Exploring Intellectual Capital Concept in Strategic Management Research

Abstract

This chapter analyses the concept of intellectual capital in strategic management research. It offers a comprehensive view of the key pillar concepts formulated, in the last twenty years, in the strategic management literature grounding intellectual capital (IC) construct and related components. In the last years, IC has emerged as a key concept for the identification and assessment of company’s intangible assets and knowledge resources. In this chapter it is argued that IC is an umbrella concept for understanding and integrating four fundamental categories of firm’s resources: human capital, social capital, structural capital, and stakeholder capital. The authors believe that a clear understanding of the IC concept provides benefits for both theoretical and practical purposes. In order to develop a theory and/or theoretical implications about the role and the relevance of IC, it is necessary a clear understanding of the concept, which represents the fundamental unit and share of analysis.