|
The terms in this list relate to business either directly or indirectly
and are used in discussions and/or in conversation.
Highly-specialized technical terminology is not included.
|
A&P mix |
advertising
and promotion: the various amounts of different types of advertising, public relations,
and other marketing communications activities that are used to meet a specific goal. |
ABC analysis |
a
decision-making tool that puts items into categories (A, B, C) based on their
significance. |
abide by
(a rule, an instruction) |
to
obey or to comply with (a rule, an
instruction, someone’s orders, ...)
If you want to
advance here, you have to abide by the rules.
I will abide by the executive committee’s decision. |
abroad |
in a
foreign country or to a foreign country. (Also: overseas) |
absenteeism |
the
rate at which an individual or a group fails to show up for work. (absent = not present) |
access |
the
right or the ability to enter or use something.
We don’t have access to the building on Sundays.
Do we have access to that information? |
access code |
individualized
number and/or letter that are used to enter an electronic system. |
accommodation |
anything
that is supplied for someone’s convenience or to satisfy someone’s
need. It often refers to services relating to travelling or eating or
staying overnight. (often used in the plural form)
Please arrange hotel
accommodations for me in London.
How are the accommodations (conditions
and services) at your hotel? |
account |
In financial language, the
word account means "a record of transactions during a fiscal period
and the resulting current balance".
Do you have an account with
our bank?The word account also
means "a particular customer", since each customer represents an account in the
financial sense.
He is an important account
(customer) for us.
See
key account and
corporate account.
An account can also be a report (verbal
or written) about something that happened.
John will now give us an
account of his week of training. |
account executive |
someone
in an advertising or public relations agency or in a brokerage (or other service firm) who
oversees a specific account (client) and is the principal contact person with the client. |
accountant |
a
person qualified to interpret and report on the financial transactions and present
condition of a company. |
accounting |
the
work of keeping or checking accounts.
He works in the accounting
department. |
accounts payable |
all of
the debts currently owed by a company to its vendors and suppliers. |
accounts receivable |
all of
the debts currently owed to a company by its customers. |
ace |
(1) to
do a perfect job.
He aced the examination.
(2) an excellent performer in an organization or in a field of activity.
Tom is an investment ace. |
achieve |
to
reach (an objective or goal)
We will achieve our target of
5 million units sold before Christmas.
achievement
[noun]
Learning a language is quite an achievement.
achiever [noun]
Bill is a real achiever.
achievable [adjective]
Is this goal even
achievable? |
acquire |
to gain
possession (of something) by working for it or by buying it.
We have acquired a new
client.
She has acquired a lot of experience.
He acquired a new computer.
acquisition [noun]
A new car is a major
acquisition.
We are considering the acquisition
of a new car.
acquisitive [adjective]
We are an acquisitive people. |
act
as … |
to
function in the role of (a position)
Mr. Jones will act as foreman
until Mr. Quinn returns from the hospital.
I will act as chairman today. |
action items |
a list
of high-priority activities to be completed in a short amount of time (including the
activity, who is to do it, and the deadline for completion). |
action plan |
items
to be completed to meet a specific objective, usually including a timetable for getting
them done. |
actuary |
a
person who uses mathematics to compute the probability of insurance claims. |
ad |
short
for advertisement |
adapt |
to make
(something) suitable for a new use.
It takes time to adapt to a
different culture.
adaptable [adjective]
A person has to be adaptable
in difficult situations.
adapter [noun]
Do you have an adapter for
this cable? |
adjourn |
to end
(a meeting) for a stated time
We will adjourn the meeting
until two o'clock. |
adopt |
to use
(something) as your own
He adopted my strategy. |
advertise |
to
inform the public about a product with the goal of persuading them to buy it.
We need to advertise on
television more.
advertisement [noun]
We have a full-page
advertisement in Time magazine. advertising [adjective]
Our advertising budget is
huge. |
advice |
helpful
suggestions or recommendations
Good advice is hard to find. |
advise |
[verb] to give advice
advisor [noun]: someone who gives
professional advice
I suggest you see a tax
advisor. |
afford |
to be
able to do because you have enough money or time
We can’t
afford a new worker at this time.
affordable [adjective]
I found an affordable
apartment in Manhattan. |
agenda |
a list
of things to discuss at a meeting |
agent |
a
person or company that acts for another person or company (the principal) |
allocate |
[verb] to designate how much of a resource
(especially money) will be used, by whom, and for what purpose.
We’ve
allocated 20 seats to the press.
Part of our budget is allocated for training.
allocation [noun]
We’ve already
spent our training allocation for the year. |
amalgamate |
[verb] to combine two or more companies into
one. amalgamation [noun]: a company comprised of two or more
companies.
