Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment ( 33 )

33- ] Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment .

Business Vocabulary In Use .

 

People and workplaces .

A-] Employees and management :

- White-collar workers :

Management , finance and marketing .

- Manual / blue-collar workers :

Supervisor , shop floor , labor .

- The people who work for a company , all the people on its ‘payroll’ , are its ‘employees’ , ‘personnel’ , ‘staff’ , ‘workers’ or ‘workforce’ [ work-force , work force ] . But these words can mean just the people carrying out the work of a company , rather than those leading it and organizing it : the management .

B-] Management and administration :

- A company’s activities may be spread over different ‘sites’ . A company’s most senior managers usually work in its ‘head office’ or ‘headquarters’ [ HQ ] . Some managers have their own individual ‘offices’ , but in many businesses , most employees work in ‘open-plan

offices’ ; large areas where many people work together . Administration or , informally , admin , the everyday work supporting a company’s activities , is often done in offices like these by ‘administrative staff’ or ‘support staff’ . For example , those giving technical help to buyers of the company’s products are in ‘technical support’ .

C-] Labor :

- ‘ Labor unions’ , organizations defending interests of workers [ Am E ] are called ‘trade unions’ in Br E.

- When workers are not happy with pay or conditions n, they may take ‘industrial action’ :

- a ‘strike , stoppage or walk-out : workers stop working for a time .

- a ‘go-slow’ : workers continue to work , but more slowly than usual .

- an ‘overtime ban’ : workers refuse to work more than the normal number of hours .

D-] Personnel and human resources :

- In large organizations there is a ‘human resources department’ [ HRD ] that deals with pay , recruitment , etc. This area is called ‘human resources’ [ HR ] or ‘human resource management’ [ HRM ] . Another name for this department is the ‘personnel department’ .

The career ladder .

A- ] A job for life :

- Many people used to work for the same organization until they reached ‘retirement’ : the age at which people ‘retire’ , or end their working life . ‘Career paths’ were clear : you could ‘work your way up the career ladder’ , getting ‘promotion’ to jobs that were more ‘senior’ , with greater responsibility . You would probably not be ‘demoted’ : moved to a less senior job .

- To leave the company , you could ‘resign’ or ‘hand in your notice’ .

B-] A job for now :

- The company has ‘downsized’ and ‘delayered’ . The number  of the management levels in the company hierarchy has been reduced from five to three , and many managers have lost their jobs . The company has reorganizes and ‘restructured’ in order to become ‘flatter’ [ with fewer layers of management ] and ‘leaner’ [ with fewer , more productive employees ] .

They did this to reduce costs and increase ‘efficiency’ and ‘profits’ . Employees said the company used words like ‘restructure’ to make the situation sound positive and acceptable .

C-] In-house staff or freelancers :

- The company has ‘outsourced’ many jobs previously done by ‘in-house’ personnel : outside companies clean the offices , transport goods and collect money from customers . This allows the company to concentrate on its main business activities . The company uses more ‘freelancers’[ freelances ], independent people who may work for several different companies , and they employ people for short periods on ‘temporary contracts’ . The company expects ‘flexibility’ , with people moving to different jobs when necessary , but for many employees , this means ‘job insecurity’ , the feeling that they may not be in their job for long . The way that they are doing their job is discussed at ‘performance reviews’ : regular meetings with their manager .

D-] Losing your job :

- If you do something wrong , you are ‘dismissed’ , ‘fired’ , ‘sacked’ , ‘terminated’.

- If you have done nothing wrong , you are ‘laid off’ , ‘made redundant’ , ‘offered early retirement’ .

- Employees who are made redundant may get advice about finding another job , retraining etc. This is called ‘outplacement’ advice .

Problems at work .

A-] Health and safety :

- Here are some ‘health and safety issues’ for people at work .

A-] temperature B-] passive smoking C-] repetitive strain injury or RSI . D-] dangerous machinery . E-] hazardous substances . F-] fire hazards .

- All these things contribute to a ‘bad working environment’ . The government sends officials called ‘health and safety inspectors’ to make sure that factories and offices are safe places to work . They check what companies are doing about things like : A-] heating and air-conditioning . B-] first aid . C-] fire precautions .

B-] Bullying and harassment :

- If someone such as a manager ‘bullies’ an employer , they use their position of power to hurt or threaten them , for example verbally . Someone who does this is a ‘bully’ .

- ‘Sexual harassment’ is when an employee behaves sexually towards another in a way that they find unwelcome and unacceptable . The related verb is ‘harass’ .

