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Companies and organisations
Nouns branch 3
fast-growing company 12 head office 3
highly profitable organisation 11 loss-making company 11 merger 4 outlet 3
parent company 3 start-up 5 subsidiary 3
Things you can say about your company or organisation: Our company is well-established. 3
| headquarters l hotel lounge 2 pedestrian zone 2 plant l premises 14 warehouse 3 |
Our company was founded (12 years ago). 3 Our company is organised into (3 departments). 3 SFD merged with Reid International 4
Our firm has an excellent reputation for reliability and good service. 3 Our company is expanding fast. 3
Our company is renowned for (its high manufacturing standards). 10
Our CEO has a clear vision of where the company is going. 12
We are looking at ways of improving our image as an ethical company. 11
Our company has decentralised responsibility and authority. 3
Our CEO believes in autonomy, but she's also keen on accountability. 3
| Nouns market follower 6 market leader 5 |
Following the bankruptcy of our main competitor, we regained our position as market leader. 14
Verbs
| hierarchical 3 market-driven 3 slow to respond 3 |
implement a policy 11 introduce / launch a policy 11
An organisation can be...
bureaucratic 3
centralised / decentralised 3 democratic 3
| Travel baggage reclaim 10 cancellation 2 check-in desk 10 jet-lag 2 |
| luggage 2 overbooking 2 runway 10 terminal 10 |
My plane was delayed. 2 She flies business class. 3
Several budget airlines offer cheap flights to European destinations. 10 I missed my flight because of the huge queue at passport control. 10
Business meetings
attend a seminar 2 call a meeting 4 chair a meeting
hold a meeting 1 propose 8
schedule a meeting 7
second 8
send your apologies 8 take part in a meeting 1
action points 8
AOB (any other business)
When will the meeting take place? 7
Can we move on to the next item on the agenda?4
Will someone take the minutes?8
The scheme, which was proposed by Ms Roberts, was seconded by Mr Todd. 4, 8 I think we should have a vote on that. 8
Documents
draft (letter / report, etc.) 11 letter of credit 3 licence 1 memo 1
the minutes of a meeting 4
Markets, the economy and trade
Nouns
commodity markets 9 low-cost market 1 market segment 1 niche market 9
Its market share has declined. 1 Its market is shrinking. 1
After buying their largest competitor they totally dominated the market. 14
Verbs
Nouns
. , break into a market 9
economic downturn 4
carry out a market survey 9
recession 5
liberalise 9
recovery 5
subsidise 9
Nouns
| free port 9 laisser-faire 9 open borders 9 protectionism 9 quotas 9 |
barriers to trade / trade barriers 9 customs 9 deregulation 9 developing industries 9 fair trade 9
regulations 9 restrictions 9 tariffs 9
strategic industries 9
Marketing and advertising
Nouns
advertising agency 6 advertising campaign 1 brand image 1 celebrity endorsement 6 differentiation 9 free sample 6 focus group 1 leaflet 6 luxury brand 1 mailshot 6
point-of-sale advertising 6 slogan 6
target audience 6 target consumer 6 TV commercial 3 USP (unique selling point) 6 word-of-mouth advertising 6
Verbs
develop brand awareness 1 differentiate 6 stretch a brand 1
We are launching a multi-media advertising campaign to promote our new products. 5 Advertisements can be...
attention-grabbing 6 humorous 6 shocking 6
eye-catching 6 inspiring 6
funny 6 informative 6
Finance and money
Nouns
banker's draft / bank draft 9 bonus 11 bribe 11 cash flow 9 commission 11 consumer spending 5 cost-cutting practices 2 dividend 5 earnings per share 5 gross margin 1 letter of credit 9 licensing fee 1 pre-tax profit 5 profit margin 9 royalty 9 sales revenues 5 tax refunds 5 turnover 4
Verbs
claim expenses 11 get a return on an
investment 12 go bankrupt 4 increase profits 1 lose money 1 make a loss 1 make a profit 5 offer a discount 2 pay a deposit 9 raise money to start a
business 5 cost consciousness 12
Most of the store's revenue comes from clothing. 1
They spend a lot of money on advertising. 1
(That hotel) is value for money. 2
We can't afford to give him 05% salary increase. 1
Many firms cut costs by outsourcing to India. 3
SFD will not be able to reduce the prices it charges its customers. 3
SFD needs to boost its profits and share price. 3
| set up a joint venture 7 underwrite a deal 12 win a contract 14 |
We will use any surplus cash to reduce the level of our debt. 5
Doing business
negotiate a deal 3 place an order 9
quote (somebody) a price (for something) 9
We want payment on delivery. 14
We don't give a discount for orders of less than 100 items. 14 We expect 30 days'credit. 14
Can you deliver in two weeks? 14
Unsold goods may be returned. The amount will be credited to the customer's account. 14
| Verbs level off 5 plummet 5 |
| Nouns decrease in sales 5 increase in profits 5 |
Sales soared to $i8m. 5
Profits rose from $2.1 to 2.8 billion. 5
Our business grew by 15% last year. 5
Sales reached a peak of$2om. 5
Sales reached a low point of$sm. 5
We are unlikely to meet our sales target this year. 5
Competition can be...
fierce 14 intense 14 strong 14 tough 14 unfair 14
You can...
adapt to 14 catch up with 14 cope with 14 crush 14 ignore 14 keep up with 4 overtake 14 ... the competition.
We faced strong competition from (supermarkets). 4 It is difficult for us to compete with the big multinationals. 14