CONSULTING SERVICES IN INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

BOOK

Bill Elkington wrote Mind IC: Notes on Intellectual Capital Management to help business people with a number of field-tested ideas on how to significantly improve the financial performance of their companies’ intellectual capital. It is written in a conversational style and employs the language of business throughout.

The underlying business reality that drives the author’s focus is that the preponderance of companies’ equity value resides in its intellectual capital; most experts calculate this to be at 60-90 percent. Yet there is no discipline of study in the management of intellectual capital in most business schools throughout the world. And often, there is no cadre of business experts charged with leading the management of intellectual capital in enterprises today.

Mind IC: Notes on Intellectual Capital Management advances the notion that operating companies should make intellectual capital management a significant area of focus, as they do with human resources or finance and accounting or mergers and acquisitions. In other words, there should be a new enterprise function established that consists of business experts who consult on protecting and extracting intellectual capital value. Further, it proposes that this cadre of intellectual capital management experts provide consulting services in business policy, business process, business model strategy, transactions, standards, and rights valuation expertise to the strategic business units and support services groups within operating companies.

The book does not offer a framework or plan but rather makes suggestions concerning areas of possible focus for a cadre of intellectual capital management experts, based on the author’s decades of field research and experimentation in this vital area of corporate governance. Mind IC recognizes that in most companies,
business people have not been schooled in the discipline of intellectual capital management, and it therefore offers ideas for education of the various organizations that play a role in this vital area. It suggests books and other resources for those interested in the field.

Mind IC is a handbook for business people who are pressed for time and who are interested in ways to improve their companies’ financial performance through a more focused management of their intellectual capital.

Available for purchase at these online booksellers:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Abebooks, Powell’s Books, and Books-A-Million. At each of these booksellers, please search on Mind IC Bill Elkington.

Praise for
Mind IC: Notes on Intellectual Capital

Most of the value of business today emanates from intellectual capital. Yet true practitioners of intellectual capital management are few and far between. In this guide, Bill Elkington is generous with his wisdom and experience honed over many years to help others master this art.

—Mary Adams: Founder, Smarter-Companies and Author of Intangible Capital

A pioneer in intellectual capital management and strategy, Bill Elkington provides an indispensable framework for any business manager to protect—and enhance—enterprise value through the proactive management of intangible business assets.

—Kevin Arst: Senior Managing Partner, Ankura Consulting Group

A visionary book making a compelling case that we all need to be more mindful of intellectual capital (IC). IC is everywhere—the better an entity understands it, the more value it can extract for its shareholders and reduce risk. This is a concise and practical handbook on IC that can catalyze the implementation of these ideas at enterprise level.

—Mihaela D. Bojin: Associate Director, University of Iowa Research Foundation

This book is for every intellectual property professional who has been frustrated by the challenges of communicating the importance of IP to C-suite level executives. Bill Elkington will get you out of your comfort zone and lead you on a journey to mastery of the true value of your company’s intellectual capital—a new paradigm for broadly framing and defining traditional and emerging forms of IP that will cover the waterfront of your company’s value proposition to customers, partners, and investors. The text is interlaced with Bill’s trademark wit and storytelling wisdom, producing a thoroughly enjoyable read.

—Gillian Fenton: Senior Counsel, Vaccines Legal Operations, GSK

An essential read at the generally unexplored intersection of IP asset management and corporate finance by a trail-blazing evangelist who has been in the transaction trenches for many years.

—Ron Laurie: Executive Chairman and CIPO, InventionShare, Inc.

Bill Elkington brings to light the silent challenge facing many companies today—managing one of the most valuable corporate assets, intellectual capital. A significant driver of enterprise value, it is not measured by traditional accounting practices and is not understood by many in leadership positions. Mind IC provides a new perspective on information-age business and a playbook for managing a company’s most relevant assets.

—Scott Williams: Vice President, GE Licensing, General Electric