Buisness glosarry 3 Flashcards
Persuasive advertising
Advertising that tries to persuade consumers to purchase a product.
Piece rate
A payment system where employees are paid according to how much they produce. They are paid an amount per unit produced, the argument being that this will motivate them to work harder.
Place
The P from the marketing mix that refers to the distribution of the product.
Point of sale promotion
Advertising or promotion of the product at the point where the consumer is actually buying the product.
Policy
A strategy that is a means of achieving an objective.
Policy instruments
Tools used to achieve an objective. Fiscal policy and monetary policy are both examples.
Population
The number of people living in a country.
Potential output
The output that could be achieved if all resources were to be fully deployed.
Predatory pricing
A situation where a firm reduces price in the short run to try to force competitors out of the industry.
Preference share
A less risky investment than an ordinary share as it carries a fixed rate of return for the investor, though they do not carry the same shareholders’ rights as ordinary shares.
Present value
The value today of future incomes from an investment.
Pressure groups
Groups who come together to present a particular cause and to try to influence policy and behaviour. They will try to lobby government and firms to achieve their objectives.
Prestige pricing
Pricing where a business is able to set a high price because of the image associated with its product.
Price
The amount of money a good or service is bought for.
Price competition
The process of firms trying to attract customers through changes (cuts) in price.
Price discrimination
A situation where the same product is sold in different markets for different prices.
Price earnings ratio
A ratio that measures the earnings from a share compared to the price of the share. Higher ratios are better as they reflect higher returns.
Price elasticity of demand
A measure of the responsiveness of demand to a change in price. It is calculated by taking the percentage change in demand and dividing by the percentage change in price.
Price elasticity of supply
A Measure of the responsiveness of supply to a given change in price. It is calculated by taking the percentage change in supply and dividing by the percentage change in price.
Price index
A figure measuring price changes. It is a statistical measurement of a typical basket of goods purchased by people. A measure of inflation.
Price maker
Firms who are able to influence price as their output represents a significant share of the market.
Price taker
Firms whose output does not influence price as they are too small to influence the market price and therefore simply ‘take the market price’.
Pricing policies
The ways in which firms set prices or aim to influence the prices of goods and services.
Primary data
Information that doesn’t as yet exist. It is data that is collected for the first time by a researcher and is likely to be collected through questionnaires or surveys.
Primary sector
The sector of the economy concerned with agriculture and the extraction of raw materials (for example, mining, fishing and agriculture).
Prioritising
The process of putting tasks or activities in order of ‘needing to be done’. Required when there are a large number of tasks needing to be carried out with insufficient resources to do this quickly.
Private sector
The part of the economy privately owned and in the control of individuals and companies.
Privatisation
The process of moving economic activity from the public sector to the private sector.
Problem child
One of the four types of product identified in the Boston Matrix. It is a product that has a low market share within a fast growing market.
Process innovation
Using new technologies in the production process to make the production process more efficient or to ensure a better quality outcome from the process.
Product life cycle
A curve showing the different stages that a product passes through during its lifetime.
Product orientation
A situation where a firm focuses more on creating the product than responding to the needs of the market.
Product portfolio
The range of products offered by a company. Companies will want to ensure that they have a full and balanced range.
Production
The process of making goods and services from the inputs available (the factors of production).
Productive capacity
The amount that a firm or plant could produce if all the resources available to it were to be fully employed and working as efficiently as possible.
Productivity
A measure of efficiency. It can be calculated by taking the total level of output and dividing by the quantity of inputs used.
Profit
A situation where a firm receives more revenue from the sale of a product or service than it cost to manufacture the good or service. It is a reward for risk.
Profit and loss account
A record of the firm’s trading activities over a period of time.
Profit margin
Profit as a percentage of turnover (or sales). It is calculated by taking the level of profit, dividing by the level of turnover and multiplying by 100 to get the figure as a percentage.
Profit maximisation
The main motive for a firm. It is where firms aim to make the largest surplus of revenue over cost.
Profitability ratios
A group of ratios that measure the profitability of a company. They include the return on capital employed and gross and net profit margins.
Progressive tax
A tax that takes an increasing proportion of income as income rises. Income tax is an example.
Promotion campaigns
Promotional efforts by firms that are aimed at encouraging people to purchase a product. Examples may include the giving of free gifts or two for the price of one offers.
Public corporations
Industries owned by the state/government.
Public expenditure
Spending by central government and local authorities on providing goods and services, transfer payments and debt repayments.
Public interest
The common good or the good of society at large.
Public limited company
A limited liability company owned by shareholders. The shares in the company are available publicly for purchase through the stock exchange.
Public relations
The division of a firm that deals with communication with their consumers / customers (the ‘public’). They will usually be responsible for dealing with the media, comments, complaints and criticisms.
Public sector
The sector of the economy under government control.
Published accounts
The financial statements that every limited company has to issue annually.
Purchasing
The buying of any raw materials, parts or equipment that are needed by the firm for production of theor goods or services.
Qualitative research
The gathering of information that is not statistical but that gives an idea about the perceptions or views that customers have of a product or service.
Quality assurance
A way for a firm to give their customers greater confidence about the quality of the product they are buying. This may be offered through a group/organisation that offers a quality stamp of some sort.
Quality circles
Small groups of workers who get together to look at all issues relating to the quality of production of the good or service. It may be a part of a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach.
Quantitative research
The gathering of statistical data for market research or other purposes.
Quick ratio
Another name for the acid test ratio. It is the current ratio with stock and work-in-progress deducted from current assets.
Quotas
A limit on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country. They are a form of protectionist policy.
Rate of interest
The price of money. It is the extra percentage that has to be paid when borrowing money or that a saver receives when putting their money aside for the future.
Rate of return
The percentage return earned by an asset. It can be measured as the profit earned by a firm as a percentage of the assets.
Ratio analysis
A tool for analysing the financial performance of a company by calculating ratios from their published accounts.
Re-order level
The minimum level that the firm will allow their stocks to fall to before they re-order new ones.
Real income
The level of national income adjusted for inflation.
Real rate of interest
The rate of interest adjusted for inflation.
Real terms
When a variable has been adjusted so that the effects of inflation have been taken into account.
Real wage
The value of income in real terms. It is a measure of what the wage is actually able to buy in terms of goods and services.
Receivership
The process of winding up a firm following its collapse.
Redundancy
The process of laying off staff where job cuts need to be made. It may be either compulsory where workers are given their notice because there is no longer work for them or voluntary.
Reflate
A process of boosting the level of economic activity through expansionary economic policies.
Reflationary policies
policies aimed to boost the level of economic activity. These could be either fiscal or monetary policies.
Regressive tax
Taxes that take a smaller proportion of income as income rises. i.e. tax that hits less well-off people harder.
Regulations
Rules and laws that control the behaviour of consumers and firms.
Regulatory bodies
Organisations that monitor the performance of industries and enforce regulations.
Repositioning
The process of shifting a product or products from one part of the market to another - in other words from one market segment to another.