Valuing intellectual capacity in the police
Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal
ISSN: 0951-3574
Article publication date: 1 October 2001
Abstract
Presents a case study of intellectual capital within the police service of the UK. Describes the acquisition and maintenance of intellectual capacity through five mechanisms and explores the ways in which the utilization of intellectual capacity is reported. Makes two contributions to the emerging debate on intellectual capital. First, differentiates intellectual capital as an investment in the stock of knowledge from intellectual capacity as the flow or utilization of that knowledge. Second, emphasizes the difference between the (instrumental) value of intellectual capital in pursuit of purposes and the (representational) value of intellectual capital as contained in published reports. Concludes that intellectual capacity is essential for the police to prevent and detect crime, and to maintain public order, road safety and the confidence of the public. Despite the limitations of traditional accounting measures, the paper argues that those who report performance should value intellectual capital rather than be concerned with reporting its value through financial or quantitative metrics.
Keywords
Citation
Collier, P.M. (2001), "Valuing intellectual capacity in the police", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 437-455. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005870
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited