Glossary
Glossary of Finance and Technology Terms
A
Money owed by a company to its suppliers or creditors for goods and services received but not yet paid for.
Money owed to a company by its customers for goods or services provided on credit.
A financial ratio that measures how efficiently a company collects payments from customers over a specific period, usually a year.
A dynamic approach to financial planning that involves continuous updates and adjustments to adapt to changing business conditions.
A budgeting method that allocates resources based on the expected costs and benefits of specific activities or projects.
A strategic planning process that focuses on optimising activities within an organisation to achieve its goals.
The real financial results of a company’s operations, as opposed to budgeted or forecasted figures.
Costs that are specifically assigned or distributed to specific cost centres, departments, divisions, or subsidiaries within an organisation.
The process of distributing costs or revenues to various departments or projects based on a predetermined method.
A set of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate and interact with each other.
A branch of computer science focused on creating systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, making decisions, and solving problems.
B
A computer program or task that runs in the background without requiring user interaction, often used for tasks like data synchronisation or system maintenance.
A financial statement that provides a snapshot of a company’s financial position, showing its assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific point in time.
The practice of comparing an organisation’s performance or financial metrics to those of its competitors or industry standards.
A measure of a stock’s or investment’s sensitivity to market movements, commonly used in the context of systematic or market risk.
The use of data analysis and reporting tools to make informed business decisions and gain insights into performance.
The use of technology to streamline and automate repetitive and manual business processes to improve efficiency and reduce errors.
A systematic approach to managing and optimising an organisation’s processes to achieve better performance and results.
C
A formula that calculates the expected return on an investment based on its beta and the risk-free rate.
A budget that outlines planned expenditures for long-term assets such as buildings, equipment, or investments.
Money spent by a company to acquire or upgrade long-term assets, typically for the purpose of generating future revenue.
The process of recording certain expenditures as assets on the balance sheet instead of immediately recognising them as expenses.
A financial plan that forecasts a company’s cash inflows and outflows to ensure it has sufficient cash on hand to meet its obligations.
An estimate of future cash inflows and outflows to assess a company’s liquidity and financial health.
A financial statement that summarises a company’s cash transactions, including operating, investing, and financing activities.
The process of combining the financial statements of parent and subsidiary companies into a single set of financial statements.
Sets of rules and instructions used in automation systems to regulate and manage processes or devices.
A framework for monitoring and managing an organisation’s performance to achieve strategic goals.
The distribution of indirect costs or shared expenses to specific cost centres or products based on a predefined method.
The weighted average cost of a company’s debt and equity capital used to finance its operations and investments.
The direct costs associated with producing or purchasing the goods that a company sells during a specific period.
Models used to assess the credit risk associated with loans or bonds, often involving calculations of default probabilities and potential losses.
A strategy and technology system used to manage interactions and relationships with customers and potential customers.
D
The use of digital technology to automate and streamline complex business processes, often involving multiple steps and decision points.
A budgeting and planning approach that links financial projections to the operational drivers or factors that influence them.
E
Integrated software systems that help organisations manage and automate various business processes, including accounting and finance.
The anticipated value of an outcome is calculated by multiplying each possible outcome by its probability and summing the results.
The anticipated value of an outcome is calculated by multiplying each possible outcome by its probability and summing the results.
The costs incurred by a business in its day-to-day operations, including salaries, rent, utilities, and supplies.
F
A comprehensive document that outlines an organisation’s financial goals, strategies, and forecasts.
A comprehensive document that outlines an organisation’s financial goals, strategies, and forecasts.
The department responsible for financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and analysis within an organisation.
The process of preparing and presenting financial information to stakeholders, including investors, regulators, and management.
A 12-month accounting period used by a company for financial reporting and tax purposes.
A long-term, tangible asset with a useful life of more than one year, such as buildings, machinery, or vehicles.
A cost that remains constant regardless of changes in production or sales volume.
The process of estimating future financial or business conditions based on historical data and analysis.
