Application complementarity of the knowledge management and internal marketing concepts in the aim of increasing enterprise's intellectual capital

Abstract

Enterprise competitiveness in the era of knowledge economy is most directly connected to human and other intellectual resources. Managers and other employees become vital resource in the 21st century, and their knowledge is the key of creating and delivering superior value to the customers. Nowadays, they are one of the most important segments of assets without which enterprise cannot exist. Crucial question for management is how to enlarge other knowledge resources based on human resources knowledge, that is, their economically- relevant form - intellectual capital. Initial hypothesis of this paper is that, internal marketing, which has enterprise's employees in the focus, can create adequate basis for specializing and enlarging knowledge resources - intellectual resources or intellectual capital as a key factor of competitiveness in the era of knowledge economy. Knowledge management is observed as a segment of intellectual capital management process within an enterprise, with aim to direct the efficient usage of all kinds of knowledge (individual, group-team, organizational) in order to create new business opportunities and successful commercialisations of products/services. The aim of this paper is to indicate that complementary application of the concept of internal marketing and the concept of knowledge management may result in synergetic effect of enlargement and specialisation of the knowledge resources - intellectual capital. In the paper we use methods of scientific observation, testing and connecting, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis. The purpose of obtained results application and conclusions from this research is to show to the enterprise management the importance of simultaneous effective application of internal marketing concept and knowledge transfer through processes and practices of knowledge management.