C-] Discrimination :

- If people are treated differently from others in an unfair way , they are discriminated against’ .

- If a woman is unfairly treated just because she is a woman , she is a victim of ‘sex discrimination’ . In many organizations , women complain about the ‘glass ceiling’ that allows them to get to a particular level but no further .

- If someone is treated unfairly because of their race , they are a victim of ‘racial discrimination’ or ‘racism’ . Offensive remarks about someone’s race are ‘racist’ and the person making them is a ‘racist’ .

- In the US , ‘affirmative action’ is when help is given in education and employment to groups who were previously discriminated against . In Britain , affirmative action is known as ‘equal opportunities’ .

- Some companies have a ‘dignity at work policy’ covering all the issues mentioned above .

Managers , executives and directors .

A-] Managers and executives in UK :

Management organigram .

1-] Non-executive directors : chairman / chairwoman , chief executive / managing director .

2-] Senior executives / top executives / executive directors : chief financial officer / finance director , marketing director , human resources director , IT director , research director .

3-] Middle managers : accounts department manager , sales manager , customer service manager . [ line managers  in travel agency branches ]

- All the directors together are the ‘board’ . They meet in the ‘boardroom’ .

- ‘Non-executive directors’ are not managers of the company ; they are outsiders , often directors of other companies who have particular knowledge of the industry or of particular areas .

- The marketing director is the ‘head of marketing’ , the IT director is the ‘head of IT, etc. These people ‘head’ or ‘head up’ their departments . Informally , the head of an activity , a ‘department’ or an organization is its ‘boss’ .

- An ‘executive’ or , informally , an ‘exec’ is usually a manager at quite a high level [ for example , a ‘senior executive’ . But ‘executive’ can be used in other contexts to suggest luxury , as in ‘executive coach’ and ‘executive home’ , even for things that are not actually used by executives .

B-] Managers and executives in US :

1-] Non-executive directors :chief executive officer [ CED ] , chief operating officer [ COO ].

2-] Senior executives / top executives / executive directors : chief financial officer [ CFO ] , vice president [ VP ] marketing , vice president [ VP ] human resources , vice president [ VP ] research .

- In the US , the top position may be that of chairman / chairwoman or ‘president’ .This job is often combined with the position of ‘chief executive officer’ or [ CEO ].

- Some companies have a ‘chief operating officer’ to take care of the day-to-day running of the company . The finance director may be called the ‘chief financial officer’ .

- In the US , senior managers in charge of particular areas are often called ‘vice presidents’ [VPs] .

Businesspeople and business leaders .

A-] Businesspeople and entrepreneurs :

- A ‘businessman / businesswoman or businessperson’[ the plural of ‘businessperson’ is ‘businesspeople’ ] is someone who works in their own business or as a manager in an organization .

- An ‘entrepreneur’ is someone who starts or ‘founds’ or ‘establishes’ their own company . Someone who starts a company is its ‘founder’ . An entrepreneur may found a series of companies or ‘start-ups’ . ‘Entrepreneurial’ is used in a positive way to describe the risk-taking people who do this and their activities . Some entrepreneurs leave the companies they found , perhaps going on to found more companies . Others may stay to develop and ‘grow’ their businesses .

B-] Leaders and leadership :

- A large company mainly owned by one person or family is a ‘business empire’ . Successful businesspeople , especially heads of large organizations are ‘business leaders’ or , in journalistic terms ‘captains of industry’ .

- There is a lot of discussion about whether people like this ae born with ‘leadership skills’ , or whether such skills can be learned .

C-] Magnates , moguls and tycoons :

- People in charge of big business empires may be referred to , especially by journalists , as ‘magnates’ , ‘moguls’ or ‘tycoons’ . These words often occur in combinations such as these :

1-] Magnate : media , press , shipping , oil .

2-] Mogul :  movie , media , shipping .

3-] Tycoon : property , software .

Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment [ 32 ]

32- ]Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment .

 

Business Vocabulary in Use .

This part helps learners of business English improve their business vocabulary . It is for people studying English before they start work and for those already working who need English in their job . It also helps to develop the language needed for important business communication skills .

Work and jobs .

A - ] What do you do ? :

 - I ‘work for’ a large European car maker . I ‘work on’ car design . In fact , I ‘run’ the design department and I ‘manage’ a team of designers : 20 people ‘work under’ me . It’s very interesting . One of my ‘responsibilities’ is to make sure that new model designs are finished on time . I’m also ‘in charge of’ design budgets .

