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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 December 2023

Marcello Cosa, Eugénia Pedro and Boris Urban

Intellectual capital (IC) plays a crucial role in today’s volatile business landscape, yet its measurement remains complex. To better navigate these challenges, the authors…

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Abstract

Purpose

Intellectual capital (IC) plays a crucial role in today’s volatile business landscape, yet its measurement remains complex. To better navigate these challenges, the authors propose the Integrated Intellectual Capital Measurement (IICM) model, an innovative, robust and comprehensive framework designed to capture IC amid business uncertainty. This study focuses on IC measurement models, typically reliant on secondary data, thus distinguishing it from conventional IC studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis across Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCO Business Source Ultimate in February 2023. This yielded 2,709 IC measurement studies, from which the authors selected 27 quantitative papers published from 1985 to 2023.

Findings

The analysis revealed no single, universally accepted approach for measuring IC, with company attributes such as size, industry and location significantly influencing IC measurement methods. A key finding is human capital’s critical yet underrepresented role in firm competitiveness, which the IICM model aims to elevate.

Originality/value

This is the first SLR focused on IC measurement amid business uncertainty, providing insights for better management and navigating turbulence. The authors envisage future research exploring the interplay between IC components, technology, innovation and network-building strategies for business resilience. Additionally, there is a need to understand better the IC’s impact on specific industries (automotive, transportation and hospitality), Social Development Goals and digital transformation performance.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 25 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2020

Eugénia de Matos Pedro, João Leitão and Helena Alves

This study aims to identify stakeholders’ perceptions of the effects associated with different components of intellectual capital (IC) on the sustainable development (SD…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify stakeholders’ perceptions of the effects associated with different components of intellectual capital (IC) on the sustainable development (SD) practices of higher education institutions (HEIs).

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical approach uses a structural equation model to provide new empirical findings in relation to 738 students and 587 lecturers/researchers at seven Portuguese state HEIs through quantitative research.

Findings

The results obtained are, firstly, important contributions to the literature on the IC and SD practices of HEIs, as a relationship between these two constructs is confirmed, especially through relational capital (RC) and structural capital (SC). Secondly, the stakeholders considered show different perceptions of the influence of the components of HEIs’ IC on these institutions’ SD practices, and thirdly, perception of the economic dimension is most influenced.

Practical implications

The empirical findings indicate the need to provide better information about HEIs’ policies and practices of SD and how the latter contribute to the SD of the institution and its region of influence.

Originality/value

No previous studies investigate students and teachers/researchers’ perceptions of the social, environmental, economic and organizational dimensions of SD in HEIs and at the same time how those perceptions can be influenced by the components of IC (e.g. human capital, SC, RC) in that institution.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 July 2022

Eugénia de Matos Pedro, João Leitão and Helena Alves

This study aims to analyse the efficiency of public higher education institutions (HEIs) through teaching and learning (T&L), research and technology (R&T) and social…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the efficiency of public higher education institutions (HEIs) through teaching and learning (T&L), research and technology (R&T) and social responsibility (SR) activities. It also aims to assess the external factors influencing the efficiency of T&L, R&T and SR, and influence of this efficiency on sustainable regional economic growth and innovation intensity.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical approach is based on a two-step data envelopment analysis to compare the efficiency of 23 Portuguese public HEIs, using a Tobit regression, to assess the influence of the factors affecting HEI efficiency which in turn affects regional sustainability and innovation.

Findings

The results lead to the following conclusions: HEIs with better SR efficiency are situated in large urban centres; an insular location is positively associated with HEIs’ T&L and SR efficiency; HEIs’ T&L and SR efficiency positively influence regional gross domestic product (GDP); and HEIs’ R&T efficiency positively influences R&D in regional GDP.

Practical implications

This study offers implications in the domain of sustainable regional growth. The study recommends that the policies of HEIs should concentrate on developing activities that meet the needs of the region. It also emphasizes the need to invest in recruitment of qualified lecturers and researchers, and creation of relevant PhD positions. The study also emphasizes the need for government actions to consider the most disadvantaged regions and create infrastructure to attract new companies and people.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature on the efficiency of HEIs by considering the efficiency of not only T&L and R&T but also SR. It also analyses the influencers of both HEIs’ efficiency and regional development.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 23 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Eugénia de Matos Pedro, Helena Alves and João Leitão

The purpose of this paper is to identify the effects of students’ satisfaction with services on quality of academic life (QAL), formed by cognitive and affective components; and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the effects of students’ satisfaction with services on quality of academic life (QAL), formed by cognitive and affective components; and to assess the mediating effect of QOL components (cognitive and affective) on students’ loyalty and recommendation.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on 726 respondent students from public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Portugal, this paper uses a partial least squares approach to analyze the impact of satisfaction on emotions and students’ QAL and to assess whether emotions influence recommendation and loyalty.

