Glossary

Glossary

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A

A.C.P. (Asia Caribbean Pacific)"
The A.C.P. countries (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) are a group of countries that benefit from preferential agreements with the European Union

Abusive support
A creditor is liable to be attacked by third parties for abusive support" when he has granted credit significantly in excess of his customer's foreseeable repayment capacity."

Acceleration of payment
Immediate payment of due and undue debts. Forfeiture of the term may be provided for in the general terms and conditions of sale. It may also be provided for by law in the event of the buyer filing for bankruptcy. In the event of non-payment of a contractual due date, this clause renders all of the buyer's debts due and payable, regardless of their due dates.

Accounts receivable
Balance sheet account in which all invoices and credit notes per customer and their payments are recorded.

Ad hoc arbitration
Case of an arbitration where the arbitrator is specially appointed and the dispute is determined

Arbitrage des risques
Activity consisting, for the credit insurer, in assessing the financial strength of the Buyers with a view to issuing an approval (see Approval).

Arbitration
Arbitration is a way of settling a dispute that has arisen in the course of a transaction by calling in an arbitrator. It is the most flexible method of settlement (compared with litigation), but its cost and the time it takes depend on the willingness of the two parties involved

Authorised Outstanding
See Credit Limit

Aval
This is a personal guarantee given on a commercial paper or by private deed to guarantee payment on behalf of the drawee. The endorsement on a commercial paper must clearly state Good for endorsement on behalf of the drawee"."

B

B to B database
Financial and marketing information databases for business intelligence.

Bank guarantee
The bank guarantee enables the importer to obtain an undertaking from the exporter's bank to guarantee performance of the exporter's obligations.

Banking
Through the tools and services they offer, banks are essential partners for companies expanding into global markets. In fact, many of them have set up specific international development support services.

Bill of exchange
Document evidencing a commercial transaction. There are two types of commercial paper: bills of exchange and promissory notes.

Bill of lading
The bill of lading consists of all the documents relating to the carriage of goods

Branch
Unlike a subsidiary, a branch is a commercial establishment which, despite its autonomy, is legally bound to its parent company.

Brochure
Presentation of the company on a promotional document: you can find its contact details, the description and development of its activity, its products and services, the breakdown of its workforce, the contact details of key contacts...

Buyer credit
Granted by a bank to a foreign buyer, buyer credit is used to finance a medium or long-term export. To qualify, the buyer must have signed a commercial contract with the exporter and a credit agreement with the bank.

C

C.M.R.
The transport document issued in the context of international road transport is a C.M.R. consignment note. It is signed by the carrier and the sender and is drawn up in at least three original copies.

Campaign credit
When a company has a seasonal rhythm to its production or marketing, the bank will, for example, grant it a cash credit for a period of 6 to 9 months.

Carnet A.T.A.
The acronym ATA is a combination of the French and English words: admission temporaire and temporary admission. It refers to a procedure available to certain categories of goods (e.g. tools or samples) during transit or temporary stay in countries which apply this procedure in accordance with the conventions they have signed.

Cash
Cash payment is made upon receipt of the goods or service Accounts receivable. Balance sheet account in which all invoices and credit notes per customer and their payments are recorded.

Cash credit
Banking term for an overdraft authorisation or overdraft facility granted when there is a shortfall between income and expenditure

Cash management
Cash management enables a company to manage its financial flows abroad from its head office. It is carried out in collaboration with the exporter's bank and involves setting up appropriate information and management systems.

Cash on delivery
In this technique, the final carrier is commissioned to collect payment when the goods are delivered. This technique can be recommended when the parcel has a very modest value.

Catastrophe credit insurance
Insurance enabling a warehouse to be compensated for the exceptional loss it suffers in the event of the insolvency of its customers. This policy defines a deductible and a ceiling on disbursements. Compensation is paid as soon as the total number of claims exceeds the deductible and does not exceed the disbursement ceiling. The insurer is remunerated in proportion to these indicators, depending on the management delegation it grants to the company.

Certificate of Insurance
Document provided by the exporter or freight forwarder certifying that the goods are insured against loss or damage

Certificate of irrecoverability
Document issued by a third party certifying that the debt is definitively irrecoverable and authorising the recovery of VAT previously paid.

Charter
Hire of a means of transport for a specific duration and destination

Cheque
Cheque payable on demand: the drawer (the buyer) instructs the drawee (his bank) to pay a sum to a third party (the seller). Cheques are not widely used internationally because of the risks involved (loss, buyer's initiative, non-harmonisation of regulations, etc.).

Collection
Consists of obtaining payment from the buyer when the due date has passed. Collection may be amicable or judicial. It may be carried out by the company, by its agents or by both simultaneously.

Collection agencies"
See Collection agencies

Commercial agent
The use of a commercial agent allows you to be represented in a given area. The agent's main task is to prospect for customers on behalf of the exporter, who is solely responsible for the product, price and terms of sale to customers.

