English for Business Life Elementary

plant: factory
postroom: room in an office where the post is sorted
PR: public relations
presentation: demonstration or exhibition of a new product
or a proposed plan
production department: section of a company which deals
with the making of the company's products
profit: money gained from a sale which is more than the
money spent
purchase order: official order made out by a purchasing
department for goods or services
purchasing department: section of a company which deals
with buying of stock, raw materials, equipment, etc.
R&D: Research and Development
rates: amount of money charged per hour, day, etc., e.g. car
hire rates
receipt: piece of paper showing that money has been paid or
that something has been received
reception: 1 place (in a hotel or office) where visitors
register or say who they have come to see
2 function arranged to welcome new arrivals or visitors
records: documents and other information kept because
they may be needed in the future
recruitment department: section of a company which
deals with looking for or getting new staff
ref no.: reference number
reference number: number that makes it possible to find a
document which has been filed
refund: money paid back, e.g. for returned goods
rent: to pay money to use property (sometimes equipment)
for a time (see also hire)
rental: money paid to use an office, etc. for a time
rep: representative, e.g. sales rep
Research and Development department: department
which carries out scientific investigation leading to new
products or improvement of existing ones
sack: to dismiss a member of staff
salary: payment for work, usually in the form of a monthly
cheque, made to an employee with a contract
sales department: section of a company which deals in
selling the company's products or services
sales figures: total sales, or sales broken down by category
schedule: timetable or plan made in advance
section: department in a company
security: 1 staff who protect an office or factory, e.g. from
burglars 2 system which protects, e.g. electronic security
system
service: to keep a machine in good working order
service (charge): charge added to a bill in a restaurant to pay
for service
share: official document showing that the holder shares
ownership of a company; shares usually entitle the holder
to receive a dividend (share of the profits) and to vote at
the AGM (Annual General Meeting)
shareholder: person who owns shares in a company
showroom: room where goods are displayed for sale
shredder: machine for cutting documents into thin strips so
they cannot be read
site: place where there are buildings (site plan = plan which
shows where different buildings are)
spare part: piece of machinery used to replace part of a
machine which is broken or worn out
standard: normal or usual, e.g. standard model
sterling: standard currency used in the United Kingdom
stock: quantity of goods for sale or for use in production (out
of stock = there is no stock left)
stock control manager: manager responsible for
controlling stock - movement in and out, levels,
re-ordering, etc.
stockbroker: person who buys and sells shares for clients
store: 1 place where goods are kept
2 quantity of items or materials kept because they will
be needed
subsidiary: company which is owned by a parent company
supplement: thing which is added
supplier: person or company that supplies goods or services
switchboard: central point in a telephone system, where all
lines meet
tariff: 1 tax to be paid for importing or exporting goods
2 rate of charging, e.g. for hotels rooms, car hire
tax: money taken by a government or an official body to pay
for government services
tax lawyer: person who specialises in laws relating to tax
training department: department responsible for staff
training
transport manager: person in charge of transportation,
e.g. delivering goods
travel agent: person who arranges travel for customers
trip: journey (business trip = journey relating to work)
unit: single building or small department, e.g. medical unit,
translation unit
VAT: value-added tax (UK sales tax)
wages: money paid (usually in cash each week) to a worker
for work done
warehouse: large building where goods are stored
workshop: 1 small factory
2 area in a building where mechanical work is done
120 GLOSSARY