Dictionary of

Human Resourcesand Personnel

Management

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Dictionary of

Human Resourcesand Personnel

Management

third edition

A & C Black � London

www.acblack.com

Third edition publshed 2003, reprinted 2006Second edition 1997, reprinted 1998

First edition published in 1988 as Dictionary of Personnel Management

A & C Black Publishers Ltd38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB

© A. Ivanovic MBA & P. H. Collin 1988, 1997© A & C Black Publishers Ltd 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducedin any form or by any means without the permission of the publishers

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

eISBN-13: 978-1-4081-0217-6

Text Production and ProofreadingHeather Bateman, Katy McAdam

A & C Black uses paper produced with elemental chlorine-free pulp,harvested from managed sustainable forests.

Text typeset by A & C BlackPrinted in Italy by Legoprint

Preface

This dictionary provides the user with a comprehensive vocabulary of termsused in human resource management. It covers all aspects of the subjectincluding recruitment and selection, appraisals, payment systems, dismissalsand other aspects of industrial relations.

The main words are explained in simple English, and pronunciations aregiven in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Where appropriate, examplesare included to show how the words are used in context. Quotations are alsogiven from various magazines and newspapers, which give an idea of howthe terms are used in real life. The supplement at the back of the book givesvarious documents which provide useful guidelines as to how a company’sown documents can be constructed.

We are grateful to the following for their valuable comments on the text:Dena Michelli, Michael Furlong, Yvonne Quinn, Stephen Curtis, MargaretJull Costa, Georgia Hole, Dinah Jackson and Sandra Anderson.

Pronunciation Guide

The following symbols have been used to show the pronunciation of the mainwords in the dictionary.

Stress is indicated by a main stress mark ( � ) and a secondary stress mark ( � ). Notethat these are only guides, as the stress of the word changes according to its positionin the sentence.

Vowels Consonants� back b buckɑ� harm d deadɒ stop ð othera type d� jumpaυ how f fareaə hire � goldaυə hour h headɔ� course j yellowɔ annoy k cabe head l leaveeə fair m mixe make n nileυ go ŋ sing�� word p printi� keep r resti happy s saveə about ʃ shop fit t takeə near tʃ changeu annual θ theftu� pool v valueυ book w workυə tour x loch' shut � measure

z zone

A

AA /�e �e/ same as attendanceallowance

ability /ə�blti/ noun the capacity orpower to do something � Ability to sellis essential for the job.ability test /ə�blti test/ noun sameas aptitude test

able /�eb(ə)l/ adjective capable orworking well � She’s a very ablemanager.able-bodied /eb(ə)l �bɒdid/ adjec-tive with no physical handicap � Thework is strenuous and only suitable forthe young and able-bodied.abroad /ə�brɔ�d/ adverb to or in an-other country � The consignment ofcars was shipped abroad last week. �The chairman is abroad on business. �He worked abroad for ten years. � Halfof our profit comes from sales abroad.absence /��bsəns/ noun the fact ofnot being at work or at a meeting � inthe absence of when someone is notthere � In the absence of the chairman,his deputy took the chair. � unauthor-ised absence from work, absencewithout leave being away from workwithout permission and without a goodreasonabsent /��bsənt/ adjective not atwork or not at a meeting � He was ab-sent owing to illness. � Ten of the work-ers are absent with flu. � The chairmanis absent in Holland on business.absentee /�bsən�ti�/ noun a personwho is absent or an employee who staysaway from work for no good reasonabsenteeism /�bs(ə)n�ti�z(ə)m/noun the practice of staying away fromwork for no good reason � Low produc-tivity is largely due to the high level of

absenteeism. � Absenteeism is high inthe week before Christmas.

‘…but the reforms still hadn’t fundamentallychanged conditions on the shop floor:absenteeism was as high as 20% on some days’[Business Week]

absenteeism rate /�bsən-�ti�z(ə)m ret/ noun the percentage ofthe workforce which is away from workwith no good excuse � The rate of ab-senteeism or the absenteeism rate al-ways increases in fine weather.ACAS /�ek�s/ abbr Advisory, Concil-iation and Arbitration Serviceaccept /ək�sept/ verb 1. to take some-thing which is being offered � to acceptdelivery of a shipment to take goodsinto the warehouse officially when theyare delivered 2. to say ‘yes’ or to agreeto something � She accepted the offer ofa job in Australia. � He accepted £2000in lieu of notice.acceptable /ək�septəb(ə)l/ adjectivewhich can be accepted � Both partiesfound the offer acceptable. � The termsof the contract of employment are notacceptable to the candidate.acceptance /ək�septəns/ noun � ac-ceptance of an offer the act of agreeingto an offer � to give an offer a condi-tional acceptance to accept an offerprovided that specific things happen orthat specific terms apply � we havetheir letter of acceptance we have re-ceived a letter from them accepting theofferacceptance bonus /əkseptəns�bəυnəs/ noun a bonus paid to a newemployee when they agree to join an or-ganisation (NOTE: an acceptance bonuscan be a feature of a golden hello andis designed both to attract and to retainstaff)

AA 1 acceptance bonus

acceptance sampling 2 account

acceptance sampling /ək�septənssɑ�mplŋ/ noun the process of testing asmall sample of a batch to see if thewhole batch is good enough to beacceptedaccess /��kses/ noun � to have ac-cess to something to be able to obtainor reach something � She has access tolarge amounts of venture capital. � verbto call up data which is stored in a com-puter � She accessed the address file onthe computer.accession /ək�seʃ(ə)n/ noun the actof joining an organisationaccession rate /ək�seʃ(ə)n ret/noun 1. the percentage of employees inan organisation who have joined it dur-ing a particular period of time 2. a rateof pay for employees when first hired �After the first year, pay went up consid-erably despite the low accession rate. �The accession rate depends on whetherthe entrants are skilled or unskilled.access time /��kses tam/ noun thetime taken by a computer to find datastored in itaccident /��ksd(ə)nt/ noun some-thing unpleasant which can be causedby carelessness or which happens bychance such as a plane crash

COMMENT: Fatal accidents and accidentswhich cause major injuries or which pre-vent an employee from working for morethan three days must be reported to theHealth and Safety Executive.

accidental /�ks�dent(ə)l/ adjectivehappening by chance, not done inten-tionally � accidental destruction of thecomputer filesaccident book /��ksd(ə)nt bυk/noun a book in which details of acci-dents at work are noted downaccident frequency rate/�ksd(ə)nt �fri�kwənsi ret/ noun thenumber of accidents involving injury ordeath during a specified number ofman-hours � The accident frequencyrate has risen since the new machinerywas installed.accident prevention /�ksd(ə)ntpr�venʃən/ noun measures taken toprevent accidents

accident-prone worker/�ksd(ə)nt prəυn �w��kə/ noun aworker who is more likely to have acci-dents than other workersaccident report /��ksd(ə)nt r-pɔ�t/ noun a report of an accidentwhich has taken place at workaccommodate /ə�kɒmədet/ verb toprovide someone with a place to live in� The company accommodates its em-ployees near their workplace.accommodation /əkɒmə�deʃ(ə)n/noun 1. money lent for a short time 2. aplace to stay temporarily or live in �Visitors have difficulty in finding hotelaccommodation during the summer.

‘…any non-resident private landlord can letfurnished or unfurnished accommodation to atenant’ [Times]‘…the airline providing roomy accommodationsat below-average fares’ [Dun’s Business Month]

accommodation address /ə-kɒmə�deʃ(ə)n ədres/ noun an ad-dress used for receiving messages butwhich is not the real address of thecompanyaccordance /ə�kɔ�dns/ noun � in ac-cordance with in agreement with, ac-cording to, as someone says or writes �In accordance with your instructions wehave deposited the money in your cur-rent account. � I am submitting theclaim for damages in accordance withthe advice of our legal advisers.accordingly /ə�kɔ�dŋli/ adverb inagreement with what has been decided� We have received your letter and havealtered the contract accordingly.according to /ə�kɔ�dŋ tu�/ prepo-sition as stated or shown by someone �The computer was installed accordingto the manufacturer’s instructions.

‘…the budget targets for employment andgrowth are within reach according to the latestfigures’ [Australian Financial Review]

account /ə�kaυnt/ noun 1. a record offinancial transactions over a period oftime, such as money paid, received, bor-rowed or owed � Please send me youraccount or a detailed or an itemized ac-count. 2. � accounts of a business, acompany’s accounts a detailed recordof a company’s financial affairs 3. acustomer who does a large amount of

business with a firm and has an accountwith it � Smith Brothers is one of ourlargest accounts. � Our sales peoplecall on their best accounts twice amonth. 4. � to keep the accounts towrite each sum of money in the accountbook � The bookkeeper’s job is to enterall the money received in the accounts.5. notice � to take account of inflation,to take inflation into account to as-sume that there will be a specific per-centage of inflation when makingcalculations � verb � to account for toexplain and record a money transaction� to account for a loss or a discrepancy� The reps have to account for all theirexpenses to the sales manager.accountability /əkaυntə�blti/noun the fact of being responsible tosomeone for something (such as the ac-countability of directors to theshareholders)accountable /ə�kaυntəb(ə)l/ adjec-tive referring to a person who has to ex-plain what has taken place or who isresponsible for something (NOTE: youare accountable to someone forsomething)accountancy /ə�kaυntənsi/ noun thework of an accountant � They are study-ing accountancy or They are accoun-tancy students. (NOTE: AmericanEnglish is accounting in this meaning)accountant /ə�kaυntənt/ noun a per-son who keeps a company’s accounts �The chief accountant of a manufactur-ing group. � The accountant has showna sharp variance in our labour costs.account director /ə�kaυnt da-rektə/ noun a person who works in anadvertising agency and who overseesvarious account managers who are eachresponsible for specific clientsaccount executive /ə�kaυnt -zekjυtv/ noun an employee of an or-ganisation such as a bank, public rela-tions firm, or advertising agency who isresponsible for looking after particularclients and handling their business withthe organisationaccounting /ə�kaυntŋ/ noun thework of recording money paid, re-ceived, borrowed or owed � accountingmethods � accounting procedures � an

accounting system � an accountingmachine

‘…applicants will be professionally qualifiedand have a degree in Commerce or Accounting’[Australian Financial Review]

accounting period /ə�kaυntŋpəriəd/ noun a period of time at theend of which the firm’s accounts aremade upaccounts department /ə�kaυntsdpɑ�tmənt/ noun a department in acompany which deals with money paid,received, borrowed or owedaccounts manager /ə�kaυntsm�nd"ə/ noun the manager of an ac-counts departmentaccounts payable /əkaυnts�peəb(ə)l/ noun money owed by acompanyaccounts receivable /əkaυnts r-�si�vəb(ə)l/ noun money owed to acompanyaccreditation /əkred�teʃ(ə)n/noun the process of certifying the com-petence of a person in a certain area �accreditation of union officials officialrecognition by a company that certainemployees are representatives of a tradeunion and are treated as such by thecompanyaccreditation of prior learning/əkredteʃ(ə)n əv praə �l��nŋ/noun a process that enables people toobtain formal recognition of qualifica-tions and experience that they havegained before joining an organisation(NOTE: accreditation of prior learningmay be used to support the award of avocational qualification)accredited /ə�kredtd/ adjective re-ferring to an agent who is appointed bya company to act on its behalfaccrual /ə�kru�əl/ noun a gradual in-crease by addition � accrual of interestautomatic addition of interest to capitalaccrual rate /ə�kru�əl ret/ noun therate at which an employee’s pension in-creases as each year of service is com-pleted, so forming the basis forcalculating their pensionaccrue /ə�kru�/ verb 1. to record a fi-nancial transaction in accounts when ittakes place, and not when payment is

accountability 3 accrue

accurate 4 Action Programme

made or received 2. to increase and bedue for payment at a later date � Inter-est accrues from the beginning of themonth.accurate /��kjυrət/ adjective correct� The sales department made an accu-rate forecast of sales. � The designersproduced an accurate copy of the plan.accurately /��kjυrətli/ adverb cor-rectly � The second quarter’s drop insales was accurately forecast by thecomputer.accuse /ə�kju�z/ verb to say thatsomeone has committed a crime � Shewas accused of stealing from the pettycash box. � He was accused of indus-trial espionage. (NOTE: you accusesomeone of a crime or of doingsomething)achieve /ə�tʃi�v/ verb to succeed indoing something, to do something suc-cessfully � He has achieved hislong-term training objectives. � Thecompany has achieved great success inthe Far East. � We achieved all our ob-jectives in 2001.

‘…the company expects to move to profits ofFFr 2m next year and achieve equally rapidgrowth in following years’ [Financial Times]

achievement /ə�tʃi�vmənt/ nounsuccess or something that has beenachievedachievement test /ə�tʃi�vmənttest/ noun a test designed to measurethe skills which someone is currentlyusing (as opposed to an aptitude test,which measures the skills a personcould use in the future) (NOTE: alsocalled attainment test)achiever /ə�tʃi�və/ noun a person whois successful or who tends to achieve hisor her objectives � It was her reputationas a high achiever that made us think ofheadhunting her.across-the-board /əkrɒs ðə �bɔ�d/adjective applying to everything oreveryone � an across-the-board priceincrease � an across-the-board wageincreaseact /�kt/ noun a law passed by parlia-ment which must be obeyed by the peo-ple � verb 1. to work � He has agreedto act as an agent for an American com-pany. � The solicitor is acting for us or

on our behalf. � to act as someone todo someone’s job while he is away �She will act as marketing managerwhile Mr Smith is on holiday. 2. to dosomething � The board will have to actquickly if the company’s losses are go-ing to be reduced. � The lawyers areacting on our instructions. � to act on aletter to do what a letter asks to be doneacting /��ktŋ/ adjective working inplace of someone for a short time � act-ing manager � the Acting Chairmanaction /��kʃən/ noun 1. a thing whichhas been done � actions short of dis-missal ways of disciplining an em-ployee who has committed an offence,which stop short of dismissing them(such as demotion, removal of privi-leges, etc.) 2. � to take industrial ac-tion to do something (usually to go onstrike) to show that you are not happywith conditions at work 3. a case in alaw court where a person or companysues another person or company � totake legal action to sue someone � anaction for libel or a libel action � an ac-tion for damages � She brought an ac-tion for wrongful dismissal against herformer employer.actionable /��kʃənəb(ə)l/ adjectivereferring to writing, speech or an actwhich could provide the grounds forbringing an action against someone �Was the employer’s treatment of the em-ployee actionable?action-centred leadership/�kʃən sentəd �li�dəʃp/ noun atheory of leadership which focuses onwhat leaders actually have to do in orderto be effective, rather than on the per-sonal qualities that they need to be goodleaders, and which believes that leader-ship can be taught (NOTE: ac-tion-centred leadership is usuallyillustrated by three overlapping circles,which represent the three key activitiesundertaken by leaders: achieving thetask, building and maintaining theteam and developing the individual)

action learning /��kʃən l��nŋ/noun the process of learning by doing orparticipating in an activityAction Programme /��kʃənprəυ r�m/ noun an EU initiative con-

taining various draft directives to imple-ment the Social Charteractive /��ktv/ adjective involvingmany transactions or activities � an ac-tive demand for oil shares � Computershares are very active. � an active dayon the Stock Exchangeactive interview /�ktv �ntəvju�/noun an interview where the inter-viewee is encouraged to answer fullythe questions asked (as in an open-endinterview)active listening /�ktv �ls(ə)nŋ/noun a technique which involves notonly listening to the words someoneuses, but also taking into account theirtone of voice, their body language andother non-verbal signs in order to gain afuller understanding of what they are ac-tually communicatingactively /��ktvli/ adverb in a busyway � The company is actively recruit-ing new personnel.active partner /�ktv �pɑ�tnə/noun a partner who works in a companythat is a partnershipactivity /�k�tvti/ noun 1. the fact ofbeing active or busy � a low level ofbusiness activity � There was a lot ofactivity on the Stock Exchange. �monthly activity report a report by adepartment on what has been done dur-ing the past month 2. something whichis done � out-of-work activities

‘…preliminary indications of the level ofbusiness investment and activity during theMarch quarter will provide a good picture ofeconomic activity in the year’[Australian Financial Review]

activity chart /�k�tvti tʃɑ�t/ nouna plan showing work which has beendone so that it can be compared to theplan of work to be doneactivity sampling /�k�tvtisɑ�mplŋ/ noun an observation of tasksand their performances, carried out atrandom intervals � Activity samplingwas carried out to see how fast the ma-chinists worked.actuarial analysis /�ktʃueəriəl ə-�n�ləss/ noun a calculation carried outby an actuary to assess somebody’s lifeexpectancy or the degree of risk in-volved in an insurance proposal

actuary /��ktʃuəri/ noun a personemployed by an insurance company orother organisation to calculate the riskinvolved in an insurance, and thereforethe premiums payable by people takingout insuranceacute shortage /əkju�t �ʃɔ�td"/noun a very severe shortage for a periodof timead /�d/ noun same as advertisement(informal.) � We put an ad in the paper.� She answered an ad in the paper. �He found his job through an ad in thepaper.adaptable /ə�d�ptəb(ə)l/ adjective 1.being able to change working practices2. being able to change from job to jobadaptation /�d�p�teʃ(ə)n/ nounsomething which has been adapted �This machine is an adaptation of ouroriginal model.add /�d/ verb 1. to put figures togetherto make a total � If you add the interestto the capital you will get quite a largesum. � Interest is added monthly. 2. toput things together to make a largegroup � We are adding to the salesforce. � They have added two new prod-ucts to their range. � this all adds tothe company’s costs this makes thecompany’s costs higheradding machine /��dŋ məʃi�n/noun a machine which adds numbersaddition /ə�dʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a thing orperson added � The management hasstopped all additions to the staff. � Weare exhibiting several additions to ourproduct line. � The marketing directoris the latest addition to the board. 2. �in addition to added to, as well as �There are twelve registered letters to besent in addition to this packet. 3. an actof putting numbers together � You don’tneed a calculator to do simple addition.additional /ə�dʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective ex-tra which is added � additional costs �They sent us a list of additional charges.� Some additional clauses were addedto the contract. � Additional duty willhave to be paid.additional award /ədʃ(ə)nəl ə-�wɔ�d/ noun an extra payment orderedby an industrial tribunal to a dismissed

active 5 additional award

additional voluntary contributions 6 admin

employee if the company refuses to re-instate them. � special award

additional voluntary contribu-tions /ədʃ(ə)nəl vɒlənt(ə)ri kɒntr-�bju�ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun extra pay-ments made voluntarily by an employeeto a pension scheme (on top of the nor-mal contributions, up to a maximum of15% of gross earnings). Abbr AVCs

address /ə�dres/ noun the details ofnumber, street and town where an officeis or a person lives � My business ad-dress and phone number are printed onthe card. � verb 1. to write the details ofan address on an envelope or package �a letter addressed to the managing di-rector � an incorrectly addressed pack-age � Please address your enquiries tothe manager. 2. to speak � The chair-man addressed the meeting.addressee /�dre�si�/ noun a personto whom a letter or package is addressedaddressing machine /ə�dresŋ mə-ʃi�n/ noun a machine which puts ad-dresses on envelopes automaticallyadd up /�d �$p/ verb 1. to put severalfigures together to make a total � Hemade a mistake in adding up the columnof figures. � the figures do not add upthe total given is not correct 2. to makesense � The complaints in the letter justdo not add up.add up to /�d �$p tυ/ verb to make atotal of � The total expenditure adds upto more than £1,000.adequate /��dkwət/ adjective largeenough � to operate without adequatecover to act without being completelyprotected by insurancead hoc /�d �hɒk/ adjective for thisparticular purpose � They run ad hocsurveys to test customer reaction whenproducts are launched. � Shipping byairfreight was an ad hoc arrangementinitially.ad hoc decision /�d hɒk d-�s"(ə)n/ noun a decision taken to solvea particular problemadhocracy /�d�hɒkrəsi/ noun man-agement which works by takingshort-term decisions, but fails to makelong-term plans

adjourn /ə�d"��n/ verb to stop a meet-ing for a period � The chairman ad-journed the meeting until three o’clock.� The meeting adjourned at midday.adjournment /ə�d"��nmənt/ noun anact of adjourning � He proposed the ad-journment of the meeting.adjudicate /ə�d"u�dket/ verb togive a judgement between two parties inlaw or to decide a legal problem � toadjudicate a claim � to adjudicate in adispute � he was adjudicated bank-rupt he was declared legally bankruptadjudication /əd"u�d�keʃ(ə)n/noun the act of giving a judgement or ofdeciding a legal problemadjudication officer /əd"u�d-�keʃ(ə)n ɒfsə/ noun an official whodecides whether someone is qualified toreceive benefitadjudication tribunal /əd"u�d-�keʃ(ə)n trabju�n(ə)l/ noun a groupwhich adjudicates in industrial disputesadjudicator /ə�d"u�dketə/ noun aperson who gives a decision on a prob-lem � an adjudicator in an industrialdisputeadjust /ə�d"$st/ verb to change some-thing to fit new conditions � Prices areadjusted for inflation.

‘…inflation-adjusted GNP moved up at a 1.3%annual rate’ [Fortune]‘Saudi Arabia will no longer adjust itsproduction to match short-term supply withdemand’ [Economist]‘…on a seasonally-adjusted basis, output oftrucks, electric power, steel and paperdecreased’ [Business Week]

adjuster /ə�d"$stə/ noun a personwho calculates losses for an insurancecompanyadjustment /ə�d"$stmənt/ noun theact of adjusting � to make an adjust-ment to salaries � adjustment of pricesto take account of rising costs � Detailsof tax adjustments are set out in the en-closed document. � an adjustment ofprices to take account of rising costsadjustor /ə�d"$stə/ noun same asadjusteradmin /��dmn/ noun 1. the work ofadministration, especially paperwork(informal.) � All this admin work takes alot of my time. � There is too much

administer 7 adventure training

admin in this job. � Admin costs seem tobe rising each quarter. � The adminpeople have sent the report back. 2. ad-ministration staff or the administrationdepartment � Admin say they need thereport immediately. � She did not an-swer my note but sent it on to admin.(NOTE: no plural; as a group of people itcan have a plural verb)

administer /əd�mnstə/ verb to or-ganise, manage or direct the whole of anorganisation or part of one � She admin-isters a large pension fund. � It will bethe HR manager’s job to administer theinduction programme.administration /ədmn�streʃ(ə)n/noun 1. the action of organising, con-trolling or managing a company � Hehas a qualification in business adminis-tration. 2. a person or group of peoplewho manage or direct an organisation �It is up to the administration to solve theproblem, not the government. 3. the run-ning of a company in receivership by anadministrator appointed by the courtsadministration costs /ədmn-�streʃ(ə)n kɒsts/, administrationexpenses /ədmn�streʃ(ə)n k-spensz/ plural noun the costs of man-agement, not including production, mar-keting or distribution costsadministrative /əd�mnstrətv/ ad-jective referring to administration � ad-ministrative details � administrativeexpensesadministrator /əd�mnstretə/noun 1. a person who directs the workof other employees in a business � Afterseveral years as a college teacher, shehopes to become an administrator. 2. aperson appointed by a court to managethe affairs of someone who dies withoutleaving a will 3. a person appointed by acourt to administer a company which isinsolventadmonish /əd�mɒnʃ/ verb to give awarning or reprimand (formal.) � Theworkers were admonished by the man-ager for careless work.adoption leave /ə�dɒpʃən li�v/ nountime away from work allowed to an em-ployee for dealing with matters relatingto the adoption of a child

adult education /�d$lt edjυ-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun education provided foradultsad valorem tax /�d və�lɔ�remt�ks/ noun tax calculated according tothe value of the goods taxedadvance /əd�vɑ�ns/ noun 1. moneypaid as a loan or as a part of a paymentto be made later � She asked if shecould have a cash advance. � We paidher an advance on account. � Can Ihave an advance of £100 against nextmonth’s salary? 2. an increase 3. � inadvance early, before something hap-pens � freight payable in advance �prices fixed in advance � adjectiveearly � advance booking � advancepayment � Advance holiday bookingsare up on last year. � You must giveseven days’ advance notice of with-drawals from the account. � verb 1. tolend � The bank advanced him£100,000 against the security of hishouse. 2. to increase � Prices generallyadvanced on the stock market. 3. tomake something happen earlier � Thedate of the AGM has been advanced toMay 10th. � The meeting with the Ger-man distributors has been advancedfrom 11.00 to 09.30.advanced course /ədvɑ�nst �kɔ�s/noun a course for students who are notbeginnersadvancement /əd�vɑ�nsmənt/ nounpromotion � The only way to get ad-vancement in this company is throughfurther training. � The job is attractivebecause of the potential foradvancement.advantage /əd�vɑ�ntd"/ noun some-thing useful which may help you to besuccessful � Knowledge of two foreignlanguages is an advantage. � There isno advantage in arriving at the exhibi-tion before it opens. � Fast typing is anadvantage in a secretary. � to take ad-vantage of something to use somethingwhich helps youadventure training /əd�ventʃətrenŋ/, adventure learning /əd-�ventʃə l��nŋ/ noun a type oftraining in which employees engagein group games and physically de-manding outdoor activities such as

adverse 8 Advisory, Conciliation and

climbing and abseiling away fromtheir usual work environment (NOTE:the aim of adventure training is todevelop skills in leadership, prob-lem-solving, decision-making and in-terpersonal communication and tobuild team spirit)

adverse /��dv��s/ adjective unfa-vourable � adverse balance of trade asituation in which a country importsmore than it exportsadverse action /�dv��s ��kʃən/noun a decision which has unfavourableconsequences for employees � The newbonus system was considered adverseaction by underachievers in theorganisation.adverse impact /�dv��s �mp�kt/noun an undesirable and unexpected re-sult of an action � Offering bonusesonly for very high productivity rates hadan adverse impact, discouraging ratherthan motivating workers.advert /��dv��t/ noun same as adver-tisement (informal.) � to put an advertin the paper � to answer an advert inthe paper � classified adverts � displayadvertsadvertise /��dvətaz/ verb 1. to ar-range and pay for publicity designed tohelp sell products or services or to findnew employees � to advertise a va-cancy � to advertise for a secretary 2.to announce that something is for sale orthat a job is vacant or that a service isoffered � to advertise a new productadvertisement /əd�v��tsmənt/noun a notice which shows that some-thing is for sale, that a service is offered,that someone wants something or that ajob is vacantadvertisement manager /əd-�v��tsmənt m�nd"ə/ noun themanager in charge of the advertisementsection of a newspaperadvertiser /��dvətazə/ noun a per-son or company that advertises � Thecatalogue gives a list of advertisers.advertising /��dvətazŋ/ noun thebusiness of announcing that somethingis for sale or of trying to persuade cus-tomers to buy a product or service � Sheworks in advertising or She has a job in

advertising. � Their new advertisingcampaign is being launched next week.� The company has asked an advertis-ing agent to prepare a presentation. �to take advertising space in a paper tobook space for an advertisement in anewspaperadvertising manager /��dvətazŋm�nd"ə/ noun the manager in chargeof advertising a company’s productsadvertising space /��dvətazŋspes/ noun a space in a newspaper setaside for advertisementsadvice /əd�vas/ noun 1. a notifica-tion telling someone what has happened2. an opinion as to what action totake � to take legal advice to ask alawyer to say what should be done �The accountant’s advice was to send thedocuments to the police. � We sent thedocuments to the police on the advice ofthe accountant. � We took the accoun-tant’s advice and sent the documents tothe police. � as per advice accordingto what is written on the advice noteadvise /əd�vaz/ verb 1. to tell some-one what has happened � We have beenadvised that the shipment will arrivenext week. 2. to suggest to someonewhat should be done � The lawyer ad-vised us to send the documents to thepolice.advise against /ədvaz ə� enst/verb to suggest that something shouldnot be done � The HR manager advisedagainst dismissing the staff withoutnotice.adviser /əd�vazə/, advisor noun aperson who suggests what should bedone � He is consulting the company’slegal adviser.advisory /əd�vaz(ə)ri/ adjective asan adviser � He is acting in an advisorycapacity.Advisory, Conciliation and Arbi-tration Service /ədvaz(ə)rikənslieʃ(ə)n ənd ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)ns��vs/ noun a British governmentservice which arbitrates in disputes be-tween management and employees.Abbr ACAS

COMMENT: ACAS has three roles: it willconciliate in a dispute if asked; it advisesemployers, trade unions and employees

on matters concerning industrial relations;it arbitrates in cases where industrial dis-putes cannot be settled inside the com-pany’s own grievance structure.

advisory arbitration /ədvaz(ə)riɑ�b�treʃ(ə)n/ noun arbitration whichrecommends a solution to a dispute, butis not binding on either party � The twoparties resorted to advisory arbitrationto avoid the legal process. � Though thetwo parties had agreed to advisory arbi-tration, neither of them agreed with therecommendation.advisory board /əd�vaz(ə)ri bɔ�d/noun a group of advisorsaffect /ə�fekt/ verb to cause somechange in or to have a bad effect onsomething � The new government regu-lations do not affect us.affiliated /ə�fletd/ adjective con-nected with or owned by another com-pany � Smiths Ltd is one of ouraffiliated companies.affiliated societies /əflietd sə-�saətiz/ plural noun non-profit-makingorganisations which exist to provide fi-nancial support to members and theirfamilies in sickness and old ageaffiliated trade union /əflietdtred �ju�njən/ noun trade unionswhich a member of a larger organisa-tion, such as a national associationaffirmative /ə�f��mətv/ adjectivemeaning ‘yes’ � the answer was in theaffirmative the answer was yesaffirmative action /əf��mətv��kʃən/ noun US the practice of pro-viding opportunities for disadvantagedgroups such as ethnic minorities,women or people with disabilities

COMMENT: Affirmative recruitment is usu-ally carried out by central or local govern-ment organisations.

affirmative action group /ə-f��mətv ��kʃən ru�p/ noun a groupof people who are eligible for or needaffirmative action � People in affirma-tive action groups get special consider-ation when applying for localgovernment jobs.affirmative action program /ə-f��mətv ��kʃən prəυ r�m/ nounUS a programme to avoid discrimina-

tion in employment (NOTE: the Britishequivalent is equal opportunities)

affirmative recruitment /ə-f��mətv r�kru�tmənt/ noun recruit-ment which gives special considerationto applicants from affirmative actiongroups (NOTE: the British equivalent isequal opportunities)

afford /ə�fɔ�d/ verb to be able to payfor or buy something � We could not af-ford the cost of two telephones. � Thecompany cannot afford the time to trainnew staff. (NOTE: only used after can,cannot, could, could not, able to)

AFL-CIO noun an organisation linkingUS trade unions. Abbr of AmericanFederation of Labor – Congress ofIndustrial Organisations

after-tax profit /ɑ�ftə �t�ks prɒft/noun profit after tax has been deductedagainst /ə� enst/ preposition relatingto or part of � Can I have an advanceagainst next month’s salary? � Thebank advanced him £10,000 against thesecurity of his house.

‘…investment can be written off against themarginal rate of tax’ [Investors Chronicle]

age /ed"/ noun the number of yearssomeone has livedage bracket /�ed" br�kt/, agegroup /�ed" ru�p/ noun a group ofpeople of about the same age � the25–30 age groupage discrimination /�ed"dskrmneʃ(ə)n/ noun unfair treat-ment resulting from prejudice against aperson on the grounds of their age(NOTE: countries such as Australia andthe United States have passed laws tomake age discrimination illegal)

ageism /�ed"z(ə)m/ noun unfair dis-crimination against older peopleage limit /�ed" lmt/ noun the topage at which you are allowed to do a job� There is an age limit of thirty-five onthe post of buyer.agency /�ed"əns/ noun 1. an officeor job of representing another companyin an area � They signed an agencyagreement or an agency contract. 2. anoffice or business which arranges thingsfor other companies

advisory arbitration 9 agency

agency labour /�ed"ənsi lebə/noun staff supplied by an employmentagencyagency shop /�ed"ənsi ʃɒp/ nounUS a provision that requires non-unionemployees to pay union dues if they arepart of a bargaining unitagenda /ə�d"endə/ noun a list ofthings to be discussed at a meeting �The conference agenda or the agenda of� After two hours we were still discuss-ing the first item on the agenda. � Weusually put put finance at the top of theagenda. � The chair wants two items re-moved from or taken off the agenda.agent /�ed"ənt/ noun 1. a personwho represents a company or anotherperson in an area � to be the agentfor BMW cars � to be the agent forIBM 2. a person in charge of an agency� an advertising agent � The estateagent sent me a list of properties forsale. � Our trip was organised throughour local travel agent. � Managementwould only discuss the new paymentscheme with agents officially represent-ing the workers. 3. a person who isformally acting on behalf of employeesor a union � Management would onlydiscuss the new payment scheme withagents officially representing the work-ers. � Certain workers were selected asagents to voice the grievances of themen and women on the shop floor. �(business) agent US the chief localofficial of a trade unionagent’s commission /ed"əntskə�mʃ(ə)n/ noun money, often a per-centage of sales, paid to an agentage pension /�ed" penʃən/ noun asum of money paid regularly by a gov-ernment to people who have reached theofficial age of retirementaggrieved /ə� ri�vd/ adjective upsetand annoyedaggrieved party /ə ri�vd �pɑ�ti/noun the person who has a grievanceAGM abbr Annual General Meetingagree /ə� ri�/ verb 1. to approve � Thefigures were agreed between the twoparties. � We have agreed the budgetsfor next year. � The terms of the con-tract are still to be agreed. 2. to say yes

to something that is suggested � We allagreed on the plan. 3. � to agree to oron something to approve something �After some discussion she agreed to ourplan. � The bank will never agree tolend the company £250,000. � We allagreed on the need for action. � toagree to do something to say that youwill do something � She agreed to bechairman. � Will the finance directoragree to resign?agreed /ə� ri�d/ adjective which hasbeen accepted by everyone � We pay anagreed amount each month. � The shopis leased on agreed terms. � The agreedterms of employment are laid down inthe contract.agreement /ə� ri�mənt/ noun 1. aspoken or written contract between peo-ple or groups which explains how theywill act � a written agreement � an un-written or verbal agreement � to drawup or to draft an agreement � to breakan agreement � to sign an agreement �to reach an agreement or to come to anagreement on something � a collectivewage agreement 2. a contract betweentwo parties which explains how theywill act � a written agreement � an un-written or verbal agreement � to drawup or to draft an agreement � to breakan agreement � to sign an agreement �to reach an agreement or to come to anagreement on something � a collectivewage agreement

‘…after three days of tough negotiations thecompany has reached agreement with its 1,200unionized workers’ [Toronto Star]

agree with /ə� ri� wð/ verb 1. to saythat your opinions are the same as some-one else’s � I agree with the chairmanthat the figures are lower than normal.2. to be the same as � The auditors’ fig-ures do not agree with those of the ac-counts department.agricultural labourer/� rk$ltʃərəl �leb(ə)rə/ noun a per-son who does heavy work on a farmaim /em/ noun something which youtry to do � One of our aims is to in-crease the quality of our products. � thecompany has achieved all its aims thecompany has done all the things it hadhoped to do � verb to try to do some-thing � Each member of the sales team

agency labour 10 aim

air 11 alter

must aim to double their previous year’ssales. � We aim to be No. 1 in the mar-ket within two years.air /eə/ verb � to air a grievance totalk about or discuss a grievance � Themanagement committee is useful be-cause it allows the workers’ representa-tives to air their grievances.AIRC abbr Australian Industrial Rela-tions Commissionairmail letter /�eəmel letə/ noun aletter sent by airalarm /ə�lɑ�m/ noun a device whichgives a loud warningalcoholism /��lkəhɒlz(ə)m/ nounthe excessive drinking of alcohol whichbecomes addictivealien /�eliən/ noun 1. a person who isnot a citizen of a country 2. (in the UK)a person who is not a citizen of theUnited Kingdom, a Commonwealthcountry or the Irish Republicalienation /eliə�neʃ(ə)n/ noun alack of a sense of fulfilment when anemployee cannot see the result of theirwork � The monotony of the job createda sense of alienation. � The manage-ment wanted to combat any sense ofalienation by involving the employees incompany decisions.allegation /�lə� eʃ(ə)n/ noun thesuggestion that something has hap-pened, without being able to prove itallege /ə�led"/ verb to suggest some-thing, without being able to prove it �The management alleged that the unionhad broken the agreement.all-in /ɔ�l �n/ adjective includingeverything � The fee payable is £150all-in.all-in policy /ɔ�l n �pɒlsi/ noun in-surance which covers all risksall-in rate /ɔ�l n �ret/, all-inprice /ɔ�l n �pras/ noun 1. a pricewhich covers all items in a purchasesuch as delivery, tax and insurance, aswell as the goods themselves 2. a wagewhich includes all extra payments suchas bonuses and merit payall-out /ɔ�l �aυt/ adjective complete orvery serious � The firm has launched an

all-out campaign to improve productiv-ity on Friday afternoons.

all-out strike /ɔ�l aυt �strak/ nouna complete strike by all employeesallow /ə�laυ/ verb 1. to say that some-one can do something � Junior mem-bers of staff are not allowed to use thechairman’s lift. � The company allowsall members of staff to take six days’holiday at Christmas. 2. to give � to al-low 5% discount to members of staff �We allow her a discount because she’sthe manager’s sister. 3. to agree to oraccept legally � to allow a claim or anappealallowable /ə�laυəb(ə)l/ adjective le-gally acceptedallowance /ə�laυəns/ noun 1. moneywhich is given for a special reason � atravel allowance or a travelling allow-ance 2. part of an income which is nottaxed � allowances against tax or taxallowances � personal allowances 3.money removed in the form of a dis-count � an allowance for depreciation� an allowance for exchange loss

‘…the compensation plan includes base,incentive and car allowance totalling $50,000+’[Globe and Mail (Toronto)]

allowed time /əlaυd �tam/ nounpaid time which the management agreesan employee can spend on rest, cleaningor meals, not workingallow for /ə�laυ fɔ�/ verb to give a dis-count for or to add an extra sum to coversomething � to allow for money paid inadvance � Allow an extra 10% for post-age and packing. � delivery is not al-lowed for delivery charges are notincluded � allow 28 days for deliverycalculate that delivery will take up to 28daysall-risks policy /ɔ�l �rsks pɒlsi/noun an insurance policy which coversrisks of any kind, with no exclusionsalphabetical order /�lfəbetk(ə)l�ɔ�də/ noun the arrangement of records(such as files and index cards) in the or-der of the letters of the alphabet(A,B,C,D, etc.)alter /�ɔ�ltə/ verb to change � to alterthe terms of a contract

alteration 12 analytical job evaluation

alteration /ɔ�ltə�reʃ(ə)n/ noun achange which has been made � Hemade some alterations to the terms of acontract. � The agreement was signedwithout any alterations.alternate /�ɔ�ltənet/ verb to dosomething by turns or in rotation � Twoworkers alternate on the machine.alternating shift system/ɔ�ltənetŋ �ʃft sstəm/ noun asystem where two groups of employeeswork day or night shifts, and after acertain period, change roundalternation ranking /ɔ�ltə�neʃ(ə)nr�ŋkŋ/ noun a method of ranking,beginning with the highest and lowest,then the second highest and lowest, andso onalternative /ɔ�l�t��nətv/ noun athing which can be done instead of an-other � What is the alternative to firinghalf the staff? � we have no alternativethere is nothing else we can do � adjec-tive other, which can take the place ofsomething � to find someone alterna-tive employment to find someone an-other jobamalgamate /ə�m�l əmet/ verb tojoin together with another group � Theamalgamated union has a total member-ship of 250,000.amalgamation /əm�l ə�meʃ(ə)n/noun the joining together of severaltrade unions to increase their strengthambition /�m�bʃ(ə)n/ noun whatsomeone wants to do or achieve in theirlife � We insist that our sales represen-tatives have plenty of ambition. � Herambition is to become the senior partnerin the firm.ambitious /�m�bʃəs/ adjective fullof ambition, wanting to do or achievesomething � He is ambitious, but notvery competent.amend /ə�mend/ verb to change andmake more correct or acceptable �Please amend your copy of the contractaccordingly.amendment /ə�mendmənt/ noun achange to a document � to propose anamendment to the constitution � tomake amendments to a contract

amenities /ə�mi�ntiz/ plural nounservices provided by an organisation forthe people who work in it � The staffamenities included a subsidised canteenand sports facilities.amount /ə�maυnt/ noun a quantity ofmoney � a small amount invested ingilt-edged stock � A small amount hasbeen deducted to cover our costs. � Alarge amount is still owing. � What isthe amount to be written off? � What isthe amount outstanding? � verb � toamount to to make a total of � Theirdebts amount to over £1m.analogue /��n(ə)lɒ / noun a person’sopposite in another organisation � Theconference of production managersgave those attending the opportunity tomeet their analogues in other industries.(NOTE: US spelling is also analog)

analyse /��nəlaz/, analyze verb toexamine someone or something in detail� to analyse a statement of account � toanalyse the market potentialanalysis /ə�n�ləss/ noun a detailedexamination and report � a job analysis� market analysis � Her job is to pro-duce a regular sales analysis. (NOTE:plural is analyses)

analyst /��nəlst/ noun a person whoanalyses � a market analyst � a systemsanalystanalytical /�nə�ltk(ə)l/ adjectiveusing analysisanalytical estimating/�nəltk(ə)l �estmetŋ/ noun awork measurement technique where thetime taken to perform a job is estimatedon the basis of prior experience �Analytical estimating was not consid-ered a satisfactory work measurementtechnique because the union com-plained that previously established timeperiod � Analytical estimating was usedon those jobs that hadn’t changedsince the original work measurement.analytical job evaluation/�nəltk(ə)l �d"ɒb v�ljueʃ(ə)n/noun a method of evaluating a job usinga points system to compare one job withanother (as opposed to non-analyticalevaluation)

ancillary staff /�n�sləri stɑ�f/ nounstaff who are not administrators, pro-duction staff or sales staff (such ascleaners, porters, canteen staff, etc.)andragogy /��ndrə ɒ i/ noun thescience of adult learning, that is ofteaching adults in an adult way, as op-posed to teaching them as if they werechildren � Andragogy has developed inresponse to the increasing number ofadults with the time and money to spendon further education. � The trainingmanager was aware of the latest theo-ries in andragogy of importance in thetraining of machinists.Anglo-Saxon work ethic /�ŋ ləυs�ksən �w��k eθk/ noun a feeling inBritain and the USA that work is themost important task for an adultanniversary /�n�v��s(ə)ri/, anni-versary date /�n�v��s(ə)ri det/ nouna date in a following year which is thesame as a particular occasion, e.g. thedate of joining a pension schemeannounce /ə�naυns/ verb to tellsomething to the public � to announcethe first year’s trading results � to an-nounce the results for 2002 � The direc-tor has announced a programme ofinvestment.announcement /ə�naυnsmənt/noun an act of telling something in pub-lic � the announcement of a cutback inexpenditure � the announcement of theappointment of a new managing direc-tor � The managing director made anannouncement to the staff.annual /��njuəl/ adjective for oneyear � an annual statement of income �They have six weeks’ annual leave. �The company has an annual growth of5%. � We get an annual bonus. � on anannual basis each year � The figuresare revised on an annual basis.