High Play Inc. is an
amalgamation of Cheaney Sporting Goods Inc. and Lewman
Chemicals. |
apply |
to use
(something) for a particular purpose.
You can apply this method to
other situations. |
apply for |
to ask
for (something) officially and in writing.
I’ve applied
for a visa.
He has applied for another job. |
appreciate |
to
increase in value.
The market value of our
shares has appreciated. |
ASAP or A.S.A.P. |
"As
Soon As Possible" |
asset |
something
of value that is owned by a person or a company, such as buildings, machinery, money,
land, patents, accounts receivable, inventories, etc. |
ATTN |
"attention"
or "for the attention of" … used in addressing letters. |
audience |
the
people who sit and listen to a presentation (speech, play, film, ballet, etc.).
The audience was very
interested in everything she said. |
audit |
[noun] an examination of a company's financial records audit [verb] to examine a company's financial records |
auditorium |
a large
room with seats suitable for performances and lectures.
The speech will be given in
the auditorium. |
authorize |
to give
(to another person) official permission or power.
I have been authorized to
sign company checks. |
automate |
to make
(something) operate by machine without needing people.
We want to automate all
manufacturing processes.
automation
Automation is the answer
to our problems. |
autonomy |
the
right to make one’s own decisions.
I have complete autonomy on
this project.
autonomous [adjective]
This division is
completely autonomous. |
award |
[verb] to give (a prize, certificate, contract)
We awarded the contract to
Acme.
award [noun]
We want to win the Baldridge
Award. |
balance |
the
difference between the credit transactions and the debit transactions in an account.
What is the balance of our
account now? |
balance sheet |
an
accounting document that lists all of a company's assets on the left side and all
of the company's liabilities plus owners' equity on the right side at a specific
point in time, usually at the end of a financial period. It gets its name from the fact
that the total on the left side (assets) must equal the total on the right side
(liabilities plus owners' equity). |
ban |
to
forbid (something) officially.
They banned this medicine
until tests are finished.
ban [noun]
We have a ban on all products
made by child labor. |
bankrupt |
[adjective] unable to pay one's debts.
to go bankrupt
bankruptcy [noun]
One of our competitors is
facing bankruptcy. |
bargain |
a
transaction where something is bought for a price below its real value.
I bought this television at
half-price; what a bargain that was. |
bear market |
a
longer period of declining stock and commodity prices.
> bull market |
benefit |
an
advantage or valuable feature
He receives good benefits,
such as insurance and a company car. |
bid |
[noun] the
price one company is willing to accept for doing a job for another company.
Our bid for the construction
project was much too high.
bid [verb] the act of putting forward a bid.
We are going to bid for the
project. |
bill |
a
written list of goods or services and the amount of money that must be paid for them.
I got a bill for the damages
caused by my dog. |
blue chip |
profitable,
offering a reliable investment and good prospects.
I only invest in blue-chip
stocks. |
board of directors |
A group of people who
are elected by the shareholders of a public corporation and who meet from time to time.
They have the ultimate responsibility for the success of a corporation. They also appoint
the chief executive officer (CEO), who has
responsibility for the corporation on a daily basis.
The board of directors will
meet to name a new CEO. |
bonds |
a
piece of paper issued by a corporation or a government which has a certain
face value and pays interest — a way of raising funds which must be
repaid by a certain date.
Money is flowing out of
stocks and into bonds. |
bonus |
an
extra sum of money paid to an employee for special achievement.
Everybody gets a bonus at
Christmas. |
bookkeeping |
the
recording of the financial transactions of a business. |
boom |
[noun] fast growth or a period of fast growth.
We think there will be a boom in the biotech industry.
boom [noun]
We think the biotech industry
will boom. |
borrow |
to take
from someone (something that you intend to give back)
Can I borrow ten dollars
until tomorrow? |
bottom line |
(1) the
net income line on an income statement.
(2) figurative: the essence of any information.
Don't give me a long
explanation; just give me the bottom line. |
branch |
a
division or section of a large business which is in a different location from the main
division or headquarters. also: branch office, branch factory |
brand |
a
particular make of goods or their trademark.
Coca-Cola is
the world’s most recognizable brand. |
break even |
[verb] to make neither a profit or a loss on a
business or product
If we don’t
break even this year, we could lose our jobs.
break-even point [noun]
We expect to reach the
break-even point soon. |
break down |
(1) [verb] to fail to function
The machine broke down at a
very bad time.
breakdown [noun]
We had a mechanical
breakdown.
(2) [verb] to divide into parts or categories.
Can you break down the costs
for us?
breakdown [noun]
Can you give us a breakdown
of all the costs? |
breakthrough |
an
important scientific, technological, or industrial discovery.
