product life cycle the marketing concept of a product having a natural period ranging from its introduction and rise in sales to its sales decline and expiration when customers purchase newer alternat
quality control a system for insuring that a standard level of quality is maintained Example: Our quality control division was separate from our manufacturing department so it was more effective at fi
To bring home the bacon to earn an income to support one’s household Example: In addition to studying for his MBA, the young husband had to bring home the bacon for his sick wife and two infant chil
To build a better mousetrap to develop a new and improved product. Example: Some technology companies make the mistake of focusing on building a better mousetrap rather than focusing on the needs of t
To come out of left field BASEBALL TERM to be a complete surprise (often, something unexpected that changes everything) Example: When a typhoon came out of left field and destroyed the local airport,
To corner the market to gain control of a market for one’s product, or to control available supply of a product Example: The clever, small manufacturing company cornered the market on essential part
To crunch the numbers to do the mathematical calculations required in a business assessment Example: The new product development idea sounded good but our president didn’t want to comment on it unti
Span of control the number of people that one manager can supervise effectively Example: When two of our company managers quit suddenly last month, the other two had their span of control doubled, whi
Take the bull by the horns IDIOM to face a problem and solve it, usually by taking leadership and making necessary decisions Example: The old company needed a vigorous new manager who would take t
Take-home pay the money an employee receives after taxes, dues, savings contributions, or other monies have been deduced from his or her gross pay Example: I have so many deductions from my paycheck e