Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Sales |
SalesNoun1. Income (at invoice values) received for goods and services over some given period of time. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "sales" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1588. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Business | The value of the output of a business for a specified period; as turnover:the amount of business transacted during a given period of time. Source: European Union. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | The amount of kilowatt-hours sold in a given period of time; usually grouped by classes of service, such as residential, commercial, industrial, and other. Other sales include public street and highway lighting, other sales to public authorities and railways, and interdepartmental sales. Source: European Union. (references) |
Finance | The income received when goods or services are sold. (references) |
Statistics | Determines the market growth and monitors trends in industries supplying input or using the firm's output for further manufacturing processes. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The index measures sales at current prices in the mining and manufacturing industries. Source: European Union. (references) | |
| Data refer to the value of deliveries(sales), at constant prices, of own products invoiced during the month, excluding transfers to other establishments of the same enterprise. Deliveries are reported at the selling price, net of discounts, on the date of invoicing. Source: European Union. (references) | |
| Data are volume indices of turnover. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Sales, or the activity of selling, forms an integral part of commercial activity. As a practical implementation of marketing, it often forms a separate grouping in a corporate structure, employing separate specialist operatives known as salesmen (singular: salesman or salesperson). Selling is one of the methods of promotion used by marketers. Other promotional techniques include advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and public relations.Moral strictures applied to marketeers often apply even more vigorously to those in sales. People selling second-hand cars, real estate or encyclopedias (of the non-Wikipedia variety) often come in for particular disdain. Sellers of snake oil have become stock figures for mirth at their quackery: they merge with the category of the confidence trickster or the carny. Small wonder that many organisations contract out sales to end-users.
Forms of selling include:
Compare : trade, merchant
- door-to-door
- multi-level
- direct
- mail-order
- telephone
- retail
- consignment
See also : marketing, promotion, Contract of sale, list of marketing topics, sales techniques
List of Marketing Topics List of Management Topics List of Economics Topics List of Accounting Topics List of Finance Topics List of Economists Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Sales."
Synonyms: SalesSynonyms: gross revenue (n), gross sales (n). (additional references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Who knew that, in between bake sales, my mother was Anaïs Nin (The Bridges of Madison County; writing credit: Richard LaGravenese) This is a sales pitch (A Few Good Men; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin) And Jimmy's got a proven sales method - he jumps (Seinfeld; writing credit: Andreas Lenze; Bea Schmidt) Sales will plummet (Space Ghost Coast to Coast; writing credit: Ben Karlin) It couldn't possibly have anything to do with your sales pitch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; writing credit: Doreen Spicer) | |
Lyrics | And when your album sales wasn't doin too good (Forgot About Dre; performing artist: Dr. dre) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Soupy Sales Show (1959) Les Mains sales (1951) Sales Slips (1939) Les Sales de bain (1992) Sales histoires (1990) | |
Song Titles | The Mouse (performing artist: Soupy Sales) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
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Books |
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Periodicals | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Rev. Morrison and Ann Christie (right), NRCS, District Conservationist discuss Morrisons potato crop. A large part of the NRCS mission area is marketing and sales and a visit and a handshake can do a lot to gain a landowners trust. Credit: USDA. |  | Not only is poinsettia the most popular Christmas plant, it is the number-one flowering potted plant in the united states, even though its traditional sales period is just 6 weeks. Credit: USDA ARS News. |