Findings

The results reveal that satisfaction influences both cognitive and affective components of QAL. The cognitive component has a positive and significant influence on recommendation and loyalty whilst the affective component has no significant effect.

Practical implications

The results obtained here provide implications for future action to be taken by HEI managers, in order to increase efficiency in the allocation and management of scarce resources. Therefore, when incorporating these results in decision-making processes, attention should be paid to the importance of the influence of satisfaction on QAL’s cognitive and affective components, stressing the importance of the cognitive components associated with learning experiences that play an important role in students’ future decisions in terms of loyalty and recommendation, which, in turn, are pillars of HEI sustainability.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to the literature on HEI management by assessing the influence of satisfaction on two components of QAL separately: cognitive components and affective components. In addition, the causality relationships are analyzed, assessing the emotional nexus, in order to deepen knowledge about the role played by both affective and cognitive components in students’ loyalty and recommendation, which need to be addressed and studied by carrying out new research.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2018

Eugénia Pedro, João Leitão and Helena Alves

For better mapping the path of intellectual capital (IC) research, the purpose of this paper is to selectively review empirical studies of IC published, and identify theories…

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Abstract

Purpose

For better mapping the path of intellectual capital (IC) research, the purpose of this paper is to selectively review empirical studies of IC published, and identify theories, components and three dimensions of analysis: national IC (NIC), regional IC (RIC) and organizational IC (OIC).

Design/methodology/approach

The systematic literature review (SLR) subject to analysis is based on empirical studies made between 1960 and 2016, and focuses on three dimensions of analysis: NIC, RIC and OIC. Four research questions were designed, using the following databases, namely, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar, for data collection purposes.

Findings

The SLR unveils a multidimensional taxonomy for measuring and classifying the type of IC applicable to the different levels of analysis and provides some recommendations for future studies of NIC, RIC and OIC, by outlining the need for clear definitions of components and measures of IC and identifying strengths, limitations and future research avenues.

Originality/value

In order to fill the gap found in the literature and the non-existence of a study clarifying the multiple dimensions of analysis of IC, this SLR makes a twofold, original contribution to the literature on management: providing an SLR of the main empirical studies dealing with different units of analysis; and identifying a multidimensional taxonomy for measuring and classifying the type of IC applicable to the different levels of analysis.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 56 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2018

Eugénia Pedro, João Leitão and Helena Alves

The purpose of this paper is to determine the predominant classification of intellectual capital (IC), in terms of components, using the literature of reference on the…

2116

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the predominant classification of intellectual capital (IC), in terms of components, using the literature of reference on the relationship between IC and performance and considering multi-dimensional analysis axes (MAAs): organisational, regional and national.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review (SLR) is presented focussing on empirical studies on IC published in the period 1960-2016. A protocol for action is defined and a research question is raised, gathering data from the databases of: Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. A social network analysis is also provided to determine the type of networks embracing groups, IC individual components and performance type.

Findings

Of the 777 papers included in the SLR, 189 deal with the relationship between IC and performance. The paper highlights the greater development of empirical studies starting from 2004; the organisational MAA is the most studied. The most frequently used groups of components in studies dealing with IC’s influence on performance corresponds to a triad of human capital; structural (organisational or process) capital; and relational (social or customer) capital, which determine positively the performance of organisations/regions/countries, but their influence is not linear and depends on various factors associated with the context and surrounding environment.

Practical implications

This study has wide-ranging implications for politicians/governments, managers and academics, providing empirical evidence about the relationships between the components of IC and performance, by MAAs, and a global vision and better understanding of how those IC components have developed and how they are related to performance.

Originality/value

Due to the high number of references covering a wide range of disciplines and the various dimensions (e.g. organisational, regional and national) that form IC, it becomes fundamental to carry out an SRL and systematise its MAAs to deepen knowledge about what has been discovered/developed in this domain, in terms of empirical studies, in order to situate the topic in a wider theoretical-practical context. The paper is exceptionally wide-ranging, covering the period 1960-2016. It is one of the first clarifying studies on systemisation of the literature on IC, by MAA, and an in-depth study of IC’s impact on the performance of organisations/regions and countries which may serve as a guideline for future studies using the taxonomy proposed.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 19 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2019

Eugénia Pedro, João Leitão and Helena Alves

The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative operational proposal for measuring the intellectual capital (IC) of higher education institutions (HEIs) through a strategic…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative operational proposal for measuring the intellectual capital (IC) of higher education institutions (HEIs) through a strategic prospective lens of analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

After providing a literature review on the methods for measuring IC that focuses on the organisational IC of HEIs, four case studies applied to Portuguese HEIs are presented, using a matrix of cross-referenced impacts – multiplications applied to a classification (MICMAC) approach.

