Intellectual capital, strategy and financial crisis from a SMEs perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Cohen ◽  
Vassilios-Christos Naoum ◽  
Orestes Vlismas
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Position ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of intellectual capital (IC) with the strategy of small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and their executive decisions regarding the strategy of their IC portfolio during a financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is informed by the responses of 162 Greek SMEs on a structured questionnaire. Greek SMEs constitute an appropriate research setting since they operate within an environment of economic recession, financial turbulence and operational uncertainty. Findings – Initial analysis indicates that SMEs’ strategic position seems to affect the composition of their IC portfolio, especially when a SME is strategically classified as Analytic according to Miles and Snow's (1978) typology. Moreover, Greek SMEs do not seem to follow the suggested by literature executive decisions for the strategic management of their IC portfolio. They apply on their IC components strategies that could be classified as “Act” or “Analyse” under Wissenzbilanz's typology (Bornemann and Alwert, 2007) regardless of the prospects for improvement expected for these IC components. Therefore, while SMEs seem to care about their IC, they do not manage it in a coherent and strategically beneficial way. Research limitations/implications – The study applies a novel methodology. By properly adapting the Wissenzbilanz's typology for IC executive decisions, it provides a research approach for collecting cross sectional firm data for IC executive decisions. A possible limitation but also an area for future research is to examine the implications of the relations between SMEs’ strategy and IC portfolio on SMEs’ financial performance. Practical implications – The practical implications of this study are twofold. First, managers should take into consideration that IC seems to be a strategic enabler even in periods of financial crisis and, thus, decisions regarding IC investments should not be abandoned. Second, SMEs tend to follow different than the recommended by literature executive decisions for the components of their IC portfolio. This might reduce the potential returns on IC investment. Therefore randomly investing in IC will not result in the expected benefits. Originality/value – The contribution of this study is that explores the relations of SMEs’ executive decisions in relation to the strategic management of their IC components as well as the influence that the strategic position of SMEs exerts on the composition of their IC portfolio during a financial crisis.

An intellectual capital maturity model (ICMM) to improve strategic management in European universities

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giustina Secundo ◽  
Susana Elena- Perez ◽  
Žilvinas Martinaitis ◽  
Karl-Heinz Leitner
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Step Change ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Maturity Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
European Universities

Purpose – The public sector is one of the least addressed areas of intellectual capital (IC) research. Universities are an interesting area of investigation because they are considered critical players in the knowledge-based society. The purpose of this paper is to develop a more general, flexible and comprehensive “IC Maturity Model” for Universities (ICMM), a framework for defining and implementing IC measurement and management approaches, as part of the whole strategic management of universities. Thus, the ICMM proposes a staged framework to initiate a step-by-step change within a university based upon its current level of IC management maturity. The different steps of maturity might be an answer to cope with the huge diversity of European universities, some of which have strong managerial orientation, while others follow collegial forms of governance. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach is based on what has been called the “third stage” of IC research (Dumay and Garanina, 2013), focused on the practices of IC approaches rather than on its theoretical conceptualisation. The ICMM has been developed under the “Quality Assurance in Higher Education through Habilitation and Auditing” project framework, initiated by the Executive Agency for Higher Education and Research Funding of Romania (EUFISCDI). Three Mutual Learning Workshops (MLWs) were organised as a mean to bring together 15 international experts and practitioners to share their views and experience on IC reporting and setting up task forces. Findings – An ICMM, which is a flexible model of implementing IC approaches within public universities, is developed. The ICMM provides a theoretical continuum along which the process of maturity can be developed incrementally from one level to the next, moving from IC data collection, awareness of IC, adjustment of IC specific indicators, measurement of IC, reporting of IC, interpretation and decision making, strategy and planning. Research limitations/implications – Future research needs to conduct empirical studies in universities to generalise the effectiveness of the ICMM model and guidelines for implementation. Practical implications – The ICMM provides a staged framework to initiate a step-by-step change within a university based upon its current level of IC management maturity and its IC value creation dynamics. It allows universities to follow different paths, not necessarily a linear sequence. Originality/value – Although several methods for IC measurement and management exist, most of these cannot accommodate the trade-off between the comparability aims and the efforts to capture the institution’s uniqueness when designing an IC model.

