Specialty Digest

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Encyclopedia

Business & Economics

Markets, money, management and enterprise

The container ship Ever Given wedged across the Suez Canal in 2021

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management is the coordinated oversight of the flow of goods, information, and finances as a product moves from raw materials through manufacturing and distribution to the end customer. It spans sourcing, production, logistics, and inventory, with the aim of delivering products efficiently while minimizing cost and disruption. Origins of the term The phrase

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The coordinated management of the flow of goods, information, and finances as a product moves from raw materials to the end customer.

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SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning framework that evaluates an organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats. By organizing these four categories on a simple grid, businesses can assess their current position and identify strategic priorities before committing to a plan. The four categories Strengths and weaknesses describe internal factors within the

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A strategic planning framework that evaluates an organization's internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats.

Gantry cranes and stacked shipping containers at a container terminal.

Tariff

In simple terms A tariff is a tax on goods crossing a border into a country. The importer pays it to the government, usually as a percentage of the shipment value. The World Trade Organization describes tariffs as customs duties that give goods made at home a price advantage over similar goods brought in from

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A tariff is a tax a government charges on imported goods, raising their price compared with goods made at home.

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Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is a leadership style in which leaders work with followers to identify needed change, create a vision through inspiration, and execute change alongside committed members of a group. Rather than relying on rewards and punishments, transformational leaders motivate people to exceed their own self-interest for the sake of a larger organizational goal. Burns

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A leadership style in which leaders inspire followers to exceed their own self-interest for the good of the organization through vision and personal influence.

Treasury yield

In simple terms A Treasury yield is the yearly return on a bond issued by the United States government. It is quoted as a percentage. The government fixes the interest payment when it sells the bond. The yield moves afterward, because the price investors pay for that bond keeps changing in the open market. How

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A Treasury yield is the annual return an investor earns on US government debt, set by the price buyers pay in the market.

An ornate staircase featuring lion and unicorn sculptures

Unicorn (Company)

A unicorn, in a business context, is a privately held startup company valued at one billion dollars or more. The playful name reflects just how rare such companies were considered to be when the term was first introduced, much like the mythical creature it borrows its name from. Origin of the term Venture capitalist Aileen

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A privately held startup company valued at one billion dollars or more.

Street sign for Sand Hill Road, a center of venture capital activity

Venture Capital

Venture capital is a form of private equity financing that investors provide to startup companies and small businesses judged to have long-term growth potential, in exchange for an equity stake. Because early-stage companies often lack the track record or collateral needed for traditional bank loans, venture capital fills a critical funding gap between personal savings

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A form of private equity financing that investors provide to startup companies and small businesses believed to have long-term growth potential.

Vertical integration

In simple terms Vertical integration means a company runs more than one step of its own supply chain. Instead of buying from outside suppliers or selling through outside distributors, it owns or controls those steps itself. A classic example is an oil company that owns wells and pipelines at one end and storage terminals and

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Vertical integration is when one company owns or controls several stages of making and selling a product, from raw materials to retail.

Yield curve

In simple terms A yield curve shows what it costs a government to borrow for different lengths of time, all on one line. Time to maturity runs along the bottom, the interest rate up the side. Curves are usually drawn from government bonds, because those are the benchmark that other borrowing is priced against. How

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A yield curve is a line plotting the interest rates paid on one issuer government bonds across every maturity, from weeks to decades.