bold/boldface 69 boomerangers
bold/boldface In typography, type that is heavier and darker than the text type with which it is used.
b o n a fi d e o c c u p a t i o n a l q u a l i fi c a t i o n (BFOQ) A legal term used to describe law- fully permissible discriminatory job require- ments as an exception to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Job applicants may be classified based on BFOQ, which permits employers to discriminate in hiring and pro- motion only if they have a valid reason directly related to performance of the job.
bona fide residence test As defined by Sec- tion 911, Internal Revenue Code, a U.S. citi- zen who has established a permanent home or living quarters in a foreign country while working abroad for an extended or indefinite period of time that includes at least one full tax year, even though the individual intends to return to the U.S. eventually. Brief trips or vacations in the U.S. or other locations do not interrupt this period.
bonanza babies People born in the 5-year period before 1977 who are the recipients of higher Social Security payments than the notch babies, who receive lower benefits due to legislation passed in 1977 that established a new benefit formula designed to correct an earlier computation. Between 1972 and 1977 retirees had been paid more than they should have received.
bond A legal document under which an indi- vidual, corporation (such as an insurance company), or government agrees to pay, within stated limits, for financial loss caused to another by the principal, default of a third person, or other contingency over which the principal may have no control. The bond issuer is borrowing money from the buyer and pays interest at regular intervals until the bonds mature, at which time the investors get their principal back.
bonding Occurs when two or more people join and remain together out of respect, regard, and concern for each other.
bond rating A means of measuring a bond issuer’s ability to make good on its commit- ments to buyers. The primary bond rating agencies are Standard & Poor’s Corp. and Moody’s Inc.
bonus After-the-fact, discretionary, extra cash compensation (in addition to base salary) paid to employees based on productivity, profits, savings, cost avoidance, or a combination of two or more of these factors, for a period of 12 months or less.
bonus payment A type of executive incentive plan whereby bonuses are paid in cash or are deferred.
booking agent In employee relocation, the agent who sells and registers the move with the carrier (van line).
booking code In travel management, an alphanumeric code used by travel agents to reserve a specific fare. Such codes vary by agent or agency.
booking software Software that supports and enhances computer reservation system information or graphic displays at the point of sale. Such systems enable travel agents to book reservations faster and more accurately.
bookmark 1. An icon or position on a com-
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boomerang workers Retirees who return to work. Attributed to outplacement firm Chal- lenger, Gray & Christmas of Northbrook, IL.
boomers The post-World War II generation, born between 1943 and 1960. Characteristics:
driven, optimistic, team players who value health and wellness, personal growth, work, and involvement.
boom mike An electronic amplifying device fastened to a long pole, which allows it to be positioned above the head of the speaker and out of camera range. Usually hard-wired.
boot camp The US Navy and Coast Guard’s version of basic military training provided to enlistees to introduce them to military life, improve their physical stamina and condition- ing, and teach them basic military skills.
bootleg contract An agreement between union and management designed to circum- vent or evade the union’s statutory security limitations.
bootleg operation 1. An unlawful or prohib- ited proceeding or action, such as producing, selling, or distributing products or services illicitly or hiring illegal aliens. 2.A program, service, funding scheme, or action deliber- ately and covertly put into effect by an exec- utive, manager, supervisor, other employee or group of workers without prior authorization by the individual or group having jurisdic- tional authority.
boot up The process of turning on a computer and initiating its start-up sequence. The user’s first command is initiated by loading a pro- gram, application, or set of instructions into the computer. The computer then completes the start-up process.
borderline intelligence A category of per- sons with mild mental disabilities. As mea- sured by an intelligence test, the condition is represented by an intelligence quotient (IQ) of between 70 and 90.
David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 The purposes of this Act are to:
(1) provide the necessary resources, account- ability, and flexibility to meet the national security education needs of the U.S., espe- cially as such needs change over time; (2) increase the quantity, diversity, and quality of the teaching and learning of subjects in the fields of foreign languages, area studies,
counterproliferation studies, and other inter- national fields that are critical to the nation’s interest; (3) produce an increased pool of applicants for work in the departments and agencies of the United States Government with national security responsibilities; (4) expand, in conjunction with other federal pro- grams, the international experience, knowl- edge base, and perspectives on which the U.S.
citizenry, government employees, and leaders rely; and (5) permit the federal government to advocate the cause of international education.
Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 The Act ensures that infants who are born alive, at any stage of development, are indi- vidual human beings entitled to the full pro- tection of the law and are guaranteed legal protection whether or not the infant’s delivery was natural or the result of an abortion. The bill defines a child as “born alive” only if he or she displays a heartbeat, respiration, or vol- untary movements after “the complete expul- sion or extraction from his or her mother.”