‘…real wages have risen at an annual rate ofonly 1% in the last two years’ [Sunday Times]‘…the remuneration package will include anattractive salary, profit sharing and a companycar together with four weeks’ annual holiday’[Times]

Annual General Meeting /�njuəld"en(ə)rəl �mi�tŋ/ noun an annualmeeting of all shareholders of a com-pany, when the company’s financial sit-

uation is presented by and discussedwith the directors, when the accounts forthe past year are approved and whendividends are declared and audited.Abbr AGM (NOTE: the American equiv-alent is annual meeting or annualstockholders’ meeting)

annual holiday /�njuəl �hɒlde/noun a holiday which is taken once ayearannual hours /�njuəl �aυəz/ pluralnoun the total of all the hours worked ina year (e.g. 1720 hours per annum), laidout in a contract of employment, so al-lowing an employee more flexibilitythan a weekly hour systemannual income /�njuəl �nk$m/noun money received during a calendaryearannualised /��njuəlazd/, annual-ized adjective shown on an annual basis

‘…he believes this may have caused theeconomy to grow at an annualized rate of almost5 per cent in the final quarter of last year’[Investors Chronicle]

annualised percentage rate/�njuəlazd pə�sentd" ret/ noun ayearly percentage rate, calculated bymultiplying the monthly rate by twelve(not as accurate as the APR, which in-cludes fees and other charges)annually /��njuəli/ adverb each year� The figures are updated annually.Annual Percentage Rate /�njuəlpə�sentd" ret/ noun a rate of interest(such as on a hire-purchase agreement)shown on an annual compound basis, in-cluding fees and charges. Abbr APRannual report /�njuəl r�pɔ�t/ nouna report of a company’s financial situa-tion at the end of a year, sent to all theshareholdersannual salary /�njuəl �s�ləri/noun a salary for one year’s workannuitant /ə�nju�tənt/ noun a per-son who receives an annuityannuity /ə�nju�ti/ noun money paideach year to a retired person, usually inreturn for a lump-sum payment; thevalue of the annuity depends on howlong the person lives, as it usually can-not be passed on to another person; an-nuities are fixed payments, and lose

ancillary staff 13 annuity

their value with inflation, whereas apension can be index-linked � to buy orto take out an annuity � He has a gov-ernment annuity or an annuity from thegovernment. � contingent annuity anannuity paid to someone on the death ofanother person

COMMENT: When a person retires, he orshe is required by law to purchase a ‘com-pulsory purchase annuity’ with the fundsaccumulated in his or her pension fund.This gives them a taxable income for therest of their life, but usually it is a fixed in-come which does not change withinflation.

annuity for life /ənju�ti fə �laf/noun annual payments made to some-one as long as they are aliveannul /ə�n$l/ verb to cancel or to stopsomething being legal � The contractwas annulled by the court. (NOTE: an-nulling – annulled)

annullable /ə�n$ləb(ə)l/ adjectivewhich can be cancelledannulling /ə�n$lŋ/ adjective whichcancels � an annulling clause in a con-tract � noun the act of cancelling � theannulling of a contractannulment /ə�n$lmənt/ noun the actof cancelling � the annulment of acontractanswer /�ɑ�nsə/ verb to speak or writeafter someone has spoken or written toyou � to answer a letter to write a letterin reply to a letter which you have re-ceived � to answer the telephone to liftthe telephone when it rings and listen towhat the caller is sayinganswerphone /�ɑ�nsəfəυn/ noun amachine which answers the telephoneautomatically when a person is not inthe office and allows messages to be re-corded � He wasn’t in when I called so Ileft a message on his answerphone.antedate /�nt�det/ verb to put anearlier date on a document � The in-voice was antedated to January 1st. �The contract was antedated to January1st.anticipation /�nts�peʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of doing something before it isdue to be done

anticipatory /�n�tspət(ə)ri/ adjec-tive done before it is dueanticipatory breach /�n-tspət(ə)ri �bri�tʃ/ noun the refusalby a party to a contract to perform theirobligations under the contract at a timebefore they were due to be performedanti-inflationary measure /�ntin�fleʃ(ə)n(ə)ri me"ə/ noun a mea-sure taken to reduce inflationany other business /eni $ðə�bzns/ noun an item at the end of anagenda, where any matter can be raised.Abbr AOB

appeal /ə�pi�l/ noun 1. the fact of be-ing attractive 2. the act of asking a lawcourt or a government department tochange its decision � He lost his appealfor damages against the company. � shewon her case on appeal her case waslost in the first court, but the appealcourt said that she was right � verb 1. toattract � The idea of working in Austra-lia for six months appealed to her. 2. toask a law court or a government depart-ment or to alter its decision � The unionappealed against the decision of the tri-bunal. (NOTE: you appeal to a court ora person against a decision)

appeal proceedings /ə�pi�l prə-si�dŋz/ plural noun the formal hearingof an appeal by a tribunalappeals procedure /ə�pi�lz prə-si�d"ə/ noun the way in which an em-ployee can appeal against a decisionappendix /ə�pendks/ noun 1. addi-tional sheets at the back of a contract 2.additional pages at the back of a bookapplicant /��plkənt/ noun a personwho applies for something � an appli-cant for a job or a job applicant � anapplicant to an industrial tribunal �There were thousands of applicants forshares in the new company.application /�pl�keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the act of asking for something, usuallyin writing � shares payable on applica-tion � She sent off six applications forjob or six job applications. 2. effort ordiligence � She has shown great appli-cation in her work on the project.

annuity for life 14 application

application blank /�pl�keʃ(ə)nbl�ŋk/ noun US a form for recordingan applicant’s qualifications for a jobapplication form /�pl�keʃ(ə)nfɔ�m/ noun a form to be filled in whenapplying for a new issue of shares or fora jobapply /ə�pla/ verb 1. to ask for some-thing, usually in writing � to apply inwriting � to apply in person � Aboutfifty people have applied so far. � Themore ambitious of the office workerswill apply for the management traineeprogramme. (NOTE: applies- applying-applied) 2. to affect or to relate to �This clause applies only to deals outsidethe EU.appoint /ə�pɔnt/ verb to choosesomeone for a job � We have appointeda new distribution manager. � They’veappointed Janet Smith (to the post of)manager. (NOTE: you appoint a personto a job)appointee /əpɔn�ti�/ noun a personwho is appointed to a jobappointment /ə�pɔntmənt/ noun 1.an arrangement to meet � to make or tofix an appointment with someone fortwo o’clock � He was late for his ap-pointment. � She had to cancel her ap-pointment. 2. the act of being appointedto a job � on his appointment as man-ager when he was made manager 3. ajobappointments book /ə�pɔntməntsbυk/ noun a desk diary in which ap-pointments are notedappointments vacant /ə-pɔntmənts �vekənt/ noun a list (in anewspaper) of jobs which are availableapportion /ə�pɔ�ʃ(ə)n/ verb to shareout costs, blame, etc. � Costs are appor-tioned according to projected revenue.apportionment /ə�pɔ�ʃ(ə)nmənt/noun the sharing out of costsapportionment of wages /ə-pɔ�ʃ(ə)nmənt əv �wed"z/ noun a de-cision as to what payment is made to anemployee who leaves before pay day �A generous apportionment of wages wasfavoured by the human resources de-partment so that employees would notlea � The union objected to the com-

pany’s apportionment of wages, claim-ing that employees were not receivingamounts corresponding to days worked.appraisal /ə�prez(ə)l/ noun a calcu-lation of the value of someone orsomething

‘…we are now reaching a stage in industry andcommerce where appraisals are becoming partof the management culture. Most managers nowtake it for granted that they will appraise and beappraised’ [Personnel Management]

appraisal interview /ə�prez(ə)lntəvju�/ noun an interview where themanager (the appraiser) discusses withthe employee (the appraisee) his or herperformanceappraise /ə�prez/ verb to assess or tocalculate the value of something orsomeoneappraisee /əpre�zi�/ noun an em-ployee who is being appraised by theirmanager in an appraisal interviewappraiser /ə�prezə/ noun a personwho conducts an appraisal inteviewappreciate /ə�pri�ʃiet/ verb 1. to no-tice how good something is 2. (of cur-rency, shares, etc.) to increase in valueappreciation /əpri�ʃi�eʃ(ə)n/ noun1. an increase in value 2. the act of valu-ing something highly � He was given arise in appreciation of his excellentwork.apprentice /ə�prents/ noun a youngperson who works under contract for aperiod in order to be trained in a skill �verb � to be apprenticed to someoneto work with a skilled worker to learnfrom themapprenticeship /ə�prentsʃp/ nounthe time spent learning a skilled trade �He served a six-year apprenticeship inthe steel works.approach /ə�prəυtʃ/ noun an act ofgetting in touch with someone with aproposal � She has had an approachfrom a firm of headhunters. � verbto get in touch with someone with a pro-posal � She was approached by a head-hunter with the offer of a job.appropriate adjective /ə�prəυpriət/suitable � I leave it to you to take ap-propriate action.

application blank 15 appropriate

approval /ə�pru�v(ə)l/ noun 1. agree-ment � to submit a budget for approval� to give something your approval toapprove something 2. � on approval asale where the buyer only pays forgoods if they are satisfactory � to buy aphotocopier on approvalapprove /ə�pru�v/ verb 1. � to ap-prove of something to think somethingis good � The chairman approves of thenew company letter heading. � Thesales staff do not approve of interfer-ence from the accounts division. 2. toagree to something officially � to ap-prove the terms of a contract � The pro-posal was approved by the board.approximate /ə�prɒksmət/ adjec-tive not exact, but almost correct � Thesales division has made an approximateforecast of expenditure.approximately /ə�prɒksmətli/ ad-verb almost correctly � Expenditure onmarketing is approximately 10% downon the previous quarter.approximation /əprɒks�meʃ(ə)n/noun a rough calculation � Each de-partment has been asked to provide anapproximation of expenditure for nextyear. � The final figure is only anapproximation.APR abbr Annual Percentage Rateaptitude /��pttju�d/ noun the abilityto do somethingaptitude test /��pttju�d test/ nountest to see if a candidate is suitable for acertain type of work. Compare attain-ment testarbitrate /�ɑ�btret/ verb (of an out-side party) to try to settle an industrialdispute by talking to representatives ofboth sides, who agree in advance toabide by the arbitrator’s decisionarbitration /ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)n/ noun thesettling of a dispute by an outside party,agreed on by both sides � to take a dis-pute to arbitration or to go to arbitra-tion � arbitration in an industrialdispute � The two sides decided to sub-mit the dispute to arbitration or to referthe question to arbitration.arbitration agreement /ɑ�b-�treʃ(ə)n ə ri�mənt/ noun an agree-ment between two parties that any dif-

ferences between them shall be settledby arbitrationarbitration award /ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)nəwɔ�d/ noun a decision by an arbitra-tion tribunalarbitration board /ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)nbɔ�d/ noun a group which arbitratesarbitration clause /ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)nklɔ�z/ noun a clause in a contract statinghow differences between the parties canbe settled by arbitrationarbitration tribunal /ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)ntrabju�n(ə)l/ noun a group which ad-judicates in industrial disputesarbitrator /�ɑ�btretə/ noun a personnot concerned with a dispute who ischosen by both sides to try to settle it �an industrial arbitrator � They refusedto accept or they rejected the arbitra-tor’s ruling.area /�eəriə/ noun 1. a measurement ofthe space taken up by something (calcu-lated by multiplying the length by thewidth) � a no-smoking area � The areaof this office is 3,400 square feet. � Weare looking for a shop with a sales areaof about 100 square metres. 2. a regionof the world 3. a subject � a problemarea or an area for concern 4. a districtor part of a town � The office is in thecommercial area of the town. � Theirfactory is in a very good area for gettingto the motorways and airports. 5. a partof a country, a division for commercialpurposes � Her sales area is theNorth-West. � He finds it difficult tocover all his area in a week. 6. part of aroom, factory, restaurant, etc. � ano-smoking areaarea code /�eəriə kəυd/ noun a spe-cial telephone number which is given toa particular area � The area code forcentral London is 0207.area manager /eəriə �m�nd"ə/noun a manager who is responsible for acompany’s work in a specific part of thecountryargue /�ɑ� ju�/ verb to discuss some-thing about which you do not agree �The union officials argued among them-selves over the best way to deal with theultimatum from the management. � Wespent hours arguing with the managing

approval 16 argue

director about the site for the new factory.� to argue against something to givereasons why you think somethingshould not be doneargument /�ɑ� jυmənt/ noun 1. anact of discussing something withoutagreeing � She was sacked after an ar-gument with the managing director. 2. areason for supporting or rejecting some-thing � The document gives the man-agement’s arguments in favour offlexible working hours.arising /ə�razŋ/ adjective which co-mes from � differences arising from thecontractaround /ə�raυnd/ preposition approxi-mately � His salary is around $85,000.arrange /ə�rend"/ verb 1. to put intoa suitable or pleasing order � The officeis arranged as an open-plan area withsmall separate rooms for meetings. �The files are arranged in alphabeticalorder. 2. to organise � We arranged tohave the meeting in their offices. (NOTE:you arrange for someone to do some-thing; you arrange for something to bedone; or you arrange to do something)arrangement /ə�rend"mənt/ noun1. the way in which something is organ-ised � The company secretary is makingall the arrangements for the meeting. 2.the settling of a financial dispute � Hecame to an arrangement with hiscreditors.arrears /ə�rəz/ plural noun 1. moneywhich is owed, but which has not beenpaid at the right time � We are pressingthe company to pay arrears of interest.2. � in arrears owing money whichshould have been paid earlier � Thepayments are six months in arrears. �He is six weeks in arrears with his rent.article /�ɑ�tk(ə)l/ noun 1. a product orthing for sale � to launch a new articleon the market 2. a section of a legalagreement such as a contract or treaty �See article 8 of the contract. � Article117 of the Treaty of Rome an articlewhich requires member states to im-prove working conditions and workers’living conditions � Article 118(a) ofthe Treaty of Rome an article which re-quires member states to improve healthand safety in the working environment �

Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome anarticle which requires all member statesto apply equal pay to men and womendoing equal jobsarticled clerk /ɑ�tk(ə)ld �klɑ�k/noun a clerk who is bound by contractto work in a solicitor’s office for someyears to learn the law (NOTE: officiallynow called a trainee solicitor, thoughthe old term is still used)

articles /�ɑ�tk(ə)lz/ plural noun atime when a clerk is working in a solici-tor’s office learning the law (NOTE: offi-cially now called a training contract,though the old term is still used) � toserve articles to work in a solicitor’s of-fice to learn the lawarticles of association /ɑ�tk(ə)lzəv əsəυsi�eʃ(ə)n/ plural noun a docu-ment which lays down the rules for acompany regarding such matters as theissue of shares, the conduct of meetingsand the appointment of directors � He isa director appointed under the articlesof association of the company. � Thisprocedure is not allowed under the arti-cles of association of the company.articles of incorporation/ɑ�tk(ə)lz əv nkɔ�pə�reʃ(ə)n/ pluralnoun US a document which sets up acompany and lays down the relationshipbetween the shareholders and the com-pany (NOTE: the British equivalent isMemorandum of Association)

articles of indenture /ɑ�tk(ə)lzəv n�dentʃə/ plural noun a contract bywhich an apprentice works for a masterfor some years to learn a tradearticles of partnership /ɑ�tk(ə)lzəv �pɑ�tnəʃp/ plural noun a documentwhich sets up the legal conditions of apartnershipartisan /ɑ�t�z�n/ noun a workerwho has special training in a manualskillasap /e es e �pi�, �es�p/, ASAP assoon as possibleascribed status /əskrabd �stetəs/noun status which someone has in an or-ganisation by right (as opposed to statusachieved by merit)

argument 17 ascribed status

aspirations /�sp�reʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun ambitions or hopes of advance-ment in your jobaspire /ə�spaə/ verb � to aspire to tohave a strong ambition toassembly line /ə�sembli lan/ nouna production system where a productsuch as a car moves slowly through thefactory with new sections added to it asit goes along � She works on an assem-bly line or She is an assembly lineworker.assembly point /ə�sembli pɔnt/,meeting point /�mi�tŋ pɔnt/ noun aplace where people can meet (such as ata railway station or for checking duringfire drill)assert /ə�s��t/ verb � to assert your-self to show that you have control or canmake decisions � She doesn’t assertherself much in public meetings, but hersales figures are impressive.assertiveness /ə�s��tvnəs/ nounthe ability to state opinions or show thatyou can make decisionsassertiveness training /ə-�s��tvnəs trenŋ/ noun the processof training employees to have more con-fidence in themselvesassess /ə�ses/ verb to calculate thevalue of something or someone � to as-sess damages at £1,000 � to assess aproperty for the purposes of insuranceassessment /ə�sesmənt/ noun a cal-culation of value � a property assess-ment � a tax assessment � They made acomplete assessment of each employee’scontribution to the organisation.assessment centre /ə�sesməntsentə/ noun a special place which as-sesses the abilities of a group of em-ployees sent by their organisations �The three days at the assessment centreconsisted of in-basket tests and personalinterviews. � The assessment centreaims to spot those individuals with man-agement potential.assessment of competence /ə-sesmənt əv �kɒmpt(ə)ns/ noun anassessment of an employee’s ability todo a job properly as measured by anagreed set of standards

assessor /ə�sesə/ noun 1. a personwho assesses someone 2. a person whoadvises a tribunalassign /ə�san/ verb 1. to give legally� to assign a right to someone � to as-sign shares to someone 2. to give some-one something to use or a job of work todo, and be responsible for � He was as-signed the job of checking the salesfigures.assignee /�sa�ni�/ noun a personwho receives something which has beenassigned to him or herassignment /ə�sanmənt/ noun 1.the legal transfer of a property or right �the assignment of a patent or of a copy-right � to sign a deed of assignment 2. aparticular task given to someone � Herfirst assignment was to improve thecompany’s image. � The oil team is onan assignment in the North Sea.assignment of wages /əsanməntəv �wed"z/ noun a procedure inwhich a deduction is made from an em-ployee’s wages and is paid to a thirdparty � An assignment of wages was ar-ranged to pay a worker who had filledin while the regular employee was ill.assignor /�sa�nɔ�/ noun a personwho assigns something to someoneassist /ə�sst/ verb to help � Can youassist the stock controller in countingthe stock? � She assists me with my in-come tax returns. (NOTE: you assistsomeone in doing something or withsomething)assistance /ə�sst(ə)ns/ noun help �Some candidates need assistance in fill-ing in the form.assistant /ə�sst(ə)nt/ noun a personwho helps or a clerical employeeassistant manager /əsst(ə)nt�m�nd"ə/ noun a person who helps amanagerassociate /ə�səυsiət/ adjective linked� noun a person who works in the samebusiness as someone � She is a businessassociate of mine.associate company /əsəυsiət�k$mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which ispartly owned by another companyassociated /ə�səυsietd/ adjectivelinked

aspirations 18 associated

associated company /əsəυsietd�k$mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which ispartly owned by another (though lessthan 50%), and where the share-owningcompany exerts some management con-trol or has a close trading relationshipwith the associate � Smith Ltd and itsassociated company, Jones Brothersassociate director /əsəυsiət da-�rektə/ noun a director who attendsboard meetings, but has not been electedby the shareholdersassociation /əsəυsi�eʃ(ə)n/ noun agroup of people or companies with thesame interest � an employers’ associa-tion � Our company has applied to jointhe trade association.assume /ə�sju�m/ verb 1. to suppose,to believe something to be true � I as-sume you have enough money to paythese expenses? 2. to take for yourself �He has assumed responsibility for mar-keting. � The company will assume allrisks.assumption /ə�s$mpʃən/ noun 1. ageneral belief � We are working on theassumption that the exchange rate willstay the same. 2. the act of taking foryourself � assumption of risksassurance /ə�ʃυərəns/ noun 1. insur-ance, an agreement that in return forregular payments a company will paycompensation for loss of life 2. a firmstatement that something will happen �He received an assurance from the HRdirector that he would not be demoted.assure /ə�ʃυə/ verb 1. to insure or tohave a contract with a company where ifregular payments are made, the com-pany will pay compensation if you die �He has paid the premiums to have hiswife’s life assured. 2. � to assure some-one that to state something firmly sothat someone is sure that it is trueassurer /ə�ʃυərə/, assuror noun aninsurer or a company which insures(NOTE: assure, assurer, and assur-ance are used in Britain for insurancepolicies relating to something whichwill certainly happen (such as death);for other types of policy (i.e. thoseagainst something which may or maynot happen, such as an accident) use

the terms insure, insurer, andinsurance)

attach /ə�t�tʃ/ verb to fasten or to link� I am attaching a copy of my previousletter. � Please find attached a copy ofmy letter of June 24th. � The companyattaches great importance to goodtimekeeping.attachment /ə�t�tʃmənt/ noun theact of holding a debtor’s property to pre-vent it being sold until debts are paidattachment of earnings order /ə-t�tʃmənt əv ���nŋz ɔ�də/ noun acourt order to make an employer paypart of an employee’s salary to the courtto pay off debtsattainment /ə�tenmənt/ noun the actof reaching a certain standard or goalattainment test /ə�tenmənt test/noun a test designed to measure theskills which someone is currently using.Compare aptitude test

attend /ə�tend/ verb to be present at �The chairman has asked all managers toattend the meeting. � None of the share-holders attended the AGM.attendance /ə�tendəns/ noun the factof being present at a meeting or at work� Attendance at the staff meeting is notcompulsory. � Some of the employeeswere reprimanded for poor attendance.� The supervisor kept a strict record ofthe workers’ attendance. � Promotionto the post of supervisor depends to acertain extent on a person’s attendancerecord.attendance allowance /ə�tendənsəlaυəns/ noun a benefit paid to a dis-abled person over 65 to cover the costsof having someone to care for them.Abbr AA

attendance bonus /ə�tendənsbəυnəs/ noun a bonus given to em-ployees for good attendance � You mayfind that payment of an attendance bo-nus will motivate workers. � An atten-dance bonus is awarded for a 95%attendance record.attendance money /ə�tendənsm$ni/ noun payment made to workerswho turn up even when there is no workfor them to do

associated company 19 attendance money

attendance time 20 authorise

attendance time /ə�tendəns tam/noun hours spent at work that are paidforattendant /ə�tendənt/ noun alower-level employee who is given ameasure of responsibilityattend to /ə�tend tu�/ verb to givecareful thought to something and dealwith it � The managing director will at-tend to your complaint personally. � Wehave brought in experts to attend to theproblem of installing the new computer.attention /ə�tenʃən/ noun carefulthought or consideration � to pay atten-tion to to study carefully and follow in-structions, rules, etc.attitude /��ttju�d/ noun the way inwhich a person behaves or thinksattract /ə�tr�kt/ verb to make some-thing or someone join or come in � Wehave difficulty in attracting skilled staffto this part of the country.attractive /ə�tr�ktv/ adjectivewhich attracts � attractive salary agood salary to make high-quality appli-cants apply for the jobattribution theory of leadership/�tr�bju�ʃ(ə)n θəri əv li�dəʃp/noun the theory that leaders observethe behaviour of the people they lead,decide what it is that is causing themto behave in that particular way, e.g.what is causing them to perform wellor perform badly, and base their ownactions on what they believe thosecauses to beattrition /ə�trʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a de-crease in the loyalty of consumers to aproduct, due to factors such as boredomor desire for a change 2. loss of labourthrough natural wastageat will /ət �wl/ adverb �

employment-at-willaudio-typing /�ɔ�diəυ tapŋ/ nountyping to dictation from a recording on adictating machineaudio-typist /�ɔ�diəυ tapst/ nouna typist who types to dictation from a re-cording on a dictating machineaudit /�ɔ�dt/ noun 1. the examinationof the books and accounts of a company� to carry out the annual audit � Athorough job audit was needed for job

evaluation. 2. a detailed examination ofsomething in order to assess it � A thor-ough job audit was needed for job eval-uation. � A manpower audit showed upa desperate lack of talent. � verb to ex-amine the books and accounts of a com-pany � Messrs Smith have been asked toaudit the accounts. � The books havenot yet been audited.auditing /�ɔ�dtŋ/ noun the act of ex-amining the books and accounts of acompanyauditor /�ɔ�dtə/ noun a person whoaudits

COMMENT: Auditors are appointed by thecompany’s directors and voted by theAGM. In the USA, audited accounts areonly required by corporations which areregistered with the SEC, but in the UK alllimited companies with a turnover over acertain limit must provide audited annualaccounts.

audit trail /�ɔ�dt trel/ noun therecords that show all the stages of atransaction, e.g. a purchase, a sale ora customer complaint, in the order inwhich they happened (NOTE: an audittrail can be a useful tool forproblem-solving and, in financialmarkets, may be used to ensurethat the dealers have been fair andaccurate in their proceedings.)

Aufsichtsrat /�aυfzktsrɑ�t/ Ger-man noun a supervisory boardAustralian Industrial RelationsCommission /ɒstreliən nd$striəlr�leʃ(ə)nz kəmʃ(ə)n/ noun an ad-ministrative body in Australia, estab-lished in 1988, that is responsible forsettling industrial disputes by concilia-tion and for setting the standards thatcompanies must meet to qualify for in-dustrial awardsauthorisation /ɔ�θəra�zeʃ(ə)n/,authorization noun permission orpower to do something � Do you haveauthorisation for this expenditure? �He has no authorisation to act on ourbehalf.authorise /�ɔ�θəraz/, authorize verb1. to give permission for something tobe done � to authorise payment of£10,000 2. to give someone the author-

authoritarian 21 average

ity to do something � to authorisesomeone to act on the company’s behalfauthoritarian /ɔ�θɒr�teəriən/ ad-jective demanding a high level of disci-pline or obedience � The employeesdisliked the authoritarian managementstyle. � The managing director is veryauthoritarian and expects immediateobedience.authority /ɔ��θɒrti/ noun the powerto do something � a manager with au-thority to sign cheques � He has no au-thority to act on our behalf. � Withoutthe necessary authority, the managercould not command respect. � Only se-nior managers have the authority to ini-tiate these changes.authority chart /ɔ��θɒrti tʃɑ�t/noun a diagram that shows who has au-thority over whom and who is account-able to whom within an organisation(NOTE: an authority chart is similar toan organisation chart.)

autocratic management style/ɔ�təkr�tk �m�nd"mənt stal/noun a style of management wherethe managers tell the employees whatto do, without involving them in thedecision-making processes (NOTE: theopposite is democratic managementstyle)

automated /�ɔ�təmetd/ adjectiveworked automatically by machines � afully automated car assembly plantautomatic /ɔ�tə�m�tk/ adjectivewhich works or takes place without anyperson making it happen � There is anautomatic increase in salaries on Janu-ary 1st.automatically /ɔ�tə�m�tkli/ ad-verb working without a person givinginstructions � Addresses are typed inautomatically. � automatically unfairdismissals dismissals which are alwaysunfair, whatever the circumstances(such as when a woman employee isdismissed for being pregnant or some-one is dismissed for belonging to a tradeunion)automatic data processing/ɔ�təm�tk �detə prəυsesŋ/ noundata processing done by a computer

automatic sanction /ɔ�təm�tk�s�ŋkʃən/ noun a penalty which is ap-plied automatically, outside the legalprocess, to an employee taking part inindustrial action � The fear of automaticsanction stopped many employees goingon strike for better working conditions.automatic telling machine/ɔ�təm�tk �telŋ məʃi�n/ noun amachine which gives out moneywhen a special card is inserted andspecial instructions givenautomatic wage progression/ɔ�təm�tk �wed" prə reʃ(ə)n/noun an automatic increase in wagesaccording to the time a person hasworked in the organisation � Automaticwage progression was seen as a way ofmotivating employees to stay in thecompany.automation /ɔ�tə�meʃ(ə)n/ nounthe use of machines to do work withvery little supervision by peopleautonomous /ɔ��tɒnəməs/ adjectivewhich rules itself � The workforce inthe factory is made up of several auton-omous work groups.autonomous bargaining /ɔ�-tɒnəməs �bɑ� nŋ/ noun direct bar-gaining between management and em-ployees, without involving trade unionsautonomous learning /ɔ�tɒnəməs�l��nŋ/ noun learning by yourself,without teachersautonomous teamworking /ɔ�-tɒnəməs �ti�mw��kŋ/, autonomousworking group /ɔ�tɒnəməs �w��kŋ ru�p/ noun a group of employeeswho can work independently, takingdecisions together as a group (NOTE:also called self-managing team)autonomy /ɔ��tɒnəmi/ noun workingby yourself, without being managedavailable capital /əveləb(ə)l�k�pt(ə)l/ noun capital which is readyto be usedAVCs abbr additional voluntarycontributionsaverage /��v(ə)rd"/ noun 1. a num-ber calculated by adding several figurestogether and dividing by the number offigures added � the average for the lastthree months or the last three months’

average � sales average or average ofsales 2. � on average, on an average ingeneral � On average, £15 worth ofgoods are stolen every day. 3. the shar-ing of the cost of damage or loss of aship between the insurers and the own-ers � adjective 1. the middle of a set offigures � the average figures for the lastthree months � the average increase insalaries 2. not very good � The com-pany’s performance has been only aver-age. � He’s only an average worker. �verb to produce as an average figure �Price increases have averaged 10% perannum. � Days lost through sicknesshave averaged twenty-two over the lastfour years.

‘…a share with an average rating might yield 5per cent and have a PER of about 10’[Investors Chronicle]‘…the average price per kilogram for thisseason to the end of April has been 300 cents’[Australian Financial Review]

average adjustment /�v(ə)rd" ə-�d"$stmənt/ noun a calculation of theshare of cost of damage or loss of a shipaverage age /�v(ə)rd" �ed"/ nounthe age of a group of people, calculatedby adding all the ages and dividing bythe number of people in the group � Theaverage age of our managers is 32.average earnings scheme/�v(ə)rd" ���nŋz ski�m/ noun apension scheme where the benefit iscalculated annually on the earnings ineach yearaverage out /�v(ə)rd" �aυt/ verbto come to a figure as an average � Itaverages out at 10% per annum. � Salesincreases have averaged out at 15%.average-sized /�vərd" �sazd/ ad-jective not large or small � They are an

average-sized company. � He has anaverage-sized office.avert /ə�v��t/ verb to stop somethinghappening � The management made anincreased offer in the hope of avertingthe strike.avoid /ə�vɔd/ verb to try not to dosomething � My aim is to avoid payingtoo much tax. � We want to avoid directcompetition with Smith Ltd. � The com-pany is struggling to avoid bankruptcy.(NOTE: you avoid something or avoiddoing something)avoidance /ə�vɔdns/ noun trying notto do something � avoidance of anagreement or of a contractawait /ə�wet/ verb to wait for � Weare awaiting the decision of the plan-ning department. � They are awaiting adecision of the court. � The agent isawaiting our instructions.award /ə�wɔ�d/ noun a decision whichsettles a dispute or claim � an award byan industrial tribunal � The arbitrator’saward was set aside on appeal. � Thelatest pay award has been announced. �verb to decide the amount of moneyto be given to someone � to awardsomeone a salary increase � toaward a contract to someone to decidethat someone will have the contract todo workaward wage /ə�wɔ�d wed"/ noun arate of pay set by an industrial court ortribunal in Australia or New Zealand fora particular occupationaxe /�ks/ noun � the project got theaxe the project was stopped � verb tocut or to stop � to axe expenditure �Several thousand jobs are to be axed.(NOTE: the usual US spelling is ax)

average adjustment 22 axe

back 23 backshift

B

back /b�k/ noun the opposite sideto the front � Write your address onthe back of the envelope. � adjectivereferring to the past � a back payment �adverb as things were before � Hewill pay back the money in monthly in-stalments. � The store sent back thecheque because the date was wrong. �The company went back on its agree-ment to supply at £1.50 a unit. �verb � to back someone to help some-one financially � The bank is backing usto the tune of £10,000. � She is lookingfor someone to back her project.

‘…the businesses we back range from start-upventures to established companies in need offurther capital for expansion’ [Times]

backdate /b�k�det/ verb to put anearlier date on a document such as acheque or an invoice � The pay increaseis backdated to January 1st.back down /b�k �daυn/ verb to giveup something which you claimedbackground /�b�k raυnd/ noun 1.past work or experience � My back-ground is in the steel industry. � Thecompany is looking for someone with abackground of success in the electronicsindustry. � She has a publishing back-ground. � What is his background? �Do you know anything about his back-ground? 2. past details � He explainedthe background of the claim. � I knowthe contractual situation as it standsnow, but can you fill in the backgrounddetails?backhander /�b�kh�ndə/ noun abribe or money given to persuade some-one to do something for you (informal.)� He was accused of taking backhand-ers from the company’s suppliers.backing /�b�kŋ/ noun 1. support �He gave his backing to the proposal. �The proposal has the backing of the

board. 2. financial support � She hasthe backing of an Australian bank. �The company will succeed only if it hassufficient backing. � Who is providingthe backing for the project? � Wheredoes the backing for the project comefrom? � She gave her backing to theproposal.

‘…the company has received the backing of anumber of oil companies who are willing to payfor the results of the survey’ [Lloyd’s List]

backlog /�b�klɒ / noun work whichhas piled up waiting to be done, e.g. or-ders or letters � The warehouse is tryingto cope with a backlog of orders. �We’re finding it hard to cope with thebacklog of paperwork.back orders /�b�k ɔ�dəz/ pluralnoun orders received and not yet ful-filled, usually because the item is out ofstock � It took the factory six weeks toclear all the accumulated back orders.back out /b�k �aυt/ verb to stop be-ing part of a deal or an agreement � Thebank backed out of the contract. � Wehad to cancel the project when our Ger-man partners backed out.back pay /�b�k pe/ noun a salarywhich has not been paid � I am owed£500 in back pay.back payments /�b�k pemənts/plural noun payments which are duebackpedal /�b�kped(ə)l/ verb togo back on something which wasstated earlier � When questioned byreporters about the redundancies, theMD backpedalled fast. (NOTE:backpedalling- backpedalled)

backshift /�b�kʃft/ noun the after-noon shift in a three-shift system, work-ing from late afternoon until lateevening (after the morning shift and be-fore the night shift)

back tax 24 ballot

back tax /�b�k t�ks/ noun a taxwhich is owedback to work /b�k tə �w��k/ nounthe act of returning to work after beingunemployedbacktrack /�b�ktr�k/ verb to goback on what has been said beforeback up /b�k �$p/ verb to support orhelp � He brought along a file of docu-ments to back up his claim. � The em-ployee said his union had refused toback him up in his argument withmanagement.backup /�b�k$p/ adjective supportingor helping � We offer a free backup ser-vice to customers. � After a series ofsales tours by representatives, the salesdirector sends backup letters to all thecontacts.backup copy /�b�k$p kɒpi/ noun acopy of a computer disk to be kept incase the original disk is damagedback-up facility /�b�k $p fəslti/noun something that performs the sametask or contains the same information assomething else and can replace it if itfailsback wages /�b�k wed"z/ pluralnoun same as back paybad /b�d/ adjective not goodbad buy /b�d �ba/ noun a thingbought which was not worth the moneypaid for itbadge /b�d"/ noun a piece of plasticor card which can be clipped to a per-son’s shirt or coat and on which a namecan be written � All the staff at the exhi-bition must wear badges. � Visitorshave to sign in at reception, and will begiven visitors’ badges.balance /�b�ləns/ noun 1. the amountto be put in one of the columns of an ac-count to make the total debits and cred-its equal � balance in hand cash held topay small debts � balance broughtdown or forward the closing balance ofthe previous period used as the openingbalance of the current period � balancecarried down or forward the closingbalance of the current period 2. the restof an amount owed � You can pay £100deposit and the balance within 60 days.� balance due to us the amount owed to

us which is due to be paid � verb 1. (oftwo sides in a balance sheet) to beequal (i.e. the assets owned must alwaysequal the total liabilities plus capital) �the February accounts do not balancethe two sides are not equal 2. to calcu-late the amount needed to make the twosides of an account equal � I have fin-ished balancing the accounts for March.3. to plan a budget so that expenditureand income are equal � The president isplanning for a balanced budget.balance sheet /�b�ləns ʃi�t/ noun astatement of the financial position of acompany at a particular time such as theend of the financial year or the end of aquarter showing the company’s assetsand liabilities � Our accountant hasprepared the balance sheet for the firsthalf-year. � The company balance sheetfor the last financial year shows a worseposition than for the previous year. �The company balance sheet for 1984shows a substantial loss.

