Below is a list of some common abbreviations and acronyms used in business.
| abbreviation or acronym | meaning |
|---|---|
| 401k | a common type of retirement savings plan in the US |
| acct. | account |
| ad | advertisement (American English) |
| advert | advertisement (British English) |
| approx. | approximately |
| APR | annual percentage rate (the interest rate for a whole year on a credit card, loan, mortgage, etc.) |
| ASAP | as soon as possible |
| ATTN | attention (used to indicate who a letter is for -- ATTN Rick Cutts, for example) |
| B2B | business to business |
| BA | Bachelor of Arts degree |
| BBA | Bachelor of Business Administration degree |
| BS | Bachelor of Science degree |
| cc | carbon copy (means that a duplicate copy has been sent to another person) |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer |
| CFO | Chief Financial Officer |
| Co. | Company (as in John Smith and Co.) |
| COD | cash on delivery |
| corp. | corporation |
| CPA | Certified Public Account |
| CSR | customer service representative |
| dept. | department |
| div. | division |
| e.g. | example given |
| ea. | each |
| EST | Eastern Standard Time |
| ETA | estimated time of arrival |
| FAQ | frequently asked question |
| fwd. | forward |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services produced within a country within a period of time) |
| GNP | Gross National Product (the value of all goods and services produced by the nationals of a country) |
| govt. | government |
| HQ | headquarters |
| i.e. | in other words |
| Inc. | Incorporated (an organization that is its own legal entity) |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization (an international organization that develops standards for things such as quality management, food safety management, and environmental management) |
| Jr. | Junior |
| lb. | pound (weight) |
| LLC | limited liability company (a type of business in which the owners are normally not responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business) |
| max. | maximum |
| MBA | Master of Business Administration degree |
| memo. | memorandum (a short note written as a reminder) |
| mfg. | manufacturing |
| min. | minimum |
| mo. | month |
| N/A | not applicable (means that information is not given because it is unnecessary or irrelevant) |
| no. | number |
| pkg. | package |
| PO | purchase order |
| PR | public relations |
| PS | post script (a short message at the end of a letter) |
| Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 | first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter |
| qty. | quantity |
| R&D | research and development |
| re | in regard to, regarding |
| recd. | received |
| ROI | return on investment |
| RSVP | Répondez s'il vous plaît, French for "please reply" |
| SWOT | strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (a SWOT analysis evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a company, business venture, or project) |
| TBD | to be determined |
| temp | temporary secretary |
| VP | vice president |
| w/ | with |
| w/o | without |
| yr. | year |
| yrly. | yearly |