As the first multiple-business charge card, Diners Club revolutionized the American economy and consumer culture by creating a means of effecting cash-free transactions and permitting consumers ready access to credit.

The depression of 1808-1809, brought on by an embargo that cut off international markets for U.S. business, led to the development of a number of domestic industries.

The Depression of 1784 helped convince the nation that the central government created by the Articles of Confederation was too weak and that a new, stronger federal government with the power to issue currency, create tariffs, and regulate commerce was essential to national prosperity.

Through his innovative ideas about quality control, Deming helped rebuild the Japanese economy after World War II, and decades later his ideas contributed to the transformation of American business as well.

Although Eugene V. Debs was considered bright in school, his formal education ended in 1870, when, at the age of fourteen, he entered the employment of the Indianapolis Railway Company in Terre Haute, Indiana, first as a shop laborer and then as a locomotive fireman.

DDT’s ban signaled a new political strength for the growing environmental movement.

The DC-3 provided the developing airline industry with a reliable and versatile craft. It was so popular with both customers and companies that it consolidated the industry’s place in America’s transportation network.

Daylight saving time was instituted in the United States as an energy-saving measure to allow people to take maximum advantage of available daylight.

Duration is a measure of interest-rate RISK (bond price volatility) that includes both the coupon rate and the time to maturity of the bond. Most BONDS, both government and corporate debt instruments, are issued with a fixed interest rate (the coupon rate) for a set period of time (maturity). Duration incorporates both these features.

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) reports provide information about the creditworthiness of businesses around the world. D&B reports are the most widely used financial reports used by businesses in the United States in determining credit, marketing, purchasing, and receivables management decisions.

Dumping, in its most frequently used meaning, involves the sale of goods or SERVICES in a foreign market at prices that are below those in the seller’s home country. Popular reports often refer to a specific country as the offending party, but in fact dumping is generally practiced by private businesses.

Under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, everyone is guaranteed legal due process (fair treatment) under certain circumstances. There are two major subcomponents: procedural due process and substantive due process.

Due diligence refers to any in-depth investigation, review, or effort to comply with requirements, expectations, or requests. The phrase originated in U.S. securities law. The laws require companies and the accountants, lawyers, and bankers who assist in the process issuing securities to provide accurate information about the securities.

Downsizing is the reduction of staffing levels necessitated by business reasons such as low sales or low profits. The number of employees required to build products is a variable expense directly related to the number of units being built. So if fewer people are on the company’s payroll, labor expense is reduced, resulting in stabilized or increased profits.

Dow Jones averages are the most widely quoted INDICATORS of the U.S. STOCK MARKET. There are three Dow Jones averages: industrials, transportation, and utilities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is the oldest and bestknown indicator.

Dot-coms are businesses that operate primarily or solely on the INTERNET. The term dot-com comes from the suffix for business domain names (.com). Dot-coms compete with traditional store-based businesses (called “bricks and mortar”), providing alternatives to consumer and business markets.

A document-retention policy is a firm’s written policies regarding which documents to retain and where and how to retain them. Document-retention policies serve a number of purposes, including maintaining whatever is needed to conduct business, what is needed for legal and regulatory purposes, and what is needed in case of litigation.

Dividends are a distribution of a corporation’s earnings to its stockholders. A CORPORATION can do two things with its earnings: Pay them out in the form of dividends or retain them. Most corporations choose some combination—that is, they pay out a portion of earnings as dividends and retain the rest.