Abstract is an objective and accurate condensation of a document, which can vary in length from a mere expansion or enrichment of the title to several paragraphs. Abstracts can save a great deal of time and effort and will alert you to newly published work that may otherwise be difficult to trace.
At the very least, an abstract will help you to decide whether or not you need to read the original material.
See also: Bibliography, Indicative abstract, Informative abstract, Synopsis.

After Action Review (AAR) is a presentation or discussion following an event or activity by those involved with, or interested in, that event and whose purpose is to learn from it. An AAR should describe what was intended to happen, what was actually accomplished, what mistakes were made, what lessons were learned, and how participation in similar events might be improved in the future.
They may be recorded in a variety of media as a form of reference for future use. Briefings and AARs (also referred to as Debriefings) are excellent learning tools and help to instill an information-sharing culture. Their effectiveness depends to a great extent on accurately identifying the most appropriate audience. See also: Briefing, Debriefing, Intranet, Knowledge management, Report.

Alliance is a form of cooperation between two or more independent companies in which they share risks and revenues with the aim of jointly improving their Competitive advantage. Alliances may include licensing, clusters, co-marketing arrangements, shared R&D, joint ventures, franchising agreements, outsourcing partnerships, and investments.
See also: Cluster, Joint project, Joint venture, Lead-firm network, Networking, Production network, Research and development, Service network, Strategic alliance.

Ambush marketing occurs when a company that does not directly support a specific event attempts to present itself as a marketing partner. This is usually achieved through the use of misleading advertising or promotional activities.
See also Disinformation.

Analysis involves the examination of complex Information in order to ascertain its constituent elements and to more easily understand its meaning. The fundamental forms of analysis are:
Deduction, Induction, Pattern recognition, and Trend analysis.
See also: Intelligence analysis, Predictive analytics, Scenario analysis, Synthesis.

Analysis paralysis is a colloquial expression that implies that one's decision-making ability is severely impaired by exposure to overwhelming volumes of Information; it is a symptom of Information fatigue syndrome.
See also: Information overload.

Annotation is a note, usually added to a Bibliographic reference, by way of comment, explanation, or description. It may also be referred to as a Scope note when used in a Thesaurus.
See also: Bibliography.

Applied research is original work done in order to acquire new Knowledge with a specific, practical application in view. It is undertaken either to determine the possible uses for the findings of Basic research or to determine new ways of achieving some specific and predetermined objectives.
See also: Research, Research and development.

Archie is a software tool for locating files stored on anonymous File transfer protocol (FTP) sites; knowledge of the exact file name or a sub-string is essential to successful retrieval.

Artificial intelligence applies to a computer system that is able to operate in a manner similar to that of human intelligence; that is, it can understand natural language and is capable of solving problems, learning, adapting, recognizing, classifying, self-improvement, and reasoning. Examples of its application include Expert systems, Intelligent agents, Neural networks, and Robotics.
See also: Classify, Cognitive science, Predictive analytics.

Artilect is a neologism used to describe a computer incorporating Artificial intelligence and being capable of programming and improving its operations.

Artificial intelligence applies to a computer system that is able to operate in a manner similar to that of human intelligence; that is, it can understand natural language and is capable of solving problems, learning, adapting, recognizing, classifying, self-improvement, and reasoning. Examples of its application include Expert systems, Intelligent agents, Neural networks, and Robotics.
See also: Classify, Cognitive science, Predictive analytics.

Artilect is a neologism used to describe a computer incorporating Artificial intelligence and being capable of programming and improving its operations.

Assigned-term indexing involves assessing a record or Document and deciding on the appropriate terms to apply to it.
See also: Derived-term indexing, Enrichment, Index.

Automatic indexing uses a program to select words or phrases to identify content. It often employs several Indexing languages (Classification scheme, natural language, Controlled vocabulary, Standard Industry Code, Country Code).

Balanced scorecard is a performance measurement system that, in addition to financial measures, quantifies items that had previously been considered as Intangible assets, such as brand image, customers, reputation, Human capital, Information, Innovation, and Corporate culture.
See also: Customer relationship management, Intellectual property, Knowledge assets, Knowledge management.

Basic research is work, of a general nature, conducted in order to acquire Knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts without any obvious practical application in view. Sometimes referred to as Fundamental research.
See also: Research, Research and development.

Bibliography is a list of documents (for example, books, periodicals, articles, reports, and conference papers) covering a specific subject or range of subjects, arranged in some order, such as by subject, chronologically, or by author. Entries will normally incorporate the essential details and may extend to a Notation or an Abstract.
See also: Bibliographic reference, Bibliometrics, Citation, Document, Metadata.

