Analysis of current approaches to the determination of the notion of the intellectual potential of enterprises and its structural components

The generation of the new knowledge, use of information technologies, implementation of innovations and products of digital economics almost in all production areas and life spheres of the world community became the global trend of the modern stage of the establishment of the new technological wave. With that many experts recognize that the successful development of economics of advanced countries is determined by the intensive formation and effective use of the intellectual potential of enterprises. The notion of «intel-lectual potential» emerged in the second half of the XX century. It was implemented by the American academic economist J. Galbraith, who, as many other economists, initially referred it to such notion as «intellectual activi-ties». In the long run scientists divided into two large groups, depending upon the definition of such notion as «intellectual activities

». Оne group considered this notion as equal to the intellectual potential, another one referred it to the intellectual capital. In this juncture, the economic literature of the second half of the XXth century has got large groups of different adherents of the determination of such notions as «intellectual poten-tial» and «intellectual capital ». Anyway, there were no clear definitions of mentioned notions. Moreover, for many economists, these notions were considered as equal and its essence was recognized as equivalent to such notion as «intellectual activities». In this juncture it appears timely to analyze existing determinations of the studied notion in order to determine its economic essence in the context of modern realities, as well as to reveal peculiarities of the formation and generation of its structure.

Research purpose. The basic research purpose is to analyze existing determinations of such notion as intellectual capital on the basis of works of foreign and modern Russian researchers, as well as to detail the determination of the studied notion in the context of rooted realities of modern economics.

Маterials and methods. As basic research methods this article will use the comprehensive analysis of the notion of the intellectual potential in works of foreign and national scientists, the generalization and classification of applied approaches to the disclosure of its economic essence, revealing and substantiation of structural components, as well as practical peculiarities of its use of production activities of enterprises. Research materials will be based on key provisions of familiar works of foreign and national academic economists, representing determinations of the notion of the intellectual potential, as well as its structural components.

Review of literature. In 1990-2000 many economists tried to disclose the economic essence of such notion as intellectual potential and to formulate its determination, which would be recognized by the whole community of academic economists around this time. Аuthors of these researchers used various approaches. It was found on the formation of fundamental models with accentuation of components (factors), influencing the enhancement of the competitive ability of the company. Such approaches were developed in works of such famous foreign economists as Stewart Т.А. [1], Edvinsson L. [2], Swibee K.Е. [3], Petty R. and Guthrie J. [4].

In other works of same researchers the intellectual potential of the company (enterprise) was determined as the knowledge, which can become for it a source of additional competitive advantages [5, р. 31]. The similar idea has been developed in the work [6, р. 360]. Its authors assumed that the intellectual potential of the company represents the scope of the new knowledge, which it can use in order to enhance its competitive ability.

Мany Russian scientists also determined the intellectual potential as some complex of knowledge, So, Milner B.Z. [7, p. 115] in his work determines this knowledge as «соmplex of the collective knowledge of enterprise em- ployees, their creative abilities, abilities to solve problems, leadership skills, business and managerial skills». In her work, Mrs. Bashirova А.G. [8, p. 12] equated the intellectual potential with the human capital and considered it as «knowledge, which can be transformed into profit and assessed». Anyway, there were also another approaches to the substantiation of the notion of the intellectual potential of the enterprise. For example, Osokina I.V. [9, p. 69] in her work determines this notion as «соmplex of knowledge, in large measure or partially alienated from its creators and being of the commercial value for the enterprise and its partners».

Within the whole range of researches of foreign scientists attempts were made to consider the intellectual potential as one of most important assets or resources of the company. So, Klein D.A. and Prusak L. [10], equated the intellectual potential with the human capital, by which were assumed intangible assets, able to create the added value of the company. In their studies Lonnqvist A. and Mettanen P. В also equated the intellectual potential of the company with its human capital [11, р. 112]. Anyway, with that the latter one was considered as an important resource for the enhancement of its competitive ability, based not only on the knowledge and abilities of the personnel, but also on modern organizational resources, business processes and ways of interaction with counteragents.

Оne of originators of the intellectual potential theory, B. Lev, in his work [12] determines this category as incorporeal (intangible) source of value (future profits), generated by innovations, unique organizational decisions or practice of human resources’ management.

To peculiarities of modern stage researches can be referred the appearance of certain methods and mechanisms of the management of the intellectual potential and its components, first of all, of the human capital. It studies actions of the company, oriented to the enhancement of the management of the intellectual potential and its use for the optimization of results of its activities (see works of Roslender R. and Stevenson J. [13, р. 861], Massingham P., Nguyen T.N.Q. and

Massingham R. [14, рp. 57], Guthrie J., Ricceri F. и Dumay J. [15, р. 76]).

