Knowledge Management, Innovation and Intellectual Capital for Corporate Value in the United States

The dynamic capabilities of 74 publicly listed U.S. companies are examined to determine their knowledge management’s effects on shareholder value. R&D practices, patenting and intellectual capital are examined in a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis to offer insights into the temporal dynamics of managerial decision-making and create new knowledge about time lags in returns on innovation and intellectual capital management. From the accounting perspective, the findings are highly relevant for knowledge productivity. The results indicate that innovation and intellectual capital are beneficial for corporate value and that firm size, debt level and industry matter for the outcome. The paper highlights areas of success and in need of further development in the period during and after the “Dot-com crisis” and suggests increased awareness of long-term thinking in innovation by showing how previous investments in innovation act on future corporate value.