B School Lingo

There is a totally different language spoken in the business world. I think. At least there is a totally different language spoken at B School. I think. At least there is a totally different language spoken at INSEAD.

When I came to INSEAD, I had never heard:
FMCG
M&A
P&L
BoP
ROI
JV
VC
PE

I had to ask someone about each of them. I specifically remember asking about M&A and FMCG, because it really seemed like EVERYONE knew them!

Now they're my everyday reality.

• FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods (foods, clothes, books, etc.)
• M&A: Mergers at acquisitions
• P&L: Profit and loss. Apparently if you're in charge of a P&L in your job out of b school, that's a good thing.
• BoP: Balance of Payments. Still don't really understand this one. Sorry Mihov.
• ROI: Return on investment. If you make this investment, how much more money can you make? If you make a lot more than the investment cost, that's good.
• JV: Joint venture. Sometimes it's hard to enter a new country or a new market, so you can enter with a JV, and you will then have a partner that has capabilities you don't have. They might have local knowledge, property, connections...anything really.
• VC: Venture capital. Private investors put money into a new idea or new company. They then get returns if the company or idea makes money.
  
• PE: Private equity. Private investors put money into a company. Usually this is to make changes in that company (this is NOT my expertise).