Sin duda, uno de los temas que se presenta m s pol‚mico en la empresa actual y que afecta a distintas reas de la organizaci¢n es el de los activos intangibles. Se ha pasado de una empresa considerada como un conjunto de recursos materiales a una empresa como conjunto de conocimientos en la que ya no solamente los activos intangibles tradicionales como gastos de I + D, fondo de comercio, patentes, etc son relevantes, sino que hay que considerar otros activos que no est recogidos en los estados contables, como la relaci¢n con los clientes, la imagen de marca, lealtad, conocimientos de los empleados, innovaci¢n, etc. Esta situaci¢n da lugar a que se produzca un gran inter‚s por conocer c¢mo las empresas valoran y gestionan estos activos intangibles. El presente trabajo intenta realizar, en primer lugar, una aproximaci¢n te¢rica sobre distintos aspectos de los intangibles, como su definici¢n, clasificaci¢n, valoraci¢n y gesti¢n; en segundo lugar, se desarrolla una aportaci¢n emp¡rica a trav‚s de un cuestionario a empresas espa¤olas, analizando diversos aspectos, como los activos intangibles considerados m s relevantes, la utilizaci¢n de indicadores, la elaboraci¢n de informes, etc. con el objetivo de poder conocer con m s profundidad la relevancia de dichos activos en las empresas espa¤olas. The purpose of this work is to analyze, both from a theoretical and an empirical point of view, the significance of intangible assets in Spanish firms. Design/methodology/approach - To perform this study Spanish firms listed in the Spanish Securities and Exchange Commission (CNMV) were examined, in which intangible assets play a significant role in their business models. Using a questionnaire of 25 items, the final sample consisted of 39 firms (response rate =15.2 per cent) that could be used for the analyses. From the information thus gathered, a statistical treatment was implemented using the SPSS computer program and the answers to each of the 25 items were analysed. An analysis of principal components in the question was also established, in order to summarize all 12 reasons proposed into just a few factors. Findings - Among others, certain relevant conclusions about intangible assets indicated that: Spanish firms have moved from an industrial economy toward a knowledge-based economy; the disclosure of information about intangible assets in Spanish firms is still limited; some of the most relevant intangible assets are customer relationships, employee experience, information technologies, brand image, procedures and systems; and the number of indicators used by Spanish firms is about 20. Research limitations/implications - To select the sample for the questionnaire the database of the CNMV was used. The final sample thus comprised 257 firms, but the authors finally received answers from 39 firms. Practical implications - The paper is a very useful source of information for the Spanish firms and for investigators in this subject. Originality/value - This paper is pioneering in the analysis of the situation of intangible assets in Spanish firms, as well as in determining some of the most relevant intangible assets used by those firms.
