Please browse our alphabetized list of business acronyms. If you don't find the acronym you're looking for, you may want to try searching Google by typing in the acronym plus "stands for." So, for instance, if you wanted to know the meaning of COO, you'd type in "COO stands for." This simple phrasing has turned up many hard to find acronyms that are now categorized on this web site.
3M - Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
3PL - Third Party Logistics
A&W - Allen & Wright (Roy Allen and Frank Wright combined their initials to name A&W Root Beer in 1922)
AA - Author Alteration (a publishing term)
AAA - American Automobile Association
ADP - Automatic Data Processing
AIG - American International Group
AMD - Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (producer of computer chips)
AMF - American Machine & Foundry (bowling lane operators and former owners of Harley Davidson motorcycles)
AOL - America Online
AT&T - American Telephone and Telegraph
AX - Armani Exchange
B&N - Barnes & Noble
B2B - Business to Business
B2C - Business to Consumer
BBB - Better Business Bureau
BHAG - Big, Hairy Audacious Goal
BOI - Business Object Interface
CEO - Chief Executive Officer
CFO - Chief Financial Officer
CK - Calvin Klein
COB - Close Of Business
COGS - Cost of Goods Sold
COLA - Cost of Living Adjustment
COO - Chief Operating Officer
CPK - California Pizza Kitchen
CRM - Client Relationship Management
CSP - Certified Speaking Professional
CTO - Chief Technology Officer
DBA - Doing Business As
DHL - Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn (founders of DHL Worldwide Express)
DK - Dorling Kindersley
DKNY - Donna Karan New York
DSO -
Days Sales Outstanding
DSW - Discount Shoe Warehouse
EA - Electronic Arts
EBX - Electronics Boutique X
EMS - Eastern Mountain Sports
FANNIE MAE - Federal National Mortgage Association (a privately owned corporation)
FLP - Family Limited Partnership
FSB - Fortune Small Business
FT - Full Time
FTE - Full Time Equivalent
FUBU - For Us, By Us
GE - General Electric
GEICO - Government Employees Insurance Company
GM - General Motors
or General Mills
GNC - General Nutrition Centers
HP - Hewlett Packard
IBC - Independent Breweries Company (original manufacturer of IBC Root Beer)
IBD - Investors Business Daily
IBM - International Business Machines Corporation
ILM - Industrial Light and Magic
IMR - Information Management Research
ING - Internationale Nederlanden Group (a financial company)
IREA - Intermountain Rural Electric Association
JC Penney's - James Cash Penney
JOA - Joint Operating Agreement (example: the relationship between
The Denver Post and
The Rocky Mountain News)
JVC - Japan's Victor Company
KB - Kaybee Toys
OR Kaufmann Broad (home builder)
KFC - Kentucy Fried Chicken
KPI - Key Performance Indicator
KPMG - Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (accounting firm)
LLC - Limited Liability Company
LLP - Limited Liability Partnership
MCI - Microwave Communications Incorporated
MOH - Message/Music On Hold
MSI - Multiple Streams of Income
MSN - Microsoft Network
MSRP - Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price
MVI - Mini Vacations Incorporated
NBB - New Belgium Brewery
NCOA - National Change of Address (List)
NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement
NIB - New In the Box
NSA - National Safety Associates
OPM - Other People's Money
OPR - Other People's Resources
OPT - Other People's Time
P&G - Proctor and Gamble
PBGC - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
PE - Printer Error (a publishing term)
PL - Profit and Loss
PO - Purchase Order
POP - Point of Purchase
PT - Part Time
QA - Quality Assurance
QAI - Quality Assurance International
QC - Quality Control
QSC - Quality, Service, Cleanliness (Ray Kroc's motto for McDonald's)
REI - Recreational Equipment, Inc
RFP - Request for Proposal
SBC - Southwestern Bell Corporation
SBI - Site Build It! (software for building web sites)
SFI - Six-Figure Income
SKU - Stock Keeping Unit
SM - Service Mark
SOHO - Small Office, Home Office
SOS - Switched On Schoolhouse
SYSTEM - Save YourSelf Time, Engergy, and Money (as reported by www.just15minutes.com)
TCBY - The Country's Best Yogurt (originally This Can't Be Yogurt)
TM - Trademark
TSR - Tactical Studies Rules (company that produces Dungeons & Dragons)
UMB - United Missouri Bank
UPS - United Parcel Service
USAA - United Services Automobile Association