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Intellectual capital and profitability in an emerging insurance market

Author

Listed:
  • Nicholas Asare
  • Abdul Latif Alhassan
  • Michael Effah Asamoah
  • Matthew Ntow-Gyamfi

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and profitability of insurance companies in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - Data on 36 life and non-life insurance companies from 2007 to 2011 are employed to estimate the value added intellectual coefficient of Pulic (2004, 2008). Using return on assets and underwriting profit as indicators of profitability, the ordinary least squares panel corrected standard errors of Beck and Katz (2005) is used in estimating the relationship in the presence of serial correlation and heteroskedasticity. Leverage, underwriting risk and insurers’ size are used as control variables. Findings - Non-life insurers have high IC performance comparative to life insurers. This study finds a significant positive relationship between IC and profitability of insurers in Ghana while human capital efficiency is the main driver of insurers’ IC performance. Practical implications - The study discusses relevance of IC for management of insurance companies in Ghana and other emerging insurance markets in Africa. Originality/value - This appears to be the first study to examine the impact of IC on profitability of a developing insurance market in Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Asare & Abdul Latif Alhassan & Michael Effah Asamoah & Matthew Ntow-Gyamfi, 2017. "Intellectual capital and profitability in an emerging insurance market," Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 2-19, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:jeaspp:jeas-06-2016-0016
    DOI: 10.1108/JEAS-06-2016-0016
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jamila Abaidi Hasnaoui & Syed Kumail Abbas Rizvi & Krishna Reddy & Nawazish Mirza & Bushra Naqvi, 2021. "Human capital efficiency, performance, market, and volatility timing of asian equity funds during COVID-19 outbreak," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(5), pages 360-375, September.
    2. Guangchun Jin & Jian Xu, 2022. "Does Intellectual Capital Affect Financial Leverage of Chinese Agricultural Companies? Exploring the Role of Firm Profitability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-14, February.
    3. Adesina, Kolade Sunday, 2021. "How diversification affects bank performance: The role of human capital," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 303-319.
    4. Adesina, Kolade Sunday, 2019. "Bank technical, allocative and cost efficiencies in Africa: The influence of intellectual capital," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 419-433.
    5. Nguyet Thi Nguyen, 2023. "The Impact of Intellectual Capital on Service Firm Financial Performance in Emerging Countries: The Case of Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, April.
    6. Monika Barak & Rakesh Kumar Sharma, 2023. "Investigating the Impact of Intellectual Capital on the Sustainable Financial Performance of Private Sector Banks in India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-21, January.

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