Future Value: The $7 Trillion Challenge

As of May 2003, $7.6 trillion (or 58%) of the aggregate value of the U.S. stock market represented “future value”–that portion of value that does not depend on current operating performance but rather on anticipated growth. This concept of future growth value is especially important in newer industry sectors and among companies whose value is based heavily on intangible assets, such as brand and proprietary knowledge. But traditional accounting remains focused on tangible assets. And because most executives rely on accounting‐ based financial data to run their businesses, they end up focusing on current operating results when they should be investing in strategies that optimize future growth. In short, many of the assets that are most responsible for creating value in today's economy are not managed as well as they could be. As part of its high‐performance business initiative, Accenture has developed a comprehensive research database and a set of tools for examining the components and drivers of future value, along with a methodology for applying this research on a companyspecific basis. Accenture's futurevalue analytics can determine the portion of a company's market value that is attributable to future growth, and can help identify the drivers of that future growth value. The development of a viable operational framework will enable executives to translate corporate intangibles into manageable market value.