Abstract
This paper analyses the relationship between the intellectual capital of higher education institutions (HEIs) and their sustainable development practices, and assesses whether higher education institutions’ sustainable development practices are related to their stakeholders’ quality of life. Using a structural equation model, two model specifications are estimated, gathering primary data from a convenience sample composed of 738 full-time students and 587 teachers/researchers at seven Portuguese higher education institutions. The findings reveal that intellectual capital influences sustainable development practices directly and positively, whereas sustainable development practices influence students’ quality of life in a significant way, although the same is not verified for teachers/researchers. These findings provide insightful implications for policy-making and intellectual capital management for practices in higher education institutions; firstly, by showing that the sustainable development concept is associated with HEIs’ practices of economic, environmental, social and organisational sustainability; secondly, by concluding that public Portuguese HEIs need to improve the social dimension of their sustainable development practices, and here there may be room for improvement in the institution through better and more proficient social engagement that is more directed to the challenges of sustainability and social change; and thirdly, by showing that the inclusion of better sustainable practices has repercussions on the quality of life of all stakeholders.
Highlights
The different ways in which organisations, cities, regions and countries manage and introduce intellectual capital (IC) practices have been found to be a decisive factor, for their reputation, competitiveness and wealth, and in raising their sustainability, focusing on citizens’ quality of life (QoL) and contributing to a more sustainable and balanced society [1]
This paper focuses on the influence of higher education institutions (HEIs)’ IC (HC, structural capital (SC), relational capital (RC)) on HEIs’ sustainable development (SD), and on the influence of HEIs’ SD on stakeholders’ QoL (QAL of students and quality of work life (QWL) of teachers/researchers), formulating three hypotheses for test purposes
The results indicate that IC (HC, SC and RC) has a positive and significant influence on HEIs’ SD, since hypothesis 1 was not rejected in either model
Summary
The different ways in which organisations, cities, regions and countries manage and introduce intellectual capital (IC) practices have been found to be a decisive factor, for their reputation, competitiveness and wealth, and in raising their sustainability, focusing on citizens’ quality of life (QoL) and contributing to a more sustainable and balanced society [1]. It was revealed that a country’s knowledge assets and intangible assets have significant implications for its future value, inasmuch as they represent a source of skills and competences considered essential for national economic growth, the development of human capital and promotion of QoL [3]. Dal Mas [6] demonstrated the relationship between IC and sustainability from a practitioner’s point of view, supporting the interlink between IC and sustainable regional competitiveness. According to Malhotra [7], the intangible assets of a country have significant implications for the future national value, because they represent a source of the skills and competences considered essential to national economic growth, human development and QoL
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
