What is an Appropriate Business Purpose

The business purpose should indicate why the expenses are reasonable, appropriate and needed for University business, not simply what was purchased. For transactions funded by sponsored awards, the business purpose must be determined by reviewing the award’s purpose, terms and conditions.

Expense	Appropriate Business Purpose	Insufficient Business Purpose
Airfare	2013 ABC Conference for professional development June 1-6, 2014	United Airline Ticket
Car Rental	Rental of vehicle from Enterprise for Jane Doe’s trip to the 2014ABC Conference	Enterprise rental
Cellphone	Used in each Mail Service vehicle for safety & communication purposes.	For business
Computer	Replacement of outdated employee computer	For dept
Dry Erase Board	To assist in employee training's, project planning, and meeting notes	Board to hang in office
File cabinet	In office storage of archived files	For Office
Food	Food for Dining Hall meals	Food
Gasoline	Gasoline for rental vehicle for 2014 ABC Conference in Washington, DC June 1-6, 2014	Gasoline/fuel
Pens/Pencils	For general administrative supplies	Pens/Pencils
Promotional Items	Mugs with WVU’s logo on them given to participants in PCard Focus Group on May 26th, 2014for completing a survey	Mugs
Refrigerator	Refrigerator for Biology lab used to preserve research specimens	Refrigerator for lab
Room Rental	Room Rental for ABC Conference, Workshop, Seminar and or Training on June 21-22,2014.	Room Rental
Television	Television to be used in conference room for Power Point presentations during trainings, seminars, workshops and meetings	Television to put on wall
Test Tubes, Beakers	Supplies to be used for research in Dr. Smith’s Chemistry lab	Lab Supplies
Travel	Taxi from Airport to Hotel while attending the 2014ABC Conference June 1-6, 2014.	Taxi Fare
UPS/FedEx	Shipment of samples for ABC research test.	Overnight shipment