This study investigates potential motivations for intellectual capital (IC) reporting in management reports of 428 German companies for the accounting year 2010. To infer motivations, agency theory and legitimacy theory are applied to test which theory better explains IC reporting. To approach methodological issues regarding how to measure IC value and IC reporting, the study is structured in three research projects. The first two research projects analyse methodological approaches, providing the basis for testing theories in project three. In the first project, a novel measure to estimate IC value is identified in the area of mergers and acquisitions research and innovatively applied to the area of IC research. This novel long-run value-to-book measure allows testing of previously untested IC-related hypotheses. The second research project supports a parsimonious design of a research framework for an IC content analysis and specifies which IC components are important to focus on. In the final project, the results show that legitimacy theory better explains IC reporting compared to agency theory. According to the findings, IC reporting is motivated to legitimise a company’s market position and to justify the use of intangible resources. The findings of this study contribute to the research areas of measuring IC value, analysing IC content, and applying theories to IC reporting.

This study examines the intellectual capital (IC) disclosure practices in the annual reports of 100 listed UK firms selected from sectors considered to be IC-intensive. It also investigates the possible determinants of such disclosure practices from the three perspectives of corporate governance structure, company characteristics and market factors. IC disclosures were captured using content analysis, and were measured by a disclosure index, supported by word count and percentage of word count metrics to assess the variety, volume and focus of IC disclosure respectively, at both overall and subcategory levels. The presentational formats and locations of IC disclosures were also recorded. The results indicate that the UK firms sampled provide considerable IC information in their annual reports, mainly in text form, with popular use of numerical information, while the use of graphs and pictures for many IC elements remains low. The distribution of IC disclosures, captured in three categories, varies by the three measures of disclosure applied. IC information was found in virtually all sections of the annual report and was most concentrated in the Operating and Financial Review section. IC terms typically used in the academic literature do not feature in the sampled annual reports. The results of the statistical analyses based on the three measures of IC disclosure indicate significant associations with a number of corporate governance factors (i.e. board composition, share concentration, audit committee size and frequency of meeting, board directors' shareholding, audit committee directors' shareholding, and board directors with cross-directorships), company characteristics (i.e. firm size, profitability, and listing age), and market factors (i.e. 'hidden value', share price volatility, share turnover, and multiple listing). These findings offer support for a number of theories, such as information asymmetry, agency and signalling theory. The influence of these explanatory factors on human, structural and relational capital disclosures, based on all three disclosure measure metrics, as well as on the format of IC disclosure, was also explored. The study also finds that its IC framework is more effective than a less detailed framework used in prior studies for the purpose of examining IC disclosure practice and its determinants. The study contributes to the further advancement of the state of knowledge in relation to IC disclosure both empirically and methodologically. It provides information users, preparers, regulatory bodies and academics with a state-of-the-art understanding of IC disclosure practices in the annual report. The transparent content analysis process enables future replication and comparison of results. The rigorous measurements of IC disclosure, the greater specificity of disclosure about the location and presentational format, and the more detailed IC research framework can be usefully applied by other studies. By examining the relationship between explanatory factors and IC disclosure, it helps shareholders and other groups of information users as well as the regulatory bodies to identify factors that may encourage IC disclosure in the annual report.

This study examines the intellectual capital (IC) disclosure practices in the annual reports of 100 listed UK firms selected from sectors considered to be IC-intensive. It also investigates the possible determinants of such disclosure practices from the three perspectives of corporate governance structure, company characteristics and market factors. IC disclosures were captured using content analysis, and were measured by a disclosure index, supported by word count and percentage of word count metrics to assess the variety, volume and focus of IC disclosure respectively, at both overall and subcategory levels. The presentational formats and locations of IC disclosures were also recorded. The results indicate that the UK firms sampled provide considerable IC information in their annual reports, mainly in text form, with popular use of numerical information, while the use of graphs and pictures for many IC elements remains low. The distribution of IC disclosures, captured in three categories, varies by the three measures of disclosure applied. IC information was found in virtually all sections of the annual report and was most concentrated in the Operating and Financial Review section. IC terms typically used in the academic literature do not feature in the sampled annual reports. The results of the statistical analyses based on the three measures of IC disclosure indicate significant associations with a number of corporate governance factors (i.e. board composition, share concentration, audit committee size and frequency of meeting, board directors¿ shareholding, audit committee directors¿ shareholding, and board directors with cross-directorships), company characteristics (i.e. firm size, profitability, and listing age), and market factors (i.e. `hidden value¿, share price volatility, share turnover, and multiple listing). These findings offer support for a number of theories, such as information asymmetry, agency and signalling theory. The influence of these explanatory factors on human, structural and relational capital disclosures, based on all three disclosure measure metrics, as well as on the format of IC disclosure, was also explored. The study also finds that its IC framework is more effective than a less detailed framework used in prior studies for the purpose of examining IC disclosure practice and its determinants. The study contributes to the further advancement of the state of knowledge in relation to IC disclosure both empirically and methodologically. It provides information users, preparers, regulatory bodies and academics with a state-of-the-art understanding of IC disclosure practices in the annual report. The transparent content analysis process enables future replication and comparison of results. The rigorous measurements of IC disclosure, the greater specificity of disclosure about the location and presentational format, and the more detailed IC research framework can be usefully applied by other studies. By examining the relationship between explanatory factors and IC disclosure, it helps shareholders and other groups of information users as well as the regulatory bodies to identify factors that may encourage IC disclosure in the annual report.

