Sometimes known as corporate speak, slang, terms, phra🎐ses, and acronyms, are used by profesꦍsionals in the business world. Browse Investopedia’s expert-written library to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does gardening leave mean in business?

    Gardening leave is a transition period for employees who give or are given notice of termination, keeping them on the payroll but away from the workplace. Under the leave, employees are prohibited from working for the competition or themselves. A protectionist measure, the garden leave prevents the employee from sabotaging the work environme༒nt and from taking proprietary information to a competitor. The garden leave is primarily used in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, but was also introduced in Massachusetts in mid-2018.

  • What does modus operandi mean in business terms?

    The term "modus operandi" is a Latin term that describes an individual or group's habitual way of operating, which represents a discernible pattern. A modus operandi (commonly abbreviated as "M.O.") is mainly used to discuss criminal behavior and is often used by professionals to prevent future crimes. Modi operandi may change over time, particularly by adapting to experiences as well as changing values. Studying patterns, not just those of criminals, can aid individuals who study and pay attention to them, such as investors.

  • What does one belt one ౠroad mean in the busi꧙ness world?

    OBOR is a project that focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among multiple countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. OBOR's scope has expanded over the years to include new territories and development initiatives. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan support OBOR thanks to the massive investments by China in local transmission projects in these nations.

  • What is a one-stop shop?

    A one-stop shop is a business or office that offers multiple services or products to customers. The business strategy behind the one-stop shop is to provide convenience and efficiency to clients, gaining loyalty as well as revenue. For the consumer, using a one-stop shop can be efficient and provide insight into one's affairs, but it can also limit options and be more expensive.

  • ꦬW☂hat does groupthink mean when it comes to business?

    Groupthink is a phenomenon in which individuals overlook potential problems in the pursuit of consensus thinking. Any dissenters in the group who may attempt to introduce a rational argument are pressured to come around to the consensus and may even be censored. The Challenger shuttle disaster, the Ba🌸y of Pigꦗs, Watergate, and the escalation of the Vietnam War are all considered possible consequences of groupthink.

Key Terms

One-Stop Shop: A firm that offers a multitude of products or services to its customers.
One-Stop Shop꧟: Definition, Example, History, Pros and Cons
Rust Belt: The geographic region from New York through the Midwest that was once dominated by manufacturing.
Rust Beltꦯ: Definition, Why It’s Cal🐭led That, List of States
Rule of Thumb: Definition and Financial Examples
JP Morgan
Bulge Bracket: Definition and How It Works
Chinese Wall: A virtual barrier erected to block the exchange of information between departments in a company when an ethical issue could result.
Chinese Wall: Definit𝐆ion and Examples in Business and Finance
Businessman and businesswoman signing contracts with intermediary in between the two groups
Middleman: Meaning, Examples, Funct꧃ions, Importance
Young woman looking worried going through financials
Squeezes: Definition, How They Work, Type🅷s, and Examples
A duo floating on a golden parachute
Golden Parachute: Defini🤪tion, Examples,♎ Controversy
Businessman giving a presentation in an office
Sandbag: D🔯efinition and Examples in Business and Finance
Lowball: Meaning, Example, and Consequences
Family of five smiling in front of a house
What Is Good Faith Money and How Is It Used?
The BCG Matrix
𓄧What Is a Dog in Business? Definition, Meaning, a🍨nd Example
A businessman explaining colleague while sitting at desk.
What Is Shotgun Clause? Definition, How It's Used, and Downsides
checking for rain
Rain Check: Definition, Origin, Example, and Laws
Account, Accounting Concept
Over and S꧙hort: Definition and What It Mea♏ns in Accounting
The interior of an empty coffee bar with all equipment and furnishings in place ready for rental as a turnkey business.
Turnkey Busines🧸s: Definition, How It Op🎶erates With Examples
Early Proof Coins from the United States Mint.
Revol🥂vinౠg Door: Definition in Business and Government
Coins stacked on a wooden table with a hand walking on it.
Corporate Raider: Definition, Tactics, Example
Cover Your Ass (CYA): Defi🎀nit🙈ion, Strategies, and Examples
Man surrounded by piles of files in office
Boil the Oceౠan: Busine🌳ss Jargon for an Impossible Task
Looking Through Board Room Door at Business Strategy Meeting
Bullpen: Overview, Advantages and Disadvantages
Gentlemen's Agreement: History and Examples, Limitations
Price War: Meaning and Special Considerations
Big-Ticket Item: What it Means, Examples
A sales graph background with origami airplane moving up.
Gღazelle Com𓄧pany: What it is, How it Works, Examples
Abstract flow data ramp
Bleeding Edge: What it is, How it Works, FAQ
Scientist in Lab Examining Food Samples
Eat Your Own Dog Food': What it Means, Example
Judo Business Strategy: What it Mean💮s, How it Works
Drop-Dead Da🧜te: What it Means, How it Works, Benefits
Haggle: What it Means,ဣ H🀅ow it Works, Considerations
A worker sitting at a desk in a call center with a headset on warm calling a potential client.
Warm Calling: What I🐻t M🍬eans, How It Works, and Tips
Mother rubber duck leading several rubber ducklings
Follow-the-Leader Pricing: What itౠ Means,🌺 How it Works
An engineer, an architect, and an earthmoving equipment operator look at a set of site plans while standing in the center of a construction site.
Sꦏhovel Ready: What It Means, How It Works, History
People at the counter of a creative popup store and in the shop.
Doorbuster Definition
Mega-Deal: What It is, How It Works, Examples
The inauguration of President Barack Obama, January 20th 2009. Unrecognizable crowds in the Washington DC Mall.
Rent-a-Crowd: Meaning, Examples, Pros and Cons
Dry Hole
Dry Hole: What It Means and how It Works
Rent-an-Employee
Rent-An-Employee: Meaning, Benefits, Criticism
Boneyard
Boneyard: What It Means, Types, Examples
Carrot Equity
Carrot Equity
Buzzword Bingo
Buzzword Bingo
Weak Sister: An undependable or weak link that threatens to undermine an entire system.
Weak Sister
Big Uglies
Big Uglies