Reporting intellectual capital in Spain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the growing literature field of intellectual capital (IC) by analysing corporate IC disclosures by leading Spanish firms over a three‐year period from 2000 to 2002. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis methodology was applied to the annual reports of 12 Spanish companies over a three‐year period. Findings A statistically significant increase was found in the volume of IC disclosures over a three‐year period. There is a greater volume of communication in the area of external (customer/relational) capital than in either internal or employee capital. This corresponds with the results of other country‐based studies. However, IC reporting remains at a relatively limited level, and disclosures are dominated by customer relational items. Originality/value This paper makes an original contribution to the growing body of empirical studies on IC reporting and describes the development of IC reporting in Spain.