Main Article Content

Alberto Méndez-Morales
Tecnológico de Monterrey. EGADE Business School. Santa Fé, México.
Mexico
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7971-5305
Camilo Anzola-Morales
Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas, Bogotá, Colombia.
Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1375-2597
Liliana Elizabeth Ruiz-Acosta
Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas, Bogotá, Colombia.
Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3323-8480
David Andrés Camargo-Mayorga
Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas, Bogotá, Colombia.
Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5290-8251
Vol 33 No 1 (2024), Articles, pages 1-28
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15304/rge.33.1.9138
Submitted: 12-04-2023 Accepted: 24-10-2023 Published: 20-02-2024
Copyright How to Cite

Abstract

Intangible assets (IAs) are fundamental for the creation of firm value. However, the literature is inconclusive regarding the relationship between IAs and profitability. This paper uses financial data from Colombian firms from 2005 to 2015 to determine if this relationship exists. Thirty dynamic panel models have been used to see whether IAs are related to Return on Equity, Return on Assets, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, Gross margin, and Net margin. The results, despite a limited sample size and missing variables, are related to the literature in that they signal the negative relationship between IAs and profitability. Thus, the capitalized value of IAs seems to negatively affect Colombian firms' performance in the short and long term.

Cited by

Article Details

Funding data

References

Abor, J. (2005). The effect of capital structure on profitability: an empirical analysis of listed firms in Ghana. Journal of Risk Finance, 6(5), 438–445. https://doi.org/10.1108/15265940510633505

Alarussi, A. S., & Gao, X. (2021). Determinants of profitability in Chinese companies. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(10), 4232-4251. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-04-2021-0539

Andonova, V., & Ruíz-Pava, G. (2016). The role of industry factors and intangible assets in company performance in Colombia. Journal of Business Research, 69(10), 4377–4384. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2016.03.060

Ayaz, M., Mohamed Zabri, S., & Ahmad, K. (2021). An empirical investigation on the impact of capital structure on firm performance: evidence from Malaysia. Managerial Finance, 47(8), 1107–1127. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-11-2019-0586

Balzer, R., Užík, M., & Glova, J. (2020). Managing growth opportunities in the digital era – an empiric perspective of value creation. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 21(2), 87–100. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2020.21.2.07

Barker, R., Lennard, A., Penman, S., & Teixeira, A. (2021). Accounting for intangible assets: suggested solutions. Accounting and Business Research, 52(6), 601-630. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2021.1938963

Barth, M. E., Clement, M. B., Foster, G., & Kasznik, R. (1998). Brand Values and Capital Market Valuation. In Review of Accounting Studies, 3, 41-68. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1009620132177

Basu, S., & Waymire, G. (2008). Has the importance of intangibles really grown? And if so, why? Accounting and Business Research, 38(3),171–190). https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2008.9663331

Brennan, N. (2001). Reporting intellectual capital in annual reports: Evidence from Ireland. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 14(4), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513570110403443

Cañibano, L., García-Ayuso, M., & Paloma Sánchez, M. (2000). Shortcomings in the measurement of innovation: Implications for accounting standard setting. Journal of Management and Governance, 4(4), 319–342. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009955015494

Cardozo-Torres, V., Méndez-Morales, A., & Herrera, M. (2021). La inversión en marcas y su relación con los resultados empresariales. Suma de Negocios, 12(27), 161-171. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumneg/2021.V12.N27.A07

Chaharbaghi, K., & Cripps, S. (2006). Intellectual capital: Direction, not blind faith. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 7(1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1108/14691930610639750

Cheikh, I. Ben, & Noubbigh, H. (2019). The Effect of Intellectual Capital Drivers on Performance and Value Creation: the Case of Tunisian Non-financial Listed Companies. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 10(1), 147–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0442-0

Chiao, Y., & Yang, K. (2011). Internationalization, intangible assets and Taiwanese SMEs' performance: Evidence of an Asian newly-industrialized economy. African Journal of Business Management, 5(3), 641–655. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM09.225

Chiarelo, T.C., Sulbach-Pletsch, C., Da Silva, A., & Da Silva, T.P. (2015). Financial Performance, Intangible Assets and Value Creation in Brazilian and Chilean Information Technology Companies. Revista Galega de Economía, 23(4). https://doi.org/10.15304/rge.23.4.2787

Ciftci, M., & Darrough, M. (2015). What explains the valuation difference between intangible-intensive profit and loss firms? Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 42(1–2), 138–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12108

Cuellar, S., Méndez-Morales, A., & Herrera, M. M. (2021). Location Matters: a Novel Methodology for Patent's National Phase Process. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 13, 2138-2163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-021-00803-z

De Nicola, F., Mattoo, A., Timmis, J., & Tran, T. T. (2021). Productivity in the Time of COVID-19: Evidence from East Asia and Pacific. Research and Policy Brief, 46. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/35528

Denicolai, S., Cotta Ramusino, E., & Sotti, F. (2015). The impact of intangibles on firm growth. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 27(2), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2014.959484

Dzenopoljac, V., Yaacoub, C., Elkanj, N., & Bontis, N. (2017). Impact of intellectual capital on corporate performance: evidence from the Arab region. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 18(4), 884–903. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-01-2017-0014

Edvinsson, L. (2013). IC 21: Reflections from 21 years of IC practice and theory. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 14(1), 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/14691931311289075

Edvinsson, L., & Malone, M. S. (1997). Intellectual capital: realizing your company's true value by finding its hidden brainpower. Harper Collins buiness.

