03 222 Albertini & Berger-Remy 2019


M@n@gement
2019, vol. 22(2): 216-249 

Intellectual Capital and Financial Performance:

A Meta-Analysis and Research Agenda

Elisabeth Albertini ! Fabienne Berger-Remy 

Accepted by co-editor in chief Thomas Roulet

Abstract. In the post-industrial economy, intellectual capital (IC) in the form 
of human, structural or relational capital is becoming a crucial factor for a 
firm’s long-term performance, as it constitutes a competitive advantage 
from the resource-based theory perspective. Previous research led to a 
fragmented view of IC, as the relationship between IC and corporate 
financial performance has been mostly studied mobilizing human, 
structural or relational capital components in isolation. Furthermore, most 
studies conclude that even though the relationship is positive, it remains at 
best unclear. Another unsolved issue lies in value capture—namely, who, 
among various stakeholders, benefits most from the value created by IC. 
Using a statistical meta-analysis of 75 empirical studies from 1992 to 2017, 
this research shows that human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and 
relational capital (RC) do not influence corporate financial performance to 
the same extent. This can be explained by the characteristics of IC 
components in term of ownership, tradability and timespan, and the 
beneficiary of the value created, being the company, the investor or the 
customer.
This work, then, contributes to an extended view of resource-based theory, 
mostly by highlighting that some IC components are interrelated in their 
association with financial performance. Lastly, this research opens new 
avenues for research in four directions: (1) identification and classification 
of IC components; (2) understanding of the combination and orchestration 
of intangible assets; (3) improvement of indicators and measurement 
systems of IC; and (4) enhancement of the understanding of value creation 
through narrative means, namely extra-financial disclosure and corporate 
communication.
 
Keywords: intellectual capital, resource-based theory, financial 
performance, relational capital, structural capital, human capital, brand 
equity

INTRODUCTION

Our contemporary economy is witnessing a historic shift in which 
value creation no longer comes from the mastery of production but rather 
from intellectual capital (IC) (Dean & Kretschmer, 2007; Murthy & 
Mouritsen, 2011). This shift is regularly featured in the headlines of the 
economic press, which praises new business models such as Airbnb and 
Uber (Pfeffer 2014), which operate with almost no physical capital. Apple, 
exemplary in the way the company creates value with IC such as design, 
innovation and brand, may be the most valued brand ever  and yet owns 1
few manufacturing facilities. Paradoxically, intangible assets that have not 

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Elisabeth Albertini
Sorbonne Business School

 University of Paris 1 Pantheon-
Sorbonne

France
albertini.iae@univ-paris1.fr

Fabienne Berger-Remy
Sorbonne Business School

 University of Paris 1 Pantheon-
Sorbonne

France
berger-remy.iae@univ-paris1.fr

 



M@n@gement, vol. 22(2): 216-249                                         Elisabeth Albertini & Fabienne Berger-Remy

been bought are not reported in a company’s financial statements, leading 
to situations where the book value of brands, such as Apple or Hermès, is 
equal to zero. This insufficiency in the accounting framework keeps IC 
invisible to managers, making it difficult to adequately allocate financial 
resources to a specific intangible good (Gowthorpe, 2009). 

In this context, IC is becoming a crucial factor for a firm’s long-term 
profit and performance (Crook, Ketchen, Combs & Todd, 2008; Dean & 
Kretschmer, 2007; Mouritsen, 2006). IC is defined as a set of intangible 
resources and capabilities possessed or controlled by a firm—such as 
knowledge, culture, brands, reputation, relational network, processes—that 
create value in the form of competitive advantage. It is an important part of 
resource-based theory (RBT) and contributes to performance from this 
theoretical perspective (Barney, Ketchen & Wright, 2011; Bollen, 
Vergauwen & Schnieders, 2005). The value of IC also lies in its intangible 
nature, which makes it rare and difficult to imitate, in contrast with tangible 
assets that are easier to buy or to copy (Martin de Castro, Delgado-Verde, 
Lopez-Saez & Navas-Lopez, 2011; Ray, Barney & Muhanna, 2004). 
Moreover, IC is hard to exchange since it is deeply embedded in the 
company which controls it (Molloy, Chadwick, Ployhart & Golden, 2011). 
Lastly, even if competitors attempt to imitate IC, a high degree of 
uncertainty remains about the return on investment both in magnitude and 
in time lag (Juma & Payne, 2004). In short, there is a relationship between 
IC and firm performance, but it is at best unclear (Crook, Ketchen, Combs 
& Todd, 2008). 

Hence, value creation generated by IC presents significant 
challenges for both researchers and practitioners. According to the 
academic literature, IC is divided into three main components: human 
capital (HC) (knowledge, skills, training or innovation), structural capital 
(SC) (efforts in R&D, technological infrastructure, organizational culture 
and values) and relational capital (RC) (relationships with customers, other 
stakeholders and society as a whole, as well as consumer-brand 
relationships) (Bontis, 1998; Edvinsson & Malone, 1997; Martin de Castro 
et al., 2011). Hence, these components, very different by nature, are 
interrelated with one another within the company, which in turn provide 
competitive advantages in line with RBT (Barney et al., 2011; Bollen et al., 
2005; Yuqian & Dayuan, 2015). Then, a significant amount of research has 
been conducted to demonstrate in isolation the influence of a specific IC 
component on a firm’s corporate financial performance (CFP), measured 
either by accounting-based or stock market value indicators, or more rarely 
by both types of ratio. The question may legitimately be asked whether the 
different IC components contribute equally to a firm’s CFP and whether the 
created value is captured by shareholders through the increase of the 
stock price or by the managers of the firm through accounting 
performance. 

To sum up, two important issues have not yet been fully covered. 
The first is related to the typology of IC commonly acknowledged in the 
literature, where IC components are usually placed on an equal footing. 
However, it is very likely that, because of their distinct characteristics, they 
can be compared with regard to their contribution to financial performance. 
The second issue is linked closely with value appropriation. In the classical 
view of RBT, possession of IC automatically leads to superior performance 
for the firm, based on the premise that value creation is harmoniously 
distributed throughout the different stakeholders. However, empirical 
research shows that not all value created necessarily flows to the 
company; for instance, a platform business may fail if value is not equally 
distributed between consumers, producers and the platform (Van Alstyne, 

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1. Interbrand. Best global brands 
ranking 2015. Retrieved from 
www.interbrand.com 

http://www.interbrand.com
http://www.interbrand.com


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Parker & Choudary, 2016). Hence, it is of critical importance for the RBT to 
question the issue of value appropriation by the company (Crook et al., 
2008).

Thus, the objective of this research is to fill those gaps and to 
determine (1) to what extent each and every IC component contributes to 
the financial performance of the firm and (2) whether the contribution is 
captured by managers of the firm, shareholders or customers through 
accounting-based performance, stock market value or customer 
performance. In other words, does IC create value for the organization or 
for the investors and/or the customers? A close examination of empirical 
findings is therefore critical for furthering knowledge in this area and 
provides a detailed research agenda.

To answer these questions, we opted for a statistical synthesis 
(meta-analysis) of 75 studies conducted from 1992 to 2017. Meta-analysis 
is a statistical technique that aggregates empirical findings to discern 
whether associations exist and, more importantly, provides estimates of 
their size (Damanpour, 1991; Grinstein, 2008; Scheer, Miao & Palmatier, 
2015). By statistically aggregating results across individual studies and 
correcting statistical artifacts, such as sampling and measurement error, 
meta-analysis allows for much greater precision than other forms of 
research review (Hunter, Schmidt & Jackson, 1982). Moreover, meta-
analysis can estimate the extent to which the economic value created is 
revealed differentially in performance measures (Crook et al., 2008). 
Several meta-analyses have studied in isolation the relationship between 
business performance and forms of RC such as advertising (Conchar, 
Crask & Zinkhan, 2005; Eisend, 2009), customer relationship (Edeling & 
Fischer, 2016; Palmatier, Dant, Grewal & Evans, 2006), customer 
satisfaction (Orsingher, Valentini & de Angelis, 2010; Szymanski & Henard, 
2001) and product innovativeness (Szymanski, Kroff & Troy, 2007). 
However, to our knowledge, no research has taken a more holistic view of 
IC. 

From a theoretical point of view, this research aims at shedding light 
on the nature of IC and its links to financial performance by answering a 
research call about the potential superiority of certain strategic resources 
(Crook et al., 2008). This meta-analysis highlights that, unexpectedly, the 
different IC components—human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and 
relational capital (RC)—do not influence CFP in the same proportion, 
demonstrating the complex nature of IC. This review opens new avenues 
for research and enhances managers’ understanding of which IC 
components to focus on. 

The remainder of this article is organized as follows. In the next 
section we review the background literature on the overall relationship 
between IC and CFP, present the hypotheses of this research and outline 
the influence of possible moderators. Next, we describe the meta-analysis 
technique and procedures used in this paper, and the results of the meta-
analytic investigation. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and managerial 
implications of the findings and some limitations, and make 
recommendations for future research.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Although fairly young in their development, IC and related topics 
have recently increased in popularity, in both academic and practitioner 
circles (Table 1). Indeed recognition of the importance of IC has increased 
as more and more firms are creating value based on knowledge and other 
intangible assets rather than tangible assets such as buildings, equipment 

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and real estate (Villalonga, 2004). The subject has gained popularity in 
several academic fields in management, namely in strategic management, 
marketing, human resources, accounting and finance. As shown below, 
this has led to a relatively fragmented view, as each discipline has seen IC 
from its own angle, mostly emphasizing one or other of the IC components, 
thus compromising overall view and comparison.   

From the strategic management perspective, RBT posits that 
sustained competitive advantage is derived from the rare, valuable, 
imperfectly imitable and not substitutable resources and capabilities a firm 
controls (Barney, 1991; Barney et al., 2011; Barney, Wright & Ketchen, 
2001). These resources and capabilities can be viewed as bundles of 
tangible and intangible assets, including a firm’s management skills, its 
organizational processes and the information and knowledge it controls 
(Barney et al., 2001). The specific features of IC can explain its significant 
role in the performance of the firm (Molloy et al., 2011). While tangible 
assets deteriorate with use, several components of IC, such as employees’ 
skills, may improve with use. Hence, IC is expected to provide benefits for 
an undefined timeframe as opposed to tangible assets which have 
expected depreciation (Cohen, 2011). Moreover, IC is a non-rivalrous 
good, that is, multiple managers can use it simultaneously. Yet, intangible 
assets are immaterial, which makes them difficult to imitate or to exchange 
since they often cannot be separated from their owner (Marr & Moustaghfir, 
2005). Indeed, to acquire an IC such as a brand, firms must often acquire 
the whole organization (Barney, 1999). Moreover, their immateriality leads 
to inefficient markets (Cohen, 2011). Hence, companies develop IC within 
the firm through complex social and organizational processes (Winter, 
2003), typically making these intangible assets tacit, hard to codify and 
difficult to imitate, contributing to the firm’s superior and sustainable 
performance (Villalonga, 2004). 

In marketing research, strong brands are typically assets that are 
rare, valuable, imperfectly imitable and not substitutable. Keller (1993) 
coined this description in his seminal article on brand equity, when he 
defined consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) as “the differential effect of 
brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand”. 
Interestingly, for Keller this occurs when the consumer makes brand 
associations that are favourable, strong and unique, a definition that pretty 
much matches that of Barney (1991) in the RBT. Hence, brand equity 
corresponds first and foremost to the value attributed to the brand by each 
consumer, i.e. CBBE defined as “the added value that a brand endows a 
product with” (Farquhar, 1989). Brand equity is then assessed on the basis 
of its potential to propose a superior value to the customer than a similar 
non-branded or competing product (de Chernatony, Riley & Harris, 1998). 
From the firm perspective, the capacity of the brand to modify consumer 
perceptions and behaviours steadily and consistently towards branded 
products enables brands to develop a unique competitive force (Changeur, 
2004). Brands with high equity will then generate “incremental cash flows 
which accrue to branded products over and above the cash flows which 
would result from the sales of unbranded products” (Simon & Sullivan, 
1993). Marketing scholars generally see having strong brands as a 
competitive advantage (Kimbrough et al., 2009). In parallel to the brand 
equity stream, other marketing scholars have emphasized the value 
created by the so-called “market orientation”, defined as an organizational 
culture focused on the creation of superior value for customers (Kohli & 
Jaworski, 1990; Narver & Slater, 1990). In that research stream, a market-
oriented company will develop specific skills in customer relationship 
management (Johnson & Selnes, 2004), which in turn will provide a 

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competitive advantage in the form of customer satisfaction and loyalty 
(Anderson, Fornell & Lehmann, 1994; Rego, Morgan & Fornell, 2013). As a 
result, customer portfolio is a key asset for market-oriented companies and 
requires careful management (Ryals, 2005). 

From the HC research perspective, knowledge and tacit skills 
provide individuals with greater cognitive abilities, leading to more 
productive and efficient activity (Bontis & Fitz-Enz, 2002). While human 
resource management (HRM) practices may be imitable, HRM systems 
and routines may be unique and contribute to the development of specific 
capital skills (Barney et al., 2001). Indeed, HC can provide a sustained 
competitive advantage since it involves knowledge stocks, such as hiring 
well-educated people, and knowledge flows, such as developing a high 
level of codified and tacit knowledge (Bontis, 1998; Chadwick, 2017; do 
Rosario-Cabrita & Bontis, 2008).

From the accounting research perspective, intangible assets are not 
captured adequately using current financial-reporting systems, either the 
IFRS or the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), because it is 
difficult to represent them as an historic cost in a transaction-based 
accounting framework (Barth, 2015). Explicit legal rights, like patents, 
copyright and possibly brands, are exceptions and these are reported in 
the balance sheet if they are bought with other assets. Yet, customer 
relationships, organizational capital (OC), knowledge assets, HC and other 
components of IC are so specific that they cannot be evaluated by a 
market price and so reported in the balance sheet (Penman, 2009). From 
the finance research perspective, the market value of the firm reflects its 
intangible assets such as brand, patents, reputation, human and 
organizational capital even if they are not recognized by domestic 
accounting standards (Amir, Lev & Sougiannis, 2003; Lev & Zambon, 
2003). Value relevance studies find that available financial estimates of 
intangible assets reliably reflect their value, in that these estimates have a 
significantly positive relation with share price (Barth, 2015). Moreover, 
these studies underline the relevance of firms’ IC as a major driver of 
growth and competitiveness (Youndt, Subramaniam & Snell, 2004). Hence, 
Table 1 gives a summary of the research field relating to IC.

Table 1 - A synthesis of the IC research field

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Research field Main outputs Issues for corporate financial performance

Strategy
Resource-based theory: A firm’s 
resources, particularly intangible 
ones, contribute to a sustained 
competitive advantage.

These elements of IC are not easily 
identified by managers and are therefore 
hard to manage.

Marketing

Sustainable competitive advantage 
originates from the firm’s ability to 
build long-lasting relationships with an 
array of stakeholders, primarily 
customers.

Managers focus on how to build strong 
brands and impeccable reputation through 
efficient communications and state-of-the 
art customer care.

Human resource 
management

Sustainable competitive advantage is 
tied to specific HC skills, core 
competences and knowledge.

Managers may wonder how to attract, 
develop, motivate and retain employees.

Accounting and 
finance

IC does not consist of separable 
assets that can be captured by 
conservative accounting rules in a 
balance sheet. Yet investors 
recognize the critical importance of IC 
in the value creation process of a 
company.

The financial statement does not 
adequately report the IC of a firm. 
Information about IC investments is an 
important factor in the process of valuing 
shares by investors.



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OVERALL IC AND CFP ASSOCIATION

In today’s post-industrial economy, capital has expanded from the 
realm of tangibles to intangibles (Dean & Kretschmer, 2007). In this 
context, IC is becoming a crucial factor in a firm’s long-term profit and 
performance in a knowledge-based economy (Bollen et al., 2005; Yuqian & 
Dayuan, 2015). IC is defined as a set of intangible resources and 
capabilities possessed or controlled by a firm. The wide range of academic 
definitions of IC refers to an organization’s total capabilities, knowledge 
capability, culture, strategy, process and professional practices, intellectual 
property and relational networks that create value in the form of 
competitive advantages and therefore contribute strongly to the 
achievement of a firm’s objectives (Bollen et al., 2005; Edvinsson & 
Malone, 1997; Hsu, Fang & Fang, 2009; Morgan, 2012; Phusavat, 
Comepa, Sitko-Lutek & Ooi, 2011; Reed, Lubatkin & Srinivasan, 2006; 
Teece, 2000). The value of IC also lies in its intangibility, which makes it 
difficult to imitate, in contrast with tangible assets (Martin de Castro et al., 
2011; Ray et al., 2004). Hence, we propose the following hypothesis:

H1: The overall association between intellectual capital (IC) and 
corporate financial performance (CFP) is positive. 

DIVING INTO A COMPLEX ASSOCIATION

The association between IC and CFP reflects a great deal of 
complexity since CFP can be measured by different approaches and IC 
embraces components that are very different by nature.

The approaches of corporate financial performance measurement 

In the sample of studies gathered for this meta-analysis, there is a 
clear focus on financial performance seen as an outcome (dependent 
variable). This constitutes potentially a limitation, as financial performance 
could also be seen as an input (Guérard, Langley & Seidl, 2013; Lechner & 
Gudmundsson, 2012). In our sample, CFP is measured by three broad 
categories of indicators: (1) stock market value (investor returns); (2) 
accounting-based indicators (accounting returns); and (3) customer metrics 
(sales, market share and price premium), as shown in Figure 1.

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Figure 1. Indicators of corporate financial performance found 
in the sample studies

Stock market-based indicators (1) often use the price-earnings ratio, 
price per share or share price appreciation, Tobin’s q, share value or 
market value to underscore an improvement in the firm’s economic 
performance. Stock market-based indicators are said to be subject to 
forces beyond management control. Further, Tobin’s q has been 
extensively used in our sample studies to measure the stock market value 
of firms because this indicator is a forward-looking measure of 
performance that captures information about firms’ future potential 
earnings (Bharadwaj, Bharadwaj & Konsynski, 1999). Indeed, a firm that 
creates stock market value above the replacement costs of its assets also 
creates additional firm value. Tobin’s q is a surrogate of firm value in the 
stock market (Matzler, Hinterhuber, Daxer & Huber, 2005) that has been 
extensively used as a measure of intangible value (Bharadwaj et al., 1999). 
Tobin’s q reflects the market expectations of less quantifiable dimensions 
of performance that reflects the portion of the firm’s intangible assets in 
addition to its tangible assets (Lin, Chen & Wu, 2006).

