Essential Business English Vocabulary: Units 11-13
UNIT 11: Business Operations and Agreements
Key Terms and Phrases
At current exchange rates: The rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another at the present time.
Award a contract: To formally agree with a company to provide a service or complete a job.
Commission: To request someone to perform a specific task.
Course of action: The way something unfolds or a method of doing something.
Cross-fertilisation of ideas: The blending of ideas from different places or groups of people.
Cutting-edge technology: The practical, particularly industrial, application of the latest scientific discoveries.
Divisional head: The person in charge of a specific department within a large organization.
Enjoy a reputation: To benefit from a positive public perception.
Entity: Something that exists independently, separate from other things.
Get down to: To begin focusing your efforts and attention on something.
Get onto: To contact a person or organization for assistance.
Ground-breaking: Innovative and likely to influence future practices.
Head up: To lead or manage a team, department, or organization.
Infrastructure: The fundamental systems necessary to support an economy.
Interested party: An organization potentially affected by a situation or seeking to profit from it.
Lease: An agreement to pay for the use of land, a building, a vehicle, or equipment for a specific period.
On a world scale: Used to measure or compare something globally.
Purpose-built facility: An area designed and constructed for a particular use.
R&D facility: An area dedicated to research and development, focused on product improvement and innovation.
Rank highest: To hold a superior position or be considered to have such a position.
Run a growing operation: To manage a business organization that is expanding.
Step across the threshold: A formal way of saying to enter a building or room.
Tax question: An inquiry related to money paid to the government.
Too many strings attached: An agreement with excessive special demands or limitations.
Viable alternative: A different, but feasible and potentially successful, option.
UNIT 12: Presentations and Communication
Key Terms and Phrases
Advance their career: To take steps that contribute to professional progress and success.
Brainstorm: To rapidly generate numerous ideas within a group for later consideration.
Breakdown of costs: A detailed analysis of how money needs to be allocated.
Credible: Trustworthy and believable.
Demand: Customer desire for specific goods or services.
Dry up: To lose the ability to speak fluently.
Feel free: Permission to do something if desired.
Finding: Information or facts discovered through research or study.
Handout: A document containing information distributed at a meeting.
Mannerism: A repetitive, often unconscious, facial, hand, or vocal gesture.
Outline a requirement: To summarize the essential aspects of a need.
Potential return: The anticipated profit from a successful investment or business activity.
Prompt: Words that aid in memory recall, particularly during a presentation.
Reduce anxiety: To lessen feelings of nervousness or unease.
Rehearse: To practice a performance, such as a play or musical piece, in preparation for public presentation.
Sound investment: A financially prudent and well-judged allocation of resources.
UNIT 13: Travel and Technology
Key Terms and Phrases
Avoid pitfalls: To prevent errors or problems in a given situation.
Build team spirit: To foster a sense of loyalty and camaraderie within a team.
Cash in on: To profit from an event or situation.
Check-in: The process of registering for a flight and checking baggage at the airport.
Flight status: The current information regarding a specific flight’s schedule and progress.
Get off to a dreadful start: To begin an activity poorly.
Loyalty programme: A rewards scheme designed to incentivize customer retention.
Review: A report summarizing important information about an activity or product.
Search engine: A computer program used to locate information on the internet.
Social network: A website facilitating online social interaction and communication.
Working hours: The amount of time spent at work during a typical day.