Research Forum on «Intangibles» – Editorial

In recent years, one of the most frequently used “buzzwords” is that we live in a knowledge economy. This concept is articulated in a multifaceted number of expressions (e.g. information economy, knowledge-based society, intangible economy, conceptual companies, and so on), which stress differentiated and yet connected aspects. By the same token, a number of studies (e.g. Corrado and Hulten, 2010) has revealed that we are facing a new phase in the evolution of the capitalistic system, where investments on intangibles have overcome those on tangibles. It is evident that the two phenomena are intertwined: the new role and weight of knowledge in the economic system and organisations is likely to be a primary trigger of the role and weight of intangibles therein. Indeed, intangible resources are genetically linked to knowledge