Intellectual resources, intellectual capital, human capital are categories that are among the multivariate and the most mobile. They are widely used in sociological and economic studies. Often, these terms are considered to be identical. However, certain differences are evident between them. In our article, we will pay special attention to the first of the presented categories. Consider the structure of intellectual resources, their classification, the issue of formation and current management systems.
Introduction
Such funds are gradually becoming a fundamental component of the welfare of enterprises. Intellectual and material resources in the aggregate determine the competitiveness of commercial structures and are the main factor in their development. Due to the increase in the scientific and technical production level, the growing need for improving technologies and entry into the post-industrial type of society, the need arose for maximum close attention precisely to the intellectual component of the enterprise along with fixed and working assets.
Today, an intellectual resource is becoming one of the key competitive advantages of companies. It is a source of increasing labor productivity. Since the middle of the last century, intellectual property began to be regarded by economists as a production factor. Karl Marx also pointed out the dependence of the development of society in economic terms on the general scientific and technological level or the use of this science in relation to production.
Classification by form of manifestation
Currently, it is customary to allocate a sufficient number of types of intellectual resources. It should be noted that they are all heterogeneous in nature and include different elements. The classification in accordance with various characteristics is relevant. According to the form of manifestation, it is customary to distinguish the following varieties of the category:
- materialized, that is, materialized;
- unrealized, that is, non-materialized.
An example of the first kind of intellectual resources of an organization is considered to be printed publications of various, in particular, scientific, studies (these can be monographs, books, reports, reports, etc.). An example of the second variety are software products, databases, and so on.
Other classifications
In accordance with such a criterion as a subject of belonging, it is customary to distinguish the following types of information and intellectual resources:
- Individual, in other words, personal.
- Corporate, that is, collective.
- Nationwide that make up national wealth.
- State.
- Global, which relate to the global economy in a general sense.
Further, it is advisable to study the classification by the nature of the destination. So, resources can have a theoretical, scientific, practical, applied purpose, as well as mundane (in other words, routine), for example, for housekeeping. In addition, we are talking about entertaining and leisure and moral and ethical destinations. Depending on the specific area of use, there is a classification that includes political, socio-economic, environmental and other types.
Information and intellectual resources are classified according to the method of formation. They can be created on the basis of existing ones or generated independently in the “heads” of specialists in the corresponding field, subject to extremely small explicit knowledge (otherwise it is called codified).
In accordance with the form of application, intellectual resources are divided into alienable and inalienable. The first group involves the transfer to use of other entities that are consumers, in materialized form (license, patent) on certain conditions or in oral, that is, non-materialized form, in other words, in the form of databases, symbols and signs. Resources of the second type usually exist in non-material, intangible form. That is why they cannot be separated from the carrier, who the individual or group is. Even if they are relevant in materialized form (development of a scientific and technical plan, manuscript), their alienation in future periods implies the implementation of special rules.
Category structure
For the full management of intellectual resources, it is important to know their structure. In content, they are a multilayer category. In other words, this is an integrated formation, which includes such components:
- Scientific knowledge that is created in universities, state-owned research institutes and in the private corporate field of development and research.
- Technological (technical) knowledge, the main suppliers of which are considered to be the structures of the business sector, which conduct their own development and research, institutions of the business sector and the state. scientific universities, other institutions, as well as activity in terms of research in new business formations that arise both when developing a new business, and as a by-product of research implemented in existing organizations and associations.
- Innovations carried out by firms in the business sector, as well as newly created enterprises.
- Intellectual capital as an intellectual resource of Russia. It is worth noting that it is created as a result of the work of universities related to the training of personnel and specialists of the highest category, in the process of research in the entrepreneurial and public sectors, as well as in other institutions of higher prof. education, differing in their specificity.
- Competencies (qualifications) obtained during training at universities, in the corporate sector, as well as at professional courses. This also includes competencies that are the result of professional experience of employees in all areas of the economy, which includes the research sphere.
- Information and communication technologies (ICT) as the resources of the country's intellectual potential, which are created in the corporate sector and disseminated as a result of their use, as well as the activities of network companies.
The formation and use of resources in practice
Today, modern information tools are considered the most important initial component not only of the creation of human intellectual resources, but also a condition for the economic development of society in a general sense. An information resource should be understood, first of all, information that was accumulated, collected, analyzed, updated to some extent, in other words, transformed in order to gain knowledge. This information, as well as the knowledge obtained on its basis, has become materialized in the form of various databases, algorithms, documents, works of science, literature, art, programs and so on.
The use of information plan tools is associated with a qualitative and quantitative assessment, as well as their qualifications. These resources are divided into groups according to the specified law on the basis of ownership. It is customary to allocate information tools of the dependent, organization, region and country.
