Intellectual capital reporting at UK universities

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the amount and the nature of the voluntary intellectual capital (IC) disclosure of UK universities, the relation between performance and amount of IC disclosed; and the opinion of UK universities on a mandatory disclosure of IC.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was used to examine the amount and nature of IC disclosure of the annual reports of 30 UK universities. Directors of Finance were chosen as representatives to submit an online questionnaire about IC statements and the mandatory reporting of IC for universities.FindingsFindings suggest that the amount of IC information disclosed by UK universities in their annual reports is low. UK universities were identified as being over‐regulated and having low awareness of IC.Research limitations/implicationsIC framework used for the content analysis was specific to Austrian universities and the online questionnaire responses were limited. Few adaptations were made but it is necessary to perform a preliminary study to better understand the characteristics and functioning of UK universities.Practical implicationsFurther research and recommendations are provided. Introduction of mandatory disclosure of IC reports would contribute further to the increase of the burden. Therefore at the present time voluntary IC disclosure is the best option.Originality/valueNo previous research was conducted for UK universities. This brings new expertise regarding IC disclosure in higher education and forms a sound basis for future research. Universities could benefit in improving assessment of their intangible assets, performance measurements, allocation of resources and benchmarking exercise.