Commercial information
This is all the information that exists on a company: commercial information is structured in databases, managed by specialist companies who enrich their databases with field surveys and by any other appropriate means.

Commissionnaire exportateur
Intermediary between exporter and foreign buyer commissioned on business. Some are sales agents and combine logistics and marketing, others are purchasing agents and clients of French exporters, acting on behalf of foreign buyers (buying groups, etc.).

Compulsory certification
This is a procedure for certifying the conformity of products to national standards set up by the governments of a number of countries to protect their consumers in the areas of health, safety and the environment. In most cases, the certification process involves compiling a technical file, analyses and tests carried out by laboratories approved by the competent authorities in the country of destination, inspections and follow-up checks.

Conciliation
This is a method of settling disputes out of court, which sometimes requires the intervention of a third party.

Confiscation
A relatively exceptional measure in ordinary criminal law, confiscation is, on the contrary, of considerable importance in customs law, where the main classic offences involve goods whose value is the driving force behind the criminal action or goods whose presence on customs territory is intolerable. In these circumstances, confiscation, sometimes better than a fine, is the only way to either satisfy the tax authorities of their rights or to ensure that the goods physically disappear. From the outset, therefore, confiscation has the dual character that we usually like to give it: it is both a penalty and a security measure. It is generally imposed as a principal penalty, but can also be imposed as an additional penalty, which does not alter its scope or legal regime.

Consignment of goods
A stock of goods is placed on deposit with the seller, who will pay the supplier on an ad hoc basis for the sales made

Constraint
The constraint is an administrative act allowing the forced execution on the goods of the debtors of the customs administration. It is a preliminary act of prosecution but not an act initiating legal proceedings, and legal proceedings are only instituted if the debtor objects to the enforcement of the constraint. The constraint duly served has all the effects of a civil judgment rendered by default; in particular, it entails a legal mortgage on the debtor's property and substitutes the thirty-year statute of limitations for the three-year statute of limitations. It is therefore an effective and rapid means of recovering debts owed to the Treasury.

Contract of sale
Contract between two parties (the seller and the buyer) by which the seller transfers ownership of a good or service and undertakes to deliver the good or service to the buyer who is obliged to pay the price

Control
Exported products or services are subject to various levels of control in the country or countries of destination: the public authorities and various bodies (specialised press, consumer associations, trade associations, etc.) judge the quality of these products or services and decide whether they are suitable for the domestic market.

Cost of customer credit
The cost of customer credit is calculated on the basis of the following information: 1) Cost of prevention, 2) Cost of risk coverage, 3) Cost of management, 4) Cost of financing payment delays, 5) Cost of litigation, 6) Cost of credit losses.

Counterfeiting"
Counterfeiting generally refers to the infringement of an intellectual property right (patent, trademark, copyright) and is an offence punishable under the French Penal Code

Courier
A method of transporting goods and parcels by land, air or sea that is faster but more expensive than ordinary transport.

Credit Charter
Set of rules for managing Customer Credit. They define the powers and responsibilities of each player in the financial customer relationship in terms of credit and collection policy. The charter establishes a code of good conduct" between the parties and aims to ensure good communication between the sales and finance teams. The Credit Charter is also known as the Credit Procedure.

Credit d'enlèvement
Les redevables des Douanes peuvent également bénéficier de un certain délai pour acquitter les droits et taxes exigibles, moyennant une soumission cautionnée et le paiement d'un certain pourcentagee du montant des droits et taxes liquidés.

Credit insurance
Insurance enabling a company to be compensated for the loss it suffers in the event of the insolvency of a previously identified customer. The policyholder retains a share of the risk, since he or she will never receive 100% compensation. The insurer is remunerated by a premium calculated on the basis of the turnover achieved with the insured customer. The premium is priced according to business sector, country, exchange rate risk and claims history.

Credit limit
Corresponds to the maximum credit risk that the supplier agrees to take on a given customer. There are various techniques for setting the credit limit: credit insurance or factor guarantee, limit set by financial analysis, combination of the two, etc.

Credit Line
See Credit Limit

Credit management
A set of financial, legal and communication techniques which, thanks to an appropriate organisation, help to speed up customer payments within the contractually defined timeframes and to preserve and consolidate the company's margins while contributing to the development of sales.

Credit manager
The main role of the credit manager is to manage customer risk. This involves an analysis phase (assessing the customer's solvency, etc.), a negotiation phase (determining the means and terms of payment, etc.) and then the implementation of monitoring tools (reminders, debt collection, etc.).

Credit procedure"
See credit charter

Currency
Means of payment denominated in a foreign currency. The currency of a country considered in relation to the currencies of other countries. ISO standardisation of currency symbols since 1989: 3 letters including 2 for the country, the last being the initial of the currency.

Currency risk
Financial risk linked to currency fluctuations and borne by a company engaged in an international transaction. In the same way, an employee sent to a country outside the euro zone bears an exchange rate risk on salaries paid abroad. Companies usually take this into account.

