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 191–200 (page 20 of 50).

E

Exiting a joint venture

Getting out of a partnership arrangement. Plan it at the start.

Expenses policy

What staff can claim, and how. Prevents both overspending and awkward conversations.

Export licence

Permission required to export controlled goods, technology or software.

Exporting

Selling outside the UK, and the paperwork that comes with it.

F

Facilities and premises

The building and everything in it. A fixed cost with a long tail.

Family leave

Maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and parental leave. Different rights, different notice.

Feedback

Telling somebody how they are doing, in a way they can act on.

Financial controls

The rules about who can spend, approve and pay. Small businesses usually have none.

Fixed asset register

A list of everything the business owns that lasts, with what it cost and what it is worth now.

Flexible working

A day-one right to request a change to hours, times or place of work.

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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