Onko työllisyys epämääräinen mittari, jonka todellista merkitystä muuttuvassa maailmassa on entistä vaikeampi
ymmärtää yksiselitteisesti tai järkeenkäyvästi?
Do
current
practices
related
to
intangibles
and
means
to
benefit
from
them
encourage
success
in
knowledge
intensive
industries?
Do
the
possibilities
to
capitalize
resources
spent
in
order
to
increase
company
value
or
to
enhance
market
position
serve
different
types
of
businesses
equally
or
do
they
provide
better
tools
e.g.
to
traditional
industries
that
require
expensive
production
equipment?
The
valuation
of
a
company
can
be
more
difficult
in
branches
that
base
less
on
commonly
known
solutions.
This
may
result
from
difficulties
to
evaluate
possible
effects
of
e.g.
efforts
spent
on
awareness
or
company
image
(or
uncompensated
efforts
devoted
by
the
owners)
on
the
company,
at
least
on
the
basis
of
balance
sheets.
In
addition,
possibilities
to
valuate
e.g.
goodwill
in
the
case
of
a
private
limited
company
can
differ
from the case of a public one.
Should the potential or development of value- added be seen in the valuation of resources that have significant role in the creation of it?
Palapala
The
increase
of
value
added
is
nowadays
often
seen
in
business
branches
that
are
dependent
on
the
high
knowledge
of
personnel.
At
the
same
time,
rights
related
to
intangibles
have
become
more
important
factor
than
previously.
Also,
the
welfare
concentrates
on
countries
that
have
been
able
to
develop
high
education
level.
Knowledge
intensive
activities
also
have
bigger
role
in
these
countries.
On
the
other
hand,
the
development
of
automation
and
production
techniques
has
empowered
opportunities
to
ever
cheaper
production
as
the
value-
added concentrates on more sophisticated activities.
B.
Current practices and controversies
Part
of
the
assets
that
are
involved
in
creation
of
this
value-added,
such
as
certain
activities
related
to
product
development,
can
be
activated
in
company
balance
sheets.
However,
marketing
activities
for
instance
are
handled
as
costs
and
their
means
to
influence
company
balance
sheet,
e.g.
through
goodwill
or
profit,
can
have
differences
depending
on
whether
the
company
stocks
are
traded
publicly
or
not.
Also,
some
company
governmental
activities
may
affect
the
possibilities
to
succeed.
The
influence
of
e.g.
organization
changes on the balance sheet can be seen e.g. via result figures.
Intangible
assets
that
can
be
activated
are
e.g.
acquired
patents
and
licenses
as
well
as
activated
development
costs.
From
broader
point
of
view
outside
the
accounting
intangibles
include,
inter
alia,
knowledge
that
relates
to
personnel
job
descriptions,
documentation,
databases, relations to other market players and arrangements that support these resources. According toFinnishlaw
Should
e.g.
the
value
of
company
current
assets
reflect
the
potential
to
create
value
added
or
profit?
Traditional
production
apparatus
may
be
easier
to
trade
than
e.g.
resources
invested
in
development.
The
willingness
to
invest
in
production
equipment
usually
reflects
the
comprehension
of
return
on
investment.
On
the
other
hand,
for
instance
the
development
work
required
by
new
knowledge
intensive
activity
can
be
more
difficult
to
valuate,
especially
if
some
work
has
been
done
without
compensation
e.g.
by
the
owner.
The
situation
can
influence possibilities to acquire funding and moreover to the possibilities to thrive.
Which costs can then indicate intention?
Some
costs
cannot
directly
be
explained
by
sales
volume
or
connected
to
resources
that
are
inevitable
in
order
to
conduct
business,
but
the
reason
for
these
costs
may
rather
be
an
effort
to
impact
business
opportunities
or
sales,
possibly
even
in
the
longer
term.
Costs
that
are
connected
to
activities,
which,
outside
accounting,
are
often
considered
an
investment
to
achieve
better
company
performance
by
means
of
developing
intangibles,
can
compound
e.g.
activities
related
to
marketing,
employees’
competence
to
excel
in
their
assignments
,
or
to
the
organization.
The
resources
consumed
in
the
before
mentioned
activities
can
then
be
visible,
among
others,
in
costs
of
marketing
or
governance.
Many
concrete
actions
that
cause
particular
costs
can
influence
trading
and
stock
prices
of
public
limited
companies
through
the
expectations
of
investors,
such
as
impressions,
awareness,
or
news
regarding
organizational
changes,
revenues
and
return.
The
evaluation
or
influence
of
these
differs
from
that
of
capitalized/
activated
assets,
and
their
impact
is
more
difficult
to
isolate
from
the
entire
goodwill
or
from
impacts
that
profits
may
cause
in
assets,
especially
in
the
longer
term.
It
is
also
worth
to
remember
that
also
the
impact
of
costs
to
the
result
differs
from
the
impact
of
activated
resources
and,
that
the
result
may
affect
the
possibilities
to
e.g.
acquire
funding.
As
a
result
of
easing
of
digitalization
and
documentation,
many
activity
that
has
previously
been
left
undocumented
is
now
documented
and
even
automatically.
Similarly,
possibilities
to
follow
the
impacts
of
certain
activities
to
markets
have
improved
in
past
times.
The
materialization
probability
and
matters
related
to
risks
connected
to
certain
activities
that
are
generally
treated
as
costs
may
begin
to
increasingly
remind
the
features
of
certain
assets.
Also
the
source
of
income
can
in
some
fields
of
business
often
differ
from
the
sales
articles
levelled
to
the
principal
target
group
of
certain
company,
for
instance
if
a
large
portion
of
income
is
expected
to
come
from
adverts
of
other
companies.
Consequently,
issues
related
to
estimating
revenues
for
disruptive
or
new
business
models
may
differ
from
those
that
conform
to
traditional
earning
logics.
The
knowledge
of
certain
knowledge
activities
that
are
treated
as
cost
can
e.g.
surpass
investments
in
e.g.
product
development.
On
the
other
hand,
the
features
that
are
characteristic
of
a
brand
can
be
significant
success
factor
or
their
visuals can form a remarkable part of the appearance of a product or a service.
Technologies
and
materials
increasingly
generate
production
possibilities
that
are
independent
of
specified
equipment
and
capabilities.
This
can
increasingly
shift
trading
towards
intangible
solutions,
and
consequently
the
role
of
intangible
assets
becomes
more
emphasized.
Also
data
security
related
issues
can
function
stimulator
for
the
importance
of
intangible
assets
by
shifting
the
pressure
for
local
production.
Trade
politics
can
affect
the
valuation
of
intangible
assets
by
several
means,
e.g.
via
customs.
In
addition,
taxation
can
influence
the
share
of
intangible
assets
in
trading.
Ecology
emphasizing
goals
can
create
incentives
that
highlight
the
importance
of
intangible
assets
in
trading
by
favoring
local
materials
and
the
usage
of
new
technologies
in
the
production.
Moreover,
unforeseen
events,
such
as
epidemics,
can
cause changes, that foster the opportunities related to trading intangible articles.
Johanna Sandman
30.6.2019
© Johanna Sandman 2013-2023