Bibliometrics is the application of statistical or mathematical methods to groups of bibliographic references (for example, authorship, publications, literature use) for comparison or comprehension.
See also: Bibliographic reference, Bibliography, Citation analysis, Informetrics, Webometrics.

Blog is a direct means for an individual to share ideas, thoughts, opinions, and Information concerning a particular topic with an audience, using the Web as the medium. It usually takes the form of a diary or chronological narrative initiated, and frequently updated, by the blogger. Its main value lies in the establishment of networks and the Social capital created as a result.
See also: Corporate blog, Wiki.

Brainstorming is a technique used by groups of people to overcome the widespread tendency to overlook various obvious options while solving problems or generating new ideas. The key principle is to defer judgment, achieved by insistence on first recording all suggested ideas.
See also: Lateral thinking, Synectics.

Brief is either an abridged memory aid for presenting arguments in a legal case, or a set of instructions concerning a specific task, operation, or project.
See also: Briefing, Report.

Briefing is the oral or written disclosure, before the event, of information or instructions concerning an operation, project, or visit. The term is derived from military practice.
See also: After action review, Debriefing, Intelligence briefing, Report.

Bulletin board system (BBS) is a computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on discussions, upload and download files, and record observations and points of view without having to be simultaneously connected to the system at any given time.
See also: Internet.

Burotics applies to the fusion of several technologies that are mainly covered by the term Business technology. It includes: data organization; word processing; facsimile; teletext and videotex; reproduction equipment; time registration; and business management systems.
See also: Technological fusion, Telematics.

Business environment encompasses all those factors that affect a company's operations; and includes customers, competitors, stakeholders, suppliers, industry trends, regulations, other government activities, social and economic factors, and technological developments. Also known as Operating environment.

Business Intelligence (BI) is any combination of Data, Information, and Knowledge concerning the Business environment in which a company operates that, when acted upon, will confer a significant Competitive advantage or enable sound decisions to be made. Thus, for practitioners, the term encompasses both Competitive intelligence and Knowledge management. Involvement in business intelligence operations will enable the organization to, among other things:
• anticipate and manage risk;
• seek Opportunities and new markets;
• take action before competitors;
• Innovate;
• exploit competitors’ weaknesses;
• improve Planning and decision-making.
The term is also widely accepted as being concerned with Information technology solutions for transforming the output from large Data collections into so-called Intelligence; usually through the integration of sales, marketing, servicing, and support activities. Also loosely referred to as Customer relationship management, it covers such activities as Data mining and Enterprise reporting, and the associated software. Those involved in this form of business intelligence tend to regard it as simply one aspect of Knowledge management. Systems based on such software have replaced the term Executive information systems.
See also: Competitive intelligence, Competitor, Competitor intelligence, Intelligence analysis, Market intelligence, Technological intelligence.

Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the long-term contractual delegation of management and operational responsibility for an IT-enabled business function, or process area, to an external services provider. BPO covers three broad areas of activity: sales, marketing, and customer care; administration and finance; operations processes (which may include materials management, procurement, distribution, or manufacturing). BPO may be partial (management or operation only) or complete (management, operation, and ownership).

Business technology refers to the integration of computer and communications technologies in support of administrative applications and procedures within an organization.
See also: Information technology.

Case-based reasoning is a technique for deriving solutions to problems through a reasoning process using Artificial intelligence to produce analogies with similar problems where solutions are already known.

Caves and commons is a colloquial term for the two main types of working area: caves represent private areas used for concentrated thinking; commons refers to open spaces designed to encourage discussion and the exchange of Information and ideas.
See also: Work spaces, Working environment.

Cipher is a way of producing a Document whose content may be understood by the intended recipient but should be unintelligible to all others. This is usually achieved by substituting computer-generated random numbers or letters for the symbols making up the content of the document. Since the same sequence must be used to set up the system for both enciphering and deciphering, no cipher system is entirely invulnerable.
See also: Code, Steganography.

Citation is a reference or footnote to a Document which contains sufficient Information to identify and locate the work to which it refers. It usually takes the form of a Bibliographic reference.
See also: Annotation, Bibliography, Citation analysis.

Citation index consists of a list of documents, usually arranged by author, with a list against each entry of other documents that have cited the item represented by the entry. It is based on the principle that if the searcher is aware of a Document that is relevant, then any document published at a later date that cites the original is also likely to be relevant.
See also: Bibliography, Citation.

