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.

500 terms, showing 141–150 (page 15 of 50).

D

Debt recovery

Getting paid when asking has not worked.

Debtor days

Also called Days sales outstanding, DSO, Aged debtors

How long, on average, your customers actually take to pay you — which is rarely the number on your invoice.

Decision maker and buying committee

Who actually signs, and everyone else who can stop it.

Decision making under uncertainty

Choosing when you cannot know. Most business decisions.

Delegation

Handing work to somebody else properly. The constraint on most owner-managed businesses.

Deposits and stage payments

Getting paid before or during the work rather than after it.

Depreciation

Also called Amortisation, Writing down

Spreading the cost of something you will use for years across the years you will use it.

Depreciation methods

Straight line or reducing balance. Two ways to spread the same cost.

Design right

Protection for the appearance of a product. Registered and unregistered versions.

Digital record keeping

Keeping records electronically. Acceptable, with conditions.

Ready when you are

Have a look round the demo, start a free trial with your own service in it, or ask us the awkward question first. Whichever you pick, the people who answer are the people who built it.