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.

30 terms filed under R, showing 1–10 (page 1 of 3).

R

R&D tax relief

Also called Research and development tax credits, RDEC, R&D claim

Corporation tax relief for work that seeks an advance in science or technology. Genuinely valuable, and heavily policed.

Ransomware

Malicious software that encrypts your data and demands payment. Recovery depends almost entirely on your backups.

Ratio analysis

Reading a set of accounts by comparing numbers with each other.

Reasonable adjustments at work

Changes an employer must make so a disabled worker is not disadvantaged.

Record keeping

What you must keep, and for how long.

Recruitment

Hiring lawfully and well. Most of the legal risk is before the offer.

Redundancy

Dismissing someone because the job has gone, not because of the person. A process, and it has to be followed.

Redundancy consultation

The process before any redundancy decision. Genuine, and it must be capable of changing the outcome.

References

Giving and taking references. There is no duty to give one, and there are duties if you do.

Referrals and word of mouth

Customers bringing you customers. The cheapest acquisition there is, and rarely asked 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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