- I ‘deal with’ a lot of different people in the company . I’m ‘responsible for’ co-ordination between design and production : I ‘work with’ managers at our manufacturing plants .

B-] Word combination with ‘work’ :

- I work in a bank . I leave ‘for work’ at 7.30 every morning . I ‘go to work’ by train and subway . I ‘get to / arrive at work’ at about nine . I’m usually ‘at work’ till six . Luckily , I don’t get ill very much , so I’m not often ‘off work’ .

- The percentage of people ‘out of work’ has fallen to its lowest level for 3 years .

C-] Types of job and types of work :

- A ‘full-time’ job is for the whole of the normal working week .

- A ‘part-time’ job is for some days of the week or some hours of the day .

- A ‘permanent job’ does not finish after a fixed period ; ‘temporary job’ finishes after a fixed period .

Ways of working .

A-] Old and new ways :

- I’m an ‘office worker’ in an insurance company . It’s a ‘nine-to-five’ job with regular ‘working hours’ . The work isn’t very interesting , but I like to be ale to go home at a reasonable time .

- We all have ‘clock in /on’ and ‘clock out /off’ every day . In this company , even the managers have to , which is unusual !

- I’m in computer programming . There’s a system of ‘flexitime’ in my company , which means we can work when we want , within certain limits . We can start at any time before eleven , and finish as early as three , as long as we do enough hours each month . It’s ideal for me as I have two young children .

- I work in a car plant . I work in ‘shifts’ . I may be on the ‘day shift’ one week , and the ‘night shift’ the next week . It’s difficult changing from one shift to another . When I change shifts , I have problems changing to a new routine for sleeping and eating .

- I am a commercial artist in an advertising agency . I work in a big city , but I prefer living in the country , so I ‘commute’ to work every day , like thousands of other ‘commuters’ . ‘Working from home’ using a computer and the Internet is becoming more and more popular , and the agency is introducing this : it’s called ‘teleworking’ or ‘telecommuting’ .

B-]Words used in front of ‘job’ and ‘work’ :

- The work is interesting and gives you positive feelings : satisfying , stimulating , fascinating , exciting .

- The work is not interesting : dull , boring , uninteresting , unstimulating .

- The work involves doing the same things again and again : repetitive , routine .

- The work is difficult and makes you tired : tiring , tough , hard , demanding .

C-] Nature of work :

My work involves : human contact , long hours , team work , solving problems , travelling a lot , dealing with customers .

Recruitment And Selection .

A-] Recruitment :

The process of finding people for particular jobs is ‘recruitment’ or , especially in American English ‘hiring’ . Someone who has been recruited is a ‘recruit’ or , in American English       ‘a hire’ . The company ‘employs’ or ‘hires’ them ; they ‘join’ the company . A company may recruit employees directly or use outside ‘recruiters’ , ‘recruitment agencies’ or ‘employment agencies’ . Outside specialists called ‘headhunters’ may be called on to ‘headhunt’ people for very important jobs , persuading them to leave the organization they already work for . This process is called ‘headhunting’ .

B-] Applying for a job :

- Hashim is a van driver , but he was fed up with long trips . He looked in the ‘situations vacant’ pages of his local newspaper , where a local supermarket was advertising for van drivers for a new delivery service . He ‘applied for’ the job by completing an ‘application form’ and sending it in .  

- Seraj is a building engineer . He saw a job in the ‘appointments’ pages of one of the national papers . He made an application , sending in his CV[ curriculum vitae – the story of the working life ] and a ‘covering letter’ explaining why he wanted the job and why he was the right person for it .

- ‘situation’ , ‘post’ and ‘position’ are formal words often used in job advertisements and applications .

C-] Selection procedures :

The head of recruitment at a German telecommunications  company talks about he ‘selection process’ – the methods that the company uses to recruit people .

-‘ We advertise in national newspapers .We look at the ‘backgrounds’ of ‘applicants’ : their ‘experience’ of different jobs and their educational ‘qualifications’. We don’t ask for handwritten ‘letters of application’ as people usually apply by email ; ‘handwriting analysis’ belongs to the 19^th century .

- We invite the most interesting ‘candidates’ to a ‘group discussion’ . Then we have individual ‘interviews’ with each candidate . We also ask the candidates to do written ‘psychometric tests’ to assess their intelligence and personality .

- After this , we ‘shortlist’ three or four candidates . We check their ‘references’ by writing to their ‘referees’ : previous employers or teachers that candidates  have named in their applications . If the references are OK , we ask the candidates to come back for more interviews . Finally , we ‘offer’ the job to someone , and if they ‘turn it down’ we have to think again . If they ‘accept’ it , we ‘hire’ them . We only ‘appoint’ someone if we find the right person .