Classification scheme is an orderly arrangement of terms or classes - a class being any group of entities sharing the same characteristic(s). The major universal classification schemes are: Bliss, Colon, Dewey Decimal, Library of Congress, and Universal Decimal.
See also: Classify, Index, Keyword, Ontology, Taxonomy, Thesaurus.

Classified information refers to military or national secrets. It is normally available to unqualified individuals only by means of clandestine human or technical (imagery or signals) Intelligence.
See also: Classify.

Classify is to assemble or group items in a rational and consistent manner. It is based upon a preconceived plan, with the whole field of interest divided into categories, classes, and sub-classes. It also means to designate a Document as an official secret or as not available for general disclosure.
See also: Classification scheme, Classified information, Directories, Hierarchical classification, Index, Keyword, Ontology, Taxonomy, Thesaurus, Trade secret.

Closed-circuit television (cctv) is a form of cable television accessible to a limited user group. It is used especially in security systems and military establishments, and for educational purposes.

Cluster consists of several enterprises that have entered into a formal, continuing association in order to pursue some activities in common and derive maximum benefit from such synergy. These shared activities may include: Research, Development, and Innovation; Marketing, promotion, labeling, and publication of Trade literature; imposing minimum standards of quality; arranging the supply of equipment, components, or materials; and sharing Information gathering and Analysis.
See also: Alliance, Joint venture, Lead-firm network, Networking, Production network, Service network, Strategic alliance, Value chain.

Code is a pre-arranged system of words, letters, figures, or symbols used to represent others for secrecy or brevity. The Morse code, for example, uses a sequence of dots and dashes to represent letters and digits.
See also: Cipher, Corporate security, Password, Steganography.

Cognitive science is the study of thinking, knowing, and intellectual reaction; of the process of comprehending, judging, remembering, and reasoning; and of the acquisition, organization, and uses of Knowledge.
See also: Artificial intelligence, Concept.

Combination, one of the four basic Knowledge management processes, is a technique for combining items of Explicit knowledge to form new explicit knowledge.
See also: Externalization, Internalization, and Socialization.

Commerce is a term that usually applies to domestic trade; that is, conducted within a specific nation or territory.
See also: International trade.

Commercialization covers the range of activities involved in producing and Marketing an Innovation; or is the transformation of ideas into economic results.
See also: Diffusion, Technology transfer.

Communication is the process whereby Knowledge is codified into Information by the transmitter, passed through a medium to a receiver, who then reconverts that information into new knowledge.
See also: Knowledge creation.

Community of interest is a network of people who are committed to the mutual exchange of ideas and Information. The focus tends to be on learning about areas of common interest, rather than on producing practical results.
See also: Community of practice.

Community of practice (CoP) is an informal, self-organizing, interactive group that develops in response to a specific, work-related activity, subject, practice, or problem of mutual interest. Membership is determined by participation and may transcend hierarchical and organizational boundaries. It provides a means of developing best practices or solutions to problems through Communication, that is, through participation in the exchange of Information and the creation of Knowledge. A community of practice may use a variety of media for this purpose, including faceto-face meetings, reports, email, instant messaging, collaborative workspaces, and intranets. Communities of practice can sometimes make a major contribution to Social capital in organizations. A CoP may sometime be called a Community of purpose or commitment. Large, geographically dispersed communities tend to be referred to as Networks of practice.
See also: Community of interest, Electronic mail, Groupware, Intranet, Knowledge management, Networking, Report, Team.

Competency modeling involves identifying superior performers and creating profiles that specify their expertise, skills, personalities, values, and other attributes as a basis for general organizational improvement.
See also: Expertise profiling, Knowledge map, Mindset.

Competitive is when a company can maintain or expand its Market share while making at least enough profit to induce it to stay in its existing line of business.

Competitive advantage is gained by exploiting the unique blend of activities, assets, attributes, market conditions, and relationships that differentiates an organization from its competitors. These may include: access to natural resources, specific location, or skilled workforce.
See also: Business intelligence, Competitor, Critical success factors.

Competitive Intelligence (CI) is a systematic and ethical program for gathering, analyzing, and managing Information about the external Business environment that can affect a company’s plans, decisions, and operations. Although narrower in scope, it is commonly employed as a synonym for Business intelligence.

Competitor is any organization that offers the same, a similar, or a substitute product or service in the field of endeavor in which a company operates.

