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 81–90 (page 9 of 50).

C

CIS

Also called Construction Industry Scheme

A scheme requiring contractors to deduct tax from payments to construction subcontractors and pass it to HMRC.

Client engagement letter

The document setting out what you will do for a client and on what terms.

Closing a company

Ending a company you no longer need. Two routes, with different tax.

Cloud accounting

Accounting software running online, with bank feeds and shared access.

Commercial lease heads of terms

The summary of a proposed lease, agreed before the lawyers start.

Commodity code

The number classifying what your goods are. It sets the duty and the controls.

Community and local marketing

Being known where you actually trade. Cheap, slow and durable.

Companies House

The UK registrar of companies. Everything filed there is public, permanently and for free.

Company culture

How things actually get done here. Set by behaviour, not by posters.

Company name changes

Renaming a company. Straightforward, and there are more consequences than people expect.

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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