Approved August 5, 2002.
Boss Lift A program designed to inform employers about National Guard and Reserve Training. Trips lasting 1 to 3 days allow employers to witness life in the military ser- vices firsthand. Each state is authorized one National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve-sponsored Boss Lift per year. Participants are transported to the training site by military aircraft. They are reimbursed for meals, incidentals, and travel to and from aircraft pickup points. Most states conduct additional trips using state committee funds. On state-sponsored lifts, participants are responsible for their own expenses, includ- ing payment for the use of bachelor officers’
quarters.
Boston arm A prosthesis for amputations that is attached surgically. The arm is controlled by the individual’s own nerves.
Boston Business Journal Published weekly.
Subscription: $99.00 (professional discount rate).Contact: Boston Business Journal, 200 High Street, Boston, MA 02110-3006 (phone 617-330-1000; fax 617-330-1015; Web site www.boston.bizjournals.com/).
bots Shopping robots. Software tools that instantly scan hundreds of Internet retail sites
bottom line discount (BLD) 71 brain training
to find the lowest price for a given product.
Currently there are more than 50 bots available.
bottom line discount (BLD) In employee relocation, a pricing program that may be offered by an interstate carrier. The BLD applies to first priviso shipments moving within the U.S. (except for Hawaii) or to or from Canada. Under this option the charges to the customer are discounted by a single percentage on both transportation and acces- sorial charges.
bounty program An internal recruitment and placement method in which current employ- ees are paid a finder’s fee for a referral who is hired by the company.
boutique health care Do it yourself/pay for it yourself health care. Includes cosmetic surgery.
Box-Jenkins technique A form of time-series forecast that combines auto-regression with the moving average approach and then follows a three-step process: (1) identify the forecasting model that best fits the data, (2) fine-tune the model, and (3) make the fore- cast based on the analysis. Approach is most appropriate when data are not highly irregular.
Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale On June 28, 2000, the Supreme Court overturned the judgment of the New Jersey Supreme Court that New Jersey’s public accommoda- tions law requires that the Boy Scouts accept Dale as an assistant scoutmaster. Dale is an adult whose position was revoked when the Boy Scouts learned that he is an avowed homosexual and gay rights activist. In its decision, the Court maintained that the ruling of the New Jersey Court ran afoul of the Scouts’ freedom of expressive association.
The judgment of the New Jersey Supreme Court was reversed and the case remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with that opinion.
brachytherapy A treatment for lung cancer that uses a computerized machine (Gam- mamed 12i) to deliver a high-intensity dose of radiation to cancerous tissue. The radioac- tive source travels through a catheter (a hollow tube) directly into or near a tumor and elimi- nates the danger of exposing medical person- nel to radiation. The procedure and equipment
can also be used to treat breast, esophageal, biliary, and cervical cancer.
Braille Institute of America, Inc. (BIA) A private, nonprofit, privately funded organiza- tion established to provide training and ser- vices at no charge to people who are legally blind or visually impaired. Services include child development/youth programs, visual aids, career service, adaptive technology, counseling, classes for independent living, and Braille publishing. Also sponsors a talk- ing book library for blind and physically or reading disabled people. Contact: Braille Institute of America, Inc., 741 North Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029-3594 (phone 800-272-4553; fax 213-663-0867; e-mail I n f o @ B r a i l l e I n s t i t u t e . o rg ; We b s i t e www.brailleinstitute.org/).
brain cycles Variations in the brain’s focus of attention (from close attention to the outside world to inward-looking thoughts, images, and reveries) over a period of time measured in minutes.
brain disease Serious forms of mental ill- ness such as bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness), major depression, and schizophrenia.
brain drain Refers to the (employment- based) immigration of skilled professionals, engineers, scientists, and technicians to North America and Europe from developing coun- tries, principally from India, China, and Taiwan, manifesting a continuing need for technology workers.
brain injuries Seeautism; Down syndrome;
perceptually disabled.
brainstorming A free-wheeling group ide- ational technique designed to produce as many ideas as possible within a short period of time. A group of seven to ten, under the direction of a leader, generates ideas using four basic rules: no criticism, free-wheeling, quantity, and combination and improvement.
Ideas are recorded and subsequently presented to a separate group for evaluation and use.
