retailer

retailer

Definition
A business which sells goods to the consumer, as opposed to a wholesaler or supplier which normally sell their goods to another business. Retailers include large businesses such as Wal-Mart, and also smaller, non-chain locations run independently such as a family-run bookstore.

segmentation

Definitions (3)
1. Business: Subdivision of a corporation into units along (1) organizational lines (braches, department, subsidiaries), (2) areas of economic activity (industry, market, product line), or (3) geographic regions.
2. Finance: Subdivision of a pool of assets into segments with similar characteristics, such as interest or yield rate.
3. Marketing: Subdivision of a population into segments with similar characteristics, such as age, education, incomeBusiness

startup costs

Non-recurring costs associated with setting up a business, such as accountant's fees, legal fees, registration charges. Also called startup expenses.

financial ratios

Financial analysis comparisons in which certain financial statement items are divided by one another to reveal their logical interrelationships. Some financial ratios (such as net sales to net worth ratio and net income to net sales ratio) are called 'primary' because they indicate the fundamental causes underlying a firm's strengths and weaknesses. Others (such as current assets to current liabilities ratio, and current liabilities to net worth ratio) are called 'secondary' because they depict the firm's competitive position and financial structure as effects of the causes identified by the primary ratios. See also activity ratios, efficiency ratios, investment ratios, leverage ratios, liquidity ratios, and profitability ratios.

return on capital (ROC)

Ratio measuring the profitability of a firm expressed as a percentage of funds acquired from investors and lenders. Also called return on invested capital. Formula: Income after taxes x 100 ÷ (Equity + Long-term debt).

overhead

1. General: Resource consumed or lost in completing a process, but which does not contribute directly to the end-product. Also called burden cost.
2. Accounting: Cost or expense (such as for administration, insurance, rent, and utility charges) that (1) relates to an operation or the firm as a whole, (2) does not become an integral part of a good or service (unlike raw material or direct labor), and (3) cannot be applied or traced to any specific unit of output. Overheads are indirect costs.
3. Data communications: Data bits added to user-transmitted data, for carrying routing information and error correcting and operational instructions.
4. Utilities: Energy or water lost during delivery from the generating or production plant to the end user.