Intellectual capital in support of farm businesses’ strategic management: a case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Cavicchi ◽  
Emidia Vagnoni
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Assets ◽  
Strategic Goals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the role of and relationships between human, structural and relational capital assets for strategic management in a farm business. In particular, it analyzes the interaction between human capital’s creativity skills and the introduction of climate-smart technologies for the competitiveness of the firm.Design/methodology/approachAn explorative case study was conducted on one of the largest Italian farm businesses to gain an understanding of the drivers of intellectual capital (IC) and of their implications for strategic management. Full-time employees’ perception of the skills required to achieve strategic goals and their perception of whether they possessed these abilities were investigated to determine if an alignment was present. The skills were subsequently classified using the framework of Amabile (1988) into domain-relevant and creativity-relevant skills. Then, two linear regression models were used to investigate the effects of training on the acquisition of these two sets of skills.FindingsThe analysis confirmed the strategic role of interactions among human capital assets to effectively exploit the structural capital of the company. When investigating employees’ perceptions, a gap emerged about informatics capabilities and knowledge of soils. As the company’s investments in innovation are oriented to ICT technologies, the company could strengthen informatics training to enable its employees to implement effective innovation.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature on IC by highlighting the role of interconnections of assets to align organizations with their strategic goals. Therefore, the provision of IC accounting contributes to the strategic management of human capital.

The influence of corporate governance characteristics on human capital disclosure: the moderating role of managerial ownership

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Tejedo-Romero ◽  
Joaquim Filipe Ferraz Esteves Araujo
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Managerial Ownership ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moderating Role

PurposeThe main objective of this paper is to analyse the content and extent of human capital disclosure by Spanish companies. It studies various factors related to the board of directors’ composition and functioning. These factors can be seen as mechanisms of corporate governance and the moderating role of managerial ownership, which help predict the behaviour of managers in relation to the human capital disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops and applies a more comprehensive framework for coding information on human capital, integrating the intellectual capital and social responsibility perspectives in order to explain the content and extent of human capital disclosure. The research was based on a content analysis of 210 corporate reports from 2007 to 2016. A system-GMM estimator was used to test the hypotheses in four dynamic linear regression models of balanced panel data in order to address concerns of endogeneity.FindingsThe results show that companies are adapting to new regulations and voluntarily disclosing information on human capital – a trend which signals their commitment to responsible attitudes towards employees and stakeholders. The results also show that board composition and functioning are mechanisms of supervision, control and legitimacy that promote human capital disclosure, with managerial ownership acting as moderator for aligning interests between managers and stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on human capital disclosure by introducing a broader conception of human capital to coding information. It accomplishes this through considering aspects of the intellectual capital and social responsibility approaches, which provide a better understanding of companies’ human capital disclosure. In addition, it seeks to enrich the debate about the effects of corporate governance mechanisms– such as boards of directors and managerial ownership – on human capital disclosure.

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.

scholarly journals Enhancing human capital beyond university boundaries

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 434-446
Author(s):  
Maria Jakubik
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Master's Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Master Thesis ◽  
External Stakeholders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case about the emergence of human capital (HC) during the master thesis as a work-based learning project. Design/methodology/approach The case study uses data from 107 master’s students 2007–2011 and feedback from 91 managers as business advisors 2007–2016. Findings The findings show direct contributions of higher education (HE) to intellectual capital (IC) in organisations through the enhanced HC of managers. Originality/value The case contributes to the emerging new, fifth stage of IC research by demonstrating how HC develops beyond the boundaries of an educational institution; how it influences an organisation’s IC and how 91 business advisors, as external stakeholders, assessed the achievements and value creation of HE.

scholarly journals The role of national intellectual capital in the digital transformation of EU countries. Another digital divide?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jadranka Švarc ◽  
Jasminka Lažnjak ◽  
Marina Dabić
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
The Eu