Findings

The empirical findings reveal how human capital, structural capital and relational capital make up the core components and provide a fairly diversified list of the measurement indicators for the operational evaluation of the IC of HEIs.

Practical implications

It contributes into the literature of strategic prospective analysis of HEIs by: analysing the measurement systems for the organisational IC interrelated with HEIs; identifying the key components to the organisational IC of HEIs and their respective measurement indicators; and draufting a new method for operationally implementing organisational IC through the systematic application of the components and indicators identified.

Originality/value

Through an innovative vision, the present study reconciles and systematically structures the methods already proposed by other authors before presenting an innovative operational approach and an alternative to the already existing methods. In addition, the structure of this proposal itself enables HEIs to choose from among the various indicators proposed for IC, correspondingly those that best align with the type of institution under evaluation.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 July 2020

Aftab Dean, Moade Shubita and Julia Claxton

The purpose of this research is to support responsible decision-making in Higher Education (HE) settings by understanding what type of learning journey satisfies students most in…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to support responsible decision-making in Higher Education (HE) settings by understanding what type of learning journey satisfies students most in their HE experience and what they want from the learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyses the key tool used to assess satisfaction factors for UK students, the National Student Survey (NSS). It adopts peculiar regression statistical tests to identify the NSS items that influence “overall student satisfaction” by reviewing responses over 9 years from accountancy students at business schools located in England.

Findings

The findings of the study provide evidence that students are most satisfied with a learning journey where they are part of a course that is “well organised and running smoothly”, which provides “intellectual stimulation” that helps in developing their ability to “present themselves with confidence” and provides “academic advice and support”. The findings of the paper show that students are not satisfied so much by utilitarian aspects of learning but rather those that relate to who they are and where they are in their learning journey, the level of intellectual stimulation they have experienced, the self-confidence they have developed and the supportive relationship they have developed with academics. A factor that did not relate highly was “assessment and feedback” which has been the focus of much university resource. Results show the factors that impacted overall satisfaction are most related to students wanting to develop personal responsibility. These findings shape the key principles of responsible design and management of HE programmes and influence strategic decision-making.

Practical implications

Focussing on helping students experience, the type of learning journey that develops the virtue of responsibility emergent from the analysis will not only satisfy the student but will also have a knock-on effect of improving NSS scores, university league table ranking and accreditation under the Teaching Excellence Framework. The improved reputation aspects would then feed back into increased student satisfaction (Dean and Gibbs, 2015). The findings will also help HE managers and leaders to evaluate their decisions through three lenses: responsibility, students’ experience and students overall learning journey.

Originality/value

Much of the information published on the NSS have been predominantly descriptive and has resulted in decisions being made for students based on uninformed analysis of the survey’s results. This study uses advanced statistical modelling to evidence the relationship between factors of the NSS and overall student satisfaction providing key information regarding students’ importance to the type of learning journey they value and that this relates to a desire in wanting to develop responsibility. This study shows the link between factors of the NSS to provide useful lenses for HE managers and leaders to use to support responsible decision-making processes.

Abstract

Details

Businesses' Contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality Across B Corps in Latin America and the Caribbean
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-482-1

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2010

María Eugenia Perez, Raquel Castaño and Claudia Quintanilla

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods and identity construction. The argument is that through the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods and identity construction. The argument is that through the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods consumers obtain real and symbolic benefits that allow them to express a desired social image and further their identity.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 37 in‐depth interviews were conducted with women who owned both originals and counterfeits of luxury fashion products.

Findings

The findings highlight three main themes describing inner benefits that consumers attain with the purchase and consumption of counterfeit luxury goods: first, being efficient by optimizing their resources; second, having fun by experiencing adventure, enjoyment, and risk; and third, fooling others expecting not to be caught. But most important, through the accomplishment of these goals consumers of counterfeit luxury goods construct an identity in which they perceive themselves as “savvy” individuals.

Originality/value

The intent is to contribute to the understanding of the process of identity construction through consumption. This consumption occurs in a particular context; the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods. The experience is singular in the sense that this paper shows the existence of consumers who can afford the prices of luxury fashion brands but decide to buy counterfeits and also because it depicts how individuals can construct a confident self‐image from an ethically questionable behavior. The consumption of counterfeit luxury brands serve consumers a self‐concept expressive function (by helping them to communicate who they are) and an adaptive social function (by rewarding them with social acceptance).

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

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