X	X
competition	rivalry between companies
competitive advantage	a factor giving a company supremacy over competitors
competition	rivalry between companies
competitive advantage	a factor giving a company supremacy over competitors
corporate fraud	a financial crime committed by a corporation
creative accounting	the use of accounting methods to hide aspects of a company's financial dealings in order to make the
credit	a financial arrangement to buy goods or services and pay for that at a later date
credit ceiling	the largest amount that a lender will permit somebody to borrow
creditor	a person or entity to whom money is owed
current assets	cash or assets that are readily convertible to cash
current liabilities	money owed which falls due for payment within one year
daisy chaining	creating artificial transactions in order to make a particular security appear more active than it i
dear money	money which has to be borrowed at a high interest rate
debt collection agency	a business that secures the repayment of debts for third parties
debtor	a person or entity owing money
deed	a legal document that details the transfer or sale of a property
deep pocket	a company or an individual that provides funds for another company
default	failure to comply with the terms of a binding legal agreement
digital economy	an economy in which e-commerce dominates
direct debit	a claim on an individual or organisation by a creditor and paid by the individual's or organisation'
discount	a reduction in the price
diversification	increasing the variety of business, service or product types
divestment	a proportional reduction in an ownership stake
dividend	an amount payable to shareholders from profits
downsizing	organisational restructuring
drop a bundle	lose a lot of money
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
foreign currency	a currency used in a foreign country
fixed asset	a long-term asset such as a machine or building
financial year	the twelve-month period for which a company produces accounts
fill or kill	to carry out a client's order immediately or else the order is cancelled
expense	a cost incurred in buying goods or services
excise duty	a tax on goods such as alcohol or tobacco
exchange rate	the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for that of another country
ethical investment	investment only in companies whose policies meet the ethical criteria of the investor
entrepreneur	somebody who sets up a business
endorse	to sign a bill or cheque on the back to show that its ownership has been passes on to another person
embezzlement	a financial crime, fraud
dynamic pricing	pricing that changes in line with demand
gnomes of Zurich	a derogatory name for Swiss bankers
go-go fund	a unit trust that trades in high-return and high-risk investments
golden handcuffs	a financial incentive paid to employees to remain in an organisation
golden handshake	a sum of money given to a senior executive on his involuntary departure from a company
go public	to float the shares of a company
hard currency	a currency that is traded in a foreign exchange market and for which there is demand
haggle	to negotiate the price
hedge fund	a unit trust that takes considerable risk
hire purchase	a method of paying for a product or service in which the buyer pays a series of instalments over a p
hostile bid	a takeover bid that is opposed by the target company