This study aims to identify the factors that lead to the activation of flexible work programs in Korean SMEs after their introduction. To this end, a multiple case study was conducted on companies that are objectively recognized as family-friendly and work-life balance companies in Korea and have activated flexible work systems. The results showed that, first, top management support is an important factor for the activation of flexible work arrangements in Korean SMEs. Second, managers' willingness to implement flexible work arrangements, management capacity, and acceptance were found to be important factors. Third, the voluntary nature of flexible work arrangements and the attitudes of employees who actually participate in the arrangements were also key factors. Finally, the systematic foundation and government support policies for flexible work arrangements to work within the organization were found to be important. By exploring the enabling factors of flexible work arrangements in Korean SMEs, this study provides theoretical and practical implications for the successful management of flexible work arrangements.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the management of ESG issues, and ESG committees have been the focus of this interest. Existing research on ESG committees explores the motivations for setting up ESG committees from different perspectives, but is primarily focused on large companies and has not addressed this issue in the context of SMEs, limiting its applicability to SMEs. However, the recent trend of supply chain requirements and the specific situation of requiring SMEs to disclose their ESG activities make it necessary for SMEs to install ESG committees in addition to large companies. Using data from growing SMEs, this study examines organizational needs as the main reasons for SMEs to establish ESG committees. Using logistic regression analysis based on data from 199 Korean SMEs, current research finds that SMEs that have many financial sources, have a large number of overseas operations in Europe, and are involved in more types of supply networks are more likely to install an ESG committee. These findings reflect changing trends in ESG management among SMEs, which are different from previous analyses of large companies.

In order to formulate effective R&D support policies for sustainable growth of SMEs through technological innovation, it is required to properly evaluate their technological capabilities. Meanwhile, the heterogeneity in capabilities at each process of technological innovation is pronounced for SMEs; they often exhibit significant differences in their levels of R&D capabilities and commercialization capabilities, making it difficult to assess their overall technological capabilities and predict growth with conventional indicators. Hence, we introduce R&D-output elasticity as a comprehensive indicator encompassing the entire technological innovation process and empirically examine whether the measure can explain SMEs' future growth. Our analyses show that firms with higher R&D-output elasticity experience greater growth in sales and employment, though the effect diminishes over time. It implies that R&D-output elasticity provides a long-term competitive advantage, requiring continuous efforts by each firm and policy support to enhance or maintain this advantage. In sum, this study offers a methodology using financial data to evaluate SMEs' technological capabilities and demonstrates the explanatory power of the measure for SME growth, providing implications for strategic decisions on resource allocation and the establishment of effective R&D support policies.