Yonsei School of Business Professor Mooweon Rhee of Management and Professor Jae Young Lee of Marketing, have had articles published in top-ranked journals —Organization Science and Market Science— in their respective fields. Organization Science is a globally renowned business administration journal that publishes innovative research about such organizational topics as procedure, structure, technology, identity, competence, form, and execution. Marketing Science is a globally renowned business administration journal that publishes research in fields related to mathematical modeling and operations research for the purpose of marketing analysis.

» Professor Mooweon Rhee

Professor Rhee’s newly published paper is titled “Great Vessels Take a Long Time to Mature:   Early Success Traps and Competences in Exploitation and Exploration.” Taking as   inspiration the Chinese four-character idiom with the meaning that patience leads to success,   he shed light on the “early success trap”’ mechanism. Using a simulation, he demonstrated   the possibility that success at the beginning of the life cycle of an individual or a group may   compromise its potential for long-term success, especially in terms of competencies needed   for new strategies and technologies. To evade such traps, the paper advocated a method   called “slow learning.” This paper may serve as a warning to many Korean companies that   fixate on speed in business.

Professor Rhee is currently pursuing three streams of research. The first focuses on errors from decisions or indecision that can arise in organizations through accidents or prejudice. A second interest lies in researching the mechanisms through which organizational assets that brought initial success may ultimately become liabilities. Finally, he is working toward an organizational theory based on Eastern philosophy. One paper he has under way discusses Western organizational learning theories whilst linking the Chu-tzu doctrines and the inventive processes of Sejong the Great.

» Professor Jae Young Lee

Professor Lee’s paper, “Social Contagion in New Product Trials and Repeat,” noted   the  phenomenon called Social Contagion, which is how the behavior of a consumer affects   other consumers. Until now, the research on Social Contagion has been limited to showing   the effects of the first purchase (trial) on new products. Professor Lee, however, expanded   the scope of the existing research and shed light on the effects of continuous purchases   (repeat). His research results showed that the mechanism of Social Contagion differed with   the “‘first purchase”’ and “continuous purchase.” His research was of theoretical significance   in its deepening understanding of roles and mechanisms associated with the topic.

Professor Lee said of his future research direction: “Even though there’s been a recent rise   in the interest in social network marketing, in reality, there isn’t much information known due   to the difficulty in analyzing. Through understanding, with a quantitative approach, Social   Contagion’s mechanism and driver by means of various context and perspective, I want to do   research that would give specific answers to what kind of content to produce and who to   target when marketing professionals implement social network marketing.”