Intangible-driven value creation: supporting and obstructing factors

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the factors that support or obstruct market value creation through intangible capital. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the impact of intangibles and exogenous shocks on corporate attractiveness for investors measured by market value added. Specifically, the relationship between intangible-driven outperformance of companies, measured by economic value added (EVA) and a number of intangible drivers on macro-, meso- and micro-levels is analyzed. It is supposed that the process of value creation is not only confined to companies’ performances. The empirical research was conducted on > 900 public companies from Europe and the USA during the period of 2005-2009. Findings – The study establishes that investment attractiveness is affected by intangibles. It is found that a company’s experience, size and innovative focus facilitate value creation. An unexpected result was revealed concerning countries’ education level, which appears to be an obstructive condition for intangible-driven value creation. Research limitations/implications – The study reveals the significance of industry belonging for intangible-driven value creation. Nevertheless, it does not discover the particular characteristics of industry that influence corporate attractiveness for investors. These issues could be addressed in future research. Practical implications – The findings established in this study extend the understanding of the phenomenon of intangible capital and enable the improvement of investment decision-making. Originality/value – The study emphasizes the holistic framework of market value creation by analyzing a number of strategic crucial factors in line with EVA.