Unit 1

Word

Definition

Example

finance

decisions on how money is spent or invested

I have a degree in finance and accounting

human resources

the department in a company that deals with recruitment, training and helping employees

He works in human resources

marketing

the work of advertising and offering goods or services for sale

Clever marketing can really help to sell a product

operations

business activity

She is a senior manager in charge of operations

production

live version of a website or web application

Asus is increasing production of its popular line of laptop computers

sales

the total number of products that are sold during a particular period of time

I work in sales. I sell our company's products all around the country

brand image

the collection of ideas and beliefs that people have about a brand

They have invested millions to improve their brand image

cash flow

the amount of money moving into and out of a business

The business is having problems with cash flow

customer service

when an organisation helps customers by answering questions, listening to complaints, giving product advice, etc

I've complained to customer service countless times

invoice

a list of goods that have been supplied or work that has been done, showing how much you owe for them

Invoices must be submitted by the 24th of May

pricing

the prices of a company's products or services in relation to each other and in relation to those of competitors, and the activity of setting them

The company had to revise their pricing strategy

promotion

an activity such as special advertisements or free gifts intended to sell a product or service

ABC has announced a joint promotion with Mullen

quality control

a system of maintaining standards in manufactured products by testing a sample of the output against the specification

Quality Control is responsible for making sure all our products are excellent

supply chain

a series of processes involved in supplying a product to someone

In our supply chain we have one distributor and five main retailers

recruitment

the process of finding new people to join a company, organization, the army etc

HR teams are responsible for recruitment process

priority

something that is considered more important than other matters

Opening regional offices is our priority this year

responsible

having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one's job or role

I guess I'm also responsible for what happened

involve

to include someone in something, or to make them take part in or feel part of it

My job involves a lot of business trips

lead

to cause something to happen or cause someone to do something

He leads his army over the mountains to safety

make sure

to take special care to do something

Make sure you closed the door

report to

someone you report to at work is the person in authority over you who gives you tasks and checks that you do them

She has eight people reporting to her

head of

a leader or person in charge of a group or organization

She is the head of Sales department

take care of

keep (someone or something) safe and provided for

She really enjoys taking care of people

in charge of

having the top position

I am in charge of this department

coordinate

to make many different things work effectively as a whole

We need to coordinate our efforts

bureaucracy

a complicated and annoying system of rules and processes

There's too much bureaucracy

centralised

concentrated in the center

Decision-making process is centralised

hierarchy

the group of people who control an organization

Many Swedish firms have very flat hierarchies

innovative

using new methods or ideas

Gwen introduced a number of innovative solutions

efficient

working or operating quickly and effectively in an organized way

Bicycles are a cheap and efficient form of transport

flexible

a person, plan etc that is flexible can change or be changed easily to suit any new situation

Deadline is not fixed, it's flexible

work-focused

in relation to a person, means an interview conducted for such purposes connected with employment or training in the case of that person as may be specified

He is very work-focused and always thinks about his projects

rude

speaking or behaving in a way that is not polite and is likely to offend or annoy people

Don't be so rude!

informal

relaxed and friendly without being restricted by rules of correct behaviour

The interview was very informal

friendly

kind and pleasant

Everyone in the village is very friendly

polite

someone who is polite behaves towards other people in a pleasant way that follows all the usual rules of society

Everyone comments on how polite James is

quiet

making very little noise

Don't trust quiet people - they usually have secrets

professional

relating to work that needs special training or education

He is a professional tennis player

effective

someone or something that is effective works well and produces the result that was intended

Humour is often far more effective than shouting

full time

occupying or using the whole of the usual working day or week

She is our full time assistant

all the best

when you are saying goodbye to someone, or at the end of a letter or an email

I wished them all the best

confirm

to show that something is definitely true, especially by providing more proof

Can you confirm my order by email?