Search

The world is experiencing a knowledge-based economy with a revolution in information technology, innovation, and telecommunications. The rise of the "new economy", driven by information and knowledge, has led to an increased interest in intellectual capital theory, which aims to manage intangible assets of organizations. Firms belonging to technology and knowledge-based industries recognize intellectual capital as the key knowledge base that contributes to the creation of a competitive advantage for the firm. This paper aims to answer the question "How are Intellectual Capital (IC) and Information Technology (IT) related?" through a systematic review based on four steps: 1) search conduction; 2) selection of papers based on their titles and abstracts; 3) content analysis of selected papers; 4) evidence mapping and discussions. The analyzed papers were categorized into five themes: "Statistical analysis or case study in IT companies from the Intellectual Capital perspective"; "IT as a tool for Intellectual Capital Management"; "Intellectual Capital or technology knowledge assets influencing innovation and development", "Intellectual Capital assets to evaluate a technology" and "Intellectual Capital theory as a way to understand and share knowledge in IT projects". Our findings evidenced that the Human Capital was the main dimension studied by the authors, followed by Structural Capital and Relational Capital. We believe that this work may help to clarify on Intellectual Capital Management procedures into Information Technology projects, thus opening new topics for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes its cue from a paper by Kianto and Cabrilo (2022) presented at ECKM 2022. In their paper they raise concerns both with the theoretic underpinnings of the theory of Intellectual Capital and the more specific need to consider the impacts on new technologies and work structures. In the existing literature it has been proposed that Intellectual Capital is composed of a variety of components which have often been addressed somewhat independently. It is important to both investigate the nature of these sub-components and recognize the extent to which they interact. Some key concerns with Intellectual Capital and its subcomponents are discussed including their valuation, which presents significant challenges to traditional approaches of valuation. Other notable concerns relate to the underlying conceptual structure for Intellectual Capital, which needs further study with respect to its general intelligibility, its explanatory value, and in the light of major technological changes and the phenomenon of digitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of intellectual capital theory has been guided by the ideas and thoughts of a handful of influential practitioners, including Sveiby (1997), Kaplan (Kaplan and Norton, 1992), and Edvinsson (Edvinson and Malone, 1997). These pioneers established the basis of the "intellectual capital standard theory". More recently, other authors have advanced some contributions integrating an ecosystem approach in line with sustainability concerns. The present paper discusses the assumptions and principles that support the standard theory (the prevailing paradigm). The paper then introduces other models and methodologies as alternatives to the standard theory--such as the "Value Explorer" (Andriessen and Tissen, 2000) and the "Intellectual Capital Benchmarking System (ICBS)" (Viedma and Cabrita, 2012)--and examines the foundations and principles on which the alternative new theory (the 'new paradigm') is based. Finally, the paper attempts to synthesize both theoretical approaches with other new views and contributions and rises discussion avenues on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry is facing significant challenges due to globalization, increasing competition, and rapid technological advancements. In this context, intellectual capital and strategic partnerships have emerged as essential factors for the success and competitiveness of construction companies. Intellectual capital encompasses a company's intangible assets, such as knowledge, skills, experience, expertise, and relationships. At the same time, strategic partnerships involve a mutually beneficial relationship between two or more organizations that work together to achieve common goals. This paper aims to explore the effect of intellectual capital and strategic partnerships on the performance and competitiveness of construction companies. The study employs a qualitative research design and uses a literature review approach to analyse existing research and identify key concepts and themes. The findings suggest that intellectual capital and strategic partnerships can significantly improve construction companies' innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness. However, effective management and utilization of these assets require a clear understanding of the company's goals, resources, and capabilities, as well as the development of a collaborative and knowledge-sharing culture. The paper concludes by proposing future research directions and practical implications for construction companies to enhance their intellectual capital and strategic partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual capital theory (IC) theory, which asserts that organisational value is for the most part created with intangible, knowledge-based resources, has become a prevalent way to approach the notion of business viability. Most IC research leans on the classical tripod of IC components, laid down by the first-generation researchers in the field. This tripod divides the value-generating knowledge assets into human capital, structural capital and relational capital; or, more simply put the value vested in an organisation's personnel, internal structures and processes, and relationships. Even though this conceptualization has been challenged by some, it still remains the cornerstone of the IC-based view of the firm, and it is astutely followed by most researchers in this field. However, various large-scale technological, socio-political, and institutional changes have fundamentally changed the business environment and worklife in recent years. In this paper we argue that these changes call for a critical examination of the relevance of the classical conceptualizations of IC. It may be necessary to update the understanding concerning not only the most essential knowledge resources, but also the structure of IC and the way in which IC is related with new relevant organisational capabilities and aspects of organisational performance. The aim of this theoretical paper is to provide an overview of some of the most essential recent worklife trends that are likely to impact how IC should be understood: digitalization, remote work, gig work, open innovation, crowdsourcing, strive towards sustainability and resilience. Based on these, the paper puts forth a set of propositions concerning the needed novel perspectives for IC. In addition to constructing a novel theoretical framework and propositions for IC research, the paper functions as an introduction to the mini track on Futurizing the Intellectual Capital Theory and provides a common framework on which mini track participants can base their dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of research is topical in the present situation with management research tools at scientific institutions of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science in Latvia. The object of the research are the management research tools of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions. The subject of the research is the comparative analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science in Latvia. The objective of the research is to study efficiency indicators of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions in Latvia in the period from 2013 to 2018. The following tasks are set in order to reach the objective: to study the management research tools at scientific institutions; to identify the concept of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science; to calculate their efficiency indicators; and, to conduct comparative analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions in Latvia. Research methods used in the paper are as follow: content analysis, economic analysis, and economic experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of research is topical in the present situation with management research tools at scientific institutions of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science in Latvia. The object of the research are the management research tools of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions. The subject of the research is the comparative analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science in Latvia. The objective of the research is to study efficiency indicators of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions in Latvia in the period from 2013 to 2018. The following tasks are set in order to reach the objective: to study the management research tools at scientific institutions; to identify the concept of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science; to calculate their efficiency indicators; and, to conduct comparative analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions in Latvia. Research methods used in the paper are as follow: content analysis, economic analysis, and economic experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to deconstruct the concept of practical wisdom to develop new ideas about the value of the intellectual capitals. The field of Intellectual Capital (IC) risks becoming irrelevant. Recent research recommends focusing on how to use IC theory to manage intangible assets. Knowledge management provides an opportunity to help IC theory make this transition. This paper presents a research agenda for better understanding the practical value of the intellectual capitals. The theoretical lens used is Aristotle’s practical rationality or ‘phronesis’. In Aristotle’s framework, practical wisdom is the highest intellectual virtue. The data, information, knowledge, wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy is often used in knowledge management. The theory of professional practice makes explicit distinctions between technical and practical knowledge. Habermas (1971) distinguished between technical knowledge as formal, explicit, propositional, and discursive; and practical knowledge as tacit and embodied in action. This is similar to Aristotle’s distinctions between scientific knowledge (episteme) and craft knowledge (techne). Episteme (Habermas’s technical knowledge) consists of deductions from basic principles, and techne (Habermas’s practical knowledge) is about how to make things. The third part of Aristotle’s framework is Phronesis (social practice wisdom), which is the integration of intellectual and ethical virtues to create deliberative