The new intensively developed economy, focused on multiple knowledge, diversified, refined and strongly supported by the explosion of the information society, is based on a multitude of strategies that prove to be emerging disciplines of management with increasing importance for the century of speed, proving essential not only in the activity of tertiary education providers but also of all other entities, aiming to occupy a special and reforming place in the knowledge economy. Competitive advantage, value-based management and increasing performance in all areas become the priorities that focus the spotlight on the intellectual capital of any company, focused on cognitive knowledge, outstanding skills, advanced ability to understand the new systems available, creative and innovative skills willing to develop and direct them not only in their immediate personal interest but also from the perspective of shareholders. This research is aimed at presenting the advantages and importance of value-based management, as an opportunity to increase performance of higher education institutions in Romania, while discovering successful methods and representative models of measurement for intellectual capital. Thus, the work examines the results obtained by using the following research methods in both public and private higher education institutions in Romania: surveys, interviews, focus groups. Firstly, this paper shows that Value-Based Management and Intellectual Capital play a paramount role in the field of educational in Romania, in general, and in the higher education institutions in Romania, in particular. Secondly, this paper emphasizes the strengths and opportunities brought by Intellectual Capital in Romanian in higher education institutions. Thirdly, this paper has addressed selectively a few successful methods and representative models of measurement for Intellectual Capital in Romanian higher education institutions.
Keywords: intellectual capital, human capital, performance, higher education institutions, intangible variables, quality of education.