C. Tangible and intangible assets

Assets can also be classified as tangible and intangible. Tangible assets are assets with a physical existence - things you can touch - such as property, plant and equipment.

Tangible assets are generally recorded at their historical cost (see Unit 7) less accumulated depreciation charges - the amount of their cost that has already been deducted from profits. This gives their net book value.

Intangible assets include brand names - legally protected names for a company’s products, patents - exclusive rights to produce a particular new product for a fixed period, and trade marks - names or symbols that are put on products and cannot be used by other companies. Networks of contacts, loyal customers, reputation, trained staff or ‘human capital’, and skilled management can also be considered as intangible assets. Because it is difficult to give an accurate value for any of these things, companies normally only record tangible assets. For this reason, a going concern should be worth more on the stock exchange than simply its net worth or net assets: assets minus liabilities. If a company buys another one at above its net worth - because of its intangible assets - the difference in price is recorded under assets in the balance sheet as goodwill.