excellence that has positive long-term impacts for humanity. It includes the ethical virtue known as Eudaimonia, which is the capacity to make good choices about the most reasonable way to act. This paper applies these ideas to the intangible assets - intellectual (structural), relational, and human capital – within the context of professional practice. The outcome is new thinking about how the three capitals may be better managed as components of professional standards (episteme), judgements about practice (techne), and acting with moral virtue (phronesis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how knowledge and related resources has permeated scholasticism and an intellectual capital (IC)-based view of the firm, and it has gained increasing weight in contemporary management literature. Manifold impacts of IC on organizational performance have been widely evidenced with management mechanisms for various IC dimensions to be found in most established organizations. As research is a strongly path-dependent activity, it seems natural that IC research may lean on classical frameworks and conceptualizations from prior decades. However, this consideration may be problematic, since large-scale changes in companies' operating environments, such as digitalization, a crisis in sustainability, as well as reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic through remote-working initiatives. Consequently, call for new knowledge resources comes into play naturally. In this paper, an argument is made that the normative approaches for conceptualizing IC and its performance relevance must be updated. Further, we suggest that the new post-pandemic world of enterprise calls for novel understandings relevant to IC. To spur new thinking that offers a way forward, a theoretical model is proposed for a revised understanding of IC and its role in organizational viability. Important new issues are examined as related to various IC elements. The paper contributes to IC research by constructing a revised model of IC useful for generating topical research models suitable for development and testing in future theoretical and empirical studies. A set of potential research questions is outlined to guide additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to show how restaurants in Poland managed their intellectual capital (IC) in the COVID-19 crisis and how knowledge sharing (KS) helped them to survive in those dynamically changing conditions. Methodology: The study is based on qualitative research - semi-structured interviews with a few restaurant owners and managers responsible for the business operations during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Research results show that one of the key factors in the restaurant survival is their IC. Proper management of this capital allowed businesses to adjust to this unprecedented situation. Dynamic and intense KS between restaurants' owners, managers and employees fastened the process of adjustment and provided new kind of services necessary to successfully operate in the new reality. Research limitations: The paper takes into consideration only selected restaurants in the Pomeranian region in Poland. Hence, the results cannot be generalized. Practical implications: The paper shows how restaurants' managers and owners used KS and IC management in order to adapt their business operations to the COVID-19 reality. That can be inspiring for entrepreneurs and help them fully utilize IC of their employees and coworkers, as well as discover the benefits of KS practices. The study also shows the idea of supportive restaurant community and its important role in KS. It also shows arising coopetition between businesses in order to survive violent changes in the socio-economic environment. Originality/value: The paper focuses on dealing with the COVID-19 problems in the restaurant industry from the KS and IC perspective. So far, there are few studies of this kind that take the catering sector as the main subject of the research. Findings can be helpful and valuable not only for academics, but also for entrepreneurs and managers that seek knowledge and solutions they can use in order to grow and develop their organizations in the turbulent environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses and explores trust and resilience in the context of negotiation processes. Specifically, the paper focuses on the role and interrelation of trust and resilience in integrative negotiations in trade, at country and regional level. Negotiations reflect dependence between parties committing to searching for solutions in improving current situation. Integrative negotiations, in specific, pursue reaching the best possible results for all the parties involved, under a win-win approach. The paper raises and discusses two negotiation-related issues of trust and resilience emerging from the dependence between negotiating parties and the possible challenges in the process. Trust and resilience both belong to intellectual resources in human activity and social life. Trust has emerged as an important intangible and relational asset in and between organizations, playing an important role in negotiations. Trust-building involves dependence and risk taking implying acceptance of vulnerability, specifically when positive expectations of the intentions or behaviors of other/s may not be confirmed. Resilience, as a part of psychological capital, is a resource for personal effectiveness covering the most fields of individual's life. The purpose of the paper is to provide both theoretical views and preliminary empirical findings, including practical implications to professionals and insights for further research. Originality of the paper grounds for the idea of examining interrelation between trust and resilience. While the two are recognized and studied independently, they are scarcely discussed integrated in current research from the intangible resource perspective and empirically studied in the negotiations context. The research question is what role trust and resilience play in the context of negotiations, and specifically in building integrative negotiations. Empirical data were gathered from negotiators' by interviews. Data contains also the two preceding case studies as a part of the broader study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical unanswered questions in knowledge management (KM) and intellectual capital (IC) studies is an empirical link to improved organizational performance. Everyone who works in the field is probably convinced that identifying, cataloguing, and then better managing knowledge assets will benefit a firm. But efforts to empirically demonstrate this relationship have been mixed, at best, and demonstrate a decided lack of agreement on approach, variables, and, ultimately, the true meaning of the results. This paper begins to address these issues and, indeed, establishes that a firm's level of intellectual capital may very well be correlated with financial performance. Moreover, the relationship is less statistical than experimental, so with a big enough data set, the approach could infer causation. Making an identifiable strategic decision based on objective intellectual capital data, executing the strategic decision at a distinct point in timer, and incorporating pre- and post-event financial data can be defined as a field experiment with high external validity. It's a different approach to some of the previous approaches that attempt to draw statistical correlations at a point in time, but the longitudinal structure avoids some difficulties with previous empirical work looking demonstrate the link between IC and financial performance. The specific approach of the study is obtaining IC metrics from firms announcing a merger & acquisition action (here, Tobin's q). Those metrics identify firms of interest to later collect financial results, specifically marketing capitalization, both pre- and post-merger. The results demonstrate that specific IC circumstances can predict financial outcomes, essentially locking in the knowledge asset and financial performance relationship. Further research is necessary to uncover the details of that empirically demonstrated relationship. But establishing the empirical is a key result for the full disciplines of both IC and KM. It essentially demonstrates why we all work and believe in these fields. The methodology can also prove extremely useful for practitioners, specifically as an investment strategy. Consequently, this paper explains the investment approach as that is easiest to understand. The results, making an investment decision based on pre-M&A metrics and evaluating its success, are both positive and significant. And, again, as an experiment rather than a statistical demonstration of correlation, have a more substantive conclusion. Again, the results are important for the investment community as a financial strategy and, ultimately, for the KM and IC community as a demonstration of the importance of the fields to the financial performance of the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undoubtedly, modern information technology has an increasing impact on the activities of healthcare entities, which is attributable to the relationship between information technology (IT) and medical technologies and the use of IT in the management of these entities. