Air Transport Association of America

An U.S. airline industry association.

Air waybill (AWB)

Issued by carriers, this essential transport document offers evidence that the intended shipment has been received. This document also serves as a receipt for the transaction's consignor.

Air Waybill (AWB)

A bill of lading for air transport serves as a receipt for the shipper and indicates that the carrier has accepted the goods listed. It also obligates the carrier to carry the consignment to the airport of destination according to specified conditions.

Alaskan Carrier

A for-hire air carrier that operates within the state of Alaska.

Alert

A system message is usually created during MRP calculations to draw attention to a current or potential problem and suggest corrective action.

Algorithm

A clearly specified mathematical process for computation is a set of rules that, if followed, give a prescribed result.

All-Cargo Carrier

An air carrier that transports cargo only.

Allocated Item

A feature of an inventory control and order management system, which allows quantities available in inventory to be associated with a customer or production order, so that the quantity cannot be used otherwise.

Allocation

1) In cost accounting, a distribution of costs using calculations that may be unrelated to physical observations or direct or repeatable cause-and-effect relationships. Because of the arbitrary nature of allocations, costs based on cost causal assignment are viewed as more relevant for management decision-making. 2) In order management, allocation of available inventory to customer and production orders.

Allocation Costing

A method of allocating indirect/overhead costs to inventory items and costs of sales. See Absorption Costing.

Alpha Release

A very early release of a product to gather preliminary feedback about the feature set and usability.

Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Any of a number of methods (such as mediation, arbitration, mock trials, etc.) used to resolve disputes outside of litigation.

Alternate Routing

In a production environment, this is an optional process for manufacturing or assembly of a product, which may be employed due to the unavailability of a primary work center or choice of non-standard components. It may also refer to a transportation route that is different than what would normally be taken, perhaps due to weather.

AMC

The USAF Air Mobility Command's mission is to provide global air mobility. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world.

AMC Airmen

Active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Civil Reserve Air Fleet.

American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)

Released for the first time in October 1994, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is an economic indicator and cross-industry measure of the satisfaction of U.S. household customers with the quality of the goods and services available to them. This includes both goods and services produced within the United States, as well as those provided as imports from foreign firms that have substantial market shares or dollar sales. The ACSI is co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Business School, ASQ, and the CFI Group.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

A non-profit organization chartered to develop, maintain, and promulgate voluntary U.S. national standards in a number of areas, especially with regard to setting EDI standards. ANSI is the U.S. representative to the International Standards Organization (ISO).

American Society for Quality (ASQ)

A professional organization with more than 100,000 members that advances learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve business results and create better workplaces and communities worldwide.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for the development and publication of voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems, and services.

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

A membership organization providing materials, education, and support related to workplace learning and performance.

American Society of Transportation and Logistics

A professional organization in the field of logistics.

American Standard Code for Inf ormation Interchange (ASCII)

ASCII format is a simple text-based data with no formatting. It is the standard code for information exchange among data processing systems. It uses a coded character set consisting of 7-bit coded characters (8 bits including parity check).

American Trucking Association Inc

A motor carrier industry association that is made up of sub-conferences representing various sectors of the motor carrier industry.

American Waterway Operators

A domestic water carrier industry association represents barge operators on the inland waterways.

AMFC

Air Force Materiel Command conducts research, development, testing, and evaluation, and provides the acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. The command develops, acquires, and sustains the aerospace power needed to defend the United States and its interests for today and tomorrow.

AMS

A multi-modal cargo inventory control and release notification system through which carriers submit their electronic cargo declaration 24 hours before loading. See 24-hour Rule.

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation is a federally created corporation that operates most of the United States' intercity passenger rail service.

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

A statistical term that refers to a collection of statistical models that test the means of several groups to determine if the means are equal.

Andon

A manufacturing term referring to a signboard incorporating signal lights, audio alarms, and text or other displays installed at a workstation to notify management and other workers of a quality or process problem.

Animated GIF

A file containing a series of GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) images is displayed in rapid sequence by some web browsers, giving an animated effect. Also, see GIF.

ANSI

A non-profit organization chartered to develop, maintain, and promulgate voluntary U.S. national standards in a number of areas, especially with regard to setting EDI standards. ANSI is the U.S. representative to the International Standards Organization (ISO).

ANSI ASC X12

American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Committee X12 is the committee of ANSI that is chartered with setting EDI standards.

ANSI Standard

A published transaction set approved by ANSI. The standards are reviewed every six months.

Anticipated Delay Report

A report, normally handwritten, is created by the procurement and production areas to advise management regarding orders that are not expected to be completed on time.

Anticipation Inventories

Extra stocks of inventory, which are being held above known requirements, are ordered to accommodate trends or promotions. They may also be used to hedge against the risk of supply problems.

Anticipation Order

An anticipation order is placed in advance of the availability of a product for delivery on a future date. Anticipation orders are frequently used in the retail environment, where suppliers preview new products at trade shows and seek a commitment from their retail customers prior to production of seasonal items.

Anti-Deficiency Act [Title 31, U.S. Code, Sec 1341 and 1517]

Prohibits making or authorizing an obligation in excess of the amount available. Forbids obligation to pay money from the US Treasury in advance of the appropriation. Requires agency to fix responsibility for violations of the Act.

Any-Quantity Rate (AQ)

The same rate applies to any size shipment tendered to a carrier; no discount rate is available for large shipments. Anti-Dumping Duty is an additional import duty imposed in instances where imported goods are priced at less than the normal price charged in the exporter's domestic market and cause material injury to the domestic industry in the importing country.

A/P

1) A financial term referring to the amount of transactions that have been accrued but not paid to a vendor. 2) An accounting function.

Applicability Statement 2 (AS2)

A specification for Electronic Data Interchange between businesses using the Internet's Web page protocol, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), is an extension of the earlier version, Applicability Statement 1 (AS1). Both specifications were created by EDI over the Internet (EDIINT), a working group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that develops secure and reliable business communication standards.

Application program interface (API)

This technology facilitates how various software platforms communicate with one another. APIs are used to streamline data management and automate essentials, such as order management and shipment tracking.

Application Service Provider (ASP)

A company that offers access over the Internet to applications (examples of applications include word processors, database programs, web browsers, development tools, communication programs) and related services that would otherwise have to be located on their own computers. Sometimes referred to as 'apps-on-tap', ASP services are expected to become an important alternative, especially for smaller companies with low budgets for information technology. The purpose is to try to reduce a company's burden by installing, managing, and maintaining software.

Application-to-Application

The direct interchange of data between computers without re-keying.

Approved Vendor List (AVL)

List of suppliers approved for doing business. The AVL is usually created by procurement or sourcing and engineering personnel using a variety of criteria, such as technology, functional fit of the product, financial stability, and past performance of the supplier.

APS

Refers to a manufacturing management process by which raw materials and production capacity are optimally allocated to meet demand. APS is especially well-suited to environments where simpler planning methods cannot adequately address complex trade-offs between competing priorities.

AQL

In quality assessment, the acceptable quality level, also known as the assured quality level, describes the maximum number of defects acceptable during the random sampling of an inspection.

AQR

Any quantity rate.

A/R

On a company's balance sheet, accounts receivable are the amounts that customers owe to that company. Sometimes called trade receivables, they are classified as current assets, assuming that they are due within one year.