Guy Ahonen

Managing intangible assets – a question of integration and delicate balance

The relevance of intangible assets for financial performance is getting more widely accepted. There is also some convergence about the conceptual structure of intangibles. What has not been underlined enough yet is the synergic nature of different types of intangibles. In this paper, it is argued, in the light of a case study of nine Finnish companies, that the intangibles form a value chain of generative and commercially exploitable intangibles. Furthermore, it is argued that each company at each time has an emphasis on a certain type of intangibles, sometimes even neglecting others. The paper seeks to propose that it is important to identify the primary intangibles and their current relationships with other forms of intangibles. The management of intangibles is hence a matter of integration and delicate balance.

Measuring Work Well-Being and Productivity in the Nordic Countries : A manual

Globalisation pressures and demographic trends affect the chances of the Nordics to be prosperous and indirectly threaten the welfare states as we know them. These pressures and trends underline the twin challenge to the Nordics of productivity stagnation and a decreasing work force. A contribution to an answer to both challenges can be an increase in productivity and new ways to increase the work force. A good work environment can do both. In this context, the Nordic Council of Ministers has initiated a project aiming at clarifying the impact on productivity of work environment and well-being in companies. This report presents an indicator manual for use in measuring work environment in the Nordic countries. The report also outlines and defines a common Nordic concept of work wellbeing. The indicators serve as important first steps on the way to thorough econometric analysis of the relationship between work environment, well-being, and productivity.