Intangible Assets and Value Creation

"Just as the economy has moved from tangible to intangible, reporting on the economy will move from the tangible to the intangible. That's the migration from financial reporting to Balanced Scorecard reporting" (taken from the interview in the book) David P. Norton, co-author of the Balanced Scorecard

"Any company which just looks on financials and has a historic and short-term perspective, won't last long." (taken form the interview in the book) Leif Edvinsson, thought leader an pioneer in intellectual capital management, former director intellectual capital at Skandia in Sweden

"Business success of enterprises from all industries is based increasingly on their capability to innovate and to create sustaining relationships with business partners and customers. Through investments in these areas they create intangible assets which represent, beside their human capital, the core of their corporate value." (approved by Henning Kagermann) Prof. Dr. Henning Kagermann, Co-CEO SAP AG

The book has an ambitious and multi-faceted focus: It not only addresses the scope and functions of intangible assets, but it also discusses related topics such as accounting for intangibles; the implications of intangibles for internal and external reporting; and the foundations of a new management system. The book is carefully investigated, well-written and nicely structured. Several interviews with leading specialists such as Leif Edvinsson (a pioneer in the area of Intellectual Capital management), Baruch Lev (an expert on intangibles accounting) and David Norton (co-creator of the Balanced Scorecard concept) provide also a helpful bridge between the practice and theory of managing intangible assets.

I strongly recommend this book if you want to have a better understanding of the comprehensive role and implications of a company's intangible assets. It is also a helpful resource for students and professionals in the areas of strategic management, financial performance management and strategic accounting. It will challenge and help you to discover new ways to create business value.