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I was interested in the fact that the first letter of the each word of “Any Other Business” is shown in the upper case in the following sentence:

“At the first meeting of the new bard, Townsend proposed that Sir Walter (Age 66) should remain as chairman on his present salary of ￡100,000 a year. The old man smiled and made a flattering speech abouthow the reader had unquestionably made the right choice (in approving Townsend as the new owner by vote.)

Townsend didn’t speak again until they reached Any Other Business, when he suggested that all employees of the Globe should automatically retire at the age of sixty.” – Jeffery Archer “The Fourth Estate” – P483.

I think “Any Other Business” can be simply rephrased with “Miscellaneous or addendum subject(s),” but I’d like to know:

  1. Why A, O, B of “any other business” are shown in the capital letter here?

  2. Is “any other business,” which I think is just a plain and colloquial expression for asking someone if he or she has a question or opinion, used as the legit business terms or prevailing orthography of the last heading of the agenda for an official meeting like a board meeting?

    Why can't it simply be "Others" or "All Others," which I THINK I've seen a lot?

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  • Every board defines their own agenda, but here's a sample agenda that has a heading of "Other Business". docstoc.com/docs/565827/Sample-Board-Meeting-Agenda---PDF
    – Jim
    Commented Jun 23, 2013 at 21:42
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    We use this quite a lot at work and it is also capitalised because it is the heading for the last section of the agenda (for anything not covered in the other sections).
    – Sam
    Commented Jun 23, 2013 at 21:56
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    And, informally, Any Other Business is often abbreviated to AOB, especially when speaking, as it's briefer to say.
    – TrevorD
    Commented Jun 23, 2013 at 22:56

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"Any Other Business" is a standard item on a meeting agenda, especially official meetings with a formal structure - like a company shareholders meeting. It is always the last item on the agenda.

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  • I thought I used to see and write simply “Others” as the heading of the last item of discussion in the agenda or minutes even for a formal meeting when I was on the active list, though my memory is now opaque because it’s the matter of scores of years ago. Is “Any Other Business / AOB” a common terms of the last or addendum issue used for the board or official meeting in Anglophonic countries?
    – Yoichi Oishi
    Commented Jun 24, 2013 at 9:07
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    'Is “Any Other Business / AOB” a common term for the last [item on the agenda] for board or official meetings ... ?': Speaking as a Brit, I think it is very common. But, particularly in 'official' meetings, there may be restrictions on what can legitimately be discussed under AOB. This is because other people at the meeting will not have had prior notice of the subject and thus will not have come prepared for the discussion. So it is usually used only for minor matters or to inform people of a meeting, event, or issue that they may like to know about.
    – TrevorD
    Commented Jun 24, 2013 at 13:36

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