COMMENT: The balance sheet shows thestate of a company’s finances at a certaindate; the profit and loss account showsthe movements which have taken placesince the end of the previous accountingperiod. A balance sheet must balance,with the basic equation that assets (i.e.what the company owns, including moneyowed to the company) must equal liabili-ties (i.e. what the company owes to itscreditors) plus capital (i.e. what it owes toits shareholders). A balance sheet can bedrawn up either in the horizontal form,with (in the UK) liabilities and capital onthe left-hand side of the page (in the USA,it is the reverse) or in the vertical form,with assets at the top of the page, fol-lowed by liabilities, and capital at the bot-tom. Most are usually drawn up in thevertical format, as opposed to the moreold-fashioned horizontal style.

ball /bɔ�l/ noun � the ball is in themanagement’s court the managementhas to make the next moveballot /�b�lət/ noun 1. an electionwhere people vote for someone bymarking a cross on a paper with a list ofnames � Six names were put forwardfor three vacancies on the committee soa ballot was held. 2. a vote where votersdecide on an issue by marking a piece ofpaper 3. a selection made by taking pa-

ballot box 25 bar chart

pers at random out of a box � The shareissue was oversubscribed, so there wasa ballot for the shares. � verb to take avote by ballot � The union is ballotingfor the post of president.ballot box /�b�lət bɒks/ noun asealed box into which ballot papers areputballot paper /�b�lət pepə/ noun apaper on which the voter marks a crossto show who they want to vote forballot-rigging /�b�lət r ŋ/ nounthe illegal arranging of the votes in aballot, so that a particular candidate orparty winsban /b�n/ noun an order which forbidssomeone from doing something � to im-pose a ban on smoking to make an or-der which forbids smoking � to lift theban on smoking to allow people tosmoke � verb to forbid something �The council has banned the sale of alco-hol at the sports ground. � The com-pany has banned drinking on companypremises. (NOTE: banning – banned)

band /b�nd/ noun 1. a strip of paperor plastic or a rubber ring put round arti-cles to attach them together 2. a range offigures between low and high, withinwhich a figure can move � a salaryband 3. a grade or level � verb to divideinto bandsbandwidth /�b�ndwdθ/ noun limitssuch as upper and lower performancelevels or work hours that define a rangebank /b�ŋk/ noun a business whichholds money for its clients, lends moneyat interest, and trades generally inmoney � Lloyds Bank � the First Na-tional Bank � the Royal Bank of Scot-land � She put all her earnings into herbank. � I have had a letter from mybank telling me my account isoverdrawn.bank account /�b�ŋk əkaυnt/ nounan account which a customer has with abank, where the customer can depositand withdraw money � to open a bankaccount � to close a bank account �How much money do you have in yourbank account? � If you let the balancein your bank account fall below £100,you have to pay bank charges.

bank giro /�b�ŋk d"arəυ/ noun amethod used by clearing banks to trans-fer money rapidly from one account toanotherbank holiday /b�ŋk �hɒlde/ nouna weekday which is a public holidaywhen the banks are closed � New Year’sDay is a bank holiday. � Are we paidfor bank holidays in this job?banking /�b�ŋkŋ/ noun the businessof banks � He is studying banking. �She has gone into banking. � a bankingcrisis a crisis affecting the banksbank manager /�b�ŋk m�nd"ə/noun the person in charge of a branch ofa bank � They asked their bank man-ager for a loan.bankrupt /�b�ŋkr$pt/ adjective,noun a person who has been declared bya court not to be capable of paying theirdebts and whose affairs are put into thehands of a receiver � a bankrupt prop-erty developer � She was adjudicated ordeclared bankrupt. � He went bankruptafter two years in business. � undis-charged bankrupt a person who hasbeen declared bankrupt and has not beenreleased from that state � verb to makesomeone become bankrupt � The reces-sion bankrupted my father.bankruptcy /�b�ŋkr$ptsi/ noun thestate of being bankrupt � The recessionhas caused thousands of bankruptcies.(NOTE: plural is bankruptcies)

COMMENT: In the UK, ‘bankruptcy’ is ap-plied only to individual persons, but in theUSA the term is also applied to corpora-tions. In the UK, a bankrupt cannot holdpublic office (for example, they cannot beelected an MP) and cannot be the directorof a company. They also cannot borrowmoney. In the USA, there are two types ofbankruptcy: ‘involuntary’, where the credi-tors ask for a person or corporation to bemade bankrupt; and ‘voluntary’, where aperson or corporation applies to be madebankrupt (in the UK, this is called ‘volun-tary liquidation’).

bank transfer /�b�ŋk tr�nsf��/noun an act of moving money from abank account to another accountbar chart /�bɑ� tʃɑ�t/ noun a chartwhere values or quantities are shown ascolumns of different heights set on a

bargain 26 basically

base line, the different lengths express-ing the quantity of the item or unitbargain /�bɑ� n/ noun 1. an agree-ment on the price of something � tostrike a bargain or to make a bargain 2.something which is cheaper than usual� That car is a (real) bargain at £500.� verb to discuss a price for something� You will have to bargain with thedealer if you want a discount. (NOTE:you bargain with someone over orabout or for something)

bargaining /�bɑ� nŋ/ noun the actof discussing between two people orgroups, to achieve a settlement, usuallywage increases for workers � to cometo, to sit round the bargaining table tomeet for negotiationsbargaining level /�bɑ� nŋ lev(ə)l/noun the level at which bargaining takesplace (i.e. at department level, wholecompany level, industry level, etc.)bargaining position /�bɑ� nŋ pə-zʃ(ə)n/ noun the statement of positionby one group during negotiationsbargaining structure /�bɑ� nŋstr$ktʃə/ noun a structure of collectivebargaining negotiations, comprising thesubjects dealt with, the number of em-ployees covered, whether the negotia-tions apply to a single factory or to thewhole industry, etc.bargaining table /�bɑ� nŋteb(ə)l/ noun a table where negotia-tors sit � The arbitrators are trying toget the parties to return to the bargain-ing table.bargaining theory of wages/�bɑ� nŋ θəri əv wed"z/ nouna theory which states that the relativebargaining power of the employers andemployees will decide wage levelsbargaining unit /�bɑ� nŋ ju�nt/noun a group of employees whonegotiate with their employer toreach a collective agreement � Thebargaining unit had a meeting with topmanagement in order to thrash out theirdifferences. � The bargaining unit wassupported by the union in its attempt toimprove conditions.BARS abbr behaviourally anchoredrating scales

base /bes/ noun 1. the lowest or firstposition � Turnover increased by 200%,but started from a low base. 2. a placewhere a company has its main office orfactory, or a place where a businessper-son’s office is located � The companyhas its base in London and branches inall the European countries. � He has anoffice in Madrid which he uses as a basewhile travelling in Southern Europe. �to touch base to get in touch with some-one to see how things are going � verb1. to start to calculate or to negotiatefrom a position � We based our calcula-tions on the forecast turnover. � basedon calculating from � based on lastyear’s figures � based on populationforecasts 2. to set up a company or aperson in a place � The European man-ager is based in our London office. �Our overseas branch is based in theBahamas.

‘…the base lending rate, or prime rate, is therate at which banks lend to their top corporateborrowers’ [Wall Street Journal]

‘…other investments include a large stake in theChicago-based insurance company’[Lloyd’s List]

base pay /�bes pe/ noun US pay fora job which does not include extras suchas overtime pay or bonusesbase period /�bes pəriəd/ US 1. aperiod against which comparisons aremade 2. the time that an employee mustwork before becoming eligible for stateunemployment insurance benefits � Be-cause he had not worked for the baseperiod, he had to rely on the support ofhis family when he lost his job. � Thenew government shortened the base pe-riod, in order to increase social servicespending.basic /�besk/ adjective 1. normal 2.most important 3. simple, or from whicheverything starts � She has a basicknowledge of the market. � To work atthe cash desk, you need a basic qualifi-cation in maths.BASIC /�besk/ noun a simple lan-guage for writing computer programs.Full form beginner’s all-purposesymbolic instruction code

basically /�beskli/ adverb seen fromthe point from which everything starts

basic award /�besk əwɔ�d/ nounan award by an industrial tribunal basedon the employee’s age, length of serviceand current salary and equal to what theemployee would have received if theyhad been made redundant (used in casesof unfair dismissal)basic education /besk edjυ-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun a first level education,giving basic skills and informationbasic industry /besk �ndəstri/noun the most important industry of acountry, e.g. coal, steel or agriculturebasic pay /besk �pe/ noun a nor-mal salary without extra paymentsbasic rate tax /�besk ret t�ks/noun the lowest rate of income taxbasics /�besks/ plural noun simpleand important facts � She has studiedthe basics of foreign exchange dealing.� to get back to basics to consider themain facts againbasic salary /besk �s�ləri/ nounsame as basic paybasic time /�besk tam/ noun thenormal time taken to do a job, estab-lished by work study � The basic timefor the job was not accepted by the em-ployees who found it too demanding.basic wage /besk �wed"/ nounsame as basic pay � The basic wage is£110 a week, but you can expect to earnmore than that with overtime.basis /�bess/ noun 1. a point or num-ber from which calculations are made �We have calculated the turnover on thebasis of a 6% price increase. 2. generalterms of agreement or general principleson which something is decided � on ashort-term, long-term basis for a shortor long period � He has been appointedon a short-term basis. � We have threepeople working on a freelance basis.batch /b�tʃ/ noun 1. a group of itemswhich are made at one time � Thisbatch of shoes has the serial number25–02. 2. a group of documents whichare processed at the same time � To-day’s batch of invoices is ready to bemailed. � The factory is working on yes-terday’s batch of orders. � The accoun-tant signed a batch of cheques. � Wedeal with the orders in batches of fifty at

a time. � verb to put items together ingroups � to batch invoices or chequesbatch processing /�b�tʃprəυsesŋ/ noun a system of data pro-cessing where information is collectedinto batches before being loaded into thecomputerbattery /�b�t(ə)ri/ noun 1. a smallobject for storing electric power � abattery-powered calculator � My phonebattery needs charging. 2. a series ofsimilar things � Candidates have topass a battery of tests.beat /bi�t/ verb to win in a fight againstsomeone � They have beaten their ri-vals into second place in the computermarket.beginner /b� nə/ noun a personwho is starting in a jobbeginners’ course /b� nəz kɔ�s/noun a course for students who knownothing about the subjectbehalf /b�hɑ�f/ noun � on behalf ofacting for someone or a company � so-licitors acting on behalf of the Americancompany � I am writing on behalf of theminority shareholders. � She is actingon my behalf.behaviour /b�hevjə/ noun the wayin which someone behaves � The man-ager had to talk to him about his disrup-tive behaviour. (NOTE: the usual USspelling is behavior)behavioural /b�hevjərəl/ adjectivereferring to behaviour (NOTE: the usualUS spelling is behavioral)behavioural interview /b-�hevjərəl ntəvju�/ noun a type ofinterview that aims to find out howapplicants have behaved in the pastwhen faced with the kind of situationsthey might meet in the job they arebeing interviewed forbehaviourally anchored ratingscales /bhevjərəli �ŋkəd �retŋskelz/ plural noun a method ofappraising performance based on typicalperformance criteria set for eachindividual member of staff. Abbr BARSbehavioural modelling /b-hevjərəl �mɒd(ə)lŋ/ noun 1. aprocess that tries to capture skills thatpeople possess or use unconsciously

basic award 27 behavioural modelling

behavioural sciences 28 benefits plan

in a form that makes it possible toteach those skills to others 2. atechnique used in skills training thatinvolves encouraging somebody to imi-tate what another person does and thento retain the skill or type of behaviourthey have learned from that other personbehavioural sciences /b-hevjərəl �saənsz/ plural nounsciences which study human behaviour,such as sociology and psychologybehaviour expectation rate /b-hevjə ekspek�teʃ(ə)n ret/ nounsame as behaviourally anchoredrating scales

behind /b�hand/ preposition at theback or after � The company is No. 2 inthe market, about £4m behind their ri-vals. � adverb � she has fallen behindwith her loan repayments she is latewith her paymentsbelong /b�lɒŋ/ verb � to belong to tobe the property of � The company be-longs to an old American bankingfamily.belongings /b�lɒŋŋz/ plural nounthings which belong to someone � Thecompany is not responsible for personalbelongings left in the cloakrooms. �When I was sacked I had five minutes tocollect my personal belongings.below /b�ləυ/ preposition lower downthan or less than � We sold the propertyat below the market price. � You can geta ticket for New York at below £150 onthe Internet. � The company has a pol-icy of paying staff below the marketrates.benchmark /�bentʃmɑ�k/ noun 1. apoint or level which is important, andcan be used as a reference when makingevaluations or assessments 2. a standardused to measure performance (NOTE: abenchmark was originally a set of com-puter programs that was used to mea-sure how well a particular computerperformed in comparison with similarmodels)

benchmarking /�bentʃmɑ�kŋ/noun the practice of measuring the per-formance of a company against the per-formance of other companies in thesame sector

benchmark job /�bentʃmɑ�k d"ɒbz/noun a job used as a measure ofperformancebeneficiary /ben�fʃəri/ noun a per-son who gains money from something �the beneficiaries of a willbenefit /�benft/ noun 1. paymentswhich are made to someone under a na-tional or private insurance scheme �She receives £75 a week as unemploy-ment benefit. � Sickness benefit is paidmonthly. � The insurance office sendsout benefit cheques each week. 2. some-thing of value given to an employee inaddition to their salary � verb 1. tomake better or to improve � A fall in in-flation benefits the exchange rate. 2. �to benefit from or by something to beimproved by something, to gain moremoney because of something � Exportshave benefited from the fall in the ex-change rate. � The employees havebenefited from the profit-sharingscheme.

‘…the retail sector will also benefit from theexpected influx of tourists’ [AustralianFinancial Review]‘…what benefits does the executive derive fromhis directorship? Compensation has increasedsharply in recent years and fringe benefits fordirectors have proliferated’ [Duns BusinessMonth]‘…salary is negotiable to £30,000, plus car anda benefits package appropriate to this seniorpost’ [Financial Times]‘California is the latest state to enact a programforcing welfare recipients to work for theirbenefits’ [Fortune]‘…salary range is $54,957 – $81,189, with acompetitive benefits package’ [WashingtonPost]

benefit in kind /benft n �kand/noun a benefit other than money re-ceived by an employee as part of theirtotal compensation package, e.g. com-pany cars or private health insurance.Such benefits are usually subject to tax.benefits entitlement /�benfts n-tat(ə)lmənt/ noun the type of socialsecurity benefit to which someone hasthe rightbenefits plan /�benfts pl�n/ nouna Canadian government programmeintended to promote the employmentof Canadian citizens and to provideCanadian manufacturers, consultants,

benevolent 29 biological clock

contractors and service companies withopportunities to compete for projectsbenevolent /bə�nev(ə)lənt/ adjectivewhich does good to other peoplebenevolent fund /bə�nev(ə)ləntf$nd/ noun a fund contributed to by em-ployers and employees to provide em-ployees and their families with financialhelp in case of sickness, injury or death� Benevolent funds are set up to provideemployees with more security. � Theemployer’s contribution to the staff be-nevolent fund was the most attractive ofthe fringe benefits offered with the job.best practice /best �pr�kts/ nounthe most effective and efficient way todo something or to achieve a particularaim (NOTE: in business, best practice isoften determined by benchmarking,that is by comparing the method oneorganisation uses to carry out a taskwith the methods used by other similarorganisations and determining whichmethod is most efficient and effective)bi- /ba/ prefix twice � bi-monthlytwice a month � bi-annually twice ayearbias /�baəs/ noun the practice of fa-vouring of one group or person ratherthan another � A postal survey will doaway with bias. � The trainee interview-ers were taught how to control bias andits effects. � Management has shownbias in favour of graduates in its recentappointments.biased /�baəst/ adjective referring toa person who favours one group ratherthan another � She is biased towardsyounger staff.bid /bd/ noun 1. an offer to buy some-thing at a specific price � to make acash bid to offer to pay cash for some-thing � to put in or enter a bid forsomething to offer to buy something,usually in writing 2. an offer to sellsomething or do a piece of work at aspecific price � She made the lowest bidfor the job. � verb to offer to buy � tobid for something (at an auction) to of-fer to buy something � he bid £1,000for the jewels he offered to pay £1,000for the jewelsbidding /�bdŋ/ noun 1. the act ofmaking offers to buy, usually at an auc-

tion � the bidding started at £1,000 thefirst and lowest bid was £1,000 � thebidding stopped at £250,000 the lastbid, i.e. the successful bid, was for£250,000 2. an attempt by an employeeto be considered for a vacant post in thesame organisation � When the vacancywas pinned up on the notice board therewas much bidding for the job among thestaff in the department.big business /b �bzns/ nounvery large commercial firmsbig picture /b �pktʃə/ noun abroad view of a subject that takes intoaccount all the factors that are relevantto it and considers the future conse-quences of action taken now (informal.)

bilateral /ba�l�t(ə)rəl/ adjective be-tween two parties or countries � Theminister signed a bilateral tradeagreement.bilingual /ba�lŋ wəl/ adjective re-ferring to a person who is able to speakand write two languages fluently � a bi-lingual secretary � Secretaries workingoverseas are required to be bilingual. �Having worked for a French companyfor some years, he is now completely bi-lingual. (NOTE: in the USA, the word bi-lingual normally means speakingEnglish and Spanish)

bind /band/ verb to tie or to attach �The company is bound by its articles ofassociation. � He does not considerhimself bound by the agreement whichwas signed by his predecessor. (NOTE:binding – bound)

binder /�bandə/ noun 1. a stiff card-board cover for papers 2. US a tempo-rary agreement for insurance sent beforethe insurance policy is issued (NOTE: theBritish equivalent is cover note)

binding /�bandŋ/ adjective which le-gally forces someone to do something �a binding contract � This document isnot legally binding. � the agreement isbinding on all parties all parties sign-ing it must do what is agreedbiodata /�baəυdetə/ noun biograph-ical information about an employee andtheir employment historybiological clock /baəlɒd"k(ə)l�klɒk/ noun the system inside a person’s

biorhythms 30 block release

body which regulates cyclical activitiessuch as biorhythms and has an effect onnight-shift workingbiorhythms /�baəυrðəmz/ pluralnoun recurring cycles of differentlengths which some people believe af-fect a person’s behaviour, sensitivityand intelligencebirth certificate /�b��θ sətfkət/noun a paper giving details of a person’sparents and date and place of birthblack /bl�k/ adjective � in the black,into the black in or into credit � Thecompany has moved into the black. �My bank account is still in the black. �verb to forbid trading in specific goodsor with specific suppliers � Three firmswere blacked by the government. � Theunion has blacked a trucking firm.black-coated worker /bl�k�kəυtd w��kə/ noun a white-collarworker, a worker in an administrativejob, not a manual workerblacking /�bl�kŋ/ noun the refusalby employees to work with materialsnormally supplied by employees of an-other organisation who are engaged inindustrial action � Blacking of the rub-ber already delivered to the factory heldup tyre production for days. � Blackingof materials was carried out by workersin another factory who were sympa-thetic to the strikers’ cause.blackleg /�bl�kle / noun an em-ployee who continues working whenthere is a strikeblack list /�bl�k lst/ noun 1. a list ofgoods, people or companies which havebeen blacked 2. a list of people consid-ered by an employer to be too dangerousor disruptive to employblacklist /�bl�klst/ verb to putgoods, people or a company on a blacklist � Their firm was blacklisted by thegovernment.blame /blem/ noun the act of sayingthat someone has done somethingwrong or that someone is responsible �The sales staff got the blame for thepoor sales figures. � verb to say thatsomeone has done something wrong oris responsible for a mistake � The man-aging director blamed the chief accoun-

tant for not warning her of the loss. �The union is blaming the managementfor poor industrial relations.blamestorming /�blemstɔ�mŋ/noun group discussion of the reasonswhy a project has failed or is late andwho is to blame for it (slang) (NOTE: theterm is modelled on the word‘brainstorming’)blame-time /�blem tam/ noun themoment when an organisation an-nounces publicly who or what is toblame for the failure of a project or task(informal.)blank /bl�ŋk/ adjective with nothingwritten � noun a space on a form whichhas to be completed � Fill in the blanksand return the form to your local office.blank cheque /bl�ŋk �tʃek/ noun acheque with the amount of money andthe payee left blank, but signed by thedrawerblanket agreement /bl�ŋkt ə-� ri�mənt/ noun an agreement whichcovers many different itemsblanket dismissal /bl�ŋkt ds-�ms(ə)l/ noun the dismissal of a groupof employees because one unidentifiedemployee is suspected of having com-mitted an offence, and the others refuseto reveal the identity of the culpritblank vote /bl�ŋk �vəυt/ noun a vot-ing paper which has not been markedblock /blɒk/ noun 1. a series of itemsgrouped together � I bought a block of6,000 shares. 2. a series of buildingsforming a square with streets on allsides � They want to redevelop a blockin the centre of the town. � a block ofoffices, an office block a large buildingwhich only contains offices � verb tostop something taking place � He usedhis casting vote to block the motion.block capitals /blɒk �k�pt(ə)lz/,block letters /blɒk �letəz/ plural nouncapital letters such as A,B,C � Writeyour name and address in block letters.blocked mobility /blɒkt məυ�blti/noun limited potential for promotionthat is not dependent on the educationalbackground of the employeeblock release /blɒk r�li�s/ noun per-mission for an employee to attend a se-

blue circle rate 31 bonus scheme

ries of courses outside their place ofworkblue circle rate /blu� �s��k(ə)l ret/noun US a pay rate which is below theminimum rate of an employee’s evalu-ated pay levelblue-collar union /blu� �kɒləju�njən/ noun a trade union formedmainly of blue-collar workersblue-collar worker /blu� �kɒləw��kə/ noun a manual worker in afactoryBlue Laws /�blu� lɔ�z/ plural nounUS regulations governing business ac-tivities on Sundaysblueprint /�blu�prnt/ noun a plan ormodel of something � The agreementwill be the blueprint for other agree-ments in the industry.blueshirt /�blu�ʃ��t/ noun an em-ployee of the computer company IBMbluetooth /�blu�tu�θ/ trademark atype of technology allowing for commu-nication between mobile phones, com-puters and the Internetboard /bɔ�d/ noun 1. � board of di-rectors 2. a group of people who run anorganisation, trust or society 3. an offi-cial group of people 4. an official body5. a large flat piece of wood or card

‘CEOs, with their wealth of practicalexperience, are in great demand and can pickand choose the boards they want to serve on’[Duns Business Month]

board interview /�bɔ�d ntəvju�/noun an interview in which a candidateis asked questions by several representa-tives of an organisationboard meeting /�bɔ�d mi�tŋ/ nouna meeting of the directors of a companyboard member /�bɔ�d membə/noun one of the directors of a companyboard of directors /�bɔ�d əv da-�rektəz/ noun 1. GB a group of direc-tors elected by the shareholders to run acompany � The bank has two represen-tatives on the board. � He sits on theboard as a representative of the bank. �Two directors were removed from theboard at the AGM. 2. US a group ofpeople elected by the shareholders todraw up company policy and to appointthe president and other executive offi-

cers who are responsible for managingthe company. See also the comment atdirector

‘…a proxy is the written authorization aninvestor sends to a stockholder meetingconveying his vote on a corporate resolution orthe election of a company’s board of directors’[Barrons]

boardroom /�bɔ�dru�m/ noun a roomwhere the directors of a company meetboard seat /�bɔ�d si�t/ noun a posi-tion as a member of a board, especially aboard of directorsboard secretary /�bɔ�d sekrt(ə)ri/noun a person who acts as secretary to aboard of directors or governorsbody language /�bɒd l�ŋ wd"/noun gestures, expressions and move-ments which show what somebody’s re-sponse is to a situation � Traineesalespeople learn how to interpret acustomer’s body language. � The inter-viewer of prospective marketing manag-ers observed the body language of thecandidates very carefully. � The candi-date claimed to be very confident abouttaking the job, but her body languagewas saying the opposite.bogus degree /bəυ əs d� ri�/noun a university degree or similarqualification that has little or no valuebecause it is awarded by an organisationthat is not recognised as a genuinely ed-ucational institution by the country inwhich it operates (NOTE: bogus degreesare usually awarded by organisationswith names that are similar to those ofrespected universities, which take ad-vantage of the naivety of foreignstudents)bona fide /bəυnə �fadi/ adjectivetrustworthy, which can be trusted � abona fide offer an offer which is madehonestlybona fide union /bəυnə fadi�ju�njən/ noun a union which is freelychosen by employees without any influ-ence from the employer � Most of theworkers in the industry are members ofbona fide unions.bonus /�bəυnəs/ noun an extra pay-ment in addition to a normal paymentbonus scheme /�bəυnəs ski�m/, bo-nus system /�bəυnəs sstəm/ noun a

scheme by which workers can earn bo-nuses (such as for exceeding targets orcompleting a task within the deadline)bonus share /�bəυnəs ʃeə/ noun anextra share given to an existingshareholderbook /bυk/ noun a set of sheets of pa-per attached together � a company’sbooks the financial records of a com-pany � verb to order or to reserve some-thing � to book a room in a hotel or atable at a restaurant or a ticket on aplane � I booked a table for 7.45. � Hebooked a ticket through to Cairo. � tobook someone into a hotel or on/ontoa flight to order a room or a plane ticketfor someone else � He was booked onthe 09.00 flight to Zurich. � the hotel,flight is fully booked or is booked upall the rooms or seats are reserved � Therestaurant is booked up over the Christ-mas period.booking /�bυkŋ/ noun the act of re-serving something such as a room or aseat � Hotel bookings have fallen sincethe end of the tourist season. � to con-firm a booking to say that a booking iscertainbooking clerk /�bυkŋ klɑ�k/ noun aperson who sells tickets in a bookingofficebookkeeper /�bυkki�pə/ noun a per-son who keeps the financial records of acompany or an organisationbookkeeping /�bυkki�pŋ/ noun thekeeping of the financial records of acompany or an organisationbooklet /�bυklət/ noun a small bookwith a paper coverbook sales /�bυk selz/ plural nounsales as recorded in the sales bookbookwork /�bυkw��k/ noun the keep-ing of financial recordsboomerang worker /�bu�mər�ŋw��kə/ noun an employee who returnsto work for a previous employer (slang)boom industry /�bu�m ndəstri/noun an industry which is expandingrapidlyboost /bu�st/ noun help given to in-crease something � This publicity willgive sales a boost. � The governmenthopes to give a boost to industrial devel-

opment. � verb to make something in-crease � We expect our publicity cam-paign to boost sales by 25%. � Thecompany hopes to boost its marketshare. � Incentive schemes are boostingproduction.

‘…the company expects to boost turnover thisyear to FFr 16bn from FFr 13.6bn last year’[Financial Times]

boot /bu�t/ noun � to get the boot tobe sacked (informal.)

boot camp /�bu�t k�mp/ noun US ademanding programme for new employ-ees, designed to teach them technicalskills and introduce them to the corpo-rate culture of the organisation they arejoining (NOTE: boot camps are mod-elled on the basic training of the USMarine Corps)

border crosser /�bɔ�də krɒsə/ nounan employee who has a variety of skillsand is able to move from job to jobwithin a company (slang)

borderline case /�bɔ�dəlan kes/noun 1. a situation which is not easy toresolve, being either one way or theother 2. a worker who may or may notbe recommended some action such asfor promotion or dismissalborrowings /�bɒrəυŋz/ plural nounmoney borrowed � The company’sborrowings have doubled.boss /bɒs/ noun an employer or per-son in charge of a company or an office(informal.) � If you want a pay rise, goand talk to your boss. � He became a di-rector when he married the boss’sdaughter.bottom /�bɒtəm/ noun the lowest partor point � the bottom has fallen out ofthe market sales have fallen belowwhat previously seemed to be the lowestpoint � rock-bottom price the lowestprice of all � verb to reach the lowestpoint � the market has bottomed outthe market has reached the lowest pointand does not seem likely to fall furtherbottom line /bɒtəm �lan/ noun 1.the last line on a balance sheet indicat-ing profit or loss 2. the final decision ona matter � The bottom line was that anyworkers showing dissatisfaction withconditions would be fired.

bonus share 32 bottom line

bottom price /�bɒtəm pras/ nounthe lowest priceboycott /�bɔkɒt/ noun a refusal tobuy or to deal in certain products � Theunion organised a boycott against or ofimported cars. � verb to refuse to buyor deal in a product � We are boycottingall imports from that country. � themanagement has boycotted the meet-ing the management has refused to at-tend the meetingbracket /�br�kt/ noun a group ofitems or people taken together � peoplein the middle-income bracket peoplewith average incomes, not high or low �she is in the top tax bracket she paysthe highest level of taxbrain /bren/ noun a part of the bodyin which decisions are taken � she is thebrains behind the organisation she isthe clever person who is running theorganisationbrain drain /�bren dren/ noun themovement of clever people away from acountry to find better jobs in othercountriesbrainiac /�breni�k/ noun a very in-telligent and creative employee who isalso unpredictable and eccentric (slang)brainstorming /�brenstɔ�mŋ/noun an intensive discussion by a smallgroup of people as a method of produc-ing new ideas or solving problemsbrainstorming session /�bren-stɔ�mŋ seʃ(ə)n/ noun a meeting tothrash out problems, where everyoneputs forward different ideasbranch /brɑ�ntʃ/ noun 1. the local of-fice of a bank or large business, or a lo-cal shop which is part of a large chain 2.the local office of a union, based in afactorybranch committee /brɑ�ntʃ kə-�mti/ noun an elected committee of un-ion members which deals with generalday-to-day problemsbranch manager /brɑ�ntʃ�m�nd"ə/ noun a person in charge of abranch of a company

‘…a leading manufacturer of business,industrial and commercial products requires abranch manager to head up its mid-westernCanada operations based in Winnipeg’[Globe and Mail (Toronto)]

branch office /brɑ�ntʃ �ɒfs/ noun aless important office, usually in a differ-ent town or country from the mainofficebreach /bri�tʃ/ noun a failure to carryout the terms of an agreementbreach of contract /bri�tʃ əv�kɒntr�kt/ noun the failure to do some-thing which has been agreed in a con-tract � the company is in breach ofcontract the company has failed to dowhat was agreed in the contractbreach of discipline /bri�tʃ əv�dspln/ noun an action which goesagainst the company rules or againstinstructionsbreadwinner /�bredwnə/ noun aperson who earns the main income in afamily, and so provides food for theothersbreak /brek/ verb 1. to fail to carryout the duties of a contract � The com-pany has broken the contract or theagreement by selling at a lower price. �to break an engagement to do some-thing not to do what has been agreed 2.to cancel a contract � The company ishoping to be able to break the contract.(NOTE: breaking – broke – broken)

break down /brek �daυn/ verb 1. tostop working because of mechanicalfailure � The fax machine has brokendown. 2. to stop � Negotiations brokedown after six hours. 3. to show all theitems in a total list of costs or expendi-ture � We broke the expenditure downinto fixed and variable costs.breakdown /�brekdaυn/ noun 1. anact of stopping working because of me-chanical failure 2. an act of stoppingtalking � a breakdown in wage negotia-tions 3. an act of showing details itemby item � Give me a breakdown of in-vestment costs.break off /brek �ɒf/ verb to stop �We broke off the discussion at midnight.� Management broke off negotiationswith the union.break point /�brek pɔnt/ noun thedividing point between one job or ele-ment and the next, or between one levelestablished on a job evaluation and thenext � A break point was established

bottom price 33 break point

between unskilled and semi-skilled jobs,separating the two categories, with dif-ferent rates of pay.break up /brek �$p/ verb 1. to splitsomething large into small sections �The company was broken up and sepa-rate divisions sold off. 2. to come to anend � The meeting broke up at 12.30.bribe /brab/ noun money given tosomeone in authority to get them to help� The minister was dismissed for takingbribes. � verb to pay someone money toget them to do something illegal or dis-honest for youbribery /�brab(ə)ri/ noun the illegalor dishonest act of offering somebodycash or a gift in order to persuade themto give you an unfair advantagebridge job /�brd" d"ɒb/ noun a posi-tion designed to help the movement ofemployees from one job category to an-other � She was given a bridge jobwhile being considered for real promo-tion. � The bridge job between machin-ist and supervisor consisted of sometasks from each of these posts.brief /bri�f/ noun instructions given tosomeone � He went into the negotia-tions with the brief to get a deal at anyprice. � verb to explain something tosomeone in detail � The salespeoplewere briefed on the new product. � Themanaging director briefed the board onthe progress of the negotiations.briefing /�bri�fŋ/ noun an act of tell-ing someone details � All sales staffhave to attend a sales briefing on thenew product.briefing group /�bri�fŋ ru�p/ nouna group of people who are briefed, espe-cially a group who take part in teambriefingsbriefing session /�bri�fŋ seʃ(ə)n/noun a meeting between managers andstaff where the staff are informed ofmatters such as decisions or plansbrightsizing /�bratsazŋ/ nounthe practice of reducing the size ofthe workforce by making the mostcapable or intelligent employees re-dundant (NOTE: this usually happensaccidentally when a company hasa policy of laying off its most re-

cently recruited employees first,since these are often the besttrained and best educated membersof its staff)

bring /brŋ/ verb to come to a placewith someone or something � Hebrought his documents with him. � Thefinance director brought her assistant totake notes of the meeting. (NOTE: bring-ing- brought)

bring down /brŋ �daυn/ verb 1. toreduce � Petrol companies havebrought down the price of oil. 2. to adda figure to an account at the end of a pe-riod to balance expenditure and income� balance brought down: £365.15bring forward /brŋ �fɔ�wəd/ verb1. to make earlier � to bring forward thedate of repayment � The date of the nextmeeting has been brought forward toMarch. 2. to take an account balancefrom the end of the previous period asthe starting point for the current period� balance brought forward: £365.15bring in /brŋ �n/ verb to earn anamount of interest � The shares bring ina small amount.bring out /brŋ �aυt/ verb to producesomething new � They are bringing outa new model of the car for the MotorShow.bring up /brŋ �$p/ verb to refer tosomething for the first time � The chair-man brought up the question of redun-dancy payments.broadbanding /�brɔ�db�ndŋ/ nounthe reorganisation of the ranges ofpay that an organisation offers forvarious types of jobs, so that its payscale has fewer, but wider bands(NOTE: broadbanding makes the paystructure more flexible and is espe-cially suited to flat organisations)

broke /brəυk/ adjective having nomoney (informal.) � The company isbroke. � She cannot pay for the new carbecause she is broke.BR tax code /bi� ɑ� �t�ks kəυd/noun a number given to an employeeand sent to the employer, which allowsthe employer to deduct tax from the em-ployee’s pay at the correct rate

break up 34 BR tax code

BS 35 bumping

BS plural noun quality standards whichapply to various products or services.Full form British Standards

B share /�bi� ʃeə/ noun an ordinaryshare with special voting rights (oftenowned by the founder of the companyand their family)buddy system /�b$di sstəm/ nounUS an on-the-job training system, wherea trainee works with an experienced em-ployee � The buddy system teaches thetrainee the practical realities of the job.� The company operates both a buddysystem and some off-the-job classroominstruction for its trainees.budget /�b$d"t/ noun a plan of ex-pected spending and income for a periodof time � to draw up a budget for sala-ries for the coming year � We haveagreed the budgets for next year. � verbto plan probable income and expendi-ture � We are budgeting for £10,000 ofsales next year.

