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Hong Kong enterprises have reached new heights in adopting Intellectual Capital Management (ICM). Since March 2009, over 600 enterprises have participated in the Intellectual Property Department's ICM Consultancy Programme.
Speaking at a celebration ceremony today (January 21), the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, said the Government has successfully promoted the advantages of ICM to businesses.
"With over 600 enterprises adopting ICM, Hong Kong has set an impressive new record when compared to governmental efforts in other economies. We have surpassed other economies which have widely adopted ICM like Europe, US and Japan," he said.
Twenty five organisations published their intellectual capital reports under the second phase of the programme in 2010. Mr So presented plaques of "Excellence in ICM" to the representatives of these organisations to recognise their commitment to ICM.
The Programme will end on March 31, 2011. Some free ICM enhancement programmes organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council and Government funded service providers were introduced in the ceremony to help enterprises to sustain ICM application.
Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), Mrs Agnes Mak, said, "Intellectual capital management is a major support area of HKPC to foster innovation in industry. As the implementation agency of the Innovation and Technology Commission's Patent Application Grant scheme since 1998, we have been assisting manufacturers in protecting their proprietary results. As an industry support organisation, HKPC will continue to provide a range of consultancy services to assist enterprises to implement intellectual capital management, enabling them to identify new business potential for continuous development."
The ICM Consultancy Programme is organised by the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) and co-organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission and the Trade and Industry Department, with the support of a number of business associations. Participating organisations will be provided with a free set of training materials and a certificate to recognise their participation. Details of the programme can be found on IPD's website: www.ipd.gov.hk/eng/icm.htm .
Intellectual Capital Management (ICM) comprises a set of management tools to help enterprises identify intangible assets, assess their value to stakeholders and identify and reduce risks such as intellectual property infringement. Under the Programme, free consultancy services are offered to enterprises, especially SMEs, with a view to managing their intangible assets more effectively to open up new business opportunities, reduce business risk and protect their intellectual property.
Responses to the Programme have been encouraging. More than 470 questionnaires were received from participating enterprises, indicating that 81% of them are small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Of the participating enterprises, 24% belonged to business services, 21% to the wholesale/retail/import and export trading industry and 18% to manufacturing industry. Findings from further analysis show that the human capital of SMEs averages 3% higher (39%) than non-SMEs whereas the structural capital (such as system, structure, intellectual property, etc) of SMEs is only 27%, which is 2% lower than non-SMEs. For the overall assessment of the Programme, 89% of enterprises were satisfied with the free consultancy services and 69% considered the Programme to be easy to understand.
Ends/Friday, January 21, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:56
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