493 Glossary C call center. Remote facility that is typically operated by third-party customer support organizations. (11) career. Series of related jobs in the same profession. (19) career and technical student organization (CTSO). National student organization that is related to career and technical education (CTE) courses. (19) career aptitude test. An exam that analyzes personal interests, strengths, and weaknesses. (19) career clusters. 16 groups of occupational and career specialties that share common knowledge and skills. (19) career objective. Brief statement that explains an individual’s career goals to an employer. (20) career pathways. Subgroups of the career clusters that refl ect occupations requiring similar knowledge and skills. (19) career plan. List of steps to reach a career goal. (19) cascading style sheets (CSS). Type of style language used to easily format the layout and design of a web page. (14) cash transaction. A purchase for which a customer pays with cash. (10) central business district (CBD). Central location for retail, business, and transportation activities in a city or town often referred to as downtown. (2) centralized visual merchandising. Practice of developing merchandise displays at the home offi ce. (12) certificate program. Type of professional development program. (19) chain of command. Organization’s structure of decision-making responsibilities, from the highest to the lowest level of authority. (15) chain store. Two or more retail stores owned by the same person or company. (2) channel. How the message is transmitted. (9) channel of distribution. Path that goods take through the supply chain from the producer to the consumer. (1) chronological résumé. Type of résumé that lists information in reverse chronological order, with the most recent employer listed fi rst. (20) closeout. End-of-season merchandise sold at reduced prices. (6) code. Set of instructions for a computer directing it to perform certain activities. (14) collaboration. Working with others to achieve a common goal. (16) communication. Process of sending and receiving messages that convey information, ideas, feelings, and beliefs. (9) communication process. Series of actions on the part of the sender and the receiver of the message. (9) comparison shopper. Person who visits several competing stores and notes competitors’ prices. (8) compensation. Employee’s wage or salary. (17) competition. Act or process of trying to win something, such as a customer’s business. (1) competition-based pricing. Pricing strategy primarily based on what competitors charge. (8) competitive intelligence. Data collected to analyze a particular retail industry. (4) confidentiality agreement. Document stating that an employee will not share any company information with those outside the company. (17) consensus. All members of a team support an idea. (16) consumer. Person who buys and uses products or services also called end user. (1) consumer behavior. Includes all the actions people take to satisfy their needs and wants, which includes what they buy. (5) consumer credit. Credit given to individual consumers by a retail business. (11) Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Federal organization charged with protecting consumers from purchasing products that pose a risk of injury or death. (17) contractor. Outside expert hired to complete a task. (14) controllable risk. Risk that cannot be avoided, but can be minimized by purchasing insurance or implementing a risk plan. (18) controlling. Monitoring the progress a team has made in meeting its goals. (15) copyright. Type of intellectual property registration that grants exclusive rights to copy, license, sell, or distribute material. (17) corporate gift service. Connects a store consultant with a corporate representative to make gift selections. (11) corporate social responsibility (CSR). When a business is not only concerned with its own profi ts, but also acts with the welfare and interests of society in mind. (1) corporation. Business that is recognized as a separate legal entity from its owners. (2) cost-based pricing. Pricing strategy that uses the cost of the product to set the selling price. (8) cover message. Formal written communication that accompanies a résumé or a job application to introduce the applicant and express interest in a position. (20)