PurposeThis study, an exploratory one, aims to empirically investigate the association of national intellectual capital (NIC) with the national digital transformation readiness of the European Union's (EU’s) member states. Apart from building the conceptual model of NIC, this study explores the role of NIC dimensions in the digital divide between European countries.Design/methodology/approachBased on the literature review and the available EU statistical data and indexes, the theoretical framework and conceptual model for NIC were developed. The model explores the relation of NIC and its dimensions (human, social, structural, relational and renewable/development capital) on the readiness of European countries for digital transformation and the digital divide. Significant differences between EU countries in NIC and digital readiness were tested. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the association of each NIC dimension with digital transformation and digital divide within the EU.FindingsDespite a positive association between all dimensions of NIC and digital transformation readiness, the proposed model of NIC was not confirmed in full. Regression analysis proved social capital and working skills, a dimension of human capital, to be the predictors of digital transformation at a national level, able to detect certain elements of digital divide between EU member states. Structural capital, knowledge and education, as dimensions of human capital, were predictors of the digital divide in terms of the integration of digital media in companies.Research limitations/implicationsThis research has a limited propensity for generalisation due to the lack of common measurement models in the field of NIC exploration.Practical implicationsThis research offers policy makers an indication of the relationships between NIC and digital transformation, pointing out which dimensions of NIC should be strengthened to allow the EU to meet the challenges of digital economy and to overcome the digital divide between EU member states.Social implicationsThe use of digital technologies is key in creating active and informed citizens in the public sphere and productive companies and economic growth in the business sphere.Originality/valueThis study provides an original theoretical framework and conceptual model through which to analyse the relationship between NIC and digital transformation, which has thus far not been explored at the level of the EU. This research makes an original contribution to the empirical exploration of NIC and produces new insights in the fields of digital transformation and intellectual capital.

scholarly journals The role of human capital in the digitalization of the country’s agriculture

2020 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 05016 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.A. Voronin ◽  
I.P. Chupina ◽  
Ya.V. Voronina ◽  
Yu.N. Chupin ◽  
E.V. Zarubina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Opportunities To Learn ◽  
Agricultural Enterprises ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Crisis Conditions ◽  
Development Prospects ◽  
Main Factor

Many agricultural enterprises in our country are working in crisis conditions. Therefore, the formation of human capital in modern conditions is a continuation of the strategic goals of the enterprise, where each enterprise has its own goals, performance and development prospects. Currently, distance education is considered on the same equal basis as full- time education in higher education institutions. Intellectual and innovative activities become the main ones in training. That is why human capital is the main factor in the development of the enterprise. Currently, each company considers the tasks of personnel specialization. Each company is responsible for training and retraining its employees. The company is also responsible for reviewing issues related to the training or retraining of individual employees. Digitalization creates such opportunities – to learn remotely without interrupting production processes in their activities. Recently, online training has become popular, and the number of people on such courses continues to grow.

Intellectual capital for recovering patient centrality and ensuring patient satisfaction in healthcare sector

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Fiano ◽  
Marco Sorrentino ◽  
Francesco Caputo ◽  
Margherita Smarra
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Healthcare Management ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Relational Capital ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structural Capital

PurposeWith the aim to enrich the ongoing debate about healthcare management, the paper has a twofold intent: [1] to emphasise the interpretative contribution that intellectual capital can provide to a better understanding of the relevant role of patients in the healthcare sector and [2] to investigate the relationships between the three main dimensions of intellectual capital – human capital, relational capital and structural capital – and patient satisfaction in the healthcare sector.Design/methodology/approachThe intellectual capital framework is contextualised in the healthcare sector, and the relationships among patient evaluations of human capital, relational capital and structural capital and patient satisfaction are tested via structural equation modelling (SEM) using primary data collected with reference to a sample of 561 Italian patients involved in post survey treatments in three Italian hospitals.FindingsThe role of intellectual capital in supporting a better understanding of processes and dynamics of patient satisfaction in the healthcare sector is underlined. The empirical research provides possible guidelines for recovery patients centrality in healthcare management.Originality/valueThe paper shows how an intellectual capital framework can support a better understanding and management of dynamics and processes through which patient centrality and satisfaction in healthcare management can be enforced.

scholarly journals The impact of intellectual capital in organizational innovation: case study at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan Ali Almutirat
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Organizational Innovation ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Environment ◽  
Human Aspects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between intellectual capital and organizational innovation in Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) through a case study at KPC on the employees of the corporation (The study population was 2,180 respondents and the sample size was 335 respondents). Design/methodology/approach The statistical package for social science was used to analyze the data. While trying to explore the relationship between intellectual capital and innovation, the researcher used the descriptive analytical method and the case study methodology using various references, periodicals, internal and external documents and data, in addition to conducting a field study on a sample of employees of KPC, through a questionnaire form containing the axes that reflect the study variables. Findings There is a relative approval between the sample of the research on the existence of a good role for training in the corporation in terms of availability for all employees and the compatibility of training programs with the actual needs of employees, and linking the training paths and career paths for promotions in the corporation. The researcher attributed this to the employees' awareness to the importance of training and its role in raising their performance levels, and the awareness of the corporation to the importance of training and capacity building of the human element. Originality/value The research, in general, demonstrated the importance of human capital as the organization's most valuable assets, especially as it supports creativity and innovation, thus enabling competitiveness. The research stressed that human capital is the most important element in the formation of intellectual capital, which requires decision-makers to support it and give the intellectual and human aspects a strategic content that meets the needs to develop innovation and institutional education and to recruit systems and indicators to measure the performance objectively to achieve the goal of survival of the corporation in a competitive sustainable environment, through providing material and moral potentials that can support the implementation of organizational innovation at various levels.