scholarly journals Unemployment and spell duration during the Great Recession in the EU

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Gradín ◽  
Olga Cantó ◽  
Coral del Río
Keyword(s):  
Great Recession ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Unemployment Spells ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Eu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different dynamic characteristics of unemployment in a selected group of European Union countries during the current Great Recession, which had unequal consequences on employment depending on the country considered. Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows Shorrocks’s proposal of a duration-sensitive measure of unemployment, and uses cross-sectional data reported by Eurostat coming from European Labour Force Surveys. Findings – The results add some evidence on the relevance of incorporating spells’ duration in measuring unemployment, finding remarkable differences in unemployment patterns in time among European countries. Research limitations/implications – In this paper unemployment is analyzed for all the labor force. Future research should investigate patterns across specific groups such as young people, women, immigrants or the low skilled. Practical implications – It is generally accepted that the negative impact of unemployment on individual welfare can be very different depending on its duration. However, conventional statistics on unemployment do not adequately capture to what extent the recession is not only increasing the incidence of unemployment but also its severity in terms of duration in time of ongoing unemployment spells. The paper shows an easy and practical way to do it in order to improve the understanding of the unemployment phenomenon, using information usually reported by statistical offices. Originality/value – First, the paper provides a tool for dynamic analysis of unemployment based on reported cross-sectional data. Second, the paper demonstrates the empirical relevance of considering spells’ duration when assessing differences in unemployment across countries or in unemployment trends. This is usually neglected or only partially addressed by most conventional measures of unemployment.

Intellectual capital disclosure on Twitter – empirical evidence from the world’s largest companies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Bryl ◽  
Justyna Fijałkowska ◽  
Dominika Hadro
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Philosophy ◽  
Business Units ◽  
Structural Capital ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) on Twitter by 60 of the world’s largest companies and explains the main themes communicated to stakeholders. The second objective is to determine which topics provoke most stakeholders’ reactions. Design/methodology/approach The authors perform content analysis on more than 42,000 tweets to examine ICD practices along with the reactions of stakeholders in the form of retweets and “favorites” toward the information disclosed. Findings Intellectual capital (IC) is an important theme in corporate disclosure practices, as more than one-third of the published tweets refer to IC. The world’s largest companies focus on relational capital information, followed by human and structural capital. The main IC themes disclosed were management philosophy, corporate reputation and business partnering. Tweets related to IC are of greater interest to stakeholders than other tweets and provoke more reactions. There is no complete consistency between the topics most intensively disclosed by companies and those that elicit the most vivid responses from the addressees. Practical implications This study offers an understanding of the world’s largest companies’ practices that refer to ICD via social media and has implications for organizations in the creation and use of communication channels when developing a dialogue with stakeholders on topics regarding IC that may lead to better management of IC performance. Originality/value This paper is a response to the call for studies on ICD via social media, which is strongly highlighted in the recent literature concerning future research on IC and until now was almost absent in the field of business units. This research provides in-depth insights into the use of Twitter to disclose IC elements and indicates which fields and topics of this disclosure provoke stakeholders’ reactions, which is a novelty in ICD studies.

