A Devil's Dictionary of Business Jargon

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“Associate, n. Flattering title in lieu of a living wage, pioneered by
Wal-Mart and other parsimonious employers in the retail trade.” ...
“Code of Conduct, n. Guidebook that enumerates unacceptable behavior
and identifies by omission antisocial acts that may still be safely
committed.” ... “Maverick, n. A failed visionary. Freddie Laker’s
pioneering idea for a renegade discount airline that did not achieve
profitability. He was a maverick. Sir Richard Branson’s knockoff of
Laker’s concept makes money. He is a visionary.”

Some people collect hockey coins. Business journalist David Olive
collects corporate buzz words. His first dictionary, White Knights and
Poison Pills: A Cynic’s Dictionary of Business Jargon (1990), was a
bestseller, and fans will not be disappointed with this follow-up
volume. Olive has a sharp ear and a sharper wit. He not only dishes out
the dirt, he gives examples. He defines “seagull manager,” as “[a]
flighty meddler who drops in just long enough to mess things up. The
periodic interference of brothers John and Forrest Mars Jr. at candy
giant Mars Inc. [who] drove many talented executives into the arms of
rival Hershey Foods Corp. Describing the Mars brothers, a former company
executive [said] ... ‘they are the seagull management team. They swoop
down, shit and fly away.’”

Like dark chocolate, this book is best enjoyed in small, delicious
bites. Fortunately, it is small, which means it can be smuggled easily
into any corporate cubicle. So, whether you are a Gene Jockey, Pitch
Coach, Scut Puppy, or just an anonymous member of the Geek Chorus, get
this book before you Go Russian and end up the subject of a Lifeboat
Discussion.