Vladimir Dzenopoljac, Chadi Yaacoub, Nasser Elkanj and Nick Bontis
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to fill a gap in the intellectual capital (IC) literature by providing insights into the relationship between IC and corporate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to fill a gap in the intellectual capital (IC) literature by providing insights into the relationship between IC and corporate performance among Arab companies and second, to challenge the validity of the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC) as a measure of IC’s contribution to performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The research sample included 100 publicly traded Arab companies selected by Forbes Middle East and ranked as top performers in terms of sales, profits, assets, and market value. The methodology included assessing the impact of IC components on company earnings, profitability, efficiency, and market performance for the period between 2011 and 2015. Research hypotheses were tested through the presentation of descriptive statistics, normality tests, correlation matrix, and multiple regression models.
Findings
The research yielded ambiguous results. Earnings and profitability were significantly affected by structural and physical capital; efficiency was determined primarily by physical capital; and market performance was mainly influenced by human capital.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of the research comes from disadvantages of VAIC as the measure of IC’s contributions to performance.
Originality/value
The paper fills a void in the study of IC and corporate performance among Arab companies.
Details
Keywords
Nasser Elkanj and Partha Gangopadhyay
Violent conflicts have become one of the major concerns of modern nation states. Regardless of their political, social, and economic conjunctures, nations are increasingly exposed…
Abstract
Violent conflicts have become one of the major concerns of modern nation states. Regardless of their political, social, and economic conjunctures, nations are increasingly exposed to the risk of conflicts. Conflicts are generally categorized as “major” and “minor” based on the level of intensity and the number ofcasualties. The Middle East has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of conflicts since the early 1990s. In this chapter we examine the causes that triggered unprecedented changes in conflicts by using a panel of conflict estimates for 10 Middle Eastern nations for the period 1963–1999. The fixed effects model is used to control for unobservable country-specific effects that result in a missing-variable bias in cross-sectional studies. More importantly, the fixed effects model is chosen since the main goal of this study is to investigate what factors have caused statistically significant changes in conflicts over time within nations rather than to explain variation in conflicts across these nations. On the basis of the panel data, we explain the roles of inequality, inflation, growth, military spending, foreign direct investment, and remittances in the surge in conflicts in the Middle East.
Saul (Shaul) Arlosoroff graduated from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) in mechanical engineering (1953 – BSc, and 1954 – Dipl. Eng.) and later graduated from the Tel…
Abstract
Saul (Shaul) Arlosoroff graduated from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) in mechanical engineering (1953 – BSc, and 1954 – Dipl. Eng.) and later graduated from the Tel Aviv University/Management school – with MBA in public enterprises and economics (1970–1972). For over 50 years he has been involved in urban and rural water resources management, supply and demand aspects, in over 40 countries. He served as the World Bank Program Manager for water and sanitation (1981–1992), residing in Israel serving as an international consultant on mainly regional and local water and sanitation, and related conflicts, and political issues. He has published various articles within books and scientific events.