Customer DSO
This represents the total amounts owed by the customer: 1) unpaid invoices due (late payments, payment incidents, doubtful debts, unresolved disputes), 2) unpaid bills to be settled, 3) payment arrears

Customer file
Collective memory of the company's customer portfolio, the file contains information relating to the identification of the customer, as well as the history of commercial relations, changes in the customer's financial health and negotiated conditions (outstanding amounts, payment terms).

Customs agent"
It has always been accepted that the person legally entitled to lodge the accounting declaration (in particular the owner) may use the services of a specialist qualified, depending on the period, as a commission agent, forwarding agent or customs agent and acting in respect of customs in his own name, unless he is accountable to his principal. source : Guide des Douanes 2002

Customs declaration"
When trading between countries, it is necessary to clear imported or exported goods through customs by lodging a customs declaration

Customs offences
For an offence to fall into the category of offences, two conditions must be met: 1) firstly, the offence must be legally classified as smuggling or undeclared import/export (in the strict sense, or by reputation or assimilation), 2) secondly, the offence must involve prohibited or heavily taxed goods.

Customs offences"
Offences that do not meet the conditions (offence: smuggling or undeclared import/export of prohibited or heavily taxed goods) for constituting an offence fall into the category of offences. source: Guide des Douanes 2002

D

Dailly (loi) = Dailly Law (named after its author)
Method of assigning trade receivables to a bank to obtain short-term financing. The Dailly Law allows a company to assign its receivables as soon as the invoice is issued, and sometimes even on receipt of the customer's purchase order.

Deferred control
After it has been lodged at the customs office, the customs declaration (SAD, simplified declaration, global supplementary declaration) is subject to a certain number of controls at the office, the nature and methods of which are left to the discretion of the customs service. After customs clearance, the declarations may be checked again on the basis of documents during a revision.

Delivery note
Document accompanying the delivery of goods. It is issued by the supplier. Signed by the customer, it certifies delivery. It is essential to make reservations on this delivery note if the defect is apparent (the reservations must be confirmed to the carrier by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt in order to be enforceable).

Discount means a financial rebate granted to a customer for payment of invoices before the due date. The discount rate is an incentive if it is higher than the rate at which the customer borrows in the short term from its banks. Since 1 July 1993
it has been compulsory for invoices to state the payment date and the discount terms applicable if payment is made before the end of the negotiated period. "

Dispute
A dispute by the buyer concerning the performance of the contract. The dispute may relate to the conditions of sale, the price, the quantity or the quality of the goods sold or the services provided. It may also be of a technical nature or relate to transport.

distribution channel
network of commercial intermediaries through which a good sold circulates from the producer to the consumer.

Distributor
He sells the goods in the countries he represents through his network. He sells the product he has bought from you, so the foreign debt is owed to him.

Documentary credit
A documentary credit is an undertaking by a bank (the issuing bank) acting on the instructions of the buyer (the principal) or on its own behalf to pay a beneficiary (the seller) against the presentation of documents proving that the goods have been dispatched. This method of payment is highly secure as it is irrevocable and confirmed.

Documentary remittance
With this technique, the seller gives his bank documents justifying the transaction (invoices, delivery notes, transport documents, etc.). The bank, acting as agent, must then ensure that the buyer pays for the transaction. Please note that in most cases, documentary remittance authorises the buyer to take possession of the goods, but payment is subject to the buyer's consent.

Domiciliation
A distinction is made between commercial domiciliation (designating a company's postal address without the company being physically present there) and bank domiciliation (indicating the place where a commercial paper is to be paid by the debtor's bank).

Doubtful debts
These are receivables that are subject to provisions for asset impairment, the percentage of which is proportional to the risk of non-recovery. There are generally 3 types of provision: a provision linked to the age of the overdue invoices, a provision linked to the activation of the litigation procedure in respect of the debt and a provision for risk for any other case.

DSO
This is the measure of trade receivables or average time taken to pay customers, expressed in days' sales. There are two methods of calculation: 1) the accounting method expresses the ratio between outstanding trade receivables and sales for the period in question, expressed in days' sales. 2) the depletion method, which is the most commonly used, consists of subtracting from outstanding accounts receivable as many full previous months of actual sales and dividing the outstanding balance by the turnover for the oldest month in question. The main advantage of this method is that it neutralises seasonal variations in sales. DSO is one of the tools frequently used to assess the performance of a credit department.

Due date - Date d'échéance
Contractual date on which the buyer must make payment in accordance with the specific terms of the contract or the general terms of sale. Invoices are said to be due on the due date.

E

E-learning
A method of providing online education or training.

Electronic payment
An electronic payment occurs when information (bank card numbers) is circulated via the Internet to enable payment for a good or service to be made by that means.

Environment
Related keyword: ISO 14001.

Export administrative secretary
This person will be responsible for monitoring orders and their administrative management. He or she will edit documents, follow administrative procedures and act as an information relay between the sales department and the subcontracting departments, which he or she will sometimes have to negotiate.

