Underemployment

Situation where workers are overqualified or underutilized

Labor or HR

Understaffing

Having fewer employees than needed, affecting productivity

HR or Operations

Underutilized Resource

Asset or capability not being used to its full potential

Operations

Underwriting

Assessing and assuming financial risk, often for loans or insurance

Finance or Insurance

Unearned Revenue

Revenue received before delivering goods or services

Accounting

Unfair Competition

Deceptive or unethical business practices that harm competitors

Legal

Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)

Set of laws governing commercial transactions in the U.S.

Legal or Commerce

Uniformity

Consistent processes or brand messaging across departments or platforms

Operations or Branding

Union

Organization representing workers in negotiations with employers

HR or Labor Relations

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

What differentiates a product or brand from competitors

Marketing

Unit Economics

Revenue and costs associated with a single unit of product or service

Finance or Startup

Unlimited Liability

Owner’s full personal responsibility for business debts

Legal or Structure

Unpaid Leave

Leave taken without receiving salary or wages

HR

Unsecured Debt

Debt not backed by specific collateral (e.g., credit card debt)

Finance

Unsecured Loan

Loan issued without requiring collateral

Finance

Unstructured Data

Information not organized in a predefined manner (e.g., emails, images)

Data or Analytics

Unsystematic Risk

Risk specific to a company or industry, not the market as a whole

Finance or Investment

Upfront Payment

Payment made before goods or services are delivered

Finance or Contracts

Upselling

Persuading a customer to buy a higher-priced or upgraded version

Sales or Marketing

Upskilling

Teaching employees new, advanced skills to increase their value

HR or Development

Upstream Supply Chain

Activities related to sourcing and procurement before production

Operations

Usage Rate

Frequency with which a product or service is used by customers

Analytics or Marketing

Usage-Based Pricing

Charging based on actual usage instead of flat fees

Pricing Strategy

Use Case

Description of how users interact with a system or product

Technology or Product Dev

User Experience (UX)

Overall experience a user has with a product or service

Design or Technology

User Interface (UI)

Visual and interactive aspects of a software or digital product

Design or Technology

User Retention

Ability to keep users engaged and returning over time

Product or Marketing

User-Generated Content (UGC)

Content created by customers or users rather than the brand

Digital Marketing

Utility

Measurement of satisfaction or value derived from consumption

Economics or Strategy

Utility Patent

Patent protecting functional aspects of an invention

Legal or IP