glossary 'A' (marketing and finance)

marketing 

Above the line	“Above the Line” is the term commonly used for advertising for which a payment is made and for which commission is paid to the advertising agency. Methods of above the line advertising include television and radio, magazines, newspapers and Internet.
ACORN	ACORN stands for “A Classification Of Residential Neighbourhoods”. ACORN is a database which divides up the entire UK population in terms of the type of housing in which they live. This can be used for various purposes in marketing planning and in designing promotional campaigns
Ad hoc market research	Ad-hoc research focuses on specific marketing problems. It involves the collection of data at one point in time from one sample of respondents
Added value	Added value refers to the increase in worth of a product or service as a result of a particular activity. In the context of marketing, the added value is provided by features and benefits over and above those representing the “core product”.
Advertising	Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor.
Advertising budget	The total amount of money that a marketer allocates for advertising over a period of time
After-sales service	The services received after the original goods or services have been paid for. Often this service is provided as part of a warranty or guarantee scheme.
Agent	Part of the distribution channel. An agent is effectively a wholesaler who represents buyers and sellers on a relatively permanent basis, performs only a few functions and does not take title to goods
Ambush marketing	A deliberate attempt by a business or brand to associate itself with an event (often a sporting event) in order to gain some of the benefits associated with being an official sponsor without incurring the costs of sponsorship. For example by advertising during television coverage of the event.
Ansoff matrix	A model used in strategic marketing planning. The Ansoff Product/Market matrix model links marketing strategy with the general strategic direction of a business. It maps four potential product-market strategies - e.g. market penetration, product development, market development and diversification - on a matrix showing new versus existing products along one axis and new versus existing markets along the other.
Augmented brand	The additional customer services and benefits (“added value”) that are built around the core product or service offering
Available market	The total group of customers who have an interest in a interest in a product or service, have access to it, and have the ability to buy it
Awareness	Advertising or other promotional activity (e.g. public relations) whose primary purpose is to increases general knowledge of the company, and to make people feel more positive towards it

finance :

AAA-rating The best credit rating that can be given to a borrower's debts, indicating that the risk of a borrower defaulting is minuscule.

Administration A rescue mechanism for UK companies in severe trouble. It allows them to continue as a going concern, under supervision, giving them the opportunity to try to work their way out of difficulty. A firm in administration cannot be wound up without permission from a court.

AGM An annual general meeting, which companies hold each year for shareholders to vote on important issues such as dividend payments and appointments to the company's board of directors. If an emergency decision is needed - for example in the case of a takeover - a company may also call an exceptional general meeting of shareholders or EGM.

Assets Things that provide income or some other value to their owner.

• Fixed assets (also known as long-term assets) are things that have a useful life of more than one year, for example buildings and machinery; there are also intangible fixed assets, like the good reputation of a company or brand.

• Current assets are the things that can easily be turned into cash and are expected to be sold or used up in the near future.

Austerity Economic policy aimed at reducing a government's deficit (or borrowing). Austerity can be achieved through increases in government revenues - primarily via tax rises - and/or a reduction in government spending or future spending commitments.