BELL. American Telephone & Telegraph.
“There is no love lost between Vonage and AT&T. When AT&T launched its CallVantage service in March, Vonage sued Ma Bell, claiming it was trying to piggyback on its name. The suit is pending.” (Wall Street Journal,
MACHIAVELLIAN. Ruthless person (reference to Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, 1532).
“To some, the suggestion that we should work for money, period, will not seem especially heretical. But for others -- lots of others -- it will verge on sacrilege. Yet it is hard to argue with such Machiavellian ideas. ‘In every profession that is followed not for the sake of money but for love,’ wrote the novelist Robert Musil, ‘there comes a moment when the advancing years seem to be leading into the void.’"(Wall Street Journal,
MAD MONEY. Money saved and spent on impulsive purchases.
MADE UP OF. Consists of.
“The new school of thought is more than welcome on Madison Avenue. Executives have been grumbling that many students finish college or graduate programs unprepared to deal with the rapidly changing advertising landscape.” (Wall Street Journal,
MAGALOG. A combined magazine and catalog
MAGIC (THE). Art, charm.
MAGIC BULLET. An ideal solution to a problem.
MAKE A BUCK (TO). Make money.
MAKE A FEDERAL CASE OUT OF IT (TO). Overreact, overemphasize.
MAKE A MARKET (TO). Be willing to buy or sell. In the stock market, a dealer who buys and sells over the counter shares of a stock is called a MARKET MAKER.
MAKE ENDS MEET (TO). Get by, be barely able to pay the bills.
“Local governments, like businesses, have to look at ways to save money when times are tight. They can cut services, lay off employees, raise taxes or privatize to make ends meet.” (Waste Age, August 2004, p. 18)
MAKE GOOD (TO). Make an adjustment or special allowance when a problem arises; a free repeat of an advertisement when there has been a mistake.
“Ms. Hanrahan, who teaches six signs of a child's ‘readiness,’ offers parents a guarantee that if they follow her advice and their child isn't trained by age 3, she'll go to their house and train the child herself. She says she's never had to make good on her offer.” (Wall Street Journal, Aug. 27, 2004, p. A1)
MAKE INROADS (TO). To make progress, particularly to expand into new markets or territories.
MAKE IT WORK (TO). Be successful.
MAKE OUT LIKE A BANDIT (TO). Emerge from a business transaction very successfully.
MAKE WHOLE. Repay all that is owed.
“For months, Western bankers hoped
MAKING IT. Becoming successful.
“Making it is relative, though, and even the most optimistic estimates are now a far cry from the original BULLISH projections.” (Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1996, p. R6)
MALARKEY. Nonsense.
MALTHUSIAN. Person who advocates population control; follower of the ideas of Thomas Malthus, nineteenth-century philosopher who predicted that population would grow faster than our ability to produce food. Malthusians ignored the contribution of technology improvements to increasing productivity.
MANAGED CARE. Healthcare system where a third party, usually the government or an insurance company, reviews and controls payments to healthcare providers.
MANAGED FLOAT. Exchange rate policy where the government intervenes to maintain exchange rates at a pre-determined level. Also called a dirty float.
MANAGEMENT-BY-EXCEPTION. Theory that managers should focus their attention on areas that differ from normal.
“Broadly speaking, tight budgetary controls seem more stringent than simply monitoring bottom-line budget deviations in a hands-off management-by-exception basis.” (Management Accounting Research, March 2001, p. 119)
MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES (MBO). Management technique of setting goals and then reviewing performance against them.
“On the one hand, MBO is seen as a traditional management tool which forms part of the foundation of effective public management, while at the same time it is viewed by others as being out of date, ineffectual, and inconsistent with contemporary management and thought practices.” (Public Administration Review, Jan.–Feb. 1995, p. 48)
MANAGEMENT BY WALKING AROUND (MBWA). Informal management style where decisions and changes are made based on the observations of supervisors.
“Managers literally walk around making informal visits to work areas. This enables them to collect data, form impressions, and generally keep their finger on the company’s pulse.” (Across the Board, Nov./ Dec. 1993, p. 42)
MANAGEMENT GURU. Well known management author or consultant.