Accounting-based indicators (2) mainly use earnings per share, 
return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), return on sales and return 
on investment (ROI) to measure the financial performance of a firm. ROA 
and ROE are generally accepted standard measures of financial 
performance found in strategy research. Accounting-based indicators are 
subject to managers’ discretionary allocations of funds to different IC 
project choices. These indicators reflect internal decision-making 
capabilities and managerial performance rather than external market 
responses to organizational (non-market) actions (Hsu & Wang, 2012; 
Phusavat et al., 2011).

In the marketing literature, financial performance can also be 
estimated using indicators related to customer purchases; for example, a 
widely used indicator is sales in purchase units (Coviello, Winklhofer & 
Hamilton, 2006; Eggers, Kraus, Hughes, Laraway & Snycerski, 2013; 
Hooley, Greenley, Cadogan & Fahy, 2005; Luo, Griffith, Liu & Shi, 2004; 
Rubera & Droge, 2013; Smith & Wright, 2004; Yeung & Ennew, 2000) 

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followed by other indicators including market share (Hooley et al., 2005; 
Matsuno, Zhu & Rice, 2014; Nakao, 1993) and the ability to charge a 
premium price (Holbrook, 1992; Thomson, MacInnis & Park, 2005). 
Studies in our sample have adopted a variety of measurements of financial 
performance. Additionally, in most of the published research, priority is 
given to one specific component of IC. Attention will now be turned to the 
composition, or subdivision, of IC into several components as presented in 
the fields of management science. 

The diversity of intellectual capital components

The academic literature divides IC into three main components (see 
Figure 2): human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and relational capital 
(RC) (Bontis, 1998; Edvinsson & Malone, 1997; Martin de Castro et al., 
2011). HC refers to employees’ tacit or explicit knowledge, such as 
attitudes, experiences, skills, abilities, expertise and know-how. HC leaves 
the company at night when employees return home and therefore does not 
fully belong to the company (Chadwick, 2017; Edvinsson & Malone, 1997). 
This critical resource helps to differentiate financial performance between 
firms because HC involves both knowledge stocks (hiring well-educated 
people) and knowledge flows (developing a high level of codified and tacit 
knowledge about a specific market and its specific market conditions) 
(Bontis, 1998). Unlike HC, SC is everything left at the office at night when 
employees return home. This type of capital corresponds to the 
institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within and 
used by databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems and processes 
(Edvinsson & Malone, 1997; Youndt et al., 2004). SC is composed of the 
knowledge created by a firm’s information technology systems and stored 
in them, its structure and operating procedure (Edvinsson & Malone, 
1997), and intangible elements such as culture and informational routines 
(Nelson & Winter, 1982). Lastly, RC refers to the relationships a firm has 
with customers, suppliers, partners and social agents who are connected 
to the organization through its basic business processes, as well as the 
value of the firm’s relations with stakeholders that can be influenced by the 
firm’s activities (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). RC is defined as the 
organization’s implicit set of available resources and ongoing relationships 
implemented through interactions between individuals or organizations 
(Kostova & Roth, 2003; Shipilov & Danis, 2006). These relationships are 
displayed in Figure 2.

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Figure 2. A conceptual view of the components of intellectual capital from 
Martin de Castro et al. (2011)

HUMAN CAPITAL

Human capital (HC) is defined as the combined knowledge, skill, 
innovation and ability of employees (Bontis, Crossan & Hulland, 2002; 
Bontis & Fitz-Enz, 2002). HC, an underlying strategic resource, is both 
supportive and necessary for success because employees’ knowledge and 
skills are essential in today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing competitive 
climate (Reed et al., 2006; Subramaniam & Youndt, 2005). Indeed, 
companies with greater HC (i.e., higher education, training or skill) are 
likely to have greater effectiveness and profitability (Aragon-Sanchez, 
Barba-Aragon & Sanze-Valle, 2003). As long as HC continues to be 
developed, staff members can improve their job performance and 
ultimately improve the firm’s performance (Hsu & Wang, 2012). A firm’s HC 
is an important source of sustained competitive advantage; therefore, 
investment in the HC of the workforce may increase employee productivity 
and financial results (Ling & Jaw, 2006; Sels et al., 2006). Training has a 
positive effect on employee productivity and effectiveness in terms of value 
added by workers (Aragon-Sanchez et al., 2003; Roca-Puig, Beltran-Martin 
& Segarra-Copres, 2011). Indeed, trained people develop more efficient 
means of accomplishing task requirements, thereby increasing productivity 
(Roca-Puig et al., 2011; Sels et al., 2006). Productivity is directly linked to 
the share of personal costs in the value added. The lower the latter is, the 
higher the margin for the company in term of profitability. 

It must be highlighted that HC has barely any impact on stock 
market value and customer metrics. Indeed, knowledge, abilities or 
behaviours can only be linked to closer constructs such as productivity or 
other organizational outcomes (Tharenou, Saks & Moore, 2007). 

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Hence, we hypothesize:

H2: The positive association between human capital (HC) and 
corporate financial performance (CFP) is stronger when CFP is 
measured by accounting-based indicators rather than by customer 
metrics and stock market value.

STRUCTURAL CAPITAL

Structural Capital (SC) incorporates two sub-components, 
technological capital (TC) and organizational capital (OC). TC refers to the 
organizational knowledge directly linked to the development of the 
activities and functions of the technical system of the organization. The 
technological system leads to the development of new products and 
services and to efficient production processes, advancing the 
organizational knowledge required to develop future technological 
innovations. This system includes investment in research and 
development, technological infrastructure and intellectual and industrial 
property (Edvinsson & Malone, 1997; Subramaniam & Youndt, 2005). 
Conversely, OC is the combination of explicit and implicit intangible assets 
that gives organizational cohesion to the different activities and business 
processes developed in the firm. This type of capital includes 
organizational culture, values and attitudes, information technology 
capabilities and the organizational structure of the firm (Martin de Castro et 
al., 2011). Innovative products generate a large portion of a firm’s revenues 
and, thus, participate to the growth performance of the firm (Cho & Pucik, 
2005). Indeed, investments in research and development pay off 
significantly in terms of improved productivity and subsequently profitability 
(Ettlie, 1998). An increase in research and development expenditures 
generates a positive abnormal stock return since the investors expect that 
the net present value of future earnings will be enhanced by the new 
product or the new technology launched by the company (Lin, Lee & Hung, 
2006). Hence, we propose the following hypothesis: 

H3: The positive association between structural capital (SC) and 
corporate financial performance (CFP) is stronger when CFP is 
measured by accounting-based indicators and stock market value 
rather than by customer metrics.

RELATIONAL CAPITAL

Relational capital (RC) embraces the relationships of an 
organization’s staff with its clients or customers, suppliers or allies and 
society in general (Martin de Castro et al., 2011). Stronger relationships 
foster continuous improvements in new product development through 
shared knowledge among suppliers, customers and firms (Yarbrough, 
Morgan & Vorhies, 2011). Such relationships also secure long-term sales 
through customer loyalty (Hsu & Wang, 2012), credibility (Erdem & Swait, 
1998) and superior reputation (Davies, Chun & Kamins, 2010; Smith, 
Smith & Kun, 2010). The marketing literature also focuses on customer-
brand relationships (Fournier, 1998) as an advantage for firms. Building 
strong brands results in customer-based brand equity (CBBE) (Keller, 
1993). CBBE is a source of financial value for a firm through the 
relationship that links consumers with its brand (Thomson et al., 2005). 
Notably, RC can also theoretically embrace a firm’s relationship with 
society as a whole, acting as an economic agent that plays an active, 

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positive role in the social scene. This dialogue with society can in turn 
provide competitive advantage to the firm in the form of an enhanced 
reputation, more efficient lobbying policies or easier access to valuable 
market knowledge. 

RC provides a competitive advantage essentially through a stronger 
relationship with customers, either directly or through the mediation of 
brands. The ability to build such relationships is fairly difficult for 
accountants to appreciate (Gowthorpe, 2009). Notably, recent studies 
suggest that consumers are able to recognize value in brands above and 
beyond managers themselves (Berthon, Holbrook, Hulbert & Pitt, 2007; 
Diamond et al., 2009; McEnally & De Chernatony, 1999). Hence, we can 
posit that RC is presumably more valued by consumers than by 
accountants (Smith & Wright, 2004; Yeung & Ennew, 2000). Indeed, when 
examining the RC stream of research , new performance indicators 
emerge about customer metrics, such as essential buying behaviour as a 
proxy for the amount of sales. These metrics have been used extensively 
to measure the consequences for CFP of different strategies towards 
customer relationships (Gupta & Zeithaml, 2006; Reed et al., 2006; Yeung 
& Ennew, 2000). Notably, customer metrics most frequently report intention 
to buy rather than actual purchases, which constitutes a limitation because 
the link between attitude and behaviour remains controversial (Gupta & 
Zeithaml, 2006). Customer metrics have been approximated by a higher 
preference rate (Erdem & Swait, 1998; Park & Srinivasan, 1994; Shankar, 
Azar & Fuller, 2008) or through the propensity to pay a premium price 
(Holbrook, 1992; Park & Srinivasan, 1994; Thomson et al., 2005).

