ACCOUNTING / BOOKKEEPING / CPAs |
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Accountancy (profession) or accounting (methodology) is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about information that helps managers and other decision makers make resource allocation decisions. Financial accounting is one branch of accounting and historically has involved processes by which financial information about a business is recorded, classified, summarized, interpreted, and communicated. Auditing, a related but separate discipline, is the process whereby an independent auditor examines an organizations financial statements in order to express an opinion -- that conveys reasonable but not absolute assurance -- as to the fairness and adherence to generally accepted accounting principles, in all material respects.
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ADVERTISING |
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Firms in the advertising and public relations services industry prepare advertisements for other companies and organizations and design campaigns to promote the interests and image of their clients. This industry also includes media representativesÂfirms that sell advertising space for publications, radio, television, and the Internet; display advertisersÂbusinesses engaged in creating and designing public display ads for use in shopping malls, on billboards, or in similar media; and direct mail advertisers. A firm that purchases advertising time (or space) from media outlets, thereafter reselling it to advertising agencies or individual companies directly, is considered a media buying agency. Divisions of companies that produce and place their own advertising are not considered part of this industry.
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AMBIT ENERGY |
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Multi-level marketing (MLM) (also called network marketing or NM) is a business model that combines direct marketing with franchising. In a typical multi-level marketing or network marketing arrangement, individuals associate with a parent company as an independent contractor and are compensated based on their sales of products or service (as well as the sales achieved by those they bring into the business).
In a legitimate MLM company, commissions are earned only on sales to the end-user, who is often also a distributor. No money may be earned from recruiting alone ("sign-up fees"). Some companies produce revenues primarily by attracting new participants or selling them marketing services, as opposed to selling actual products. One must analyze the compensation plan to determine whether participants are paid from actual sales to customers and not from new-recruit bonuses or business support sales.
Multi-level marketing has a recognized image problem due to the fact that it is often difficult to distinguish legitimate MLMs from such illegal scams as pyramid or Ponzi schemes. NM/MLM businesses do operate legitimately in all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 other countries, and new businesses may use terms like "affiliate marketing" or "home-based business franchising."
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ARBITRATION / MEDIATION |
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Arbitration is a form of mediation or conciliation, where the mediating party is given power by the disputant parties to settle the dispute by making a finding. In practice arbitration is generally used as a substitute for judicial systems, particularly when the judicial processes are viewed as too slow, expensive or biased. Arbitration is also used by communities which lack formal law, as a substitute for formal law.
Mediation consists of a process of alternative dispute resolution in which a (generally) neutral third party, the mediator, using appropriate techniques, assists two or more parties to help them negotiate an agreement, with concrete effects, on a matter of common interest. More generally speaking, the term "mediation" covers any activity in which an impartial third party (often a professional) facilitates an agreement on any matter in the common interest of the parties involved.
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ASBESTOS |
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Asbestos (a misapplication of Latin: asbestos "quicklime" from Greek ἄσβεστος: a-, "not"; sbestos, "extinguishable") describes any of a group of fibrous metamorphic minerals of the hydrous magnesium silicate variety. The name is derived for its historical use in lamp wicks; the resistance of asbestos to fire has long been exploited for a variety of purposes. It was used in fabrics such as Egyptian burial cloths and Charlemagne's tablecloth, which, according to legend, he threw in a fire to clean. Asbestos occurs naturally in many forms (see below); it is mined from metamorphic deposits.
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BANK COMPLIANCE |
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Compliance requirements are a series of directives established by United States federal government agencies that summarize hundreds of federal laws and regulations applicable to Federal assistance.
Bank regulations are a form of government regulation which subject banks to certain requirements, restrictions and guidelines, aiming to uphold the soundness and integrity of the financial system.
A bank is an institution that provides financial service, particularly taking deposits and extending credit.
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BANKING |
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A bank is an institution that provides financial service, particularly taking deposits and extending credit.