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between hospital performance and a strategic approach to managing Information Technology and intangible assetsin Polish hospitals. Based on previous studies, the proposed model considers two different phenomena which affect the performance of Polish hospitals. These are the level of knowledge management of hospital employees and the level of managing intangible assets which are not directly related to the staff's knowledge and competencies. In the proposed research model, the constructs corresponding to the management of knowledge and other intangible assets play a mediating role between the strategic approach to IT management and the performance of Polish hospitals. The estimation of the model parameters and the assessment of their correctness was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) methodology. The model parameters were statistically significant. The hypotheses proposed in the paper which form the structural model have been positively verified, and the model meets the required quality criteria. A strategic approach to IT management indirectly influences the efficiency of hospital operations through the appropriate management of staff knowledge and other intangible assets. The research findings may be useful for hospital management at a strategic management level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing social capital and intellectual capital is critical to enhancing knowledge management (KM) and innovation. Social capital relates to KM as it provides access to new sources of knowledge, with each dimension of social capital having different effects on knowledge exchange. The amount of knowledge gathered over time and the use of communication technologies is essential to understand the role knowledge plays in social capital innovation, also referred to as intellectual capital. Social capital and intellectual capital are regarded as factors needed to enhance KM amongst agrifood business support programmes. Limited research to date has explored how intellectual capital is linked to each dimension of social capital. Current qualitative research being conducted in this PhD aims to contribute to this body of knowledge. This paper will include preliminary results from pilot study research. Initial interview and observation findings suggest that bonding social capital and intellectual capital lead to enhanced knowledge exchange and therefore increased innovation capabilities. The findings from this research will be beneficial to agri-food businesses, agriculture support programmes, training programmes, farmers, and governing bodies and will aid understanding into social capital and its benefits for knowledge exchange and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a framework to explore the relationship between stakeholder theory, intellectual capital and risk sharing. The paper employs content analysis approaches to explore the relationship between stakeholder theory, intellectual capital and risk sharing. Stakeholder theory is more suitable if it is used to explain the Islamic concepts of employer employee relationships in line with the teachings of the "Quran and Hadith" and the practices of Islamic system. Islamic system treats the stakeholders as equity shareholders. Stakeholders not only share profits from their contributions. They prioritize the use of Islamic values as the basis of all their business activities. The stakeholder theory model isn't really a strategic framework - it won't facilitate to innovate or develop business directly. To understand the true benefits of stakeholder theory, we have to look at a more societal /ethical level. This includes "Intellectual capital" which offers a prospective source of sustainable competitive advantage and is assumed to be the basis of economic growth and the "Risk sharing" practice of Islamic system where each participant must share the profit and the risk of loss from a transaction, makes it more stable and equitable. The main finding, the proposed model is designed based on the literature review to conceptualize the relationship between stakeholder theory, intellectual capital and risk sharing. The contribution of this paper is to add value to the literature of intellectual capital and risk sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A higher corporate tax burden (TB, CTB) in the presence of inflation have long been viewed as an interesting topic of many researchers as well as practitioners. Hence, firms make constant efforts to mitigate this distortion by investing intellectual capital (IC) because these assets allow them to ignore “the matching concept” in accounting standards. This paper investigates the role of IC as well as intellectual property rights (IPR) reform in mitigating inflation-related tax distortions, using a panel dataset extracted from non-financial listed firms in Vietnam during the period from 2011 to 2018. Adopting the fixed- and random-effect regressions to analyse a sample of 932 firm-year observations, the study finds that inflation distorts the real CTB when tax deductions are based on historical cost. More importantly, these distortions, however, are mitigated by investing in IC as well as reforming IPR at firm and country level, respectively. The findings are valuable at both theoretical and practical significances. For theoretical contribution, this research provides empirical evidences to current literature because it is one of the first papers focusing on the role of IC in mitigating tax distortions in Vietnam. In addition, compared to existing studies, we apply the valuation theory to measure CTB instead of finance theory. For practical contribution, companies can make decisions related to invest in IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

it can have a negative impact on intellectual capital and leads to significant competitive disadvantages for the companies concerned. In academic research, this phenomenon is considered a consequence of knowledge risks, especially when experts possess valuable knowledge and leave a knowledge-intensive organization. However, a basic understanding of the conceptual structure of OKL remains elusive. Methodology -- To address the existing knowledge gap, we conducted a bibliometric analysis based on a network and factor-oriented approach to identify the key themes, contexts, and patterns of OKL. For this purpose, we obtained bibliometric data from the Web of Science and the Scopus databases. Using the advanced bibliometrics package Biblioshiny in R, we conducted performance analysis and science mapping. Findings -- Based on our four research questions, we present the following key findings: First, we find that annual science production in the field of OKL research over the period 2004 to 2023 peaks in 2022. Second, we found that absorptive capacity (AC) is increasingly becoming a central theme in OKL research. Third, the average citation rate per year for OKL research has declined noticeably since 2020. Fourth, the most influential publications in OKL research deal with AC in the context of strategic alliances. Research limitations -- This study focuses solely on researching the conceptual structure and thus does not consider the intellectual and social structure of OKL. Practical implications -- In view of the results obtained, we recommend that future research work should further investigate the relationship between OKL as a focus of organizational forgetting and AC as a learning ability in an innovation environment. Originality/value -- This paper is insightful, as it reveals the conceptual structure and thematic evolution of OKL and directs research interest to the field of learning organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During an increasingly competitive environment, where digital technologies play a crucial role, organisations began to seek competitive advantages in their intangible resources to survive. Therefore, organisations' intellectual capital (IC) is considered an essential source of competitive advantages. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have also recognised the relevance of this phenomenon since these organisations use their IC to produce knowledge. In response to the call to analyse IC in practice, which includes emerging countries, this paper's goal is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to assess the perceptions of a Brazilian HEI's internal stakeholders regarding the relative importance of each IC dimension. On the other hand, it intends to understand how IC influences the performance of these organisations. Additionally, it intends to comprehend how internal stakeholders perceive and might measure performance. A case study was conducted at the Brazilian Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Mato Grosso. The findings suggest that the three traditional IC dimensions are equally important to create competitive advantages, although there is no unanimity regarding which is the most important. They also show that IC influences, through several means, the performance of the HEI, although there was a focus on individual performance and also on negative issues, something which may, potentially, be caused by some lack of knowledge regarding the IC concept. Another finding is the lack of awareness regarding the importance of digital technologies in improving IC. Finally, an overlap between IC and performance indicators has been noticed. This study contributes to developing awareness about the relevance of intellectual capital in HEIs pertaining to emerging countries and its importance in improving their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Golf is becoming an increasingly popular sport, and golf clubs have, therefore, a growing social and environmental impact, with several stakeholders engaged in the activities. While the press and the media have reported countless initiatives conducted by golf clubs worldwide that highlight how environmentally and socially conscious and supportive the golf industry is, little has been said in academia. The paper aims to investigate the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in golf clubs, and how golf clubs' Intellectual Capital (IC) may foster CSR initiative. The paper employs a case study methodology, analyzing one Golf Club in the United Kingdom, using semi-structured interviews. Results underline the great potential of the relationship between the clubs and their stakeholders, especially the customers, to create an influential cycle of CSR in the local communities. Relational capital stands as a central IC element to foster CSR in golf clubs. Moreover, findings highlight the need to develop new business models that can merge the need to be compliant with a strong CSR philosophy ensuring, at the same time, financial sustainability. The paper is one of the firsts to investigate an increasingly popular sport which CSR can be fostered by relational capital, with a relevant impact on its customers, employees, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine IC research (ICR) methods and critically analyse how they have been utilised. The data set for this analysis is based on examining IC papers published in specialist IC and important generalist accounting journals from the years 2000 to 2011. The basis of our analysis is Alvesson & Deetz's (2000) critical management framework of 'Insight', 'Critique' and 'Transformative redefinition' with the goal of widening the discourse about how to research IC. Our paper is motivated by Guthrie et al., (forthcoming) who identify a third stage of ICR which is "based on a critical and performative analysis of IC practices in action." From 2004 onwards, Guthrie et al., (forthcoming) claim the third stage was starting to gain impetus and thus it will be novel to see if and how ICR has transitioned and how ICR might continue to develop. Our paper argues that there is an increasing performative research agenda however many researchers appear caught in an 'evaluatory trap' (Olson et al., 2001) whereby the researchers' approach to ICR remains stuck in an ostensive approach (see Mouritsen, 2006) which characterises second stage ICR (see Petty and Guthrie, 2000). The implication of our paper for ICR and practice is to create a continued discourse about evolving approaches to ICR so we can continue communicating leading edge, third wave ICR, which develops IC theory in practice and effective IC management through praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a definition of the knowledge economy is provided as production and services based on knowledgeintensive activities in an economy, that contribute to an accelerated pace of technical and scientific advance, as well as rapid obsolescence. Literature suggest that the key component of the knowledge economy is the greater reliance on intellectual capabilities of its intellectual capital than on physical inputs or natural resources. The competitiveness of the national economies depends more and more on their capacity to produce and use knowledge, as knowledge is being recognised as the driver of productivity and economic growth. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has played the big role as the catalyst to meet the challenges and demands of the present and future economic development trajectory, mainly in the developed world leading to the new focus on the role of information, technology and learning in knowledge economies. Developing countries such as Zimbabwe can learn and tape into the successes of other developing countries amongst many, such as Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan, which have come up with STEM initiatives. The paper identifies some critical challenges and missing link in the Zimbabwe STEM initiative that can cause its failure. The challenges range from lack of clear measures undertaken in STEM initiative, excessive need to sharpen skills and abilities of STEM teachers at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, lack of adequate and compatible ICT infrastructure, and lack of collaboration partners. The paper suggests benchmarking model approach to the Zimbabwe STEM initiative that suits the socio-economic context of the knowledge economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how Quality Function Deployment (QFD) manages and develops innovation through its process of knowledge creation for product development. To be competitive and endure existence in the market, enterprises have tried every mean to seek for new products and services as well as to formulate new production and operation methods. In the long run, innovation is key to sustain. QFD, which was suggested half a century ago in Japan for operating companywide quality control (CWQC), provides enterprises with a practical method for meeting competition, achieving excellence, and most importantly, keeping the overall business vitality. From collecting and deploying the voice of the customer (VOC) so as to understand customers' needs down to formulating new solutions and developing new technology to satisfy the customers' needs, enterprises not only can acquire valuable and unique customer knowledge, but they also can come up with new ideas and find their directions for research and development. The knowledge creation that occurs in the QFD process gives enterprises the momentum to innovate. In regard to this virtuous cycle, the aim of the paper is to explain how QFD manages and develops innovation. Understanding the essential and continuing need for innovation, the focus of the paper is placed on discussing the tangible and intangible benefits enterprises could obtain from practicing QFD for nurturing innovation. To make the explanation clear, the discussion has made use of two field cases for illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once we study any subject or theory, it is important to find a suitable field or direction in order to apply our knowledge. By encountering new perspectives, we collect new knowledge and we try to share this knowledge. The knowledge in itself does not give a great benefit. It is not enough to have knowledge from an encyclopedia - it is important to use this knowledge. Only using unique, specific knowledge or Intellectual Capital leads to a competitive advantage. You may have expertise about an object or a process; know how to perform a task or manage a process, however, when you utilize your Intellectual Capital in practice, you compete. In addition, the spheres of use may not be obvious. For example, could conferences be the place where we create new knowledge, form the Intellectual Capital, share and use it? To answer to this question we establish research objective - identify the reasons why people organize the conferences and why other people take part in. The theoretical base of our paper primarily consists of electronic resources and non-formal discussions with people who take part in conferences and who organize them to understand what the purpose of conferences is. Thus, the methodology of our paper includes literature review dedicated to the issues of organizing the conferences and several short interviews. This is only first step of our research to understand how can we use IC in the conferences. Despite this fact, we reached some interesting outcomes - the most reasons of participation in the conference overlap the reasons of organization of conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations need to find strategies to achieve competitive advantages in the market. Its maintenance and survival will depend on that, within an economic environment as turbulent as the current one. This paper addresses two current topics in organizations: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Intellectual Capital (IC). The literature says that both of them are sources of competitive advantages. On one hand, the exercise of CSR will provide more productivity, more performance and more competitive success. On the other hand, the IC comprises a set of intangible values in organizations (human capital, relational capital and structural capital) able to provide more value than tangible assets. This paper focuses the potential impact of a joint strategy based on the exercise of CSR and the IC, resulting in the so-called Sustainable Intellectual Capital (SIC). A theoretical and exploratory study based on a review of previous research and analysis of the potential of each concept in building competitive advantage for organizations is carried out. The links between CSR and IC are identified from the strategic management to the scope of reporting. Also, the impact that both concepts can determine on the performance of organizations is analyzed. Finally, linking sustainability indicators for each of the IC dimensions would lead to the SIC. The incidence of this is the achievement of a competitive advantage over corporate strategy, leading to the creation of value in the organization. The most important result will be to demonstrate, from the theory, the possible linkage between CSR and IC in organizations. This way, a socially responsible company will have a better Human Capital, a broader Relational Capital and a stronger Structural Capital. The value of the research lies in obtaining a new approach linking the two types of strategic assets under study, called the SIC. The authors consider the potential of a strategy based on the exercise of CSR to achieve an increase of IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is emerging as a more and more important intangible asset and required skill in workplaces and for leadership enabling organizational change and improving performance. Trust forms a foundation for cooperation in workplace relationships. This paper discusses and examines trust development within the relational context in workplaces and leadership during change. We study and analyze trust development at different levels of organizations, i.e., organizational, team, dyadic and individual levels, and explore the dynamics between levels. The qualitative, narrative study aims to present findings for increasing understanding of how interpersonal trust develops during change in work relationships including leaders, followers and team members from different organizations. In the paper, trust development means exploring how trust is built, sustained, deteriorated, broken and possibly restored. The dynamics between different levels is also examined. Studies analyzing multi-level trust are scarce. Thus, the paper aims to add to scientific knowledge by providing insights and implications for workplaces, leadership practices, and human capital development. The findings benefit workplace practices through the implications inferred from this more in-depth, qualitative research. Further, this paper adopts a relational and resource-based view of trust, meaning that trust is seen as intellectual capital built through interactions and reciprocal activity between people. Empirical narrative data disclose leaders' and employees' narratives on trust development during change. The findings show that the passage of time from the episodes of change seems to affect how trust development is perceived during change. Findings and implications are discussed in more detail in the paper. For practice, the paper implies that management should look after the building and sustaining of a trustful climate and relations in and between all levels in an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a knowledge-based society, the study of Intellectual Capital (IC) has established itself as a vibrant topic in the area of strategic management. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of IC in the hotel industry and to assess its impact on business performance. Although hotels are not primarily seen as knowledge-intensive, they are service providers, highlight their intangibility and face unpredictable and complex environments, which has been illustrated by the current COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, both the individual knowledge of employees working in hotels and the organisational knowledge expressed in routines, systems, customer databases, etc., are considered important elements for their effective leadership and management in a turbulent environment. Empirical studies that have investigated the relationship between IC and hotel performance are scarce and offer mixed evidence. In our study we propose to introduce the role of the company leader as a key aspect in the management of knowledge and intangibles within the hotel. Specifically, the main objective of our study is to analyse the moderating influence of the gender of hotel managers on the CI-hotel performance relationship, showing that hotels managed by women have a more pronounced impact on the positive influence of CI on hotel performance. Our results have been obtained from questionnaires addressed to a sample of 212 hotels between 3 and 5 stars located in Spain. The analysis technique used was Partial Least Squares (PLS). The main contributions of this paper include the theoretical review of the concept of intellectual capital in a sector as relevant as the hotel sector in Spain, which is going through such an exceptional situation with the current crisis. In addition, important managerial implications emerge in order to make the most of the existing knowledge resources in hotels [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is almost no conceptual research explicitly directed at the understanding of the systemic effect of Industry 4.0 on organizational intellectual capital (IC). However, it is getting more important, especially