Intellectual capital in education: a value chain perspective
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of Intellectual Capital to assess intangible resources as crucial for the quality of educational processes. It identifies patterns of interdependence between drivers of Intellectual Capital and generic processes of educational institutions as a prototype study in Austria. Four levels of education are analysed and related to each other in order to identify the need to differentiate drivers of Intellectual Capital.
Design/methodology/approach
Educational institutions are typically regulated by governmental procedures and do not follow entrepreneurial management models. This paper suggests the assumption of a value chain of schools with the student as a significant customer as well as the object of intervention. Experiences from the application of Intellectual Capital assessment in value chains of the automotive industry are transferred to education. The methodology of “Wissensbilanz – made in Germany” is applied in action research-oriented prototypes.
Findings
Prioritizing scarce resources and systematically monitoring intangible assets in public as well as privately management educational intuitions contributes to economic improvement and better accomplishment of strategic objectives.
Practical implications
Applying methodologies for Intellectual Capital reporting in educational institutions and integrating the management of these resources along the value chain of education seems to be very beneficial not only for ministries of education but for de-central decision makers as well.
Originality/value
Austria officially implemented the legal obligation for Intellectual Capital reporting for universities in 2007. Up to date, no test on the usefulness of a comprehensive Intellectual Capital assessment in educational institutions was reported. Based on data from 12 case studies collected over two years, preliminary insights are reported.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the authors of the case studies, all of them participants of the Master's class for Knowledge Management at the Applied University of Eisenstadt in Austria, as well as to the participants of two projects in the business of continuing education, who need to remain unidentified for reasons of confidentiality.
Citation
Bornemann, M. and Wiedenhofer, R. (2014), "Intellectual capital in education: a value chain perspective", Journal of Intellectual Capital, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 451-470. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-05-2014-0060
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited