Good communication requires clear speaking and writing and in Business English tests it is important to be familiar with words and terms which are commonly used in a business context or scenario.
Developing good business writing, listening, reading and speaking skills is essential to be an effective communicator in business.
Check out the examples below of Business English vocabulary and phrases used in context.
They include many words used in various Business English exam preparation materials and Business English vocabulary for advanced English learners.
How to Use Business English Vocabulary
appraisal: Next month the company will carry out the annual staff appraisals.
bonus scheme: The bank offers its executives a very attractive performance related bonus scheme.
book-keeping: Accurate book-keeping is critical for financial control.
computer literate: All candidates for the position must be computer literate.
core: The core business of the company is the production of high quality lithium batteries.
dedicated: This machine includes a dedicated security system to prevent any overloading of the mechanism.
degree: The job requires a relevant degree and experience.
firm: They are one of the most prestigious financial firms in the city.
flying start: The project got off to a flying start with an excellent response from consumers.
goal: The company has three major goals for next year; one of them is expansion into foreign markets.
graduate: Applicants for the position should be graduates with relevant experience.
hands-on: It’s sometimes important to have a hands-on approach to management.
high flier: The company’s latest recruit is a real high flier and was very successful at her previous position.
in-house: All new recruits will be subject to six-months in-house training as well as receiving onsite supervision.
key: Expanding the product line is one of the key strategies in the company’s business plan.
learning goals: The course has several specific learning goals that attendees will be expected to meet.
limited: The business was set up as a limited company (Ltd.)
monitor: The firm carefully monitored the sales over the last quarter.
on-the-job training : One of the best things about the company is they give a lot of on-the-job-training to their employees.
peer: He was a respected executive among his peers.
permanent contract: John was excited when his boss told him that next year he would have a permanent contract.
promising: The new iPhone looks very promising, it may be the best yet.
promote: Jenny's manager told her that she would be promoted to Head of marketing next month.
The company had an aggresive marketing plan to promote their new product line.
recruit: New recruits in the company have to complete 6 months on-the-job-training before being assigned their own client accounts.
salary: Francis was very happy when she received a salary increase at the end of the year.
skill: The account manager had real skill when it came to closing deals with new clients.
staff development: The company planned several staff development workshops to increase productivity and creativity in various departments.
study leave: During his MBA, John was allowed study leave every Friday afternoon from his work.
tailor-made: The software was a tailor-made solution for the client, it was very special and highly customized to meet the client's needs.
track record: Paul had an excellent track record in digital marketing solutions.
workload: The company's workload suddenly increased after signing a new supply contract with a firm in China.
accounting: Accurate accounting is an essential element of good financial management and strategy.
areas: As a new fast-track management recruit James was given experience in various areas of the company over a six month period.
audit: All public limited companies are required to undergo a yearly audit of their accounting procedures.
baby (your own baby): Michael was very proud of his baby, his innovative design was very popular with the marketing group.
Michael's latest design project was very much his own baby, he took it from concept to prototype all by himself.
board of directors: The board of directors will meet at the end of the month to make some tough decisions about the future of the company.
candidate: Jaqueline was the best candidate for the position, her skills and work experience were excellent and better than the other candidates in the selection process.
cashier: The supermarket decided to offer on-the-job-trainig to all cashiers to improve their customer service skills.
CEO (Chief Executive Officer): The CEO of the company is planning to visit all the regional offices this month and meet with all the managers.
challenging: The new products are very challenging in terms of design and the integration of new technology.
checkout: Although she started working on the checkout, she had worked hard to be promoted to supervisor of the store.
CIO (Chief Information Officer): James was hoping that he would be successful in his promotion to the position of CIO.
customer relations: Nowadays, customer relations management is a very important function of any company, especially if they want to continue expanding.
customer service: The customer service department has managed to reduce the number of complaints from users in the last three months.
deadline: Peter needs to finish the report he is working on before the deadline at the end of the week.
Finance Manager: The Finance Manager started the meeting with a review of the current economic factors which are affecting the company's performnce in the market.
financial year: The finance department are all working really hard to prepare all the reports for the end of the financial year.
fire: The boss liked Sam, but she had to fire him because he was not a good worker.
forecast: The profits forecast for the third quarter are not so good due to more competition in the market.
fulfilling : Josh is looking for a fulfilling career in social services management.
graduation : After graduation from university, Peter will be taking up a position as a junior tax accountant at KPMG in London.
HRM: The Human Resources Manager is one of the key executive positions within our top management team.He/she is responsible for the optimization of all human talent within the organization.
incentive event: The incentive event last month was a great opportunity for the company to reward their staff and loyal clients for their contribution to the company’s growth.
interviewee: During the selection process the Human Resources Manager noticed one of the interviewees looked very nervous.
launch: Our company is planning to launch three new products next month, so we have a lot of work to do.
lifestyle: Not everyone subscribes to the typical corporate lifestyle. Some people prefer to work in smaller organizations where they can make more of a difference.
management accounting : Our department deals with management accounting. Our main responsibility is preparing financial reports and data to enable senior management to make strategic decisions for the company.
Managing Director: The CEO or Managing Director of a company has overall responsibility for the daily operations and overall performance of the company.
Marketing Consultant: We contracted a marketing consultant to advise us how to best market our products and services to potential clients.
PA (Personal Assistant): Our boss has just hired a new PA.
part-time job: When I was a student I had a part-time job as a courier in the afternoons and in the holidays. It was only about 20 hours per week, but it was interesting.
performance: In the company where I work, staff performance is evaluated every six months. If your performance is good, you receive a bonus, but if your performance is below expectations then you have to create an action plan to improve your work performance in the next six-month period.
PRO (Public Relations Office): Our Public Relations Officer works hard to maintain our excellent company reputation and public image.
R&D (Research & Development): In some high-tech companies the budget for R&D is the biggest of all the departments in the company.
recruitment: Our Human Resources department is currently on a recruitment drive to attract high calibre university graduates into the company.
relief: There is a relief receptionist working this week because the normal receptionist is on vacation.
reporting to me: I have twenty people reporting to me. I’m responsible for assigning their tasks and their overall job performance.
research and development: Our Research and Development team are essential to the success of the company. Without them investigating and developing new products we wouldn’t be very competitive.
role (position/responsibility): The manager’s role is to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the company.
routine correspondence: My personal assistant takes care of routine correspondence. She deals with all the normal letters and emails which don’t really require my special attention.
selling point: Our most successful product has several good selling points which make it much better than other similar products on the market.
USP (Unique Selling Point): Our marketing department have identified one or two unique selling points which they will promote in the marketing campaign for the new product launch.
