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The purpose of this paper is to present and compare some of the most recent and significant contributions from European researchers to the field of the measurement and management of intangibles.

The analysis was carried out on two different levels. First, how the guidelines were developed was examined. Second, the recommendations derived from these guidelines were evaluated.

The first conclusion drawn in this paper is the lack of a unique Conceptual Framework to carry out Intellectual Capital Reports – even though there are no significant differences among the analysed guidelines.

The paper shows that, in line with the increasing importance of the intangible economy in the last few years, a significant number of models has been published. Unlike previously published papers, the main original contribution in the measurement of Intellectual Capital relates to the comparison and assessment of the various existing guidelines.

This article seeks to study the implementation of an intellectual capital model in a network of cities.

This article provides a case study consisting of 25 key development institutions from six different border cities in Spain and Portugal.

Using the SWOT methodology, a set of strategic criteria was established to guide local authority decision making. An internet‐based technology platform, with a registered brand, has been set up and is currently functioning (www.redkognopolis.org). One of the main findings of the case concerns the use of key organizations. Certain aspects have been identified which need to be improved in the future.

Although the interpretations offered are plausible in the context of the case studies, it may not be correct to generalize to other situations.

The proposal has introduced several innovative elements: it is a network, where the city entities work together by sharing knowledge; it consists of small cities; and it involves cross‐border interaction among Spanish and Portuguese regions. Formulas have been found to increase cooperation.

Given the relevance of family businesses and the substantial weight that they carry within the socio‐economic make‐up of any country, this paper consists of the analysis of family firms to explore whether there are any differences between companies which grow at a faster rate than the family and those in which the family grows at a greater rate than the company, in terms of their process of succession and the professionalisation of the people involved and the methods of management. The purpose of this paper is to differentiate between different groups of family businesses through a set of independent variables.

The paper opted for discriminant analysis as an appropriate statistical tool, since it allowed the assigning of an individual to a pre‐defined group (dependent variable) on the basis of a number of characteristics (independent variables). A total of 180 family businesses were analysed.

The results of the study show that significant differences exist between family firms where the family grows more than the company and those where the company grows more than the family. Each group has a different vision. The former is more oriented towards meeting their family needs through the company, whereas the latter is more oriented towards business and professional efficiency.

One of the limitations arises from the fact that the question concerning the rate of growth of the company and the family is a “self‐reported” question that can lead to bias due to the subjective perception of growth. Other limitations arise from the cross‐cutting and exploratory nature of the research.

This paper analyses the differences between family firms where the family grows more than the company and those where the company grows more than the family.

Recent articles in the business press and academic literature affirm that one of the primary means for achieving competitive advantage through product development is by accelerating the development process. A wide range of advanced technologies and techniques have become available to accelerate the design, engineering and manufacture of new products. However, much attention has been focused on new product development techniques but little empirical research has been conducted to validate these techniques. In this exploratory study, we try to identify those techniques that are more useful to accelerating the product development process. Our findings, based on data from 54 Spanish firms, suggest that some available techniques are not effective in achieving this goal of reducing the time to market. Implications for researchers and managers are discussed.

The study aims to investigate the effect of cultural alignment and value congruency between children and founder on intergenerational succession and on the observation of family optimal outcomes.

A game-theoretical approach is used to develop a sequential game modeling the strategic interactions behind successor selection. The authors test its main predictions by conducting an experiment with 75 subjects.

A theoretical prediction that misalignment between children and founder leads to outcomes without intergenerational succession, or to outcomes with intergenerational succession that are not family optimal. These predictions are buttressed by our experiment, which also found evidence that the family optimal outcome is focal when there are multiple equilibria.

No light is thrown on the sources of cultural (mis)alignment, but only on some of its consequences. Further studies of a different nature are needed to better understand the former.

Cultural diffusion and value congruency within the family should be timely fostered to promote harmony during the succession process and raise the chances of successful succession.

The cultural alignment and value congruency between incumbent and successors is treated as shaping the incentives that both types of agents face in the successor-selection process. Further, experimental techniques have not been used to test the results obtained in games exploring issues in family firm succession. This paper aims to begin filling this gap.