Skills and qualifications .

A-] Education and training :

    - The trouble with ‘graduates’ ; people who have just left university is that heir ‘paper qualifications’ are good , but they have no ‘work experience’ .

    - ‘Education’ should teach people how to think , not prepare them for a particular job . One of the last years’ recruits had ‘graduated from’ Oxford in philosophy and she is doing very well .

  - Philosophy is an interesting subject , but for our company , it is more useful if you ‘train as’ a scientist and ‘qualify as’ a biologist or chemist – ‘training for’ a specific job is better .

     - We do not just need scientists . We also need good managers , which we can achieve through ‘in-house training’ courses within the company . We have ‘put a lot of money into’ ‘management development’ and ‘management training’ because they are very important . You need to have some management experience for that , It is not the sort of thing you can learn when you are 20 !

B-] Skilled and unskilled :

  ‘A skill’ is the ability to do something well ,especially because you have learned how to do it and practiced it .

Jobs and people who do them can be described as :

1- ] Highly skilled : [ e.g. car designer ] 2-] skilled : [ e.g. car production manager ]

3-] Semi-skilled : [ e.g. taxi driver ]       4-] Semi-skilled : [ e.g. car cleaner ]

- skilled at [ noun ] customer care , electronics , computer software .

- skilled in [ verb + ing ] communicating  , using PCs , working with large groups .

- good with , computers , figures , people .

C-] The right person :

 These words are often used in job advertisements . Companies look for people who are :

- self-starters , proactive , self-motivated , or self-driven : good at working on their own .

- methodical , systematic and organized : can work in a planned , orderly way .

- computer-literate : good with numbers .

- motivated : very keen to do well in their job .

- talented : naturally very good at what they do .

- team players : people who work well with other people .

Pay and benefits .

A-] Wages , salary and benefits :

- I am a hotel manager . I get paid a ‘salary’ every month . In summer we are very busy , so we work a lot of extra hours , or ‘overtime’ . Working in a hotel , we also get nice ‘perks’ , for example free meals .

- I work as a waiter . I like my job even if I do not ‘earn’ very much : I get paid ‘wages’ every week by the restaurant . We get the ‘minimum wage’ : the lowest amount allowed by law . But we also get ‘tips’ , money that customers leave for us in addition to the bill . Some tourists are very generous .

- I am a saleswoman based in Paris . I get a ‘basic salary’ , plus ‘commission : a percentage on everything I sell . If I sell more than a particular amount in a year , I also get extra money – a ‘bonus’ , which is nice . There are some good ‘fringe benefits’ with this job : I get a ‘company car’ , and they make payments for my ‘pension’ , money that I will get regularly after I stop working . All that makes a good ‘benefits package’ .

B-] Compensation 1 :

- I am a specialist in ‘pay and benefits’ . ‘Compensation and remuneration’ are formal words used to talk about pay and benefits , especially those of senior managers . ‘Compensation package and remuneration package’ are used especially in the US to talk about all the pay and benefits that employees receive . For a senior executive , this may include ‘share options’ [Br E] or ‘stock options’ [Am. E] : the right to buy the company’s shares  at low prices . There may be ‘performance-related bonuses’ if the manager reaches particular objectives for the company .

C-] Compensation 2 :

- ‘Compensation’ is also used to talk about money and other benefits that a senior manager   [ or any employee ] receives if they are forced to leave the organization , perhaps after a ‘boardroom row’ . This money is in the form of a ‘compensation payment’ , or ‘severance payment’ . If the manager also receives benefits , the payment and the benefits form a ‘severance package’ .

- In Britain , executives with very high pay and good benefits may be referred to as ‘fat cats’ , implying that they do not deserve this level of remuneration .

Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment [ 31 ]

31- ] Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment .

 

Air Travel .

A- ] Departure :

- At the airport , you first go to the ‘ticket counter’ to ‘check in’ [ report that you have arrived ] . The ‘ticket agent’ [ airline representative ] ‘checks’ [ examines ] your ticket and ‘identification [ID] [ any document that shows who you are ] and gives you a ‘boarding pass’ for the plane with the ‘gate’ number [ e.g. , gate 14 ] and you seat number on it . If you have luggage to ‘check’ [ the luggage is taken on the plane separately ] , you are given a ‘claim ticket’ [ a piece of paper that shows the luggage is yours ] . If you are taking an international flight , an official checks your passport . International passengers can buy things in the ‘duty-free shops’ without paying sales tax , e.g. , perfume , watches and packaged food . About half an hour or so before ‘takeoff’ , you ‘board’ [ get on ]the plane and find your seat . If you have ‘carry-on luggage’ , you can ‘store’ [ put ] it under the seat in front of you or in the ‘overhead compartment’ above you . The plane then ‘taxis [ moves slowly ] toward the ‘runway’ , and when it has permission to ‘take off’ [ leave the ground ] , it accelerates along the runway and takes off .

