The Intellectual Capital, Firm Performance and the Moderating Role of Manager Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to explore the moderating role of the manager skills on the relationship between the intangible capitals and firm performance. Specific aims included (a) to synthesize the prior literatures and definitions related to human, organizational and social capital, firm performance and manager skills, (b) to refine conceptual definitions of the human and social capital with associated conceptual antecedent, organizational capital, and consequences, firm performances, (c) to propose a synthesized conceptual framework guiding the mediated moderation of the manager skills on the relationship between intangible capitals and firm performance. The analysis include data collected from a survey with the total of 370 information communication technology (ICT) firm’s managers. The mediating and moderating techniques are used to analyze the indirect effects of organizational capital on firm performance via human and social capital and the moderating role of manager skills on the relationship between intangible capitals and firm performance. The results show that all intangible capital dimensions have direct impacts on firm performance. In addition, there is the existences of the mediating role of the human and social capital on the relationship between firm performance and organizational capital and moderating role of the manager skills on the relationship between intellectual capital dimensions and firm performance. This is the first paper to examine comprehensively the conceptual framework of the moderating role of manager skills on relationships between intangible capitals and firm performance in ICT sector in a developing country like Vietnam.