 | A small dairy farm in western Maryland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines "small farms" as those averaging $50,000 in gross sales annually—which net, on average, around $23,159. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |  | Edison storage battery sales organization conference, Hotel Suburban;February,1928;{10.112/19}. |
 | Base Hospital No. 9. Chateauroux, France : East Drive looking North, with Post Office and Commissary Sales Stores on the left. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | U. S. Army Base Hospital Number 6, Bordeaux, France. : View of entire quartermaster sales warehouse. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
 | The sales lady : her power over men. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Our sales tax in New York has been just as good as I said it would be bad ... Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | U.S. officer said to have received commission on munition sales. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | "Auction & Negro Sales," Whitehall Street. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |
| "Telephone Order" by Carl Dwyer Commentary: "One of our sales team on the telephone, with a co-worker in the background." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Author | Quotation |
St. Francis De Sales | A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship. |
| Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly. | |
| While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things. | |
| Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off. | |
| You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving. | |
W. Clement Stone | Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman -- not the attitude of the prospect. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Except in cases where, by application of paragraph (f), restitutions in specie have been made, the net proceeds of sales of enemy property, rights or interests wherever situated carried out either by virtue of war legislation, or by application of this Article, and in general all cash assets of enemies, shall be dealt with as follows: (1) As regards Powers adopting Section III and the Annex thereto, the said proceeds and cash assets shall be credited to the Power of which the owner is a national, through the Clearing Office established thereunder; any credit balance in favour of Germany resulting therefrom shall be dealt with as provided in Article 243. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | St. Francois de Sales is popular with the world, because he cheated at play |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | Discount store sales in Korea are booming. (references) | |
Table 7 below shows sales by end-user sector. (references) | ||
Diesel engine sales are growing above average. (references) | ||
Children | Malaysia | All equipment designed specifically for use by persons with disabilties would also be exempt from all import duties and sales taxes. (references) |
Civil Liberties | Malaysia | In August the Government announced that it would increase efforts to block the production, distribution, and sales of video compact discs (VCDs), especially those with pornographic and political content. (references) |
Tunisia | Some families avoid the application of Shari'a in inheritance questions by executing sales contracts between parents and children in order to ensure that daughters receive shares of property equal to that of the sons. (references) | |
Economic History | Pakistan | A sales tax has been instituted. (references) |
Norway | Indeed, sales are expected to rise. (references) | |
Nepal | Sales may continue to grow steadily. (references) | |
Human Rights | Burma | Since September there has been an increase in the number of satellite receiver sales. (references) |
Pakistan | In both incidents, the protesters were challenging government plans to collect sales taxes. (references) | |
South Africa | PAC members allegedly involved in the illegal selling of the plots denied receiving any money for the sales. (references) | |
Political Economy | GERMANY | Repayment is contingent on future sales of the airplane. (references) |
MOROCCO | Counterfeiting is primarily for local sales rather than for export. (references) | |
Kuwait | Receipts from oil sales finance 90 percent of the government budget. (references) | |
Trade | Nepal | Sales tax is levied on CIF plus customs duty. (references) |
Honduras | A 15% sales tax is applied to alcohol and tobacco. (references) | |
Chile | Chilean law hurts sales of certain other industries. (references) | |
Travel | Honduras | The telegraphic service charge is subject to a 12% sales tax. (references) |
Taiwan | Many operators have offered preferential rates or package sales. (references) | |
