Intellectual capital and firm performance: an extended VAIC model

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an extended and modified value-added (VA) intellectual coefficient (VAIC) model, which includes intellectual capital (IC) components which were missing in the original VAIC approach. The proposed model has been used to explore the relationship between IC and firm performance for Turkish manufacturing firms on a more detailed level.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple regression analysis has been employed to identify the IC components, which predict the performance of the firm and the moderating effect of some IC components on IC components–firm performance relationship. Data are required to calculate the IC components, and firm performance variables have been obtained from the financial reports of the Turkish manufacturing firms for the period 2003–2013.

Findings

According to the results for Turkish manufacturing sector innovation capital efficiency has a moderating effect on the relationship between structural capital efficiency (SCE) and profitability, meaning, depending on an increase in R&D expenses, the effect of SCE on profitability also increases. On the other hand, it has been found that innovation capital efficiency has a direct impact on firms’ productivity. The results also showed that IC efficiency components have a moderating role on the relationship between capital employed efficiency and profitability.

Research limitations/implications

There might be a time lag until the effect of R&D investments can be observed in firms’ performance. However, this lagged impact of innovation capital and also other IC components on future firm performance has not been investigated due to concerns related to sample size.

Originality/value

The proposed model differs from the original VAIC model in three ways: it, namely, includes two additional IC components, customer capital (CC) and innovation capital. It explores the moderating effect of innovation capital on structural capital–firm performance relationship and the moderating effect of IC components on employed capital–firm performance relationship. As the last difference, it proposes an alteration in the VA calculation due to newly added IC components, CC and innovation capital.