The cash generated by a company’s operations after deducting capital expenditures and other necessary investments.
G
A central accounting record that contains all financial transactions of a company, organised by accounts.
A logistics and automation concept where items are automatically brought to a person for picking or packing, improving order fulfilment efficiency.
The difference between total revenue and the cost of goods sold, representing the profit before operating expenses.
A financial ratio that measures the percentage of gross profit relative to total revenue.
Total revenue generated from sales before any deductions.
H
The strategic approach to managing an organisation’s workforce, including recruitment, development, and retention of employees.
The point of interaction or communication between humans and machines or automation systems, often through graphical interfaces.
I
Software tools that combine BPM and AI capabilities to improve business process management and automation.
A term referring to the fourth industrial revolution, marked by the integration of digital technologies, automation, and data exchange in manufacturing and other industries.
Mathematical models used by insurance companies to assess and price insurance policies, taking into account various factors such as mortality, morbidity, and catastrophic events.
Non-physical assets with no physical substance, such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, and goodwill, which have value but lack a physical presence.
The process of connecting and combining different software systems or components to work together seamlessly.
A combination of automation technologies, including AI and machine learning, to enhance business process automation by adding decision-making capabilities.
A financial metric used to evaluate the potential profitability of an investment or project, representing the discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of future cash flows equal to zero.
The process of allocating capital or resources to assets, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, or other investments, with the expectation of generating a financial return.
A cloud-based platform that facilitates the integration of applications and data across an organisation.
K
A quantifiable metric used to assess the performance and effectiveness of an organisation, department, or specific activity in achieving its objectives.
L
A powerful artificial intelligence model that can understand and generate human-like text on a massive scale, making it capable of a wide range of natural language processing tasks.
A measurable factor or statistic that is used to predict or forecast future economic or business trends and conditions.
A software platform used for the administration, delivery, and tracking of educational and training programs.
Obligations or debts that are due for payment beyond the current operating cycle or fiscal year, typically with maturities extending beyond one year.
Assets that are expected to provide economic benefits to a company for an extended period, such as property, plant, equipment, and investments in other companies.
Development platforms that allow users to create software applications with minimal coding, making it easier to automate processes.
M
A subset of AI that focuses on the development of algorithms that enable computers to learn and make predictions or decisions based on data.
The use of software and technology to automate marketing tasks such as email campaigns, lead management, and customer segmentation.
The process of creating mathematical or statistical representations of real-world financial situations to analyse and make predictions.
An accounting method that combines elements of both cash basis and accrual basis accounting, allowing certain transactions to be recognised on a cash basis while others follow accrual accounting rules.
A method that uses random sampling and statistical modelling to assess the range of possible outcomes and associated risks in complex financial situations.
N
The profit or earnings of a company after deducting all expenses, taxes, interest, and other costs from its total revenue.
The company’s profit before accounting for income tax expenses.
O
A software system used to manage and track customer orders and inventory.
The day-to-day expenses incurred by a business to maintain its operations, including rent, utilities, salaries, and other overhead costs.
A financial ratio that measures a company’s profitability by expressing operating income as a percentage of total revenue.
The coordination and automation of multiple tasks or processes to achieve a specific outcome.
Indirect costs associated with running a business, such as administrative expenses, rent, and utilities, which are not directly tied to production or specific products.
P
A specific timeframe used for financial reporting and analysis, such as a month, quarter, or year.
Costs that are expensed in the period they are incurred, such as marketing expenses or administrative salaries.
The current value of future cash flows or payments, calculated by discounting them to their equivalent value in today’s dollars.
Various statistical distributions (e.g., normal distribution, binomial distribution) used to model the uncertainty and variability of outcomes in risk analysis.
A financial statement that summarises a company’s revenue, costs, and expenses during a specific period, resulting in its profit or loss.
A segment or division of a company that is responsible for generating its own revenue and profit.
The process of evaluating and assessing the financial performance of a business to determine its profitability.