Moreover, numerous surveys have reported a positive effect of RC 
on stock-market value. Brand equity has proven to be an essential 
component of firm value (Barth, Clement, Foster & Kasznik, 1998; Kirk, 
Ray & Wilson, 2013; Mizik & Jacobson, 2008, 2009) sustained by the 
number of brands (Morgan & Rego, 2009) and advertising expenses 
(Bharadwaj et al., 1999; Heiens, Leach & McGrath, 2007; McAlister, 
Srinivasan & Kim, 2007; Ohnemus, 2009). Similarly, a positive link between 
stock market value indicators and customer relationships has been 
established, measured by customer retention (Livne, Simpson & Talmor, 
2011) and customer satisfaction (Matzler et al., 2005; O’Sullivan & 
McCallig, 2012). Lastly, recent research suggests that customer-oriented 
marketing capabilities have a positive impact on stock market value as 
measured by Tobin’s q (Angulo-Ruiz, Donthu, Prior & Rialp, 2014). We 
therefore propose the following hypotheses:

H4: The positive association between relational capital (RC) and 
corporate financial performance (CFP) is stronger when CFP is 
measured by customer metrics and stock market value rather than 
by accounting-based indicators.

METHODOLOGY

Meta-analysis is a set of statistical techniques developed to identify 
and quantify associations drawn from an existing body of literature and has 
been frequently applied to the management literature (Dalton, Daily, Certo 
& Roengpitya, 2003; Edeling & Fischer, 2016; Eisend, 2009; Orlitzky, 
Schmidt & Rynes, 2003; Orsingher et al., 2010; Scheer et al., 2015; 
Szymanski & Henard, 2001). This quantitative method allows a rigorous 
integration of the findings of previous studies on a particular topic to 
assess the overall effect of existing studies and to evaluate the effect of 

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M@n@gement, vol. 22(2): 216-249                                         Elisabeth Albertini & Fabienne Berger-Remy

different data characteristics on results (Hunter et al., 1982; Rosenthal, 
1991; Stanley, 2001; Wolf, 1986). 

Meta-analysis involves statistical analyses that reveal associations 
that are less obvious in other approaches used to summarize research. 
This technique determines whether differences in results are based 
primarily on differences in research setting, measurement scale, CFP or IC 
components, or sampling error.

Consequently, this research method is appropriate to investigate the 
association between IC and CFP because it will (a) calculate an estimate 
of the mean effect size for this hypothesized association on the basis of all 
available prior studies; (b) test for the significance and generalizability of 
the discovered mean effect size by calculating its confidence interval; (c) 
assess whether there is heterogeneity in the effect size distribution and 
whether heterogeneity is found; and (d) investigate and model this 
heterogeneity through further moderator analyses (Hedges & Olkin, 1985; 
Lipsey & Wilson, 2001).

SAMPLE AND CODING

To construct a comprehensive database, computer searches were 
conducted using different combinations of keywords  in the ScienceDirect, 2
EJS Ebsco, EconLit, JSTOR, Emerald, SSRN, AoM and Cairn databases. 
Rigorous manual searches were also performed to identify additional 
articles using the reference lists of each study collected. We also consulted 
major academic journals that publish this type of research . 3

To be included in this meta-analysis, econometric studies had to 
provide a statistical measure of the association between IC and financial 
performance. Meta-analysis requires statistically independent samples 
(Cheung & Chan, 2004; Hunter & Schmidt, 2004). As a result, studies 
based on the same data set were excluded from this meta-analysis to 
avoid an over-representation bias. Our meta-analysis also excluded 
studies with insufficient data to calculate a common measure of effect size 
and studies that used very different statistical research methods, such as 
results from logit or probit regression or multivariate analysis 
(Doucouliagos & Laroche, 2003; Hunter & Schmidt, 2004). Out of the initial 
sample of 153 studies retrieved from the database search, 78 studies were 
excluded based on these criteria.

The final sample includes a total of 75 empirical studies published 
from 1992 to 2017, with 120 effect sizes that explored the association 
between IC and CFP with a combined N size of 78,858. Data coding 
focused on several sample and design characteristics, including the date of 
observation study, country, industrial context, IC component indicators and 
CFP indicators. Appendix A lists the proxies used by the studies in this 
meta-analysis. The principal unit of analysis in meta-analysis is the 
individual study (Hedges & Olkin, 1985). Since certain studies contain 
measurements of several sub-components and certain studies report 
associations with several CFP indicators, the total number of effect sizes 
exceeds the number of studies. 

Two distinct methodological approaches can be taken to address 
multiple measurements within studies: either we consider the k number of 
studied relationships in the study as independent or we represent each 
study by a single value. This research follows the first method, building on 
the research using the Monte Carlo method, which suggests that meta-

�227

2. Intellectual capital, intangible 
asset, human capital, goodwill, 
t r a d e m a r k s , r e s e a r c h a n d 
development, innovativeness, 
customer capital, market capital, 
customer relationship, customer 
loyalty, brand equity, corporate 
reputation, customer satisfaction, 
brand values, market share, 
market orientation, brand image, 
customer-brand relationship, 
financial performance, business 
performance, price premium, 
profit, market value, market-to-
book value, capital market, return 
on assets, return on equity, return 
on sales, profitability, business 
performance.
3 . I n c l u d i n g A c a d e m y o f 
Management Journal, Journal of 
M a n a g e m e n t , S t r a t e g i c 
Management Journal, Journal of 
Management Studies, Marketing 
Science, Journal of Marketing, 
J o u r n a l o f t h e A c a d e m y o f 
Marketing Science, Journal of 
Marketing Research, International 
Journal of Research in Marketing, 
Journal of Business Research, 
Accounting Review, Journal of 
Accounting Research and Review 
of Accounting Studies.



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A Meta-Analysis and Research Agenda                                                 M@n@gement, vol. 22(2): 216-249

analytical procedures using a detailed set of measures from each study 
outperform single-value approaches (Bijmolt & Pieters, 2001). Specifically, 
single-value approaches may produce conservative results and 
underestimate the degree of generalizability across studies (Hunter & 
Schmidt, 2004). Consequently, we extracted information from the 75 
studies on the 120 effect sizes, sample sizes and moderator variables. 

META-ANALYTIC PROCEDURES

This meta-analysis uses Hunter and Schmidt’s (1990) statistical 
aggregation techniques for cumulating correlations and correcting for 
various study artifacts to estimate the common measure of effect size 
between IC and CFP. In the meta-analysis literature, the term effect size is 
used to denote the magnitude of the relationship between the dependent 
variable (e.g., CFP) and a specific independent variable (e.g., IC, HC, SC, 
TC, OC, RC, customer relationship capital, CBBE). In this study, the r 
statistic is calculated to determine the effect size for each pair of variables 
from each study. Whenever a study reported the r statistic, that is, a 
coefficient of correlation between IC and CFP, it was used as a measure of 
effect size. When the r statistic was not reported but other statistics 
transformable into the r statistic were presented, we used formulas given 
by Rosenthal (1991) or Wolf (1986) to transform t-test and Z-test into an r 
statistic. Following Hunter and Schmidt (1990), for each association 
between IC and CFP, we first   calculated the weighted mean correlation 
c o e f fi c i e n t ( � , t h e t o t a l o b s e r v e d v a r i a n c e 
( � ) a n d t h e s a m p l i n g e r r o r v a r i a n c e  
(� ), where �  is the number of observations in each 
sample, r the effect size for sample i, and k the number of effect sizes.

While meta-analysis corrects for various statistical artifacts, this 
statistical technique for research synthesis also allows the aggregation of 
results across separate studies and yields an estimate of the true 
relationship between two variables in a population. The zero-order 
correlations between the variables of interest that a study reports are 
weighted by the sample size of the study to calculate the mean weighted 
correlation across all the studies in the analysis. The standard deviation of 
the observed correlations is then calculated to estimate their variability. 
Total variability across studies is composed of the true population variation, 
variation caused by sampling error, and variation linked to other artifacts 
(that is, reliability and range restriction). Controlling these artifacts provides 
a more accurate estimate of true variability. To control for such artifacts, we 
relied on Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Borenstein, 1997), a software 
package that employs Hunter and Schmidt’s (1990) artifact distribution 
formulas used in previous meta-analyses in the management field (Certo, 
Lester, Dalton & Dalton, 2006; Dalton et al., 2003; King, Dalton, Daily & 
Covin, 2004). 

Confidence intervals were calculated with corrected standard 
deviation estimates and the standard errors of the mean-corrected effect 
sizes established (Whitener, 1990). Confidence intervals provide 
information on the reliability of the estimate of the weighted mean 
coefficient correlation by stating the range of values between which the 
true value of this value is likely to lie, given a self-chosen confidence level 
(in our case, 95%). Hence, a 95% confidence interval that does not include 
zero indicates that there is a true relationship between the variables of 
interest (Hunter & Schmidt, 1990). 

r− = ∑ Ni rii / ∑ Ni )
S2r = ∑ Ni(ri − r

−)2 / ∑ Ni
S2e = (1 − r

−2)2 k / ∑ Ni Ni

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M@n@gement, vol. 22(2): 216-249                                         Elisabeth Albertini & Fabienne Berger-Remy

Following Hunter & Schmidt’s procedures (Hunter & Schmidt, 1990), 
our meta-analysis uses the percentage of observed variance across 
studies to test heterogeneity rather than the credibility interval. The Q and 
I2 statistics empirically confirm the theoretical assumption of sample 
heterogeneity (Huedo-Medina, Sanchez-Meca, Marin-Martinez & Botella, 
2006). While, the Q-statistic has been criticized because of its excessive 
power to detect unimportant heterogeneity when there are many studies 
(Higgins & Thompson, 2002), the I2 index is more informative since it 
quantifies the proportion of between-study variance due to heterogeneity 
regardless of the number of studies. Indeed, the I2 index can be interpreted 
as the percentage of the total variability in a set of effect size due to true 
heterogeneity, that is, between-studies variability (Huedo-Medina et al., 
2006). In that context, an I2 of 75% indicates large heterogeneity; 50%, 
moderate heterogeneity; and 25%, low heterogeneity (Higgins & 
Thompson, 2002).

