Digital Intellectual Capital of Russian Companies and its Impact on Financial and Innovation Performance

Ural Federal University, 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: i.m.chernenko@urfu.ru

Abstract

The paper aims to investigate the level of accumulated digital intellectual capital and investments in digital transformation in the Russian regions and study its impact on the gross regional product and companies’ revenue, as well as on the innovative activity of companies. The study relies on the multiple regression method to find significant relationships between digitalization and performance indicators in 85 Russian regions and cities of federal significance. The originality of the approach used in this study lies in the development of the digital capital theory: the authors assess the impact of accumulated digital intellectual capital and investment on the performance of manufacturing and service companies and show the difference in return on investment between sectors. The results of the study show that though Russian regions are at the initial stage of the digital economy development, digitalization has a significant positive impact on the financial and innovative performance. Manufacturing companies primarily use structural capital to create customer value. Service-oriented companies also receive a positive return on investment in human and relational capital. The results obtained can be applied in practice by the business community to support investment decisions and analyse the processes of creating digital intellectual capital in companies.