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Tangibility is the property of being able to be perceived, especially by the sense of touch.[1][2] Metaphorically, something can also be said to be "cognitively tangible" if one can easily understand it.[3]
Law
In criminal law, one of the elements of an offense of larceny is that the stolen property must be tangible.[citation needed]
In the context of intellectual property, expression in tangible form is one of the requirements for copyright protection.[4] For example, in the United States, Title 17 of the United States Code, Section 102, states that a work becomes copyrighted when "fixed in any tangible medium of expression".[5] This includes literary works, music, dramatic works, pantomimes, choreography, films, sound recordings, and architectural works.[5]
In the context of international tax law, article 5(1) of the OECD Model Tax Treaty requires to date a permanent establishment to consist of a tangible place of business. This is problematic concerning the taxation of the Digital Economy.[citation needed]
Business
In the context of business, the tangibility of products and services lies on a spectrum between pure goods and pure services.[6] For example, bread and television are considered tangible goods, whereas air travel and investment banking are considered intangible services.[6]
Tangibility may have both negative and positive effects on a business.[7] For example, in the Pakistani textile industry, the tangibility ratio negatively correlates with return on assets.[7] However, tangibility can also make handling conflicts easier from the point of view of agency theory.[7]
In other fields
The concept of tangibility can be used in software design. For example, this idea helped shape the Onboard Context-Sensitive Information System (OCSIS) developed for use by airplane pilots.[3] In particular, it helped decide whether or not OCSIS should be handheld, or how it should display the weather.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "tangibility, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary". www.oed.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ "Definition of TANGIBILITY". www.merriam-webster.com. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ a b c Landry, Steven James (2017-11-22). Handbook of Human Factors in Air Transportation Systems. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-351-65229-2.
- ^ "What is Copyright? | U.S. Copyright Office". www.copyright.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ a b "17 U.S. Code § 102 - Subject matter of copyright: In general". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ a b Botha, Johan; Bothma, Cornelius; Brink, Annekie (2005). Introduction to Marketing. Juta and Company Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7021-6511-5.
- ^ a b c Ionica, Oncioiu; Sorinel, C?pu?neanu; Ioan, Topor, Dan; Maria (Oprea), Constantin, Dana (2020-07-24). Sustainability Reporting, Ethics, and Strategic Management Strategies for Modern Organizations. IGI Global. ISBN 978-1-7998-4638-3.
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