Human Capital, Intellectual Capital, and Creative Economy Competitiveness: The Mediating Role of Human Resource Development

Irwan Yantu (Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia)
Syarwani Canon (Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia)
Raflin Hinelo (Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia)
Irawati Abdul (Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Indonesia)

Fundamental and Applied Management Journal
Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): September

The creative economy drives Indonesia's economic growth, yet its competitiveness in peripheral regions such as Gorontalo Province is constrained by dependence on a single flagship subsector and limited institutional support. Prior studies have examined human capital (HC), intellectual capital (IC), human resource development (HRD), and competitive advantage largely in isolation, leaving the pathways through which HC and IC relate to creative economy competitiveness (CEC) insufficiently explained. Objective: This study analyzes the effect of HC and IC on CEC, directly and through HRD as a mediator, among creative economy actors in Gorontalo Province. Method: A cross-sectional survey of n = 96 creative economy actors was conducted using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. Following an audit of a reverse-worded item and iterative indicator elimination, the final model retained 19 indicators with adequate validity and reliability. Results: Bootstrapping shows HC significantly affects HRD (β = 0.365, p < .001) and CEC directly (β = 0.372, p = .001), with HRD partially mediating this relationship (β = 0.116, p = .018). IC significantly affects HRD (β = 0.318, p = .002), and HRD significantly affects CEC (β = 0.319, p = .005), but IC has no significant direct effect on CEC (β = 0.145, p = .138), and its indirect effect through HRD is only marginal (β = 0.101, p = .054). Post-hoc power analysis indicates the study was underpowered to detect the small IC-CEC effect (observed power = .35). Conclusion: These results reveal an asymmetric mechanism: human capital exerts an immediate effect on competitiveness, whereas intellectual capital requires conversion through concrete HRD activities, a conversion only partially confirmed here. This study contributes by identifying this asymmetry as a boundary condition of intellectual capital theory in small-enterprise contexts, and offers practical implications for creative economy policy that prioritizes capacity-building over passive knowledge-asset accumulation.