Intangible Assets in Capital Market-oriented Accounting Research: A Review of the Empirical Literature on their Relevance for the Valuation of Companies

The research stream on the relevance of intangible assets for the valuation of companies at the level of capital markets has been developing with a sustained interest, which finds its full justification in the current accounting model, where controversies on the accounting treatment of these assets...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ficco, Cecilia, Werbin, Eliana
Format: Online
Language:spa
Published: Instituto de Economía y Finanzas. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Universidada Nacional de Córdoba. 2017
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Online Access:https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/REyE/article/view/28361
Description
Summary:The research stream on the relevance of intangible assets for the valuation of companies at the level of capital markets has been developing with a sustained interest, which finds its full justification in the current accounting model, where controversies on the accounting treatment of these assets still persist. In this context, the present research aims to review the empirical literature that has examined the value relevance of intangible assets, in order to present the current state of research in this area. From the methodological point of view, a descriptive and documentary investigation has been carried out, concretized through the review and analysis of the most significant literature produced in the last three decades and in different accounting environments. The review reflects strong evidence regarding the existence of a significant and positive association between the global figure corresponding to intangible assets and the market value of companies shares, as well as between that value and the item referred to identifiable intangible assets. However, the evidence is not entirely conclusive regarding the value relevance of goodwill. It is also noted that most of the studies have been carried out on capital markets with an important degree of development.