Measuring knowledge management performance was one of, if not the most challenging knowledge management activities. This study suggested using intellectual capital as a proxy for knowledge management performance in evaluating its impact on organizational performance. The Value Added Intellectual Coefficient model was employed to measure intellectual capital. Although being used widely in research, the model had its limitations. Also, for intellectual capital measurement, there was a lack of guidelines supported by empirical evidence or best practices. The present study aimed to test the classic and a modified version of this model, and based on the results, shed light on whether the classic version was good enough or the modified one should be highly recommended. The financial fundamental and market data of 425 randomly selected publicly listed firms were collected, and the structural equation modeling technique was employed to test the models. Chi-square difference test was performed to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between these two models. The results of the tests indicated that the difference between them was insignificant. Therefore, it was concluded that the classic model is adequate, and it can be used effectively to measure intellectual capital. Adding two new efficiency elements – research and development efficiency and relational capital efficiency – in the model did not provide any significant benefit.

Bakgrund och problem: Marknadsutvecklingen mot ett tjänstesamhälle medför att medarbetarna idag har en mer betydande roll inom organisationer. Företag har olika behov av resurser, däremot är brist på finansiering ett hinder för tillväxt. Litteraturen illustrerar en problematik i bankernas kreditbedömningsprocess av dagens alltmer immateriella företag, då flertalet tillgångar utelämnas i den traditionella redovisningen. Sedan Skandia på 90-talet åskådliggjorde organisationens intellektuella kapital genom extern rapportering har det tagits fram flera modeller för att värdera företags immateriella tillgångar. Forskare argumenterar således för att det finns ett behov av förnyelse inom redovisningen då informationsasymmetrin kan orsaka felbedömningar av ett företags framtida potential. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva och diskutera hur det intellektuella kapitalets olika faktorer värdesätts när tjänsteföretag ansöker om kredit. Avsikten är därmed att undersöka vilka faktorer som kreditgivaren anser mest betydelsefulla i kreditbedömningsprocessen. Metod/Empiri: Empirisk data har insamlats genom intervjuer med sex verksamma kreditgivare från fem olika banker. För att urskilja kreditgivarnas varierande bedömning av det intellektuella kapitalets olika beståndsdelar/faktorer har även en mindre enkätundersökning genomförts. Genom denna ville vi åskådliggöra ett abstrakt begrepp på ett mer konkret och mätbart sätt utifrån studiens teoretiska referensram. Slutsatser: Samtliga banker som medverkat i studien menar att ett företags intellektuella kapital är en förutsättning för att beviljas kredit. Resultatet från undersökningen med fem banker visar att humankapitalet är den primära faktorn inom intellektuellt kapital som kreditgivarna utvärderar. För ett nystartat tjänsteföretag räcker det inte med att presentera en lovande affärsplan eller hållbart finansiellt underlag, då bankerna i olika grad värderar entreprenörens erfarenheter och förmåga att förverkliga idén. / The market development to a more service based economy resulting in employees more important role in organizations. Companies have different need of resources, but financing is detected as a crucial factor for growth. The literature illustrates the problems in the banks' credit assessment process in today's increasingly immaterial companies, as most assets are omitted in the traditional accounting. Therefore researchers argue that there ́s a need for renewal, because the information asymmetry can cause misjudgment of a company's future potential. To describe and visualize how the intellectual capital ́s factors is valued when a service business applying for bank funding, the empirical data was obtained through interviews with six effective creditors from five different banks. All banks in this study clearly show that a company's intellectual capital is a precondition for being granted credit. The results from the survey indicate that human capital is the primary factor of intellectual capital that lenders evaluate in their credit assessment. But still, a company is not allowed to report the human capital as an asset in their accounting.

