Business A to Z

Every trade has words it uses without explaining. In business the cost of not knowing one is real: some of them are ordinary jargon and some of them are a decision that can take a house.

Please note: This page explains what a term means. It is general information, not legal, financial, tax or investment advice, and it does not know anything about your business. Before you sign, file or commit to anything, check it with an accountant, a solicitor, or the official guidance we link to.

Studying business? We write GCSE revision songs, and there is one for business studies. Listen to the revision playlist.

71 terms filed under C, showing 41–50 (page 5 of 8).

C

Contingency and reserves

Money held back for the thing you did not plan for.

Continuous improvement

Lots of small changes rather than one big project. Lean, kaizen and the rest.

Contract dispute resolution

The ways a commercial disagreement gets resolved, in ascending order of cost.

Contract of employment

Also called Employment contract, Written statement of particulars, Section 1 statement

The terms someone works under. A written statement is legally required from day one.

Contract review checklist

What to look for before signing anything commercial.

Contractor versus employee cost

What an employee actually costs beyond salary, and how to compare it with a contractor.

Contribution

Selling price minus variable cost. What each sale contributes towards fixed costs.

Conversion rate

The proportion of people who take the next step. Always specify which step, or the number means nothing.

Convertible loan note

Also called CLN, Convertible note, ASA, Advance subscription agreement

Money now, shares later, at a price decided by a future round. Fast to document and easy to misunderstand.

Copyright in business

Automatic protection for original works. You probably do not own the ones you paid for.

Something missing?

If there is a word you have been nodding along to, tell us and we will write it up. This library exists because of the questions people were too polite to ask.

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