Exploring Intellectual Liabilities in Universities – Case Study of a Public Sector University

Abstract

Public universities are going through a tough time in Pakistan and some of the old universities are facing severe financial crisis to the extent that they cannot even pay their employees. This drift took a long time, and it is mainly due to increase in the intellectual liabilities. While intellectual capital is seen as non-physical resources which helps to create value, intellectual liabilities are the intangible rigidities that destroys the value. This paper explores the creation of intellectual liabilities in universities due to different prevailing processes and practices and the ignorance of its implications by the management, using a public sector university as a case study. Actor-Network Theory is utilized to develop the understanding of the phenomenon, to appreciate the complexity of reality and understanding how social effects are generated as a result of associations between different actors in a network. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis have bene utilized for its analysis. Findings suggest that intellectual liabilities have a destructive role in universities. The findings can prove useful to human resource managers, policy decision-makers, as well as government and academic institutions in understanding what intellectual liabilities is and how they can develop gradually if not prevented.