The formulation, made within frames of development of the resource concept of the economic theory, differs from all previous determinations of the intellectual potential of the company. First, this approach determined the intellectual potential as some static intangible resource, owned by the company. Anyway, the consolidation of provisions of the resource concept and of the concept of dynamic abilities, developed in the beginning of 1990th (see, for example, the work of Teece D.J., Pizano G. and Shuen E. [16, p. 157]), helped to disclose the new mechanism of the obtaining of competitive advantages, based not only on intangible resources, available at the company, but also on its ability to derive economic profits from it. The concept of dynamic abilities stipulated the new approach to the determination of the intellectual potential of the company. According to the research of Teece D.J. [17, р. 204], the essential attention should be given not only to the knowledge, as to the company asset (human capital), but to its effective use as well. In this juncture such structural component of the intellectual potential of the enterprise as its dynamic capability to increase other components (human capital, production management technologies, information processing etc.) over time with its future use as new competitive advantages for its effective development, becomes especially important.

The dynamic approach to the determination of the intellectual potential of the company is offered in the work of Volkov D.L. and Garanina Т.А. [18, p. 91]. As intellectual potential of the enterprise its authors understand its ability to derive future economic profits from existing intangible resources (human capital). Such a determination of the category of the intellectual potential of the enterprise is a most common one.

Nowadays it is customary to highlight three main components of the intellectual capital: human capital, social (relational) capital and the organizational (structural) capital (two last components are no less than technologies of the production management and of the relations of enterprise counteragents). This approach was recognized by the Interna- tional Federation of Accountants [19] and supported by the majority of researchers in this field (see works of Bontis N. [20, р. 446], Mouritsen J. [21, p. 23], Roos J., Roos G., Dragonetti N.C. and Edvinsson L. [22] etc.).

In the current context some national economists determine the intellectual potential as «space of probable possible statuses of an economic entity under certain conditions. The probability is based not only on the pas, but also depends on activities of an entity, able to redistribute probability weights by using competitive advantages under current conditions and by its generation for new condi-tions» [23, p. 36].

The mentioned survey represents the majority of determinations of the enterprise intellectual potential and capital, offered by foreign and national scientists, equating such notions on the one hand and assuming its influence on each other on the other hand. It should be highlighted, that the most part of determinations falls on the period of 19902010, so it cannot take modern trends of economics development into consideration.

New determinations became possible due to the change in the practice of using of the capital itself in the production process. In the beginning of the XXI century many enterprises have run into the fact, that the main designation of its personnel is not restricted by its search and use in the production process. Step by step its management decided that the most effective use and retention of the personnel requires certain investments for the development of various professional competences, obtained in the course of non-stop training, as well as for the accumulation of the knowledge for the mastering of modern production technologies. Naturally, there emerged a need for the recording and management of the efficiency of such expenditures, what caused, first of all, the generation of such notions of the human potential and capital, then such notions as intellectual potential and capital [24, p. 127].

The given material allows to argue that foreign and Russian scientists pay a lot of attention to such problem as the intellectual potential of the enterprise and its structural components. With that provided analysis results witness the fact that the economic litera- ture has got a whole range of approaches to the essence of the category of the intellectual potential of an enterprise. In modern conditions the intellectual potential is a key intangible resource and factor, contributing to the effective development of the enterprise and to the use of available resources.

By results of the analysis of the literature review were established three basic structural components of the intellectual potential of an enterprise, namely: human capital, social (relational) capital and the organizational (structural) capital (two last components are nothing but technologies of the production management and relations with enterprise counteragents).

Results and discussion. The performance of innovative activities of the enterprise is determined by different factors of the scientific & technical progress, industry practices, as well as by the level of the competitiveness at sales markets. The use of whole internal and external information resources of an enterprise, as well as of information technologies of its processing becomes the important source of both the production development and of the economic growth of an enterprise. Due to the use of the information the intellectual potential of an enterprise undergoes innovative changes. Under modern conditions the information potential should be considered as the most important structural component of the intellectual potential.

Such feature as the enterprise buoyancy as a system and the structural component of its intellectual potential is shown through the possibility of its controlled development. A certain buoyancy of the enterprise development can be achieved by the control of its intellectual potential, including its structural components. The solution of this problem was offered within frames of the development of the concept of dynamic abilities [25, p. 519]. Dynamic capabilities of the modern enterprise allow it to receive and keep additional competitive advantages by means of the generation and over time transformation of internal and external competences with the purpose of the dynamic response to changes of the external and internal environment [26, p. 689].

Under modern conditions successful ac- tivities of the enterprise are mainly determined by the effective use and enhancement of total structural components of its intellectual potential. This circumstance allows to formulate the detailed determination of such notion as intellectual potential of an enterprise as the complex of its basic structural components (human, relational and organizational capital, informative and dynamic potential), able, provided targeted managerial influence, to enhance the efficiency of production activities of an enterprise, provided changed factors of the external and internal environment of its functioning.

Conclution. Results, obtained in the course of the performed research, allowed to formulate following opinions.

• 1.    The scientific economic literature, starting from the second half of the XX-th century and till the present time, does not provided clear determinations of such notion as «intel-lectual potential», referred to production activities of an enterprise, what is confirmed by the performed analysis.

• 2.    In modern conditions the intellectual potential is a key intangible resource and factor, contributing to the effective development of an enterprise and to the use of its existing resources.

• 3.    Was detailed the formulation of the determination of such notion as intellectual potential of the enterprise in terms of modern conditions of production activities.