Export diagnosis
A method that analyses a company's various criteria to determine its ability to develop an international business. The different areas that will be diagnosed: commercial, technical, human resources and financial.

Export Product Manager
He/she performs the same duties as a traditional product manager, except that he/she reports directly to the Export Director. He or she will be responsible for market research and strategy development, and will also be in charge of preparing promotional budgets.

Export salesperson
Unlike the assistant, the export salesperson is in the field and performs the functions of a traditional salesperson: selling, prospecting, monitoring customers and their payments, as well as the competition.

Exportation
Exportation consists of dispatching from the customs territory of the European Union goods of Community origin or goods originating in non-EU countries which have been released for free circulation or consumption on Community territory. No goods may leave the customs territory without a customs declaration. All exports must be covered by a customs export declaration.

Extension of due date
Additional time (which should be confirmed in writing) granted by the company to its buyer to settle its debt

F

Factoring"
See Factoring

Financing prospecting
Keyword linked to bank sponsorship.

Firm sale
Final sale giving right to payment as opposed to trial sale" or "consignment sale"

Foire commerciale
Espace d'exposition de produits manufacturés ou non

Forecast work-in-progress
Forecast of future work-in-progress by customer based on future due dates and delivery and order-taking assumptions. The forecast is an effective tool for anticipating and resolving bottlenecks caused by overruns of the authorised pipeline.

Foreign exchange guarantee
It insures against the foreign exchange risk during an export transaction, by enabling the company to quote in a foreign currency by guaranteeing a constant conversion rate over the duration of the transaction.

Foreign exchange options
Allows you to buy currencies at a predetermined rate, but unlike currency hedging, it is possible for the buyer to trade at the current rate if this is more attractive to him. Of course, this flexibility comes at a price, but currency options are recommended where there is a potential risk. The zero-premium option offers the same service, but at a lower cost and with less hedging.

Forfaiting
This refers to the purchase and discounting without recourse of receivables held abroad. Forfaiting enables the exporter to offer its customer financing advantages (interest rates, payment terms, etc.) and to ensure that the transaction is settled.

Franchising
This is a method of distributing products on a given market (temporary and exclusive contract). In addition to granting certain industrial property rights (patents, etc.), the franchisor passes on its know-how to the franchised company and provides training in product and sales techniques.

Freight forwarder
Intermediary handling logistics-related operations (transport, storage, etc.) on behalf of an exporting (or importing) company, either as a simple executor of its customer's orders (agent) or as a coordinator of these operations (commission agent).

G

General terms and conditions of purchase
These are the contractual clauses of the transaction when the purchaser succeeds in having them prevail, whether through the channel of a framework contract or through a mechanism included in its commitment leading to the exclusion of the supplier's general terms and conditions of sale.

Global operating credit
Depending on its activity, the company has a global sum which it can draw on according to its needs. This credit offers ease of management for the customer and security for the banks.

Groupage
The exporter entrusts his goods to a consolidator who then hands them over to the carrier, after having assembled them with the goods of other shippers to be sent to the same destination.

Guaranteed percentage
Percentage up to which the credit insurer covers a risk. It is applied to the indemnifiable loss to calculate the indemnity.

Guarantor
Undertaking given by a legal or natural person (debtor's parent company, bank, director in a personal capacity, third party, etc.) in favour of a creditor to stand in for the debtor in the event that the latter fails to pay his or her debt. It is a personal guarantee.

I

IBAN
See bank details (RIB)

Import licence
As with exports, certain products do not require any particular document when they are imported. However, when products are imported which, because of their quantity, origin or import conditions, could endanger Community producers, a safeguard measure is put in place. These products then fall under the cost of this measure and their import will have to be validated by the import licence which will accompany the surveillance document".

Importation
Importation is the process of bringing goods originating in third countries into the European Union. These goods cannot be disposed of until they have been cleared through customs.