‘…he budgeted for further growth of 150,000jobs (or 2.5 per cent) in the current financialyear’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

‘…the Federal government’s budget targets foremployment and growth are within reachaccording to the latest figures’ [AustralianFinancial Review]

budgetary /�b$d"t(ə)r/ adjectivereferring to a budgetbudgetary policy /b$d"t(ə)ri�pɒlsi/ noun the policy of planning in-come and expenditurebudget variance /b$d"t�veəriəns/ noun the difference betweenthe cost as estimated for a budget andthe actual costbuild /bld/ verb to make by puttingpieces together � The new director’s jobis to build a sales structure. � Theywant to demolish the old factory andbuild an office block on the site. � tobuild on past experience to use experi-ence as a base on which to act in thefuturebuilding /�bldŋ/ noun a structuresuch as a house, factory or office block� They have redeveloped the site of theold office building.building site /�bldŋ sat/ noun aplace where a building is being con-

structed � All visitors to the site mustwear safety helmets.build into /�bld ntu�/ verb to addsomething to something being set up �You must build all the forecasts into thebudget. � we have built 10% for con-tingencies into our cost forecast wehave added 10% to our basic forecast toallow for items which may appearsuddenlybuild up /bld �$p/ verb 1. to createsomething by adding pieces together �She bought several shoe shops andgradually built up a chain. 2. to expandsomething gradually � to build up aprofitable business � to build up a teamof sales representativesbuildup /�bld$p/ noun a gradual in-crease � a buildup in sales or a salesbuildup � There will be a big publicitybuildup before the launch of the newmodel. � There has been a buildup ofcomplaints about customer service.built-in /�blt n/ adjective formingpart of the system or of a machine � ThePC has a built-in modem. � The ac-counting system has a series of built-inchecks. � The microwave has a built-inclock.bulletin board /�bυltn bɔ�d/ nouna board fixed to a wall where noticescan be put upbully /�bυli/ noun a person who is in apowerful position and continually ha-rasses others � verb to threaten and in-timidate other members of staff � Shecomplained that she was being bulliedby the assistant manager. (NOTE: bul-lies- bullying- bullied)bullying /�bυliŋ/ noun intimidationand harassment of someone by anothermember of staff in a more powerfulpositionbumping /�b$mpŋ/ noun 1. US alay-off procedure that allows an em-ployee with greater seniority to displacea more junior employee � The economicrecession led to extensive bumping incompanies where only the most quali-fied were retained for some jobs. � Thetrade unions strongly objected to bump-ing practices since they considered thatmany employees were being laid off un-fairly. 2. the situation where a senior

Bundy 36 business plan

employee takes the place of a junior (ina restaurant)Bundy /�b$ndi/ noun a timing systemin Australia and New Zealand that re-cords the time at which employees ar-rive at and leave their place of workBundy off /b$ndi �ɒf/ verb (in Aus-tralia and New Zealand.) to clock offfrom workBundy on /b$ndi �ɒn/ verb (in Aus-tralia and New Zealand.) to clock on forworkburden /�b��dn/ noun a heavy loadwhich you have to carrybureau /�bjυərəυ/ noun an officewhich specialises in a specific servicebureaucracy /bjυə�rɒkrəsi/ noun asystem of administration where an indi-vidual person’s responsibilities andpowers are strictly defined and pro-cesses are strictly followedbureaucratic /bjυərə�kr�tk/ ad-jective following strict administrativeprinciplesburn out /b��n �aυt/ verb to becometired and incapable for further work be-cause of stress (NOTE: burning- burntor burned)

burnout /�b��naυt/, burnt out case/�b��nt aυt kes/ noun a case where anemployee is tired and incapable of doingany more work as a result of overwork� He’s a burnt-out case and had to giveup his job.business /�bzns/ noun 1. work inbuying or selling � We do a lot of busi-ness with Japan. � Business is expand-ing. � Business is slow. � Repairingcars is 90% of our business. � We didmore business in the week beforeChristmas than we usually do in amonth. � Strikes are very bad for busi-ness. � What’s your line of business? �to be in business to run a commercialfirm � on business doing commercialwork � She had to go abroad on busi-ness. � The chairman is in Holland onbusiness. 2. a commercial company �He owns a small car repair business. �She runs a business from her home. � Iset up in business as an insurance bro-ker. 3. affairs discussed � The main

business of the meeting was finished by3 p.m.business address /�bzns ədres/noun the details of number, street andtown where a company is locatedbusiness agent /�bzns ed"ənt/noun US the chief local official of atrade unionbusiness card /�bzns kɑ�d/ noun acard showing a businessperson’s nameand the name and address of the com-pany they work forbusiness centre /�bzns sentə/noun the part of a town where the mainbanks, shops and offices are locatedbusiness class /�bzns klɑ�s/ nouna type of airline travel which is less ex-pensive than first class and more com-fortable than economy classbusiness college /�bzns kɒld"/noun same as business school

business correspondence/�bzns kɒrspɒndəns/ noun lettersconcerned with a businessbusiness correspondent /�bznskɒrspɒndənt/ noun a journalist whowrites articles on business news fornewspapersbusiness cycle /�bzns sak(ə)l/noun the period during which trade ex-pands, slows down and then expandsagainbusiness equipment /�bzns -kwpmənt/ noun the machines used inan officebusiness expenses /�bzns k-spensz/ plural noun money spent onrunning a business, not on stock orassetsbusiness letter /�bzns letə/ nouna letter which deals with businessmattersbusinessman /�bznsm�n/, busi-nesswoman /�bznswυmən/ noun aman or woman engaged in businessbusiness plan /�bzns pl�n/ noun adocument drawn up to show how a busi-ness is planned to work, with cash flowforecasts, sales forecasts, etc., oftenused when trying to raise a loan, orwhen setting up a new business

business school 37 buyout

business school /�bzns sku�l/noun an educational institution at uni-versity level that offers courses in sub-jects related to business such asmanagement, technology, finance, andinterpersonal skills (NOTE: businessschools provide courses of varyinglength and level, up to Master of Busi-ness Administration, and besides ca-tering for full-time students, also offerpart-time courses and distance learn-ing to people already in employment)

busy /�bzi/ adjective occupied in do-ing something or in working � He isbusy preparing the annual accounts. �

The manager is busy at the moment, butshe will be free in about fifteen minutes.� The busiest time of year for stores isthe week before Christmas. � Summer isthe busy season for hotels. � the line isbusy the telephone line is being usedbusy season /�bzi si�z(ə)n/ nounthe period when a company is busybuyout /�baaυt/ noun the purchase ofa controlling interest in a company

‘…we also invest in companies whose growthand profitability could be improved by amanagement buyout’ [Times]‘…in a normal leveraged buyout, the acquirerraises money by borrowing against the assets orcash flow of the target company’ [Fortune]

CAC 38 call-in pay

C

CAC abbr Central ArbitrationCommitteecafeteria /k�fə�təriə/ noun aself-service restaurant which belongs toa factory or office, where the staff caneat � Most people have lunch in the staffcafeteria.cafeteria-style benefits plan/k�fətəriə stal �benfts pl�n/noun a scheme for benefits for em-ployees, where the employee canchoose from a range of benefits onoffer, depending on different levels ofcontributioncalculate /�k�lkjυlet/ verb 1. to findthe answer to a problem using numbers� The bank clerk calculated the rate ofexchange for the dollar. 2. to estimate �I calculate that we have six months’stock left.calculating machine/�k�lkjυletŋ məʃi�n/ noun same ascalculatorcalculation /k�lkjυ�leʃ(ə)n/ nounthe answer to a problem in mathematics� According to my calculations, wehave six months’ stock left. � we are£20,000 out in our calculations wehave £20,000 too much or too littlecalculator /�k�lkjυletə/ noun anelectronic machine which does calcula-tions such as adding, subtracting andmultiplying � He worked out the dis-count on his calculator.calendar /�k�lndə/ noun a book orset of sheets of paper showing the daysand months in a year, often attached topictures � For the New Year, the garagesent me a calendar with photographs ofold cars.calendar month /�k�lndə m$nθ/noun a whole month as on a calendar,from the 1st to the 30th or 31st � Ninety

days’ credit is almost three calendarmonths.calendar year /�k�lndə jə/ noun ayear from the 1st January to 31stDecembercall /kɔ�l/ noun 1. a conversation onthe telephone � to make a call to dialand speak to someone on the telephone� to log calls to note all details of tele-phone calls made 2. a demand for repay-ment of a loan by a lender 3. an officialrequest for something 4. a visit � Thesalespeople make six calls a day. � verb1. to telephone someone � I’ll call youat your office tomorrow. 2. � to call onsomeone to visit someone � Our sales-people call on their best accounts twicea month. 3. to ask someone to do some-thing � the union called a strike theunion told its members to go on strikecall-back pay /�kɔ�l b�k pe/ nounpay given to an employee who has beencalled back to work after their normalworking hourscall centre /�kɔ�l �sentə/ noun a de-partment or business that operates alarge number of telephones and special-ises in making calls to sell products or inreceiving calls from customers tohelplines or information or after-salesservices (NOTE: a call centre often actsas the central point of contact betweenan organisation and its customers)caller /�kɔ�lə/ noun 1. a person whotelephones 2. a person who visitscall in /kɔ�l �n/ verb 1. to visit �Their sales representative called intwice last week. 2. to telephone to makecontact � We ask the reps to call in ev-ery Friday to report the weeks’ sales. 3.to ask for a debt to be paidcall-in pay /�kɔ�l n pe/ nounpayment guaranteed to employees who

report for work even if there is no workfor them to do � Call-in pay is oftennecessary to ensure the attendance ofworkers where there is at least the pos-sibility of work needing to be done.call off /kɔ�l �ɒf/ verb to ask forsomething not to take place � The unionhas called off the strike. � The deal wascalled off at the last moment.can /k�n/ verb to dismiss somebodyfrom employment (informal.) (NOTE:canning- canned)cancel /�k�nsəl/ verb to stop some-thing which has been agreed or planned� The manager is still ill, so the inter-views planned for this week have beencancelled. (NOTE: cancelling-cancelled)cancellation /k�nsə�leʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of stopping something which hasbeen agreed or planned � the cancella-tion of an appointment � the cancella-tion of an agreementcancellation clause /k�nsə-�leʃ(ə)n klɔ�z/ noun a clause in a con-tract which states the terms on which thecontract may be cancelledcancel out /k�nsəl �aυt/ verb (oftwo things) to balance or act againsteach other and so make each other in-valid � The two clauses cancel eachother out. � Higher costs have cancel-led out the increased sales revenue.candidate /�k�nddet/ noun a per-son who applies for or is consideredsuitable for a job or for a training course� I don’t consider him as suitable can-didate for management training. � Tenout of fifty candidates were shortlisted.� The candidates for department man-ager were each given a personality testand an intelligence test.can-do /�k�n du�/ adjective go-ahead,liking to cope with new challenges �She’s a can-do individual.canteen /k�n�ti�n/ noun a restaurantwhich belongs to a factory or office,where the staff can eat � Most peoplehave lunch in the canteen.cap /k�p/ noun an upper limit placedon something, such as an interest rate(the opposite, i.e. a lower limit, is a‘floor’) � verb to place an upper limit

on something � to cap a local author-ity’s budget � to cap a department’sbudget (NOTE: capping – capped)

capability /kepə�blti/ noun a skillwhich an employee has learnt and whichcan be applied to their workcapable /�kepəb(ə)l/ adjective effi-cient � She is a very capable depart-mental manager. (NOTE: you arecapable of something or of doingsomething)

capacity /kə�p�sti/ noun 1. theamount which can be produced, or theamount of work which can be done �industrial or manufacturing or produc-tion capacity � to work at full capacityto do as much work as possible 2. theamount of space � to use up spare orexcess capacity to make use of time orspace which is not fully used 3. ability �She has a particular capacity for de-tailed business deals with overseas com-panies. 4. � in one’s capacity as actingas � I signed the document in my capac-ity as chairman.

‘…analysts are increasingly convinced that theindustry simply has too much capacity’[Fortune]

capacity planning /kə�p�stipl�nŋ/ noun forward planning to re-late production needs to anticipateddemandcapital bonus /k�pt(ə)l �bəυnəs/noun an extra payment by an insurancecompany which is produced by a capitalgaincapital goods /�k�pt(ə)l υdz/ plu-ral noun machinery, buildings and rawmaterials which are used to make othergoodscaptain of industry /k�ptnz əv�ndəstri/ noun a head of a major indus-trial companycar /kɑ�/ noun a small motor vehiclefor carrying peoplecarbon copy /kɑ�bən �kɒpi/ noun acopy made with carbon paper � Give methe original, and file the carbon copy.carbonless /�kɑ�bənləs/ adjectivewhich makes a copy without using car-bon paper � Our reps use carbonlessorder pads.

call off 39 carbonless

card /kɑ�d/ noun 1. stiff paper � Wehave printed the instructions on thickwhite card. 2. a small piece of cardboardor plastic, usually with informationprinted on it � He showed his staff cardto get a discount in the store. 3. a post-card � to get one’s cards to bedismissedcard-carrying /�kɑ�d k�riŋ/ adjec-tive referring to a person who has amembership card of an organisationsuch as a union � The union had manysympathisers, but few actualcard-carrying members.card vote /�kɑ�d vəυt/ noun a vote ata Trades Union Congress where the rep-resentatives of unions vote according tothe numbers of union memberscareer /kə�rə/ noun a job which youare trained for and which you expect todo all your life � He made his career inelectronics. � She has had a varied ca-reer, having worked in education andindustry. � The company offered its em-ployees no advice on their future ca-reers. � to embark on a career to starta career � to pursue a career as to fol-low a career ascareer anchor /kə�rər �ŋkə/ nouna basic, sometimes subconscious factorthat strongly influences all the choicesand decisions that people make whenshaping their careers (NOTE: a careeranchor may be a special skill thatsomebody wants to use, an ambitionsomebody wants to achieve, or an eth-ical principle that is particularly impor-tant to somebody, but it alwayssomething that is very important to thatperson’s sense of who they are)

career break /kə�rə brek/ noun aperiod when an employee leaves a ca-reer job for several years to undertakeanother activity such as studying for adegree or having a baby and then returnsat the same levelcareer change /kə�rə tʃend"/noun a change in a person’s professionor in the type of job they do, that ofteninvolves going to work for a differentemployer (NOTE: career changes maybe planned as part of somebody’sCPD or career development, or maybe forced on somebody as a result of

redundancy, ill-health, or a change intheir personal circumstances.)

career development /kə�rə d-veləpmənt/ noun the planning of anemployee’s future career in an organisa-tion � a career developmentprogramme � If the company does notspend more time on career development,many employees will leave. � Careerdevelopment involves a very compre-hensive training programme.career expectations /kə�rərekspekteʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun hopeswhich an employee has of how theircareer will develop in terms of matterssuch as promotion or salarycareer ladder /kə�rə l�də/ noun asequence of jobs within an organisationor department, starting with the most ju-nior and ending with most senior,through which an employee can ad-vance in the course of their working lifecareer-limiting move /kə�rəlmtŋ mu�v/ noun full form of CLMcareer opportunities /kə�rər ɒpə-tju�ntiz/, career prospects /kə�rəprɒspekts/ plural noun possibilities ofadvancement in a careercareer path /kə�rə pɑ�θ/ noun aplanned logical sequence of jobs withinone or more professions through whicha person can progress in the course oftheir working life (NOTE: it is much eas-ier to plan a career path when the mar-ket is stable and there is little changein business conditions; in uncertaintimes people need to be more adapt-able and the idea of a planned careerpath has much less value, according tosome experts)

career pattern /kə�rə p�tn/ nounthe way in which a person has spenttheir employed life (such as years em-ployed in each firm, promotions orsalary)career planning /kə�rə pl�nŋ/noun the examination of the way inwhich career opportunities are available,leading to advice on which careers topursue or how to further an employee’sexisting careercareers guidance /kərəz � adns/noun professional help given to people

card 40 careers guidance

in choosing their career � Many em-ployees are in the wrong jobs due topoor careers guidance at school.careers officer /kə�rəz ɒfsə/ nouna person who gives advice to students ornew employees on their career prospectscareer structure /kə�rə str$ktʃə/noun the way in which jobs in a com-pany are planned to lead on to otherposts at a higher level � I left the com-pany because of its poor careerstructure.career woman /kə�rə wυmən/noun a woman who is working in busi-ness and does not plan to stop workingto look after the house or childrencareline /�keəlan/ noun a telephonenumber which links people to serviceswhich can help them such as social ser-vices departments, hospitals, or a simi-lar service offered by shops to theircustomerscaretaker /�keətekə/ noun a personwho looks after a building, making sureit is clean and that the rubbish is clearedaway (a caretaker often lives on the pre-mises) � Go and ask the caretaker to re-place the light bulb. (NOTE: AmericanEnglish is janitor)

car expenses /�kɑ�r kspensz/ plu-ral noun money spent on a private carused during work for a companycar-hire /�kɑ� haə/ noun the businessof lending cars to people for a payment� He runs a car-hire business.car hire firm /�kɑ� haə f��m/ nouna company which owns cars or equip-ment and lends them to customers for apaymentcar insurance /�kɑ�r nʃυərəns/noun the insuring of a car, the driverand passengers in case of accidentcarousel training /k�rə�seltrenŋ/ noun training which involvesmoving from job to job or from depart-ment to department in an organisation �Carousel training was instituted in or-der to provide trainees with a widerange of practical experience. � Duringtheir carousel training, trainee manag-ers spend time in the marketing, HR andfinance departments.

carry /�k�ri/ verb 1. to take from oneplace to another � a tanker carrying oilfrom the Gulf � The truck was carryinggoods to the supermarket. � The trainwas carrying a consignment of cars forexport. 2. to vote to approve � the mo-tion was carried the motion was ac-cepted after a vote 3. to produce � Thebonds carry interest at 10%. 4. to keepin stock � to carry a line of goods � Wedo not carry pens. (NOTE: carries – car-rying – carried)carry on /k�ri �ɒn/ verb to continueor to go on doing something � The staffcarried on working in spite of the fire. �to carry on a business to be active inrunning a businesscarry out /k�ri �aυt/ verb � to carryout one’s duties to do what one has todo in one’s jobcase /kes/ noun 1. a cardboard orwooden box for packing and carryinggoods � to state one’s case to put for-ward arguments which support your po-sition 2. a typical example of something� The company has had several cases ofpetty theft in the post room. 3. reasonsfor doing something � The negotiationsput the union’s case for a pay rise. 4. �the case is being heard next week thecase is coming to court next weekcash /k�ʃ/ verb � to cash a cheque toexchange a cheque for cashcash-flow life /�k�ʃ fləυ laf/ noun aworking life in which a person worksfor fees paid for individual projectsrather than for a regular salarycashless pay /k�ʃləs �pe/ noun aweekly or monthly wage paid directlyinto an employee’s bank accountthrough an electronic transfer of fundscasual /�k�"uəl/ adjective 1. informalor not serious 2. not permanent or notregularcasual job /�k�"uəl d"ɒb/ noun ajob which exists for a short period onlycasual labour /k�"uəl �lebə/ nounworkers who are hired for a short periodcasual labourer /k�"uəl �lebərə/noun a worker who can be hired for ashort periodcasual leave /�k�"uəl li�v/ nounpaid time off from work given to an em-

careers officer 41 casual leave

casual vacancy 42 centre of excellence

ployee to deal with personal affairs �He was granted casual leave to settlehis family affairs.casual vacancy /k�"uəl �vekənsi/noun a job which has become vacant be-cause the previous employee leftunexpectedlycasual work /�k�"uəl w��k/ nounwork where the workers are hired for ashort periodcasual worker /k�"uəl �w��kə/noun a worker who can be hired for ashort periodcatastrophe /kə�t�strəfi/ noun asudden disastercatastrophic /k�tə�strɒfk/ adjec-tive disastrouscatastrophic health insurance/k�təstrɒfk �helθ nʃυərəns/ nounhealth insurance which provides for thehigh cost of treating severe or lengthyillnesses � Miners are advised to takeout catastrophic health insurance sincelung diseases are expensive to treat.categorical /k�tə� ɒrk(ə)l/ adjec-tive straightforward or definitecategory /�k�t (ə)ri/ noun a type orsort of item � We deal only in the mostexpensive categories of watches. � Thecompany has vacancies for most catego-ries of office staff.caution /�kɔ�ʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a warningfrom someone in authority, tellingsomeone not to repeat a minor crime �The boys were let off with a caution. 2. awarning by a police officer, that some-one will be charged with a crime, andthat what he says will be used in evi-dence � verb 1. to warn someone thatwhat they have done is wrong andshould not be repeated � The managercautioned the clerks after she caughtthem drinking beer in the office. 2. towarn someone that they will be chargedwith a crime, and that what they say willbe used as evidence at their trial � Theaccused was arrested by the detectivesand cautioned.

COMMENT: The person who is cautionedhas the right not to answer any questionput to them.

CBI abbr Confederation of BritishIndustry

ceiling /�si�lŋ/ noun the highest pointthat something can reach, e.g. the high-est rate of a pay increase � What ceilinghas the government put on wage in-creases this year?cell work system /�sel w��ksstəm/ noun a system of workingwhere an item is produced within a sep-arate production unit, and does notmove round an assembly linecentral /�sentrəl/ adjective organisedby one main pointCentral Arbitration Committee/sentrəl ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)n kəmti/ nounan independent arbitration body dealingmainly with union claims for disclosureof information by management. AbbrCACcentralisation /sentrəla�zeʃ(ə)n/,centralization noun the organisation ofeverything from a central pointcentralise /�sentrəlaz/, centralizeverb to organise from a central point �All purchasing has been centralised inour main office. � The group benefitsfrom a highly centralised organisationalstructure. � The company has becomevery centralised, and far more staffwork at headquarters.central office /sentrəl �ɒfs/ nounthe main office which controls allsmaller officesCentral Provident Fund /sentrəl�prɒvd(ə)nt f$nd/ noun (in Singa-pore) a retirement benefit scheme towhich all employees and employersmust make contributions each monthcentral purchasing /sentrəl�p��tʃsŋ/ noun purchasing organisedby a central office for all branches of acompanycentre /�sentə/ noun 1. an importanttown � Sheffield is a major industrialcentre. � Nottingham is the centre forthe shoe industry. (NOTE: the usual USspelling is center) 2. a group of itemsin an account (NOTE: the usual USspelling is center)centre of excellence /sentər əv�eksələns/ noun an organisation whichis recognised as being successful andhaving a world-wide reputation in itsfield, and so receives special funding

CEO abbr chief executive officercertificate /sə�tfkət/ noun an offi-cial document carrying an official decla-ration by someone, and signed by thatpersoncertificate of approval /sətfkətəv ə�pru�v(ə)l/ noun a document show-ing that an item has been approvedofficiallycertification /sətf�keʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of giving an official certificate ofapprovalcertification officer /s��tf-�keʃ(ə)n ɒfsə/ noun the official re-sponsible for trade unions, ensuring thatthey are properly registered, well con-ducted and that trade union legislation isadhered tocertified public accountant/s��tfad p$blk ə�kaυntənt/ nounUS an accountant who has passedprofessional examinationscertify /�s��tfa/ verb to make an offi-cial declaration in writing � I certifythat this is a true copy. � The documentis certified as a true copy. (NOTE: certi-fies – certifying – certified)CGI Joe /si� d"i� a �d"əυ/ noun acomputer programmer who lacks per-sonal charm and is not very good atcommunicating with other people(slang) (NOTE: the term is modelled on‘GI Joe’, a word for a US soldier in theSecond World War; its first part is anabbreviation of ‘computer generatedimagery’)chain /tʃen/ noun 1. a series of storesor other businesses belonging to thesame company � a chain of hotels or ahotel chain � the chairman of a largedo-it-yourself chain � He runs a chainof shoe shops. � She bought severalgarden centres and gradually built up achain. 2. a series of things linked to-gether � an unfortunate chain of events

‘…the giant US group is better known for itschain of cinemas and hotels rather than itsinvolvement in shipping’ [Lloyd’s List]

chain of command /tʃen əv kə-�mɑ�nd/ noun a series of links betweendirectors, management and employees,by which instructions and informationare passed up or down

chainsaw consultant /�tʃensɔ�kəns$ltənt/ noun an outside expertbrought into a company to reduce thenumber of its employees drastically(slang)chair /tʃeə/ noun the position of thechairman, presiding over a meeting � tobe in the chair � Mr Smith was in thechair. � Mrs Brown was voted into thechair. � Mr Jones took the chair MrJones presided over the meeting � toaddress the chair to speak to the chair-man and not to the rest of the people atthe meeting � Please address your re-marks to the chair. � verb to presideover a meeting � The meeting waschaired by Mrs Smith.chairman /�tʃeəmən/ noun 1. a per-son who is in charge of a meeting � MrHoward was chairman or acted aschairman 2. a person who presides overthe board meetings of a company � thechairman of the board or the companychairman � the chairman’s report, thechairman’s statement an annual reportfrom the chairman of a company to theshareholders

‘…the corporation’s entrepreneurial chairmanseeks a dedicated but part-time president. Thenew president will work a three-day week’[Globe and Mail (Toronto)]

chairman and managing direc-tor /tʃeəmən ən m�nd"ŋ da-�rektə/ noun a managing director whois also chairman of the board ofdirectorschairmanship /�tʃeəmənʃp/ nounthe fact of being a chairman � The com-mittee met under the chairmanship ofMr Jones.chairperson /�tʃeəp��s(ə)n/ noun aperson who is in charge of a meeting(NOTE: plural is chairpersons)chairwoman /�tʃeəwυmən/ noun awoman who is in charge of a meeting(NOTE: plural is chairwomen)chance /tʃɑ�ns/ noun 1. the fact ofbeing possible � The company has agood chance of winning the contract. �His promotion chances are small. 2. theopportunity to do something � She iswaiting for a chance to see the manag-ing director. � He had his chance ofpromotion when the finance director’s

CEO 43 chance

assistant resigned. (NOTE: you have achance of doing something or to dosomething)

change /tʃend"/ noun 1. money incoins or small notes � to give someonechange for £10 to give someone coinsor notes in exchange for a ten poundnote 2. money given back by the seller,when the buyer can pay only with alarger note or coin than the amountasked � She gave me the wrong change.� You paid the £5.75 bill with a £10note, so you should have £4.25 change.� keep the change keep it as a tip (saidto waiters, taxi-drivers, etc.) 3. an alter-ation of the way something is done or ofthe way work is carried out � verb 1. �to change a £20 note to give change insmaller notes or coins for a £20 note 2.to give one type of currency for another� to change £1,000 into dollars � Wewant to change some traveller’scheques. 3. � to change hands (of abusiness, property, etc.) to be sold to anew owner � The shop changed handsfor £100,000.change of use /tʃend" əv �ju�s/noun permission given by a local au-thority for premises to be used for a dif-ferent purpose (such as house to becomea shop or a shop to become a restaurant)channel /�tʃ�n(ə)l/ noun a means bywhich information or goods pass fromone place to another � to go throughthe official channels to deal with gov-ernment officials, especially when mak-ing a request � verb to send in a certaindirection � They are channelling theirresearch funds into developing Euro-pean communication systems. (NOTE:channelling – channelled)

channels of communication/tʃ�n(ə)lz əv kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/noun ways in which information can bepassed (post, telephone, fax, theInternet, newspapers, TV, etc.) � toopen up new channels of communi-cation to find new ways of communi-cating with someonecharacter /�k�rktə/ noun 1. the gen-eral nature or qualities of a person,which make that person different fromothers � You need an easy-going char-acter to work in this office. 2. strong

will or decisiveness � a post needingcharacter and a willingness to workhardcharacter analysis /�k�rktə ə-n�ləss/ noun the analysis of a job ap-plicant’s general nature and qualities �All candidates for the job underwent acharacter analysis.character assessment /�k�rktəəsesmənt/ noun the process of judgingthe personality of an employeecharacter reference /�k�rktəref(ə)rəns/ noun a report showing thestrength of someone’s charactercharge /tʃɑ�d"/ noun 1. money whichmust be paid, or the price of a service �to make no charge for delivery � tomake a small charge for rental � Thereis no charge for this service or Nocharge is made for this service. � bankcharges, service charge US chargesmade by a bank for carrying out workfor a customer 2. management or con-trol � to be in charge of something tobe the manager or to deal with some-thing � She is in charge of all our HRdocumentation. � to take charge ofsomething to start to deal with some-thing or to become responsible forsomething � When the manager was ill,his deputy took charge of the depart-ment. 3. an official statement in a courtaccusing someone of having committeda crime � He appeared in court on acharge of embezzling or on an embezzle-ment charge. � to take charge of some-thing to start to deal with something orto become responsible for something �When the manager was ill, her deputytook charge of the department. � to bein charge of something to be the man-ager or to deal with something � She isin charge of all our personnel documen-tation. � verb 1. to ask someone to payfor services later 2. to ask for money tobe paid � to charge £5 for delivery �How much does he charge? � hecharges £16 an hour he asks to be paid£16 for an hour’s work 3. to pay forsomething by putting it on a charge ac-count � Can you charge the meal to myroom? � I want to charge these pur-chases to the company account. � Theywere charged with murder. 4. (in acourt) to accuse someone formally of

change 44 charge

having committed a crime � He wascharged with embezzling his clients’money. � Reps charge their hotel ex-penses to the company’s account.chargehand /�tʃɑ�d"h�nd/ noun asenior operator in a group of workersunder a foreman who has responsibilityfor seeing that day-to-day problems aresolvedchart /tʃɑ�t/ noun a diagram display-ing information as a series of lines,blocks, etc.chartered accountant /tʃɑ�təd ə-�kaυntənt/ noun an accountant who haspassed the professional examinationsand is a member of the Institute ofChartered Accountants. Abbr CA

cheap /tʃi�p/ adjective, adverb notcosting a lot of money or not expensivecheap labour /tʃi�p �lebə/ nounworkers who do not earn much moneycheaply /�tʃi�pli/ adverb without pay-ing much money � The salesman wasliving cheaply at home and claiming anenormous hotel bill on expenses.cheapness /�tʃi�pnəs/ noun the factof being cheap � The cheapness of thepound means that many more touristswill come to London.check /tʃek/ noun 1. a sudden stop �to put a check on imports to stop someimports coming into a country 2. inves-tigation or examination � a routinecheck of the fire equipment � The audi-tors carried out checks on the petty cashbook. � verb 1. to stop or to delay � tocheck the entry of contraband into thecountry � to check the flow of moneyout of a country 2. to examine or to in-vestigate � to check that an invoice iscorrect � to check and sign for goods �she checked the computer printoutagainst the invoices she examined theprintout and the invoices to see if thefigures were the samechecking /�tʃekŋ/ noun an examina-tion or investigation � The inspectorsfound some defects during their check-ing of the building.checklist /�tʃeklst/ noun a list ofpoints which have to be checked beforesomething can be regarded as finished,

or as part of a procedure for evaluatingsomethingcheckoff /�tʃekɒf/ noun US a systemwhere union dues are automatically de-ducted by the employer from a worker’spaycheck � Checkoffs are seen by mostemployees as worthwhile as long astheir interests are well represented bythe union. � After checkoffs and tax de-ductions the workers’ pay had been re-duced by one third.check time /�tʃek tam/ noun thetime recorded between the start of awork study and the start of the first ele-ment observed, plus the time recordedbetween the last element observed andthe end of the studycheckup /�tʃek$p/ noun a medicalexamination � All staff have to haveregular checkups.cherry-picking /�tʃeri pkŋ/ nounthe practice of choosing only the best ormost valuable items from among agroupchief /tʃi�f/ adjective most important� He is the chief accountant of an in-dustrial group. � She is the chief buyerfor a department store.chief clerk /tʃi�f �klɑ�k/ noun themost important clerkchief executive /tʃi�f �zekjυtv/,chief executive officer (CEO) /tʃi�f �zekjυtv ɒfsə/ noun US the mostimportant director in charge of acompanychildcare provision /�tʃaldkeəprəv"(ə)n/ noun a human relationspolicy designed to help employees withthe cost of paying somebody to care fortheir children during working hours(NOTE: Childcare provision is intendedto enable people who have children tolook after to return to work. Equal op-portunities laws stipulate that it mustbe available to both male and femaleemployees.)

chilling effect /�tʃlŋ fekt/ noun anegative effect on employees of regula-tions or practices that limit their free-dom and opportunities � the chillingeffect of punctuality checks � Too manyrestrictions have a chilling effect whichis counterproductive.

chargehand 45 chilling effect

Chinese walls /tʃani�z �wɔ�lz/plural noun imaginary barriers betweendepartments in the same organisation,set up to avoid insider dealing or con-flict of interest (as when a merchantbank is advising on a planned takeoverbid, its investment department shouldnot know that the bid is taking place, orthey would advise their clients to investin the company being taken over)choice /tʃɔs/ noun 1. a thing which ischosen � You must give the customertime to make their choice. 2. a range ofitems to choose from � We have only alimited choice of suppliers. � the shopcarries a good choice of paper theshop carries many types of paper tochoose from � adjective (of food.) spe-cially selected � choice meat � choicewines � choice foodstuffschoose /tʃu�z/ verb to decide to do aparticular thing or to buy a particularitem (as opposed to something else) �There were several good candidates tochoose from. � They chose the onlywoman applicant as sales director. �You must give the customers plenty oftime to choose. (NOTE: choosing –chose – has chosen)Christmas /�krsməs/ noun a Chris-tian holiday celebrated on 25th Decem-ber � The office closes for ten days atChristmas. � We have allocated £50 fororganising the office Christmas party.Christmas bonus /krsməs�bəυnəs/ noun an extra payment madeto staff at Christmaschronic illness /krɒnk �lnəs/noun an illness or condition which lastsfor a long timechronic shortage /krɒnk �ʃɔ�td"/noun a shortage which continues for aperiod of time � a chronic shortage ofskilled staffchronological order/krɒnəlɒd"k(ə)l �ɔ�də/ noun thearrangement of records such as files andinvoices in order of their datescircadian rhythm /s��kediən�rðəmz/ plural noun 1. the rhythms ofdaily activities and bodily processessuch as eating, defecating or sleepingwhich are frequently controlled by hor-mones and which repeat every

twenty-four hours 2. biorhythms, recur-ring cycles of different lengths whichsome people believe affect a person’sbehaviour, sensitivity and intelligencecircular /�s��kjυlə/ adjective sent tomany people � noun a leaflet or lettersent to many people � They sent out acircular offering a 10% discount. � Se-nior management sent out a circular toall the employees explaining thechanges in the payment scheme.circularise /�s��kjυləraz/, circular-ize verb to send a circular to � The com-mittee has agreed to circularise themembers of the society. � They circular-ised all their customers with a new listof prices. � The committee has agreedto circularise the members.circulate /�s��kjυlet/ verb to send in-formation to � They circulated informa-tion about job vacancies to all collegesin the area.circulation /s��kjυ�leʃ(ə)n/ noun1. the act of sending information �The company is trying to improve thecirculation of information between de-partments. 2. movement 3. the numberof readers of a newspaper or magazine.It is audited and is not the same as‘readership’.Ciro method noun a method of as-sessing the value of a trainingprogramme under the four headings ofcontext, input, reaction and outcomecivil /�sv(ə)l/ adjective referring to or-dinary peoplecivil rights /sv(ə)l �rats/ pluralnoun the rights and privileges of eachindividual according to the lawcivil servant /sv(ə)l �s��vənt/ nouna person who works in the civil servicecivil service /sv(ə)l �s��vs/ nounthe organisation and personnel whichadminister a country � You have to passan examination to get a job in the civilservice or to get a civil service job.claim /klem/ noun 1. an act of askingfor money � the union put in a 6%wage claim the union asked for a 6% in-crease in wages for its members 2. � tofile or lodge a claim against someoneto make an official claim against some-one � verb 1. to ask for money � She

Chinese walls 46 claim

claimant 47 clerical work measurement

claimed for repairs to the car againsther insurance policy. 2. to say thatsomething is your property � No oneclaimed the umbrella found in my office.3. to state that something is a fact � Sheclaims that the shares are her property.claimant /�klemənt/ noun a personwho claims a state benefit such as un-employment benefitclaim back /klem �b�k/ verb to askfor money to be paid backclaimer /�klemə/ noun same asclaimant

claiming /�klemŋ/ noun the act ofmaking a claimclaims department /�klemz d-pɑ�tmənt/ noun a department of an in-surance company which deals withclaimsclaims manager /�klemzm�nd"ə/ noun the manager of aclaims departmentclass /klɑ�s/ noun 1. a category orgroup into which things are classified 2.a group of studentsClass 1 NI contributions /klɑ�sw$n en �a kɒntrbju�ʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun National Insurance contributionspaid by an employeeClass 2 NI contributions /klɑ�stu� en �a kɒntrbju�ʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun National Insurance contributionspaid by a self-employed person at a flatrateClass 3 NI contributions /klɑ�sθri� en �a kɒntrbju�ʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun voluntary National Insurance con-tributions paid by someone who is notearning enough to pay Class 1 contribu-tions and is not self-employedClass 4 NI contributions /klɑ�sfɔ�r en �a kɒntrbju�ʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun National Insurance contributionspaid by a self-employed person whoseearnings are higher than for Class 2 con-tributions (Class 4 contributions are apercentage of profits, not a flat fee)class action /klɑ�s ��kʃən/, classsuit /klɑ�s �su�t/ noun US a legal ac-tion brought on behalf of a group ofpeople

classification /kl�sf�keʃ(ə)n/noun arrangement into classes or cate-gories according to specific characteris-tics � the classification of employees byages or skills � Jobs in this organisa-tion fall into several classifications.classified advertisements/kl�sfad əd�v��tsmənts/, classi-fied ads /kl�sfad ��dz/ plural nounadvertisements listed in a newspaper un-der special headings such as ‘propertyfor sale’ or ‘jobs wanted’ � Look in thesmall ads to see if anyone has a filingcabinet for sale.classify /�kl�sfa/ verb to put intoclasses or categories according to spe-cific characteristics (NOTE: classifies –classifying – classified)

clause /klɔ�z/ noun a section of a con-tract � There are ten clauses in the con-tract of employment. � There is a clausein this contract concerning the em-ployer’s right to dismiss an employee.clear /klə/ adjective (of a period oftime) free, total � three clear days threewhole working days � Allow three cleardays for the cheque to be paid into youraccount. � verb � to clear one’s deskto remove personal belongings fromone’s desk when leaving a job � He wasgiven five minutes to clear his desk.clerical /�klerk(ə)l/ adjective (ofwork) done in an office or done by aclerkclerical work /�klerk(ə)l w��k/noun work done in an officeclerical worker /�klerk(ə)l w��kə/noun a person who works in an officeclerical work improvementprogramme /klerk(ə)l w��k m-�pru�vmənt prəυ r�m/ noun aprogramme based on data obtained byclerical work measurement that aims toimprove the productivity and efficiencyof staff engaged in administrative andclerical workclerical work measurement/�klerk(ə)l w��k me"əmənt/ noun aform of work measurement that focuseson the administrative and clerical taskssuch as filing and keyboarding done byemployees in order to set standard timesfor these activities

clerk /klɑ�k/ noun a person whoworks in an office � verb US towork as a clerkclerkess /klɑ��kes/ noun (in Scot-land.) a woman clerkclicks-and-mortar /klks ən�mɔ�tə/ adjective conducting businessboth through e-commerce and also inthe traditional way in buildings such asshops and warehouses (NOTE: Comparethis term with bricks-and-mortar.)

‘…there may be a silver lining for‘clicks-and-mortar’ stores that have both anonline and a high street presence. Many of theseare accepting returns of goods purchased onlineat their traditional stores. This is a service thatmay make them more popular as consumersbecome more experienced online shoppers’[Financial Times]

clipboard /�klpbɔ�d/ noun a stiffboard with a clip at the top so that apiece of paper can be clipped to theboard to allow you to write on it easilyCLM noun an action that couldendanger your career prospects, e.g.criticising your boss publicly. Full formcareer-limiting nerve

clock /klɒk/ noun a machine whichshows the time � The office clock is fast.� All computers have built-in clocks. �The micro has a built-in clock.clock card /�klɒk kɑ�d/ noun a spe-cial card which a worker puts into thetime clock when clocking on or offclock in /klɒk �n/, clock on /klɒk�ɒn/ verb (of a worker.) to record thetime of arriving for work by putting acard into a special timing machine � Ifworkers do not clock in on arrival at thefactory, they may be sent a writtenwarning.clocking in /klɒkŋ �n/, clockingon /klɒkŋ �ɒn/ noun the act of arriv-ing for work and recording the time on atime-cardclocking out /klɒkŋ �aυt/, clock-ing off /klɒkŋ �ɒf/ noun the act ofleaving work and recording the time ona time-cardclock out /klɒk �aυt/, clock off/klɒk �ɒf/ verb (of a worker.) to recordthe time of leaving work by putting acard into a special timing machine

close /kləυs/ noun the end of a day’strading on the Stock Exchange � At theclose of the day’s trading the shares hadfallen 20%. � adjective � close to verynear, almost � The company was closeto bankruptcy. � We are close to meet-ing our sales targets. � verb 1. � toclose the accounts to come to the end ofan accounting period and make up theprofit and loss account 2. to bring to anend 3. to stop doing business for the day� The office closes at 5.30. � We closeearly on Saturdays. 4. � the sharesclosed at $15 at the end of the day’strading the price of the shares was $15close company /kləυs �k$mp(ə)ni/noun a privately owned company con-trolled by a few shareholders (in theUK, less than five) where the publicmay own a small number of the shares(NOTE: the American equivalent isclose corporation or closedcorporation)

closed /kləυzd/ adjective 1. not openfor business, or not doing business �The office is closed on Mondays. �These warehouses are usually closed tothe public. � All the banks are closed onChristmas Day. 2. restrictedclosed interview /kləυzd�ntəvju�/ noun an interview where theinterviewer asks only fixed questionswith ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answersclose down /kləυz �daυn/ verb toshut a shop, factory or service for a longperiod or for ever � The company isclosing down its London office. � Theaccident closed down the station for aperiod.

‘…the best thing would be to have a few moreplants close down and bring supply more in linewith current demand’ [Fortune]

closed shop /kləυzd �ʃɒp/ noun asystem where a company agrees to em-ploy only union members for specificjobs � The union is asking the manage-ment to agree to a closed shop.

