Which IC is more important? A life-cycle perspective
- Publication date
- Publisher
- Asia University
Abstract
[[abstract]]Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate value-relevant information provided by
intellectual capital (IC) beyond financial performance under different life-cycle stages.
Design/methodology/approach – The life-cycle classification method and the residual income
model are used to examine the information technology industry.
Findings – The empirical results show that the value-relevant information provided by IC under the
growth, maturing, and stagnant stages can be ranked in order (from high to low) of custom,
innovation, process, and human capital. Specifically, the empirical results indicate that overall IC
provided the most value-relevant information in the stagnant stage and the lowest value-relevant
information in the growth stage.
Research limitations/implications – This paper reveals that evaluating the company market
value merely by financial performance involves a number of limitations, thereby requiring IC to
supplement the process. The internet downturn in the mid-2000s might have likewise affected the
categorization of life-cycle stages and the value-relevant information provided by intellectual capital
during the “bubble” period.
Practical implications – Managers and investors should not merely focus on financial performance
as the main value-relevant information, but a thorough review of IC in different life-cycle stages should
be made in order to avoid making incorrect decisions.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to the existing literature by exploring customer, process,
innovation, and human capital which, significantly, have different value-relevant information in
different life-cycle stages