Intellectual capital in family firms: human capital identification and measurement

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Claver-Cortés ◽  
Patrocinio Carmen Zaragoza-Sáez ◽  
Hipólito Molina-Manchón ◽  
Mercedes Úbeda-García
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Based on the literature devoted to family firms and the intellectual capital-based view of the firm, the purpose of this paper is not only to identify the most important human capital intangibles owned by family firms but also to show a number of indicators that can help measure them. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case-study-based research approach was adopted taking as reference: 25 family firms belonging to different sectors; previous works existing in the literature; and the intellectus model. Findings – The present study identifies ten intangibles associated with the human capital of family firms and shows 60 indicators that can be used to measure them. It additionally provides empirical evidence and gives examples of these intangibles through the analysis of 25 international family firms. Research limitations/implications – The difficulty in collecting all the human capital intangibles of family firms; the problems associated with the creation of accurate indicators; and those specific to the research methodology adopted. Practical implications – Identifying the human capital intangibles of family firms and their indicators can help managers become aware of their importance, and this will consequently help them improve their management. This could be an interesting starting point to value these intangibles in the balance sheet as well as to draw comparisons between family and non-family organisations. Originality/value – The framework provided by family firms sheds light on several intangibles specific to these firms – precisely for their condition as “family” firms. Those intangibles – human capital intangibles being especially highlighted in this study – provide the basis for the achievement of competitive advantages.

The main topics of research on disclosures of intangible assets: a critical review

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Castilla-Polo ◽  
Dolores GALLARDO-VÁZQUEZ
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intangible Asset ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Citation Reports ◽  
Principal Directions ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – We must acknowledge the importance of intangibles in today’s economies and the controversy over the accounting and reporting of these assets. For this reason, the purpose of this paper is to synthesize the lessons learned from research to date and identify gaps in that research that would be useful to academics and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – The literature review was conducted after an analysis of the most important academic databases in the period of 1990-2013: ABI Inform Complete, CSIS, EconLit, ISOC, Journal Citation Reports, Scopus, Emerald, Springer, and Google Scholar. Findings – The authors offer a summary of the main gaps in the literature on intellectual capital disclosures, among which the authors perceive a need for increased qualitative or explanatory research, which would allow further analysis of such decisions. Research limitations/implications – Specifically, the main problem encountered in the research on voluntary disclosure of intangibles appears to relate to the type of methodology used, which is usually quantitative or descriptive. Practical implications – Given that the principal limitations in the field of the disclosure of intangibles have been discussed, the authors conclude by indicating the principal directions for future research. Social implications – Qualitative analysis is absent in the literature the authors reviewed, and considered it fundamental to understanding this type of disclosure. In fact, the development of future lines of research could provide better-quality intangible asset reporting. Originality/value – Although there are previous studies on this topic, the authors believe that the main contribution of this study is to offer an integrated framework of existing findings concerning decisions by companies to disclose information on intangibles, a topic on which previous literature is sparse.

Knowledge effects on the exploratory acquisition of wine

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Vigar-Ellis ◽  
Leyland Pitt ◽  
Albert Caruana
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Purchasing Behaviour ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Question Formats ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to determine whether exploratory wine purchasing behaviour is affected by consumers’ objective and subjective wine knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed using recognised scales for exploratory consumer tendencies, objective and subjective wine knowledge. The survey was administered using the MTurk platform. A factor analysis was first used to test the psychometric properties of the measures of the three constructs. Once the robustness of the measures was ascertained, cross-tabulations and testing via ANOVA’s of the demographics of age, gender, weekly wine consumption and education on the constructs was undertaken. In addition the causal relationship of subjective and objective wine knowledge on exploratory purchase behaviour was investigated via the use of multiple regression analysis. Findings – The results show that consumers with more real (objective) knowledge of wines are more likely to participate in exploratory wine purchasing. Objective wine knowledge is greatest amongst older consumers and those who consume more wine. Research limitations/implications – While attempts were made to limit biases due to the research approach, the results may lack generalisability because a US sample only, was used. Recommendations for future research extending the sample population as well as for changes to the question formats are suggested. Practical implications – The findings of this study have implications for wine marketers in that marketing strategies and activities (labelling, distribution, media, etc.) may need to be adapted depending on the exploratory purchasing behaviour and wine knowledge of their target customers. Originality/value – Exploratory wine acquisition behaviour is important to wine marketers. This behaviour encourages trial but, at the same time, impacts brand loyalty. This paper identifies the characteristics of consumers in terms of wine knowledge, consumption and demographics most likely to exhibit this behaviour and provides support for the need for marketers to identify these consumers and adapt their marketing activities targeting them.