We are about to have a
scientific breakthrough of gigantic proportions. |
bribe |
[verb] to give money or gifts in order to
persuade someone to do something dishonest.
They wanted to bribe me.
bribery [noun]
They tried to change my mind
with bribery. |
brief |
[verb] to instruct or inform (someone)
thoroughly in advance.
We briefed him about the
situation before he went into the meeting.
[adjective] short in duration.
The meeting was very brief. |
broker |
a
person who buys and sells things or (financial) services. also: stockbroker, insurance
broker |
budget |
[noun] a financial plan showing how much money
a company intends to make and spend.
We have to rewrite our
budget.
[noun] an amount of money set aside for a
special purpose.
The advertising budget is not
big enough.
[verb] to set aside money for a special
purpose.
I think we should budget for
more R&D. |
bulk |
a large
size or amount of something.
We purchase our paper in
bulk. |
bulk discount |
a
reduction in the price of something given when a certain quantity is bought. |
bull market |
a
longer period of increasing stock and commodity prices.
see bear market |
business card |
a small
card that gives a business person's name, title, company name, etc. |
buyer's market |
a
condition in a market in which supply is greater than demand, which puts downward pressure
on prices.
see seller's market |
candidate |
a
person who is being considered for a job. |
capital |
(1) [noun] in accounting, the value of the assets
which are left over when a company pays off all of its debts.
– A
corporation’s capital is equal to it assets minus its liabilities.
(2) [noun] money available for investment.
– We can
raise more capital with a stock offering.
(3) [noun] any economic resource or wealth.
– Our
intellectual property represents our greatest capital. |
capital stock |
the
total amount of stock issued by a corporation
see common stock and preferred stock |
carriage |
the
cost of transporting goods from one place to another |
cash dividend |
a dividend
paid in cash to the stockholders of a corporation |
cc |
carbon
copy = "copies are being sent to the following people" |
CEO |
See chief executive officer |
chairman of the board of
directors
Also: chairman of the board
or chairman |
The
member of a company's board of directors who presides
over the meetings. He or she is the highest ranking executive, although not necessarily
the one with the most authority. |
channel |
the way
along which something travels
communication channels
distribution channels |
channel |
In broad terms, the word channel
refers to the path along which something flows. That something can be liquid (e.g. water)
or electronic (e.g. digital data, voice messages, etc.) or solid physical objects (e.g.
manufactured products as they "flow" along in a production process). In a production process, the channel for a
product can extend beyond the manufacturing company's borders. It can begin with the
manufacturing company's suppliers (of OEM parts and/or raw materials) and continue through
to the companies (i.e. partners) that handle the finished product. |
channel
partners |
Either companies that
contribute to the manufacturing process before it begins (e.g. suppliers) or companies
that get involved after the product has been manufactured (e.g. wholesalers, distributors,
representative firms, dealers, retailers, and individual sales people). |
charge |
(1) [noun] the price for a product.
– The charge
for rent has gone up this year.
(2) [noun] an individual item on a bill.
– I don't
understand some of these charges.
(3) [verb] to demand a price for a product.
– They are
charging us more for rent this year. |
chief executive officer |
The
highest position below the board of directors. Reports
directly to the board. Runs the company on a daily basis.
Also: CEO See president |
CIF |
cost,
insurance and freight. A CIF price includes the costs of loading the goods onto the ship,
the cost of marine insurance for the goods, and the cost of carrying the goods from the
port of origin to the port of destination. |
CIFC |
the
same as CIF plus a commission for the agent who helped to get the order. |
claim |
(1) a
demand for something that is rightfully due; for example, a sum of money from an insurance
company.
– He filed a
claim for damages from the flood.
[verb] to ask for something as a right.
– He claimed
$40,000 in damages.
(2) [noun]
a statement about a product’s features or advantages.
– They make a
lot of claims about their latest software version.
claim [verb]
– They claim that their product represents a new generation of
technology. |
clause |
a
paragraph, section, or part of a legal contract. |
client |
a
person or company that buys a service. |
collaborate |
[verb] to work closely with another person, especially in writing, research, or other
creative tasks.
collaboration [noun] |
colleague |
a
person you work with. |
collective bargaining |
the
bargaining (or negotiating) method in which representatives of the employees, the union,
and the employer determine the conditions for employment. |
commerce |
the
buying and selling of goods on a large scale which involves transportation of such goods
from place to place |
commercial |
(1) [adjective] having to do with business or commerce
(trade between companies or countries).
She is a trained commercial
secretary.
(2) [adjective] having the possibility of making a
profit.
Our company is a commercial
operation, not a charity. (3)
[noun] an advertisement on television or radio
or in the cinema
I hate to sit through all of
those commercials before the film. |
commission |
