Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review and critique the current status of intellectual capital (IC) research as published in the Journal of Intellectual Capital (JIC) as it heads into its 15th year with a view to understanding the past and possible direction of future IC research. Design/methodology/approach – Articles published in the JIC are reviewed building on prior IC research and analysis by Guthrie et al. (2012) and Dumay and Garanina (2013). To help understand the impact of articles in the JIC the analysis is supplemented by including citation data from google scholar, journal impact data from the SCImago Journal & Country Rank portal, and the 2013 Australian Business Dean's Council (ABDC) journal ranking list. Also included is commentary from the JIC's senior editors based on their responses to questions asked via e-mail relating to their involvement in, and the future of, the JIC. Findings – The JIC faces a challenge as it is most recognised as an accounting journal despite its focus o...

15 years of the Journal of Intellectual Capital and counting : a manifesto for transformational IC research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper, building on previous studies of intellectual capital (IC) and business performance, is an exploratory study of how the use of cloud-based accounting/finance infrastructure affects the business performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A survey method is used to capture perceptions of how cloud-based accounting/finance infrastructure affects business performance in SMEs. The study assumes that although accounting/finance systems are generally regarded as one element of a firm’s structural capital; the introduction of a cloud-based infrastructure in the accounting/finance area has the potential to positively impact on all three elements of a firm’s IC. Based on the survey data collected, a conceptual model was formulated to test the relationship between cloud-based accounting/finance infrastructure and business performance through the prism of firms’ IC. Findings – The results indicate ...

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Intellectual capital and business performance: An exploratory study of the impact of cloud-based accounting and finance infrastructure

Purpose




The competitive model has changed. In this context, society entered into an era in which intangible assets are the greatest assets of a company. However, some gaps and uncertainties are presented in the literature as to understand the value of a company based on knowledge intensive activities. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the methods of evaluation of intangible assets in the context of business, economic and strategic management.




Design/methodology/approach




This is a qualitative research. This research is characterized as descriptive, bibliographic, inductive.




Findings




The main results of this research can highlight the existence of valuation methods of intangible assets intended for specific industries, as public and/or private, that can be better aligned to the context of business; economic and/or strategic management.




Originality/value




It was found that intangible assets are a current topic and increasingly addressed in the literature.

Methods of evaluation of intangible assets and intellectual capital

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to contribute to understanding how measuring intellectual capital (IC) can favor IC mobilization, examining the role of actors who design and implement the system in influencing managers’ IC learning processes and their take up of IC management practices.Design/methodology/approach – A constructive case study, in which the researcher was directly involved in measuring IC, is presented. Kolb's experiential learning theory model examines if and how the actors mobilized IC and how the researcher and controller influenced their learning process.Findings – The paper shows that actors must complete an experiential learning cycle to mobilize IC. The controller's role is pivotal in promoting IC mobilization, provided he/she experiences a deep learning process and he/she moves from “IC counting” to “IC accounting.” The paper also highlights how research intervention contributes to IC mobilization by influencing the actors’ learning process.Research limitations/implications – The ...

Intellectual capital accounting in action: enhancing learning through interventionist research

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to help to address the need for empirical investigations on intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities “in action” and their consequences in terms of value creation and value destruction. In light of this consideration, this study aims to investigate if and how intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities influence the value creation and destruction processes, that is, if intellectual liabilities “in action” simply mirror intellectual capital dynamics or if they present some specificities.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study method is adopted in order to understand intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities “in action”.Findings – This study highlights the relevance of intellectual liabilities within the intellectual capital discourse. In particular, it shows that intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities affect the value creation process in different ways. Moreover, it emerges that intellectual liabilities tend to be left out of ...

Not all sunshine and roses: discovering intellectual liabilities “in action”

Purpose – The aim of this study is to reflect on how the specific nature of intellectual capital influences the valuation process, in practice, and how it impacts on some of the qualities of its value.Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a case study (“Ankon”) developed by adopting a modest interventionist approach.Findings – This study highlights the relevance of the intellectual capital valuation process in spite of the intellectual capital value per se. In fact, while intellectual capital value seems to present a limited level of objectivity, consistency, comparability and understandability, its valuation process can be considered an opportunity to visualise and understand intellectual capital and its influence on financial performance. In other words, intellectual capital valuation can be considered as a practice useful to crave the attention of the managers on intellectual capital in action.Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of this study are related to the parti...

Construction and valuation of intellectual capital: a case study

Purpose



– This paper has the ambition to enrich the extant research about the interplay between measuring intellectual capital (IC) and managing IC or, more precisely, about the production and consumption of IC measurements in practice. Stemming from these considerations, the purpose of this paper is to disentangle the production and consumption processes of IC measurements in practice. 




Design/methodology/approach



– This study is based on a longitudinal case study is analysed adopting an interventionist approach. 




