Intellectual Capital – The Key for Sustainable Competitive Advantage for the SME's Sector

Abstract

With the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda and its major objective, namely that the EU would become the most dynamic and competitive knowledge based economy in the world, it became clear the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's) are the especially affected by these plans, because they represent the driving force for the European economy. In this context of creating and maintaining a competitive advantage for the SME's, it is crucial for them to make good use of the intellectual capital of their employees, in an efficient and proficient manner, in order to increase their potential for innovation. The aim of this article is to show, through an original argumentation, based on the analysis of specialized literature, the important role that intellectual capital plays in the sector of SME's in order to obtain a real and sustainable competitive advantage.