The Relationship Between Intellectual Capital and Accounting Conservatism: A Case Study in Jordan

The purpose of this study is to assess how accounting conservatism is practiced in the Jordanian pharmaceuticals and medical industry. It assesses the association between accounting conservatism and intellectual capital (IC) in this industry. This study measures IC performance using the market price per share less book value. Accounting conservatism is measured using the book-to-price ratio, and the data was collected from company annual reports and the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) website. The data was collected for the period of six years (2014 to 2019). The sample was made up of four companies in the industry listed in the ASE. The data was analyzed using the SPSS program though the ordinary least squares regression model to assess how accounting conservatism is associated with IC. The findings indicate a negative association with companies having higher IC performance and reporting lower accounting conservatism. IC is applied more in these companies, although it might be lower than in other companies in other sectors. This study provides empirical evidence on how IC is applied in the industry and how it might be negatively associated with accounting conservatism. Findings indicate the need for more effective policies to promote recognition of intangible assets in the sector.