Intellectual Capital Valuation Processing in Higher Education

The role of higher education in the economic structure of a country is important as it adds value to both the private and public sector, from the provision of educated employees to increased research and development innovation. However, the Intellectual Capital (IC) value of a higher education institution is rarely discussed when cost and efficiency of higher education is debated. Even private institutions tend to focus on production economic methods to visualise the (financial) value of their institution. This paper discusses IC in attempting to understand both the tangible and intangible assets of a university and the value IC brings to such an institution. A case study of a European university is included, with directions for future research on the process approach of valuing IC and its worth in the debate on cost and efficiency of higher education.