COMMENT: Closed shops are illegal inmany countries.

closed system /kləυzd �sstəm/noun a work system which is inflexibleand does not allow the employees muchfreedom to work in their own way(NOTE: the opposite is open system)

clerk 48 closed system

closing /�kləυzŋ/ adjective 1. final orcoming at the end 2. at the end of an ac-counting period � At the end of thequarter the bookkeeper has to calculatethe closing balance. � noun the shuttingof a shop or being shutclosing date /�kləυzŋ det/ nounthe last date � The closing date for ten-ders to be received is May 1st.closing session /�kləυzŋ seʃ(ə)n/noun the last part of a meeting orconferenceclosing time /�kləυzŋ tam/ nounthe time when a shop or office stopsworkclosure /�kləυ"ə/ noun the act ofclosingclothing /�kləυðŋ/ noun the clotheswhich a person wears � The companyprovides special clothing for itsemployees.clothing allowance /�kləυðŋ ə-laυəns/ noun an addition to normal sal-ary to cover the cost of buying specialclothing to wear when on dutyclub /kl$b/ noun a group of peoplewho have the same interest, or the placewhere these people meet � If you wantthe managing director, you can phonehim at his club. � She has applied tojoin the sports club. � club member-ship all the members of a club � clubsubscription money paid to belong to aclub � verb � to club together to givemoney each for a special purpose �They clubbed together to buy the man-ager a wedding present.co- /kəυ/ prefix working or actingtogethercoaching /�kəυtʃŋ/ noun aface-to-face instruction where a subordi-nate is shown how to change their be-haviour � The HR manager foundcoaching useful in dealing with employ-ers needing a more tactful approachwhen attempting to change their atti-tude. � In our company coaching hasmade management more aware of work-ers’ attitudes.code /kəυd/ noun 1. a system of signs,numbers or letters which mean some-thing 2. a set of rules

code of conduct /kəυd əv�kɒnd$kt/ noun the guideline showinghow someone (such as shop assistants orrailway station staff) should behave to-wards customerscode of ethics /kəυd əv �eθks/noun a code of working which showshow a professional group should work,and in particular what type of relation-ship they should have with their clientscode of practice /kəυd əv�pr�kts/ noun rules drawn up by an as-sociation which the members must fol-low when doing businessco-determination /kəυ dt��m-�neʃ(ə)n/ noun (in Germany and someother countries) a system where a cer-tain percentage of representatives of theworkers must be part of the supervisoryboard of a companycoding /�kəυdŋ/ noun the act of putt-ing a code on something � the coding ofinvoicesco-director /�kəυ darektə/ noun aperson who is a director of the samecompany as youcoercion /kəυ���ʃ(ə)n/ noun the actof forcing someone to do somethingcoffee break /�kɒfi brek/ noun arest time during work when the employ-ees can drink coffee or teacognition /kɒ �nʃ(ə)n/ noun think-ing processescognitive /�kɒ ntv/ adjective relat-ing to thinking processescohort /�kəυhɔ�t/ noun a group ofpeople who do the same thing at thesame time (such as a group of managerswho joined a company as traineestogether)cohort study /�kəυhɔ�t st$di/ nouna study in which a group of individualswho have something in common witheach other, e.g. children with the samebirth date, are observed over severalyearscold /kəυld/ adjective 1. not hot � Themachines work badly in cold weather. �The office was so cold that the staffstarted complaining. � The coffee ma-chine also sells cold drinks. 2. withoutbeing prepared

closing 49 cold

‘…the board is considering the introduction of aset of common provisions on unsolicited calls toinvestors. The board is aiming to permit the coldcalling of customer agreements for the provisionof services relating to listed securities. Coldcalling would be allowed when the investor isnot a private investor’ [Accountancy]

cold storage training /kəυld�stɔ�rd" trenŋ/ noun the training ofemployees for jobs that will be createdin the future � Cold storage trainingwas set up in the company based onforecasts of future increases in produc-tivity. � Start your cold storage trainingin good time so that you have the skilledmanpower available when you need it.collaborate /kə�l�bəret/ verb towork together � We collaborated with aFrench firm on a building project. �They collaborated on the new aircraft.(NOTE: you collaborate with someoneon something)collaboration /kəl�bə�reʃ(ə)n/noun the act of working together �Their collaboration on the project wasvery profitable.collaborative working /kə-l�b(ə)rətv �w��kŋ/ noun a methodof working in which people at differentlocations or from different organisa-tions work together, usually usingvideoconferencing, email, networks andother electronic communications toolscollaborator /kə�l�bəretə/ noun aperson who works together with some-one on a projectcollapse /kə�l�ps/ noun 1. a suddenfall in price � the collapse of the marketin silver � The collapse of the dollar onthe foreign exchange markets. 2. a sud-den failure � the collapse of the pay ne-gotiations � Investors lost thousands ofpounds in the collapse of the company.� verb 1. to fall suddenly � The marketin silver collapsed. � The yen collapsedon the foreign exchange markets. 2. tofail suddenly � The company collapsedwith £250,000 in debts. � Talks betweenmanagement and unions collapsed lastnight.collar /�kɒlə/ noun a part of a coat orshirt which goes round the neckcolleague /�kɒli� / noun 1. a personwho does the same type of work as an-other � His colleagues gave him a pres-

ent when he got married. � I know JaneGray – she was a colleague of mine atmy last job. � She was unpopular withher colleagues in the machine room. 2. aperson who works in the same organisa-tion as anothercollect /kə�lekt/ verb 1. to makesomeone pay money which is owed � tocollect a debt to go and make someonepay a debt 2. to take things away from aplace � We have to collect the stockfrom the warehouse. � adverb, adjec-tive referring to a phone call which theperson receiving the call agrees to payforcollecting agency /kə�lektŋed"əns/ noun an agency which col-lects money owed to other companiesfor a commissioncollection /kə�lekʃən/ noun 1. the actof getting money together, or of makingsomeone pay money which is owed �tax collection or collection of tax � billsfor collection bills where payment isdue 2. the fetching of goods � The stockis in the warehouse awaiting collection.� to hand something in for collectionto leave something for someone to comeand collect 3. the act of taking lettersfrom a letter box or mail room to thepost office for dispatch � There are fourcollections a day from the letter box atthe corner of the street.collections /kə�lekʃənz/ plural nounmoney which has been collectedcollective /kə�lektv/ adjective refer-ring to a group of people togethercollective agreement /kəlektv ə-� ri�mənt/ noun an agreement onsalaries, working conditions, etc., ne-gotiated through collective bargainingcollective bargaining /kəlektv�bɑ� ənŋ/ noun negotiations betweenemployers and workers’ representativesover wage increases and conditions �The sudden wave of strikes shows thatcollective bargaining is not working. �The government has put through legis-lation to make collective bargainingeasier.collective ownership /kəlektv�əυnəʃp/ noun ownership of a businessby the employees who work in it

cold storage training 50 collective ownership

collective relations /kəlektv r-�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun relationsbetween employers associations andtrade unionscollective wage agreement /kə-lektv �wed" ə ri�mənt/ noun anagreement signed between managementand the trade union about wagescollectivism /kə�lektvz(ə)m/ nounthe belief that society flourishes if theindividual gives up some rights to thegroup of which they are a member, inreturn for support and protection fromthe group (NOTE: the opposite isindividualism)college /�kɒld"/ noun a place wherepeople can study after they have leftschoolcommand /kə�mɑ�nd/ noun � shehas a good command of German shespeaks and writes German wellcommercial college /kə�m��ʃ(ə)lkɒld"/ noun a college which teachesbusiness studiescommercial law /kəm��ʃ(ə)l �lɔ�/noun the laws regarding businesscommercial lawyer /kəm��ʃ(ə)l�lɔ�jə/ noun a person who specialises incompany law or who advises companieson legal problemscommission /kə�mʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.money paid to a salesperson or agent,usually a percentage of the sales made �She gets 10% commission on everythingshe sells. � He is paid on a commissionbasis. � he charges 10% commissionhe asks for 10% of sales as his payment2. a group of people officially appointedto examine some problem � He is thechairman of the government commis-sion on export subsidies.commission agent /kə�mʃ(ə)ned"ənt/ noun an agent who is paid apercentage of salescommissioner /kə�mʃ(ə)nə/ nounan ombudsmanCommission for Racial Equality/kəmʃ(ə)n fə reʃ(ə)l �kwɒlti/noun a statutory body set up to monitorracial matters in companies, and to issueguidelines on best practice. Abbr CREcommission of inquiry /kə-mʃ(ə)n əv n�kwaəri/ noun a group

of people appointed to investigate some-thing officially � The government hasappointed a commission of inquiry tolook into the problems of smallexporters.commission sale /kə�mʃ(ə)n sel/noun a sale where the salesperson ispaid a commissioncommit /kə�mt/ verb 1. to carry out acrime � She was accused of committingseveral thefts from the storeroom. 2. toagree to do something (NOTE: commit-ting- committed) � to commit fundsto a project to agree to spend money ona project � to commit yourself to statepublicly that you will do something �The MD refused to commit herself onthe question of redundancies.commitment /kə�mtmənt/ noun 1.something which you have agreed to do� to make a commitment or to enter intoa commitment to do something � Thecompany has a commitment to provide acheap service. 2. money which you haveagreed to spendcommitments /kə�mtmənts/ pluralnoun things which you have agreed todo, especially money which you haveagreed to spend � to meet your com-mitments to pay money which you hadagreed to paycommittee /kə�mti/ noun an officialgroup of people who organise or planfor a larger group � to be a member of acommittee or to sit on a committee � Hewas elected to the committee of the staffclub. � The new plans have to be ap-proved by the committee members. � Heis the secretary of the finance commit-tee. � to chair a committee to be thechairman of a committeecommon /�kɒmən/ adjective 1. whichhappens frequently � Unrealistic salaryexpectations in younger staff was acommon problem they had to deal with.� Being caught by the customs is verycommon these days. 2. belonging to sev-eral different people or to everyonecommon carrier /kɒmən �k�riə/noun a firm which carries goods or pas-sengers, and which anyone can usecommon law /kɒmən �lɔ�/ noun 1. alaw as laid down in decisions of courts,rather than by statute 2. a general sys-

collective relations 51 common law

tem of laws which formerly were theonly laws existing in England, andwhich in some cases have been super-seded by statute (NOTE: you say atcommon law when referring to some-thing happening according to the prin-ciples of common law)

common ownership /kɒmən�əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where abusiness is owned by the employeeswho work in itcommunicate /kə�mju�nket/ verbto exchange views or information withsomeone � We need to find better waysof communicating with staff � In herpresentation she communicated herknowledge of details and her enthusi-asm for the project well.communication /kəmju�n-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the passing on ofviews or information � A house journalwas started to improve communicationbetween management and staff. � Cus-tomers complained about the lack ofcommunication about the unexpecteddelay. � to enter into communicationwith someone to start discussing some-thing with someone, usually in writing� We have entered into communicationwith the relevant government depart-ment. 2. an official message � We havehad a communication from the local taxinspector.communications /kəmju�n-�keʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun the fact of beingable to contact people or to pass mes-sages � After the flood all communica-tions with the outside world werebroken. � a breakdown of communi-cations a time when people do not com-municate with each other � There hasbeen a breakdown of communicationsbetween management and shopfloorworkers.communicative /kə�mju�nkətv/adjective referring to a person who cancommunicate easily with others

‘…that kind of approach will require a new styleof communication, both upwards anddownwards, throughout the organisation it has aforward-looking and communicativemanagement team’ [Personnel Management]

commutation /kɒmjυ�teʃ(ə)n/noun the act of exchanging somethingfor money in another form

commutation of pension rights/kɒmjυteʃ(ə)n əv �penʃən rats/noun the act of taking a lump sum in-stead of a pensioncommute /kə�mju�t/ verb 1. to travelto work from home each day � He com-mutes from the country to his office inthe centre of town. � She spends twohours a day commuting to and fromwork. � We have bought a house withincommuting distance of London. 2. to ex-change one form of payment for another� I decided to commute part of my pen-sion rights into a lump sum payment.

‘Commuting is never business use. A trip towork is personal and not deductible. Andmaking a business phone call or holding abusiness meeting in your car while you drivewill not change that fact’ [Nation’s Business]

commuter /kə�mju�tə/ noun a personwho commutes to workcommuter belt /kə�mju�tə belt/noun an area of country where the com-muters live round a towncommuter train /kə�mju�tə tren/noun a train which commuters take inthe morning and eveningCompanies Act /�k$mp(ə)niz �kt/noun an Act of Parliament which regu-lates the workings of companies, statingthe legal limits within which companiesmay do their businessCompanies Registration Office/k$mp(ə)niz red"�streʃ(ə)n ɒfs/noun an office of the Registrar of Com-panies, the official organisation wherethe records of companies must be de-posited, so that they can be inspected bythe public. Abbr CRO (NOTE: alsocalled Companies’ House)company /�k$mp(ə)ni/ noun 1. abusiness, a group of people organised tobuy, sell or provide a service 2. � to puta company into liquidation to close acompany by selling its assets for cash

COMMENT: A company can be incorpo-rated (with memorandum and articles ofassociation) as a private limited company,and adds the initials ‘Ltd’ after its name, oras a public limited company, when itsname must end in ‘Plc’. Unincorporatedcompanies are partnerships such as firmsof solicitors, architects, accountants, etc.,and they add the initials ‘Co.’ after theirname.

common ownership 52 company

company car /k$mp(ə)ni �kɑ�/noun a car which belongs to a companyand is lent to an employee to use forbusiness or other purposescompany director /k$mp(ə)ni da-�rektə/ noun a person appointed by theshareholders to help run a companycompany doctor /k$mp(ə)ni�dɒktə/ noun 1. a doctor who works fora company and looks after sick workers� The staff are all sent to see the com-pany doctor once a year. 2. a specialistbusinessperson who rescues businesseswhich are in difficultiescompany executive /k$mp(ə)ni �zekjυtv/ noun a person in a busi-ness who takes decisions or top or se-nior manager or directorcompany handbook /k$mp(ə)ni�h�ndbυk/ noun a booklet containinginformation about the company’s struc-ture, employees’ rights, grievance pro-cedure, etc.company law /k$mp(ə)ni �lɔ�/ nounlaws which refer to the way companiesworkcompany lawyer /k$mp(ə)ni�lɔ�jə/ noun a person who specialises incompany law or who advises companieson legal problemscompany loyalty /k$mp(ə)ni�lɔəlti/ noun the dedication of staff tothe company and its objectivescompany newspaper /k$mp(ə)ni�nju�spepə/ noun a regular news bulle-tin, published by a company, to keep theworkforce informed about recent devel-opments within the companycompany pension scheme/k$mp(ə)ni �penʃən ski�m/ nounsame as occupational pensionscheme � He decided to join the com-pany’s pension scheme.company secretary /k$mp(ə)ni�sekrt(ə)ri/ noun a person who is re-sponsible for a company’s legal and fi-nancial affairscompany town /�k$mp(ə)ni taυn/noun a town in which most of the prop-erty and shops are owned by a largecompany which employs most of thepopulation

company union /k$mp(ə)ni�ju�njən/ noun an association of em-ployees in a single business companycompany-wide /�k$mp(ə)ni wad/adjective affecting all the employeesin a company � We are introducing acompany-wide bonus system.comparability /kɒmp(ə)rə�blti/noun the fact of being able to becomparedcomparability claim /kɒmp(ə)rə-�blti klem/ noun a claim by employ-ees to bring their wages and fringe bene-fits into line with those in otherindustriescomparable /�kɒmp(ə)rəb(ə)l/ ad-jective which can be compared � Thetwo sets of figures are not comparable.� which is the nearest company com-parable to this one in size? which com-pany is of a similar size and can becompared with this one?comparable worth/kɒmp(ə)rəb(ə)l �w��θ/ noun theprinciple of paying the same rate forjobs which are worth the same �Comparable worth is difficult to applyto jobs of very diverse character. � Thesalary scale is drawn up on the princi-ple of comparable worth.compare /kəm�peə/ verb to look atseveral things to see how they differ �The finance director compared the fig-ures for the first and second quarters.compare with /kəm�peə wð/ verbto put two things together to see howthey differ � How do the sales this yearcompare with last year’s? � Comparedwith the previous month, last month wasterrific.comparison /kəm�p�rs(ə)n/ nounthe act of comparing one thing with an-other � Sales are down in comparisonwith last year. � there is no compari-son between overseas and home salesoverseas and home sales are so differentthey cannot be comparedcompassionate leave /kəm-p�ʃ(ə)nət �li�v/ noun time off workgranted to an employee to deal with per-sonal or family problemscompatibility /kəmp�t�blti/noun the ability of people to work to-

company car 53 compatibility

gether � the compatibility of employeessharing an officecompatible /kəm�p�tb(ə)l/ adjec-tive which can exist or function together� It soon became clear that the newmember of staff was not compatible withhis colleagues. � Are the objectives ofsenior management and the interests ofthe employees compatible?compensate /�kɒmpənset/ verb togive someone money to make up for aloss or injury � In this case we will com-pensate a manager for loss of commis-sion. � The company will compensatethe employee for the burns suffered inthe accident. (NOTE: you compensatesomeone for something)compensation /kɒmpən�seʃ(ə)n/noun 1. � compensation for damagepayment for damage done � compensa-tion for loss of office payment to a di-rector who is asked to leave a companybefore their contract ends � compensa-tion for loss of earnings payment tosomeone who has stopped earningmoney or who is not able to earn money2. US a salary

‘…compensation can also be via the magistratescourts for relatively minor injuries’[Personnel Management]

compensation package/kɒmpən�seʃ(ə)n p�kd"/ noun asalary, pension and other benefits of-fered with a job

‘…golden parachutes are liberal compensationpackages given to executives leaving acompany’ [Publishers Weekly]

compensatory /kɒmpən�set(ə)ri/adjective which compensates forsomethingcompensatory award /kɒmpən-�set(ə)ri əwɔ�d/ noun an award by anindustrial tribunal based on what the tri-bunal considers is just compensation forthe employee’s loss of pension rights,etc., when dismissedcompete /kəm�pi�t/ verb � to com-pete with someone, with a company totry to do better than another person oranother company � We have to competewith cheap imports from the Far East. �They were competing unsuccessfullywith local companies on their home ter-ritory. � two companies are competingfor a market share or for a contract

each company is trying to win a largerpart of the market or to win the contractcompetence /�kɒmpt(ə)ns/ nounthe ability to do the tasks required in ajob � The training sessions are intendedto increase staff competence.competence framework/�kɒmpt(ə)ns fremw��k/ noun theset of duties or tasks performed as partof a job with the standards which shouldbe achieved in these dutiescompetency /�kɒmpt(ə)nsi/ nounsame as competence

competency statement/�kɒmpt(ə)nsi stetmənt/ noun a listof qualities which an employee needs todo their workcompetent /�kɒmpt(ə)nt/ adjectiveable to do the tasks required in a jobcompeting /kəm�pi�tŋ/ adjectivewhich competes � competing firmsfirms which compete with each other �competing products products from dif-ferent companies which have the sameuse and are sold in the same markets atsimilar pricescompetition /kɒmpə�tʃ(ə)n/ nounthe action of companies or individualswho are trying to do better than others,to win a larger share of the market, tocontrol the use of resources, etc.

‘…profit margins in the industries most exposedto foreign competition are worse than usual’[Sunday Times]

‘…competition is steadily increasing and couldaffect profit margins as the company tries toretain its market share’ [Citizen (Ottawa)]

competitive /kəm�pettv/ adjectivewhich competes fairly � competitiveprice a low price aimed to compete witha rival product � competitive product aproduct made to compete with existingproducts

‘…the company blamed fiercely competitivemarket conditions in Europe for a £14moperating loss last year’ [Financial Times]

competitive edge /kəmpettv�ed"/, competitive advantage/kəmpettv əd�vɑ�ntd"/ noun anadvantage that one company or producthas over its rivals in the market � Anycompetitive edge we have in this marketis due to our good after-sales service. �

compatible 54 competitive edge

Why does this product have the competi-tive edge over its rivals?competitive exam /kəmpettv -�z�m/ noun an examination (such as forentry to the civil service) where only thebest candidates are offered jobscompetitively /kəm�pettvli/ ad-verb � competitively priced sold at alow price which competes with the priceof similar products from othercompaniescompetitiveness /kəm�pettvnəs/noun the fact of being competitive

‘…farmers are increasingly worried by thegrowing lack of competitiveness for theirproducts on world markets’ [AustralianFinancial Review]

competitive pricing /kəmpettv�prasŋ/ noun the practice of puttinglow prices on goods so as to competewith other productscompetitive tender /kəmpettv�tendə/ noun a form of tender wheredifferent organisations are asked to ten-der for a contract, especially for govern-ment or local government workcompetitor /kəm�pettə/ noun a per-son or company that competes � TwoGerman firms are our main competitors.

‘…sterling labour costs continue to rise between3% and 5% a year faster than in most of ourcompetitor countries’ [Sunday Times]

complain /kəm�plen/ verb to say thatsomething is no good or does not workproperly � The office is so cold the staffhave started complaining. � She com-plained about the service. � They arecomplaining that our prices are toohigh. � If you want to complain, write tothe manager.complaint /kəm�plent/ noun a state-ment that you feel something is wrong �complaints from the workforce aboutconditions in the factory � She sent herletter of complaint to the managing di-rector. � to make or to lodge a com-plaint against someone to write andsend an official complaint to someone’ssuperior � to uphold a complaint toagree that a complaint is well foundedcomplaints management /kəm-�plents m�nd"mənt/ noun the man-agement of complaints from customers

complaints procedure /kəm-�plents prəsi�d"ə/ noun a way of pre-senting complaints formally from atrade union to a management � Thetrade union has followed the correctcomplaints procedure.complete /kəm�pli�t/ adjectivewhole, with nothing missing � Theorder is complete and ready for sending.� The shipment will be delivered only ifit is complete. � verb to finish � Thefactory completed the order in twoweeks. � How long will it take you tocomplete the job? � He has completedhis probationary period.completion /kəm�pli�ʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of finishing somethingcompletion date /kəm�pli�ʃ(ə)ndet/ noun a date when something willbe finishedcompliance /kəm�plaəns/ nounagreement to do what is ordered � incompliance with doing what has beenordered � in compliance with EU direc-tives on workers’ pension rights � com-pliance with company rules obeyingthe rules set out by the company forgood behaviour of employeescomply /kəm�pla/ verb to agree to dowhat is ordered (NOTE: complies – com-plying – complied)

comprehensive /kɒmpr�hensv/adjective which includes everythingcompressed (working) time/kɒmprest �w��kŋ tam/ noun anormal number of hours of work spreadover fewer days (such as four 10-hourdays instead of five 8-hour days) �Compressed time is popular because itenables more people to enjoy longweekend breaks. � Compressed timewill become more common when flexi-ble work hours are accepted by moreorganisations.compromise /�kɒmprəmaz/ nounan agreement between two sides, whereeach side gives way a little � Manage-ment offered £5 an hour, the unionasked for £9, and a compromise of£7.50 was reached. � verb to reach anagreement by giving way a little � Heasked £15 for it, I offered £7 and wecompromised on £10.

competitive exam 55 compromise

compulsory /kəm�p$lsəri/ adjectivewhich is forced or orderedcompulsory liquidation /kəm-p$lsəri lkw�deʃ(ə)n/ noun liquida-tion which is ordered by a courtcompulsory redundancy /kəm-p$lsəri r�d$ndənsi/ noun a situationwhere an employee is made redundantby the companycomputer /kəm�pju�tə/ noun an elec-tronic machine which calculates orstores information and processes itautomaticallycomputer-based training /kəm-pju�tə best �trenŋ/ noun trainingthat is carried out on computer, usingprograms that are usually interactive sothat the trainees can select from multi-ple-choice options or key in their ownanswerscomputer bureau /kəm�pju�təbjυərəυ/ noun an office which offersto do work on its computers for compa-nies which do not own their owncomputerscomputer department /kəm-�pju�tə dpɑ�tmənt/ noun a depart-ment in a company which manages thecompany’s computerscomputer error /kəmpju�tər �erə/noun a mistake made by a computercomputer file /kəm�pju�tə fal/noun a section of information on a com-puter, e.g. the payroll, list of addressesor customer accountscomputer fraud /kəm�pju�tə frɔ�d/noun a fraud committed by using com-puter files (as in a bank)computerise /kəm�pju�təraz/,computerize verb to change froma manual system to one using com-puters � We have computerised allour records. � Stock control is nowcompletely computerised. � We shouldcomputerise the personnel records tosave time.computerised /kəm�pju�tərazd/,computerized adjective worked bycomputers � a computerised invoicingsystem � a computerised filing systemcomputer language /kəm�pju�təl�ŋ wd"/ noun a system of signs, let-

ters and words used to instruct acomputercomputer listing /kəmpju�tə�lstŋ/ noun a printout of a list of itemstaken from data stored in a computercomputer-literate /kəmpju�tə�lt(ə)rət/ adjective referring to a per-son who knows how to use more or lessany type of computercomputer manager /kəm�pju�təm�nd"ə/ noun a person in charge of acomputer departmentcomputer operating system/kəmpju�tər �ɒpəretŋ sstəm/noun the main program which operatesa computercomputer programmer /kəm-pju�tə �prəυ r�mə/ noun a personwho writes computer programscomputer-readable /kəmpju�tə�ri�dəb(ə)l/ adjective which can be readand understood by a computer � com-puter-readable codescomputer services /kəmpju�tə�s��vsz/ plural noun work using acomputer, done by a computer bureaucomputer system /kəm�pju�təsstəm/ noun a set of programs, com-mands, etc., which run a computercomputer time /kəm�pju�tə tam/noun the time when a computer is beingused, paid for at an hourly ratecomrade /�kɒmred/ noun a friend orfellow employee or fellow member of aunioncomradeship /�kɒmredʃp/ noun afeeling of friendship and solidarity withother employeesconcentration /kɒnsən�treʃ(ə)n/noun 1. the degree to which a smallnumber of businesses control a largesection of the market � Too much con-centration created resentment amongsmall businesses trying to enter the mar-ket. � Concentration has meant too littlecompetition and therefore higher pricesto the consumer. 2. a situation in whichmembers of a specific social group areoverrepresented � The high percentageof nursery nurses who are women is anexample of concentration.

compulsory 56 concentration

concern /kən�s��n/ noun 1. a busi-ness or company 2. the fact of beingworried about a problem � The manage-ment showed no concern at all for theworkers’ safety. � verb to deal with orbe connected with � The sales staff arenot concerned with the cleaning of thestore. � She filled in a questionnaireconcerning computer utilisation. � towhom it may concern words used atthe heading of a letter of recommenda-tion, etc., addressed to anyone who maybe interested (such as a potentialemployer)concession /kən�seʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the right to use someone else’s propertyfor business purposes 2. an allowancesuch as a reduction of tax or price 3. theact of allowing something to be done,which is not normally done � The unionobtained some important concessionsfrom management during negotiations.concession bargaining /kən-�seʃ(ə)n bɑ� nŋ/ noun a situationwhere a union sees that it cannot negoti-ate large pay increases for its members,and so negotiates improvements in areassuch as working conditions insteadconciliation /kənsli�eʃ(ə)n/ nounthe practice of bringing together the par-ties in a dispute with an independentthird party, so that the dispute can besettled through a series of negotiations.conciliation officer /kənsli-�eʃ(ə)n ɒfsə/ noun an official ofACAS who tries to get the parties in anindustrial dispute to settle theirdifferencesConciliation Service /kənsli-�eʃ(ə)n s��vs/ noun same as Advi-sory, Conciliation and ArbitrationServicecondition /kən�dʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.something which has to be carriedout as part of a contract or whichhas to be agreed before a contract be-comes valid � on condition thatprovided that � They were granted thelease on condition that they paid thelegal costs. 2. a general state or thegeneral way of life in a certain place� The union has complained of thebad working conditions in the factory. �Adverse trading conditions affected our

profits. � Working in unhealthy condi-tions is responsible for various illnessesafter retirement.conditional /kən�dʃ(ə)nəl/ adjectiveprovided that specific conditions aretaken into account � to give a condi-tional acceptance to accept, providedthat specific things happen or that spe-cific terms apply � offer is conditionalon board’s acceptance the offer ismade provided the board acceptsconditional offer /kəndʃ(ə)nəl�ɒfə/ noun an offer to buy provided thatspecific terms applyconditions of employment /kən-dʃ(ə)nz əv m�plɔmənt/ plural nounthe terms of a contract of employmentconduct verb /kən�d$kt/ to carry on� to conduct negotiations � The chair-man conducted the negotiations verynegligently. � She conducted the train-ing session very efficiently. � noun/�kɒnd$kt/ a way of behaving � Hewas sacked for bad conduct at the staffChristmas party.Confederation of British Indus-try /kɒnfedəreʃ(ə)n əv brtʃ�ndəstri/ noun an organisation whichrepresents British employers in com-merce and industry. Abbr CBIconfer /kən�f��/ verb to discuss aproblem with another person or within agroup � The interview board conferredin the next room before announcing thenames of the successful candidates.(NOTE: conferring – conferred)conference /�kɒnf(ə)rəns/ noun 1. ameeting of people to discuss problems �Many useful tips can be picked up at asales conference. � The conference ofHR managers included talks on paymentand recruitment policies. � to be inconference to be in a meeting 2. a meet-ing of an organisation such as an associ-ation, society or unionconference call /�kɒnf(ə)rəns kɔ�l/noun a telephone call that connectsthree or more lines so that people in dif-ferent places can talk to one another(NOTE: conference calls reduce thecost of meetings by making it unneces-sary for the participants to spend timeand money on getting together in oneplace)

concern 57 conference call

conference delegate /�kɒnf(ə)rənsdel ət/ noun a person who attends aconference as the representative of agroupconference method /�kɒnf(ə)rənsmeθəd/ noun a method of teaching us-ing discussion or exchange of ideasamongst studentsconference phone /�kɒnf(ə)rənsfəυn/ noun a telephone arranged in sucha way that several people can speak intoit from around a tableconfidence /�kɒnfd(ə)ns/ noun 1.the state of feeling sure or being certain� The sales teams do not have muchconfidence in their manager. � Theboard has total confidence in themanaging director. 2. � in confidencein secret � I will show you the report inconfidence.confident /�kɒnfd(ə)nt/ adjectivecertain or sure � I am confident theturnover will increase rapidly. � Areyou confident the sales team can handlethis product?confidential /kɒnf�denʃəl/ ad-jective not to be told or shown toother people � The references sent bythe applicant’s last employer were inan envelope marked ‘Private andConfidential’. � Whatever an employeesays in an appraisal interview shouldbe treated as confidential. � Theconsultants sent a confidential report tothe chairman.confidential information/kɒnfdenʃəl nfə�meʃ(ə)n/ nouninformation which has to be kept secretconfidentiality /kɒnfdenʃi��lti/noun the fact of being secret � shebroke the confidentiality of the dis-cussions she told someone about the se-cret discussionsconfidentiality agreement/kɒnfdenʃi��lti ə ri�mənt/ nounan agreement in which an organisa-tion that has important informationabout the plans and activities of anotherorganisation promises not to pass thatinformation on to outsiders (NOTE: con-fidentiality agreements are often usedwhen someone is planning to buy acompany and is given access to confi-

dential information and in partnershipsand benchmarking programmes.)

confidential report /kɒnfdenʃəlr�pɔ�t/ noun a secret document whichmust not be shown to other peopleconfirm /kən�f��m/ verb to say thatsomething is certain � to confirm a ho-tel reservation or a ticket or an agree-ment or a booking � to confirmsomeone in a job to say that someone isnow permanently in the jobconfirmation /kɒnfə�meʃ(ə)n/noun 1. the act of making certain 2. adocument which confirms somethingconflict /�kɒnflkt/ noun antagonismbetween people, e.g. between manage-ment and workers � There was conflictbetween the two groups of workers.conflict management /�kɒnflktm�nd"mənt/ noun a system of workthat involves identifying possiblesources of conflict within an organisa-tion and dealing with and settling con-flicts when they occurconflict of interest /kɒnflkt əv�ntrəst/ noun a situation where a per-son or firm may profit personally fromdecisions taken in an official capacityconflict of interest(s) /kɒnflkt əv�ntrəsts/ noun a situation in which aperson or institution has difficulty inmaking a fair and impartial decision onsome issue through having divided loy-alties or being likely to benefit if the is-sue is decided in one way rather thananother, as, e.g., when someone is con-nected with two or more companies whoare competing with each other (NOTE:the correct thing to do in such cases isfor the person concerned to declareany interests, to make known the wayin which those interests conflict and toabstain from participating in the deci-sion-making process)

conflict of rights /kɒnflkt əv�rats/ noun a situation where it isclaimed that the terms of the employeescontracts of employment or a negotiatedagreement have not been metconformance /kən�fɔ�məns/ nounthe process of acting in accordance witha rule � The machine used is not in con-formance with safety regulations.

conference delegate 58 conformance

conformance quality /kən-�fɔ�məns kwɒlti/ noun (in total qual-ity management) the way in which theproduct is made to fit the desiredspecificationscongratulate /kən� r�tʃυlet/ verbto give someone your good wishes forhaving done something well � The salesdirector congratulated the sales staff ondoubling sales. � I want to congratulateyou on your promotion.congratulations /kən r�tʃυ-�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun good wishes �The staff sent her their congratulationson her promotion.conjunctive bargaining /kən-d"$ŋktv �bɑ� nŋ/ noun collectivebargaining where the union has to settleon the management’s termsconscientious /kɒnʃi�enʃəs/ adjec-tive referring to a person who workscarefully and well � She’s a very con-scientious worker.consensual /kən�sensjυəl/ adjectiveby means of a consensusconsensual validation /kən-sensjυəl v�l�deʃ(ə)n/ noun the pro-cess of validating an action by agreeingwith other people’s attitudesconsensus /kən�sensəs/ noun anopinion which most people agree on �management by consensusconsent /kən�sent/ noun agreementthat something should be done �Change of use requires the consent ofthe local planning authorities. � by mu-tual consent by agreement between theparties concerned � verb to agree thatsomething should be done � The man-agement consented to the union’sproposals.consider /kən�sdə/ verb to think se-riously about something � to considerthe terms of a contract to examine acontract and discuss whether the termsare acceptableconsideration /kənsdə�reʃ(ə)n/noun 1. serious thought � We are givingconsideration to moving the head officeto Scotland. � the proposal under con-sideration the proposal which is beingconsidered at the moment 2. somethingvaluable exchanged as part of a contract

consist of /kən�sst ɒv/ verb to beformed of � The trade mission consistsof the sales directors of ten majorcompanies.conspiracy /kən�sprəsi/ noun a le-gal term used to describe the intentionof employees to break the law when re-sorting to industrial action � Sanctionswere laid down to discourage conspir-acy. � The dockers resorted to conspir-acy since they felt they could onlyoppose the bad working conditionsthrough an illegal strike.constitutional strike/kɒnsttju�ʃ(ə)n(ə)l �strak/ nounUS a strike that takes place when all theprocedures agreed between a trade un-ion and an employer for the avoidanceof strikes have been gone through andthe dispute has still not been resolvedconstruct /kən�str$kt/ verb to build� The company has tendered for thecontract to construct the new bridge.construction site /kən�str$kʃənsat/ noun a place where a building isbeing constructed � All visitors to theconstruction site must wear safetyhelmets.constructive /kən�str$ktv/ ad-jective which helps in the making ofsomething � She made some con-structive suggestions for improvingmanagement-worker relations. � Wehad a constructive proposal from adistribution company in Italy.consult /kən�s$lt/ verb to ask an ex-pert for advice � We consulted our ac-countant about our tax.consultancy /kən�s$ltənsi/ noun theact of giving specialist advice � a con-sultancy firm � She offers a consultancyservice.consultant /kən�s$ltənt/ noun a spe-cialist who gives advice � an engineer-ing consultant � a managementconsultant � a tax consultantconsultant’s fee /kən�s$ltənts fi�/noun money paid to a consultantconsultation /kɒnsəl�teʃ(ə)n/noun the process of asking other peoplefor advice before coming to a decisionconsultation agreement /kɒnsəl-�teʃ(ə)n ə ri�mənt/ noun an agree-

conformance quality 59 consultation agreement

ment which lays down the areas wheremanagement commits itself to consultthe opinion of the employeesconsultative /kən�s$ltətv/ adjec-tive which advises � to play a consulta-tive role in to act as consultant inconsultative committee /kən-�s$ltətv kəmti/ noun a committee ofrepresentatives of the employees whichmeets regularly with top management �The consultative committee was able tokeep senior management in touch withfeelings in the organisation. � Twoworkers and a foreman form the work-ers’ part of the consultative committee.consulting /kən�s$ltŋ/ adjectivegiving specialist advice � a consultingengineerconsumer /kən�sju�mə/ noun a per-son or company that buys and usesgoods and services � Gas consumersare protesting at the increase in prices.� The factory is a heavy consumer ofwater.

