Vocab list - Session 3

affiliate

a business that is connected with another one or is a member of the same organisation

 

assembly line

organisation of workers and machines with every worker doing one particular task and forwarding the product to another worker

 

associate

a company that is connected with another one; sometimes this term is also used for employees of a company

 

be accountable to someone

to be able to justify your actions vis-à-vis that person

 

be at the helm

to lead or run a business

 

be based in

to be located in, to be situated in

 

be headquartered

to have the main offices

 

blue-chip company

a successful global player

 

boardroom

the room where the most important members of a company (the board) convene

 

branch

an office, shop, production facility, etc. of a business (often located abroad)

 

business function

certain areas of responsibility, such as purchase, sales, finance, etc.

 

business park

an area where there are offices and facilities of a number of different companies

 

business unit

a segment of a business that fulfills a certain function (e.g. marketing, accounting)

 

car park

parking lot

 

CCTV

closed circuit television

 

CEO

Chief Executive Officer (AE)

 

company gym

a place where employees can work out

 

consist of

to be made up of, to be divided into, to comprise

 

corner office

an office in the corner of a building - usually a corner office has more windows than other offices and is therefore a bit more prestigious than other offices

 

corporation

a legal entity that can own and sell, sue and be sued, etc.

 

cubicles

an enclosed area in an open-plan office

 

day-care centre

a kind of kindergarten for the employees´ children

 

department

a (smaller) section of a company

 

division

a group of departments in a company - the people working there have similar responsibilities and work at the same location

 

entrance

place where you can access a building

 

equipment

tools

   

executive floor

the top floor of a company where the managers´ offices are located

 

family business

a company that is owned by one or more members of a family, usually, different positions within the company are also occupied by family members

 

fat cat

a wealthy, well-paid person, often used in a negative way

 

flat

smooth, not steep

 

fringe benefits

additional benefits a company offers its employees (e.g. a subsidised canteen, a company car, an insurance package, a kindergarten, etc.); perks

 

furnace

a large oven

 

goods reception

area in a plant where incoming goods are registered and organised

  

head up

to be responsible for the company´s activities and its employees

 

headquarters

main offices

 

hot-desking

the policy of not providing a dedicated office or desk for every employee

 

industrial estate

a piece of land dedicated to industrial production (also called industrial park)

 

lobby

entrance hall

 

managerial level

company layer with regard to positions and responsibilities

 

manufacture goods

to produce products

 

manufacturing plant

production facility

 

MD

Managing Director (BE)

 

middle management

intermediate level of managers who report to the highest level and are responsible for emplyoees

 

minority owned

only a small part belongs to another organisation

 

mom-and-pop business

a very small business that is run by one or more family members

 

office abroad

offices located in other parts of the world

 

office block

office building

 

offshore

to outsource overseas

  

open-plan office

a very large office without internal walls

 

outsource

when companies outsource production, they pay another company to manufacture their goods

 

oversee

to supervise

 

parent company

initial business which has created daughter companies

 

perks

additional benefits a company offers its employees (e.g. a subsidised canteen, a company car, an insurance package, a kindergarten, etc.); fringe benefits

 

premises

all the buildings and land that belong to a company at a certain location

 

process

to work on raw materials / food to create finished products

 

production facilities

the plant where goods are manufactured

 

R&D

Research & Development

 

report to

to present the results of your activities to your superior

 

section

a part of something

 

showroom

area where the company´s products and services are exhibited and explained

 

start-up

a newly founded business

 

steep

very sharp, high or quickly 

 

storage area

place where goods and materials are kept

 

subsidiary

a (daughter) company that is controlled by its parent company

 

top-heavy

a company structure with too many well-paid managers

 

umbrella company

main company that leads the group 

 

underground car park

underground garage

 

warehouse

a building where goods and materials are stored

 

white-collar

referring to employees who work in an office, as opposed to those who do manual work

 

wholly owned

the entire company belongs to another organisation

 

workspace

the place where people do their jobs