Reporting intellectual capital in Spain

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the growing literature field of intellectual capital (IC) by analysing corporate IC disclosures by leading Spanish firms over a three-year period from 2000 to 2002. Design/methodology/approach - Content analysis methodology was applied to the annual reports of 12 Spanish companies over a three-year period. Findings - A statistically significant increase was found in the volume of IC disclosures over a three-year period. There is a greater volume of communication in the area of external (customer/relational) capital than in either internal or employee capital. This corresponds with the results of other country-based studies. However, IC reporting remains at a relatively limited level, and disclosures are dominated by customer relational items. Originality/value - This paper makes an original contribution to the growing body of empirical studies on IC reporting and describes the development of IC reporting in Spain.