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BANKING REGULATION |
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Bank regulations are a form of government regulation which subject banks to certain requirements, restrictions and guidelines, aiming to uphold the soundness and integrity of the financial system.
A bank is an institution that provides financial service, particularly taking deposits and extending credit.
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BANKRUPTCY |
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Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. A declared state of bankruptcy can be requested by creditors in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed; however, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the bankruptcy is initiated by the bankrupt individual or organization.
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CHECK KITING |
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Check kiting is any sort of fraud that involves drawing out money from a bank account that does not have sufficient funds to cover the check. It is typically achieved by taking advantage of the float, the time between the negotiation of the check and its clearance at the check-writer's bank. This fraud is also known as paper hanging and carries a heavier pejorative connotation. Before the passage of the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, when checks could take 3 or more days to clear, playing the float was fairly common practice in otherwise-honest low-income families who encountered emergencies right before payday.
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CLAIMS |
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A claim is a legal action to obtain money, property or the enforcement of a right protected by law against another party.
Individuals and businesses purchase insurance policies to protect against monetary losses. In the event of a loss, policyholders submit claims, or requests for payment, seeking compensation for their loss. Adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators work primarily for property and casualty insurance companies, for whom they handle a wide variety of claims alleging property damage, liability, or bodily injury. Their main role is to investigate the claims, negotiate settlements, and authorize payments to claimants, all the while mindful not to violate the claimants rights under Federal and State privacy laws. They must determine whether the customers insurance policy covers the loss and how much of the loss should be paid to the claimant. Although many adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators have overlapping functions and may even perform the same job, the insurance industry generally assigns specific roles to each of these claims workers.
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CONSTRUCTION |
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In project architecture and civil engineering, construction is the building or assembly of any infrastructure. Although this may be thought of as a single activity, in fact construction is a feat of multitasking. Normally the job is managed by the construction manager, supervised by the project manager, design engineer or project architect. While these people work in offices and make the most money, every construction project requires a large number of laborers to complete the physical task of construction.
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CONTEST / SWEEPSTAKES / LOTTERY / DRAWINGS |
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A sweepstakes is technically a lottery in which the prize is financed through the tickets sold. In the United States the word has become associated with promotions where prizes are given away for free. In other words, they specifically do not require a purchase to enter (these are called prize draws in the United Kingdom). Sweepstakes sponsors are very careful to dis-associate themselves from any suggestion that players must pay to enter, as this would bring them into conflict with lottery laws. The popularity of the term sweepstakes may derive from the Irish Sweepstakes, which was very popular throughout the world from the 1930s to the 1980s.
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CONTRACT & MISC. SURETY |
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A surety is a person who agrees to be responsible for the debt or obligation of another. The situation in which a surety is most typically required is when the ability of the primary obligor or principal to perform its obligations under a contract is in question, or when there is some public or private interest which requires protection from the consequences of the principal's default or delinquency. In most common law jurisdictions, a contract of suretyship is subject to the statute of frauds (or its equivalent local laws) and is only enforceable if memorialized by a writing signed by the surety.
A surety bond is a contract between at least three parties: (i) the principal, (ii) the obligee, and (iii) the surety. Through this agreement, the surety agrees to make the obligee whole (usually by payment of money) if the principal defaults in its performance of its promise to the obligee. The contract is formed so as to induce the obligee to contract with the principal, i.e., to demonstrate the credibility of the principal.
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DATA PROCESSING |
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Data processing is any computer process that converts data into information. The processing is usually assumed to be automated and running on an a mainframe, minicomputer, microcomputer, or personal computer. Because data are most useful when well-presented and actually informative, data-processing systems are often referred to as information systems to emphasize their practicality. Nevertheless, both terms are roughly synonymous, performing similar conversions; data-processing systems typically manipulate raw data into information, and likewise information systems typically take raw data as input to produce information as output.
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DISABILITIES |
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The term "disability", as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. National governments and global humanitarian agencies have narrowed this definition for their own purposes.