Incoterms 2010
The allocation of costs and risks relating to the transport of goods is a potential source of conflict. To avoid any ambiguity about the terms of the agreement, the sales contract must refer to a codified language: Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) or CIV (Conditions Internationales de Vente). Incoterms were defined by the International Chamber of Commerce. They were last revised in 2010. They provide a uniform definition of the points at which costs and risks are transferred. There are 11 Incoterms (instead of 13 in the previous version), divided into 2 categories depending on the mode of transport used. 7 Incoterms for transport by air, rail, road, a combination of these modes of transport, container or semi-trailer, including maritime transport, known as multimodal or multipurpose transport. EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP are outward sales made in the seller''s country, DAT, DAT, DDU are inward sales made in the buyer''s country: EXW: ex works, (ENU: en l''usine): the buyer chooses the mode of transport and the carrier; the seller has fulfilled his obligation to deliver when the goods are made available at his premises, factory, warehouse, etc. Variant : EXW loaded: the seller loads the goods under his own responsibility onto the buyer''s vehicle; FCA is preferred. FCA: free carrier: the seller has fulfilled his delivery obligation when he has handed over the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier designated by the buyer, at the agreed place and point. * Note: If no precise point is mentioned by the buyer, the seller may choose from the place or zone stipulated the place where the carrier will take charge of the goods. Where commercial practice requires the seller''s assistance in concluding the contract with the carrier (as in the case of carriage by rail or air), the seller will act at the buyer''s risk and expense. CPT: carriage paid to (POP: port payé): the seller pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the agreed destination. * Note: The risk of loss or damage to the goods, as well as the risk of additional costs arising from events occurring after the goods have been delivered to the carrier, are transferred from the seller to the buyer when the goods are handed over to the carrier. CIP: carriage insurance paid to: the seller pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the agreed destination and provides cargo insurance (i.e. on the goods carried) against the buyer''s risk of loss or damage to the goods during carriage. DAT: delivered at terminal: the seller has duly delivered when the goods, once unloaded from the approaching means of transport, are made available to the buyer at the designated terminal in the port or at the agreed place of destination. The term Terminal" includes any place

Information on external markets
This information is collected at the pre-market study stage.

Intellectual property"
A form of creation that may be protected by one or more types of property rights: copyright, patent, industrial design, trademark, appellation of origin, etc.

Inter-company credit
Inter-company credit corresponds to the total amount of credit granted to customers and that obtained from suppliers. Its balance is a valuable indicator of a company's cash position. Inter-company credit represents more than twice the total amount of short-term bank loans granted to companies. The term inter-company credit" is often used to highlight the disparities between different business sectors (lending and borrowing sectors).

Interest on arrears"
See NRE

Interim (international trade)
A method of employing a person for a fixed period of time. Some agencies specialise in particular fields, such as international trade.

International certification
This is a mark of quality, guaranteeing that products or services comply with international standards

International files
All the information (address, managers, etc.) relating to international prospects, presented on a medium in a certain order of classification.

International means of payment
International means of payment include instruments and techniques

Internet
Worldwide computer network presented as a web" of terminals. It enables information to be disseminated via a single interface to all users regardless of their geographical location.

Inventory financing
Inventory financing enables exporters to build up stocks of goods, as maintaining them may be too onerous for the exporting company. Only goods stored (and not sold) abroad are eligible for finance (usually for a renewable period of 1 year) and certain conditions must be met (proof of customs clearance, saleable stock, amount of stock in relation to sales volume). Banks also offer other formulas. Banks also offer other formulas.

Invoice
Invoices are required for all commercial transactions and must include a number of compulsory items of information. Invoices must state the payment date (due date) and the discount terms applicable if payment is made before the end of the negotiated period

Invoicing
The action of issuing the invoice, sending it and recording it in the accounts.

Irrecoverable debts
Debts for which there is a certainty of non-payment. Debts are irrecoverable as soon as a certificate of irrecoverability has been drawn up or the collective proceedings have been closed due to insufficient assets, which allows VAT to be recovered.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 140 countries, one from each country. ISO is a non-governmental organization founded in 1947. Its mission is to promote the development of standardization and related activities throughout the world, in order to facilitate the exchange of goods and services between nations and to develop cooperation in the intellectual, scientific, technical and economic fields. ISO's work results in international agreements which are published in the form of International Standards.

ISO 14001 (environmental standard)
This is an international standard which, by prescribing the requirements for an environmental management system, enables an organisation to formulate a policy and objectives taking into account legislative requirements and information relating to significant environmental impacts. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organisation can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organisation can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence.

ISO 9001, 9002, 9003
The standards in the ISO 9000 family are the result of an international consensus on good management practice. Their aim is to ensure that an organisation can consistently provide products or services that meet customer quality requirements. These good practices have been distilled into a set of standardised requirements for a quality management system, irrespective of what your organisation does, how large it is or whether it is in the private or public sector. There are three ISO 9000 standards: ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003, the three quality assurance models against which organisations can be certified. You may have wondered how these standards differ. The difference is simply in the scope: 1) ISO 9001 sets out the requirements for an organisation whose activities range from design and development to production, installation and associated services, 2) ISO 9002 is the appropriate standard for an organisation not involved in design and development; it does not contain the requirements relating to design control of ISO 9001, the other requirements being identical, 3) ISO 9003 is the nome which corresponds to the needs of an organization whose business processes do not relate to design control, process control, purchasing or associated services, and which basically uses inspection and testing to ensure that the final products and services meet the specified requirements. It is therefore up to the organisation to choose ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003 to have its quality system certified, depending on the business processes covered by its quality system. There is no hierarchical difference between the three standards.

ISO standards
ISO standards are International Standards which specify requirements for a management system which enables an organisation to formulate a policy and objectives taking into account legislative requirements and information external to its activity.

J

Joint venture
A structure created by the bringing together of two persons (or two entities) from the same or different countries for the purpose of a strategic alliance abroad. In general, the objectives of the joint venture are limited to a single purpose over a short period of time.