We conducted moderator analyses by separating the sample into 
relevant subgroups with meta-analyses performed on each subgroup. This 
hierarchical subgroup method, advocated by Hunter and Schmidt (1990), 
assesses the heterogeneity of the sample. Using this method, studies are 
separated into subgroups according to theoretically predicted moderators. 
This subgrouping is hierarchical, allowing moderators to “nest” within each 
other and therefore be considered in combination (Steel & Kammeyer-
Mueller, 2002). The purpose of subgrouping is to reduce heterogeneity and 
increase explanatory power. Earlier meta-analyses suggest that studies 
can be classified according to differences in the measurement of the 
dependent and explanatory variables to reduce the level of variance in 
results (Steel & Kammeyer-Mueller, 2002). 

In the overall meta-analysis, we performed an effect size “file drawer 
analysis” to address the possibility of publication bias, which occurs when 
published studies report larger and more positive effect sizes than 
unpublished studies. File drawer analysis addresses this issue by 
calculating the number of additional unknown studies required to widen the 
reported confidence interval enough to include zero (Hunter & Schmidt, 
1990; Rosenthal, 1978). Thus, the file drawer can be interpreted as an 
indication of the stability of the relationship.

FINDINGS

Using the meta-analytical techniques described above, we examined 
the association between IC and CFP (Table 2) and the moderators’ 
influence on this association (Table 3).

Note: k = number of independent effect-size meta-analysed; N = N = total sample size across all estimate; Mean = weighted 
mean effect size; CfI 95% = lower and upper bound of 95% confidence interval for mean; Z score: standard deviation; p = 
probability at 95%; Q value= value of chi-square distributed homogeneity statistic Q; I2: I squared = percentage of total 
variation across studies due to heterogeneity, File drawer = number of missing studies averaging null findings needed to 
bring the sample-size weighted mean observed down to 0.

Table 2 - Overall meta-analytic findings between IC and CFP
�229

Effect size and 95% confidence interval             Test of null Heterogeneity

k N Mean
Lower
 limit

Upper 
limit

Z 
score

p Q value df(Q) p I2 File 
drawer

Fixed effect 
model 120 78,858 15 8 22 4,294 <0.000 3,782.91 119 <0.000 96.85

Rando 
effect model 120 78,858 146 105 186 6,950 <0.000 0.17 0.88 4,681



Intellectual Capital and Financial Performance:

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Note: for each analysis, k = number of independent effect sizes meta-analysed by subgrouping the studies; N = total sample 
size across all estimate; Mean = weighted mean effect size; CfI 95% = lower and upper bound of 95% confidence interval for 
mean; SE: standard error; p = probability at 95%.

Table 3 - Meta-analysis moderators’ results (fixed-effect model)

Table 2 summarizes the results of the meta-analysis of the overall 
association between IC and CFP. Table 3 presents the results of the 
moderator’s analysis detailing the association between each IC component 
and each CFP measure. In each table, the weighted mean effect size 
(Mean) shows the magnitude of the different studied associations between 
financial performance and IC, while confidence intervals provide 
information about the reliability of this estimated weight-mean effect-size. 

As shown in Table 2, the mean correlation of the association 
between IC and CFP is positive (0.015 with a 95% confidence interval of 
0.008/0.022) for the total set of 120 effect sizes and a total sample size N 
of 78,858 observations when using the conservative fixed-effect model. 
This finding holds for all different measures of IC and all different measures 
of CFP for all the studies included in this meta-analysis. The associated 
confidence interval is small and does not include zero, providing evidence 

�  230

Moderators Accounting-based 
indicators

Customer metrics Stock market value Overall financial performance

Human capital Mean: 0.162
Cfi 95%: 0.133/0.191
k: studies; 13
N: 4,377
SE: 0.011; p=0,000

Mean: 0.105 
Cfi 95%: -0.162/0.358
k:1 study; 
N: 53
SE: 0.000; p: 0,443

0 study Mean: 0.162
Cfi 95%: 0.133/0.190
k:14 studies; 
N: 4,430
SE: 0.011; p=0,000

Structural capital Mean: 0.073
Cfi 95%: 0.048/0.097
k: 22 studies;
 N: 6,552
SE: 0.025; p=0,000

Mean: 0.066 
Cfi 95%: -0.010/0.142
k: 4 studies; 
N: 654
SE: 0.047; p=0,089

Mean: 0.063 
Cfi 95%: 0.037/0.089
k:12 studies; 
N: 5,574
SE: 0.035; p= 0,000

Mean: 0.068 
Cfi 95%: 0.051/0.085
k:38 studies; 
N: 12,780
SE: 0.018; p=0,000

•Technological 
capital

Mean: 0.027 
Cfi 95%: -0.002/0.055
k: 11 studies; 
N: 4,709
SE: 0.045; p=0,066

Mean: 0.066 
Cfi 95%: -0.01/0.142
k: 4 studies; 
N: 654
SE: 0.047; p=0,089

Mean: 0.058 
Cfi 95%: 0.032/0.085
k: 11 studies; 
N: 5,476
SE: 0.035; p=0,000

Mean: 0.045 
Cfi 95%: 0.026/0.064
k: 26 studies; 
N: 10,839 
SE: 0.023; p=0,000

•Organizational 
capital

Mean: 0.188 
Cfi 95%: 0.143/0.231
k: 11 studies; 
N: 1,843
SE: 0.008; p=0,000

0 studies Mean: 0.326 
Cfi 95%: 0.139/0.490
k: 1 study; 
N: 98
SE: 0.000; p=0,001

Mean: 0.195 
Cfi 95%: 0.152/0.237
k: 12 studies; 
N: 1,941 
SE: 0.007, p=0,000

Relational capital Mean: −0.076 
Cfi 95%: -0.087/-0.066
k: 26 studies; 
N: 32,841
SE: 0.044; p=0,000

Mean: 0.086 
Cfi 95%: 0.063/0.108
k: 16 studies; 
N: 7,714
SE: 0.021; p=0,000

Mean: 0.061
Cfi 95%: 0.047/0.074
k: 22 studies; 
N: 19,999
SE: 0.003; p=0,000

Mean: −0.010 
Cfi 95%: -0.018/-0.003
k: 64 studies; 
N: 60,554 
SE: 0.018; p=0,010

•Customer 
relationship

Mean: 0.105 
Cfi 95%: 0.086/0.124
k: 17 studies; 
N: 10,319
SE: 0.012; p=0,000

Mean: 0.106 
Cfi 95%: 0.076/0.136
k: 9 studies; 
N: 4,148
SE: 0.019; p=0,000

Mean: 0.169 
Cfi 95%: 0.129/0.207
k: 6 studies; 
N: 2,394
SE: 0.003; p=0,000

Mean: 0.114 
Cfi 95%: 0.099/0.129
k: 32 studies; 
N: 16,861
SE: 0.008; p=0,000

•Customer-based 
brand equity

Mean: −0.158 
Cfi 95%: -0.171/-0.146
k: 9 studies; 
N: 22,522
SE: 0.073; p=0,000

Mean: 0.062 
Cfi 95%: 0.029/0.095
k: 7 studies; 
N: 3,566
SE: 0.059; p=0,000

Mean: 0.048 
Cfi 95%: 0.033/0.062
k: 17 studies; 
N: 18,049
SE: 0.002; p=0,000

Mean: −0.057 
Cfi 95%: -0.066/-0.048
k: 33 studies; 
N: 44,137 
SE: 0.026; p=0,000

Intellectual capital Mean: −0.026
Cfi 95%: -0.035/-0.017
k: 63 studies;
N: 44,321
SE: 0.029; p=0,000

Mean: 0.084
Cfi 95%: 0,063/0.105
k: 21 studies;
N: 8,421
SE: 0.019; p=0,000

Mean: 0.063
Cfi 95%: 0.051/0.075
k: 36 studies;
N: 26,116
SE: 0.006; p=0,000

Mean: 0.015 
Cfi 95%: 0.008/0.022
k: 120 studies; 
N: 78,858
SE: 0.014; p=0,000



M@n@gement, vol. 22(2): 216-249                                         Elisabeth Albertini & Fabienne Berger-Remy

of a significant positive association between IC and CFP and thus 
supporting H1. As shown in Table 2, 4,681 additional studies are necessary 
to change the overall substantive conclusions of this meta-analysis. A 
closer look reveals that among the three categories of CFP variables, the 
association between IC and CFP measured by accounting-based 
indicators is negative (-0.026 with a 95% confidence interval of 
-0.035/-0.017). This result highlights the difficulties that the accounting 
framework has to measure the value creation generated by IC. Moreover, 
most of the IC expenditures are registered as expenses impacting the 
annual profit of the company and thus are not considered as investments. 
Specifically, the positive association between IC and CFP is stronger when 
CFP is measured by customer metrics (0.084 with a 95% confidence of 
0.063/0.105) than measured by stock market value (0.063 with a 95% 
confidence interval of 0.051/0.075). Yet, these two confidence intervals 
overlap, leading us to conclude that there is no significant difference 
between customer metrics and stock market value as an outcome of the IC 
when looking at the association between IC and CFP. In other words, the 
positive association between IC and customer metrics or IC and stock 
market value could have some common values. Hence there is a positive 
association between IC and CFP, measured by both customer metrics and 
stock market value. 

