AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
dispose of strong engineering know-how, which ensures them
competitive advantage on domestic and international market.
Know-how of a business is tended by business secret and their
number is secret due to competition. Second largest share of
intangible assets represents designs with 25%. Design enters
product in every phase of transformation process, from pre-
production phases through main production up to post-
production services. It takes not only formal aspect, but also
functional function of product. It is part of the product value and
customer experience. In pre-production phase, in phase of
development and construction there are considered aesthetic and
functional aspects of product, for which it was created.
In main production, product is given such shape or content as it
was determined by constructor in technical documentation, to
achieve level of usefulness with required level of quality and
minimal production costs. Post-production phase of
transformation process most commonly includes packaging,
loading, expedition, and acceptance by customer. As we can see,
intangible element of design enters value and core of produced
item in every stage of production phase.
Third largest share of intangible assets represents licenses with
21%. Licenses enter transformation process in form of software,
computer programs, purchased patents and trademarks based on
license agreements. Relationship between granted patents and
licences is closely dependant. It is based on the fact, that
business with possibility to patent own products is not obliged to
enter license agreement to be able to produce a new product. In
Slovakia, number of granted patents is lowest amongst countries
of European Union. Also results of the research prove the fact,
that the second lowest share in transformation process represents
patents with 11%. It is a result of stagnation and downfall in area
of research and development in Slovakia. Prior privatisation of
Slovak businesses by foreign businesses almost every production
business had research and development department. However,
after sell out mother companies kept research and development
as main process subject and daughter companies were only
delegated with production construction and technological
preparations.
Patents are currently considered one of the means for
competitive advantage of business on domestic and foreign
market. The more patents business owns, the more its credit
grows. It becomes strong competitor for domestic and
international businesses. Number of patents and licenses also
plays important role in sale of the business. Often it is critical
factor in strategic decisions of management of business.
Negligible share of intangible assets, which enter production
process covers goodwill with 9%.
Businesses perceive goodwill in general as “good name of a
business” and not as business value of all intangible holdings of
business. Based on an interview realised throughout the research,
top managers of businesses, which consider goodwill as element
entering production process stated, that primary element
included in goodwill is loyalty of employees emerging from
their share on production of quality products. Loyalty of
employees and customers are the best feedback for business
management, to achieve prosperity of the business in the future.
Especially when it comes to loyalty of customers, it is important
to realise that „customer satisfaction has time dimension and
long term character. Product approval requires time and repeated
opportunity of use. One time experience with product does not
lead to strengthening positive opinion of customer. The more
experience is worth mentioning and the stronger is the
establishment the more difficult it would be to change the
opinion.“
Businesses who took part on questionnaire research stated they
register know-how as intangible asset, consisting of various
knowledge, information, experience, from several production
areas, areas of business and economics. As knowledge and
experience are considered different results of research, scientific
development, technological, advisory and other professional
papers. Out of the number of business, that register know-how is
37% medium sized and 44% large businesses and 19% represent
small businesses. Result emerges from the fact that large
businesses with their mass production apply in larger degree
production know-how, as for successful operating and
uniqueness of their products there are necessary knowledge,
experience and technological procedures. As a benefit, business
achieves by application of know-how, businesses state
improvement of production processes, elimination ineffective
production procedures or reduction of material and energy.
Initial benefits are reflected in achieving higher profits,
improving working conditions or environment, which could not
be achieved without application of know-how.
Number of registered know-how depends in high degree on
industry sector, in which business operates. The highest number
of registered know-how is recorded in electro-technical industry
(22%) and in sector of information technologies (28%).
Significant number of production know-how was demonstrated
in industrial production (35%), while the highest number of
know-how was recorded in automobile industry and automobile
component producing businesses. Number of know-how in
businesses depends in high degree on production type, on
construction, development and technological base of
transformation process.
Apart from above mentioned intangible assets such as patents,
know-how, licences, businesses register other industrial rights.
Based on the research it was found out that businesses register
industrial patterns and design in share 48%, improvement ideas
40% and 12% utility models. Improvement ideas in businesses
represent new knowledge, ideas, proposals obtained from
employees, who take part on improvement and effective
operation of business on market. They help to put final touches
and improve products in individual phases of transformational
process. Implemented improvement ideas of business are
archived and registered as valuable intangible assets of business.
Utility models belong to industrial rights. Their character is
similar to patents; however, the difference is in simpler
registration, lower expenses and abidance requested for
evidence. In the next part we deal with analysis of design
evidence, which represents highest share of other industrial
rights recorded in businesses.
Analysis of research performed in area of designs, we came to
results, that highest number of designs 55% is registered by large
businesses, middle sized businesses register number of designs
in share of 28% and small businesses in share of 17%.
In implementation of designs, design constructors emerge from
certain idea, which should represent core of the product,
highlight main idea or purpose of the object. Supporting tool for
success of product design are marketing activities, which
influences sales of product on a market. However, design alone
does not fully grant sales of products. It is especially quality of a
product, sum of development factors, sales, while design is
assisting factor in assuring of long term sales and loyal
customers. Important role has also design management, which
manages activities connected with proposal, implementation of
design into production. Depreciate design may not only
producer, but also design technician. Technician is assigned to
prepare product prototype based on ideas and sketches of design.
Product prototype should be 100% identical to sketch, however,
after number of attempts it happens that constructor is not able to
create design in accordance with sketch and applies design
wrongfully. Hence, design does not correspond with real idea,
which can lead to depreciation of design and decrease of product
sales.
5 Conclusions
Every company protects its good name on a market, because it
represents a tool that opens door for them to foreign markets. As
well as brand and other parts of intellectual property good name
of a business is valuable intangible property of any business.
License itself does not grant successful sales. Tool to profit from
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