L

L.T.A. (Lettre de Transport Aérien)
The air waybill is the contract of carriage between the airline or an authorised agent and the consignor.

Late payment penalties"
See NRE.

Lettering
Accounting operation that consists of reconciling a payment with one or more invoices. The quality of lettering is a determining factor in the efficiency of collection and customer satisfaction.

Litigation
Customs litigation refers to disputes to which the customs is a party and which concern the interpretation and application of the customs law laid down in the Customs Code

Lock box
A technique which consists of transferring funds through a local bank with which you have signed an agreement without having opened an account.

M

M.A.D.T. (Magasin ou Aire de Dépôt Temporaire)
These are warehouses or places under customs control intended to receive goods that cannot be declared under a customs procedure within one working day of their arrival. At the end of this stay, which is limited in time, the goods must be placed under a customs procedure. At the end of this period, which is limited in time, the goods must be placed under a customs procedure.

M.A.E. (Magasin ou Aire d'Exportation)
These are warehouses or locations under customs control intended to receive goods that cannot be dispatched immediately after export formalities have been completed. At the end of their stay, which is limited in time, the goods must either be dispatched or be placed under another customs procedure.

Maillage
This is a tool that enables large international groups to group together debts and receivables through a financial organisation that they have set up for this purpose. In this way, the foreign exchange risk is limited to the balance of these debts and the foreign currency loans that can be made.

Management
All the knowledge concerning the organisation and management of a company.

Management contract
Under a management contract, an exporting company manages a company set up (or already existing) abroad (commercial management, accounting, HR management, etc.) belonging to a commercial partner who remains the owner of the company. The aim is to put the know-how of the managing company at the service of the foreign company in order to improve its productivity.

Market intelligence
Observation of market trends. Competitive intelligence. Study of how the competition operates (corporate culture, strategic orientations, market positioning, etc.).

Market research
Market research is used to assess a product's ability to develop commercially in a defined area or with a defined target. It is carried out in the form of a survey or analysis to gather the information needed to verify the suitability of the product for the market.

Mediation
Mediation is established through the presence of a mediator who will succeed in re-establishing communication between two opposing parties in a dispute.

Mobilisation de créances nées à l'étranger (M.C.N.E.)
This is a technique that will make it possible to finance receivables from buyers residing outside the customs territory. The bank will grant an 18-month payment period.

Moratorium
Agreement formalised in writing between a debtor and his creditor, the purpose of which is to consolidate the debt that has fallen due and to set deadlines for its repayment. A moratorium provides for the payment of interest and includes an acceleration clause. It may be accompanied by guarantees.

N

Negotiation
Internationally, this stage will be particularly influenced by the cultural attitudes of each of the two parties, as well as by linguistic differences. You should therefore not hesitate to be accompanied by an interpreter, and also to take intercultural training before the interview if you want to manage these aspects, which can be decisive at this stage. This is often the point at which trust between the two partners is established or not.

New York Convention
Dated 10 June 1958, the New York Convention applies to the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards made in the territory of a State other than that in which recognition and enforcement of the awards are sought, and arising out of disputes between natural or legal persons

O

Offsetting
Used in international transactions, offsetting obliges the exporter to purchase goods or services from its foreign customer in exchange for all or part of its sale.

One-to-one marketing
This means personalising marketing actions according to the profile of each customer or prospect. After the dictatorship of the 4Ps (Product, Price, Advertising, Promotion), we are adding a new dynamic, that of IDIP (Identification, Differentiation, Interaction, Personalisation).

Order confirmation
A technique that is tending to disappear in favour of lump-sum payments, but which is used for large transactions and enables the exporter to collect the amount immediately. The organisations that offer it also provide useful services to companies such as commercial information, accounts receivable management, etc.

Origin of goods
Origin is a necessary piece of information for the differentiated treatment of goods. Origin makes it possible to determine:
1) the rates of customs duty applicable to imports (depending on whether common law" origin or "preferential" origin is established for countries benefiting from it)
2) external trade statistics based on geographical criteria

Outsourcing"
This involves entrusting the management of a sector of the company (production, accounting, etc.) to a third party

Outstanding amount threshold
Reduced credit limit granted to a customer without risk analysis (provided that no unfavourable information exists about the customer). When a company has a large number of small customers, the cost of obtaining information and analysing the risk would exceed the amount of losses on small amounts outstanding.

Outstanding amounts
This is the total commitment made to a customer. Outstanding amounts are equal to the total of: 1) invoices due but not yet paid, 2) unresolved disputes, 3) unmatured bills of exchange in the portfolio, 4) cash advances received for mobilising receivables (discounting, factoring, etc.), 5) invoices not yet due, 6) deliveries in progress but not yet invoiced, 7) orders in progress but not yet delivered. The amount outstanding may exceed the credit line granted to the customer. In this case, the authorised amount is exceeded. Outstanding amounts can be broken down into: a) overdue amounts (all invoices not paid by the due date), b) undue amounts (overdue invoices, overdue bills of exchange not collected, deliveries not invoiced, orders not delivered). A distinction can also be made between trade receivables and financial receivables.

