Title: Intellectual capital - source of competitiveness

Authors: Ramona Diana Leon

Addresses: Faculty of Management, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, 30A Expozitiei Boulevard, 012104, Bucharest, Romania

Abstract: Although there are some remarkable attempts of measuring a company's IC, these are either reflecting the current stage of development or they are highlighting an average performance. Besides, they overlook the fact that a firm's competitiveness depends on competitors' actions. Therefore, we aim to develop a benchmarking tool capable of capturing a company's competitive position and future evolution, based on its IC efficiency. We create a composite index, entitled Competitiveness Intellectual Capital Index (CICI), for 20 Romanian firms listed on BSE. The results of our longitudinal study highlight that a firm is competitive only when it manages its knowledge assets more efficiently than its competitors. By using CICI, managers can obtain a complete image on what's happening in the environment; they can notice where do they stand (compared with their direct and indirect competitors); they can monitor change and develop future strategies. Therefore, it may serve as a managerial early warning system.

Keywords: intellectual capital; competitiveness; human capital; relational capital; structural capital; organisational learning; Romania; managerial early warning systems; IC leaders; IC followers; traditionalists.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLIC.2016.075695

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2016 Vol.13 No.2/3, pp.149 - 166

Received: 05 Jan 2015
Accepted: 19 Nov 2015

Published online: 31 Mar 2016 *

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