under the complex influence of different disruptive technologies changing the working conditions organizations experience in their daily environment. The aim of the study is to reveal essential aspects of how IC is being transformed in terms of its key components under the influence of industry 4.0 and shed some light on the management challenges organizations face dealing with these effects. To reach this aim the findings of the literature review on the essence of Industry 4.0 are discussed in the paper first. The effect of Industry 4.0 on different components of IC along with the management challenges arising from this effect are analysed afterward. The study highlights the key transformations of the human, structural, and relationship capitals taking place under the influence of Industry 4.0 by opening up new research questions relevant in the IC theory as well as in the Industry 4.0 research. Some insights in regard to maintaining a holistic approach to an organization's intellectual potential despite these transformations are argued at the end of the study. The key conclusions of the study are as follows: (I) Industry 4.0 fundamentally changes organizational IC transforming its key components and characteristics; (II) the effects on different components of IC are different, however, the most radical changes are observed in terms of human capital; (III) Industry 4.0 brings productivity and process efficiency, but at the same time leads to increasing management uncertainty and extra risks; (IV) among the key challenges posed by Industry 4.0 is the ability to comprehensively assess ongoing organizational changes in order to avoid fragmented decision-making. The main novelty of this paper lies in the demonstration of the disruptive nature of Industry 4.0 on organizational IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuing a research program studying new metrics for relational capital, this paper reports on a new analysis of media brands, both traditional and newer entrants. Relational capital is a key aspect of the knowledge assets or intellectual capital of the firm. Unlike human capital (job-related knowledge) or structural capital (knowledge incorporated into the firm itself), relational capital has to do with external relationships. Specifically, knowledge about handling external relationships, especially those with customers. Relational capital is not a widely studied topic in knowledge management (KM) or intellectual capital (IC), including potential metrics. Brand equity, on the other hand, is an idea from another field that is wellknown and much studied. While not the same concept as relational capital, it is clearly related as brand equity comes from a history of customer interactions and the value of the relationships built by the firm. Better knowledge of what satisfies customers plays an obvious role in building brand equity. But brand equity does not have a single, recognized method for calculation. Annual reports and rankings from marketing consulting firms routinely provide estimates of brand equity for high-value, well-known brands. Most of the other brands, not so much. Even so, if we know the brands with the highest equity values and can tie some additional metrics to that status, we can begin to uncover the level of customer knowledge held by individual firms and, by extension, relational capital in a wider variety of organizations. This study focuses on a brand sentiment analysis, using commercial software from Salesforce Social Studio. The web-scraping software collects mentions of a brand (or any keyword) across the web, not only social media but reviews, aggregators, and other sources of brand commentary. From that capability, an assessment of the brand's meaning to users can be assessed at a point in time. In particular, this study looked at established media brands (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.) and new media brands (Buzzfeed, Techcrunch, etc.) over a three-month period in early 2023. Data were collected on brand activity (volume), sentiment (positive/negative), sources, influencers, country of origin/language, and other indicators, including the variance of all the above measures. From there, comparisons can be made across the more established brands and the developing ones, as well as to high-equity brands from other industries (covered in other studies). As noted, some suggestions can then be made concerning what metrics to track over time to assess the ongoing value of relational capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, Intellectual Capital (IC) reporting has experienced a “rise and fall” process. More in depth, after the initial academic and professional enthusiasm, several scholars and practitioners have raised questions about whether IC was something relevant or just a managerial fashion. Some recent studies have investigated the reasons underlying the demise of the IC reports (Chiucchi and Giuliani, 2017; Chiucchi, et al., 2016, 2018; Giuliani and Chiucchi, 2019; Nielsen, et al., 2017; Tee Jeok Inn, et al., 2015). Some argue that a relevant issue to understand if a business reporting practice will be adopted and maintained or rejected is trust (Chaidali and Jones, 2017). In fact, as the implementation of a new business reporting practice is subject to managerial discretion, it is important to focus on preparers' trust in the “new” reporting tool. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the IC reporting experience to understand the role of trust in determining the parabola experienced by IC reporting. In other words, the study aims to understand whether and how the IC reporting issues managed to gain and, in several cases, lose the trust of the preparers’. In order to achieve this aim, the results of an exploratory field study conducted through semi-structured interviews referred to Italian companies will be presented. The social theory of trust (Sztompka, 1999) will be used to understand how the trust on IC reporting was built by the Italian IC scholars and practitioners involved in the field and why it remained or faded over time. This paper contributes to the existing literature answering the call for more follow up studies about IC reporting. Consequently, this paper contributes to the understanding of the reasons underlying the rise and fall of IC reporting and the future of IC research. In addition, the results achieved can contribute to understanding to what extent trust can influence the “fate” of a business reporting initiative. In comparison to the extant studies, this study is not focused on single or few cases but it offers insights collected from several organisations in order to have a broader view of the IC experience. In addition, by adopting a longitudinal perspective, from the first implementation up to date, our research does not offer a “snapshot”, i.e. referred to a specific moment, of the role played in taking up and in continuing or abandoning these practices. Finally, the Italian case, which presents some peculiarities if compared, for example, to the Danish one, offers also the possibility to identify different levers/obstacles related to the different genesis of the adoptions of IC reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model hypothesizing mechanisms by which intellectual capital of knowledge-intensive service firms contributes to their performance. In order to extent the current understanding, this paper anchors in the resource-based view with a dynamic capability approach. This innovative theoretical lens is appropriate for knowledge-intensive service firms since it recognizes their ability to integrate and reconfigure intellectual capital to address their rapidly changing environment. Accordingly, this paper considers the mediating role of radical and incremental innovation capabilities in the relationships between intellectual capital and performance. The moderating role of incremental and marketing capabilities is also considered under particular circumstances. This paper contributes to the current literature by identifying relevant dynamic capabilities of knowledge-intensive service firms but also by considering their moderating role, under particular circumstances. From a managerial perspective, this paper contributes to understand how these firms could improve and sustain their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of intellectual capital was developed at the organization level, where intellectual capital is recognized as an important factor affecting the improvement of competitiveness. The idea of national intellectual capital (NIC) has emerged as a new category in academic research. NIC is defined as the hidden values of individuals, enterprises, institutions, communities, and regions that are the current and potential sources of wealth creation. The notion of smart growth, its factors and measuring methods are also new categories which emerge from the strategic development objectives defined by the EU. Smart growth is one that is based on knowledge and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between NIC, its components: national human capital, national social capital, national structural capital, national relational capital and the level of smart growth in the EU countries. Research into this kind of dependencies is extremely difficult since many of the phenomena involved in them are intangible and requires advanced methods from the field of multidimensional analysis. The first part of the paper presents selected aspects of the notions of NIC and smart growth. Then, empirical studies are conducted into the construction and estimation of a model describing the relationships between NIC and its components, as well as those between NIC and the level of smart growth. The research uses the method of soft modelling developed by Herman Wold. Soft modelling allows users to examine links between variables which are not directly observable (latent variables). The conducted research has demonstrated that NIC and its components had a significant, positive impact on the level of smart growth in the EU countries. The obtained results also made it possible to create rankings of the examined countries according to the stock of NIC, the stock of each of its components, as well as the level of smart growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to OECD, South Africa's downturn was fairly shallow during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, mainly due to its strong banking system, low level of non-performing loans with comfortable capital cushions, and lack of direct exposure to problematic assets from the U.S. and Europe. Almost ten years have passed since the crisis, this research is interested in knowing what has happened in South Africa since the global financial crisis. With a longitudinal data from 2001 to 2016 and based on the national human capital, market capital, process capital and renewal capital model, this paper found that South Africa declined in market capital the most, followed by process capital. Particularly, those related to foreign investment and cross-border venture. Skilled labor and employee training are also decreasing, which explains the complaints of foreign investors about its lacking qualified employees. Among the four types of capitals, human capital has the best improvement over the 16 years. South Africa can capitalize its better educated people, provide them better training for taking high skill jobs to attract more foreign direct investment. South Africa is the economic hub of Sub-Saharan Africa, this paper suggests that its government set priority to effectively and efficiently utilize its abundant resources and its high percentage of GDP spending on education and health to increase its competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive model of embedding intellectual capital in the business plan and strategy. The model aims to increase the sustainable performance of companies and ensure their competitive advantage, suggesting a methodology for managing intellectual capital. A case study of a Macedonian company, where the model is piloted, is presented. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative research in a form of interviews among managers and a case study of a Macedonian company was used to obtain data about the effects of the piloted model. The transformational process from a traditional to a learning organization started in 2014, with measurement intellectual capital, followed in the next years with measures and activities for managing intellectual capital and integrating it with the business strategy and plan. Findings: The findings confirmed the positive effects of intellectual capital on the company's performance. In the period of 2014-2022 a number of strategic decisions, innovative actions and structural measures have been developed and implemented. For each capital (human, organisational, structural, relational, process and innovation) activities and indicators were specially designed matching the strategic goals, the organisational structure and the available resources. Research limitations/implications: This comprehensive model of embedding intellectual capital in the business strategy for sustainable competitive advantage explored in this paper is piloted for the first time. More examples and studies like this are needed to follow the effects in different companies. Our recommendation is to replicate the research and compare the analyses with different companies, preferably in other countries as well. Practical implications: This study is expected to increase the motivation of other companies to manage intellectual capital and increase their business sustainability and competitive advantage. Originality/value: The presented model has double value - contributing to research and practice in the field of intellectual capital and sustainability management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to investigate how urban regeneration projects contribute to achieving sustainable development through an intellectual capital (IC) perspective for driving growth within urban communities and improving quality of life. Literature has shown that urban regeneration projects help support urban change. The IC helps drive sustainable development and competitiveness of regions, cities and communities. Urban regeneration projects contribute to better quality of life and drive social and economic renewal of urban communities. This exploratory study proposes a research framework addressed to join urban regeneration projects with IC view on cities and urban communities. This paper can contribute to the extant literature focused on the relationship between urban regeneration processes and the role of intellectual capital as driver of sustainable development. This qualitative study, using a multiple case study methodology, provides a comparative analysis of two urban regeneration projects that help the redevelopment of urban environments and support human and social capital within communities. The findings show that urban regeneration projects significantly contribute to revitalising urban spaces, supporting the components of IC that drive social and economic growth of communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the book that was hailed by Paul Krugman and the Financial Times as the book of the Year of 2014, through the lenses of the Intellectual Capital. Published in 2012, Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st century became a worldwide sensation and best seller because of the depth of its analysis and the controversy created by its findings. In a nutshell Piketty claims that contrary to the neoclassical forecast, inequality in the world might grow, due to a shock between forces of convergence and forces of divergence. Furthermore, Piketty also claims that only redistribution policies can reduce the inequality trend, and calls for a new set of social policies. All this is very impressive but for us what matters the most is how to put IC in the analysis. In this context, we analyze Piketty's ideas using the concepts and theories on Intellectual Capital (Bonfour and Edvinsson 2005; Edvinsson and Malone, 1997; Kaplan and Norton, 1994), and we also recall what the main theories on inequalities are (Coleman, 1991, Atkinson 1983 or Stiglitz 2012), and about Welfare States (Esping Andersen, 1990). We find that in the history of socio-economic thought, Intellectual Capital and Inequalities have been marching in separate paths: not only the paradigms of analysis are totally different, but only a handful of empirical studies exist that bring together IC and inequalities. The fact is crucial for our paper because we believe that IC in fact increases inequality and explains growing inequality. We also found that Piketty almost does not address IC directly in his entire book, a fact that by itself speaks volumes about the position of IC in the world of socio-economic thought. Pikettys' analysis, for all its importance, and novelty, is traditional and surprisingly old fashioned when it comes to considering Intangibles. He never uses IC, he seems to be unware of IC analysis. However we also think that most of Piketty's analysis would gain strength if IC is considered (as we believe it certainly should be) as a major force of inequality in the economy of the 21st century. In the discussion of the paper we point out seven ways in which the inclusion of IC in the analysis could benefit Piketty's conclusions; the seven ideas relate to Human Capital, super-professionals, billionaires, social policies and development, taxes on wealth, modern slavery, and the rise of political oligarchies in the 21st century. The paper is of limited scope because it is basically theoretical. The paper is original because we don't know of any other previous study linking Piketty's book to IC analysis; in this context we believe further efforts should be done in this very relevant area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is almost no conceptual nor empirical research explicitly directed at the understanding of the vulnerability of intellectual capital (IC). However, it is getting more important, especially under the influence of disruptive technologies. The aim of the study is to define the concept of vulnerability of IC as a relevant characteristic in the context of a rapidly developing disruptive environment and to reveal its essential aspects. To reach this aim the findings of the literature review on the concept of vulnerability are discussed in the paper first. The essence of IC along with the technological changes is analyzed afterwards. Some related concepts, such as risk, resilience, capacity to respond, sensitivity, and similar are explained in relation to IC later. Methods to reduce the vulnerability of IC if possible are discussed at the end of the paper. The key conclusions of the study are as follows: (I) intangible resources are more vulnerable than physical ones; the larger amount of intangibles leads to a greater vulnerability of organization; (II) the approach of examining the vulnerability of IC from internal and external perspectives provides a better understanding of its nature and mechanisms of its occurrence; (III) the more important role the resource plays in the value creation process, the more significant consequences of its potential loss; the less protected the resource is from copying or other loss, the greater the associated risk and vulnerability to a disaster; (IV) human, relationship, and structural capital are expected to be associated with a different level of risk and vulnerability; (V) vulnerability management has to be integrated as a part of ongoing policies and management processes in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is listed as the number one strategic technology, enabling new ways of creating, delivering and capturing value among stakeholders and constituting a major source of innovation with a potential contribution of $15 trillion to the world economy by 2030. The rapid progress in this highly disruptive technology calls for a better understanding of its growth and potential impacts on individual lives, society, and the global setting. AI and robotics are already transforming our lives from self-driving cars and drones to virtual assistants and translation software solutions. Healthcare is one of the sectors that are most affected by new Industry 4.0 technologies in general and AI and robotics in particular. The paper aims to investigate the future of healthcare by analysing the case of Nucleode, an innovative company based in the north-east of Italy. Nucleode aims to provide new technologies responding to various needs, particularly regarding hospital management. Its mission is "taking healthcare to the future." Analysing some of Nucleode's case studies, the paper aims to discuss the application of technologies such as mixed reality, cloud computing, AI and robotics in healthcare, showing how new technologies can change the scenario, also considering intellectual capital management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, industrialization and globalization have prompted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement a significant technological and managerial innovation process. In Italy, it leads to new entrepreneurial pathways, such as innovative start-ups. The new solutions' implementation becomes even more crucial for a company's sustainability during crises since it improves the organization's flexibility and encourages the development of new tools and techniques. Previous research recognized the intangible assets' relevance in the innovation's creation process, mainly referring to Intellectual Capital (IC) and its components. In particular, Relational Capital (RC) fosters reactive firms' resilience, whereas Structural Capital (SC) helps SMEs respond to challenges proactively. Focusing on the agri-food sector, it has recently reached considerable results in terms of innovation, but it still appears