For the overall meta-analysis results, the I2 index is 96.85%, 
supporting the existence of moderators of the association between IC and 
CFP. Hence, we have conducted a moderator analysis of the association 
between the different IC components and CFP.

As shown in Table 3, the overall link between HC and CFP is 
positive (0.162 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.133/0.190). 
Furthermore, the positive HC-CFP association is stronger when CFP is 
measured by accounting-based indicators rather than by customer metrics, 
supporting H2. Moreover, this confidence interval does not include zero, 
suggesting that this mean effect size is truly positive. It is worth noting here 
that HC is the component of IC that has been less studied. An explanation 
for this may be that independent explanatory variables measuring HC may 
be quite distant from financial performance—in other words, direct effects 
could be very difficult to prove, because HC is entangled with a myriad of 
other factors. 

Similarly, the link between SC and CFP is positive (0.068 with a 95% 
confidence interval of 0.051/0.085). This last confidence interval is 
relatively narrow and does not include zero, suggesting that the estimate is 
fairly precise and truly positive. More importantly, the positive SC-CFP 
association is stronger when CFP is measured by accounting-based 
indicators (0,073 with a confidence interval of 0,048/0,097) and measured 
by stock market value (0,063 with a confidence interval of 0,037/0,089) 
rather than by customer metrics (0,066 with a confidence interval of 
-0,010/0,142). The confidence intervals of the first two associations overlap 
leading us to conclude that the SC influence CFP measured by both—
accounting-based indicators and stock market value—supporting H3. 

When delving into the details by splitting the SC, the results show 
that the positive association between OC and CFP is stronger (0.195 with a 
95% confidence interval of 0.152/0.237) than between TC and CFP (0.045 
with a 95% confidence interval of 0.026/0.064). Indeed, research suggests 
that organizations’ operational processes and the commitment of sufficient 
resources have an important impact on performance (Hsu & Wang, 2012). 
OC such as operations, procedures and the processes of knowledge 
management have a positive effect on performance because organizations 
are increasingly employing advanced technologies to compete in today’s 

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economy (do Rosario-Cabrita & Bontis, 2008; Reed et al., 2006). The link 
between TC and CFP is stronger when CFP is measured by stock market 
value (0.058 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.032/0.085). The 
innovative propensity of a firm positively influences the degree to which 
above-average profits persist over time (Artz, Norman, Hatfield & Cardinal, 
2010; Coombs & Bierly, 2006). Firms’ R&D investments generate 
persistent profits, high stock returns and superior market value (McAlister 
et al., 2007), which give clearly positive signals to investors. Then, the 
association between TC and CFP measured by accounting-based 
indicators (0.027) or customer metrics (0.066) is positive, yet the 95% 
confidence intervals of these last two results include zero, leading us to 
conclude that these associations are not clearly positive. These results 
may be explained by the time horizon, as consumers may value 
innovativeness much later, when R&D investments are translated into new 
products and services. The same applies to accountants, as R&D 
investments are not necessarily amortized, and therefore may decrease 
operating profit short term. 

Lastly, our findings show that the positive RC-CFP association is 
stronger when CFP is measured by customer metrics (0,086 with a 95% 
confidence interval of 0,063/0,108) or stock market value (0,061 with a 
confidence interval of 0,047/0,074) rather than by accounting-based 
indicators. The confidence intervals of the first two associations overlap, 
leading us to conclude that RC is positively associated with CFP measured 
by both customer metrics and stock market value, supporting H4. 

Then, more surprisingly, the overall association between RC and 
CFP is negative (−0.010 with a 95% confidence interval of −0.018/−0.003). 
Indeed, the association between RC and CFP is negative when measured 
by accounting-based indicators (−0.076 with a 95% confidence interval of 
−0.087/−0.066), whereas the association remains positive when measured 
by stock market value (0.061) or customer metrics (0.086). To gain more 
understanding on this result, a closer look was taken on the sub-
components of the RC. What came out is that the association between 
CBBE and financial performance is negative (−0.057 with a 95% 
confidence interval of −0.066/−0.048), whereas the link between customer 
relationship capital and CFP is positive (0.114 with a 95% confidence 
interval of 0.099/0.129). This interval does not include zero, indicating that 
the mean effect size is clearly positive. Because the 95% confidence 
interval of the two sets of studies does not overlap, we can conclude that 
the different RC sub-components are significant moderators in the 
association between RC and CFP. 

When subjected to closer scrutiny, it was apparent that this negative 
association came from brand equity when measured by accounting-based 
indicators (−0.158 with a 95% confidence interval of −0.171/−0.146). 
However, the association remains positive when CFP is measured using 
stock market value (0.048 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.033/0.062) 
or customer metrics (0.062 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.029/0.095). 
The confidence intervals do not include zero, indicating that the mean 
effect sizes are truly positive for the last two associations. The confidence 
intervals of the association between brand equity and CFP measured by 
customer metrics and by stock market value overlap, leading us to 
conclude that there is a positive association between brand equity and 
CFP measured by these two kinds of performance. It appears then that 
CBBE constitutes a source of financial value for a firm through the 
relationship that ties consumers to a particular brand (Thomson et al., 
2005). Investors evaluate this relationship “power” of brands as a promise 
of future earnings (Barth, et al., 1998; Madden, Fehle & Fournier, 2006). 

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There should be future discussion about why accountants do not 
appreciate this asset to the same extent.

Finally, the positive association between Customer Relationship and 
CFP is weaker when measured by accounting-based indicators (0.105 with 
a 95% confidence interval of 0.086/0.124) than when measured by stock 
market value (0.169 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.129/0.207) or 
customer metrics (0.106 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.076/0.136). 
Nevertheless, because the confidence intervals overlap for the three sets 
of studies (customer relationship with accounting-based indicators, with 
customer metrics, with stock market value), we cannot conclude that these 
associations are statistically different but rather that there is a positive 
association between customer relationship and CFP however this 
performance is measured. Additional studies are needed to examine the 
impact of customer relationship on CFP to clearly establish where the 
value creation lies. These findings are summarized in Table 4.

Table 4 - Summary of the findings

Ultimately, we can legitimately question why certain IC components 
found in the theoretical frame of IC (see Figure 2) are either partially 
measured or not measured at all by empirical studies. There are two 
possible explanations: either these components are not contributing to IC 
or they are too difficult to measure. Empirical research on HC only covers 
knowledge and abilities, disregarding employee behaviour. What can be 
argued here is that employee behaviour may not be an asset as such, but 
rather a result of the mobilization of two other components of HC: 
knowledge and abilities. Notably, managerial actions such as training 
programmes can be envisaged to increase knowledge and abilities, 
whereas it is much less feasible to directly influence employee behaviour. 
Similarly, organizational culture and relationships to society are not 
measured by empirical studies, probably because these concepts are 
contingent, multi-dimensional and therefore difficult to measure. 

DISCUSSION AND RESEARCH AGENDA

The theoretical discussion is organized around four themes: (1) how 
this work contributes to RBT in broad terms and a redefinition of IC; (2) the 
possibility of reverse associations between IC and CFP; (3) the effect of 
measurement tools on how IC is perceived; and (4) questioning the actual 
accounting framework.

�233

Hypothesis IC or IC components
Corporate 
financial 
performance

Association Findings

H1 IC CFP
Positive
The association is stronger when 
measured by customer metrics

Supported

H2 HC
CFP measured by 
accounting-based 
indicators

Positive Supported

H3 SC
CFP measured by 
accounting-based 
indicators and 
stock market value

Positive; 
The positive association is stronger 
between OC and CFP than between TC 
and CFP

Supported

H4 RC
CFP measured by 
customer metrics 
and stock market 
value

Positive; 
The relationship between CBBE and 
CFP is negative whereas the link 
between customer relationship capital 
and CFP is positive

Supported



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CONTRIBUTION TO RESOURCE-BASED THEORY AND A 
REDEFINITION OF IC

RBT focuses on the identification of specific resources and their 
contribution to performance. Nonetheless, our results highlight that some 
IC components are interrelated in their association with financial 
performance. The association between OC and financial performance 
overlaps with that between HC and financial performance, leading us to 
conclude that these two IC components are deeply interrelated. Indeed, 
the knowledge and abilities of employees contribute to the performance of 
the firm when they are used together through processes and procedures 
structuring the firm, leading to value creation. Moreover, some specific IC 
components, such as brand, could be considered as the final result of a 
combination of tangible assets (flagship stores, Zara’s state-of-the art 
supply chain) and intangible assets, such as design (Apple, Swatch) or 
know-how (Hermès and other luxury brands). Empirical studies 
underestimate the value created by the combination of assets, because 
they are studied in isolation. These considerations echo recent 
developments in RBT. Indeed, a limitation of RBT is that it focuses on long-
lasting differences between competitors and on its financial consequences, 
therefore neglecting the antecedents of the performance. Hence, two 
streams of research have recently challenged the traditional vision of RBT 
that largely ignores managerial actions. The first stream, resource 
orchestration (Helfat, 2007; Sirmon, Hitt, Ireland & Gilbert, 2011), argues 
that performance comes from the managerial choices and abilities to jointly 
use the resources rather than from the resource in itself (Chadwick, 2017; 
Lechner & Gudmundsson, 2012). In the same vein, Molloy and Barney 
(2015) present the notion of co-specialized assets to explain the added 
value given by the combination of HC with a non-human resource 
(physical, technical or financial), implying that HC cannot be disentangled 
from other forms of capital. This is indeed empirically confirmed by our 
results as HC and OC relationships with CFP overlap, which suggests that 
these IC components are combined. 