Kenya | There is solid sales potential for U.S. goods and services in Kenya. (references) | |
Women | Hong Kong | Women are disproportionately represented in the lower echelons of the work force, holding positions such as retail sales assistants and office clerks. (references) |
Saudi Arabia | Most employment opportunities for women are in education and health care, with fewer opportunities in business, philanthropy, banking, retail sales, and the media. (references) | |
Haiti | Very poor urban women, who head their families and serve as their economic support, also often find their employment opportunities limited to traditional roles in domestic labor and sales. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Egypt | Strikes mainly were over issues of anticipated sales of companies, compulsory leave, wage cuts, and delayed payment of salaries. (references) |
Liechtenstein | A total of 443 households received public assistance in 2000. The law sets the maximum workweek at 45 hours for white-collar workers and employees of industrial firms and sales personnel, and 48 hours for all other workers. (references) | |
Mauritania | There have been no reports of sales or the "transfer" of children or other individuals from one employer or master to another since 1996, when there were occasional confirmed cases of transfers; reports of sales are rare, cannot be confirmed, and appear to be confined to past years. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | SAINT, n. A dead sinner revised and edited. The Duchess of Orleans relates that the irreverent old calumniator, Marshal Villeroi, who in his youth had known St. Francis de Sales, said, on hearing him called saint: "I am delighted to hear that Monsieur de Sales is a saint. He was fond of saying indelicate things, and used to cheat at cards. In other respects he was a perfect gentleman, though a fool." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Jim Jeffords | It's gone very well. I was very well received and nothing but praise and the book sales are going rapidly. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
John Quincy Adams | 1825-1829 | The debt which had been contracted under the credit sales had become unwieldy, and its extinction was alike advantageous to the purchaser and to the public. |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | Much good, in my judgment, would be produced by prohibiting sales of the public lands except to actual settlers at a reasonable reduction of price, and to limit the quantity which shall be sold to them. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | If we move decisively, our factories and farms can increase their sales to their richest, fastest-growing market. |
Gerald Ford | 1974-1977 | Prices are too high, and sales are too slow. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | Following a careful review of the situation, I recently extended the suspension of grain sales to the Soviet Union. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Home sales are at a record high. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Sales" is generally used as a noun (plural) -- approximately 99.15% of the time. "Sales" is used about 10,403 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (plural) | 99.15% | 10,315 | 907 |
| Noun (common) | 0.74% | 77 | 37,929 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.07% | 7 | 133,076 |
| Lexical Verb (-s form) | 0.04% | 4 | 175,879 |
| Total | 100.00% | 10,403 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "sales" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Sales | Last name | 4,000 | 3,477 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| Country | Name | Country | Name |
| Japan | Canon Copyer Sales Co., Ltd. | South Korea | Daewoo Motor Sales |
| United Kingdom | Euro Sales Finance Plc | USA | Aviation Sales Co |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "sales": annual sales ♦ Cash sales ♦ commission on sales ♦ deflated turnover index of retail sales ♦ divisional sales manager ♦ foreign sales ♦ go to the sales ♦ gross sales ♦ incidental sales ♦ increase sales ♦ Intel Literature Sales ♦ january sales ♦ lagging sales ♦ last day of the sales ♦ multi sales tax ♦ net sales ♦ off sales ♦ passenger sales agent ♦ planned sales ♦ projected sales ♦ proportion of sales due to new or significantly improved products attributed to a region in a given year ♦ regular sales ♦ sales account ♦ sales agent ♦ sales agreement ♦ sales analysis ♦ sales appeal ♦ sales assistant ♦ sales Automation ♦ sales booth ♦ sales budget ♦ sales campaign ♦ sales catalogue ♦ sales chart ♦ sales check ♦ sales clerk ♦ sales conference ♦ sales confirmation ♦ sales contract ♦ sales cost ♦ sales counter ♦ sales data report message ♦ sales demonstrator ♦ sales department ♦ sales director ♦ sales discount ♦ sales division ♦ sales drive ♦ sales event ♦ sales figures ♦ sales finance company ♦ sales force ♦ sales Force Automation ♦ sales forces ♦ sales forecast ♦ sales forecast message ♦ sales goods ♦ sales incentive ♦ sales inquiry ♦ sales journal ♦ sales letter ♦ sales literature ♦ sales manager ♦ sales network ♦ sales offer ♦ sales outlet ♦ sales pitch ♦ sales promation ♦ sales promotion ♦ sales promotional device ♦ sales quota ♦ sales receipt ♦ sales representative ♦ sales resistance ♦ sales revenue ♦ sales route ♦ sales slip ♦ sales staff ♦ sales strategy ♦ sales talk ♦ sales tax ♦ sales team ♦ sales term ♦ unique sales point ♦ volume visibility creates volume sales. