2005 Volume 8 Issue 4

Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note

A Lexicon of Business and Information Technology (IT) Acronyms

Photo: Daniel V.

Business terms reduced to acronyms save keystrokes and speed up communication in an Internet world where every soundbyte counts. Unfortunately, how many times have you read an article, listened to a broadcast or received an email full of acronyms, some very familiar and some totally unfamiliar? Getting to the point, below are a few common and not so common business terms to help you decipher business terminology.

Acronyms for Business and Information Technology

ASCIIAmerican Standard Code for Information Interchange
B2BBusiness to Business
B2CBusiness to Consumer
BBBBetter Business Bureau
BOIBusiness Object Interface
BVBusiness Valuation
CADComputer-Aided Design
CEOChief Executive Officer
CFOChief Financial Officer
CIOChief Information Officer
COBClose Of Business
COGSCost of Goods Sold
COLACost of Living Adjustment
COOChief Operating Officer
CPACertified Public Accountant
CPACost Per Action
CPCCost Per Click
CPICost Per Impression
CPMCost Per Thousand
CPPCost Per Pop-up
CPSCost Per Sale
CPTCost Per Transaction (cost per lead)
CRMCustomer Relationship Management
CTOChief Technology Officer
CTRClick Through Rate
DBADoing Business As
EBREnhanced Business Reporting
EDIElectronic Data (or Document) Interchange
ERPEnterprise Resource Planning
FLPFamily Limited Partnership
FTFull Time
FTCFederal Trade Commission
FTEFull Time Equivalent
GAAFRGovernmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting
GAAPGenerally Accepted Accounting Principles
GAASGenerally Accepted Auditing Standards
GAGASGenerally Accepted Government Auditing Standards
GAOGovernment Accountability Office
HTM/HTMLHyper Text Markup Language
IOInsertion Order
IPOInitial Public Offering (new stocks)
ISOInternational Standards Organization
ISPInternet Service Provider
ISSInternet Security Systems
ITInformation Technology
JOAJoint Operating Agreement
KMKnowledge Management
KPIKey Performance Indicator
LLCLimited Liability Company
LLPLimited Liability Partnership
MIMEMultipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
MISManagement Information System
MRPManufacturing Resource Planning or Material Requirement Planning
MSIMultiple Streams of Income
MSRPManufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price
NASDAQ(once an acronym for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system)
NDANon-Disclosure Agreement
NIBNew In the Box
NYSENew York Stock Exchange
OPMOther People’s Money
OPROther People’s Resources
OPTOther People’s Time
OTCOver-The-Counter (Stock)
PAPublic Accountant (not certified)
PLProfit and Loss
POPurchase Order
POMProgram Objective Memorandum
POPPoint of Purchase
POSPoint Of Sale
PRPress Release
PTPart Time
PVIPositive Volume Index
QAQuality Assurance
QCQuality Control
RFPRequest for Proposal
ROIReturn on Investment
ROSReturn on Sales
SBASmall Business Administration
SECSecurities & Exchange Commission
SFISix-Figure Income
SKUStock Keeping Unit
SMService Mark
SOHOSmall Office, Home Office
TMTrademark
VPVice President
VIPVery Important Person
VPNVendor Part (or product) Number
XBRLExtensible Business Reporting Language

Acronym Sources:
http://www.acronym-guide.com/business-acronyms.html
http://www.123webmaster.com/Onsite/Reference/Acronyms2.html
http://www.world-wide-net.com/library/acronyms.html
http://www.aicpa.org/members/glossary (no longer accessible)

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Author of the article
Nancy Ellen Dodd, MPW, MFA
Nancy Ellen Dodd, MPW, MFA, serves as academic editor of the “Graziadio Business Review and teaches presentations and stories at the Graziadio School.” Her book on creative writing, “The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages,” was published by Writer’s Digest Books in June 2011. She also served as editor of Marshall, a USC academic/alumni magazine, and started the Marshall Review, an online journal for the Marshall School of Business at USC. More than 135 of her articles have been published in local and national publications. Dodd received her master’s in Professional Writing from USC with a concentration in screenwriting and an MFA in playwriting at the USC School of Theatre. Ms. Dodd also teaches screenwriting as an adjunct faculty in Seaver College at Pepperdine University. She is currently working on her PhD dissertation in Global Leadership and Change.
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