Intellectual capital: management attitudes in service industries
| Pages | 181-194 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14691930410512996 |
| Published date | 01 March 2004 |
| Date | 01 March 2004 |
| Author | Lynn L.K. Lim,Peter Dallimore |
| Subject Matter | Accounting & finance,HR & organizational behaviour,Information & knowledge management |
Intellectual capital:
management attitudes in
service industries
Lynn L.K. Lim
Murdoch University, Australia, and
Peter Dallimore
The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Australia
Keywords Intellectual capital, Knowledge management, Measurement, Service industries,
Intangible assets
Abstract Developing intellectual capital and knowledge management measuring systems are two
fast growing research areas. Many companies are striving to be known as knowledge organizations
and have started measuring and analyzing organizational intellectual capital indicators based on
what has been reported in the literature. Very little effort has been made to standardize the
measurement and reporting of these indicators with most organizations using very general
components. This article discusses a research study that sets out to gain an understanding of
management attitudes to the measurement of intellectual capital. The study was conducted with 36
top management participants with at least 20 years of experience in a service-related industry in
Australia. This research investigates the relationship between the perception of the importance of
measuring intellectual capital indicators and the level of understanding of these indicators. The
strategic implications of understanding the measurements are also discussed within the context of
the attitude of top management.
Introduction
Increasingly intellectual capital, synonymously used to refer to intangible
assets and to knowledge capital, is becoming the driver of value in an
organization. It is an important economic resource for many organizations and
directly affects competition in markets (Stewart, 1997; Lynn, 2000; Groves,
2002). Accounting bodies, standard initiators or setters, academics, analysts,
researchers, and government regulators have conducted studies and issued
reports on the need for organizational measurement of such capital (OECD,
1996; Edvinsson and Malone, 1997; FASB, 2001). This article discusses a
research study that sets out to gain an understanding of management attitudes
to the measurement of intellectual capital. This analysis is only one aspect of a
larger study into the determinants of intellectual capital.
The study of intellectual capital is described as more of an art than a science
(words of value, www.icvision.com) involving creativity and psychological
factors, and including an integration of behavioral studies (organizational
behaviors and consumer behaviors). Business competition will intensify in the
knowledge economy because of its growth potential. Many new concepts
promise novel ways of conducting business in the knowledge economy
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/1469-1930.htm
Intellectual
capital
181
Journal of Intellectual Capital
Vol. 5 No. 1, 2004
pp. 181-194
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1469-1930
DOI 10.1108/14691930410512996
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