The importance of the 'weightless economy' and investment in intangible assets

Abstract

The economic landscape of the present and future is no longer shaped by tangible assets, but by intangible assets. Several decades ago, William Tenn wrote a science-fiction story in which aliens, as interstellar traders, claimed on their business cards to be 'dealers in intangibles'. Professor Danny Quah from London invented the term 'weightless economy', referring to economic activity whose value does not consist of physical products. In a weightless economy, success comes from knowing how to locate and combine specific pieces of information. The goal of this analysis is to provide an overview of possibilities and problems in valuation of intangible assets. In this qualitative and quantitative analysis, authors used comparation method, analysis and synthesis method, inductive and deductive method, and a local and international literature review.

Keywords

• 'weightless economy'
• investment decisions
• intangible assets
• profitability