Management and Accounting Glossary

The Accounting and Management Technology prepares students to work in a variety of technical occupations in the accounting, finance and management fields.

Balance sheet: Noun; A financial statement that summarizes a company’s assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity at a specific point in time.; Example: He couldn't explain the irregularities in the balance sheet, and I suspect him of taking the money.; en: Bilan
Commission: Noun; the act of committing or giving in charge.; Example: She gets a commission for each car she sells.; en: commission
Credit: Noun; The deduction of a payment made by a debtor from an amount due.; Example: You need to have a strong credit history and a good job in order to get a mortgage.; en: Crédit
Debt: Noun; Something, typically money, that is owed or due.; Example: He's been working three jobs in an attempt to get out of debt.; en: Dette
Equity: Noun; Total assets minus total liabilities; also called net worth or book value.; Example: We've been slowly paying off our mortgage and building up equity in our house.; en: Équité
Fixed cost: Noun; A periodic cost that remains more or less unchanged irrespective of the output level or sales revenue, such as depreciation, insurance, interest, rent, salaries and wages.; Example: Corporation tax, by increasing the fixed costs, in effect raises the entry barriers to the industry.; en: Coûts fixes
Gross profit: Noun; Sales minus all costs directly related to those sales, including manufacturing expenses, raw materials, labor, selling, marketing and other expenses.; Example: The comapany said gross profit margins on its mainframe computers have deteriorated.; en: Bénéfice brut
Interest: Noun; A charge for a loan, usually a percentage of the amount loaned.; Example: We understand that you can, in theory, save and save and save and then live off the interest of your savings forever.; en: intérêts
Investment: Noun; The action or process of investing money for profit.; Example: The hospital, opened in 1914, represents an investment of $2,000,000, the sum left 50 years ago by Robert A.; en: Investissement
Liability: Noun; An obligation that legally binds an individual or company to settle a debt.; Example: A defect of title or undisclosed liability would invalidate the sale at any time.; en: responsabilité
Liquid assets: Assets in the form of cash.; Example: The bank had sufficient liquid assets to continue operations.; en: Liquidités
Margin: Noun; The difference between a sale price and a cost.; Example: The president won the election by a tiny margin.; en: Marge
Mortgage: Noun; A debt instrument that is secured by the collateral of specified real estate property and that the borrower is obliged to pay back with a predetermined set of payments.; Example: He will have to take out a mortgage in order to buy the house.; en: Hypothèque
Overdraft: Noun; A loan arrangement under which a bank extends credit up to a maximum amount against which a current checking account customer can write checks or make withdrawals.; Example: Check to see what overdraft options are offered by your financial institution.; en: Découvert
Pension: Noun; A regular payment made during a person’s retirement from an investment fund to which that person or their employer has contributed during their working life.; Example: My grandmother's pension is enough for her to live comfortably.; en: Pension
Profit: Noun; A financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something.; Example: I turned a good profit on that piece of real estate.; en: Profit
Running cost: Noun; Money spent by a company for the purpose of managing the business and/or for operating machinery for use in the business.; Example: Always buy a heater with thermostat control to save on running costs.; en: Coût de fonctionnement
Share: noun; A unit of account for the capital or stock of a company.; Example: The primary objective of the company is to increase its market share.; en: Part
Shareholder: Noun; An owner of shares in a company.; en: Actionnaire
Variable cost: Noun; A periodic cost that varies in step with the output or the sales revenue of a company. Variable costs include raw material, energy usage, labor, distribution costs, etc.; Example: Naphtha prices have again receded, so variable costs should drop soon.; en: Coût variable