‘…forecasting consumer response is oneproblem which will never be finally solved’[Marketing Week]‘…consumer tastes in the UK are becomingmuch more varied’ [Marketing]‘…the marketing director’s brief will be todevelop the holiday villages as a consumerbrand, aimed at the upper end of the touristmarket’ [Marketing Week]

contact /�kɒnt�kt/ noun 1. a personyou know or a person you can ask forhelp or advice � He has many contactsin the city. � Who is your contact in theministry? 2. the act of getting in touchwith someone � I have lost contactwith them I do not communicate withthem any longer � he put me in contactwith a good lawyer he told me how toget in touch with a good lawyer � verb/�kɒnt�kt, kən�t�kt/ to get in touchwith someone, to communicate withsomeone � He tried to contact his officeby phone. � Can you contact the man-aging director at his club?contact effect /�kɒnt�kt fekt/noun the impression received whencomparing the various performances ofcandidates in interviewscontention /kən�tenʃən/ noun 1. anopinion or belief � It is our contentionthat the decision of the tribunal is

wrong. 2. a dispute � an area of conten-tion between management and workerscontentious /kən�tenʃəs/ adjectivewhich is a source of dispute � Manage-ment made a series of contentiousproposals.contingency /kən�tnd"ənsi/ noun apossible state of emergency when deci-sions will have to be taken quickly � toadd on 10% to provide for contingen-cies to provide for further expenditurewhich may be incurredcontingency allowance /kən-�tnd"ənsi əlaυəns/ noun time addedto the basic time established for a job toallow for irregularities in the job content� A contingency allowance was neces-sary since the machinery used was notwholly reliable. � The unions protestedthat no contingency allowances were es-tablished in those jobs where delayswere not the fault of the workers.contingency fund /kən�tnd"ənsif$nd/ noun money set aside in case it isneeded urgentlycontingency plan /kən�tnd"ənsipl�n/ noun a plan which will be putinto action if something unexpectedhappenscontingency reserve /kən-�tnd"ənsi rz��v/ noun money setaside in case it is needed urgentlycontingent expenses /kən-tnd"ənt k�spensz/ plural noun ex-penses which will be incurred only ifsomething happenscontinual /kən�tnjuəl/ adjectivewhich happens again and again � Pro-duction was slow because of continualbreakdowns.continually /kən�tnjuəli/ adverbagain and again � The photocopier iscontinually breaking down.continuation /kəntnju�eʃ(ə)n/noun the act of continuingcontinue /kən�tnju�/ verb to go ondoing something or to do again some-thing which you were doing earlier �The meeting started at 10 a.m. and con-tinued until 6 p.m. � Negotiations willcontinue next Monday.continuing education /kən-tnjuŋ edjυ�keʃ(ə)n/ noun education

consultative 60 continuing education

which continues after school and uni-versity or collegecontinuing professional devel-opment /kəntnjuŋ prəfeʃ(ə)n(ə)ld�veləpmənt/ noun full form of CPDcontinuous /kən�tnjυəs/ adjectivewith no end or with no breaks � a con-tinuous production line � in continuousemployment employed for a period oftime, without more than a week’s gap(holidays, sickness, etc., are not countedas gaps) � She was in continuous em-ployment for the period 1998 to 2002.continuous assessment /kən-tnjuəs ə�sesmənt/ noun an assess-ment of a trainee’s work carried outthrough the course (as opposed to termi-nal assessment at the end of the course)continuous development /kən-tnjuəs d�veləpmənt/ noun a systemof continuous training for employeescontinuous feed /kəntnjuəs �fi�d/noun a device which feeds continuousstationery into a printercontinuous improvement /kən-tnjuəs m�pru�vmənt/ noun a proce-dure and management philosophy thatfocuses on looking all the time for waysin which small improvements can bemade to processes and products, withthe aim of increasing quality and reduc-ing waste and cost (NOTE: Continuousimprovement is one of the tools thatunderpin the philosophies of total qual-ity management and lean production;in Japan it is known as kaizen.)continuous learning /kəntnjuəs�l��nŋ/ noun a system of training whichcontinues during an employee’s careerwith a companycontinuous service /kəntnjuəs�s��vs/ noun a period of employmentwith one employer, which begins on theday on which the employee starts workand ends on the day which they resignor are dismissedcontinuous shift system /kən-tnjuəs �ʃift sstəm/ noun a systemwhere groups of employees work shiftsthroughout the week, includingweekendscontinuous shiftwork /kən-tnjuəs �ʃftw��k/ noun a system of

working designed to ensure that an or-ganisation can operate seven days aweek, 24 hours a day, e.g. in order tomake full use of expensive equipment orto provide round-the-clock customerservice (NOTE: Continuous shiftworkusually comprises three eight-hour ortwo twelve-hour shifts, or a mix of thetwo.)

contract noun /�kɒntr�kt/ 1. a legalagreement between two parties � todraw up a contract � to draft a contract� to sign a contract � the contract isbinding on both parties both partiessigning the contract must do what isagreed � under contract bound by theterms of a contract � The firm is undercontract to deliver the goods by Novem-ber. � to void a contract to make a con-tract invalid 2. � by private contractby private legal agreement 3. an agree-ment for the supply of a service orgoods � to enter into a contract to sup-ply spare parts � to sign a contract for£10,000 worth of spare parts � to putwork out to contract to decide thatwork should be done by another com-pany on a contract, rather than by em-ploying members of staff to do it � toaward a contract to a company, toplace a contract with a company todecide that a company shall have thecontract to do work for you � to tenderfor a contract to put forward an esti-mate of cost for work under contract �verb /kən�tr�kt/ to agree to do somework on the basis of a legally bindingcontract � to contract to supply spareparts or to contract for the supply ofspare parts � to contract out of anagreement to withdraw from an agree-ment with the written permission of theother party

COMMENT: A contract is an agreementbetween two or more parties to create le-gal obligations between them. Some con-tracts are made ‘under seal’, i.e. they aresigned and sealed by the parties; mostcontracts are made orally or in writing.The essential elements of a contract are:(a) that an offer made by one party shouldbe accepted by the other; (b) consider-ation (i.e. payment of money); (c) the in-tention to create legal relations. The termsof a contract may be express or implied. Abreach of contract by one party entitles

continuing 61 contract

the other party to sue for damages or toask for something to be done.

contracted-out pension scheme/kəntr�ktd aυt �penʃən ski�m/ nouna private pension scheme which givesbenefits at least as high as the stateschemecontract for services /kɒntr�ktfə �s��vsz/ noun an agreement be-tween employer and employee wherethe employee is hired as an independentparty for a limited time and is not underthe control of the employercontracting out /kɒntr�ktŋ �aυt/noun 1. the process, on the part of anemployee, of withdrawing from the UKState Earnings-Related Pension Schemeand buying an appropriate personal pen-sion 2. the process, on the part of an em-ployer, of withdrawing employees fromthe UK’s State Earnings-Related Pen-sion Scheme and enrolling them in anoccupational pension scheme that meetsspecified standardscontracting party /kəntr�ktŋ�pɑ�ti/ noun a person or company thatsigns a contractcontract law /�kɒntr�kt lɔ�/ nounlaws relating to private agreementscontract of employment/kɒntr�kt əv m�plɔmənt/ noun acontract between employer and an em-ployee stating all the conditions of workcontract of service /kɒntr�kt əv�s��vs/ noun a legal agreement be-tween an employer and an employeewhereby the employee will work for theemployer and be directed by them, in re-turn for paymentcontractor /kən�tr�ktə/ noun a per-son or company that does work accord-ing to a written agreementcontract out /kɒntr�kt �aυt/ verbto hire another organisation or person tocarry out part or all of a certain piece ofwork � The catering firm has con-tracted out the distribution of its prod-ucts to a delivery firm. � We shallcontract out any work we are not spe-cialised in. � The supply of spare partswas contracted out to Smith Ltd.contractual /kən�tr�ktʃuəl/ adjec-tive according to a contract � to fulfil

your contractual obligations to dowhat you have agreed to do in a contractcontractual liability /kən-tr�ktʃuəl laə�blti/ noun a legal re-sponsibility for something as stated in acontractcontractually /kən�tr�ktjuəli/ ad-verb according to a contract � The com-pany is contractually bound to pay ourexpenses.contract work /�kɒntr�kt w��k/noun work done according to a writtenagreementcontrary /�kɒntrəri/ noun the oppo-site � failing instructions to the con-trary unless different instructions aregivencontribute /kən�trbju�t/ verb togive money or add to money � Weagreed to contribute 10% of the profits.� They had contributed to the pensionfund for 10 years.contribution /kɒntr�bju�ʃ(ə)n/noun money paid to add to a sumcontributor /kən�trbjυtə/ noun aperson who gives moneycontributory /kən�trbjυt(ə)ri/ ad-jective which helps to cause � Fallingexchange rates have been a contribu-tory factor in the company’s loss ofprofits.contributory fault /kəntrbjυt(ə)ri�fɔ�lt/ noun a situation in an unfair dis-missal where the employee was to a cer-tain extent at faultcontributory negligence /kən-trbjυt(ə)ri �ne ld"əns/ noun negli-gence partly caused by the plaintiff andpartly by the defendant, resulting inharm done to the plaintiffcontributory pension plan /kən-trbjυt(ə)ri �penʃən pl�n/, contribu-tory pension scheme /kən-trbjυt(ə)ri �penʃən ski�m/ noun apension plan where the employee has tocontribute a percentage of salarycontrol /kən�trəυl/ noun 1. thepower or ability to direct something� The company is under the control ofthree shareholders. � Top managementexercises tight control over spending. �to lose control of a business to findthat you have less than 50% of the

contracted-out pension scheme 62 control

shares in a company, and so are nolonger able to direct it � The familylost control of its business. 2. theact of restricting or checking somethingor making sure that something iskept in check � under control keptin check � Expenses are kept undertight control. � The company is try-ing to bring its overheads back undercontrol. � out of control not kept incheck � Costs have got out of control.� verb 1. � to control a business todirect a business � The business is con-trolled by a company based in Luxem-bourg. � The company is controlled bythe majority shareholder. 2. to makesure that something is kept in checkor is not allowed to develop � Thegovernment is fighting to control in-flation or to control the rise in thecost of living. (NOTE: controlling –controlled)

control group /kən�trəυl ru�p/noun a small group which is used tocheck a sample groupcontrolled /kən�trəυld/ adjectiveruled or kept in checkcontroller /kən�trəυlə/ noun 1. a per-son who controls something (especiallythe finances of a company) 2. US thechief accountant in a companycontrolling /kən�trəυlŋ/ adjective �to have a controlling interest in acompany to own more than 50% of theshares so that you can direct how thecompany is runconvene /kən�vi�n/ verb to ask peo-ple to come together � to convene ameeting of shareholders � to convene ameeting of union membersconvenience /kən�vi�niəns/ noun �at your earliest convenience as soon asyou find it possibleconvenor /kən�vi�nə/ noun a tradeunionist who organises union meetingsconvention /kən�venʃən/ noun aninternational agreement � the GenevaConvention on Human Rightsconversion of funds /kənv��ʃ(ə)nəv �f$ndz/ noun the act of using moneywhich does not belong to you for a pur-pose for which it is not supposed to beused

convict /kən�vkt/ verb � to convictsomeone of a crime to find that some-one is guilty of a crimeconviction /kən�vkʃən/ noun an actof finding that someone accused of acrime is guilty � He has had ten convic-tions for burglary.cooling-off period /ku�lŋ �ɒfpəriəd/ noun (during an industrialdispute) a period when negotiationshave to be carried on and no action canbe taken by either sideco-op /�kəυ ɒp/ noun same ascooperative

co-operate /kəυ�ɒpəret/ verb towork together � The regional govern-ments are co-operating in the fightagainst piracy. � The two firms haveco-operated on the computer project.co-operation /kəυɒpə�reʃ(ə)n/noun the act of working together � Theproject was completed ahead of sched-ule with the co-operation of theworkforce.cooperative /kəυ�ɒp(ə)rətv/ adjec-tive willing to work together � Theworkforce has not been cooperativeover the management’s productivityplan. � noun a business run by a groupof employees who are also the ownersand who share the profits � an indus-trial cooperative � The product is mar-keted by an agricultural cooperative. �They set up a workers’ cooperative torun the factory.co-opt /kəυ�ɒpt/ verb � to co-optsomeone onto a committee to asksomeone to join a committee withoutbeing electedco-owner /kəυ�əυnə/ noun a personwho owns something with another per-son � The two sisters are co-owners ofthe property.co-ownership /kəυ�əυnəʃp/ nounan arrangement where two people own aproperty or where partners or employeeshave shares in a companycopartner /kəυ�pɑ�tnə/ noun a per-son who is a partner in a business withanother personcopartnership /kəυ�pɑ�tnəʃp/noun an arrangement where partners

control group 63 copartnership

or employees have shares in the companycope /kəυp/ verb to manage to dosomething � The new assistant managercoped very well when the manager wason holiday. � The warehouse is trying tocope with the backlog of orders.core /kɔ�/ noun the central or main partcore skills /�kɔ� sklz/ noun basicskills, which are needed by everyonecore time /�kɔ� tam/ noun a periodwhen people working under a flexitimesystem must be present at workcore values /kɔ� �v�lju�z/ pluralnoun a set of concepts and ideals thatguide someone’s life and help them tomake important decisionscore workers /�kɔ� w��kəz/ pluralnoun workers who are in full-time em-ployment (as opposed to part-timers orcasual workers who are called ‘periph-eral workers’)corporate /�kɔ�p(ə)rət/ adjective 1.referring to a whole company 2. refer-ring to a large organisation

‘…the prime rate is the rate at which banks lendto their top corporate borrowers’[Wall Street Journal]‘…if corporate forecasts are met, sales willexceed $50 million next year’[Citizen (Ottawa)]

corporate climate /kɔ�p(ə)rət�klamət/ noun the general feeling andatmosphere within an organisation thatis mainly created by the attitudes of itsmanagers towards their work, their staffand their customers and that can affectsuch things as productivity, creativity,and customer focuscorporate communication/kɔ�p(ə)rət kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/ nounthe activities undertaken by an organisa-tion to pass on information both to itsown employees and to its existing andprospective customers and the generalpubliccorporate culture /kɔ�p(ə)rət�k$ltʃə/ noun the way of managing acorporation, by increasing the impor-tance of the corporation itself, and there-fore the loyalty of the workforce to thecorporationcorporate ethos /kɔ�p(ə)rət �i�θɒs/noun a company’s special way of work-ing and thinking

corporate hospitality /kɔ�p(ə)rəthɒsp�t�lti/ noun entertainment pro-vided by an organisation, originally in-tended to help salespeople buildrelationships with customers, but nowincreasingly used as an incentive forstaff and in team-building and trainingexercises for employeescorporate image /kɔ�p(ə)rət�md"/ noun an idea which a companywould like the public to have of itcorporate planning /kɔ�p(ə)rət�pl�nŋ/ noun the process of planningthe future work of a whole companycorporate restructuring/kɔ�p(ə)rət ri��str$ktʃərŋ/ noun afundamental change in the way in whichan organisation is structured that mayinvolve increasing or decreasing thevarious layers of staff between the topand the bottom of the hierarchy orre-assigning roles and responsibilitieswithin it (NOTE: Corporate restructuringhas generally come to mean reorgan-ising after a period of unsatisfactoryperformance, and often involves theclosure of parts of the business andthe laying-off of personnel.)

corporate strategy /kɔ�p(ə)rət�str�təd"i/ noun the plans for futureaction by a corporationcorporate university /kɔ�p(ə)rətju�n�v��sti/ noun an educational cen-tre run by an organisation that offers op-portunities for training and developmentonly to its own employees, especially inskills that the organisation needs to ful-fil its own needscorporate vision /kɔ�p(ə)rət�v"(ə)n/ noun the overall aim or pur-pose of an organisation that all its busi-ness activities are designed to help itachieve (NOTE: An organisation’s cor-porate vision is usually summed up inits vision statement.)

corporation /kɔ�pə�reʃ(ə)n/ noun alarge company

COMMENT: A corporation is formed byregistration with the Registrar of Com-panies under the Companies Act (in thecase of public and private companies) orother Acts of Parliament (in the case ofbuilding societies and charities).

cope 64 corporation

correct /kə�rekt/ adjective accurate orright � The published accounts do notgive a correct picture of the company’sfinancial position. � verb to removemistakes from something � The ac-counts department have corrected theinvoice. � You will have to correct allthese typing errors before you send theletter.correction /kə�rekʃən/ noun an act ofmaking something correct � She madesome corrections to the text of thespeech.

‘…there were fears in October that shares wereovervalued and bears were ready to enter themarket. This only proved to be a smallcorrection’ [Investors Chronicle]

correspondence /kɒr�spɒndəns/noun letters, emails or other messagesexchangedcorrespondence course /kɒr-�spɒndəns kɔ�s/ noun a course done bymail � She learnt accountancy througha correspondence course. � He is takinga correspondence course in companylaw.cost /kɒst/ noun the amount of moneywhich has to be paid for something �Computer costs are falling each year. �We cannot afford the cost of two cars. �to cover costs to produce enoughmoney in sales to pay for the costs ofproduction � The sales revenue barelycovers the costs of advertising or the ad-vertising costs. � to sell at cost to sell ata price which is the same as the cost ofmanufacture or the wholesale cost �verb 1. to have a price � How muchdoes the machine cost? � This clothcosts £10 a metre. 2. � to cost a prod-uct to calculate how much money willbe needed to make a product, and sowork out its selling pricecost accountant /�kɒst əkaυntənt/noun an accountant who gives managersinformation about their business costscost accounting /�kɒst əkaυntŋ/noun the process of preparing specialaccounts of manufacturing and salescostscost analysis /�kɒst ən�ləss/noun the process of calculating in ad-vance what a new product will cost

cost-benefit analysis /kɒst�benft ən�ləss/ noun the process ofcomparing the costs and benefits of dif-ferent possible ways of using availableresourcescost centre /�kɒst sentə/ noun aperson or group whose costs can beitemised and to which costs can be allo-cated in accountscost-cutting /�kɒst k$tŋ/ noun theprocess of reducing costs � We havemade three secretaries redundant aspart of our cost-cutting programme.cost-effective /kɒst �fektv/ adjec-tive which gives good value when com-pared with the original cost � We findadvertising in the Sunday newspapersvery cost-effective.cost-effectiveness /kɒst -�fektvnəs/, cost efficiency /kɒst -�fʃənsi/ noun the quality of beingcost-effective � Can we calculate thecost-effectiveness of air freight againstshipping by sea?cost factor /�kɒst f�ktə/ noun theproblem of costcosting /�kɒstŋ/ noun a calculationof the manufacturing costs, and so theselling price of a product � The costingsgive us a retail price of $2.95. � Wecannot do the costing until we have de-tails of all the production expenditure.costly /�kɒstli/ adjective costing a lotof money, or costing too much money �Defending the court case was a costlyprocess. � The mistakes weretime-consuming and costly.cost of living /kɒst əv �lvŋ/ nounmoney which has to be paid for basicitems such as food, heating or rent � toallow for the cost of living in the salaryadjustmentscost-of-living allowance /kɒst əv�lvŋ əlaυəns/ noun an addition tonormal salary to cover increases in thecost of living (NOTE: the Americanequivalent is COLA)

cost-of-living bonus /kɒst əv�lvŋ bəυnəs/ noun money paid tomeet the increase in the cost of livingcost-of-living increase /kɒst əv�lvŋ nkri�s/ noun an increase in sal-

correct 65 cost-of-living increase

ary to allow it to keep up with the in-creased cost of livingcost of sales /kɒst əv �selz/ nounall the costs of a product sold, includingmanufacturing costs and the staff costsof the production department, beforegeneral overheads are calculatedcosts /kɒsts/ plural noun the expensesinvolved in a court case � The judgeawarded costs to the defendant. � Costsof the case will be borne by the prosecu-tion. � to pay costs to pay the expensesof a court casecottage industry /kɒtd" �ndəstr/noun the production of goods or someother type of work, carried out by peo-ple working in their own homescouncil /�kaυnsəl/ noun an officialgroup chosen to run something or to ad-vise on a problemcounselling /�kaυnsəlŋ/ noun theact of giving professional advice to oth-ers on personal matters � An office isbeing set up for counselling employeeswho have professional or social prob-lems. � Counselling helps employeesget accustomed to their new environ-ment, by offering advice and guidance.(NOTE: the usual US spelling iscounseling)counsellor /�kaυnsələ/ noun a personwho gives professional advice to otherson personal matters (NOTE: the usualUS spelling is counselor)counter- /kaυntə/ prefix againstcounterbid /�kaυntəbd/ noun ahigher bid in reply to a previous bid �When I bid £20 she put in a counterbidof £25.counter-claim /�kaυntə klem/ nouna claim for damages made in reply to aprevious claim � Jones claimed £25,000in damages against Smith, and Smithentered a counter-claim of £50,000 forloss of office. � The union negotiatorsentered a counter-claim for a reductionin work hours. � verb to put in a coun-ter-claim � Jones claimed £25,000 indamages and Smith counter-claimed£50,000 for loss of office.countermand /kaυntə�mɑ�nd/ verbto say that an order must not be carriedout � to countermand an order

counter-offer /�kaυntər ɒfə/ noun ahigher or lower offer made in reply toanother offer � Smith Ltd made an offerof £1m for the property, and Blacks re-plied with a counter-offer of £1.4m.

‘…the company set about paring costs andimproving the design of its product. It came upwith a price cut of 14%, but its counter-offer –for an order that was to have provided 8% of itsworkload next year – was too late and tooexpensive’ [Wall Street Journal]

counterpart /�kaυntəpɑ�t/ noun aperson who has a similar job in anothercompany � John is my counterpart inSmith’s John has the same post as Ihave herecounter-productive /kaυntə prə-�d$ktv/ adjective which has the oppo-site effect to what you expect � In-creasing overtime pay wascounter-productive, the workers simplyworked more slowly. � The MD’s talkabout profitability was quite counter-productive, as it encouraged the em-ployees to ask for higher wages.countersign /�kaυntəsan/ verb tosign a document which has already beensigned by someone else � All ourcheques have to be countersigned by thefinance director. � The sales directorcountersigns all my orders.couple /�k$p(ə)l/ noun two things orpeople taken together � We only haveenough stock for a couple of weeks. � Acouple of the directors were ill, so theboard meeting was cancelled.course /kɔ�s/ noun 1. � in the courseof during or while something is happen-ing � In the course of the discussion, themanaging director explained the com-pany’s expansion plans. � Sales haverisen sharply in the course of the lastfew months. 2. a series of lessons or aprogramme of instruction � She has fin-ished her secretarial course. � Thecompany has paid for her to attend acourse for trainee sales managers. �Management trainees all took asix-month course in business studies. �The training officer was constantly onthe lookout for new courses in manage-ment studies. � The company sent heron a management course. � she wenton a course she attended a course ofstudy

cost of sales 66 course

court /kɔ�t/ noun a place where ajudge listens to a case and decides le-gally which of the parties in the argu-ment is right � to take someone tocourt to tell someone to appear in courtto settle an argument � settlement wasreached out of court, the two partiesreached an out-of-court settlement thedispute was settled between the two par-ties privately without continuing thecourt casecourt case /�kɔ�t kes/ noun a legalaction or trialcourt hearing /kɔ�t �hərŋ/ noun acourt casecovenant /�k$vənənt/ noun a legalcontract � verb to agree to pay a sum ofmoney each year by contract � to cove-nant to pay £10 per annumcover noun /�k$və/ something putover a machine, etc., to keep it clean �Put a cover over your PC when the of-fice is being redecorated. � 1. protec-tion guaranteed by insurance � tooperate without adequate cover to op-erate without being protected by insur-ance � to ask for additional cover toask the insurance company to increasethe amount for which you are insured 2.� to provide cover for someone towork in place of someone who is ill oron holiday � noun /�k$və/ � to sendsomething under separate cover in aseparate envelope � to send a magazineunder plain cover in an ordinary enve-lope with no company name printed onit � verb /�k$və/ 1. to put somethingover a machine, etc., to keep it clean �Don’t forget to cover your PC whenthey are repainting the office. 2. to pro-tect � to be fully covered to have insur-ance against all risks � The insurancecovers fire, theft and loss of work.

‘…three export credit agencies have agreed toprovide cover for large projects in Nigeria’[Business Times (Lagos)]

Coverdale training /�k$vədeltrenŋ/ noun a system of training thatconcentrates on improving teamworkand methods of getting a job done(NOTE: Coverdale training often in-volves asking groups of people to actout everyday situations and experi-ment until they find the best way ofdealing with them)

covering letter /k$vərŋ �letə/,covering note /k$vərŋ �nəυt/ noun aletter or note sent with documents to saywhy you are sending them � He sent acovering letter with his curriculum vi-tae, explaining why he wanted the job. �The job advertisement asked for a CVand a covering letter.CPD noun training and education thatcontinues throughout a person’s careerin order to improve the skills andknowledge they use to do a job or suc-cession of jobs. Full form continuingpersonal developmentCPF abbr Central Provident FundCPM abbr cost per millecraft /krɑ�ft/ noun traditional manu-facture done by handcraftsman /�krɑ�ftsmən/, crafts-woman /�krɑ�ftswυmən/ noun a manor woman who works in a craftcraftsmanship /�krɑ�ftsmənʃp/noun skill in doing craft workcraft union /�krɑ�ft ju�njən/ nounthe oldest type of trade union, for skilledworkers in a particular craft or tradecraft worker /�krɑ�ft w��kə/ noun askilled manual worker, especially onewho has been through an apprenticeshipCRE abbr Commission for RacialEqualitycreate /kri�et/ verb to make some-thing new � By acquiring small unprof-itable companies he soon created alarge manufacturing group. � The gov-ernment scheme aims at creating newjobs for young people.

‘…he insisted that the tax advantages hedirected towards small businesses will helpcreate jobs and reduce the unemployment rate’[Toronto Star]

creation /kri�eʃ(ə)n/ noun the pro-cess of making somethingcreative director /krietv da-�rektə/ noun an employee of an adver-tising agency who is in overall charge offinding the right words and images topromote the product during an advertis-ing campaigncreativity /kri�e�tvti/, creativethinking /krietv �θŋkŋ/ noun theability to use the imagination to producenew ideas or things

court 67 creativity

creativity test /kri�e�tvti test/noun a test designed to assess the origi-nality or imagination which someonecan apply to solving problems � Cre-ativity tests will be given to those apply-ing for jobs in our company where newapproaches are needed to solve oldproblems. � The HR manager favourscreativity tests instead of the more tradi-tional IQ tests.crèche /kreʃ/ noun a special room orbuilding on a company’s premiseswhere babies and small children can belooked after � The company providescrèche facilities for its staff. Comparenurserycredentials /kr�denʃəlz/ plural nounletters or documents which describe aperson’s qualities and skills � The newproduction manager has very impres-sive credentials.crème de la crème /krem də l��krem/ noun the elite or the very best ofa profession � It is a very exclusive re-cruitment agency and only looks for thecrème de la crème.criminal record /krmn(ə)l�rekɔ�d/ noun same as police recordcrisis /�krass/ noun a seriouseconomic situation where decisionshave to be taken rapidly � a bankingcrisis � The government stepped in totry to resolve the international crisis. �Withdrawals from the bank havereached crisis level. � The crisis in themortgage banks has caused problemsfor the central bank. � to take crisismeasures to take severe measures rap-idly to stop a crisis developingcrisis bargaining /�krassbɑ� nŋ/ noun collective bargainingunder the threat of a strike deadline � Ifcrisis bargaining doesn’t produceagreement on the 12% pay increase, astrike will be called.crisis management /�krassm�nd"mənt/ noun actions taken byan organisation to protect itself whenunexpected events or situations occurthat could threaten its success or contin-ued operation (NOTE: Crisis situationsmay result from external factors suchas the development of a new productby a competitor or changes in legisla-

tion, or from internal factors such as aproduct failure or faulty deci-sion-making, and often involve theneed to make quick decisions on thebasis of uncertain or incomplete infor-mation.)criterion /kra�təriən/ noun the stan-dard by which something can be judged� Using the criterion of the ratio ofcases solved to cases reported, the po-lice force is becoming more efficient.(NOTE: plural is criteria)critical path analysis /krtk(ə)l�pɑ�θ ən�ləss/ noun the analysis ofthe way a project is organised in termsof the minimum time it will take to com-plete, calculating which parts can be de-layed without holding up the rest of theproject. Abbr CPMcritical success factors/krtk(ə)l sək�ses f�ktəz/ pluralnoun the aspects of a business thatare considered to be most necessaryfor it to be able to achieve its aims andcontinue to operate successfully overtimecriticise /�krtsaz/, criticize verb tosay that something or someone is wrongor is working badly � The MD criticisedthe sales manager for not improving thevolume of sales. � The design of the newcatalogue has been criticised.criticism /�krtsz(ə)m/ noun wordsshowing that you consider that someoneor something is wrong � The tribunalmade some criticisms of the way inwhich the company had presented itscase.cross-functional /krɒs�f$ŋkʃən(ə)l/ adjective referring to anemployee who can work at different andvaried taskscross-picketing /krɒs �pktŋ/noun picketing by more than one tradeunion, when each claims to represent theworkforce � Cross-picketing damagedthe workers’ case by showing up the di-visions in their ranks. � Cross-picketingwas due to the rivalry between the twounions rather than any real attempt torepresent the workers’ interests.cultural creative /k$ltʃərəl kri-�etv/ noun someone who values per-sonal and spiritual development, enjoys

creativity test 68 cultural creative

change, likes learning about new cul-tures and, usually, wants a simpler wayof lifeculture /�k$ltʃə/ noun a way of livingin a society or a countryculture shock /�k$ltʃə ʃɒk/ noun theshock when a person moves from onetype of society to another (as for emi-grants from European countries to theUSA)current /�k$rənt/ adjective referringto the present time � the current roundof wage negotiations

‘…crude oil output plunged during the pastmonth and is likely to remain at its current levelfor the near future’ [Wall Street Journal]

currently /�k$rəntli/ adverb at thepresent time � We are currently negoti-ating with the bank for a loan.curriculum vitae /kərkjυləm�vi�ta/ noun a summary of a person’swork experience and qualifications sentto a prospective employer by someoneapplying for a job � Candidates shouldsend a letter of application with a cur-riculum vitae to the HR manager. � Thecurriculum vitae listed all the candi-date’s previous jobs and her reasons forleaving them. Abbr CV (NOTE: the pluralis curriculums or curricula vitae.American English is résumé)

cushy /�kυʃi/ adjective which does notinvolve any effort (informal.)

cushy number /kυʃi �n$mbə/ nounwork that offers the same money for lesseffort than another similar job � Hespends all his time looking for a cushynumber. (NOTE: American English isgravy job)

customer focus /k$stəmə �fəυkəs/noun the aiming of all marketing opera-tions towards the customercut /k$t/ noun 1. the sudden loweringof a price, salary or the number of jobs� price cuts or cuts in prices � he tooka cut in salary, he took a salary cut he

accepted a lower salary 2. a share in apayment � She introduces new custom-ers and gets a cut of the sales rep’s com-mission. � verb 1. to lower suddenly �We are cutting prices on all our models.� to cut (back) production to reducethe quantity of products made � Thecompany has cut back its sales force. �We have taken out the second telephoneline in order to try to cut costs. 2. to re-duce the number of something � to cutjobs to reduce the number of jobs bymaking people redundant � he cut hislosses he stopped doing somethingwhich was creating a loss 3. � to be cutout for to be very suitable for � She wasnot cut out for a post as a personalsecretary.

‘…state-owned banks cut their prime rates apercentage point to 11%’ [Wall Street Journal]‘…the US bank announced a cut in its primefrom 10½ per cent to 10 per cent’[Financial Times]‘Opec has on average cut production by onethird since 1979’ [Economist]

cutback /�k$tb�k/ noun a reduction� cutbacks in government spendingcut down (on) /k$t �daυn ɒn/ verbto reduce suddenly the amount of some-thing used � The government is cuttingdown on welfare expenditure. � The of-fice is trying to cut down on electricityconsumption. � We have installed net-worked computers to cut down onpaperwork.CV abbr curriculum vitae � Please ap-ply in writing, enclosing a current CV.cybernetics /sabə�netks/ pluralnoun the study of information commu-nication systems and how they can beimproved (NOTE: takes a singular verb)cycle /�sak(ə)l/ noun a set of eventswhich happen in a regularly repeatedsequencecycle time /�sak(ə)l tam/ noun thetime taken to complete a job � The cycletime for the job will decrease with theintroduction of new machinery.

culture 69 cycle time

D

daily rate /deli �ret/ noun moneypaid for one day’s workdamaged /�d�md"d/ adjectivewhich has suffered damage or which hasbeen harmed � goods damaged intransitdamages /�d�md"z/ plural nounmoney claimed as compensation forharm done � to claim £1000 in damages� to be liable for damages � to pay£25,000 in damages � to bring an ac-tion for damages against someone totake someone to court and claimdamagesdanger /�dend"ə/ noun 1. the possi-bility of being harmed or killed � Theold machinery poses a danger to theworkforce. � The red light means dan-ger. 2. the likelihood or possibility ofsomething � there is no danger of thesales force leaving it is not likely thatthe sales force will leave � in danger ofwhich may easily happen � The com-pany is in danger of being taken over. �She is in danger of being maderedundant.danger money /�dend"ə m$ni/noun extra money paid to employees indangerous jobs � The workforce hasstopped work and asked for dangermoney. � He decided to go to work onan oil rig because of the danger moneyoffered as an incentive.dangerous /�dend"ərəs/ adjectivewhich can be harmful � dangerous joba job where the workers may be hurt orkilleddanger zone bonus /�dend"əzəυn bəυnəs/ noun a bonus for work-ing in a particularly dangerous area �Danger-zone bonuses are awarded toworkers employed in countries experi-encing civil unrest or war.

data /�detə/ noun information avail-able on computer, e.g. letters or figures� All important data on employees wasfed into the computer. � To calculatethe weekly wages, you need data onhours worked and rates of pay. (NOTE:takes singular or plural verb)

data bank /�detə b�ŋk/ noun a storeof information in a computerdatabase /�detəbes/ noun a set ofdata stored in an organised way in acomputer system � We can extract thelists of potential customers from ourdatabase.data protection /�detə prətekʃən/noun the safeguards that protect peoplewhose personal details are held on com-puters or in paper-based filing systemsagainst improper use or storage of thedata that relates to them (NOTE: Thegrowing use of computers to store in-formation about individuals has ledmany countries to pass laws designedto protect the privacy of individuals andprevent the disclosure of information tounauthorised people.)

Data Protection Act (1984) /detəprə�tekʃən �kt/ noun an Act of Parlia-ment which prevents the use of detailsof a person which are stored in a data-base for other uses than that for whichthe record was originally madedate /det/ noun 1. the number of aday, month and year � I have receivedyour letter of yesterday’s date. � date ofreceipt the date when something is re-ceived 2. � to date up to now � interestto date interest up to the present time �verb to put a date on a document � Thecheque was dated March 24th. � Youforgot to date the cheque.dated /�detd/ adjective 1. with a datewritten on it � Thank you for your letter

daily rate 70 dated

dated June 15th. 2. out-of-date � Theunions have criticised management forits dated ideas.date of birth /det əv �b��θ/ nounthe day, month and year when someonewas borndate of departure /det əv d-�pɑ�tʃə/, departure date /d�pɑ�tʃədet/ noun the date on which an em-ployee leaves the companyday /de/ noun 1. a period of 24 hours� There are thirty days in June. � Thefirst day of the month is a public holi-day. 2. a period of work from morningto night � she works three days on,two days off she works for three days,then has two days’ holiday � to workan eight-hour day to spend eight hoursat work each day 3. one of the days ofthe weekday care /�de keə/ noun a provisionof care for small children while theirparents are at work � One of the fringebenefits of the job was a free day carecentre. � The excellent day care facili-ties in the area have increased the avail-ability of staff.day of action /de əv ��kʃən/ nouna day when workers do not work, buttake part in strikes or protestsday rate /�de ret/ noun a paymentsystem where employees are paid perday worked � Temporary workers arepaid on a day rate. � They receive a flatday rate of £100.day shift /�de ʃft/ noun a shiftworked during the daylight hours (fromearly morning to late afternoon)day-to-day /de tə �de/ adjective or-dinary or going on all the time � He or-ganises the day-to-day running of thecompany. � Sales only just cover theday-to-day expenses.day work /�de w��k/ noun 1. workdone on the day shift 2. work done dur-ing a dayday worker /�de w��kə/ noun a per-son who works the day shiftdead /ded/ adjective 1. not alive � Sixpeople were dead as a result of the acci-dent. � The founders of the company areall dead. 2. not working � the line went

dead the telephone line suddenlystopped workingdead end /ded �end/ noun a pointwhere you cannot go any further for-ward � Negotiations have reached adead end.dead end job /ded end �d"ɒb/ nouna job where there are no chances ofpromotiondeadline /�dedlan/ noun the date bywhich something has to be done � tomeet a deadline to finish something intime � to miss a deadline to finishsomething later than it was planned �We’ve missed our October 1st deadline.deadlock /�dedlɒk/ noun a pointwhere two sides in a dispute cannotagree � The negotiations have reacheddeadlock or a deadlock. � to break adeadlock to find a way to start discus-sions again after being at a point whereno agreement was possible � verb to beunable to agree to continue negotiations� talks have been deadlocked for tendays after ten days the talks have notproduced any agreementdead loss /ded �lɒs/ noun a total loss� The car was written off as a dead loss.dead season /�ded si�z(ə)n/ nounthe time of year when there are fewtourists aboutdead wood /ded �wυd/ noun employ-ees who are old or who do not work well� The new management team is weed-ing out the dead wood from the salesdepartment.deal /di�l/ noun a business agreement,affair or contract � The sales directorset up a deal with a Russian bank. � Thedeal will be signed tomorrow. � Theydid a deal with an American airline. �to call off a deal to stop an agreement �When the chairman heard about thedeal he called it off. � to reach a deal,to strike a deal to come to an agree-ment � verb � to deal with to organisesomething � Leave it to the filing clerk– he’ll deal with it. � to deal with aproblem to decide how to solve aproblemdeath /deθ/ noun the act of dyingdeath duty /�deθ dju�ti/, death tax/�deθ t�ks/ noun US a tax paid on the

date of birth 71 death duty

property left by a dead person (NOTE:the British equivalent is inheritancetax)death in service /deθ n �s��vs/noun an insurance benefit or pensionpaid when someone dies while em-ployed by a companydeauthorisation /di�ɔ�θəra-�zeʃ(ə)n/, deauthorization noun US away in which unionised employees canvote to determine whether or not theywant an open shopdebt collection /�det kəlekʃ(ə)n/noun the act of collecting money whichis oweddebt collection agency /�det kə-lekʃən ed"ənsi/ noun a companywhich collects debts for other compa-nies for a commissiondebt collector /�det kəlektə/ noun aperson who collects debtsdecentralisation /di�sentrəla-�zeʃ(ə)n/, decentralization noun or-ganisation from various points, with lit-tle power concentrated at the centre �the decentralisation of the buyingdepartmentsdecentralise /di��sentrəlaz/, de-centralize verb to organise from vari-ous points, with little powerconcentrated at the centre � Formerly,the bank was decentralised, with manydecisions being taken by branch manag-ers. � Since the company was decentral-ised, its headquarters have moved to atiny office. � The group has a policy ofdecentralised purchasing where eachdivision has its own buying department.decentralised bargaining /di�-sentrəlazd �bɑ� nŋ/ noun separatebargaining between management andunions in different areas, not at nationalor industry-wide leveldecertification /di�s��tf�keʃ(ə)n/noun US a vote by a group of unionisedemployees to take away a union’s rightto represent them in bargainingdecide /d�sad/ verb to make up yourmind to do something � to decide on acourse of action � to decide to appoint anew managing directordeciding factor /dsadŋ �f�ktə/noun the most important factor which

influences a decision � A deciding fac-tor in marketing our range of sportsgoods in the country was the rising stan-dard of living there.deciding vote /d�sadŋ vəυt/ nouna vote which decides an issuedecision /d�s"(ə)n/ noun a choicemade after thinking about what to do �It took the committee some time to cometo a decision or to reach a decision. � toput off a decision to delay decidingsomethingdecision-maker /d�s"(ə)n mekə/noun a person who takes decisionsdecision-making /d�s"(ə)nmekŋ/ noun the act of coming to adecisiondecisive /d�sasv/ adjective refer-ring to a person who makes up theirmind or who comes to a decision (NOTE:the opposite is indecisive)decisiveness /d�sasvnəs/ nounthe ability to come to a decision quickly(NOTE: opposites are indecision,indecisiveness)declaration /deklə�reʃ(ə)n/ nounan official statementdecline /d�klan/ noun 1. a gradualfall � the decline in the value of the dol-lar � a decline in buying power � Thelast year has seen a decline in realwages. 2. the final stage in the life cycleof a product when the sales and profit-ability are falling off and the product isno longer worth investing in � verb tofall slowly or decrease � New job appli-cations have declined over the last year.� The purchasing power of the currencydeclined over the decade.

