Ulf Johanson

Measuring to understand intangible performance drivers

The present qualitative study explores what eleven Swedish organizations have systematically worked at to increase the understanding of the importance of intangibles as performance drivers. The present analysis is accomplished using a combination of evolutionary theory, knowledge-based theory and organizational learning. The results indicate that assets in an accounting sense seem to be of less interest than perceptions of activities that enable future performance. These “enablers” are often customer and employee perceptions of individual, organizational and relational competence. The way for the firms to ascertain a continuous organizational learning process with respect to the value creation chain is to measure intangibles as well as to maintain organizational routines that ensure the transformation of measurement results into action.

Mobilizing change through the management control of intangibles

This qualitative study explores the management control of intangibles in three Swedish companies. The present analysis is discussed in terms of four theoretical perspectives, namely, evolutionary, ...

Sunrise in the knowledge economy: Managing, measuring and reporting intellectual capital

There are two aims of this introductory article: first, to draw attention to the gaps in the research literature; and second to stimulate further accounting and management research regarding intellectual capital by posing several possible research questions. Suggests that critical and social accounting academics have a vital role to play in making visible a number of important social issues that stem from understanding better the value of intellectual capital within both organisations and the wider social fabric. Also looks to possible new ways of accounting for intangibles within public and private sector organisations.

Current development in human resource costing and accounting

Human resource costing and accounting (HRCA) is a complex and poorly understood process of accounting. The behavioural impact of HRCA, the many diverging internal forces of an organization, the increasing need of information from the capital market and action from organizations, such as the organization for the economic co‐operation and development (OECD) and European commission (EC), are all part of this accounting change process. With Sweden as a starting point, forces stimulating and inhibiting the development of HRCA are discussed. The main conclusion is that the actual state of things (reality) provides more research opportunities today than in the 1970s. But where are the researchers?

Research and knowldege interaction : Guidelines for intellectual capital reporting

This paper discusses the differences and complementarities of the two guidelines for managing, measuring and reporting intellectual capital (IC) that has been developed by the Meritum research group and the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, respectively. IC is closely related to knowledge management and the guidelines describe how to identify a companys knowledge management strategy including the identification of its objectives, initiatives and results in the formation, application and development of the companys knowledge resources. The guidelines also show how to measure IC and communicate the strategy to the stakeholders. The paper outlines the common background for the guidelines, the content of the guidelines and concludes after a comparison with a discussion of the need for research in the area and improvement of future guidelines.

Balancing dilemmas of the balanced scorecard

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to debate various critical issues in the implementation and use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) as a management control tool. Because there is no self-evident solution to these critical issues, they are termed dilemmas. Design/methodology/approach - The paper contributes to the BSC debate by collecting insights from empirical findings, as well as exploring various theoretical aspects. Findings - After presenting four perceived dilemmas and how they affect the implementation and use of the BSC in various settings, the paper concludes that there is a need for further debate and research on these dilemmas. Research limitations/implications - The paper is primarily a contribution to the debate concerning the balanced scorecard and its range of application as a management control model. Practical implications - The paper is motivated by an overall high rate of implementation failure in various practical settings. Originality/value - Some of the problems described have been debated before, whereas others are new. However, there has been hardly any discussion of the dilemmas in conjunction with one another. The paper is an attempt to generate important new questions about the future implementation and use of the BSC.

Can guidelines for intellectual capital management and reporting be considered without addressing cultural differences

The aim of the present article is to put culture on the agenda when discussing and working with IC reporting and IC management. Differences between Spain and Sweden in the Meritum work are discussed in relation to the interest and experience of IC among firms; and the way the firms develop IC management and IC reporting. We propose that culture might affect the assumptions of knowledge as well as the creation and the adoption of new knowledge. Thereby culture may determine the emergence of IC management and reporting. However, there are no national cultural differences with respect to the development of IC management and reporting.

WHY THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN RESOURCE COSTING AND ACCOUNTING DOES NOT WORK: A LESSON FROM SEVEN SWEDISH CASES.

Despite a promising outlook in the 1970s, it has been claimed that human resource costing and accounting have progressed at something less than snail’s pace over the past two decades. This is largely due to difficulties in the application of the concept. In this article several extant studies regarding the application of HRCA are classified and exemplified. The idea is to increase our knowledge of how implementation of the concept could be achieved from a management control perspective. Most managers in the majority of studies hold very positive attitudes towards HRCA, but the integration of HRCA in the management control process has never been really attained. In seven Swedish case studies, the inhibiting factors in the implementation process of HRCA are compared. The lesson is that training, information, reward, target setting and cultural systems have to be worked actively to overcome inhibiting factors when trying to implement HRCA. Efforts should focus on: (1) knowledge of human resource costs, values and outcomes as well as how to calculate these; (2) top management demand as well as other elements in the reward system; (3) HRCA target setting; and (4) openness for change.

The Japanese Government's intellectual capital reporting guideline: What are the challenges for firms and capital market agents?

Purpose – The purpose of the present paper is to discuss the Guideline for Intellectual Property Information Disclosure (GIPID) in relation to the ambitious aspirations behind the guideline and in ...

The Japanese Government's intellectual capital reporting guideline

Purpose – The purpose of the present paper is to discuss the Guideline for Intellectual Property Information Disclosure (GIPID) in relation to the ambitious aspirations behind the guideline and in that way develop a future research agenda aiming at addressing the main challenges regarding the construction of guidelines for future IC reporting.Design/methodology/approach – The purpose will be achieved by comparing the GIPID with two other IC guideline proposals, namely MERITUM and the Danish Guideline for Intellectual Capital Statements, respectively, from a capital market communication perspective and from a management control perspective. References are made to 12 Japanese companies that have published IP reports. The sample companies operate in a wide range of nine industries covering, for example, security, manufacturing, transportation, and chemistry, and comprise large as well as small firms.Findings – The study identifies four major challenges for intellectual capital guidelines and reporting. These...