insufficient to stimulate female entrepreneurship. Recent data confirm a remarkable gender gap: for 107 innovative agri-food start-ups in Italy, only 14 are led by women. Given all this, the paper aims to answer the following Research Questions (RQ). RQ1: How could RC and SC promote women innovative start-ups in agri-food? RQ2: How did these factors foster proactive and reactive firms' resilience during the pandemic? The work uses an exploratory, descriptive qualitative analysis performed during the pandemic emergency and applies the CAOS model, an interpretative model widely used in SMEs' studies since it allows a deep analysis of relational capital. Moreover, the CAOS model can be helpful to observe the SC's innovation. From a theoretical point of view, the research contributes to gender studies, identifying critical, innovative elements that similar women start-ups could implement. From a managerial perspective, findings could increase the firms' competitiveness in the current crisis period and reduce gender inequality. The application of a single case study could represent a research's limit. Thus, in the future, the authors aim at replicating the analysis considering a more comprehensive sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2002 Austria - as part of a sweeping system overhaul that established the new public management principle in the higher education sector - implemented compulsory intellectual capital reports (ICR) for the public universities. Through the ordinance on intellectual capital reports (Wissensbilanzverordnung, WBV), which was first issued in 2006, the content of the ICR is laid down in detail. The reporting year 2016 marks the 10 year anniversary of the first full ICR based on the WBV. Establishing a compulsory ICR system through laws and ordinance is a unique approach. No other legal system worldwide has similar requirements. Goal of this practitioner's paper is to give a historic overview how the Austrian universities' ICR system was established, how it has developed over time and the effects it had on university reporting overall. Furthermore this paper will address the government's expectations in the ICR and how these evolved as time went on. Also, this paper will describe the structure and the content of the ICR with a special discussion on certain indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reflects on human capital as an essential element of intellectual capital, as a source of organizational change, innovation and learning. Human capital refers to knowledge (explicit and/or tacit) held by individuals and teams, as well as its ability to regenerate or their capacity to learn. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nexus between intentional unlearning and human capital. This study further reflects on dynamic capabilities and knowledge management highlighting that knowledge resources are critical to achieve organisational innovation. Dynamic capabilities depend upon the ability to 'upgrade' and ameliorate knowledge through both exploration and exploitation. The advantages of exploitation are based on increased efficiency while those of exploration are based on increased innovation. Organisational routines and standard operating procedures carried out daily, lead to inertia, stifle creativity and thwart innovation. Past learning inhibits new learning and, therefore, organisations need to unlearn old ideas by reflecting on their insufficiencies and abandoning them. This capacity for unlearning is important because there seems to be the urgent need for organisations to give up obsolete knowledge. Moreover, the old dominant logic must be unlearned in order for organisations to embrace innovation and creativity. This conceptual paper critiques organisational learning models and highlights the capacity for unlearning in the organisational learning processes. Furthermore, this paper critically analyses the typologies of unlearning and forgetting as well as related barriers of forgetting in the organisational process and does not offer any empirical test. The social constructivist perspective of organisational learning is adopted within a dynamic capability theoretical framework. Our research shows that a lack of the unlearning capacity in the extant organisational learning models can be regarded as a weakness and we think its inclusion is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of teaching service learning or community service is quiet popular and often compulsory course in many international universities. Service learning is the pedagogical tool, which allows both an increase student's civic responsibility and also positively contributes to his/her personal development, academic record and social awareness. However, service learning is not very widely spread in Kazakhstan's education system. There are only few specialized schools that integrate the ideas of tolerance, graduate and humanity values over class curriculum, which usually involve only classroom discussions without community engagement projects. Higher education systems in Kazakhstan do not involve service learning/community service components in programmes either. There are obligatory courses set by the Ministry of Education and Science of Republic of Kazakhstan for 1st year undergraduate students, which do include service learning. This paper describes the design and introduction process of Service Learning course at Almaty Management University (AlmaU) and investigates if service-learning has the notable effect on students' intellectual growth, personal development, and social commitment. Almaty Management University has integrated the obligatory course of Service Learning course for its 1st year undergraduate students for the 1st time in Kazakhstan in 2015. Increase of civic responsibility and higher level of academic achievements was proved by different researchers in various studies. The study analyses that theory and the level of impact of service learning on students in Kazakhstan. In addition to sharing the experience of implementing the Service Learning course, the authors of this paper gives the recommendations on launching Service learning course which would be helpful for educators in that region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, in the context of knowledge-based society intellectual capital is the key to success because information means "power". In contemporary context education has an important role based on intellectual capital. Thus, in higher education students are trained to meet the challenges of the labor market. So, it is therefore important the quality of the educational process. In this situation, professors are using interactive and modern teaching methods to develop different skills to each student. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the role of intellectual capital in education in a knowledge society where individual education is essential for social progress. Education is a complex component that must meet the challenges of contemporary society. Information technology has an important role because in the last decade is more and more used. Students use Internet like an important source of information and apply different teaching techniques in order to obtain performance in educational process. The paper is based on a qualitative research, conducted on a sample of 100 people aged between 19 and 25 years old (students at a university from Bucharest). The key question raised at this point is: What is the role of Intellectual Capital in the training-educational process? The main objectives of the study are: 1). mention the main components of intellectual capital, 2). highlighting the organizational knowledge and intelligence, 3). presenting the main educational strategies based on creativity and interactivity, 4). presenting the role of innovation in the context of knowledge-based society, 5). presenting the analysis of qualitative research results regarding the role of intellectual capital in education. The topic of the paper is popular and has potential for future research because, today, in the context of globalization society is continuously changing. So, education is facing with new challenges of the labor market being necessary to continuously adapt to the new requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore the complex process of designing and implementing knowledge strategies in universities in order to increase their intellectual capital. Knowledge strategy is a semantic construct that reflects the interface between strategic thinking and knowledge management. It is essential in designing the future of the university and in creating a sustainable intellectual capital. The exploration is based on the three stages of intellectual capital research, on the theory of multifield organizational knowledge dynamics, and the theory of nonlinear integrators. The multifield theory considers three main knowledge fields: rational, emotional, and spiritual. These fields impact on the structure of intellectual capital suggesting new building blocks: rational intellectual capital, emotional intellectual capital, and spiritual intellectual capital. Also, the paper develops a new model of organizational intellectual capital based on entropic transformation of the potential intellectual capital into an operational intellectual capital, as a result of organizational integrators' work. The research shows that efforts should be made not only in increasing the potential level of the intellectual capital but also in making the entropic transformation more efficient to increase the operational level of the intellectual capital of the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of the research is topical in the present situation of intellectual capital of social sciences (ICSS) formation at the scientific institutions (SI) in Latvia. The object of the present research is the formation of ICSS at the SI. The subject of the research is a comparative analysis of the efficiency of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of ICSS at the SI of Latvia. The objective of the research is to study the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of ICSS at the SI in Latvia from 2013 till 2018. The tasks are advanced in order to reach the objective: to study the ICSS formation at the SI; to identify the concept of the efficiency of the involvement academic staff and students in the formation of ICSS; to calculate their main indicators; to carry out comparative analyses of indicators characterising the efficiency of the involvement academic staff and students in the formation of ICSS at the SI in Latvia. Research methods used in the paper are content analysis, economic analysis and economic experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual capital is perceived as an important factor of the success of an organisation. This paper discusses the link between the system of organisational management and intellectual capital. The system of organisational management is a set