discontinued operations

Operations of an entire division, subsidiary, or segment of a company where a formal plan exists to eliminate it from the company. (It involves more than pruning a product line of certain models of products.)

The revenues, gains, expenses, and losses pertaining to the business segment are removed from the company's continuing operations and are reported separately on the company's income statement. The amounts that pertain to discontinued operations are reported near the end of the income statement but before the amounts for extraordinary items and the cumulative effect of a change in an accounting principle. The amounts will be shown on a per share basis, if the company's stock is publicly traded.