B- ] The flight :

You may want or need to understand announcements ; these come from the ‘captain’ [ the pilot ] or from the ‘cabin crew / flight attendants’ [ people responsible for the safety and comfort of the passengers ] :

- Please ‘fasten your seat belts’ and put your seat in the ‘upright position’ .

- We are now ‘cruising’ [ flying at a steady speed ] at an ‘altitude’ [ height ] of 30,000 feet.

- We would like to ‘remind’ you [ ask you to remember ] that this is a ‘nonsmoking flight’ .

- The ‘flight attendants’ are now coming through the aircraft with ‘landing cards’ .

   [ These are cards you may have to fill out when you enter certain countries . ]

- At this time , please ‘discontinue the use of [ stop using ] and ‘stow’ [ put away ] any ‘portable electronic items’ [electronic articles that you can carry ,e.g. a laptop] .

C - ] Arrival :

When the plane ‘lands’ [ arrives on the ground ] , you have to wait for it to stop / to come to a full stop . When the doors are open , you ‘get off’ the plane and walk through the ‘terminal building’ [ where passengers arrive and depart ] and go to the ‘baggage claim’ area , where you get your luggage . After international flights , you then ‘pass through customs’ [ where your bags are checked for illegal goods or large purchases ] . If you are lucky , you can then get a bus , taxi or train to the center of town without waiting too long . You can also ‘rent’ a car at most airports .

Hotels .

A-] Hotels and other lodgings :

- ‘ a hotel’ : You pay for your room , but meals are usually extra . Most hotels have a restaurant and / or a coffee shop .

- ‘a motel’ : Less expensive than a hotel . Parking is free ; often you can park your car right outside your room . There’s usually no restaurant .

- ‘a bed and breakfast [ B & B ] : A room in someone’s home or in a small inn . Breakfast is included in the price .

- ‘a youth hostel’ : Very inexpensive ; you share a room with other people .

B- ] Staying at a hotel :

- We stayed at Sheraton Hotel for three nights in July , but I ‘made a reservation’ / ‘reserved a room’ [ arranged for a room to be held ] three months ‘in advance’ [ earlier ; in other words , in April ] because it was the middle of the ‘tourist season’ [ period of time ] . When we arrived , we ‘checked in at the registration desk’ / ‘at the front desk’ ; then the ‘bellman’ [porter] took our suitcases up to the room . I gave him a ‘tip’ - $ 1 for each suitcase . The staff was very friendly – we had a very nice ‘maid’ [ a woman who cleans the room , or ‘cleaner’ for a man or woman ] – and the room was very comfortable . The only problem was with the TV , which did not work [ function ] very well . [ You can say ‘There was something wrong with the TV’ .]

C- ] Useful words and expressions :

- ‘ a single room’ : For one person .

- ‘ a double room’ : For two people . You can ask for two beds or a ‘king-size’           [ extra large ] bed .

- ‘double occupancy’ : means two ‘guests’ [ people ] stay in the room . Some hotels advertise room rates in this way : ‘$ 50 per person , double occupancy’ . [ The price is $ 100 . ]

- ‘a nonsmoking room / floor’ : Smoking is not allowed .

-Could I ‘make a reservation’ /‘reserve a room’ /‘book a room’ for next Thursday ?

- Could I have a ‘wake-up call’ at 7 a.m. , please ? [ Could you call to wake me at 7 a.m. ?]

- Could you ‘put it on my bill’ , please ? [ add the cost to the bill , e.g. , for a meal you order in your room ]

- I’m ‘checking out’ , [ leaving the hotel at the end of your stay ] Could I ‘pay my bill’ , please? [ pay for everything ]

- Could you ‘call [ telephone for ] a taxi for me to go to the airport ?

-Are you ‘full’ /‘fully booked’ [ completely full , no rooms available ] all next week ?

- Is breakfast ‘included’ ? [ Does the price include breakfast ? ]

- Where’s the ‘elevator’ ? [ the machine that takes you from one floor to another ]

- Excuse me . How do I get to the subway station from here ?