“Every profession needs its cheerleaders and for HR and the business world, they are management gurus, industry experts who diagnose what's wrong with businesses and then later tell people how to fix it. An essential 10-step guide on how to win at the guru game and make it big is presented.” (Personnel Today, June 29, 2004, p. 21)
MANUFACTURER’S SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE (MSRP). Manufacturers are not allowed to dictate prices to retailers in the
MAQUILADORA. Foreign-owned or controlled factories in
MARCH ALONG THE PATH. To follow company policies even if you disagree.
MARCHING ORDERS. Plans or directives.
MARGIN. Profit margin, the difference between the selling price and the initial cost of a good.
MARGIN CALL. Brokerage house requirement that a stock trader either put up more funds against stock purchased with borrowed money or the stock will be sold.
MARK. Person who is the object of a deceptive business practice; target.
“Tribune's decade-old system may sound like an easy mark for big, sophisticated companies eager to muscle into the European market.” (Wall Street Journal, June 19, 1995, p. B4)
MARKDOWN. Downward revision of the value of a security due to changes in market prices.
MARKET CAP, MARKET CAPITALIZATION. A measure of the size of a company derived from the current price of a stock multiplied by the number of shares issued. Investment analysts divide companies into small, medium, and large cap categories.
MARKETING CONCEPT. The idea that businesses should focus their efforts on anticipating and fulfilling the needs of customers.
“Implementation of the marketing concept in service firms is accomplished through individual service employees and their interactions with customers.” (Journal of Marketing, Jan. 2004, p. 128)
MARKET MAKER. Market specialist who commits to buying and selling particular stocks.
MARKET PENETRATION. Marketing strategy designed to increase sales of existing products in present markets.
“Fearing that it may be losing a new generation of diners and worried by the rapid market penetration of several upstart competitors,… S&A Restaurant Corp. is experimenting with an ambitious reimaging project to make the Steak and Ale chain more competitive and appealing.” (Nations Restaurant News, Aug. 28, 1995, p. 1)
MARKET SWEEP. An additional offer of stock to an investor after an initial tender offer. A market sweep expands the investor’s position in the company be acquired, giving the investor a controlling interest.
MARKET TIMING. Investment strategy of attempting to buy and sell stocks based on analysis of economic cycles.
MARK TO MARKET (TO). Banking term for valuing assets at their market price.
MARQUEE. A symbol or trademark identifying a company (French).
MARRY UP. Auctioneering technique of putting low-valued goods with more-valued merchandise.
MASTHEAD. The banner on the front page of a newspaper.
MASSAGE (TO). Manipulate; carefully or gently adjust; manipulate data.
MASS CUSTOMIZATION. Mass production with special features to meet individual customer needs. Allows consumers to customize options. Also called flexible manufacturing or targeted mass production.
MAVEN. An outspoken expert, often self-taught.
“The president's call last week for a new era of ownership needs work from the marketing mavens.” (Wall Street Journal, Aug. 17, 2004, p. A4)
MAX OUT (TO). Reach the limit.
“Some strategies are presented for playing the odds include: 1. Defer income. 2. Accelerate deductions. 3. Max out retirement accounts. 4. Follow the tax debate.” (Forbes, Dec. 23, 2002, p. 362)
MCCARTHYISM. Character assassination. Joseph McCarthy was a senator from
“Pictures of [Ken Starr] were greeted with boos as the narrator talked of ‘police-state type of tactics,’ ‘McCarthyism’ and ‘lynch mobs.’ Notable by their absence in the film were words such as ‘perjury,’ ‘presidential pardons’ and ‘White House FBI files.’" (Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2004, p. W17)
MCJOB. Low-paying positions in service companies. The term is a derogatory reference to McDonalds Company. One survey predicted that by the year 2000, 10 percent of the American labor force would have at one time worked for McDonalds.
M-COMMERCE. Mobile commerce.
MEA CULPA. My fault (Latin).
“Such audits are more commonly requested of big businesses, not budget-constrained schools. Soon after, Microsoft, in a rare mea culpa, apologized and said it should have been more sensitive.” (Wall Street Journal, < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" prefix="v" namespace="">
MEAT AND POTATOES. Basics; main ideas.
“The conference sessions are largely focused on Apache, Linux, Perl, PHP, and Python. These are the meat and potatoes of open source development.” (InfoWorld,
MEALYMOUTHED. Garrulous; not plain or straightforward.
