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What are intangible
assets? What are intangibles?
What is intellectual
capital? What are knowledge assets?
An asset is a claim to
future benefits (value, cash flows). An intangible asset
can be defined as a nonphysical claim to future value or benefits.
IIS1001.D2 defines an
intangible as any event that creates or modifies perceptions of the future
behavior, value or relevance, of an individual, group, or otherwise
constituted organization.
Intangibles,
intangible assets, knowledge assets and intellectual capital are more or
less synonyms. All are widely used – intangibles specifically in the
accounting literature, knowledge assets by economists and intellectual
capital predominantly in the management literature.
Intangibles can be categorized in many ways (many of which you can find on
this site):
- According to
Baruch Lev there are
three main “nexuses” of sources of intangibles (often a particular
intangible asset is created by a combination of these sources):
- Discovery (innovation),
- Organizational practices, and
- Human resources.
- Compare Edvinsson’s
Skandia Navigator
- Compare Sveiby’s Intangible
Assets Monitor
For further characteristics of
intangible assets click here. For the
relevancy of
intangible assets click here.
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