Attributed to Alex Osborn.
brain training Learning how the brain works to enable people to use it to improve their lives. For example, an understanding of brain cyclescan be directly applied to human per- formance management.
brainwriting 72 brand name
brainwriting A group or individual ideational technique similar to brainstorming. It encour- ages people to engage in free association to improve their creative thinking abilities and generate new ideas. Ideas are produced by allowing thoughts to be ungoverned, uncon- trolled, and unevaluated.
branching program 1. A form of pro- grammed instruction in which the steps leading to the acquisition of knowledge or skill are determined by the learner’s responses to each of the program items. See also linear program.2. A type of instructional program- ming that permits trainees to complete train- ing efficiently by skipping whole learning modules (training activities) that represent skills and knowledge already mastered, thereby avoiding duplication or waste of time, and spending more time and effort on modules that represent unknown or unmastered areas of learning.
brand A uniquely identifiable grade, class, or make of an economic good, such as a product or service.
brand attributes Distinctive characteristics or features that mark a product or service.
They include product-related attributes, such as the elements or components needed to accomplish the function of the product or ser- vice, and non-product-related attributes, such as external properties of products or services related to their purchase or consumption.
brand awareness The strength of a brand’s impact in terms of its memorability, as evi- denced by consumers’ ability to identify the brand under different conditions.
brand book An officially recognized record of all legitimate brands registered by stock owners.
brand contract A listing of all commitments made to customers by the brand that helps define consumer perceptions and expectations and, in turn, forces marketers and managers to be honest about their products and services.
brand doom loop Describes the posture of a company that is not prosperous enough to be able to invest in its brand and cannot establish the brand well enough to drive its business.
brand equity 1. The associations and behav- iors of the brand’s customers, clients, associ- ates, and parent corporation that permit the
brand to earn greater and more sustainable market share, sales volume, and profit margins than it could without the brand name. 2.Assets and liabilities linked to a brand’s name and symbols that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a company or its customers and clients. 3. Categories of brand equity include brand name awareness, brand loyalty, perceived brand quality, and brand associations.
brand exploratory Research and inquiry designed to identify potential sources of brand equity by providing detailed information about what customers think of and feel about the brand.
brand extension Occurs when a company uses an established brand name to enter a new market. It takes two forms: (1) line extension, when the current brand name is used to enter the market in the existing product class, and (2) category extension, when the current brand name is used to enter a different product class.
brand hierarchy Displays the number and nature of both common and distinctive brand elements across the company’s products, thereby revealing an explicit order or ranked sequence of brand elements.
brand identity A unique set of brand associ- ations created and maintained to represent what the brand stands for and implies the brand’s promise to customers. Identity is designed to help establish a relationship between the brand and its customers by pro- ducing functional, emotional, or self-expres- sive benefits.
brand image Consumers’ perceptions of a brand as indicated by the brand associations retained in their memories.
branding Placing a name, term, design, sym- bol, or other mark on a product to identify and differentiate one’s goods or services from those of another.
brand loyalty Demonstrated when customers or clients purchase the same product or ser- vice repeatedly.
brand measurement Any metric used to measure the success of a brand as indicated by increasing market share, prices, sales, prof- its, or return on investment.
brand name The most valuable of all intan- gible company assets. The name given to a
brand name drug 73 briefing center
product often transcends its physical proper- ties in the minds of customers. When managed wisely, brand names provide long-term revenue.
brand name drug A drug that is sold under a specifictrademark name. Usually costs more than its generic equivalent. For example, Mot- rin is the brand name for ibuprofen.
brand personality Reflects how people feel about a brand rather than what they believe the brand is or does.
brand recall The ability of customers or cli- ents to remember the brand when given the product grouping, the needs fulfilled by the genre, or some other prompt or cue.
brand recognition The ability of customers or clients to identify and distinguish the brand when given the product grouping, the needs met by the category, or some other pointer or lead.
brand strategies 1. The means used by com- panies to differentiate themselves from their competitors. They may do that by using the Web medium to communicate clear messages that employ well-designed identity and navi- gating systems that showcase a site’s purpose and provide for intuitive user interface. 2.
Three bases for decision making for the effec- tive promotion of brands: (1) a single brand for all of the organization’s products; (2) fam- ily branding; or (3) individual brand names for all products.
breach Any failure to perform as agreed. A minor breach may entitle the other to damages but is probably not enough to allow the other party out of the contract. See also material breach.
breach of contract A legal basis for suit when an express oral or written contract is broken.
break-even analysis A means of determining the point at which revenue derived from sales equals the total cost of producing the product or service. Beyond the break-even point, an organization begins to show a profit.
break-even chart A planning and control device that graphically shows the relationship among sales volume, costs, and profits. For the average business, this relationship is the single most important factor in planning for profits.
breakout Describes when a stock price moves out of its usual trading range.
breakout session In conference and meeting planning, a session convened to accommodate a small group discussion in which the essen- tials of a subject are explored and in which learning points are expanded and reinforced.