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "sales": sales-admin, sales-and, sales-area, sales-driven, sales-force, sales-forces, sales-hungry, sales-ladies, sales-off, sales-order, sales-order', sales-orientated, sales-orientation, sales-oriented, sales-packs, sales-person, sales-price, sales-promotion, sales-rooms, sales-talk, sales-task, sales-tax, sales-turnover, sales-type. | |
Ending with "sales": after-sales, direct-sales, off-sales, pre-sales, sub-sales, tele-sales. | |
Containing "sales": after-sales service. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
sales | 3,837 | home recent sales | 329 |
sales tax | 827 | sales management | 318 |
auto sales | 795 | time share sales | 304 |
used car sales | 788 | aircraft sales | 278 |
car sales | 775 | sales force automation | 261 |
sales job | 773 | new sales tax york | 259 |
pharmaceutical sales | 719 | motorcycle sales | 253 |
rv sales | 693 | mobile home sales | 252 |
computer sales | 685 | estate sales | 249 |
sales training | 632 | ohio sales tax | 245 |
home sales | 608 | state sales tax | 239 |
sales lead | 492 | nys sales tax | 239 |
garage sales | 479 | california sales tax | 235 |
real estate sales contract | 459 | sales letter | 231 |
budget car sales | 444 | sales marketing | 231 |
car hertz sales | 443 | boat sales | 227 |
real estate sales | 431 | insurance sales | 222 |
enterprise car sales | 376 | yard sales | 221 |
pacific sales | 376 | album sales | 220 |
new sales state tax york | 355 | curriculum cv pharmaceutical resume rsum sales vitae | 217 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "sales"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | afsetgebied (market, sales activity). (various references) | |
Albanian | taksë e blerjes (sales tax). (various references) | |
Arabic | مبيعات. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | увещаване на клиента (sales talk), кандърдисване (sales talk), нежелание да се купува (sales resistance), методи за рекламиране на стоки (sales promotion), проагитиране (sales talk), продавач (counterman, monger, sales clerk, salesclerk, salesman, seller, shop assistant, shop boy, shopman, vender, vendor), данък върху продажбите (sales tax). (various references) | |
Catalan | mercat (market, sales activity). (various references) | |
Chinese | 銷售 (market, sell, to sell), 销售 (Marketed, sale). (various references) | |
Czech | odbyt (consumption). (various references) | |
Danish | salg (sale), omsaetning (overturn, turnover), afsaetning (deposition, disposal, overturn, turnover). (various references) | |
Dutch | verkopen (dispose of, sell, transact money, vend), omzet (demand, sale, turnover), debiet (capacity, dielectric flow rate, discharge, flow, flow rate, fluid yield, overturn, rate of flow, run-off, throughput, turnover, water renewal, yield), afzet (demand, sale). (various references) | |
Esperanto | merkato (market, sales activity). (various references) | |
Faeroese | marknaður (fair, market, sales activity). (various references) | |
Finnish | sähkön myynti (retail), myynti (sale, selling, turnover), liikevaihto (turnover). (various references) | |
French | ventes, soldes (seasonal sale). (various references) | |
Frisian | merk (market, marketplace, sales activity). (various references) | |
German | Absatz (demand, half-landing, heel, indention, landing, overhang, paragraph, sale, section). (various references) | |
Greek | κύκλος εργασιών (overturn, turnover), πωλήσεις (overturn, turnover), εκπτώσεις, τζίρος (turnover). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מס קניה (sales tax). (various references) | |
Hungarian | vevők (goodwill). (various references) | |
Indonesian | rekening penjualan (account sales). (various references) | |
Italian | sbocco (dead end, end, issue, market, mouth, outlet, sales activity), volume d'affari (overturn, total revenue, turnover), vendite di energia, vendite (overturn, turnover). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 買取り (purchase), 買取 (purchase), 売行き , 売行 , 売れ足 (demand), 売れ高 , 売れ行き , 売上高 (amount sold, proceeds), セーラー服 (middy uniform, sailor suit, sale, sales approach, salesman). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | うりあげだか (amount sold, proceeds), うれあし (demand), うれゆき, うれだか, かいとり (a purchase, a sale, purchase), セールス . (various references) | |
