Incorporation of the Intangibles into the Spanish Start-Ups by Activity Sector and Region. Improving Their Economic Sustainability

Abstract

Nowadays, start-ups, assuming increasing importance, have the possibility to include intangible knowledge as another resource on which they can carry out planning exercises, impact studies, evaluation and monitoring, protection, accumulation and exploitation. The study carried out in this paper allows us to analyze the influence that intangible knowledge has on the financial status of a start-up and, therefore, on its economic sustainability. This enables start-ups to present a good image, become more transparent, have more opportunities, reduce uncertainty, improve sustainability, etc. Moreover, the study presents a descriptive analysis of intangibles according to regions and activity sectors. An analysis of variance was carried out, to see if there is a relationship between the investment in intangible assets and the activity sector and/or regions to which the company belongs. The study concludes that, among all sectors, the differences in the incorporation of intangible assets into financial statements are most recognized in tourism, which may be a key factor for the sustainability of this sector, especially in periods of economic crisis, such as the one Europe and the planet are currently facing.