A theoretical analysis of the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC)

This paper offers a critical assessment of the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) through the analysis of the coherence of the definitions of and semantic relationships among the theoretical constructs at the heart of the model. Some of the criticisms detected here refer to inconsistencies of the VAIC with the most consolidated concepts developed by the Intellectual Capital (IC) literature as well as to the constructs internal to the model and generated by the misalignment of Pulic’s theoretical assumptions with the way they have been translated into the mathematical model. Other criticisms derive from the time mismatch in the relationship among the variables constituting the three ratios and from the ambiguous meanings of human capital efficiency and structural capital efficiency. Implications for both researchers and managers are discussed.