Evaluating the Intellectual Capital by ANP Method in a Dairy Company

Abstract

In recent years, intellectual capital (IC) has become the main asset of leading companies. Because the nature of intellectual capital is intangible and difficult to measure, it becomes a challenge for researchers to evaluate intellectual capital performance efficaciously. Different kinds of methods have been suggested to help managers evaluating performance of intellectual capital. Having analyzed past studies which have ignored the impressible state of intellectual capital indicators; a new model was proposed utilizing the analytic network process (ANP) method. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) aims to formulate and prioritize the IC measurement indicators. Many decision-making problems cannot be structured hierarchically because they involve interaction of various factors. The analytic network process is a mathematical theory that can deal with all kinds of dependence systematically. The analytic network process is a general theory in the ratio scale that measures influence, based on a methodology that deals with dependence and feedback. ANP can be applied to analyze the interactive relations between factors with proper measurements of the weight for each factorial criterion. This paper presents esults of selected IC subcomponents and their dependencies in the most successful dairy company in Iran (Haraz Dairy).