Ge, F., & Xu, J. (2021). Does intellectual capital investment enhance firm performance? Evidence from pharmaceutical sector in China. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 33(9), 1006–1021. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2020.1862414

Gravili, G., Manta, F., Cristofaro, C., Reina, R., & Toma, P. (2021). Value that matters: intellectual capital and big data to assess performance in healthcare. An empirical analysis on the European context. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 22(2), 260–289. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-02-2020-0067

Haji, A. A., & Ghazali, N. A. M. (2018). The role of intangible assets and liabilities in firm performance: Empirical evidence. Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 19(1), 42–59. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAAR-12-2015-0108

Hall, B. H., Jaffe, A., & Trajtenberg, M. (2005). Market value and patent citations. RAND Journal of Economics, 36(1), 16–38. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1593752

Hall, B. H., Mairesse, J., & Mohnen, P. (2010). Measuring the returns to R&D. Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, 2(1), 1033–1082. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7218(10)02008-3

Hall, R. (2001). Struggling to understand the stock market. American Economic Review, 91(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.91.2.1

Hartsema, S. T., Harris, C., Li, Z., & Morillon, T. G. (2021). Intangible assets and trade credit policy. Managerial Finance, 47(9), 1286–1299. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-07-2020-0372

Johnson, W. H. A. (1999). Integrative taxonomy of intellectual capital: Measuring the stock and flow of intellectual capital components in the firm. International Journal of Technology Management, 18(5), 562–575. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijtm.1999.002788

Lev & Schwartz. (2001). Intangibles: Management, Measurement, and Reporting. The International Journal of Accounting, 36(4), 501–503.

Lev, B., & Daum, J. H. (2004). The dominance of intangible assets: Consequences for enterprise management and corporate reporting. Measuring Business Excellence, 8(1), 6–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/13683040410524694

Matias Gama, A. P., Segura, L. C., & Milani Filho, M. A. F. (2017). The Impact of Investment in Intangible Assets on the Market Value. In Accounting, Finance, Sustainability, Governance and Fraud (pp. 65–82). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3009-3_4

Méndez-Morales, A. (2019). Show me the money: Pecking order and funding sources for innovative firms in colombia. Cuadernos de Administracion, 32(59). https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.cao32-59.stmpo

Méndez-Morales, A., & Yanes-Guerra, C. (2021). Financial system specialization and private research and development expenditure: research for OECD countries. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 26(51), 41–60. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-10-2019-0256

Mesa Velásquez, G. (2012). Medición de los activos intangibles, retos y desafíos. Cuadernos de Contabilidad, 13(33), 319–335.

Ni, Y., Cheng, Y., & Huang, P. (2020). Do intellectual capitals matter to firm value enhancement? Evidences from Taiwan. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 22(4), 725–743. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-10-2019-0235

Pechlivanidis, E., Ginoglou, D., & Barmpoutis, P. (2022). Can intangible assets predict future performance? A deep learning approach. International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, 30(1), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-06-2021-0124

Qureshi, M. J., & Siddiqui, D. A. (2021). The Effect of Intangible Assets on Financial Performance, Financial Policies, and Market Value of Technology Firms: A Global Comparative Analysis. Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, 12(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.5296/ajfa.v12i1.16655

Rika Gamayuni, R. (2015). The Effect Of Intangible Asset Financial Performance And Financial Policies On The Firm Value. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 4(1), 202–212.

Roodman, D. (2009). Practitioners' corner: A note on the theme of too many instruments. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 71(1), 135–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1468-0084.2008.00542.X

Serpeninova, Y., Lehenchuk, S., Mateášová, M., Ostapchuk, T., & Polishchuk, I. (2022). Impact of intellectual capital on profitability: Evidence from software development companies in the Slovak Republic. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 20(2), 411–425. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(2).2022.34

Skhvediani, A., Maksimenko, D., Maykova, A., & Kudryavtseva, T. (2022). Assessment of the Impact of Intellectual Capital on the Profitability of IT Companies in Russia. International Journal of Technology, 13(7), 1558–1567. https://doi.org/10.14717/ijtech.v13i7.6203

Vishnu, S., & Gupta, V. K. (2014). Intellectual capital and performance of pharmaceutical firms in India. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 15(1), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-04-2013-0049

Wahyuni, S., Pujiharto, P., Pratama, B. C., & Azizah, S. N. (2023). Analysis of the rate of growth of intellectual capital ability in predicting present and future profitability of Sharia commercial banks in Indonesia. Asian Journal of Accounting Research, 8(2), 194–206. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-10-2021-0226

Wyatt, A. (2012). What Financial and Non-Financial Information on Intangibles is Value Relevant? A Review of the Evidence. SSRN Electronic Journal, 38(3), 217-256. https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.1103443

Xiong, H., Wu, Z., Hou, F., & Zhang, J. (2020). Which Firm-specific Characteristics Affect the Market Reaction of Chinese Listed Companies to the COVID-19 Pandemic? Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 56(10), 2231–2242. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2020.1787151

Xu, J., & Li, J. (2019). The impact of intellectual capital on SMEs' performance in China: Empirical evidence from non-high-tech vs. high-tech SMEs. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 20(4), 488–509. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-04-2018-0074

Xu, J., & Wang, B. (2019). Intellectual capital and financial performance of Chinese agricultural listed companies. Custos e Agronegocio, 15(1), 273–290.

Yao, H., Haris, M., Tariq, G., Javaid, H. M., & Khan, M. A. S. (2019). Intellectual capital, profitability, and productivity: Evidence from Pakistani financial institutions. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143842