Competitor Intelligence (CI) is a subdivision of Business intelligence that concerns the current and proposed business activities of competitors.
See also: Competitor, Strategic group analysis.

Competitor profiling is the systematic Analysis of competitors in order to learn from their strengths and exploit their weaknesses. The knowledge acquired is used to gain and maintain a Competitive advantage.
See also: Competitor, Intelligence analysis, SWOT analysis.

Computer-aided design (CAD) involves the use of computers in the design and engineering process. The term embraces geometric modeling, Analysis, testing, and drafting.

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) involves the use of computer technology in the management, control, and operation of the manufacturing process.

Computer-assisted interactive tutorial system is one in which a computer is programmed to perform the role of teacher in (normally) a one-to-one tutorial.
See also: Distance learning.

Computer-assisted process planning involves the use of computers to generate process plans showing the sequence of operations and work stations required in manufacture.

Computer-integrated manufacturing is a term that applies when work stations are directly serviced by an automated material-handling system and controlled by a computer. The term encompasses: CAD/CAM, Robotics, Group technology, Material requirements planning, Manufacturing resource planning, Automated storage and retrieval systems, Computer-assisted process planning, and Computer-aided parts programming.
See also: Computer-aided design, Computer-aided manufacturing.

Concept is any unit of thought, generally expressed by a term, letter, or symbol. It may be the mental representation of beings or things, qualities, actions, locations, situations, or relations. A concept may also arise from any combination of other concepts.
See also: Cognitive science, Insight, Knowledge, Semantic networks.

Conference is a general session or face-to-face group that relies on participation; often used to publicize developments in a particular field of endeavor or discipline.
See also: Colloquium, Seminar, Symposium, Workshop.

Confirmation bias refers to our tendency to seek evidence that will confirm our own opinion, or ignore or devalue that which does not.
See also: Analysis, Intelligence analysis.

Contact management system (CMS), allows organizations and individuals to record relationships and interactions with customers and suppliers.

Content analysis describes the technique of identifying keywords and descriptors from a given Document in order to facilitate Information retrieval.
See also: Descriptor, Keyword, Indexing.

Content management system (CMS) separates the management of content from that of its presentation. This allows segments of content to bear Metadata and other attributes and be handled as building blocks in putting together Web pages, thus simplifying the task of updating.
See also: Information architecture.

Controlled vocabulary is an Indexing language; that is, a standardized - yet dynamic - set of terms and phrases authorized for use in an indexing system to describe a subject area or Information domain. Ideally, the terms that are used to represent subjects, and the process whereby terms are assigned to particular documents, should be both controlled and executed by one individual. It can vary from a simple alphabetical list of terms to a complex annotated Thesaurus. Also known as a Controlled indexing language.
See also: Classification scheme, Classify, Content analysis, Descriptor, Document, Index, Keyword, Natural indexing language, Ontology, Taxonomy, Topic map.

Corporate culture is the set of values, beliefs, and relationships between individuals and functions that guide the decisions of the company in order to achieve its objectives. It results in behavior that has been learned within a group or transferred between individuals over time. Also known as organizational culture.
See also: Meme, Mission statement, Social capital, Vision statement.

Corporate governance is the framework of rules, relationships, systems, and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled in corporations.
See also: Stakeholder.

Corporate Intelligence (CI) is a broad term covering both Business intelligence and Competitive intelligence as well as those elements that are inherent in global operations, such as Corporate security and Counterintelligence.

Corporate security aims at protecting Knowledge assets, whether in the form of physical entities or intellectual (tangible and intangible) property.
See also: Authentication, Counterintelligence, Intellectual property, Knowledge management, Trade secret.

Corporatization is Privatization coupled with the requirement that the government sector enterprise actively encourage competition from the private sector. Government ministers set policy objectives but are not involved in routine operations.

Counterintelligence refers to those activities that are concerned with identifying and counteracting the threat to security posed by hostile intelligence services or organizations, or by individuals engaged in Espionage, sabotage, or subversion.
See also: Corporate security, Intellectual property, Knowledge assets.

Crawler uses existing Internet search engines to carry out automatic search and retrieval of selected Information on behalf of a user. Also known as Web crawler.
See also: Bot, Intelligent agents, Search engine, Spider.

Creativity refers to the act of generating new and useful ideas, or of re-evaluating or combining old ideas, to develop new and useful perspectives in order to satisfy a need.
See also: Brainstorming, Innovation, Invention, Lateral thinking, Synectics.