This overlap can be explained twofold. Either HC matters more than 
OC, as for instance in professional service firms characterized by 
knowledge intensity, low capital intensity and skilled workforce. In that 
case, sloppy management and weak processes do not necessarily 
undermine performance which relies heavily on people’s ‘skills and abilities 
(Von Nordenflycht, 2010). Or, on the contrary, OC can prevail over HC, as 
for instance in firms operating in services on a large scale, such as ground 
crews in airline companies or receptionists in hotel chains. Von 
Nordenflycht (2010) cites McDonalds as an example because each outlet 
is run by the same routines and procedures. Chanda, Ray & McKelvey 
(2018) show that not all companies necessarily need to develop HC to be 
financially successful since this depends on the company’s strategic 
orientation towards exploration or exploitation. For instance, a company 
operating in the bottom-of-the-pyramid  segment can be financially 
successful with a low level of HC.

Similarly, other scholars have criticized the RBT, arguing that it 
focuses too much on the innate features of resources hindering the way 
they are brought into use (Feldman & Worline, 2012). The proponents of 
the so-called resourcing theory go as far as to say that resources as such 
do not matter; what is important is the action taken to use the resources. 
This is partly reflected in the nature of the proxies selected in the sample of 
studies. Indeed, a distinction can be made between proxies corresponding 
to a resource (e.g. R&D expenditure) and proxies related to the use of a 

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resource (e.g. innovation capabilities). Even if the majority of the proxies 
used in our sample studies directly refer to resources as such, in 
accordance with the classical view of RBT (see Appendix A), some address 
the complex issue of resources in-use, usually under the umbrella terms of 
“capabilities” or “implementation”. Further development of RBT could 
include other type of indicators measuring the effective use of resources 
rather than the resources themselves.

Finally, although many attempts have already been made to define 
IC—from the strict interpretation of accounting research to definitions in 
strategy that consider capabilities and competencies—none have reached 
a consensus so far (Dean & Kretschmer, 2007). From our results, and with 
the aim of reconciling those different views with a management 
perspective, we propose to define IC as follows: Intellectual capital is at 
once the stock of cognitive knowledge and relational skills collectively built 
in an organization, and the effective use made of it. 

A CHICKEN AND EGG DILEMMA

Another concern emerges from the results regarding the cause-to-
effect chain. In the RBT literature, it is conventionally assumed that IC 
gives a firm competitive advantage, which in turn supports financial 
performance. We might expect that when a firm enjoys additional 
resources from stronger financial performance, it can invest in employees’ 
well-being, which will in turn foster positive employee behaviour and 
organizational culture. For example, Google has heavily leveraged IC 
components such as TC, knowledge and abilities, which has provided 
competitive advantage and outstanding financial performance that have 
enabled the company to invest in employees’ well-being, to the extent that 
in 2017 it came first in the list of Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For, for 
the sixth year running. Another case is reported by Lechner and 
Gudmundsson (2012) for football clubs, where high financial performance 
allows significant investments in renowned athletes. The relationship 
between IC and CFP could thus be viewed as a virtuous cycle in which 
some components of IC positively influence CFP, which then allows firms 
to invest in other assets that are crucial for the value creation process. Yet, 
the literature is inconclusive about this relation. If, for some authors, an 
excess of financial resources can lead to the development of IC 
components (Lechner & Gudmundsson, 2012; Nohria & Gulati, 1996), for 
others an abundance of resources can conversely foster inertia and inhibit 
change through the phenomenon of “competency trap” (Leonard, 1992; 
Levinthal & March, 1993). 

A distorting prism of measurement tools of IC

The meta-analysis shows that the overall association between RC 
and CFP is negative. When examining the results further, we find that this 
analysis masks notable differences between the positive impact on 
customer metrics and stock market value and the negative influence on 
accounting-based measures such as ROA, ROE, ROI or net profit. This 
examination highlights the fact that accounting systems are not ideal for 
measuring the RC value when generated internally by the company (Wyatt, 
2008). In certain ways, both investors and customers (firm outsiders) 
perceive value that is not registered by the accountant (firm insiders). 
Among RC components, it appears that the situation is exacerbated for 
native brands (for instance, there is an important gap between Apple’s 
accounting value and market value). One possible explanation lies in the 

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distorting prism of the measurement tools. As stated by Martineau (2017), 
the accounting framework can be considered as an example of a “closed 
list”, implying an equality between all IC components. This formal 
representation does not fully translate either the crossed effects or the 
overall picture.

When IC questions the accounting framework

Top management regularly refers to branding efforts as expenses 
because they represent a significant amount of money, diminishing the 
annual profit, whereas in fact they generate a return after a longer period of 
time. Indeed, branding efforts are always reported as expenses rather than 
investments in the IFRS accounting framework and can be registered as 
assets only under restrictive conditions in the US GAAP accounting 
framework. 

As a result, considering investments in IC as expenses in profit and 
losses damages future earnings by hampering value creation. A partial 
integration of these expenses into the balance sheet could provide 
organizations with new knowledge and additional flexibility. Making these 
IC components visible in the company’s balance sheet would encourage 
top management to consider IC manageable. Thus, the resource allocation 
between the different IC components should be more precise in relation to 
their future earnings. Furthermore, managers would be incentivized to 
manage IC components properly because the consequences of failure in 
IC management would be visible. This challenge is significant for both 
managers and scholars, who must determine the amount of future 
earnings provided by investment in IC such as brands. This challenge 
could be addressed, however, because the results of this meta-analysis 
have proven a positive association between RC and customer metrics 
such as preference rate or propensity to pay a premium price. 

Towards a research agenda

The results of this research open new avenues for research in four 
directions: (1) identification and classification of IC components; (2) 
understanding of the combination and orchestration of IC; (3) improvement 
of indicators and measurement systems of IC; and (4) enhancement of the 
understanding of value creation through narrative means.

The first direction involves clarification of the definition of IC 
components according to their nature. Some components, such as OC, HC 
or customer relationship, are profoundly embedded in the organization’s 
structure, history and culture. Indeed, by their very nature, they cannot 
really be disentangled from the organization itself. Interestingly, these are 
also the IC components that have a better overall association with CFP. 
However, their qualification as assets may be questioned, as (1) they 
cannot be sold apart and (2) the organization does not really “own” them, 
especially in the case of HC (Chadwick, 2017). In contrast, other IC 
components, such as brands or technologies, are more readily separable 
from the organization. They can be set apart, monetized or even sold. 
These components are penalized by a weaker association with CFP (even 
a negative association in the case of brands). However, they can 
eventually provide high returns, and investors may therefore value them to 
a greater extent than accounting performance. More research is needed to 
examine the identification of IC components and provide a better 
classification according to their nature. Classification can be refined by the 

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addition of other criteria, such as tradability, ownership and time span, as 
shown in Figure 3. 

Figure 3. Proposal for a conceptual framework of intellectual capital

A second area of research that might prove fruitful is the 
combination of IC components. It is unlikely that IC components create 
value in isolation, and it is much more likely that they do so in combination 
with others. We might go so far as to say that some IC components provide 
value only if combined with others. For instance, the very specific know-
how about saddle stitch among female Hermès workers creates value 
because it is combined with Hermès’ brand equity. This fits well with the 
notion of resource portfolio (Barney et al., 2011) and resource orchestration 
(Sirmon et al., 2011). An association can also occur between tangible and 
intangible assets, for instance, a flagship store associated with a brand. 
Research questions that require further investigation include: Are there IC 
components that work only in combination? Can we identify patterns of 
combination, i.e. IC components that provide higher value when 
combined? How can we evaluate the value of the combination itself? Is 
there a way of comparing the results of varied combinations?  

Third, the results of this research pave the way towards a better 
understanding of the efficiency of managerial actions. As the overall 
association between IC and CFP is positive, this requires both a follow-up 
and a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) so that managers can move 
the strategic levers of value creation. Yet, accounting-based indicators are 
only partial measures and customer metrics and other managerial KPIs 
may be flawed, or at least too specific and contextual to be comparable 
between organizations. At best, some components can be identified and 
measured, but the knowledge and measurement of the interactions 
between them remain scarce. Future research should focus on metrics that 
could better reflect the full complexity of value creation to complement 
accounting-based indicators. These metrics could provide a better 
representation of the value creation of intangibles and a better account of 
the interaction effects between various IC components and tangibles and 
intangibles. 