Findings



– This study shows the peculiarities regarding the production and consumption of IC measurements, from several perspectives. In particular, it emerges that the reporting of IC can, in some specific contexts, lead to the non-use of IC measurements and to the disappearance of the measured object, IC. What is questionable is whether it is the loss of interest in the IC object that has led to the non-use of the IC measurements or if it is the non-consumption of the measurements and their qualities that has implied the disappearance of the measurement object. In addition, this study sheds a light on the fact that in an IC project the consumption of the measurements can occur not only at the end of the production process, but also (and may be especially) during the production process itself. This consumption can generate different effects such as the identification of new managerial objects, the establishment of new initiatives, the development of a deeper knowledge about how IC works or a change of the sense of some of the existing measurements. In all, the paper underlines the fact that how IC measurements are produced (the process followed and the “actors” involved) affects their actual consumption (or non-consumption). 




Research limitations/implications



– This paper contributes to the extant literature regarding the production and consumption of IC measurements. Moreover, it contributes to the field of IC “in practice” as it highlights what happens when an IC measurement system is implemented. Finally, the research work can contribute both to the studies regarding IC as an accounting change and to the ones regarding IC as a tool that facilitates organizational change. From the first perspective, the paper highlights how the introduction of IC has fostered long-lasting changes in the management accounting system, albeit circumscribed to the local (departmental) level. From the second perspective, the paper shows how IC may allow the creation of new managerial objects, thus promoting possible new actions. The main limitations of this study are related to the methodology adopted and to its specific pros and cons. 




Originality/value



– In comparison to previous studies, this one does not focus only on the managerial and organizational aspects related to the design and implementation of IC measurements or on their actual use, but attempts to approach them simultaneously adopting a longitudinal view. Moreover, this study does not adopt a theoretical perspective on how the indicators are designed and consumed but is aimed at investigating how these indicators are produced and consumed “in practice”. Finally, this study focus on the interplay between production and consumption of indicators, i.e. on the use of IC measurements in relation to the peculiarities of their production process.

A history of intellectual capital measurements: from production to consumption

The relationship between ERP systems and MAS is a relevant topic for accounting scholars. This relationship has often been studied by observing the influence of the implementation of ERP systems on MAS in terms of its impact on accounting tools, available information or the accountant’s role. A limited number of studies have explored, instead, the inverse relationship, namely that one concerning the way MAS can influence the design, the implementation and the use of ERP systems. This paper aims to contribute to filling this gap. The bidirectional relationship between ERP systems and MAS is analysed through a case study, carried out in a medium-sized Italian firm. The findings show that the context, in this case a medium-sized firm, can play a relevant role in influencing the way the ERP system implementation affects the MAS, especially with regard to the controller’s role and tasks. At the same time, they also shed light on how the existing MAS, as well as the one which is influenced by the implementation of the ERP system, can shape the customization and the use of the ERP system.

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The relationship between management accounting systems and ERP systems in a medium-sized firm: a bidirectional perspective

Despite the widespread calls for in‐depth case studies on adoption of the International Integrated Reporting Council Framework, in practice, it appears to be underexplored, above all in the public sector. Our aim is to explore how and why a public health care organization (PHO) has chosen to adopt the practice of integrated reporting, and we then delve into whether the PHO's perception of the document's value coincides with that of the stakeholders, who are its recipients. Often, society's perception of value can differ considerably from an organization's. Thus, for our research purposes, a case study was examined, adopting a qualitative approach and action research methodology. Our findings demonstrate the centrality of the value created for patients and of the “normative” scenario that takes place during the implementation of an integrated report in a PHO. Moreover, the concept of legitimacy was found to be virtually synonymous with institutionalization.

The how and why of integrated reporting in a public health care organization: The stakeholders' perspective

Some would argue that during the last few decades the studies on IC measurements have mainly been focused on the design and implementation of accounting concepts, methods and tools while little attention has been devoted to the understanding of what happens to the measurements after they are ‘produced’, i.e. how measurements are used. Stemming from these considerations, the aim of this paper is to reflect on the relationship between design, implementation and use of IC measurements in practice. In order to achieve this aim, we present a longitudinal case study referred to the design, implementation and use (or non use) of an IC measurement and reporting system. The main findings are the following. First, measuring can lead to the emergence of new managerial objects. Second, it seems that in the IC discourse numbers are relevant not only for sizing but also for creating an IC dimension to be managed. Third, the use of measurements do not necessarily follow their production but can be instead, simultaneous. With reference to single indicators, the following considerations emerge. First, the inclusion of ‘old’ indicators within the IC measurement system can lead to a change in their meaning. Second, the use of the measurements depends on how they are labelled, too. Third, in an IC project, more than the ‘result’ it is the activated understanding and learning process that matters.

Stefano Marasca

Papers

Construction and valuation of intellectual capital: a case study

A history of intellectual capital measurements: from production to consumption

The relationship between management accounting systems and ERP systems in a medium-sized firm: a bidirectional perspective

The how and why of integrated reporting in a public health care organization: The stakeholders' perspective

The design, implementation and use of intellectual capital measurements: a case study