Workplace conflict and willingness to cooperate

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluremi Bolanle Ayoko
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Workplace Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Undergraduates ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Willingness To Cooperate

Purpose This paper aims to clarify the relationship between conflict, apologies, forgiveness and willingness to cooperate after a conflict event. Design/methodology/approach The paper used scenarios and quantitative measures to examine the connection between conflict, perceived apology sincerity, forgiveness and willingness to cooperate in 358 business undergraduates. Findings Data revealed that relationship conflict was significantly but negatively associated with forgiveness and willingness to cooperate. Additionally, attitudes toward forgiveness were directly and positively related not only to forgiveness but also to willingness to cooperate. Finally, forgiveness mediated the link between both perceived apology sincerity attitudes to forgiveness and willingness to cooperate. Research limitations/implications Data were cross-sectional and may be subject to bias. Longitudinal studies are needed to further tease out the connection between the variables in the current study. Similarly, future research should explore the role of climate and individuals’ disposition and readiness to apologize, forgive and their willingness to cooperate at work. Practical implications The paper includes practical implications for managers interested in eliciting cooperation after a workplace conflict. Specifically, apology and forgiveness should be included in managers’ conflict management training programs. Social implications Our findings indicated that apology and forgiveness are social skills that are important for conflict management and cooperation after a workplace conflict. Originality/value Beyond reconciliation, the current study provides new insights into the important role of actual forgiveness in whether employees are willing to cooperate after conflict at work. Practical assistance is offered to managers who are interested in fostering cooperation and increased performance after conflict episodes.

The influences of interdependence, opportunism and technology uncertainty on interfirm coopetition

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 948-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Chai ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Thomas Clauss ◽  
Chanchai Tangpong
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contextual Condition ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents and the conditions of coopetition at the inter-organizational level. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on survey research methodology and analyzes the data from 138 companies regarding the antecedents and the conditions of their coopetition. Findings The results indicate that the interdependence between partners (i.e. the antecedent) positively affects interfirm coopetition, and that this relationship is contingent on the joint occurrence of opportunism (a behavioral condition) and technology uncertainty (a contextual condition). Specifically, highly interdependent firms are more likely to be involved in a coopetitive relationship when both opportunism and technology uncertainty are high. Interestingly, the authors’ data also show that opportunism or technology uncertainty alone may not be adequate in moderating the interdependence–coopetition relationship. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the current literature in two meaningful ways. First, it empirically examines interdependence as a potential antecedent of interfirm coopetition. Second, it improves our understanding of the behavioral and contextual conditions that facilitate the formation of coopetitive relationships by examining the moderating roles of opportunisms and technology uncertainty in the relationship between interdependence and interfirm coopetition. The limitations of this study lie in its confined method of cross-sectional survey from the focal firm’s perspective. Future research may advance beyond this study through experimental and/or longitudinal research designs. Practical implications This study provides managers with two important practical insights in coopetition management. First, the findings suggest a two-step approach to help a firm assess and manage the level of coopetition in its relationship with a business partner. In addition, the findings provide a counterintuitive suggestion to managers that the joint conditions of high opportunism and high technology uncertainty indeed prime the relationship for the rise of coopetition, provided that managerial efforts are made to somewhat increase the level of interdependence in the relationship. Originality/value Despite the growing number of studies on coopetition, research still lacks knowledge about the antecedents and the conditions of inter-organizational coopetition, and this study aims to fill this gap.