Intellectual capital as a predictor of cooperative prominence through human capital in the Spanish agrifood industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Isabel Sánchez-Hernández ◽  
Francisca Castilla-Polo
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Model Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Innovation

PurposeIntellectual capital (IC) has been shown to play a crucial role in promoting competitive success among cooperatives as well as in other types of organizations. However, cooperatives are rarely included in this line of research. This paper aims to analyze how IC in agrifood cooperatives influences their prominence by fostering responsible research and innovation (RRI), reputation and performance.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed based on a literature review, and a quantitative study was conducted, including a representative sample of the current most prominent Spanish agrifood cooperatives. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the validity of constructs, path relationships and recent advances in the predictive model assessment.FindingsThis study’s findings show the specific role of human capital (HC) for enhancing social and structural capital in cooperatives. It was concluded that there is a need to revise and reconsider the role-played by IC in the cooperative movement.Research limitations/implicationsThe main practical contribution is to offer a specific vision of IC for agrifood cooperatives in order to maximize their market prominence. Since the study was conducted in Spain and based on a cross-sectional research approach, even though the new methodological tool partial least squares (PLS) predict was used, the authors cannot affirm whether IC will have the long-term expected effects as assumed in this research and in all contexts of the agrifood industry.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study that has examined IC in agrifood cooperatives in Spain, with attention focused on the role of HC as a predictor of market success.

scholarly journals The role of human capital in the foreign market performance of US SMEs: does owner ethnicity matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 24-42
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Ardito ◽  
Viviana D'Angelo ◽  
Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli ◽  
Enzo Peruffo
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Market Performance ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper adopts an intellectual capital perspective to investigate the role of owners who are ethnic minorities in the foreign market expansion performance of SMEs, and in particular considers the human capital dimension of intellectual capital.Design/methodology/approachBased on the empirical investigation of a sample of 10,326 small- and medium-sized US high-tech manufacturing enterprises, the authors’ results reveal a positive relationship between the number of foreign markets where these SMEs operate and their financial performance, and that this effect is reinforced by the presence of ethnic minority owners, as ethnic minorities constitute a valuable source of intellectual capital which bring value to firms.FindingsThe authors’ findings reveal the importance of intellectual capital in an SME’s leadership position, specifically in terms of having individuals from normally disadvantaged groups as owners. In this sense, policymakers are crucial in supporting the inclusion of ethnic minorities in SME ownership, through advantageous treatment in firms, for example.Practical implicationsThe study presents practical implications for managers seeking foreign market expansion. In addition, when defining ownership structure (e.g., in the start-up phase), the role of human capital, in the form of ethnic minorities, should not be neglected, especially if an SME intends to operate or is already operating in different national contexts.Originality/valueThe authors’ results provide important insights into the positive effect of human capital on SME foreign market performance. The idea of a moderating role played by owners from ethnic minorities suggested here contributes to the literature on human capital and is one of the first attempts to consider this moderating factor in this relationship, especially in the SME context.

Should companies invest in human resource development practices? The role of intellectual capital and organizational performance improvements

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mavis Yi-Ching Chen ◽  
Long W. Lam ◽  
Julie N.Y. Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeIn this study, the authors employ an intellectual-capital based view of the firm to examine the relationship between three bundles of human resource development (HRD) practices (i.e. developmental, constructive and collaborative HRD practices), three dimensions of intellectual capital (i.e. human capital, organizational capital and social capital), and organizational performance improvements. Specifically, the authors investigate the mediating role of intellectual capital in the relationship between HRD practices and changes in organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors randomly distributed questionnaires to 1,000 HR executives of Taiwanese firms to assess the firms' HRD practices and intellectual capital. Firm performance data in terms of return on assets (ROA) were obtained from the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ). To test the model, the authors used the longitudinal data over three years from 213 firms in Taiwan.FindingsThe results show that human capital and social capital mediate the relationship between HRD practices (i.e. developmental and collaborative HRD practices) and organizational performance improvements in terms of return-on-assets growth.Originality/valueThis study adds to the empirical evidence regarding whether or not investment in HRD practices can lead to positive changes in financial performance.

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