MEANS TEST. Criteria used by government agencies to determine eligibility for social welfare programs.
MECHANIC’S LIEN. A legal claim against property registered by contractors or suppliers who have not been paid for their product or service.
MEDIA BLITZ/HYPE. Short-term, intense advertising campaign.
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MEGA. Very large, significant.
MELT-DOWN. Product failure, a complete collapse (nuclear reactors). See also ECONOMIC MELTDOWN.
MENSCH. An honest, respectable person (Yiddish).
MERC. Nickname for
MERGE AND PURGE. Marketer’s term for combining mailing lists and eliminating duplications.
“A prospect database represents a new direction that breaks the mold of traditional merge/purge-based mailing strategies. Instead of renting names for a single use, the mailer, or its service bureau, makes an offer to list owners to permit it to rent their names for a full year, paying the list owners for each use.” (Wall Street Journal, June, 2004. p. 41)
METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA (MSA). Census Bureau classification of a city with at least fifty thousand residents.
MEZZANINE FACILITY. Junior debt, a loan which is placed privately with equity investors.
MICKEY MOUSE. Unsophisticated.
“Tax humor: Tax Notes, a weekly publication, ran a provocative ‘viewpoints’ column this week on tax shelters by ‘Mickey Mice,’ identified only as ‘a tax lawyer in
MICROMANAGE. To manage every detail of a company or operation.
MICROMARKETING. Marketing strategy targeting very small groups or individual customers.
“Digital is the word and individual is the target. No longer is it necessary to mass market to millions. Micromarketing has the potential to produce even greater returns.” (Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2000, p. 16)
MID CAP. A company with capitalization between $1 billion and $5 billion.
MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. The combined influence of military manufacturers and government bureaucracies. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” (Farewell Address, Jan. 17, 1961)
“Albright's broadside hits as Democratic leaders privately grouse that party experts have been too timid to criticize Bush, given their post-government ties to military-industrial complex.” (Wall Street Journal, August 15, 2003, p. A4)
MILK (TO). Exploit, to get the maximum out of. See also CASH COW.
“But the apparent game plan is to milk Kmart's retailing operation, sell undervalued real estate and then use the company's growing cash hoard for acquisitions or a large share-repurchase program.” (Barron’s, July 19, 2004, p. 21)
MILK A MOUSE. To pursue a trivial issue, in the process of which, consuming an inordinate amount of time.
MIND THE STORE (TO). Take care of routine business.
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS (MYOB). Don’t get involved (impolite).
MINT (TO). New; place where money is produced; to make.
MISERY INDEX. The combined inflation and unemployment rates in a country. Republicans created the term during the 1980
MISSIONARY SALESPEOPLE. Sales support people who concentrate on promotional activities and new product introductions.
MISSION-ORIENTED. Focused on a particular goal.
MISS THE MARK (TO). Fail.
“The reasons that many companies miss the mark on safety may be subtler than expected. It might just be a kind of cultural inertia - that the old ways of doing things continue in spite of attempts by outside forces such as safety professionals, OSHA, and insurance carriers to change them.” (Occupational Health and Safety, April 2004, p. 76)
MISTER SOFTEE. Microsoft.
MODIFIED AMERICAN PLAN. Hotel price that includes the room, breakfast, and dinner.
MODUS OPERANDI. Method of operating (Latin).
MOGUL. Powerful, rich person.
“Cable mogul Ted Turner’s Turner Broadcasting System Inc. owns the Atlanta Braves baseball team and controls the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and Tribune Co., which has various media holdings, also owns the baseball Chicago Cubs.” (Wall Street Journal, March 18, 1996, p. B7)
MOM-AND-POP. Small store.
“India's retail sector, which is still dominated by mom-and-pop stores and has few modern shopping malls, has stifled the industry from keeping pace with its counterpart in booming China, according to Russell Farmery, ACNielsen's managing director for India.” (Wall Street Journal,
MOMENTUM INVESTING. Stock market technical analysis charting price and volume of trade changes.
MOMMY TRACK. Damaging, dead-end career status often afforded people with family responsibilities.
“But in practice, many women (and men too, though in smaller number) who need to use them [flexible schedules] resist for fear of being relegated to the Mommy Track.” (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 13, 1995, p. B1)
MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK. A critic after something has gone wrong; a KNOW-IT-ALL (football).
