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.

16 terms filed under I, showing 11–16 (page 2 of 2).

I

Inventory management

Deciding how much stock to hold, and when to order more.

Invoice finance

Also called Factoring, Invoice discounting, Debtor finance

Borrowing against invoices you have raised but not been paid for. Solves a timing problem at a price.

Invoicing

The document asking to be paid. Legally specified, and often wrong.

IR35

Also called Off-payroll working, Intermediaries legislation

Rules deciding whether a contractor working through their own company is, in reality, an employee for tax purposes.

ISO standards

International management standards that buyers ask for by number.

IT asset register

A list of the devices, accounts and software the business relies on.

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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