Critical success factors are the limited number of activities that need to succeed and be effective if company aims are to be achieved; or, are the few key areas of activity in which favorable results are absolutely necessary for a particular manager to reach his or her goals. Knowing the critical success factors helps to determine information needs. Also known as Key success factors.
See also: Competitive advantage.

Current awareness services make available Knowledge of what is being done in specific fields of endeavor through Documents (such as notes, abstracts, clippings, email, Selective dissemination of information, and Database records) or orally (such as face-to-face or telephone conversations).
See also: Abstract, Electronic mail, Indicative abstract, Informative abstract.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a software-based technique designed to select and manage customers in order to maximize their long-term value to an enterprise. The term covers several aspects of customer relationships, such as: campaign management systems, call centers, interactive voice response systems, e-commerce, point-of-sale, and sales automation. The intention is to understand and anticipate the needs, preferences, and buying habits of existing and potential customers. To that end, it usually employs some form of Data mining designed to exploit large customer databases. Seen by some as the most important aspect of Knowledge management.
See also: Database, Electronic commerce.

Cybernetics refers to the science in which communication and control systems in electronic and mechanical devices are studied and compared with those in biological systems.
See also: Artificial intelligence, Bioinformation transfer.

Cyberspace is the notional environment in which communication over computer networks occurs. The term is currently used to describe the whole range of Information resources available through such networks.
See also: Browser, Internet, Network, World Wide Web.

Dashboard is a Visualization tool that provides graphical depictions of current key performance indicators in order to enable faster response to changes in areas such as sales, customer relations, performance assessments, and inventory levels.

Data consist of unconnected facts, numbers, names, codes, symbols, dates, words, and other items of that nature that are out of context, and that only acquire meaning through association.
See also: Business intelligence, Code, Information, Knowledge.

Data logging involves the conversion of electrical impulses from process instruments into digital Data to be recorded, stored, and periodically tabulated.

Data mart is a focused collection of operational Data that is usually confined to a specific aspect of a business. A number of stand-alone data marts are often referred to as Islands of data.

Data mining is the systematic computer Analysis, through the use of statistical techniques (often employing Neural networks), of large volumes of collected Data with the aim of revealing previously unidentified patterns, trends, and relationships about customers, products, services, and other activities that can lead to new and profitable business Opportunities. As with any Database, the critical aspects are to do with accurate, up-to-date content, and with the means used for locating and matching that content to user needs; that is, with the level of intellectual input. For these reasons the procedure is complex and protracted, calling for specialized expertise and imagination. Also known as Database tomography, Discovery informatics, or Knowledge discovery. Examples of data mining applications include: identifying new customers, predicting customer buying habits, confirming suitable loan applicants, revealing fraud, indicating potentially rewarding investments, managing equity portfolios, diagnosing medical problems, inventory management, and conducting certain aspects of Marketing.
See also: Data warehouse, Predictive analytics, Text mining, Visualization.

Data warehouse is a repository of operational Data from one or more sources within an organization, together with data derived from a variety of external sources that have been arranged into meaningful Information, and rendered easily accessible so as to allow for effective Analysis or decision-making.
See also: Data mining, Predictive analytics.

Database is a collection of interrelated Data stored together without harmful or unnecessary redundancy and structured in such a manner as to serve one or more applications. The data are stored so that they are independent of programs that use the data.

Decision diary records decisions made, together with any assumptions made and the reasoning employed. It is used to derive lessons to assist future decision-making.

Deduction is based on theory and logic. It involves reasoning from the general to the particular, that is, drawing specific conclusions from general premises; to infer. For example, to ascribe to one member of a class the properties generally observed in other members of that same class. In general, scientific laws are established in this way. From a number of observations, a generalization (or law) is drawn: the greater the number of observations, the more reliable the conclusion is likely to be.
See also: Analysis, Induction, Intelligence analysis.

Demography is the scientific study of human communities, including size, composition, distribution, density, movement, rate of growth or decline, and other characteristics, and of the causes and consequences of changes in these factors.
See also: Census, Market intelligence, Market segmentation.

Diffusion is the process whereby new Knowledge, Know-how, and innovations spread from an innovating organization to other potential or actual users; or is the spread of innovations into general use.
See also: Commercialization, Creativity, Development, Extension service, Innovation, Intellectual property, Networking, Social network analysis, Technology transfer.

Digest is a condensed version of a Document or topic, or of several related topics. It is similar in many respects to an Informative abstract. The term may also refer to a regular or occasional Synopsis of current literature or news.
See also: Report.

Directories are primarily lists of