MONEY ILLUSION. The false perception of increased income when inflation is greater than the increase in income.
“In the spirit of Keynes' General Theory, behavioral macroeconomists are rebuilding the microfoundations that were sacked by the New Classical economics. It is argued in this lecture that reciprocity, fairness, identity, money illusion, loss aversion, herding, and procrastination help explain the significant departures of real-world economies from the competitive, general-equilibrium model.” (American Economist, Spring 2003, p. 25)
MONEY LEFT ON THE TABLE. Profit that is not realized when something is sold at a price lower than what it could have been sold for. In initial public offerings, the difference between the offering price and the price in the open market when the stock begins to trade.
MONKEY BUSINESS. Pranks, being silly; less-than ethical behavior.
“Known for its over-the-top marketing punctuated by Super Bowl ads featuring a chimp riding on a horse and cavorting with the company's CEO, E*Trade is cutting the monkey business to focus on its more staid, more profitable revenue streams.” (Brandweek, Feb. 10, 2003, p. 3)
MOONLIGHT (TO). Work a second job.
“Kelly K. Spors's article last week on how to moonlight as a ‘mystery shopper’ certainly brought out the letter writers among you.” (Wall Street Journal, Aug. 29, 2004, p. 4)
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MORAL SUASION. Pressure, influence, as opposed to citing laws and regulations. The FED has been known to use moral suasion to influence bank practices.
MORDIDA. A bribe, Spanish for a little bite.
MORPH. To change rapidly. Morph comes from metamorphasis.
MOST FAVORED NATION (MFN). GATT* trade understanding that no other nation will receive special privileges. If a trade barrier is reduced between any two members of GATT, the benefit is extended to all other GATT members under MFN principle.
MOTHER-OF-ALL/MOTHER LODE. Largest, huge (
“Broadcast television is poised to leap into the digital age. The transformation will mean 2 things for public network carriers: a revitalized competitor for video customers and a mother lode of spectrum greater than the PCS bonanza.” (America’s Network, July 15, 1995, p. 18)
MOTOWN/MOTOR CITY.
MOUSE NUTS. An insignificant contribution.
MOUSE POTATO. An Internet equivalent of a couch potato. Someone who spends significant amounts of time on the Internet.
MOUTHPIECE. Spokesperson; sometimes refers to a lawyer.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS. Important people.
“Talk to the folks on Bay Street, and a few of the major movers and shakers will even tell you that labour has more right to be angry than creditors in some restructuring cases.” (Canadian Business, May 24-June 6, 2004, p. 88)
MOVE THE GOAL POSTS. To change the standards or rules, usually in one’s favor; to cheat.
MOVE UP IN LIFE (TO). Make more money.
MUCKY-MUCKS/MUCK-A-MUCK. People in charge, decision-makers.
“The expression is still often heard as ‘high muck-a-muck’ because of its probable derivation from Chinook [Native American] jargon, hiu (plenty) muckamuck (food); hence, one who has plenty to eat, or a man of power, a BIG WHEEL.” (Safire’s New Political Dictionary, 1993, p. 469)
MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING. Direct marketing system where sellers recruit other people into the organization as sales representatives, earning a commission on their sales. Critics refer to such practices as PYRAMIDING; multi-level marketing sounds more professional.
MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE (MLS). Cooperative real estate system advertising each company’s properties.
MURPHY’S LAW. If something can go wrong, it will.
“It is quite natural for an entrepreneur to pay little or no attention to the legalities of doing business. With the energy and commitment level needed to get started, business owners need some degree of optimism. In reality, running an enterprise is complicated, and Murphy's Law rears its head quite regularly.” (Black Enterprise, July 2001, p. 45)
MUSHROOM (TO). Expand.
“Treasury departments' use of the Internet for increasingly varied and complex activities is expected to mushroom in the next year or two.” (Business Finance, Aug. 2004, p. 45)
MUSHROOM JOB. Derogatory reference to any distasteful work; deceive. From the joke, “Treat them like mushrooms: keep them in the dark, and feed them manure.”
MYSTERY SHOPPER. Company representative who poses as a customer in another business. See SECRET SHOPPER.
“Demand has become so great for mystery shoppers that more than 100