Business Glossary

This glossary is a collection of important terms related to business administration. It covers key concepts that are essential for understanding how businesses operate, from management and marketing to finance and strategy. Whether you’re just starting to learn about business or need a quick reference, this glossary can help you get familiar with the language used in the world of business.

market

noun

A regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.

Example: The company is looking to expand its presence in the U.S. MARKET by launching a new product line.

fr: marché

margin

noun

A profit margin.

Example: However, Hyundai has higher gross profit MARGIN almost by twice showing that it has been having a better net profit than Audi for three consecutive years.

fr: marge

partnership

noun

A business or firm owned and run by two or more partners.

Example: The success of PARTNERSHIP is based on an agreement of employment security in exchange of flexible working to be adopted by the employees.

fr: partenariat

human resources

noun

The department of a business or organization that deals with the hiring, administration, and training of personnel.

Example: Therein comes a need to adopt a strategic approach to HUMAN RESOURCES, in particular the recruitment and selection process.

fr: ressources humaines

cash flow

noun

The total amount of money being transferred into and out of a business, especially as affecting liquidity.

Example: NPV using a discount rate of 10% in 5 years horizon Since the discount rate is reduced to 10%, while the time considered remains at 5 years, NPV in all 3 projects should be expected to improve since the CASH FLOW after discounting in each year should be higher.

fr: des flux de trésorerie

entrepreneurship

noun

The activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

Example: The Chinese institutional framework promoted agricultural development and best-practice in the first millennium due to its highly efficient bureaucratic elite; in the second millennium, however, China's institutions failed to keep up with the global expansion of trade and technology and became detrimental to their economy: the bureaucracy's monopoly restricted the emergence of an independent class of commercial bourgeoisie, thus forbidding potentially profitable trade and ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

fr: entrepreneuriat

e-commerce

noun

Commercial transactions conducted electronically on the internet.

Example: Market share, profit margin, and marketing efficiency of early movers, bricks and clicks, and specialists in E-COMMERCE.

fr: commerce électronique

b2b

noun

Abbreviation for business-to-business : relating to business arrangements or trade between different businesses.

Example: Selling B2B is also resource intensive and a distinctive feature is that businesses often partner with competitors to deliver an end-to-end service to the customer and meet specifications - a feature not often found in consumer markets.

fr: b2b

b2c

noun

The term business-to-consumer (B2C) refers to the process of selling products and services directly between a business and consumers who are the end-users of its products or services.

Example: Organisations that sell Business to Business (B2B) rather than Business to Consumer (B2C), such as Fujitsu, arguably have a tougher task in understanding client behaviour and buying patterns, as these markets are often more complex with a number of intricacies evident only in B2B markets.

fr: b2c

marketing

noun

The activity or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.

Example: To increase sales, the company decided to focus on improving its MARKETING strategy through social media campaigns.

fr: commercialisation

target market

noun

In marketing, a target market is a group of consumers at which a product or service is aimed.

Example: In terms of advertising in emerging markets, where there are wider disparities between income levels, L'Oréal will need to place their adverts in different places according to the TARGET MARKET.

fr: marché cible

break-even point

noun

Reach a point in a business venture when the profits are equal to the costs.

Example: The company reached its BREAK-EVEN POINT after selling 1,000 units of their new product.

fr: point mort

value chain

noun

The process or activities by which a company adds value to an article, including production, marketing, and the provision of after-sales service.

Example: The company analyzed its VALUE CHAIN to identify areas where it could reduce costs and improve efficiency, ultimately increasing profitability.

fr: chaîne de valeur

budgeting

noun

Provide (a sum of money) for a particular purpose from a budget.

Example: The Planning and BUDGETING Procedures, Structures of Accountability and Reward Structure are analysed and recommendations are explained to counter weaknesses.

fr: budgétisation

management

noun

The process of dealing with or controlling things or people.

Example: The success of the project largely depended on effective MANAGEMENT, ensuring that all tasks were completed on time and within budget.

fr: gestion

globalization

noun

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

Example: The impact of GLOBALIZATION can be seen in the way businesses operate across international markets.

fr: mondialisation

franchisee

noun

An individual or company that holds a franchise for the sale of goods or the operation of a service.

Example: The majority of The Body Shop's outlets are franchises and there is a very limited amount of control, the franchisees can sell their own related products and modify the store concept, which has been a key to their success. However, in early 1990s a FRANCHISEE of six outlets, suffering of a mental disorder without her managers knowing of it, became hostile to the culture of the company and let her outlets to degrade, which resulted in damage to company's reputation and extensive litigation and the top management was forced to escalate the level of control.

fr: franchisé

market penetration

noun

The extent to which a product is recognized and bought by customers in a particular market.

Example: However the market share could be increased further by using the strategy of MARKET PENETRATION (increasing sales in the current market with current products).

fr: pénétration du marché

asset

noun

A country or independent area where taxes are levied at a low rate.

Example: The reality is that a house is a risky ASSET.

fr: actif

capital

noun

Wealth in the form of money or other assets owned by a person or organization or available or contributed for a particular purpose such as starting a company or investing.

Example: From these results, the Waltham project seems clearly most attractive since it shows a relatively high NPV in relation to the size of the project and amount invested as an initial CAPITAL.

fr: capital

This glossary was made with the Virtual Writing Tutor glossary maker and grammar checker.