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DISABILITY |
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The term "disability", as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. National governments and global humanitarian agencies have narrowed this definition for their own purposes.
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DUE DILIGENCE |
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Due diligence (also known as due care) is the effort made by an ordinarily prudent or reasonable party to avoid harm to another party or himself. Failure to make this effort is considered negligence. Quite often a contract will specify that a party is required to provide due diligence.
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E-COMMERCE |
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Electronic Commerce (also referred to as EC, e-commerce eCommerce or ecommerce) consists primarily of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks.
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ESCROW |
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Escrow is a legal arrangement in which an asset (often money, but sometimes other property such as art, a deed of title, website, or software source code) is delivered to a third party (called an escrow agent) to be held in trust pending a contingency or the fulfillment of a condition or conditions in a contract such as payment of a purchase price. Upon that event occurring, the escrow agent will deliver the asset to the proper recipient, otherwise the escrow agent is bound by his or her fiduciary duty to maintain the escrow account.
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FALSE ADVERTISING |
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False advertising is an act of deliberately misleading a potential client about a product, service or a company in general by reporting false or misrepresenting information or data in advertising or other promotional materials. False advertising is a type of fraud.
False advertising is often a crime. In some countries advertising practices (including "truth in advertising") are regulated by a government authority (FTC in the USA), in others the advertising industry is self-regulated and professional associations combat false advertising.
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FOREX - FOREIGN CURRANCY TRADING |
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The foreign exchange (currency or forex) market exists wherever one currency is traded for another. It is by far the largest market in the world, in terms of cash value traded, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, multinational corporations, governments, and other financial markets and institutions. Retail traders (small speculators) are a small part of this market, and may only participate indirectly through brokers or banks.
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FRAUD |
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Experts in detecting and handling deception deliberately practiced to secure unfair or unlawful gain.
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FRAUD - GENERAL |
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Experts in detecting and handling deception deliberately practiced to secure unfair or unlawful gain.
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GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS |
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Government Contracts - A valid contract from a Government Agency - can be either by bid or no bid - to provide goods, or services.
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HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT |
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Find HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT experts and consultants for HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT litigation support. Available to be HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT expert witnesses and provide HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT forensic consulting in HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT litigation, in addition prepare HEALTHCARE FINANCE & REIMBURSEMENT expert witness reports for use in deposition and/or in-court trial testimony.
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INSURANCE FRAUD |
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Insurance fraud or false insurance claims are insurance claims filed with the intent to defraud an insurance provider.
In the United States insurance fraud is estimated to cost US$875 per person per year with The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimating the loss to be $80 billion per year and Medicare estimating fraud in its system costs the government $179 billion per year.
Insurance fraud hurts the average person in two ways. First, all fraud costs, including losses, investigations, etc., are paid for by the insured through higher premiums, or, in the case of government insurance like Medicare, in higher taxes. Second, if a particular individual is the target for the fraud, they have costs such as deductible payments, loss of property use, etc., as well as higher premiums from the claim loss and the potential for denial of future coverage.
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INSURANCE - GENERAL |
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General insurance policies, including automobile and homeowners policies, provide payments depending on the loss from a particular financial event. General insurance typically comprises any insurance that is not determined to be life insurance, and is called property and casualty insurance in the U.S..
In the UK, General insurance is broadly divided into three areas; personal lines, commercial lines and London market.
The London market insures with large commercial risks, for example insuring supermarkets, football players and other very specific risks.
Commercial lines products are usually designed for relatively small legal entities. These would include workers comp (employers liability), public liability, product liability, commercial fleet and other general insurance products sold in a relatively standard fashion to many organisations.
Personal lines products are designed to be sold in large quantities. This would include autos (private car), homeowners (household), pet insurance, creditor insurance and others.
