Intellectual capital: An empirical study of ITRI

Intellectual capital (IC) could provide a new instrument for observing organizational hidden value. While most intellectual capital studies are either theoretical or exploratory, some western research facilities are publishing annual reports based on intellectual capital. Nevertheless, Asian empirical studies are much rarer than western ones, let alone conducting comparison among them. Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), founded in 1973, is a non-profit national R&D organization, aiming to develop Taiwan industrial technologies. This paper firstly attempts to associate the components of the intellectual capital, namely, human capital, structural capital and relational capital with the value/performance of ITRI. Secondly, we find intellectual capital highly relevant to the value creation process and warrant strategic accumulation for R&D organizations.