Financial ratios that measure a company’s ability to generate profit relative to its revenue, assets, or equity.
Q
An assessment or analysis of non-quantitative factors, such as the quality of products, customer satisfaction, or brand reputation.
R
The minimum rate of return that investors or capital providers require as compensation for their investment or risk.
The process of creating, testing, and improving products, services, or technologies, often with the goal of innovation and future revenue generation.
The portion of a company’s net earnings or profit that is reinvested in the business rather than distributed as dividends to shareholders.
A financial ratio that measures a company’s profitability by expressing its net income as a percentage of its total assets.
A financial ratio that measures a company’s profitability by expressing its net income as a percentage of shareholders’ equity.
The total income generated by a company from its primary operations, often referred to as sales or turnover.
The process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks to protect a company’s assets and achieve its objectives.
A continuous process of updating and revising financial forecasts on a regular basis to adapt to changing business conditions.
The use of software robots or bots to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks and processes within a business.
S
A cloud computing model where software applications are delivered over the internet on a subscription basis.
The use of technology to automate sales-related tasks and processes, such as lead tracking and customer relationship management.
The use of technology to automate and streamline service delivery processes, often in customer support or IT service management.
A strategic planning technique that involves creating multiple hypothetical scenarios to prepare for different possible future outcomes.
The extent and boundaries of a project, task, or engagement, defining what is included and excluded.
The operating expenses incurred by a company in the day-to-day running of its business, excluding costs of goods sold.
A method used to assess how changes in specific variables or assumptions impact the results of a financial model or analysis.
A risk-adjusted performance measure that assesses the return of an investment relative to its risk, often used in the context of portfolio management.
A unique identifier assigned to a specific product or item in inventory management.
A statistical measure that quantifies the degree of variation or volatility in the returns of an investment or portfolio.
A traditional budgeting approach that involves creating a fixed budget for a specific period without regular updates.
A comprehensive document outlining an organisation’s long-term goals, strategies, and initiatives to achieve its mission.
T
A specific action or activity within a process that can be automated or managed.
Companies that provide outsourced logistics and supply chain services, including warehousing, transportation, and distribution.
A machine learning technique where knowledge gained from one task is applied to improve the performance of another related task.
An approach to budgeting in which senior management sets budget targets, which are then cascaded down to lower levels of the organisation.
An event or condition that initiates or starts an automated process or workflow.
A list of all accounts and their balances used to ensure that debits equal credits in the accounting system, serving as a preliminary step in preparing financial statements.
U
Costs that are not directly attributed to specific cost centres, departments, or products and may be considered general or overhead costs.
V
A structured framework that identifies and illustrates the key factors or drivers that create value for a business, helping to prioritise actions and investments.
The specific factors or variables that significantly impact the financial performance and value of a company, such as revenue growth, cost control, and customer satisfaction.
A statistical measure used to estimate the potential loss in the value of an investment or portfolio over a specific time horizon and at a given confidence level.
Expenses that change in direct proportion to the level of production or sales, such as raw materials, direct labour, and sales commissions.
The process of comparing actual financial results to budgeted or expected figures and identifying and analysing the differences or variances.
The examination and assessment of discrepancies between actual and budgeted or expected figures to understand the reasons for the differences and take corrective actions.
W
A financial modelling technique in which different scenarios or assumptions are tested to evaluate their potential impact on financial outcomes, helping in decision-making and risk assessment.
Software used to manage and optimise warehouse operations, including inventory tracking and order fulfilment.
A series of connected steps or tasks that make up a business process.
The use of technology to automate and streamline the flow of tasks and processes within an organisation.
The difference between a company’s current assets (e.g., cash, accounts receivable) and current liabilities (e.g., accounts payable, short-term debt), representing the funds available for day-to-day operations.
Z
A budgeting method in which every expense must be justified from scratch for each budgeting period, rather than using past budgets as a baseline, promoting cost efficiency and scrutiny of all expenses.