‘Saudi oil production has declined by threequarters to around 2.5m barrels a day’[Economist]‘…this gives an average monthly decline of 2.15per cent during the period’ [Business Times(Lagos)]‘…share prices disclosed a weak tendency rightfrom the onset of business and declined further,showing losses over a broad front’ [The Hindu]

decrease noun /�di�kri�s/ a fall or re-duction � The decrease in the prices ofconsumer goods is reflected in the fall inthe cost of living. � Exports have regis-tered a decrease. � Sales show a 10%decrease on last year. � verb /d�kri�s/

death in service 72 decrease

to fall or to become less � Imports aredecreasing. � The value of the currencyhas decreased by 5%.decruiting /di��kru�tŋ/ noun the pol-icy of replacing permanent employeeswith temporary ones � Decruiting is animportant factor in running a youngindustry.deduct /d�d$kt/ verb to take moneyaway from a total � to deduct £3 fromthe price � to deduct a sum for expenses� After deducting costs the gross mar-gin is only 23%. � Expenses are still tobe deducted.deductible /d�d$ktb(ə)l/ adjectivewhich can be deducteddeductible expenses /d-d$ktb(ə)l k�spensz/ plural nounexpenses which can be deducted againsttaxdeduction /d�d$kʃən/ noun the re-moving of money from a total, or themoney removed from a total � Net sal-ary is salary after deduction of tax andsocial security. � The deduction fromhis wages represented the cost of re-pairing the damage he had caused to themachinery. � deductions from salary,salary deductions, deductions atsource money which a company re-moves from salaries to give to the gov-ernment as tax, national insurancecontributions, etc.deduction at source /dd$kʃən ət�sɔ�s/ noun (in the UK) a system of col-lecting taxes in which the organisationor individual that pays somebody an in-come, e.g. an employer paying wages, abank paying interest or a company pay-ing dividends, is responsible for deduct-ing and paying tax, not the person whoreceives the incomedeed /di�d/ noun a legal document orwritten agreementdefence /d�fens/ noun 1. protectingsomeone or something against attack �The merchant bank is organising thecompany’s defence against the takeoverbid. (NOTE: the usual US spelling is de-fense) 2. the act of fighting a lawsuit onbehalf of a defendant (NOTE: the usualUS spelling is defense) 3. the explana-tion of actions � His defence was thatthe expenditure had been authorised

verbally by his manager. (NOTE: theusual US spelling is defense)

defend /d�fend/ verb to fight to pro-tect someone or something which is be-ing attacked � The company isdefending itself against the takeover bid.� They hired the best lawyers to defendthem against the tax authorities. � todefend a lawsuit to appear in court tostate your case when accused ofsomethingdefendant /d�fendənt/ noun a per-son against whom a legal action is takenor who is accused of doing something toharm someone (NOTE: the other side ina case is the claimant)defer /d�f��/ verb to put back to a laterdate, or to postpone � We will have todefer payment until January. � The de-cision has been deferred until the nextmeeting. (NOTE: deferring – deferred)

deferred /d�f��d/ adjective put backto a later datedeferred pension /df��d �penʃən/noun a pension plan where the pensionis taken late, so as to allow benefits toaccruedeferred retirement /df��d r-�taəmənt/ noun retirement whichstarts later than the statutory agedegree /d� ri�/ noun 1. a qualifica-tion awarded to someone who haspassed a course of study at a universityor polytechnic � He has a degree inbusiness studies. � She has a degree insocial work. 2. an amount or level � Be-ing promoted to a management positionmeans a greater degree of responsibil-ity. � The HR director is trying to assessthe degree of discontent among theworkforce.degree mill /d� ri� ml/ noun an es-tablishment that claims to be an educa-tional institution and offers to award aqualification for little or no work, oftenon payment of a large sum of money (in-formal.) (NOTE: The qualifications of-fered by degree mills are mostlyconsidered worthless and are not ac-cepted by employers.)

delay /d�le/ noun the time whensomeone or something is later thanplanned � We are sorry for the delay in

decruiting 73 delay

supplying your order or in replying toyour letter. � verb to make someone orsomething late � The company has de-layed payment of all invoices. � She wasdelayed because her taxi was involvedin an accident.delegatenoun /�del ət/ a personwho represents others at a meeting �The management refused to meet thetrade union delegates. � verb/�del et/ to pass authority or respon-sibility to someone else � to delegateauthority � she cannot delegate shewants to control everything herself andrefuses to give up any of her responsi-bilities to her subordinatesdelegate conference /�del ətkɒnf(ə)rəns/ noun a meeting of repre-sentatives from each of the mainbranches of a trade uniondelegation /del� eʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. agroup of delegates � A Chinese tradedelegation is visiting the UK. � Themanagement met a union delegation. 2.an act of passing authority or responsi-bility to someone elsedemand /d�mɑ�nd/ noun 1. the actof asking for payment 2. asking forsomething and insisting on getting it� the union’s list of demands � Themanagement refused to give in to uniondemands for a meeting. � to meet theunion’s demands to agree to what theunion is asking for 3. the requirementby a prospective purchaser for a com-modity � There was an active demandfor oil shares on the stock market. �The factory had to cut production whendemand slackened. � there is not muchdemand for this item not many peoplewant to buy it � this book is in greatdemand, there is a great demand forthis book many people want to buy it �to meet or fill a demand to supply whatis needed � The factory had to increaseproduction to meet the extra demand. �The factory had to cut production whendemand slackened. � verb to ask forsomething and expect to get it � She de-manded a refund. � The suppliers aredemanding immediate payment of theiroutstanding invoices. � The shop stew-ards demanded an urgent meeting withthe managing director.

‘…spot prices are now relatively stable in therun-up to the winter’s peak demand’[Economist]‘…the demand for the company’s productsremained strong throughout the first six monthsof the year with production and sales showingsignificant increases’ [Business Times (Lagos)]‘…growth in demand is still coming from theprivate rather than the public sector’[Lloyd’s List]

demarcation /di�mɑ��keʃ(ə)n/noun a clear definition of the responsi-bilities of each employee or category ofemployment � The union insisted onclear demarcation when tasks were as-signed to different workers. � Demarca-tion ensures that no one does workwhich is not defined in their jobdescription.demerge /di��m��d"/ verb to separatea company into several separate partsdemerger /di��m��d"ə/ noun the sep-aration of a company into several sepa-rate parts (especially used of companieswhich have grown by acquisition)democracy /d�mɒkrəsi/ noun a sys-tem of government by freely electedrepresentativesdemocratic management style/deməkr�tk �m�nd"mənt stal/noun a management style in whichthe managers involve the employees indecision-making processes (NOTE: theopposite is autocratic managementstyle)demographic /demə� r�fk/ adjec-tive referring to demography � A fulldemographic study of the country mustbe done before we decide how to exportthere.demographic change/demə r�fk �tʃend"/ noun a changein the population which may affect theworking population in the future (e.g. afall in the birth rate means fewer poten-tial workers, a rise in life expectancymeans more people drawing pensions)demographics /demə� r�fks/plural noun the details of the popula-tion of a country, in particular its ageand gender, which affect marketing(NOTE: takes a singular verb)demographic time-bomb/demə r�fk �tam bɒm/ noun a cata-strophic population trend, e.g. a sharp

delegate 74 demographic time-bomb

increase in the number of people of pen-sionable age and a decrease in the num-ber of younger people of working agedemography /d�mɒ rəfi/ noun thestudy of populations and population sta-tistics such as age, sex, income andeducationdemote /d�məυt/ verb to give some-one a less important job or to reduce anemployee to a lower rank or grade � Hewas demoted from manager to sales-man. � Her salary was reduced whenshe was demoted.demotion /d�məυʃən/ noun the actof reducing an employee to a lower rankor giving someone a less important job� Demotion would mean a considerabledrop in income. � Demotion ended hisdreams of becoming managing director.department /d�pɑ�tmənt/ noun 1. aspecialised section of a large organisa-tion � Trainee managers work for awhile in each department to get an ideaof the organisation as a whole. 2. a sec-tion of the British government contain-ing several ministriesdepartmental /di�pɑ�t�ment(ə)l/adjective referring to a departmentdepartmental manager/di�pɑ�tment(ə)l �m�nd"ə/ noun themanager of a departmentDepartment for Education andSkills /dpɑ�tmənt fər edjυkeʃ(ə)nənd �sklz/ noun a British governmentdepartment responsible for educationand training. Abbr DFESDepartment for Work and Pen-sions /dpɑ�tmənt fə w��k ən�penʃ(ə)nz/ noun a British governmentdepartment responsible for services topeople of working age, pensioners andfamilies. Abbr DWPDepartment of Trade and Indus-try /dpɑ�tmənt əv tred ənd�ndəstri/ noun a British governmentdepartment which deals with areas suchas commerce, international trade and thestock exchange. Abbr DTIdeparture /d�pɑ�tʃə/ noun 1. goingaway � The plane’s departure was de-layed by two hours. 2. a new venture ornew type of business � Selling recordswill be a departure for the local book-

shop. 3. � departure from normalpractice an act of doing something in adifferent way from the usual onedepend /d�pend/ verb 1. � to dependon to need someone or something to ex-ist � The company depends on efficientservice from its suppliers. � We dependon government grants to pay the salarybill. 2. to happen because of something� The success of the launch will dependon the publicity campaign. � dependingon which varies according to something� Depending on the circumstances, shemay be reprimanded or have the moneydocked from her pay.dependant /d�pendənt/ noun a per-son who depends financially on some-one else � He has to provide for hisfamily and dependants out of a verysmall salary.dependence /d�pendəns/, depend-ency /d�pendənsi/ noun the fact of be-ing dependent on someone or something� dependence on drugsdependent /d�pendənt/ adjectivesupported financially by someone else �Employees may be granted leave to carefor dependent relatives. � Tax relief isallowed for dependent relatives.deploy /d�plɔ/ verb to send staff to acertain place to carry out a certain jobdeployment of personnel /d-plɔmənt əv p��sə�nel/ noun the send-ing of staff to certain places to carry outcertain jobsdepreciation /dpri�ʃi�eʃ(ə)n/ nouna reduction in value of an assetdepressed /d�prest/ adjective feel-ing miserable and hopeless � She wasdepressed when she was not promoted.depression /d�preʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. aperiod of economic crisis with high un-employment and loss of trade � an eco-nomic depression � The country entereda period of economic depression. 2. amental state in which someone feelsmiserable and hopeless � He suffersfrom bouts of depression.dept abbr departmentdeputise /�depjυtaz/, deputize verb� to deputise for someone to take theplace of someone who is absent � Hedeputised for the chairman who was ill.

demography 75 deputise

deputy /�depjυti/ noun a person whotakes the place of another � to act asdeputy for someone or to act as some-one’s deputy � He is deputy manager ofthe accounts department. � Her title isdeputy managing director.derecognise /di��rekə naz/ verb tocease to recognise a union as the repre-sentative of the workersderecognition /di�rekə �nʃ(ə)n/noun the act of ceasing to recognise aunion as able to represent the employees(typical reasons are: few of theworkforce actually belong to the union,or the company has changed owner)describe /d�skrab/ verb to say whatsomeone or something is like � Theleaflet describes the services the com-pany can offer. � The managing direc-tor described the difficulties thecompany was having with cash flow.description /d�skrpʃən/ noun a de-tailed account of what something is likedesignate adjective /�dez nət/ ap-pointed to a job but not yet working �the chairman designate (NOTE: alwaysfollows a noun) � verb /�dez net/ toappoint someone to a postdesigner /d�zanə/ adjective expen-sive and fashionable � designer jeansdesk /desk/ noun a writing table in anoffice, usually with drawers for statio-nery � a desk diary � a desk drawer � adesk lightdeskilling /di��sklŋ/ noun the pro-cess of reducing the number of skilledjobs and replacing them with unskilledjobsdesk pad /�desk p�d/ noun a pad ofpaper kept on a desk for writing notesdetail /�di�tel/ noun 1. a small part ofa description � The catalogue gives allthe details of our product range. � Weare worried by some of the details in thecontract. � in detail giving many partic-ulars � The catalogue lists all the prod-ucts in detail. 2. the temporaryassignment of an employee to a differ-ent position for a specified time � Theunion is complaining that employees arebeing given details that were never men-tioned at the time of their recruitment. �The manager was sent to another

branch on a two-week detail. � verb 1.to list in detail � The terms of thelicence are detailed in the contract. 2. togive someone a temporary assignment �Two men were detailed to deal with theurgent order.detailed /�di�teld/ adjective in detail� detailed account an account whichlists every itemdetermination of salaries /d-t��mneʃ(ə)n əv �s�ləriz/ noun theprocess of fixing the amount of salariesto be paid to different categories ofemployeesdetermine /d�t��mn/ verb to fix, ar-range or decide � to determine prices orquantities � conditions still to bedetermineddevelop /d�veləp/ verb 1. to plan andproduce � to develop a new product 2.to plan and build an area � to developan industrial estateDFEE abbr Department for Educationand EmploymentDFES abbr Department for Educationand Skillsdiagram /�daə r�m/ noun a drawingwhich presents information visually � adiagram showing sales locations � a di-agram of the company’s organisationalstructure � The first diagram showshow our decision-making processeswork.diagrammatic /daə rə�m�tk/ ad-jective � in diagrammatic form in theform of a diagram � The chart showedthe work flow in diagrammatic form.diagrammatically /daə rə-�m�tkli/ adverb using a diagram �The chart shows the sales patterndiagrammatically.dialogue /�daəlɒ / noun a discussionbetween two people or groups, in whichviews are exchanged � The manage-ment refused to enter into a dialoguewith the strikers.diarise /�daəraz/, diarize verb to en-ter a date you have to remember in adiarydiffer /�dfə/ verb not to be the same assomething else � The two managerialvacancies differ considerably – one

deputy 76 differ

deals with product design and the otherwith customer services.

difference /�df(ə)rəns/ noun a wayin which two things are not the same �What is the difference between a juniormanager and a managerial assistant?different /�df(ə)rənt/ adjective notthe same � Our product range is quitedifferent in design from that of our ri-vals. � We offer ten models each in sixdifferent colours.differential /dfə�renʃəl/ adjectivewhich shows a difference � noun � toerode wage differentials to reduce dif-ferences in salary graduallydifferential piecework /dfərenʃəl�pi�sw��k/ noun payment for eachpiece of work completed, determinedby the total number of pieces producedover a period, with extra bonus pay-ments for work completed morequickly � The management decided thatdifferential piecework provided the bestbalance between incentives and wagesecurity.digerati /dd"ə�rɑ�ti/ plural nounpeople who claim to have a sophisti-cated understanding of Internet or com-puter technology (slang)

digithead /�dd"thed/ noun a per-son who is very knowledgeable abouttechnology and mathematics but who isnot very good at talking or relating topeople (slang)

dilberted /�dlb��td/ adjective USbadly treated by your employer, like thecartoon character Dilbert (slang) (NOTE:see Dilbert Principle)

Dilbert principle /�dlb��tprnsp(ə)l/ noun the principle that themost inefficient employees are movedto the place where they can do the leastdamage (NOTE: Dilbert is the main char-acter in a comic strip and cartoon se-ries by Scott Adams which satirisesoffice and corporate life.)

dilutee /dalu��ti�/ noun an unskilledor semi-skilled worker who has taken ashort training course, instead of a longerfull course, and is seen as someone whois diluting the pool of skilled labour (in-formal.)

dilution agreement /da�lu�ʃ(ə)n ə- ri�mənt/ noun agreement by whichunskilled labour can be employed whenskilled workers are not available � Thedilution agreement allowed for un-trained administrative workers untilmore qualified manpower came to thearea.dilution of labour /dalu�ʃ(ə)n əv�lebə/ noun the process of deskilling,reducing the number of skilled jobs andreplacing them with unskilled jobsdiploma /d�pləυmə/ noun a docu-ment which shows that a person hasreached a certain level of skill in a sub-ject � He is studying for a diploma inengineering. � The new assistant HRmanager has a diploma in human re-sources management. � A diploma isawarded at the end of the two-yearcourse in accountancy.direct /da�rekt/ verb to manage or or-ganise � He directs our South-EastAsian operations. � She was directingthe development unit until last year. �adjective straight or without interfer-ence � adverb with no third party in-volved � We pay income tax direct tothe government.direct action /darekt ��kʃən/ nouna strike or go-slow by a workforcedirected interview /darektd�ntəvju�/ noun an interview builtround specific questions instead of anopen discussion � Directed interviewsare easier to conduct, but may fail to ex-tract as much as less formal methods ofinterviewing.direction /da�rekʃən/ noun 1. theprocess of organising or managing � Hetook over the direction of a multina-tional group. 2. � directions for use in-structions showing how to usesomethingdirective /da�rektv/ noun an orderor command to someone to do some-thing (especially an order from theCouncil of Ministers or Commission ofthe European Community referring to aparticular problem in certain countries)directive interview /da�rektv�ntəvju�/ noun an interview using pre-set questions and following a fixedpattern

difference 77 directive interview

direct line /darekt �lan/ noun atelephone number which goes direct tosomeone, without passing through anoperatordirectly /da�rektl/ adverb 1. imme-diately � She left for the airport directlyafter receiving the telephone message.2. with no third party involved � Wedeal directly with the manufacturer,without using a wholesaler.director /da�rektə/ noun the personwho is in charge of a project, an officialinstitute or other organisation � the di-rector of the government research insti-tute � She was appointed director of thetrade association.

‘…the research director will manage and directa team of business analysts reporting on thelatest developments in retail distributionthroughout the UK’ [Times]

COMMENT: Directors are elected byshareholders at the AGM, though they areusually chosen by the chairman or chiefexecutive. A board will consist of a chair-man (who may be non-executive), a chiefexecutive or managing director and a se-ries of specialist directors in charge of var-ious activities of the company (such as afinance director, production director orsales director). The company secretarywill attend board meetings, but need notbe a director. Apart from the executive di-rectors, who are in fact employees of thecompany, there may be severalnon-executive directors, appointed eitherfor their expertise and contacts, or as rep-resentatives of important shareholderssuch as banks. The board of an Americancompany may be made up of a largenumber of non-executive directors andonly one or two executive officers; a Brit-ish board has more executive directors.

directorate /da�rekt(ə)rət/ noun agroup of directorsdirector’s fees /da�rektəz fi�z/plural noun money paid to a directorfor attendance at board meetingsdirectorship /da�rektəʃp/ noun thepost of director � She was offered a di-rectorship with Smith Ltd.

‘…what benefits does the executive derive fromhis directorship? In the first place compensationhas increased sharply in recent years’[Duns Business Month]

direct taxation /darekt t�k-�seʃ(ə)n/ noun a tax such as income tax

which is paid direct to the government �The government raises more money bydirect taxation than by indirect.disability /dsə�blti/ noun a condi-tion of being unable to use your bodyproperly (because you are blind or can-not walk) � The government awardsspecial disability allowances for handi-capped people who cannot find work.disability working allowance/dsəblti �w��kŋ əlaυəns/ noun abenefit paid to people working morethan 16 hours a week who have an ill-ness or disability. Abbr DWAdisabled /ds�eb(ə)ld/ adjective hav-ing a physical disability � Each com-pany is required by law to employ acertain percentage of disabled staff. �There are special facilities for disabledemployees. � One of our managers isdisabled and cannot travel far.disabled person /dseb(ə)ld�p��s(ə)n/ noun a person who has aphysical disabilitydisablement benefit /ds-�eb(ə)lmənt benft/ noun a govern-ment payment to a person who isdisableddisadvantage /dsəd�vɑ�ntd"/noun something which makes you lesssuccessful � It is a disadvantage for anHR manager to have had no experienceof industry. � to be at a disadvantageto be in a more awkward position thananother person � Not having taken amanagement course puts him at adisadvantage.discharge noun /�dstʃɑ�d"/ 1. a pay-ment of debt � in full discharge of adebt payment of a debt completely 2.carrying out of a job � in discharge ofher duties as director carrying out herduties as director 3. dismissal from a job� verb /ds�tʃɑ�d"/ 1. � to discharge abankrupt to release someone frombankruptcy because they have has paidtheir debts 2. to dismiss or to sack � todischarge an employee for negligencedisciplinary /�dsplnəri/ adjectivereferring to punishment

‘…disciplinary action is often regarded assynonymous with dismissal, but the new ACAShandbook takes a more positive view’[Employment Gazette]

direct line 78 disciplinary

disciplinary action /ds�plnəri�kʃən/ noun an action taken to controlor punish bad behaviour by employees� Disciplinary action had to be taken toprevent further disputes between work-ers and managers. � The union com-plained that the disciplinary action wastoo harsh.disciplinary board /ds�plnəribɔ�d/ noun a group of people who con-duct a disciplinary interviewdisciplinary interview /dsplnəri�ntəvju�/ noun an interview betweena manager and an employee to discuss abreach of discipline (the worker may beaccompanied by a union representative)disciplinary lay-off /dsplnəri�le ɒf/ noun temporary dismissal of anemployee as a punishmentdisciplinary measures /ds-�plnəri me"əz/ plural noun same asdisciplinary actiondiscipline /�dspln/ noun theself-control needed to do a job �Working his way up the company laddergave him the discipline to take on fur-ther management responsibilities. �Lack of discipline is responsible forpoor attendance figures. � to keep dis-cipline to make sure that everyoneobeys the rules � verb to punish an em-ployee for misconduct � Three mem-bers of staff were disciplined by themanager.disclosure /ds�kləυ"ə/ noun the actof telling details � The disclosure of thetakeover bid raised the price of theshares.disclosure of information /ds-kləυ"ər əv nfə�meʃ(ə)n/ nounthe giving of information to someone,such as the union representatives incollective bargaining, so that they knowall the relevant facts about a case beforepresenting the defencediscontinuous shift system/dskəntnjuəs �ʃft sstəm/ noun aworking system where three groups ofemployees work morning, noon andnight shifts, but do not work atweekendsdiscounted cash flow/dskaυntd �k�ʃ fləυ/ noun a

calculation of forecast sales of aproduct in current terms with reduc-tions for current interest ratesdiscretion /d�skreʃ(ə)n/ noun theability to decide correctly what shouldbe done � I leave it to your discretion Ileave it for you to decide what to do � atthe discretion of someone according towhat someone decides � Membership isat the discretion of the committee.discretionary /d�skreʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ ad-jective which can be done if someonewants � the minister’s discretionarypowers powers which the ministercould use if they thought it necessarydiscriminate /d�skrmnet/ verb totreat people in different ways because ofclass, religion, race, language, colour,sex, or physical or mental ability � Themanagement appeared to discriminateagainst handicapped applicants.discrimination /dskrm�neʃ(ə)n/noun the practice of treating people indifferent ways because of class, reli-gion, race, language, colour or sexdiscriminatory /d�skrmnət(ə)ri/adjective which shows discrimination �The appointment of only males to thethree posts was clearly discriminatory.

‘EEC legislation should formally recognize thatsexual harassment is discrimination on groundsof sex’ [Personnel Management]‘…she claimed she was a victim of sexdiscrimination but this was rejected by theindustrial tribunal and the Court of Appeal’[Personnel Today]‘…discrimination in pensions is set to continue’[Personnel Management]

discuss /d�sk$s/ verb to talk about aproblem � They spent two hours dis-cussing the details of the contract. �The committee discussed the question ofimport duties on cars. � The board willdiscuss wage rises at its next meeting. �We discussed delivery schedules withour suppliers.discussion /d�sk$ʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of talking about a problem � Afterten minutes’ discussion the boardagreed the salary increases. � We spentthe whole day in discussions with oursuppliers. � to hold discussions to dis-cuss formally � Management is holdingdiscussions with representatives of theunion.

disciplinary action 79 discussion

disease /d�zi�z/ noun an illness inwhich the body functions abnormallydisincentive /dsn�sentv/ nounsomething which discourages, espe-cially something which discouragespeople from working � The low salaryoffered was a disincentive to work.disk /dsk/ noun a round flat object,used to store information in computersdisk drive /�dsk drav/ noun a partof a computer which makes a disk spinround in order to read it or store infor-mation on itdiskette /d�sket/ noun a small floppydisk � He sent a diskette of the accountsto his accountant.dismiss /ds�ms/ verb 1. � to dis-miss an employee to remove an em-ployee from a job � She was dismissedfor being late. 2. to refuse to accept �The court dismissed the claim.dismissal /ds�ms(ə)l/ noun the re-moval of an employee from a job, eitherby sacking or by not renewing a contractdismissal procedures /ds�ms(ə)lprəsi�d"əz/ plural noun the correct ac-tions to take in order to dismiss some-one, following the rules in the contractof employmentdisobedience /dsə�bi�diəns/ nounthe act of not doing what you are told tododisobey /dsə�be/ verb not to dowhat someone tells you to do � Theworkers disobeyed their union’s instruc-tions and held a 24-hour strike.disparity /d�sp�rti/ noun a differ-ence (NOTE: plural is disparities) � dis-parities between salary levelsdifferences between salaries paid to dif-ferent employees at the same level ofresponsibilitydisposable /d�spəυzəb(ə)l/ adjec-tive which can be used and then thrownaway � The machine serves soup in dis-posable paper cups.disposable income /d-spəυzəb(ə)l �nk$m/, disposablepersonal income /dspəυzəb(ə)lp��s(ə)nəl �nk$m/ noun the incomeleft after tax and national insurance havebeen deducted

disposal /d�spəυz(ə)l/ noun a sale �a disposal of securities � The companyhas started a systematic disposal of itsproperty portfolio. � lease or businessfor disposal a lease or business for saledispose /d�spəυz/ verb � to disposeof to get rid of or to sell cheaply � todispose of excess stock � to dispose ofexcess equipment � He is planning todispose of his business in the new year.� to dispose of day-to-day matters todeal with routine mattersdispute /d�spju�t, �dspju�t/ noundisagreement � dispute between two de-partments in an organisation � to adju-dicate or mediate in a dispute to try tosettle a dispute between other partiesdispute benefit /d�spju�t benft/noun same as strike pay

disputes procedures /d�spju�tsprəsi�d"əz/ plural noun the correctactions to take to deal with disputes,following the rules agreed betweenmanagement and unionsdisregard /dsr� ɑ�d/ noun the actof not paying any attention to something� in complete disregard of regulationswithout paying any attention to the reg-ulations � verb to take no notice of ornot to obey � The workers disregardedthe instructions of the shop stewards.dissatisfaction /dss�ts�f�kʃən/noun the state of being discontented ornot being satisfied � dissatisfaction withbad working conditions � Although thework itself was interesting, there was alot of dissatisfaction with the organisa-tion and its rules.dissociate /d�səυsiet/ verb � todissociate oneself from a statementnot to agree with what someone has saiddistance learning /�dstəns l��nŋ/noun learning in one’s own time awayfrom the centre producing the course, bymail, radio, television or by occasionalvisits to centresdistribute /d�strbju�t/ verb 1. toshare out dividends � Profits were dis-tributed among the shareholders. 2. tosend out goods from a manufacturer’swarehouse to retail shops � Smith Ltddistributes for several smaller compa-

disease 80 distribute

nies. � All orders are distributed fromour warehouse near Oxford.distribution /dstr�bju�ʃ(ə)n/ noun1. the act of sending goods from themanufacturer to the wholesaler and thento retailers � Stock is held in a distribu-tion centre which deals with all orderprocessing. � Distribution costs haverisen sharply over the last 18 months. �She has several years’ experience asdistribution manager. 2. sharing some-thing among several people � distribu-tion of the workload sharing in a fairway the work which has to be done

‘British distribution companies are poised tocapture a major share of the European market’[Management News]

distribution channels /dstr-�bju�ʃ(ə)n tʃ�n(ə)lz/ plural nounways of sending goods from the manu-facturer for sale by retailersdistribution of profits /dstr-bju�ʃ(ə)n əv �prɒfts/ noun the shar-ing of profits between shareholders,staff and other partiesdistributive bargaining /d-strbjυtv �bɑ� nŋ/ noun collectivebargaining where the workers try to ob-tain as good a share of limited resourcesas possibledivision /d�v"(ə)n/ noun 1. the mainsection of a large company � the mar-keting division � the production divi-sion � the retail division � the hoteldivision of the leisure group 2. a com-pany which is part of a large group �Smith’s is now a division of the Browngroup of companies. 3. the act of sepa-rating a whole into parts � the divisionof responsibility between managersdivisional /d�v"(ə)n(ə)l/ adjectivereferring to a division � a divisional di-rector � the divisional headquartersdivisional headquarters /d-v"(ə)nəl hed�kwɔ�tez/ plural nounthe main office of a division of acompanydivision of labour /dv"(ə)n əv�lebə/ noun a production system wherework is split up into clearly definedtasks and areas of responsibilitydock /dɒk/ verb to remove moneyfrom someone’s wages � We will haveto dock your pay if you are late for work

again. � He had £20 docked from hispay for being late.doctor /�dɒktə/ noun a specialist whoexamines people when they are sick tosee how they can be made welldoctor’s certificate /�dɒktəz sə-tfkət/ noun a document written by adoctor to say that a worker is ill and can-not work � He has been off sick for tendays and still has not sent in a doctor’scertificate.documentary evidence/dɒkjυment(ə)ri �evd(ə)ns/ nounevidence in the form of documentsdogsbody /�dɒ zbɒdi/ noun a personwho does all types of work in an officefor very low wages (informal.)dole /dəυl/ noun money given by thegovernment to unemployed people � heis receiving dole payments, he is onthe dole he is receiving unemploymentbenefitsdole bludger /�dəυl bl$d"ə/ noun(in Australia and New Zealand) some-one who lives off social security pay-ments and makes no attempt to findworkdole queue /�dəυl kju�/ noun a lineof people waiting to collect their unem-ployment money (NOTE: the Americanterm is dole line)domicile /�dɒmsal/ verb � she is do-miciled in Denmark she lives in Den-mark officially � bills domiciled inFrance bills of exchange which have tobe paid in Francedotted-line relationships /dɒtd�lan rleʃ(ə)nʃps/ plural nounrelationships between managers andstaff whom they supervise indirectlyrather than on a day-to-day basis (NOTE:The name comes from the fact thatthese links are shown as dotted lineson organisational charts.)double /�d$b(ə)l/ adjective twice aslarge or two times the size � Their turn-over is double ours. � to be on doubletime to earn twice the usual wages forworking on Sundays or other holidays �to work double shifts to work with twoshifts of workers on duty � in doublefigures with two figures, from 10 to 99� Inflation is in double figures. � We

distribution 81 double

have had double-figure inflation forsome years. � verb to become twice asbig, or make something twice as big �We have doubled our profits this year orour profits have doubled this year. �The company’s borrowings havedoubled.double day shift /d$b(ə)l �de ʃft/noun a system of working two shiftsduring the day time (as from 8.00 a.m.to 2.00 p.m, and then 2.00 p.m. to 8.00p.m.)double dipping /d$b(ə)l �dpŋ/noun US the practice of receiving twoincomes from a government, one in theform of a pension, the other in social se-curity benefitsdouble-jobbing /d$b(ə)l �d"ɒbŋ/noun the practice of doing a secondjob, usually without paying tax �Double-jobbing has become more im-portant since inflation made it difficultfor workers to make ends meet. �She makes thousands a year fromdouble-jobbing. � Double-jobbingmeant that he spent almost no timewith his family. � moonlighting

double taxation /d$b(ə)l t�k-�seʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of taxing thesame income twicedouble taxation agreement/d$b(ə)l t�k�seʃ(ə)n ə ri�mənt/,double taxation treaty /d$b(ə)l t�k-�seʃ(ə)n tri�ti/ noun an agreementbetween two countries that a personliving in one country shall not be taxedin both countries on the income earnedin the other countrydouble time /d$b(ə)l �tam/ noun atime for which work is paid at twice thenormal rate � She is on double time onSundays.down /daυn/ adverb, preposition in alower position or to a lower position �The inflation rate is gradually comingdown. � Shares are slightly down on theday. � The price of petrol has gonedown. � to pay money down, to makea down payment to make a deposit �He paid £50 down and the rest inmonthly instalments.downgrade /�daυn red/ verb to re-duce the importance of someone or of a

job � The post was downgraded in thecompany reorganisation.downgrading /�daυn redŋ/ nounthe act of moving an employee to alower grade of job � The reassessmentof staff has led to some downgrading,which is never popular. � We never re-sort to downgrading because it causestoo much resentment.downloading /�daυnləυdŋ/ nounreducing the amount of work done in adepartment, factory or other place ofworkdown payment /daυn �pemənt/noun a part of a total payment made inadvance � We made a down payment of$100.downshifting /�daυnʃftŋ/ noun theprocess of giving up all or part of yourwork and income in exchange for an im-proved quality of life (NOTE: Down-shifting has increased in popularitybecause of rising stress in the work-place and is integral to the idea of port-folio working, in which people opt outof a formal employment to sell theirservices to companies as freelances.)downsize /�daυnsaz/ verb to reducethe number of people employed in orderto make a company more profitabledownsizing /�daυnsazŋ/ noun theprocess of reducing the size of some-thing, especially reducing the number ofpeople employed in a company to makeit more profitabledown time /�daυn tam/ noun 1. thetime when a machine is not working ornot available because it is broken or be-ing mended 2. the time when a workercannot work because machines havebroken down or because componentsare not availabledown tools /daυn �tu�lz/ verb tostop working � The entire workforcedowned tools in protest.downward /�daυnwəd/ adjective to-wards a lower position � The downwardmovement of shares continued duringthe day.downward communication/daυnwəd kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/ nouncommunication from the top manage-ment to the lower levels of employee in

double day shift 82 downward communication

an organisation � More effective down-ward communication will be helped bystarting a house journal and by more in-formal talks between directors andemployees.downwards /�daυnwədz/ adverb to-wards a lower position � The com-pany’s profits have moved downwardsover the last few years.drag on /dr� �ɒn/ verb to continueslowly without ending � Negotiationsdragged on into the night. (NOTE:dragging-dragged)

draw up /drɔ� �$p/ verb to write a le-gal document � to draw up a contract oran agreement � to draw up a company’sarticles of association (NOTE:drawing-drew)

dress code /�dres kəυd/ noun a pol-icy on which type of clothes are consid-ered suitable for a specific activity,especially the clothes worn at work �The dress code is suit and tie for men orsmart casual clothes on Fridays. � Thecompany has a strict dress code formembers of staff who meet the public.dress-down day /dres �daυn de/noun a day on which employees are al-lowed to wear informal clothes to workdrift /drft/ noun gradual movementwithout any control � verb to movegradually in a particular direction �Shares drifted lower in a dull market. �Strikers are drifting back to work.drive /drav/ noun 1. an energetic wayof doing things � She has a lot of driveshe is very energetic in business 2. apart of a machine which makes otherparts work � verb 1. to make a motorvehicle go in a specific direction � Hewas driving to work when he heard thenews on the car radio. � She drives acompany car. 2. � She drives a hardbargain she is a difficult person to ne-gotiate withdriver /�dravə/ noun something orsomeone that provides an impetus forsomething to happendriving licence /�dravŋ las(ə)ns/noun the official document whichshows someone is legally allowed todrive a car, truck or other vehicle � Ap-plicants for the job should hold a valid

driving licence. (NOTE: the AmericanEnglish is driver’s license)

DTI abbr Department of Trade andIndustrydual /�dju�əl/ adjective 1. referring totwo things at the same time 2. operatedby two peopledual career couple /dju�əl kə�rək$p(ə)l/ noun a married couple whereboth husband and wife have differentcareersdual ladder /dju�əl �l�də/ noun twocareer paths in an organisation leadingto positions of equal importance andopen to the same type of employee �Dual ladders attract employees whowant to keep their career options open.dual unionism /dju�əl�ju�njənz(ə)m/ noun the fact of beinga member of two trade unions � Dualunionism is common in industries wherethe workers want to be as well repre-sented as possible.due /dju�/ adjective 1. owed � a sumdue from a debtor � to fall or becomedue to be ready for payment � bill dueon May 1st a bill which has to be paidon May 1st � balance due to us theamount owed to us which should bepaid 2. expected to arrive � She is dueto come for interview at 10.30. 3. � indue form written in the correct legalform � a receipt in due form � a con-tract drawn up in due form � after dueconsideration of the problem afterthinking seriously about the problem �due to caused by � The company paysthe wages of staff who are absent due toillness.

‘…many expect the US economic indicators forApril, due out this Thursday, to show fastereconomic growth’[Australian Financial Review]

dues /dju�z/ plural noun regular sub-scription payments made by a unionmember to the unionduly /�dju�li/ adverb 1. properly �duly authorised representative 2. as wasexpected � We duly received his letterof 21st October. � We duly met the un-ion representatives to discuss thetakeover.dumbsizing /�d$msazŋ/ noun theprocess of reducing the size of a com-

downwards 83 dumbsizing

pany to such an extent that it is no lon-ger profitable or efficient (slang)

duration /djυ�reʃ(ə)n/ noun thelength of time that something lasts � theduration of a contract of employment �The clause is binding during the dura-tion of the contract.duties /�dju�tiz/ plural noun specifiedtasks which have to be done � The jobdescription lists the duties of a direc-tor’s secretary. � His duties are oner-ous but he’s very well-paid.duty /�dju�t/ noun 1. work which hasto be done � on duty doing officialwork which is part of your job � Shehas been on duty all day. � Two securityguards were on duty at the time of thetheft. 2. moral or legal obligation � theemployee’s duty to his employer � Hefelt he had a duty to show his successorhow the job was done.

