A holding company is a CORPORATION that owns other companies or corporations. Holding companies typically own stock in or otherwise exercise managerial control over the companies they own; their controlling interest is usually at least 50 percent.

Hofstede’s dimensions refer to a well-known study of five dimensions of international cultural differences in workrelated values. The five dimensions, first published in 1980, include uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity-femininity, individualism-collectivism, and Confucian dynamism.

The Herfindahl Index, also referred to as the Herfindahl- Hirschman Index, is a measure of MARKET CONCENTRATION, the degree to which a few firms control the pricing and output in a market. In perfectly competitive markets there are many firms, and no one firm is large enough to influence the market outcome.

Hedging is any business and INVESTMENT activity entered into to reduce RISK rather than to produce earnings. For example, a farmer makes a decision on how much wheat to plant. At the current price of wheat, he will make a good PROFIT, and if the price of wheat rises, it will be especially profitable, but if the price falls, it will be unprofitable.

A hedge fund in the United States is a private PARTNERSHIP that engages in a variety of high-risk INVESTMENT strategies for PROFIT. Investors should not think that a hedge fund provides them with protection against risk; in fact the opposite is true.

A health maintenance organization (HMO) provides comprehensive health care to its members on the basis of a prepaid CONTRACT. HMOs function both as INSURANCE companies, collecting periodic premium payments; and as health-care providers, contracting with doctors and hospitals to provide services at predetermined rates. As such the HMO is an example of managed care, the goal of which is high-quality medical care at a reasonable cost.

The Hawthorne experiments, conducted from 1924 to 1932, were designed to assess whether improvements in physical working conditions would increase employee productivity. Scientist Elton Mayo and his colleagues manipulated multiple aspects of the work environment for a selected group of workers at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company and subsequently measured their productivity.

The Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) is an international system of numeric classification of PRODUCTS. With HTS, products are classified using a 6- to 10-digit number. The first six digits are standardized worldwide, while some governments use additional numbers to further distinguish products.

In general, harmonization means “to bring into common accord or agreement.” In business, particularly international business, harmonization of laws, agreements, definitions, and specifications is an important consideration.

Growth stocks are COMMON STOCK equities in companies perceived by investors as having above-average currentand projected-earnings growth. These stocks typically have very high price-earnings ratios and very low DIVIDEND yields; they have higher BETA COEFFICIENT ratios and are riskier INVESTMENTS, with greater upside and downside potential. The counter-investment strategy is value stocks.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is the estimated market value (the price paid for goods and services) of all final goods and services produced in a country in a year.

Green marketing is the PRODUCTION, promotion, and reclamation of environmentally sensitive PRODUCTS. Green marketing includes a variety of activities and strategies, including recycling, pollution control and reduction, product development, POSITIONING, and reclamation systems.

Green cards are immigrant VISAS giving foreigners permanent-resident status in the United States. Unlike visas, which are granted for a specific length of time to engage in specific business activities, green cards allow non-U.S. citizens to reside in the country indefinitely.

The Great Depression (1929–41) was the most severe period of economic decline in the history of the United States. During the Great Depression, U.S. output declined by one-third, the unemployment rate reached 25 percent, the STOCK MARKET declined by 40 percent, and over 9,000 banks failed.

Gray (or parallel) markets are markets where legitimate (as opposed to counterfeit) trademarked goods are distributed and sold through unauthorized channels. Many U.S. manufacturers license their technology and BRANDS to companies in other countries.

In business and economics, graphs are used to convey information and ideas quickly. The most frequently used types are line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts. Typical line graphs include time-series and cause-and-effect relationship graphs. As a matter of convention, time-series graphs put time on the horizontal axis and whatever is being compared over time on the vertical axis.

Government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are government-created institutions designed to close perceived gaps in the country’s capital markets for agriculture and housing.

The Government National Mortgage Association, better known as Ginnie Mae, is a government-owned CORPORATION that primarily provides INSURANCE for MORTGAGEs originating through Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) government-loan programs.

The government debt, also referred to as the federal, public, or national debt, is the cumulated sum of outstanding IOUs that a government owes its creditors. In the United States, the government debt refers to indebtedness of the federal government. (State governments have balanced-budget laws limiting or prohibiting the state government from running persistent budget deficits and creating a state-owed debt.)

A going concern is an established business with a developed clientele and/or reputation. Because the business is “up and running” and has a following, such a business, if sold, will command a price higher than the BOOK VALUE of its ASSETS as listed on its BALANCE SHEET.

In business, goal setting—the establishment of personal or professional objectives—can be an individual or organizational activity. Managers often use goal setting as a means of motivating employees. Many MANAGEMENT writers provide guidelines for people or groups attempting to set goals.

Global shares are COMMON STOCK shares that trade in multiple currencies around the world. Introduced in 1998 with the merger of DaimlerChrysler, global shares are an alternative to American depository receipts (ADRs), which are indirect holdings of stock in a foreign company.

Globalization is an economic and cultural process in which countries are increasingly integrated through economic and political connections. Globalization began to grow after World War II, when falling TARIFFs and more efficient means of air travel promoted both an expansion and a reliance on world trade.