Guest editorial
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-01-2022-392 |
| Published date | 30 December 2021 |
| Date | 30 December 2021 |
| Pages | 1-8 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Knowledge management,HR & organizational behaviour,Organizational structure/dynamics,Accounting & finance,Accounting/accountancy,Behavioural accounting |
| Author | Vijay Pereira,Glenn Muschert,Arup Varma,Pawan Budhwar,Michael Babula,Gillie Gabay |
Guest editorial
Investigating multi-level sociological, psychological and managerial challenges
in the context of intellectual capital from and within emerging markets
Introduction
Economies in the Global South, including emerging markets, have in recent years emerged
as the fastest developing countries. This development has surged ahead, driven by the
human capital base that evolved through deliberate and strategic investments made by
these countries. However, key determinants of explosive growth, such as the intellectual
and social capital, are areas that are underresearched. More specifically, insufficient
attention has been paid to the sociological, psychological and managerial challenges in the
context of intellectual capital (IC) from and within emerging markets. This special issue
aims to utilize a multi-disciplinary approach by investigating the key sociological,
psychological and managerial challenges in the development of forms of IC at macro-
(nations, regions or economies), meso- (organizations, industries or communities) and
micro- (teams, families or individuals) levels. Contextually and of particular interest are
countries considered fastest-developing such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South
Africa), MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey), Next Eleven (Bangladesh, Egypt,
Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Turkey and
Vietnam), and CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa). In
recent times, the Journal of Intellectual Capital has published work on emerging countries
(see e.g. recent work on “changes in the productivity of insurance companies in Ghana”by
Oppong et al. (2019) and “intellectual capital efficiency and organizational performance: in
the context of the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh”by Chowdhury et al. (2019)), and
this call for papers solicits further such contextual work following the topical areas of
research appended below.
Sociological factors associated with IC in emerging markets that need further examination
include the effects on class (caste/tribe/ethnic groups where applicable) conflict and social
policies. For example, it is unclear whether the development of intangible forms of capital in
the Global South complements or undermines social welfare systems (Doh et al., 2017).
Moreover, it is also unclear whether the development of IC has led to greater accumulation of
capital (in various forms) or to the decentralization of capital (Tom
e, 2005). Relatedly, are
forms of IC in developing markets leading to greater exploitation of human and natural
resources or to more sustainable practices (Crane, 2013). Finally, how has corporate social
responsibility developed in rapidly deve loping societies (Devinney, 2011) and what
challenges and opportunities are presented by these dynamics?
Psychological factors related to IC similarly need further scrutiny, especially the idea of
intangible property forms (Babie, 2010), which diverges from structural notions of intellectual
property. There is a notion that liberal conceptions of private property –and in particular,
intellectual property –are leading to challenges with regards to climate change, economic
insecurity and a rise in violence and civil unrest in emerging markets. For example, are such
emerging notions of IC part of the problem, or are such challenges emergent from micro-level
traits or strategies observed in newly developed settings (e.g. mental states, cognitive
schemes or behavioral phenomena)?
Managerial challenges in the context of IC in emerging markets can also be identified at
macro-, meso- and micro-levels. At the macro-level, for example, there have been the long
discussed challenges of “brain drain,”a phenomenon wherein key human capital of an
emerging country emigrates to developed countries in search of greater professional and
Guest editorial
1
Journal of Intellectual Capital
Vol. 23 No. 1, 2022
pp. 1-8
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1469-1930
DOI 10.1108/JIC-01-2022-392
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