Intellectual capital and corporate performance of MNCs in Serbia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate if intellectual capital (IC) has an impact on organizational performance as well as to identify the IC components that may be the drivers of the traditional indicators of business success. The study sought evidence from the multinational companies which conduct their business in Serbia. Design/methodology/approach – By using data from 37 multinational companies which established their business in Serbia from 2006 to 2008 and applying the VAIC methodology for generating independent variables which reflect IC, regression models were constructed to examine the relationships between the efficient use of MNCs' human and structural capital and corporate performance measures: return on assets, return on equity and productivity. Findings – The results of this study reveal that human capital is positively associated with all three corporate performance measures. The hypothesis regarding a positive association between structural capital and MNCs' profitability and productivity has been confirmed only partially since the results indicate that the structural capital variable shows a statistically significant and positive relationship only with the performance measure ‐ return on equity. Originality/value – This is the first empirical study conducted in Serbia testing the relationship between IC and organizational performance. It contributes to the existing IC literature by giving new insights into the IC of MNCs' subsidiaries established in Serbia and its relationship with their business performance.