, and challenging the unknown and unfamiliar global market where they faced a bias, and I believe that we need to accumulate their experiences through research. In addition to this, in order to continue to build success on the foundation of unique Korean corporate cultures and strategies, we need to discover the differentiated performance models and key success factors of each company." He also emphasized that it is of great significance to discover not only large companies but also companies that may not be very familiar to the public but have carved out a strong presence in the world market. Against this backdrop, the IRKOM announced a research support program for domestic and international researchers who want to discover differentiated performance models and success factors unique to Korean companies, and to develop them into case studies. According to Founding Director Kim, the IRKOM will announce a competition every year, starting in 2024, as part of its Research Support Program. Up to 10 projects will be selected, and each will be awarded a research fund worth KRW 50 million. Project proposals will be accepted under two categories: single-year and multi-year projects. A single-year project is eligible for support for one full year, whereas a multi-year project can get support for up to three years. Founding Director Kim explained that the multi-year project option was introduced to accommodate researchers’ feedback that is necessary to go beyond a simple analysis and analyze the values and achievements of companies from an in-depth and long-term perspective. The research projects selected through the IRKOM Research Support Program can be developed in diverse forms, including publication in renowned journals such as HBR, the development of an educational casebook, and the compilation of case study reports, and the IRKOM will take the lead in making them available as materials in corporate and educational settings. Immediately after the 2024 First Symposium and Research Support Program Briefing Session of the Institute for Research in Korean Management was successfully completed, the IRKOM Research Support Project Competition announcement was posted on major sites including the IRKOM website, Yonsei University website, and hibrain.net. Anyone interested in developing the corporate management cases of Korean companies can apply by email to IRKOM@yonsei.ac.kr until 6:00 p.m., May 18, 2024.