Preface and User's Guide

Welcome to the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Business (EOB). Through a combined practical and theoretical approach, these refreshed volumes offer readers solid explanations of relevant concepts, issues, and terms, covering current and classic areas of interest and concern. The need for such information—along with the ability to access it quickly and easily—continues to be underscored. This fully revised edition provides a unique starting point for the fulfillment of such needs. Building on the foundation established by the first edition, these volumes include dozens of brand new essays, and present information on hundreds of terms not previously included.

ENHANCEMENTS

Among the territory explored in fresh depth are topics both far-ranging (Y2K Compliance, Global Warming, and Sustainable Development, for example) and specific (Absorption Accounting, Balanced Scorecard, Workplace Violence Program, Z Score). Significant effort has been made to enhance and expand coverage of topics that have come increasingly into the spotlight in recent years. As a result, readers will note substantially revised or completely new essays relating to areas such as computer technology, the Internet and World Wide Web, electronic commerce, and the creative utilization of these critical and pervasive tools.

Alternately, in some cases the editor and advisors have chosen to enhance existing coverage of basic concepts with a more thorough accounting; one such example can be found in a dedicated essay on the Gold Standard, which offers a detailed discussion of the term and its history. Another such example explores in detail the concept of Partnership/Limited Partnership, also new to the second edition.

In terms of global coverage, readers will benefit from essays presenting data on the Euro, the European Union, and the concept of Globalization, along with highly practical information contained in over a dozen essays on doing business in foreign countries or regions, among others. Environmental issues, always a concern for society and big business alike, merit increased discussion in a variety of venues as well.

The universe of business topics deserving explication has proven vast, and continues to expand; readers familiar with the first edition will find that the solid groundwork laid in the past has been both refined and fortified—not simply broadened in scope—by the alterations and additions incorporated into these new volumes of the Encyclopedia of Business.

USER'S GUIDE

The Encyclopedia of Business has been designed for ease of use. Comprised of two volumes, the essays are arranged alphabetically from A to Z by topic title throughout the set. Average essay length is approximately 2,300 words. At the back of the second volume is one important feature: a tiered, professionally compiled index, listing thousands of terms with corresponding volume and page numbers.

SPECIAL FEATURES WITHIN ESSAYS.

  • Bolded terms included within essays point readers toward related essays within the Encyclopedia that may be of interest
  • "See Also" references, included at the end of many essays, refer the reader to further topics of closely related interest
  • Charts, graphs, tables, and formulas are included as illustrative examples whenever appropriate
  • "Further Reading" sections are included at the end of most essays; these source citations are designed to reference source material quoted within each essay, and to point readers toward suggested sources for further study

SEE-TITLE REFERENCES.

"See-title" references serve to guide the reader directly toward the location of essays that may be recognized by more than one commonly used term. For example, upon turning to "Revenue," a see-title reference will direct readers to the more inclusive "Income and Revenue." Another such example is use of the first edition term "Sexual Discrimination"; readers will be directed to the updated title "Gender Discrimination." (In all cases in which titles have evolved from their first edition representation, see-title references have been incorporated to guide users from the old usage to the newly labeled essays.)

INDEX

The Index contains alphabetical references to the following, as mentioned in EOB essays: important or unusual terms; names of companies, institutions, organizations, and associations; key governmental agencies; specific legislation; relevant court cases; names of prominent or historical individuals; titles of groundbreaking literature; and significant studies. The Index in this edition is highly detailed and professionally compiled; it incorporates subject headings that would logically have appeared in the first edition's Discipline Index, which has been subsumed in the second edition's Index, for ease of searching.

Boldface page numbers in the Index indicate primary discussions of their associated citations. Boldface Roman numerals refer to the first or second volume of the Encyclopedia where the citations occur.

PERMISSION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The chart appearing in the essay entitled "Organizational Development" originally appeared in the California Management Review, volume 33, number 4; it is reprinted with permission from The Regents of the University of California, copyright 1991.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The editor would like to gratefully acknowledge the wise counsel, helpful suggestions, and good humor generously provided by the following individuals in the long course of this book's compilation: Scott Heil, Dave Salamie, Amy Unterburger, Ron Horwitz, and Michael Knes. (Please also see the section noting EOB's Advisory Panel.)

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Comments and suggestions regarding the Encyclopedia of Business are invited and encouraged. Please contact:

Editor, Enc. of Business
Gale Group
27500 Drake Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535
Telephone: 1-800-347-GALE