Affiliation:
1. University of Florence
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to overcome the weaknesses of intellectual capital (IC) estimation models, constructing and empirically verifying a new model that has the same strengths as the value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) but not its weaknesses. To better outline our analysis with respect to the many meanings that can be evoked by the term IC in the literature, we also define a new term: “hidden capital” (HDC) in the balance sheet. First, we analyze the epistemological and methodological aspects of the models existing in the literature, highlighting their weak points. Subsequently, using a logical-deductive methodology, we build a theoretical model, named “HDC”, to discover the “hidden capital”. Finally, we proceed to the empirical verification of the HDC model on a sample of over 1,800 listed European companies observed in the pre-pandemic period 2011–2019 (over 10,000 firm-year observations). The empirical verification through a regression panel model on eight European countries shows that all the variables of the HDC model are, unlike VAIC, significant and directly correlated to Tobin’s Q.
Subject
General Business, Management and Accounting
Reference33 articles.
1. Abhayawansa, S., & Guthrie, J. (2016). Drivers and semantic properties of intellectual capital information in sell-side analysts’ reports. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 12(4), 434–471. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-05-2014-0027
2. Andriessen, D. (2004). Making sense of intellectual capital: Designing a method for the valuation of intangibles (1st ed.). Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080510712
3. Andriessen, D., & Tiessen, R. (2000). Weightless weight: Find your Real Value in a future of intangible assets (1st ed.). Financial Times Management.
4. Bontis, N. (1996). There’s a price on your head: Managing intellectual capital strategically. Business Quarterly, 60(4), 40–47.
5. Brooking, A. (1996). Intellectual capital: Core asset for the third millennium enterprise. International Thomson Business Press.