Abstract:

Digitization and increasing access to the internet, data and information are bringing to the attention of economists more and more elements that are increasingly influencing the evolution of companies. For some years now, intangible assets have been in the spotlight of academia, business and regulators, and the news on the subject is constantly emerging. Some associate it with the human capacity to invent new things, to add value to something already created, others associate it with technology. There are very many stakeholders interested in understanding how assets work, because we have all unwittingly become part of the economic system. Children are increasingly using telephones, they increasingly think in designer clothes, big companies are working hard to bring new, attractive products to market, investors want security of investment and returns. The aim of this paper is to deal with the prospects of intangibles, to understand the importance of intangible assets, the phenomena by which this particular category of assets makes its mark on the growth of the value of the organization, the factors that propelled the transition to the digital economy and then to look into the economic future of the world in general.

Reporting the results may have applicability for both academics and current and future practitioners in the context that the identification and treatment of intangible assets is a frequent topic of conferences and debates, but especially because there is no exact model that economists should follow for recognizing, recording and valuing intangible assets. Intangible assets are a topic under the current scrutiny not only of accountants, but also of managers who need to adapt as quickly as possible to the new transformations of globalization and digitalization.