Michael D. Moberly – September 26, 2024 – Business Intangible Asset Strategist & Risk Mitigator – Founder, kpstrat and Business Intangible Asset Blog

Michael D. Moberly is a business intangible asset strategist and risk mitigator. This post is one of 1,200+ published at the Business Intangible Asset Blog.

In this instance, differentiating, safeguarding, and mitigating risk to reputations as constituting valuable and mission essential intangible assets necessary for innovation development and investment.

When examining the reputation of a business – institution as it relates to products, services, innovations, capabilities, and/or operating cultures, all are obliged to acknowledge that reputation, while often characterized as being sensed, perceived, and measurable, remains a relatively abstract (subjective, speculative, and notional) concept.

Reputations generally reflect what is perceived, interpreted, translated, and reasonably expected, i.e., actions, behaviors, attitudes) displayed within an operating culture. This approach would recognize a component of reputation is ‘public interfaces’ internally – externally, e.g., work groups, customers, clients, investors, and suppliers.

Some researchers and leaders contend there are…

• universal and projectable ingredients, features, and components to good, better, best (business) reputations.
• fortes that reflect sector distinctions, offerings, missions, objectives, locales, and/or stages of development, etc.

It’s reasonable to believe that many of us would find it challenging to engage a random group of similarly experienced individuals and arrive at a universally agreeable and practical definition of reputation.

That’s because business – institution reputations are largely and variously comprised of perceptions which include awareness, feelings, beliefs, experiences, sentiments, opinions, judgements, effects, and sometimes principles.

Perceptions, may not necessarily, nor consistently translate to truths, evidences, actual experiences, or facts however. Instead, reputations may hold what Johnson refers to as ‘intrinsic worth’.

Intrinsic worth – value is a measure of what an asset, ala reputation, is worth (in this instance) as a distinguishable intangible (non-physical) asset, standing alone.

More specifically, intrinsic value – worth may be seen as the value of, or interest in something, which in turn translates as the value which that thing has…

• in itself.
• for its own sake.
• due to its basic nature or character, or,
• based on its expected future cash flow, risk, and growth potential, but,
• not because of its connection with other things.

Let us agree (preferably, stipulate) the reputation of a business, institution, its leadership, and operating culture, and its products, services, innovations, capabilities are…

• essential and valuable intangible (no-physical) assets which warrant recognition, monitoring, safeguards, and risk mitigation.
• subject to various instincts, impulses, and influences which can include present day variations of ‘word-of-mouth’ as well as
  • commercialized, misinformed, and/or deceptive resources, portrayals, appeals, and incentives, may now
  • render personal/professional experience, knowledge, due diligence seem less obligatory or compulsory.

The reputation associated with a business, institution, its leadership and operating culture, as well as its products, services, innovations, capabilities, preferably, serve – contribute as attractive and measurable differentiators to/for business competitiveness, quality, content-subject matter familiarity, operating culture, revenue generation capability, which are both durable and sustainable.

Therefore, reputations are obliged to be recognized as (potentially, distinctively) valuable, monitorable, and measurable intangible assets which they are.

All are obliged to be prudent in our respective expectations – projections that reputation is, can, and will reliably remain durable, attractive, and sustainable, competitive, valuable, and intact.

Absent objective – relevant monitoring, safeguards in place and specific risk deterrents, preventions, and mitigations, such favorable conditions are obliged to not be presumed nor tested.

Instead, reputation risk vulnerabilities, probabilities, and criticalities in today’s contexts, should be welcomed and considered.

Advantageously thinking business innovators, developers, leaders, management teams, boards, and investors are fiduciarily obliged to ensure reputation development, durability, resilience, and sustainability are routinely considered due diligence.

More on these and related topics-issues are forthcoming!

Readers are invited to examine ‘Safeguarding Intangible Assets’ a book I authored at https://kpstrat.com/books/ 

Posts @ Business Intangible Asset Blog present various business economic – operational realities. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, R&D administrators, management teams, boards, and investors across sectors report benefiting from these posts, e.g., mitigating (reacting, responding to) the often ‘public – viral’ risks and challenges which produce reputational risks, are obligations with little room or time for equivocation or error.

The Business Intangible Asset Blog was created in 2006 and now includes 1200+ topic-specific- long form posts. Posts are intended to provide readers with unique and reliable insights on current matters related to – affecting business things intangible.

Posts at Business Intangible Asset Blog are developed – written solely by Mr. Moberly (not AI). Posts are intended to draw readers attention to the development, application, management, safeguards, and risk mitigation obligations necessary today for business’s ‘mission essential’ intangible assets.

Readers are also invited to explore other posts, along with books and papers available @ ‘Home – kpstrat