Question of the week 27: Intangible

Hi and welcome to this week’s question of the week! This week the word ‘intangible’ will be covered in the following question:

What are intangible assets?

The word intangible stands for something that creates value, whether it is specific knowledge or a brand name, which cannot be touched or seen. It can be a person or a possession. Consultancy services for instance are intangible, as it has to do with knowledge rather than actual objects. Also the name of a company holds an intangible value as it would create a positive or negative reaction to people, whilst copyrights are intangible as they protect a specific work yet it in itself are nothing but text written on paper. The following are intangible assets that a company maintains to create and keep its competitive advantage.

Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks, and licenses – These are intangibles that protect a company’s name, technology, text, pictures and videos. They allow the company to protect its property so that no other company or person can use it without a fee.

Knowledge – The people that work in a company have both tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is knowledge that cannot be written or codified. Explicit knowledge on the other hand is knowledge that can be written down and whoever reads it would then be able to understand it fully. For instance, when learning how to drive a car, the theory exam checks explicit knowledge. The practical theory however checks the implicit knowledge on how to drive a car. Situational awareness on the road cannot be codified as the environment always changes.

In short: Intangible stands for something that cannot be seen or touched. These include both property rights such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, and licenses, and knowledge that all employees and employers have.

If you have any questions, doubts, or other examples, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!

Question of the week 26: Antagonize

Hi and welcome to this week’s question of the week! For this week, the word ‘antagonize’ will be covered in the following question:

What are the risks of antagonizing the wrong people?

The word antagonize stands for the provocation of another person. For instance, when a person talks negatively about another, that person is said to be antagonizing. The expression ‘don’t antagonize’ is used to remind people not to provoke, and maintain peace and respect with that person despite apparent problems. If however you don’t, you may end up with the following problems:

- Getting sued for defamation

- Getting into a fight

- Getting ignored

- Losing a friend or acquaintance

- Losing trust

Antagonizing a person may provide some popularity if other people share the same problem about someone. However, it will always result in a conflict. As such, by not antagonizing a person and instead reasoning that a person’s actions are wrong, or exposing a problem, would help to tackle the problem whilst also preventing the risks that are associated with it.

In short: Antagonizing stands for provoking somebody. When antagonizing a person, due to a problem, it creates risks such as being sued or getting into a fight. By staying peaceful and not antagonizing, but rather to reason with the person that you have a problem with, it is possible to express what you feel and prevent any risks from happening. As the expressions goes, ‘don’t antagonize’.

If you have any questions or doubts, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!

Question of the week 25: Innocuous

Hi and welcome to this week’s Question of the Week! In this entry, the word ‘innocuous’ will be covered in the following question:

What are some examples of innocuous jokes?

The term innocuous stands for something or someone that is harmless or not offensive. For example, an innocuous person is one that does not bully, that respects other people’s opinions, and that is not aggressive in his or her actions. Animals and insects, such as grasshoppers, koalas, and giraffes, can also be called innocuous since they do not create harm. Even a question can be classified as innocuous if the person’s answer would not be used against him or her.

This week’s question looks at innocuous jokes. Are jokes always offensive, directed towards certain individuals, and meant to upset a person? Well, these five jokes certainly aren’t:

1. If pro is the opposite of con, then what is the opposite of PROgress? CONgress.

2. What do you call a person that is both from Holland and from the Philippines? A Jalapeno (Hollapino). – Russell Peters

3. If 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea… does that mean that one enjoys it?

4. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

5. If practice makes perfect, and nobody’s perfect, then why practice?

In short: The word innocuous stands for something or somebody that is harmless or not offensive. An example of an innocuous joke is: if practice makes perfect, and nobody’s perfect, then why practice?

If you have any questions or doubts, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!