Characteristics of information resources
As it turned out, in the aggregate of the intellectual resources of the enterprise, a special place is occupied by information tools. They are based on information that acquires certain properties inherent in it and retains its own characteristics as tools of a specific format. Quality data include:
- Unlike other varieties, information, as a rule, are not alienated directly from the manufacturer. So, their production and subsequent consumption are interconnected in a functional way.
- During the transfer and use of these funds by entities and systems, they are not reduced, not destroyed. Moreover, for a subject that accepts and is a consumer, their volumes (in other words, the amount of information) and the knowledge gained on their basis increase in any case. This alignment is not characteristic of material objects.
- In this case, an assessment of their value should be understood as an ambiguous process. It depends on many factors. This includes the stage of the life cycle of these funds, material costs and the time required for their production and subsequent distribution, the nature of their use as resources.
- As an object of sale such means can be used repeatedly, without losing their value in the consumer plan and without production repeatedly. At the same time, their producers, one way or another, retain their own economic status, that is, in relation to resources they remain owners. For this reason, the rights of the consumer and the manufacturer of information media are usually determined by regulations.
- They can be used repeatedly and, if appropriate, stored for an unlimited period of time.
- They, being the object of the contract of sale, unlike other varieties do not have a material component. So, the actual rights associated with their use are realized on the market. Part of these resources acts as the property of the world community.
- Literary works, fundamental discoveries, laws cannot be mechanically transferred to their production and subsequent application.
- Information tools have the property of aging, that is, the loss of their own value. For this reason, they must be constantly updated. This has a significant impact on their use value and the value of the final products that are created on their basis.
Intellectual Resource Management Systems
Increased competition in almost all business sectors, which is caused by technological changes and the globalization of trade, is forcing Russian companies to pay close attention to innovative work, obtaining, extracting and further developing competitive advantages through extremely effective management of intellectual capital and knowledge.
It is advisable to consider the management of intellectual resources on a specific example. Take one of the largest financial corporations in the Russian Federation under the name System. The structure has ten key areas in business:
- Telecommunications (in other words, cellular and landline communications). It is advisable to include voice services, data transfer, as well as Internet access; Pay TV and other services to subscribers, that is, operators, individuals, legal entities.
- Innovative solutions in the field of information technology, telecommunications and microelectronics in Russia, in the CIS countries, with a growing presence in Eastern and Central Europe, Africa and the Middle East (more than 3,500 customers).
- Real estate: development (development, development); construction and project management, real estate (including the operation of buildings and structures).
- Banking and financial business: retail, investment, corporate.
- Sale of goods for children (retail and wholesale).
- Mass Media: advertising and media content; Pay TV, which includes network management; content management; film production.
- Radio engineering, which includes ground and aerospace systems related to control; power engineering.
- Tourism: touring; retail sales of tourism products; hotel business; transport services.
- Production of equipment for creating innovative medical devices and pharmaceuticals; production of dosage forms, medicinal raw materials and innovative substances of the chemical type.
- Medicine: a network of medical clinics of various profiles; ambulance service.
Investment attractiveness
One of the most important conditions for the investment attractiveness of the structure is a high degree of corporate governance. The creation of a unified system of control and management of intellectual resources, which is fully integrated into the structure of a corporation or enterprise, is considered as another tool to increase efficiency in business development.
Task management system
The objective of such a management system (IMSR) is, first of all, to control the processes of transformation of intellectual capital into real profit in the case of effective value creation through the use of appropriate means to increase:
- benefits from manufacturing innovations, in particular, due to knowledge of the "hidden" type;
- income derived from intellectual resources not used by the structure in the current production processes;
- benefits from the full use of “external” knowledge (it is extremely important to comply with the law in force in the country).
Conclusion
So, we examined the types, structure, formation and management system of intellectual resources. It is worth noting that this system contains several components. Among them are formalized mechanisms (in other words, business processes) necessary for the development and subsequent decision-making; a single information space related to the dissemination and management of knowledge; an environment that is considered favorable for the emergence and further growth of innovation. In any case, the ISMS is subject to a single corporate ideology.
The management system, taking into account the real possibilities of a market-type economy, can create special conditions for obtaining knowledge by applying their purchase, rent, development methods, and also modern corporate culture. The function associated with knowledge management includes market methods, depending on the specifics and characteristics of one or another stage of the organization, acquisition and further assimilation of new knowledge. It is worth noting that at each stage you need to use modern information technology, study the Internet, mining tools, all kinds of networks, document management systems, extranets, decision support systems, artificial intelligence, as well as collective activity software.
Various components can prevail in the IWRD, ranging from organizational mechanisms (i.e., intra-company standards or regulations) that ensure the transfer and absolute preservation of knowledge within the structure, and ending with developed information systems (corporate repositories and knowledge portals). Moreover, this may be corporate (intra-company) or functioning in accordance with the interests of the modern market. In the latter situation, knowledge will be applied by sellers, buyers, as well as intermediary agents with special functions.