Finally, companies also disclose information about their value 
creation process through narrative means in addition to indicators and 
measurement systems. They do so to reduce the discrepancies between 
companies operating through external expansion (IC components recorded 

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in financial statements), and those favouring internal growth (no IC record 
in financial statements). This is also a way to disclose information to 
investors on native brands and other intangibles that potentially penalize 
CFP. Indeed, value creation through intangibles cannot be fully captured by 
numbers. This is not to imply that investors, or managers, get no 
information at all about this value creation. They get it through narrative 
means, such as corporate communication, opinion leaders’ “voice”, 
managers’ “voice” or internal communications. Research directed towards 
this could take either a comprehensive or a normative view. A 
comprehensive view would result in an in-depth understanding of narrative 
means used by organizations, both inside and outside the firm, to provide 
information and direction on value creation through intangibles. From a 
more normative perspective, it could be interesting to reflect upon the 
feasibility of an “inventory”, or an annual report, of intangibles. If it seems 
difficult to set norms when it comes to narrative means, management 
scholars could at least provide guidelines for producing such a document. 
It seems urgent, and necessary, to set information standards that would 
overcome the incompleteness of accounting-based ratios. This is at the 
same time a transparency requirement, an expectation among investors 
and a way of containing speculative bubbles. This has been partly covered 
by the integrated reporting framework provided by the International 
Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC, 2011, 2013), which aims to “enhance 
accountability and stewardship for the broad base of capitals (financial, 
manufactured, intellectual, human, social and relationship, and natural) 
and promote understanding of their interdependencies” (IIRC, 2013: 2). 
E v e n t h o u g h i t s i n t e n t i o n i s c o m m e n d a b l e , t h e s c o p e a n d 
recommendations of the IIRC remain too broad, not directly actionable by 
managers and too discretionary regarding the requirements for disclosure 
and implementation (Robertson & Samy, 2015; Simnett & Huggins, 2015). 
This creates space for an array of contributions regarding quantitative KPIs 
and mandatory qualitative information that could usefully complement 
disclosure on value creation such as customer commitment, potential 
brand extensions or quality of internal processes. 

Managerial contributions

A superficial analysis of our results might lead to the conclusion that, 
from a managerial perspective, it is somehow better not to invest in IC 
such as brands, to avoid uncertainty related to high costs and risk on 
investment return. This shortcut, often taken by decision makers, explains 
why decisions about IC, such as brands, are difficult to make at the board 
level and why they are often made based on “gut feelings”. Indeed, there is 
a discrepancy between the nature of the value created and the monitoring 
systems. Management control systems cannot monitor IC properly 
because they have been constructed to manage fixed assets and they rely 
on average performance, therefore underestimating weak signals (Andriani 
& McKelvey, 2011). Managers, then, are forced to “see through the fog” 
and take risks if they want to invest in IC. This explanation underscores 
why success stories in building IC are reported as a result of bold, 
unconventional managers who disregard rules and procedures. We might 
wonder whether large corporation are “equipped” to create value today; 
this might help explain why the Accor group did not create Airbnb or why 
Steve Jobs did not run Apple in a traditional way. 

Nevertheless, the results of this meta-analysis confirm that 
managers may be more likely to pursue IC management to create value 
because IC positively influences CFP. To convince their boards, managers 

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should mobilize customer metrics, such as the propensity to pay a 
premium price, while calculating a ROI over a longer period of time and 
measuring the impact on investors’ perceptions. A full review of 
management control systems may then be needed to properly guide 
managers’ actions and decisions. 

Moreover, IC management questions the traditional functional 
organization of the firm. Proper IC management would require transversal 
management and thus decompartmentalization of the company. With 
regards to IC, it seems necessary to shift towards better management of 
complexity (Morin, 2008; Ramus, Vaccaro & Brusoni, 2017).

Limitations and conclusions

Overall, our results indicate that the association between IC and 
CFP is positive, with similar results being obtained for HC and CFP, and 
SC and CFP. However, the association between RC and CFP is negative, 
leading us to delve more deeply into the nature of RC. Indeed, this 
negative association is linked to CBBE, which negatively affects the net 
profit of the company, whereas the association remains positive when 
measured using stock market value and customer metrics.

The results of this study must be interpreted with caution. IC and its 
components and CFP are meta-constructs that can be operationalized in a 
variety of ways. The “estimate” calculated in this meta-analysis depends on 
the researchers’ choices of IC and CFP measures and on their theoretical 
significance. Furthermore, this effect size is calculated from different 
studies, countries, periods and operational definitions used in measuring 
the explanatory variables and from a variety of research methods. Another 
limitation of our meta-analysis lies in the difficulty of accounting for 
endogeneity caused by reverse causality or omitted variables in the 
primary studies. Reverse causality refers to a probable two-way causal link 
between financial performance and IC components, as already pointed out 
in the discussion section. Indeed, although the vast majority of studies 
used in this meta-analysis account for a relationship going from IC to 
financial performance, it is very likely that the relationship also works the 
other way round in a feedback loop. As a matter of fact, financial 
performance enables investments in highly skilled employees, R&D 
projects and/or branding activities. 

Endogeneity is potentially also caused by omitted variables in 
primary studies. In fact, variables such as the competitive intensity or the 
business sector may affect the relationship between IC and financial 
performance. For instance, the relationship between HC and financial 
performance is arguably stronger in business sectors requiring highly 
skilled employees such as in knowledge-intensive firm than in business 
sectors requiring large and interchangeable workforce (Von Nordenflycht, 
2010). Of the studies in our sample, very few addressed possible 
endogeneity. However, our results should be interpreted with caution as the 
quality of a meta-analysis depends on the quality of prior results. Hence, 
we call for research that attempts to (1) elucidate potential reverse 
causality, that is, high financial performance leads to an increase of IC 
components, and (2) include more variables to enhance the explanatory 
power of the models. For the latter, the relationship between IC and 
financial performance could potentially be influenced by other variables  
such as intellectual property regulation levels, competitive intensity, 
accounting standards, type of governance (shareholders, family business), 
listed versus non-listed companies, level of equity, ease of access to 
financial resources or conversely scarcity of resources (for instance, 

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scarce supply of qualified workforce in specific sectors). This calls for a 
much thinner identification of the sample characteristics in published 
papers, notably by including a great deal of more qualitative variables. 

Finally, the statistical significance of our results does not necessarily 
imply economic significance (Ziliak & McCloskey, 2008). Indeed, scholars 
should not be interested only in whether there is an effect (tested by 
statistical significance) but in how big this effect is (tested by economic 
significance). However, establishing an order of magnitude in management 
studies poses significant challenges, as it is difficult to obtain good reliable 
parameter estimates (Engsted, 2009). This is probably why economic 
significance is barely discussed in meta-analysis in the strategy or 
management fields (Doucouliagos & Laroche, 2003). Still, it could be 
interesting in further studies to compare the magnitude of estimated 
coefficients within firm size, business sectors or geography in order to 
grasp the economic significance of the results. 

Despite these limitations and concerns, meta-analysis is a well-
established social science technique for aggregating test statistics, and the 
inclusion criteria used in this paper are consistent with the literature. 

Moreover, since meta-analysis supports a holistic view of a subject 
that is often seen as scattered, our results lead us to propose an extensive 
research agenda for IC. Notably, the nature of certain components of IC 
capital, including brands, organizational culture, employee behaviour and 
corporate reputation, makes them difficult to measure and therefore to 
manage. Part of the solution involves the recognition that these IC 
components are eminently volatile and embedded in the company, and 
therefore cannot be accurately measured using classical indicators. This 
challenge calls for more innovative ways of appreciating the value of such 
intangible assets including narrative means.

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APPENDIX - LIST OF PROXIES USED BY THE STUDIES 
INCLUDED IN THIS META-ANALYSIS

�241

IC component Sub-component Proxy

Human capital None
Average educational level of employees, training 
methods, total expenditures on training, human 
capabilities, human resource assets

Structural capital

Technological

R&D expenditures, R&D expenditures/sales, 
innovation capabilities, number of patents granted, 
broad technology diversity, implementation of 
technologies

Organizational
Ratio of IT expenses to total administrative expenses, 
ratio of administrative expenses to total revenue, 
implementation of information systems

Relational capital

Customer relationship

Key account ratio, commercial capabilities, customer 
acquisition, customer retention, customer service 
quality, responsiveness to customers, customer 
satisfaction, customer equity, customer loyalty

Customer-Based 
Brand Equity (CBBE)

Advertising expenses, ratio of advertising expenses to 
sales, advertising to sales, brand attitude, satisfaction 
and involvement, brand name, brand value, number 
of brands

Financial 
performance

Accounting-based 
indicators

ROA, ROE, ROI, profit, benefit before interest and 
taxes

Customer metrics Price premium, sales, market share

Stock market value Abnormal stock return, market to book, holding stock period return, Tobin’s q, share value, market value



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Elisabeth Albertini is an Associate Professor at the Sorbonne Business 
School (University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne), teaching corporate 
social responsibility and accounting. Her research interests include 
corporate social responsibility from a resource-based perspective; 
intellectual capital; extra-financial disclosure and integrated reporting. Prior 
to academia, she worked for the Xerox Company as a Corporate Financial 
Planning &Accounting Manager.

Fabienne Berger-Remy is Associate Professor in Brand Management at 
the Sorbonne Business School (University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne), 
France. Her research deals with intellectual capital, marketing 
organizations and formal or informal processes in brand management. She 
previously worked for twenty years in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods 
sector in a range of roles spanning marketing, consulting and 
management.

Acknowledgments: We express our deep gratitude to Dr Thomas Roulet 
and two anonymous reviewers for significant help and guidance in 
improving the manuscript. 

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