Attendees at a larger concurrent session, general session, or plenary session are divided into several groups, either in separate rooms or within the main meeting room. Strat- egies include interactive training, brainstorm- ing, hands-on practice, role playing, team building, and strategy sessions.
Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 Amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide medical assistance for women screened and found to have breast or cervical cancer under a feder- ally funded screening program. Approved October 24, 2000.
breast self-exam (BSE) A means of detecting cancer of the breast by frequently and system- atically palpating the breasts.
breath alcohol technician (BAT) An indi- vidual trained and certified to conduct alcohol tests. Required by Department of Transporta- tion rules pertaining to the testing of safety- sensitive transportation workers.
bridge 1. A device that transparently connects dissimilar computer networks. 2. A hardware device or software product that interconnects three or more telephone lines; used to link multiple locations in distance learning applications.
bridging pay See severance pay.
briefing A formal oral presentation to others, such as decision makers, employees, and staff.
The purpose may be to inform (familiarize, interpret, clarify, or report on something of importance or concern) or to obtain a verdict or judgment on an issue from an individual or group empowered to make that decision.
briefing center A customized, innovative, technically sophisticated, nicely appointed, and often experiential (interactive) meeting room used to tell a company’s story — its vision, values, and strategy — to its potential customers. In addition to multimedia capa- bilities, briefing centers often include wire- less, high-speed Internet access, audio- and
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videoconferencing, electronic white boards, digital cameras, and printers. Formerly known as demo rooms.
briefing room program manager Operates a briefing center and works with sales hosts to create customized presentations, using experts from the company who understand customers’ and clients’ specific business issues, problems, and concerns.
brightness In video, the intensity of light, independent of hue or saturation. Also called luminance.
broadband An analog transmission technique for data or video that provides multiple chan- nels for users. Has the capability of sending and receiving information over the Internet at high speed.
broadbanding A compensation strategy orig- inally used primarily in the public sector but to an increasing degree now used in private companies, mainly for salaried exempt employees, salaried nonexempt employees, and executives, in that order. Broadbanding is used to overcome the constraints of a rigid pay structure (general schedule) to meet local market compensation. Most often, large num- bers of pay grades are merged into a few broad bands of pay (usually three or four) with larger salary ranges. Another broadbanding approach, career bands, employs relatively few bands, involves even wider salary ranges, and emphasizes career development.
Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) An organiza- tion that issues licenses (for a fee based on the number of events or number of attendees) to perform any of more than 2 million pieces of copyrighted music (live or recorded) at meetings, conferences, and exhibits, whether held in a hotel, restaurant, conference center, or cruise ship. Represents the rights of song- writers, composers, and music publishers.
Signed a blanket agreement with the Ameri- can Society of Association Executives, Meet- ing Professionals International, the Profes- sional Convention Management Association, and the Religious Conference Management Association, which cuts the costs and simpli- fies paperwork for the use of music at meet- ings,conventions, and exhibitions. As of 1997, signatory meeting planners will pay BMI annually for a license that covers any use of
all copyrighted music represented by BMI, whether taped music at a general session or a band performing at a party. The license fee is based on attendance at all events where music was played during the past year. Check your local telephone listings for the nearest office.
broadsheet A standard newsprint page mea- suring 12 ¥ 21 inches.
Brock Commission A commission estab- lished by the Secretary of Labor in 1990 to study the skills that young people must master to have sufficient knowledge in the workplace.
bronchodilators Over-the-counter drugs for the temporary relief of shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing due to bronchial asthma.
bronze parachute S e v e r a n c e p a c k a g e s designed for upper-level managers. They are somewhat less lavish than golden parachutes received by top executives but more generous than the basic severance plans that cover lower-level employees. In addition, they may be activated by resignation for “good reason”
(such as company relocation or change in compensation) as well as by involuntary ter- mination.
The Brookings Institution (BI) A p r iva t e , independent, nonprofit organization devoted to research, education, and publication in eco- nomics, government, foreign policy, and the social sciences. Its principal purpose is to improve the performance of American institu- tions, the effectiveness of government pro- grams, and the quality of U.S. public policies.
Brookings is financed largely by an endow- ment and by the support of philanthropic foun- dations, corporations, and individuals.
Contact:Brookings Institution, 1775 Massa- chusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036- 2188 (phone 202-797-6000; fax 202-797- 6004; e-mail [email protected]; Web site www.brook.edu/).
brown-collar jobs Jobs disproportionately held by Hispanic immigrants, such as cooks, gardeners, and painters.
brownout A condition that occurs when volt- age drops below the level needed by comput- ers to operate. Brownouts usually result in damaged or lost unsaved data.
browser Software used to explore (“surf”) the World Wide Web using a point-and-click