Syftet med denna studie är uppdelat i två aspekter. För det första avser vi bidra till kunskapsutveckling genom att observera och presentera vilka incitament som kan finnas bakom kommunicerande av intellektuellt kapital (IK) utifrån IT-företags rapportering av IK genom årsredovisningen. För det andra avser vi att genom vår studie ge ett metodbidrag till forskningen på IK-området genom att visa hur kategorisering med hjälp av ett flerdimensionellt analysverktyg kan användas, tillsammans med olika teoretiska perspektiv, för att analysera hur incitament för rapportering av IK reflekteras i IT-företags årsredovisningar.Studien har utförts genom att empiriskt material från årsredovisningar har kategoriserats utifrån en nyskapad modell bestående av fyra huvudkategorier med vardera fyra underkategorier. Modellen är starkt influerad av Sveiby (1997) och Meritum Project (2002) men utgörs totalt sett av en syntes av ett antal olika modeller och teorier från forskare inom IK-området, med vissa externa influenser. Det kategoriserade empiriska materialet har sedan analyserats utifrån fyra teoretiska analysperspektiv. Dessa fyra perspektiv är intressentteorin, legitimitetsteorin, signalteorin och IC disclosure motivations. Studien är utformad som en kvalitativ innehållsanalys och empirisk data i studien utgörs av årsredovisningar från åtta bolag i IT-branschen listade på marknadsplatsen Nasdaq OMX Nordic Stockholm (Stockholmsbörsen).Resultatet av studien visar att det kan finnas olika incitament för företag att kommunicera sitt IK genom årsredovisningen beroende på vilken teori som används som analysperspektiv. När det gäller intressentteorin kan företagens incitament i stor utsträckning ta sin utgångspunkt i intresset att kunna bedöma företagets risknivå. Utifrån legitimitetsteorin skulle ett incitament bakom rapportering kunna vara att visa att företaget använder sina resurser på ett effektivt och ansvarsfullt sätt. Signalteorin kan erbjuda en möjlighet för företagen att skicka positiva signaler till marknaden även om önskan att inte lämna för mycket information till konkurrenter kan sätta vissa begränsningar. Utifrån modellen för IC disclosure motivations förefaller företagen ha incitament att använda kommunikationen av IK genom årsredovisningen som ett medel för att bland annat stärka sina varumärkens position bland sina intressenter. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Flavio_L_Richieri.pdf: 1114743 bytes, checksum: bcff37d37fa82d4ada322b5f2f7c4ce8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-26 / There are evidences suggesting a growing importance of the intellectual capital (IC) and the intangible assets in the economy. Therefore, it is critical to find ways to measure the companies IC, and to understand the relationship between it and their value generation. The pressure for it, affects not only managers, who have a broad and differentiated access to all the operational aspects of their companies, but specially, investors and other stakeholders that are external to these companies. For the former, the formulation of indexes, capable to measure the stock and the flows of companies IC, based on the financial information available, and the analysis of the association, between these indexes and companies value generation, can bring a completely new perspective, fundamental for supporting their investment decisions in intellectual capital intensive companies. This dissertation makes usage of CIV (Calculated Intangible Value) and ICE (Intellectual Capital Efficiency) to measure IC stock and flows respectively. Through the usage of multivariate regressions and application of static panel data models, the influence of IC indexes on companies value generation is analyzed. The value generation perspective is captured by using: ROE (Returnon-Equity), ROA (Return-on-Assets) and ROS (Return-on-Sales) ratios. The research utilizes a non-probabilistic sample, built with secondary data coming from the Exame magazine Maiores e Melhores annual survey database, which contains 628 observations from 237 companies in the period between years 2000 and 2005. The following question is addressed: What is the relationship between the stock and flow of IC and company s value generation? Results found, suggest the existence of a positive relation between both CIV and ICE and the dependent variables ROE, ROA and ROS. It also shows that IC seems to be a more relevant indicator of value generation than the stock of financial and physical assets. / As evidências apontam para uma participação crescente do capital intelectual e dos ativos intangíveis na economia. Esse fato torna crítico encontrar formas para medir o capital intelectual das empresas e entender a relação deste com a criação de valor das mesmas. Afetando assim, não apenas os gestores, que possuem um acesso diferenciado e abrangente aos diversos aspectos operacionais das empresas, mas principalmente, os investidores e demais partes interessadas externas às empresas. Para os últimos, a construção de índices capazes de medir capital intelectual da empresa, desenvolvidos com base em informações financeiras e contábeis disponíveis, e o estudo da associação desses índices, com a geração de valor das empresas, podem fornecer uma perspectiva nova e fundamental para a análise de investimentos em empresas intensivas em capital intelectual. Esta dissertação faz uso do CIV (Calculated Intangible Value) e do ICE (Intelectual Capital Efficiency), como medidas de estoque e fluxo de capital intelectual respectivamente. Através de tratamento estatístico por regressões multivariadas, e do uso de modelos estáticos de dados em painel (panel data), efetua-se a análise da influência desses índices de capital intelectual, na geração de valor das empresas, aqui medida através dos índices de: ROE (retorno sobre patrimônio líquido); ROA (retorno sobre ativos) e ROS (retorno sobre vendas). O estudo é feito com base numa amostra não probabilística, utilizando dados secundários provenientes da base de dados do anuário Maiores e Melhores da revista Exame e contendo 628 observações relativas a 237 empresas no período entre 2000 e 2005. Responde-se assim à questão: Qual é a relação entre o estoque e o fluxo do capital intelectual e a geração de valor da empresa ? Os resultados da pesquisa mostram a existência de relação positiva em relação ao CIV e ao ICE e as variáveis dependentes ROE, ROA e ROS. Mostram ainda que o capital intelectual parece ser um direcionador mais relevante do que o estoque de ativos físicos e financeiros para a geração de valor das empresas.