Overdraft
Overdraft granted by a bank to a customer depending on the funds available in the customer's account.

P

Patent
A patent protects an invention in a given market and ensures that the invention is exploited by the patent holder (manufacturing, marketing, use, etc.). Patent rights can be sold or licensed to third parties.

Payer Behaviour
View Payer Profile

Payer profile
Derived from a calculation combining the punctuality of payments, the time taken to return bills of exchange, the frequency and scale of disputes and the rate of arrears, the concept of payer profile is calculated automatically by certain software packages and is a measure of the risk of non-payment.

Penalties
Committing a customs offence results in the imposition of a penalty. The penalty is the punishment for the offence. The Customs Code provides for two types of penalty: fiscal penalties and criminal penalties. This duality is explained by the essentially economic nature of customs crime, which means that, in addition to penalties affecting the offender's person, there are also penalties of a financial nature designed to compensate for the economic loss suffered. There are also administrative penalties provided for in the national customs code and the Community customs code.

Political risk
This is the risk represented by political decisions and actions at governmental level that could jeopardise the company's international commercial activity and, by extension, all incidents linked to the political situation in a country or area (riots, etc.) that threaten this activity and the safety of staff

Portage
Procedure whereby an SME is supported in its export efforts by a large group or company. This involves making the group's structures (sales, logistics, etc.) available to the exporting company. The carrier" company also passes on its market experience

POS advertising"
Point of sale advertising

Pre-litigation
Steps taken by the company or its representative to recover a debt that has remained unpaid beyond its due date. If unsuccessful, these steps lead to litigation (legal proceedings)

Pro forma invoice"
Invoice which is similar in all respects to the final invoice and which allows advance payments, licences, etc.

Product certification
Product certification consists of regular checks to ensure that the manufacturing processes and specific features of a product comply with a set of specifications that are recognised by law and by consumers. When a product or manufacturing process is validated by a certification company, it is recognised and identifiable thanks to the label awarded to it.

Products subject to authorisation restrictions or special formalities
Various products are subject to restrictions or to the completion of special formalities when imported and/or exported

Promissory note
A document in which the purchaser (subscriber) promises his creditor (beneficiary) payment of the sum due, at sight or on a certain date, on presentation of the promissory note to a chosen bank. Several promissory notes at different dates may be issued for the entire debt. A promissory note is issued on the initiative of the buyer, unlike a bill of exchange, which is issued on the initiative of the seller.

Provenance
The concept of provenance, which must be carefully distinguished from that of origin, is used for the application of customs measures. The concept of origin" is also used for the implementation of other non-customs regulations (e.g. health) and for foreign trade statistics."

Provision for doubtful debts
See Allocation.

Q

Quotas
1. Quantitative quotas (to be clearly distinguished from tariff quotas) consist of fixing the maximum quantity of a certain commodity whose import (or export) is authorised for a certain period. The arrangements vary widely. The quota may be global and impose no particular formalities on operators, who will simply be refused the goods when the quota is reached. Imports may be subject to a licence or a quota certificate.2. Tariff quotas. A tariff quota can be defined as a partial or total reduction in a tariff for a given good, for a given origin and for a limited quantity of goods. When the quota is reached, the duty is re-established.

R

Receivable
A sum owed by the buyer to the seller as part of a contractual transaction. Receivables may be due (the due date has passed) or payable (the due date is in the future).

Référé provision
Urgent legal action for the rapid recovery (less than one month) of civil or commercial debts for which there are no serious disputes. The Référé Provision" procedure is known as "contradictory": the judge rules after hearing both parties.

Relevé d'identité bancaire (RIB)
Relevé d'identité bancaire (RIB)  means "a document intended to be givenon request

Relocation
A company may choose to locate its production outside its country of origin to minimise costs.

Reminder
Action which consists of reminding the customer by telephone, in writing or by e-mail of his contractual obligations. A reminder is preventive if it is sent before the due date. It is amicable after the due date to preserve the commercial relationship. It becomes pre-litigious after the amicable phase and becomes litigious when the debt collection enters the legal phase.

Restatements
Pro forma restatements made to the balance sheet and income statement, with the aim of providing a better understanding of the company's economic and financial reality. On the balance sheet, the main restatements concern outstanding finance leases, unmatured discounted bills, blocked current accounts, etc. On the income statement, we reclassify lease payments, temporary staff and sub-contracting costs...

Revolving export pre-financing loan
Loan similar to a cash credit which will be granted to an exporting company whose activity is regular. The amount of this loan will be calculated on the basis of the turnover achieved by the said company and its production capacity

Risk points method
A method which determines a risk rating by combining quantitative elements (financial ratios or scorings) and qualitative elements (quality of management, market perception, etc.). This method can help to involve the sales force in the assessment of customer risk, as it allows risk factors estimated by them to be included.