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INSURANCE - LIFE |
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Life insurance (Life Assurance in British English) is a type of insurance. As in all insurance, the insured transfers a risk to the insurer, receiving a policy and paying a premium in exchange. The risk assumed by the insurer is the risk of death of the insured.
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INVESTMENT BANKING |
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Investment banks assist public and private corporations in raising funds in the capital markets (both equity and debt), as well as in providing strategic advisory services for mergers, acquisitions and other types of financial transactions. They also act as intermediaries in trading for clients. Investment banks differ from commercial banks, which take deposits and make commercial and retail loans. In recent years, however, the lines between the two types of structures have blurred, especially as commercial banks have offered more investment banking services. In the US, the Glass-Steagall Act, initially created in the wake of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, prohibited banks from both accepting deposits and underwriting securities; Glass-Steagall was repealed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1998. Investment banks may also differ from brokerages, which in general assist in the purchase and sale of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. However some firms operate as both brokerages and investment banks; this includes some of the best known financial services firms in the world.
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INVESTMENTS |
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Investment or investing1 is a term with several closely-related meanings in finance and economics, related to saving or deferring consumption. An asset is usually purchased, or equivalently a deposit is made in a bank, in hopes of getting a future return or interest from it. Literally, the word means the "action of putting something in to somewhere else" (perhaps originally related to a person's garment or 'vestment').
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MALPRACTICE, MEDICAL |
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The basic definition of medical malpractice is an act or omission by a health care provider which deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and causes injury to the patient. The word malpractice has a connotation of greater culpability than negligence. In the United States and other countries, a specific medical malpractice law has developed. In English law, the issue of liability is a subset of professional negligence where, under the Bolam Test, a doctor will be liable unless shown to have acted in accordance with a reasonable body of medical opinion.
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MEDICAL INSURANCE |
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Medical Health insurance is a type of insurance whereby the insurer pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents. The insurer may be a private organization or a government agency. Market-based health care systems such as that in the United States rely primarily on private health insurance.
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MEDICARE |
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Medicare is a health insurance program administered by the United States government, covering people who are either age 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria. It was first passed on July 30, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as amendments to Social Security legislation.
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MERGERS / ACQUISITIONS |
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The phrase mergers and acquisitions or M&A refers to the aspect of corporate finance strategy and management dealing with the merging and acquiring of different companies as well as other assets. Usually mergers occur in a friendly setting where executives from the respective companies participate in a due diligence process to ensure a successful combination of all parts.
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MULTILEVEL MARKETING |
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Multi-level marketing (MLM) (also called network marketing or NM) is a business model that combines direct marketing with franchising. In a typical multi-level marketing or network marketing arrangement, individuals associate with a parent company as an independent contractor and are compensated based on their sales of products or service (as well as the sales achieved by those they bring into the business).
In a legitimate MLM company, commissions are earned only on sales to the end-user, who is often also a distributor. No money may be earned from recruiting alone ("sign-up fees"). Some companies produce revenues primarily by attracting new participants or selling them marketing services, as opposed to selling actual products. One must analyze the compensation plan to determine whether participants are paid from actual sales to customers and not from new-recruit bonuses or business support sales.
Multi-level marketing has a recognized image problem due to the fact that it is often difficult to distinguish legitimate MLMs from such illegal scams as pyramid or Ponzi schemes. NM/MLM businesses do operate legitimately in all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 other countries, and new businesses may use terms like "affiliate marketing" or "home-based business franchising."
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NETWORK MARKETING |
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The term network marketing is used in two ways. In popular usage it is a synonym for multi-level marketing and often mistakenly considered the same as a pyramid scheme.
The concept of "network marketing" is often used to describe a marketing paradigm that stresses the interconnectedness of market actors and transactions and can be viewed as the application of systems thinking to marketing. According to network marketing theory other marketing paradigms see the discipline as consisting primarily of dyadic relationships (ie., one buyer and one seller). Network marketing wishes to overcome this limitation by looking at transactions and relationships from the viewpoint of all those involved.
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