of methods, techniques and approaches, usually divided into subsystems and interlinked to logical complexity. It is used for organisational management. Systems of organisational management are based on the prerequisite that organisation is a social system and that any resource (intellectual capital including) must be used in relation to other resources, e.g., in a systemic way. If the system of management is not complex, the exploitation of the resource may be less productive, even counter-productive. Experience shows that organisations that manage to balance individual elements of their corporate system create a stable environment that can more efficiently answer changes and challenges of the external environment. In such a balanced corporate system individual elements create a positive synergic effect. E.g., if organisations want to be successful in the long run, they should build a proper system of organisational management. Intellectual capital is often perceived as one of many subsystems of the system of organisational management. This paper disagrees with this approach as it leads to underestimating the role of the intellectual capital in an organisation. The paper argues that intellectual capital can serve as an independent system of organisational management. The paper is a theoretical paper. It gives definitions of intellectual capital and explains the term of the system of organisational management and its role in organisations. The analysis of the relationship between intellectual capital and the system of organisational management is made. The theoretical analysis shows that concepts of intellectual capital and some concepts of the system of organisational management are of similar basis, e.g., intellectual capital can serve as an independent system of organisational management. This idea is also demonstrated by practical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Intellectual capital" is a new term for key resources of a firm that enable it to compete on challenging market. Such assets as IT-systems, brand, employees' knowledge and competencies are crucial for any company. However, large stocks of these resources do not lead to success automatically. The main purpose of this paper is to find out how interconnections between intellectual capital components contribute to company value. We test empirically linear and non-linear relationship between intellectual capital components and business performance with the assumption of their mutual influence on each other. From the theoretic point of view we combine the theory of intellectual capital with Value-Based Management concept and Resource-Based View in order to investigate the way that firm's intellectual resources transform into its value. There are two main problems when dealing with intellectual capital. The first one is intellectual capital evaluation. Previous papers on this topic are usually based on either questionnaire data or information from financial reports. However, questionnaire survey has significant disadvantage as the data obtained include subjective opinion of respondents. Financial reports lack for information about amount of firm's intellectual capital. Therefore we propose another way to estimate intellectual capital components. Each of three components - human capital, structural capital and relational capital - is measured through the set of financial and non-financial proxy indicators which are collected from company's reports and its web-site. Further these data are aggregated in first principal components through factor analysis to obtain the comprehensive view of intellectual capital structure. The second problem is to measure the value that has been created by intellectual resources. We chose two measures - market capitalization and market-to-book ratio. Proposed method of analysis of intellectual capital is used on the sample of 59 firms from European countries with high level of economic and knowledge development. The sample covers five year period (from 2005 to 2009). We used the LS method to assess the direct and indirect relationships between intellectual capital and corporate value. This study contributes in different ways. Firstly, it helps researchers and management to understand what synergetic effects between intellectual capital's components take place. Secondly, it proposes an application of principal components method for investigating intellectual capital. Also it helps to recognize the level of homogeneity of intellectual capital elements that are combined in human capital, structural capital or relational capital and therefore are interpreted as describing one aspect of firm's activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the result of an interinstitutional study that aimed at characterising knowledge management (KM) as a significant and intangible strategy that strengthened the peace agreement (PA) between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- People's Army (FARC-EP) and the Colombian government, which became a contemporary milestone in the American continent. To this end, the research identifies and analyses different manifestations that took place during the process (2002-2016); understands KM and intellectual capital (IC) from a heterodox perspective; highlights the KM and IC impact on the organisational field of the public domain; recognises KM and IC as differential factors of the political, legal, economic, and media framework of the peace dialogues and agreements; and shows KM and IC as an innovative and substantial aspect of the development and success of the process. The focus is not placed on evaluating the hits and misses of the PA, but on identifying and discussing further the KM techniques and tools used, given the accumulation of content and knowledge generated. Using an analytical method and a dialectical methodology of contrasting multidisciplinary and multi-institutional arguments, the study proposes a differential hermeneutics and an exegesis of what is intangible in the process by identifying, describing, and analysing the information collected, the tools, the methods, and the KM strategies applied in the process. Thus, this work presents a summary of the sociohistorical context of the Colombian conflict, the chronology and rhetoric of the peace process, and the management of the oral, written, and audiovisual material produced, as well as the IC acquired by the different active actors that have been present in the different stages of this process. This paper also presents the KM tensions, challenges, and opportunities in the Colombian social unfolding to tackle an unknown environment with supranational interests that demand peace and an inevitable commitment to the new generations. Finally, the current impacts of this KM approach are emphasised, in search of the theoretical and practical bases that favour the establishment of structures and/or models to be replicated in other latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the socialising function of training meetings and the role it may play in trust development, as intangible resource within and inter-organisations. As part of a broader empirical research to explore the functions meetings may play for the participants, based on 978 meetings hold in the context of a project implemented in six countries, 106 training meetings were analysed to respond to the research question "What meanings do participants attribute to the training meetings they attend?". Data collected were analysed with graph-network analysis and exploratory statistics. Results show that the function of socialising (social dimension of meetings) appeared as significantly relevant in training meetings, as perceived by the participants. The contribution of this research is to bring this dimension to the fore and explore its role in knowledge sharing/creation and trust development for enhancing intellectual capital (IC). The findings have implications for researchers and practitioners. The effectiveness of training meetings in terms of the time invested, or the achievement of objectives in knowledge transfer, are important, but may not be the only factors to be considered when organising a training meeting. Further research should be conducted on what factors influence the perceived meanings-functions of training meetings, also related to trust, considering different organisational and cultural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has documented evidence of significant differences in intellectual property protection across countries. However, our knowledge towards the underlying causes of the differences remains scarce and fragmentary. Through a systematic review of the recent literature on intellectual property and intellectual capital, this paper identifies a family of factors that may explain the variances, and argues that in order to develop effective strategies on IP protection, a given country's cultural, economic, political, and social contexts must be all considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, researchers have shown a great interest in the problem of personal networks in enterprise management and specifically the problem of social networks of entrepreneurs (entrepreneurial networks, EN). On the other hand, there is still an interest in the foundations of entrepreneurship, including the issue of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). EO, as a strategic orientation, is the concept interpreted as “dominant logics” or “the strategy as a prospect” which affects further programs, processes and operations of the company. Therefore, EO provides the framework for the company’s operations. In order to favor the EO development, entrepreneurs need access to various resources to identify new opportunities and also the resources and competences to exploit these opportunities efficiently, going ahead of competitors, thus, to implement innovative and proactive actions and represent moderate risk propensity (EO dimensions). EN can be a source of such information and resources which contribute to an increase in individual EO dimensions. Therefore, entrepreneurs can build EO using their ENs. The objective of the paper is to analyze the relationship between the social network created by entrepreneurs and the level of EO. The research tool was spread among the randomly selected firms. The research sample amounted to 129 small enterprises. In the paper, the essence of EN and its significance for the acquisition of information useful for conducting a business activity has been presented as well as the essence and significance of EO has been highlighted. The relationship between EN and EO has been indicated by pinpointing the significance of the network created with people who are close to entrepreneurs (strong ties) and the ones with whom weak ties are established. The value added of the paper is filling the gap concerning the research into effects of EN in the area of creating EO in Polish small enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]