The labour disputes of Chinese posted workers in the B&R countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-225
Author(s):  
Dong Yan ◽  
Yixuan Wu
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Labour Law ◽  
Chinese Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Foreign Labour ◽  
Chinese Workers ◽  
Labour Disputes ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study aims to decrypt the efforts made by Chinese people's courts nationwide to protect the rights of Chinese posted workers in the Belt & Road (B&R) countries by investigating labour litigation cases with an extraterritorial application of Chinese labour law (under the “doctrine of overriding mandatory labour rules”).Design/methodology/approachThis study collected all labour litigation from 2014 to 2018 brought forward by Chinese posted workers in Chinese courts against Chinese enterprises regarding the performance of employment contracts in the B&R countries where Chinese labour laws were mandatorily applied under the doctrine of overriding mandatory labour rules. The study adopted a qualitive research approach to analyse the compiled cases to explore their characteristics and effects.FindingsThis study found that the volume of labour disputes in the B&R countries had a somewhat positive correlation to the amount of investment from China. However, this correlation was rather superficial when compared with the correlation to the type of industrial sector (e.g. the construction sector) and to the claim category (e.g. remuneration claims). Moreover, labour disputes in both the B&R countries and China shared a great deal of similarity with regard to their concentration in certain sectors and in certain types of claims. Therefore, mandatorily applying Chinese labour law could be convenient for Chinese workers returning from abroad who seek remedies and could allow Chinese judges to issue affirmative decisions regardless of the territory in which the worker was posted.Research limitations/implicationsThe cases collected by this study were limited to those filed in China by Chinese workers who were hired by Chinese enterprises and sent to work in the B&R countries and did not include those filed in the B&R countries by Chinese posted workers. Future research should therefore attempt to gather a broader range of labour disputes to further clarify the issues and need for labour protection for Chinese posted workers in the B&R countries.Practical implicationsThis study argues that the doctrine of overriding mandatory labour rules is not entirely unproblematic because it might arbitrarily rule out the standards set by foreign labour legislation that could be more favourable to workers or offer them greater protection. Therefore, giving judges a certain degree of discretion is imperative to allow them to apply foreign labour standards when they have been proven to benefit workers.Originality/valueApart from a handful of reports on individual cases, there have been very few empirical studies regarding the general picture of labour protection for Chinese posted workers in the B&R countries. This study has adopted a novel approach to collect information on labour disputes in the B&R countries and to facilitate a qualitative analysis to test the practical implications of the doctrine of overriding mandatory labour rules.

Visualizing intellectual capital using service-dominant logic

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1745-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Davey ◽  
Rachael Alsemgeest ◽  
Samuel O’Reilly-Schwass ◽  
Howard Davey ◽  
Mary FitzPatrick
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Operant Resources

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate intellectual capital (IC) reporting, from a service-centric approach, in the hotel industry. The strategic enhancement of value-creation and sustainable competitive advantage requires both management and measurement. Sound measurement and reporting practices enable management performance to be judged; one such practice is IC disclosure. Service-dominant (S-D) logic emphasizes that intangible operant resources, the foundation of IC, are at the core of competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach A disclosure instrument based on S-D logic and designed specifically for the hotel industry was applied to the annual reports and sustainability reports (in English) of 30 Asian hotel companies. Content analysis measured the disclosures of dynamic IC assets typically overlooked by traditional IC disclosure instruments. Findings The majority of IC communication concerns lower-order basic operant resources. Although more than one-third of the companies’ disclosures of IC assets relate to collaborative processes and practices that support networked value-creation, most disclosures demonstrate a prevailing firm-centric orientation. IC items regarding reciprocated relationship and informational management were minimally reported. Research limitations/implications A single research approach was used. Future research could use other communication channels to triangulate. Practical implications The results highlight opportunities for hotel companies to better report their IC assets as part of their value-creating strategies. Originality/value This research is one of the first to operationalize S-D logic concerning IC. It provides a promising framework for understanding IC reporting in the hotel industry.

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