Korean | 판매 (sale). (various references) | |
Manx | rheynn chreckagh (sales department), lioar dellal (sales book). (various references) | |
Papiamen | merkado (market, sales activity). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | alessay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | volume de negócios (volume of business), vendas. (various references) | |
Russian | продажа (sale). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | prodajni. (various references) | |
Spanish | ventas. (various references) | |
Swedish | omsättning (sale, turnover). (various references) | |
Thai | ยอดการขาย. (various references) | |
Turkish | satýş. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "sales": salesclerk, salesclerks, salesgirl, salesgirls, salesladies, saleslady, salesman, salesmanship, salesmanships, salesmen, salespeople, salesperson, salespersons, salesroom, salesrooms, saleswoman, saleswomen. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "sales": oversales, resales, subsales, supersales, wholesales. (additional references) | |
Words containing "sales": supersalesman, supersalesmen. (additional references) | |
| |
"Sales" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Aslsq, Astles, Ealees, esalen, Saalach, sabes, sadles, sael, saes, Sailes, salah, salahs, Salais, salax, Saleck, saleen, Salef, Salek, salel, Salems, saleps, saler, Salesio, salish, salle, Sallee, Salleh, Salles, sallet, sallets, sallus, salmes, salols, Salosa, salps, sals, salse, Salso, Saltees, salus, Salwey, sames, sarles, Saulez, Saulos, sauls, sayes, saylac, sayle, saylex, Seales, seels, selfes, Selnes, Sels, Shailes, Sialis, Sileas, Silec, Siles, Silesa, silex, slas, slez, sls, soleus, zals. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "sales" (pronounced sā"lz) |
| 4 | s ā" l z | assails, sails. |
| 3 | -ā" l z | ails, ales, bails, bales, Brailles, curtails, dales, derails, details, entails, fails, gales, hails, Hales, jails, mails, males, nails, pails, pales, prevails, quails, rails, rales, scales, shales, snails, swails, Swales, tails, tales, trails, travails, unveils, vales, veils, wails, Wales, whales. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: lases, seals. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-l-s-s" | |
-1 letter: ales, lase, lass, leas, less, sale, sals, seal, seas, sels. | |
-2 letters: ale, als, ass, els, ess, las, lea, sae, sal, sea, sel. | |
-3 letters: ae, al, as, el, es, la. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-l-s-s" | |
+1 letter: aisles, awless, easels, hassel, hassle, lapses, lasers, lashes, lasses, lassie, leases, leasts, lyases, passel, rassle, sables, saleps, salves, scales, selahs, selvas, sepals, shales, sheals, slakes, slates, slaves, spales, stales, steals, swales, tassel, teslas, valses. | |
+2 letters: abseils, ageless, aidless, aimless, airless, aldoses, aliases, alsikes, anlases, armless, artless, ashlers, ashless, asslike, atlases, avulses, aweless, awnless, balases, barless, bolases, braless, calesas, capless, carless, castles, clashes, classed, classer, classes, clauses, damsels, declass, desalts, earless, elapses, espials, falsest, falsies, fatless, flashes, gasless, glassed, glasses, glassie, glossae, hansels, hapless, haslets, hassels, hassled, hassles, hatless, jagless, lapises, lapsers, largess, lashers, lassies, lassoed, lassoer, lassoes, lasters, latests, lawless, laxness, leasers, leashes, liaises, ligases, lipases, loessal, lysates, manless, matless, measles, mescals, napless, oarless, palsies, passels, pastels, plashes, pleases, rassled, rassles, rayless, resails, resales, reseals, saddles, sailers, salines, sallets, sallies, salters, saltest, salties, salutes, salvers, salvoes, samiels, samlets, samples, sapless, saurels, scalers, scleras, sealers, seismal, sendals, sensual, serails, serials, serosal, servals, sheilas, sheltas, silages, silanes, silesia, slakers, slashed, slasher, slashes, slaters, slavers, slaveys, slayers, sleaves, sleazes, solaces, solates, splakes, squeals, stables, stalest, staples, stellas, subsale, taluses, tassels, taxless, teasels, unseals, valises, vestals, warless, warsles, wayless, weasels, wrassle. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Familiar 10. Quotations: Historic 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Quotations: Spoken 14. Quotations: Speeches 15. Usage Frequency 16. Names: Frequency | 17. Names: Company Usage 18. Expressions 19. Expressions: Internet 20. Translations: Modern | 21. Derivations 22. Rhymes 23. Anagrams 24. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