S

Sale at a loss
Infringement of competition law. Consists in a distributor selling at a price lower than the actual purchase price or cost price.

Scoring
Statistical method for detecting risk Scoring consists of rating a company on the basis of a function combining several weighted ratios.

Security means a guarantee given by the buyer to ensure payment. Securities can be: 1) personal (lease
bond

Share capital
When a company is formed, the share capital is constituted in cash or in kind by the owner(s) or partners. The amount of this capital may be changed at any time.

Shipping
Keyword: delivery

Short-term financing
There are a number of financing methods available to companies developing their international activities. Nevertheless, in the export and import fields, financing techniques exist at the various stages of the operation between dispatch and storage. The first technique is the customer deposit, which can be used to finance production. If a payment guarantee is required, special documentary credits can be used. A second method is to use bank pre-financing: cash credit, revolving export pre-financing credit or a global export credit.

Simple collection
The simplest and least expensive technique for dealing between buyer and seller, but which requires a high level of trust between the partners.

Social audit
This is a system for ensuring that a company's practices comply with employment law and any changes to it

SQF 2000
Valorisation of the HACCP and ISO method developed by the Australian Department of Agriculture, piloted by the SQF Institute in Lausanne. H.A.C.C.P. related keyword,"

Subrogation
Legal mechanism by which the beneficiary holds all rights to take action against the debtor. Subrogation may be conventional, if it is provided for in a contract, or legal, if it results from a specific law

Supplier audit
This involves drawing up a set of specifications in agreement with the inspection company and the customer. A visit is then made to check that the criteria have been met.

SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication)
A communication system for making international transfers by exchanging electronic data between the 9 500 member banks. The advantages of this system are that transfers are faster

T

Tariff item
The tariff item is a designation assigned to each good according to its specific characteristics in the form of a nomenclature (12 digits and one letter) of the Common Customs Tariff. It must be entered on all SAD declarations for both imports and exports.

Tax-compliant electronic invoicing
A method of exchanging invoices that avoids the need to exchange paper documents altogether

Technical standard
It lists the technical specifications of a product or service. These specifications are optional and failure to comply with them does not prevent the product from being placed on the market (but may constitute a commercial handicap for the company).

Technology watch"
Setting up a system for gathering information on technical advances in a market (inventions, manufacturing processes, etc.)

Temporary admission
In the classification of economic procedures, temporary admission corresponds to the use function. This procedure allows non-Community goods to be imported with total or partial exemption from duties and taxes with a view to using them temporarily in the customs territory, then re-exporting them in the same state at the end of their stay.

Termaillage
This is a technique that plays on payment deadlines and the repatriation of currency. Decisions to accelerate or delay are determined by currency trends.

Test
The physical testing of products consists of ensuring that the product withstands normal use by physically testing its resistance.

This concept has in fact disappeared and been replaced by that of the common commercial policy"
which covers all measures instituted within the Community framework and in liaison with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to prevent major economic distortions at international level (safeguard measures anti-dumping and anti-subsidy procedures) or to protect commercial rights (fight against counterfeiting). At the same time

Traceability
A service offered by the logistics industry to shippers, enabling them to track goods from their place of storage to their final destination.

Trademark
Associated with a product or service, a trademark makes it possible to differentiate this product from competing products. It may be a name, a logo, an acronym, etc., but registering a trademark with the INPI enables it to be protected internationally.

Transfer
The act of instructing your bank to transfer a sum from your bank account to your creditor's account. Before using a credit transfer, the exporter must ensure that the customer is solvent. Moreover, payment is not guaranteed, since it is left to the buyer's initiative. To speed up and secure payment, SWIFT transfers can be used.

Transit
In order to facilitate logistics operations for companies, the customs authorities offer appropriate procedures for the movement of goods: these are the transit procedures under customs control. Transit under customs control helps to save time on the transport operation by limiting waiting times at the various customs offices. It avoids load breaks and authorises customs clearance at a customs office close to the company. It is a system of administrative control over the transport of goods between two or more countries, or between two localities in the same country when the goods being transported are in bond. In return for this control, the goods are subject to a suspension of duties, taxes and other customs economic measures.

Transport insurance
Packing and preparing the goods are ways of reducing the risk of damage, but they cannot eliminate it completely. The company must therefore be concerned about covering the residual risk, which is the domain of transport insurance. Many operators question the usefulness of transport insurance, and a large number of shipments are made without insurance cover. This unfortunate situation is most often the result of a poor assessment of the guarantees offered by transport or forwarding agent liability.

V

Vienna Convention
Introduction and Presentation of the Vienna Convention The Vienna Convention is an instrument ratified by 59 States, the purpose of which is to provide the international sale of goods with uniform rules to replace the various national sales laws. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201155/volume-1155-I-18232-French.pdf