‘…the Department of Customs and Excisecollected a total of N79m under the newadvance duty payment scheme’ [Business Times(Lagos)]

duty of reasonable care /dju�tiəv ri�z(ə)nəb(ə)l �keə/ the duty of em-ployers to look after the safety of theiremployees and not act negligentlyduty receptionist /�dju�ti r-sepʃənst/ noun the receptionist whois working at the timeduty roster /�dju�ti rɒstə/ noun alist of times showing when each personis on duty at those timesduvet day /�du�ve de/ noun a dayon which an employer allows an em-ployee to call in and say that they do notfeel like coming to work and will be ab-sent (NOTE: Duvet days are more popu-lar in the United States – where theyare called ‘personal days’ – than in theUnited Kingdom. Organisations that al-low them do not usually make thempart of written policy, limit them to twoor three per year and sometimes onlyoffer them to key employees.)DWA abbr disability workingallowanceDWP abbr Department for Work andPensions

duration 84 DWP

E

e. & o.e. abbr errors and omissionsexceptedear candy /�ə k�ndi/ noun pleasantbut meaningless noise or talkearly /���l/ adjective, adverb beforethe usual time � The mail arrived early.� We retired early and bought a housein Cornwall. � at an early date verysoon � adjective at the beginning of aperiod of time � He took an early flightto Paris. � we hope for an early re-sumption of negotiations we hope ne-gotiations will start again soonearly adopter /��li ə�dɒptə/ noun anindividual or organisation that is one ofthe first to make use of a newtechnologyearly retirement /��li r�taəmənt/noun a scheme where a company en-courages employees to retire earlier thanusual, and receive financial compensa-tion for this � early retirement atfifty-five � He took early retirement. �The management offered some of the se-nior staff early retirement.earn /��n/ verb 1. to be paid money forworking � to earn £100 a week � Ouragent in Paris certainly does not earnhis commission. � Her new job is moreof a transfer than a promotion, since shedoesn’t earn any more. � How much doyou earn in your new job? 2. to produceinterest or dividends � a building soci-ety account which earns interest at 10%� What level of dividend do these sharesearn?earning capacity /���nŋ kəp�sti/noun the amount of money someoneshould be able to earnearning power /���nŋ paυə/ nounthe amount of money someone shouldbe able to earn � She is such a fine de-

signer that her earning power is verylarge.earnings /���nŋz/ plural noun 1. sal-ary, wages, dividends or interest re-ceived � High earnings in topmanagement reflect the heavy responsi-bilities involved. � The calculation isbased on average earnings over threeyears. 2. profit made by a company

‘…the US now accounts for more than half ofour world-wide sales. It has made a hugecontribution to our earnings turnaround’[Duns Business Month]‘…last fiscal year the chain reported a 116%jump in earnings, to $6.4 million or $1.10 ashare’ [Barrons]

earnings drift /���nŋz drft/ noun asituation where an increase in pay isgreater than that of officially negotiatedrates � The earnings drift is caused by asudden increased demand for a certainclass of employee. (NOTE: also calledsalary drift or wage drift)

earnings rule /���nŋz ru�l/ noun asystem where retirement pensions arereduced for those who earn more than aspecified amount when working � Theearnings rule can be considered as away of compensating for salarydifferentials.EAT abbr employment appeal tribunalechelon /�eʃəlɒn/ noun a group ofpeople of a certain grade in an organisa-tion � the upper echelons of industry �Communications have improved be-tween the higher and lower echelons inthe company.economic cycle /i�kənɒmk�sak(ə)l/ noun a period during whichtrade expands, then slows down andthen expands againeconomic model /i�kənɒmk�mɒd(ə)l/ noun a computerised plan of

e. & o.e. 85 economic model

a country’s economic system, used forforecasting economic trendseconomics /i�kə�nɒmks/ noun thestudy of the production, distribution,selling and use of goods and services(NOTE: takes a singular verb) � pluralnoun the study of financial structures toshow how a product or service is costedand what returns it produces � I do notunderstand the economics of the coal in-dustry. (NOTE: takes a plural verb)

‘…believers in free-market economics oftenfind it hard to sort out their views on the issue’[Economist]

economic tort /i�kənɒmk �tɔ�t/noun economic harm done to one of theparties in an industrial dispute (such aswhen shops stewards induce workers totake industrial action and so harm thecompany’s finances)economy /�kɒnəm/ noun the qualityof being careful not to waste money ormaterials

‘…the European economies are being held backby rigid labor markets and wage structures, hugeexpenditures on social welfare programs andrestrictions on the free movement of goods’[Duns Business Month]

economy class /�kɒnəmi klɑ�s/noun a lower quality, less expensiveway of travelling � I travel economyclass because it is cheaper. � I alwaystravels first class because tourist classis too uncomfortable.economy drive /�kɒnəmi drav/noun a vigorous effort to save money ormaterialseconomy measure /�kɒnəmime"ə/ noun an action to save money ormaterialseducation /edjυ�keʃ(ə)n/ nountraining of the mind, especially throughinstruction at school or college � Jobsin management require a good basic ed-ucation. � People with no more than abasic education can be considered formanual positions.educational leave/edjυkeʃ(ə)n(ə)l �li�v/ noun specialleave given to employees who want toundertake a course of studyeffect /�fekt/ noun 1. a result � Theeffect of the pay increase was to raiseproductivity levels. 2. � terms of a con-

tract which take effect, come into ef-fect from January 1st terms whichstart to operate on January 1st � to re-main in effect to continue to be applied� salaries are increased 10% with ef-fect from January 1st a salary increaseof 10% will apply from January 1steffective /�fektv/ adjective 1. ac-tual, as opposed to theoretical 2. whichworks or produces results � Advertisingin the Sunday papers is the most effec-tive way of selling. � She is an effectivemarketing manager. � cost-effectiveeffective date of termination /-fektv det əv t��m�neʃ(ə)n/ nounon the date at which an employee’s em-ployment ends (i.e. the date after notice,on which they leave the company)effective demand /fektv d-�mɑ�nd/ noun the actual demand for aproduct which can be paid foreffective labour market /fektv�lebə mɑ�kt/ noun a labour marketfrom which an employer actually drawsapplicants for posts, as opposed to thelabour market from which the employeractually gets applicantseffectiveness /�fektvnəs/ noun thequality of working or producing results� I doubt the effectiveness of televisionadvertising. � His effectiveness as amanager was due to his quick grasp ofdetail. � cost-effectivenessefficiency /�fʃ(ə)nsi/ noun the abil-ity to work well or to produce the rightresult or the right work quickly � abusiness efficiency exhibition � The bussystem is run with a high degree of effi-ciency. � We called in an efficiency ex-pert to report on ways of increasingprofitability.

‘…increased control means improved efficiencyin purchasing, shipping, sales and delivery’[Duns Business Month]

efficiency bonus /�fʃ(ə)nsibəυnəs/ noun an extra payment for ef-ficiency in a jobefficiency rating /�fʃ(ə)nsi retŋ/noun an evaluation of an employee’s ef-ficiency in performing a job � Her effi-ciency rating is so high she will soon bepromoted.efficient /�fʃ(ə)nt/ adjective able towork well or to produce the right result

economics 86 efficient

quickly � the efficient working of a sys-tem � An efficient assistant is invalu-able. � An efficient new machine wouldsave time.efficiently /�fʃ(ə)ntli/ adverb in anefficient way � She organised the salesconference very efficiently.effort /�efət/ noun an act of using themind or body to do something � Thesales staff made great efforts to increasesales. � Thanks to the efforts of the fi-nance department, overheads have beenreduced. � If we make one more effort,we should clear the backlog of orders.e.g. /�i��d"i�/ for example or such as �The contract is valid in some countries(e.g. France and Belgium) but not inothers.ego drive /�i� əυ drav/ noun a per-son’s ambition or motivation to succeed� Ego drive is highly valued in salesrepresentativeseighty per cent rule /eti pə �sentru�l/ noun US the principle which statesthat if selection of a particular ethnic,age or sex group is less than 80% of an-other group, then the selection system isdefective � According to the eighty percent rule our recruitment practices usedto be highly discriminatory.elasticity /l��stsəti/ noun the abil-ity to change easily in response to achange in circumstances � elasticity ofsupply and demand changes in supplyand demand of an item depending on itsmarket pricee-learning /�i� l��nŋ/ noun learningby means of courses or aids to studyprovided on the Internet or an intranet(NOTE: E-learning is a developmentfrom computer-based training and,because it is Internet based, it is veryflexible: it allows the learner to proceedat their own pace and can be adaptedto suit the changing needs of the com-pany. Full form is electronic learning)

elect /�lekt/ verb 1. to choose some-one by a vote � She was elected presi-dent of the staff club. 2. to choose to dosomething � He elected to take earlyretirement.

-elect /�lekt/ suffix referring to a per-son who has been elected but has not yetstarted the term of officeelected officer /lektd �ɒfsə/noun an official with decision-makingpowers, e.g. a director or union repre-sentative, who is chosen by a vote of themembers or shareholders of anorganisationelection /�lekʃən/ noun the act ofelecting someone � the election of offi-cers of an association � the election ofdirectors by the shareholders � to standfor election to be a candidate in anelectionelectronic cottage /elktrɒnk�kɒtd"/ noun somone’s home fromwhich they work for a company on acomputer, usually linked to the officevia a modemelectronic learning /elktrɒnk�l��nŋ/ noun same as e-learningelectronic mail /elktrɒnk �mel/noun same as email 1

element /�elmənt/ noun a basic partor the smallest unit into which some-thing can be divided � the elements of asettlement � Work study resulted in astandard time for each job element.eligibility /eld"�blti/ noun the factof being eligible � The chairman ques-tioned her eligibility to stand forre-election.eligible /�eld"b(ə)l/ adjective whichcan be chosen � She is eligible forre-election.eligible list /�eld"b(ə)l lst/ noun alist of qualified applicants in an orderbased on the results of tests � Aftermarking the candidates’ tests, they drewup an eligible list.eliminate /�lmnet/ verb to remove� to eliminate defects in the system �Using a computer should eliminate allpossibility of error. � We have decidedto eliminate this series of old productsfrom our range.email /�i�mel/ noun 1. a system ofsending messages from one computerterminal to another, using a modem andtelephone lines � You can contact me byphone or email if you want. 2. a mes-sage sent electronically � I had six

efficiently 87 email

emails from him today. � verb to send amessage from one computer to another,using a modem and telephone lines �She emailed her order to the warehouse.� I emailed him about the meeting.embezzle /m�bez(ə)l/ verb to use il-legally money which is not yours, orwhich you are looking after for someone� He was sent to prison for six monthsfor embezzling his clients’ money.embezzlement /m�bez(ə)lmənt/noun the act of embezzling � He wassent to prison for six months forembezzlement.embezzler /m�bez(ə)lə/ noun a per-son who embezzlesemergency exit /�m��d"(ə)nsi�e zt/ noun the special way out of abuilding, used if there is a fire or otheremergencyemigrant /�em rənt/ noun a personwho emigrates. � immigrantemigrate /�em ret/ verb to go to an-other country to live permanentlyemigration /em� reʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of leaving a country to go to live per-manently in another country. �

immigrationemoluments /�mɒljυmənts/ pluralnoun pay, salary or fees, or the earningsof directors who are not employees(NOTE: American English uses the sin-gular emolument)emotional intelligence /-məυʃ(ə)n(ə)l n�teld"əns/ noun theability to understand your own per-sonal feelings and those of other people,to take other people’s feelings intoaccount when reaching decisions andto respond to people’s feelings in arestrained and thoughtful way (NOTE:Emotional intelligence can greatly im-prove people’s interpersonal communi-cation and people skills.)empathy /�empəθi/ noun the ability toappreciate the feelings of a subordinatein a particular situation � the need forempathy to understand the frustration ofan employee in the wrong job � She hadlittle empathy with less ambitiouscolleagues.employ /m�plɔ/ verb to give some-one regular paid work � to employ

twenty staff to have twenty peopleworking for you � to employ twentynew staff to give work to twenty newpeople

‘70 per cent of Australia’s labour force wasemployed in service activity’[Australian Financial Review]

employability /mplɔə�blti/ nounthe quality of having skills that will en-able you to find and keep work (NOTE:Employability is also affected by mar-ket demand for particular skills and bypersonal circumstances.)employed /m�plɔd/ adjective in reg-ular paid work � he is not gainfully em-ployed he has no regular paid work � tobe employed to be in regular paid work� plural noun people who are working� the employers and the employedemployee /m�plɔi�/ noun a personemployed by another � Employees ofthe firm are eligible to join aprofit-sharing scheme. � Relations be-tween management and employees aregood. � The company has decided totake on new employees.

‘…companies introducing robotics think itimportant to involve individual employees inplanning their introduction’ [Economist]

employee assistanceprogramme /mplɔi� ə�sst(ə)nsprəυ r�m/ noun a programme set upto help employees with personal prob-lems. Abbr EAPemployee association /m�plɔi�əsəυseʃ(ə)n/ noun an association ofemployees who work for the same or-ganisation, formed to promote profes-sional solidarity or to arrange socialactivitiesemployee attitude survey /m-plɔi� ��ttju�d s��ve/ noun a surveycarried out among the employees of anorganisation to discover what they thinkand feel generally about the work of theorganisation and their role within it, orabout some particular issue such as anew company policyemployee commitment /mplɔi�kə�mtmənt/ noun the feeling of loy-alty that employees have towards the or-ganisation that they work for, whichlargely depends on the extent to whichthey believe in the values and aims ofthe organisation and feel personally in-

embezzle 88 employee commitment

volved in the task of making the organi-sation successfulemployee communication(s)/mplɔi� kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)nz/, com-munication with employees/kəmju�nkeʃ(ə)n wð m�plɔi�z/noun the process of passing informationto employees and receiving informationfrom employeesemployee development /mplɔi�d�veləpmənt/ noun additional trainingdedicated to increasing the skills,knowledge and experience of employeesin order to improve their performanceemployee discount /mplɔi��dskaυnt/ noun a reduction in the pricethat employees have to pay for thegoods or services produced by theircompany, offered as one of their fringebenefitsemployee handbook /mplɔi��h�ndbυk/ noun a book that gives em-ployees the information they need onthe organisation that they work for andthe job that they do (NOTE: Employeehandbooks typically describe termsand conditions of employment, the pol-icies and procedures of the organisa-tion and fringe benefits.)employee involvement /mplɔi�n�vɒlvmənt/ noun a management pol-icy that aims to increase employee com-mitment by giving employees greaterindividual responsibility for the workthey do and a greater share indecision-makingemployee ownership /mplɔi��əυnəʃp/ noun ownership of all orsome of the shares in a company by thepeople who work for it (NOTE: Forms ofemployee ownership include employeeshare schemes, employee buy-outs,co-operatives and employee trusts.)employee participation /mplɔi�pɑ�ts�peʃ(ə)n/ noun the practice ofemployees sharing in the company’splanning and decision-making (such asin works councils and quality circles)(NOTE: also called workerparticipation)employee profile /mplɔi��prəυfal/ noun a person specificationor form of job description which givesthe ideal personal qualities needed for

the job and a description of the idealcandidate for the jobemployee referral programme/mplɔi� r�f��rəl prəυ r�m/ noun apolicy popular in the US that encour-ages employees, usually through cashincentives, to nominate potential candi-dates for various jobs as part of the re-cruiting processemployee representation /m-plɔi� reprzen�teʃ(ə)n/ noun the factof having representatives of the employ-ees on committees or boardsemployee retention /mplɔi� r-�tenʃən/ noun the process of keepingemployees on the staff, and not losingthem to rival firmsemployee share ownership plan/m�plɔi� ʃeə �əυnəʃp pl�n/, em-ployee share ownership programme/m�plɔi� ʃeə �əυnəʃp prəυ r�m/,employee share scheme /mplɔi��ʃeə ski�m/ noun a plan which allowsemployees to obtain shares in the com-pany for which they work. Abbr ESOPemployee stock fund /mplɔi��stɒk f$nd/ noun (in the US) a fundfrom which money is taken to buyshares of a company’s stock for itsemployeesemployer /m�plɔə/ noun a person orcompany that has regular employeesand pays thememployer’s liability /mplɔəzlaə�blti/ noun the legal responsibilityof an employer when employees sufferaccidents due to negligence on the partof the employeremployers’ liability insurance/mplɔəz laə�blti nʃυərəns/noun insurance to cover accidentswhich may happen at work, and forwhich the company may be responsibleemployers’ organisation /m-�plɔəz ɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/, employers’association /m�plɔəz əsəυsi-eʃ(ə)n/ noun a group of employerswith similar interestsemployment /m�plɔmənt/ nounregular paid work � to be without em-ployment to have no work � to be incontinuous employment to be em-ployed for a period of time, without

employee communication 89 employment

more than a week’s gap (holidays, sick-ness are not counted as gaps) � She wasin continuous employment for the period1993 to 1996.

‘…the blue-collar unions are the people whostand to lose most in terms of employmentgrowth’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

employment agency /m�plɔmənted"ənsi/ noun an office which findsjobs for staffemployment appeal tribunal /m-plɔmənt ə�pi�l trabju�n(ə)l/ noun atribunal which deals with appealsagainst the decisions of industrial tribu-nals. Abbr EAT

employment-at-will /mplɔməntət �wl/ noun a term in common lawthat a contract of employment with nospecified period of service may be ter-minated by either side without notice orreason

COMMENT: This is a basic principle of USemployment law, where employers havethe right to hire workers as they feel nec-essary and sack them for any reason andat any time, provided this is under theterms of the contract of employmentagreed between the employer and theemployee.

employment benefits /m-�plɔmənt benfts/ plural noun ex-tra items given by a company toworkers in addition to their salaries(such as company cars or privatehealth insurance) (NOTE: also calledfringe benefits)

employment bureau /m�plɔməntbjυərəυ/ noun an office which findsjobs for peopleEmployment Court /m�plɔməntkɔ�t/ noun a higher court in New Zea-land that is responsible for settling in-dustrial relations disputes, e.g. betweenemployers and employees or unions,and for deciding on appeals referred to itby employment tribunalsemployment equity /mplɔmənt�ekwti/ noun the policy of giving pref-erence in employment opportunities toqualified people from sectors of societythat were previously discriminatedagainst, e.g., black people, women andpeople with disabilities

employment law /m�plɔmənt lɔ�/noun the law as referring to workers,employers and their rightsemployment office /m�plɔməntɒfs/ noun an office which finds jobsfor peopleemployment opportunities /m-�plɔmənt ɒpətju�ntiz/ plural nounnew jobs being available (NOTE: alsocalled job opportunities)employment pass /m�plɔməntpɑ�s/ noun (in South Africa) a visa is-sued to a citizen of a foreign countrywho is a professional earning more thanR1,500 per monthempower /m�paυə/ verb to givesomeone the power to do something �She was empowered by the company tosign the contract. � Her new positionempowers her to hire and fire at will.empowerment /m�paυəmənt/ nounthe act of giving someone (such as anemployee) the power to take decisions

‘…a district-level empowerment programmerun in one of the government’s executiveagencies failed because middle managersblocked it. Empowerment was officially definedby the agency as involving delegation ofresponsibility and the encouragement ofinnovation’ [People Management]

empty suit /empti �su�t/ noun acompany executive who dresses verysmartly and follows all the proceduresexactly without actually contributinganything important to the company(slang)enc, encl abbr enclosureenclose /n�kləυz/ verb to put some-thing inside an envelope with a letter �to enclose an invoice with a letter � Iam enclosing a copy of the contract. �Please find the cheque enclosed here-with. � Please enclose a recent photo-graph with your CV.enclosure /n�kləυ"ə/ noun a docu-ment enclosed with a letter or package �a letter with enclosures � The enclosureturned out to be a free sample of per-fume. � Sales material on other prod-ucts was sent out as an enclosure.encounter group /n�kaυntə ru�p/noun a form of group psychotherapywhich encourages people with personalproblems to express their emotions �

employment agency 90 encounter group

Encounter groups are used to accustommanagement trainees to criticism. � Theuse of encounter groups to develop as-sertiveness in salesmen.encourage /n�k$rd"/ verb 1. tomake it easier for something to happen� The general rise in wages encouragesconsumer spending. � Leaving yourcredit cards on your desk encouragespeople to steal or encourages stealing.� The company is trying to encouragesales by giving large discounts. 2. tohelp someone to do something by givingadvice � He encouraged me to apply forthe job.encouragement /n�k$rd"mənt/noun the act of giving advice to some-one to help them to succeed � The de-signers produced a very marketableproduct, thanks to the encouragement ofthe sales director. � My family has beena source of great encouragement to me.energetic /enə�d"etk/ adjectivewith a lot of energy � The sales staffhave made energetic attempts to sell theproduct.energy /�enəd"i/ noun a force orstrength � He hasn’t the energy to be agood salesman. � They wasted their en-ergies on trying to sell cars in the Ger-man market. (NOTE: plural is energies)

enforce /n�fɔ�s/ verb to make suresomething is done or that a rule isobeyed � to enforce the terms of acontractenforcement /n�fɔ�smənt/ noun theact of making sure that something isobeyed � enforcement of the terms of acontractengage /n� ed"/ verb to arrange toemploy workers or advisors � If we in-crease production we will need to en-gage more machinists. � He wasengaged as a temporary replacementfor the marketing manager who was ill.� The company has engaged twenty newsales representatives.engagement /n� ed"mənt/ noun1. an agreement to do something 2. anarrangement to employ workers, or tore-employ them in the same job but notnecessarily under the same conditions �The engagement of two new secretaries

will relieve management of some of theadministrative duties.

English disease /�ŋ lʃ dzi�z/noun industrial and economic problemscaused by workers continually going onstrike (NOTE: The term originated fromthe fact that in the UK in the 1960s and1970s workers commonly used strikesas a way of resolving disputes withmanagement. Government legislationin the 1980s, however, made strikingmore difficult.)

enhance /n�hɑ�ns/ verb to makebetter or more attractive � Working fora German company enhances the valueof her work experience.enquire, enquiry /n�kwaə, n-�kwaəri/ same as inquire, inquiry

enter /�entə/ verb 1. to go in � Theyall stood up when the chairman enteredthe room. � The company has spent mil-lions trying to enter the do-it-yourselfmarket. 2. to write � to enter a name ona list � The clerk entered the interest inmy bank book.enter into /entə �ntu�/ verb to begin� to enter into relations with someone �to enter into negotiations with a foreigngovernment � to enter into a partner-ship with a friend � The company doesnot want to enter into any long-termagreement.enterprise /�entəpraz/ noun 1. ini-tiative or willingness to take risks or totake responsibility � We are looking forenterprise and ambition in our top man-agers. 2. a system of carrying on a busi-ness 3. a businessenterprise culture /�entəprazk$ltʃə/ noun a general feeling that thecommercial system works better withfree enterprise, increased share owner-ship, property ownership, etc.enterprise union /�entəprazju�njən/ noun a single union whichrepresents all the workers in a companyenterprise zone /�entəpraz zəυn/noun an area of the country where busi-nesses are encouraged to develop by of-fering special conditions such as easyplanning permission for buildings or areduction in the business rate

encourage 91 enterprise zone

enterprising /�entəprazŋ/ adjec-tive having initiative � An enterprisingsales rep can always find new salesoutlets.entertainment /entə�tenmənt/noun the practice of offering meals orother recreation to business visitorsentertainment allowance /entə-�tenmənt əlaυəns/ noun moneywhich managers are allowed by theircompany to spend on meals withvisitorsentertainment expenses /entə-�tenmənt kspensz/ plural nounmoney spent on giving meals to busi-ness visitorsentice /n�tas/ verb to try to persuadesomeone to do something � The com-pany was accused of enticing staff fromother companies by offering themhigher salaries.enticement /n�tasmənt/ noun theact of attracting someone away fromtheir job to another job which is betterpaidentitle /n�tat(ə)l/ verb to give theright to someone to have something �After one year’s service the employee isentitled to four weeks’ holiday.entitlement /n�tat(ə)lmənt/ noun aperson’s right to somethingentrance /�entrəns/ noun 1. a way in� The taxi will drop you at the main en-trance. 2. going into a new job � En-trance to the grade is by qualificationsand several years’ experience.entrance rate /�entrəns ret/ noun arate of pay for employees when firsthired � Though the entrance rate is verylow, the salary goes up considerably af-ter the first year. � The entrance ratedepends on whether the entrants areskilled or not.entrant /�entrənt/ noun a person whois going into a new job � There are sev-eral highly qualified people in thismonth’s batch of entrants.entrepreneur /ɒntrəprə�n��/ noun aperson who directs a company and takescommercial risksentrepreneurial /ɒntrəprə�n��riəl/adjective taking commercial risks � anentrepreneurial decision

entrust /n�tr$st/ verb � to entrustsomeone with something, to entrustsomething to someone to give someonethe responsibility for looking aftersomething � He was entrusted with thekeys to the office safe.entry /�entri/ noun 1. an item of writ-ten information put in an accounts led-ger (NOTE: plural is entries) � to makean entry in a ledger to write in detailsof a transaction 2. the act of going into anew job � entry of recruits from schoolentry level job /�entri lev(ə)l d"ɒb/noun a job for which no previous expe-rience is needed � It is only an entrylevel job, but you can expect promotionwithin six months.entry level pay /�entri lev(ə)l pe/noun pay for an entry level jobentry requirement /�entri r-kwaəmənt/ noun the qualificationswhich a beginner needs to start a jobenvironment /n�varənmənt/ noun1. the area in which an organisationworks 2. internal or external surround-ings � Trade unions demand a goodworking environment for employees.environmental /nvarən�ment(ə)l/adjective referring to the environmentenvironmental audit /n-varənment(ə)l �ɔ�dt/ noun an as-sessment made by a company or organi-sation of the financial benefits anddisadvantages to be derived from adopt-ing a more environmentally soundpolicyEnvironmental Health Officer/nvarənment(ə)l �helθ ɒfsə/ nounan official of a local authority who ex-amines the environment and tests for airpollution, bad sanitation or noise pollu-tion etc. Abbr EHO (NOTE: also calledPublic Health Inspector)EOC abbr Equal OpportunitiesCommissionequal /�i�kwəl/ adjective exactly thesame � Male and female employeeshave equal pay.equality /�kwɒlti/ noun the state ofbeing equalequality bargaining /�kwɒltibɑ� nŋ/ noun collective bargainingwhere the conditions and advantages

enterprising 92 equality bargaining

agreed apply to both male and femaleemployees equallyequality of opportunity /kwɒltiəv ɒpə�tju�nti/ noun a situation whereeveryone, regardless of sex, race, class,etc., has the same opportunity to get ajobequality of treatment /kwɒlti əv�tri�tmənt/ noun the practice of treatingmale and female employees equallyequal opportunities /i�kwəl ɒpə-�tju�ntiz/ plural noun the practice ofavoiding discrimination in employment� Does the political party support equalopportunities for women?equal opportunities programme/i�kwəl ɒpə�tju�ntiz prəυ r�m/noun a programme to avoid discrimina-tion in employment (NOTE: the Ameri-can equivalent is affirmative action)equal treatment /i�kwəl �tri�tmənt/noun a principle of the European Unionthat requires member states to ensurethat there is no discrimination with re-gard to employment, vocational trainingand working conditionsequity /�ekwti/ noun 1. a right to re-ceive dividends as part of the profit of acompany in which you own shares 2.fairness of treatment, e.g. equality ofpay for the same type of job � Equitywas the most important factor taken intoaccount in drawing up the new paystructure.equivalence /�kwvələns/ noun thecondition of having the same value or ofbeing the sameequivalent /�kwvələnt/ adjective �to be equivalent to to have the samevalue as or to be the same as � Ourmanaging director’s salary is equiva-lent to that of far less experienced em-ployees in other organisations. � nouna person who is the equal of someoneelseequivalent pension benefit /-kwvələnt �penʃən benft/ noun theright of opted-out pensioners to receivethe same pension as they would havedone under the state graduated pensionschemeergonometrics /�� ənə�metrks/noun a measurement of the quantity of

work done (NOTE: takes a singularverb)

ergonomics /�� ə�nɒmks/ nounthe study of the relationship betweenpeople at work and their working condi-tions, especially the machines they use(NOTE: takes a singular verb)

ergonomist /��� ɒnəmst/ noun ascientist who studies people at work andtries to improve their workingconditionserode /�rəυd/ verb to wear away grad-ually � to erode wage differentials toreduce gradually differences in salarybetween different gradeserosion /�rəυ"(ə)n/ noun the gradualwearing away � erosion of differentialserror /�erə/ noun a mistake � He madean error in calculating the total. � Imust have made a typing error. � Theymade an error in calculating the tax de-ductions. � in error, by error by mis-take � The letter was sent to the Londonoffice in error.escalate /�eskəlet/ verb to increasesteadilyescalation /eskə�leʃ(ə)n/ noun asteady increase � an escalation of wagedemands � The union has threatened anescalation in strike action.escalator clause /�eskəletə klɔ�z/noun a clause in a contract allowing forregular price increases because of in-creased costs, or regular wage increasesbecause of the increased cost of livingescape /�skep/ noun an act of get-ting away from a difficult situationESOP abbr employee share ownershipplanessay method /�ese meθəd/ nounan evaluation method in performanceappraisal where the evaluator writes ashort description of the employee’sperformanceestablish /�st�blʃ/ verb to set up orto open � The company has establisheda branch in Australia. � The businesswas established in Scotland in 1823. �It is still a young company, having beenestablished for only four years. � to es-tablish oneself in business to becomesuccessful in a new business

equality of opportunity 93 establish

establishment /�st�blʃmənt/noun the number of people working in acompany � to be on the establishmentto be a full-time employee � office withan establishment of fifteen an officewith a budgeted staff of fifteenestablishment charges /-�st�blʃmənt tʃɑ�d"z/ plural nounthe costs of people and property in acompany’s accountsethic /�eθk/ noun the general rules ofconduct in societyethnic /�eθnk/ adjective belonging toa certain racial group

COMMENT: In a recent British survey,the main ethnic groups were definedas: White, Black-Caribbean, Black-Afri-can, Black-Other, Indian, Pakistani,Bangladeshi, Chinese and Other.

ethnic minority /eθnk ma�nɒrti/noun a section of the population from acertain racial group, which does notmake up the majority of the populationethnic monitoring /eθnk�mɒnt(ə)rŋ/ noun the recording of theracial origins of employees or customersin order to ensure that all parts of thepopulation are representedethos /�i�θɒs/ noun a characteristicway of working and thinkingEU abbr European Union � EU minis-ters met today in Brussels. � The USA isincreasing its trade with the EU.EU national /i� ju� �n�ʃ(ə)n(ə)l/noun a person who is a citizen of acountry which is a member of the EUEuropean Commission/jυərəpi�ən kə�mʃ(ə)n/ noun themain executive body of the EU, madeup of members nominated by eachmember state (NOTE: also called theCommission of the EuropeanCommunity)European Social Charter/jυərəpi�ən səυʃ(ə)l �tʃɑ�tə/ noun acharter for employees, drawn up bythe EU in 1989, by which employeeshave the right to a fair wage, to equaltreatment for men and women, a safework environment, training, freedom ofassociation and collective bargaining,provision for disabled workers, freedomof movement from country to country,

guaranteed standards of living both forthe working population as well as for re-tired people, etc. (There is no machineryfor enforcing the Social Charter.)European Union /jυərəpi�ən�ju�njən/ noun (formerly, the EuropeanEconomic Community (EEC), the Com-mon Market) a group of European coun-tries linked together by the Treaty ofRome in such a way that trade is morefree, people can move from one countryto another more freely and people canwork more freely in other countries ofthe group

COMMENT: The European Communitywas set up in 1957 and changed its nameto the European Union when it adoptedthe Single Market. It has now grown to in-clude fifteen member states. These are:Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal,Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom;other countries are negotiating to join.The member states of the EU are linkedtogether by the Treaty of Rome in such away that trade is more free, money can bemoved from one country to another freely,people can move from one country to an-other more freely and people can workmore freely in other countries of thegroup.

evacuate /�v�kjuet/ verb to getpeople to leave a dangerous building, anaircraft on fire etc. � They evacuated thepremises when fire broke out in thebasement.evacuation /v�kju�eʃ(ə)n/ nounthe action of getting people out of a dan-gerous building or aircraft, etc.evaluate /�v�ljuet/ verb to calcu-late a value � to evaluate costs � Wewill evaluate jobs on the basis of theircontribution to the organisation as awhole. � We need to evaluate the expe-rience and qualifications of all thecandidates.evaluation /v�lju�eʃ(ə)n/ noun thecalculation of valueevaluation of training /v�lju-eʃ(ə)n əv �trenŋ/ noun a continuousprocess of analysis that evaluates thetraining carried out by an organisation,defining its aims, assessing the need forit, finding out how people react to it and

establishment 94 evaluation of training

measuring its effects of the organisa-tion’s financial performance

evaluator /�v�ljuetə/ noun a per-son who carries out an evaluationevening class /�i�vnŋ klɑ�s/ nouna course of study, usually for adults,organised in the eveningevening shift /�i�vnŋ ʃft/ noun ashift which works from 6.00 p.m. to10.00 or 11.00 p.m. (usually manned bypart-timers)evict /�vkt/ verb to force someone toleave premises which they are occupy-ing � They had to call in the police toevict the squatters. � The company ob-tained an injunction to evict the strikingworkers from the factory.eviction /�vkʃən/ noun the act offorcing someone to leave premiseswhich they are occupyingevidence /�evd(ə)ns/ noun 1. writtenor spoken information � What evidenceis there that the new employee is caus-ing all the trouble? 2. a written or spo-ken report produced in a court of law toprove a fact � the secretary gave evi-dence against her former employerthe secretary was a witness, and her re-port suggested that her former employerwas guilty � the secretary gave evi-dence for her former employer thesecretary was a witness, and her reportsuggested that her former employer wasnot guiltyex- /eks/ prefix former � an ex-directorof the companyexamination / z�m�neʃ(ə)n/noun 1. looking at something very care-fully to see if it is acceptable 2. a writtenor oral test to see if someone has passeda course � He passed his accountancyexaminations. � She came first in the fi-nal examination for the course. � Hefailed his proficiency examination. �Examinations are given to candidates totest their mathematical ability. � to sitor to take an examination to write theanswers to an examination testexamine / �z�mn/ verb to look atsomeone or something very carefully �Customs officials asked to examine theinside of the car. � The police are exam-

ining the papers from the managingdirector’s safe.example / �zɑ�mpəl/ noun some-thing chosen to show how things shouldbe done � Her sales success in Europeis an example of what can be achievedby determination. � to follow some-one’s example to do what someone elsehas done earlier � to set a good or badexample to someone to work well orbadly, and show others how the workshould or should not be done � Theforeman worked hard to set a good ex-ample to the others.exceed /k�si�d/ verb to be more than� a discount not exceeding 15% � Lastyear costs exceeded 20% of income forthe first time. � she exceeded his targetshe did more than she aimed to do � heexceeded his powers he acted in a waywhich was not allowedexcellent /�eksələnt/ adjective verygood � The quality of the firm’s prod-ucts is excellent, but its sales force is notlarge enough.except /k�sept/ preposition, conjunc-tion not including � VAT is levied on allgoods and services except books, news-papers and children’s clothes. � Salesare rising in all markets except the FarEast.excepted /k�septd/ adverb notincludingexcess /k�ses, �ekses/ noun, adjec-tive (an amount) which is more thanwhat is allowed � an excess of expendi-ture over revenue � Excess costs havecaused us considerable problems. � inexcess of above, more than � quantitiesin excess of twenty-five kilos

‘…most airlines give business class the samebaggage allowance as first class, which can savelarge sums in excess baggage’[Business Traveller]‘…control of materials provides manufacturerswith an opportunity to reduce the amount ofmoney tied up in excess materials’[Duns Business Month]

excess plan /�ekses pl�n/ noun apension plan providing higher pensionsfor higher wagesexclude /k�sklu�d/ verb to keep outor not to include � The interest chargeshave been excluded from the document.

evaluator 95 exclude

� Damage by fire is excluded from thepolicy.excluding /k�sklu�dŋ/ prepositionnot including � All sales staff, excludingthose living in London, can claim ex-penses for attending the salesconference.exclusion /k�sklu�"(ə)n/ noun 1. theact of not including something 2. cuttingpeople off from being full members ofsociety, because of lack of education, al-coholism or drug abuse, unemployment,etc.exclusive /k�sklu�sv/ adjective �exclusive of not including � All pay-ments are exclusive of tax. � The in-voice is exclusive of VAT.exclusive of tax /ksklu�sv əv�t�ks/ noun not including taxexcuse noun /k�skju�s/ a reason fordoing something wrong � His excusefor not coming to the meeting was thathe had been told about it only the daybefore. � the managing director re-fused to accept the sales manager’sexcuses for the poor sales she refusedto believe that there was a good reasonfor the poor sales � verb /k�skju�z/ toforgive a small mistake � She can be ex-cused for not knowing the French for‘photocopier’.execute /�ekskju�t/ verb to carry outan order � Failure to execute ordersmay lead to dismissal. � There weremany practical difficulties in executingthe managing director’s instructions.execution /eks�kju�ʃ(ə)n/ noun thecarrying out of a commercial order orcontractexecutive / �zekjυtv/ adjectivewhich puts decisions into action � nouna person in a business who takes deci-sions, a manager or director � a salesexecutive � a senior or junior executive

‘…one in ten students commented on the longhours which executives worked’[Employment Gazette]‘…our executives are motivated by a desire tocarry out a project to the best of their ability’[British Business]

executive board / �zekjυtv bɔ�d/noun a board of directors which dealswith the day-to-day running of the com-pany (as opposed to a supervisory

board, which deals with policy andplanning)executive chairman / zekjυtv�tʃeəmən/ noun a title sometimes givento the most senior executive in anorganisationexecutive coaching / zekjυtv�kəυtʃŋ/ noun regular one-to-oneteaching or feedback sessions, designedto provide managers with knowledgeand skills in a particular area as part of amanagement development programmeexecutive director / zekjυtvda�rektə/ noun a senior employee ofan organisation who is usually in chargeof one or other of its main functions, e.g.sales or human relations, and is usually,but not always, a member of the boardof directorsexecutive officer / �zekjυtvɒfsə/ noun same as executiveexecutive pension plan / -zekjυtv �penʃən pl�n/ noun a spe-cial pension plan for managers and di-rectors of a companyexecutive search / �zekjυtvs��tʃ/ noun the process of looking fornew managers for organisations, usuallyby approaching managers in their exist-ing jobs and asking them if they want towork for different companies (NOTE: amore polite term for headhunting)

executive share option scheme/ zekjυtv �ʃeər ɒpʃən ski�m/ nouna special scheme for senior managers,by which they can buy shares in thecompany they work for at a fixed priceat a later dateexemplary / �zempləri/ adjectiveexcellent, so good it can be used as anexample � Her behaviour has beenexemplary.exempt / �zempt/ adjective not cov-ered by a law, or not forced to obey alaw � Anyone over 65 is exempt fromcharges � He was exempt from militaryservice in his country. � exempt fromtax not required to pay tax � As anon-profit-making organisation we areexempt from tax. � verb 1. to free some-thing from having tax paid on it �Non-profit-making organisations areexempted from tax. 2. to free someone

excluding 96 exempt

from having to pay tax � Food is ex-empted from sales tax. 3. to free some-one from having to do a task � I hope tobe exempted from taking these tests. �She was exempted from fire duty.

‘Companies with sales under $500,000 a yearwill be exempt from the minimum-wagerequirements’ [Nation’s Business]

exemption / �zempʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of exempting something from a con-tract or from a tax � exemption fromtax, tax exemption the fact of beingfree from having to pay tax � As anon-profit-making organisation you canclaim tax exemption.exempt personnel / zemptp��sə�nel/ noun personnel who do notreceive payment for overtime or whosewages are not affected by minimumwage legislationexercise /�eksəsaz/ noun a use ofsomething � exercise of a right the us-ing of a right � verb to use � The chair-woman exercised her veto to block themotion. � to exercise a right to put aright into action � He exercised hisright to refuse to do tasks not listed onhis employment contract.ex gratia /eks � reʃə/ adjective doneas a favourex gratia payment /eks reʃə�pemənt/ noun a payment made as agift, with no other obligationsexhaust / �zɔ�st/ verb to use up to-tally � We will go on negotiating untilall possible solutions have beenexhausted.exit /�e zt/ noun 1. the way out of abuilding � The customers all rushed to-wards the exits. 2. leaving a jobexit interview /�e zt ntəvju�/noun an interview with an employeewhen they are leaving an organisation tofind out their views on how the organi-sation is run and reasons for leaving �Only at his exit interview did he admithow much he had disliked working forthe company.ex officio /eks ə�fʃiəυ/ adjective,adverb because of an office held � Thetreasurer is ex officio a member or an exofficio member of the financecommittee.

ex parte /eks �pɑ�ti/ Latin phrasemeaning ‘on behalf of’ � an ex parteapplication application made to a courtwhere only one side is represented andno notice is given to the other side (of-ten where the application is for an in-junction). � inter partesexpatriate /eks�p�triət/ noun, adjec-tive a person, who lives and works in acountry which is not their own � Expa-triate staff are paid higher rates than lo-cally recruited staff. � All expatriates inthe organisation have two months’ leavea year.expect /k�spekt/ verb to hope thatsomething is going to happen � We areexpecting him to arrive at 10.45. � Theyare expecting a cheque from their agentnext week. � The house was sold formore than the expected price.

‘…he observed that he expected exports to growfaster than imports in the coming year’[Sydney Morning Herald]‘American business as a whole has seen profitswell above the levels normally expected at thisstage of the cycle’ [Sunday Times]

expectancy theory /k�spektənsiθəri/ noun a theory that employeeswill only be motivated to produce ifthey expect that higher performance willlead to greater personal satisfactionexpectations /ekspek�teʃ(ə)nz/plural noun hopes of what is to come �She has great expectations of her newjob, and I hope she won’t bedisappointed.expel /k�spel/ verb to throw someoneout of an organisation � The worker wasexpelled from the union for embezzle-ment. (NOTE: expelling-expelled)

expense account /k�spens ə-kaυnt/ noun an allowance of moneywhich a business pays for an employeeto spend on travelling and entertainingclients in connection with that business� I’ll put this lunch on my expenseaccount.expenses /k�spensz/ plural nounmoney paid to cover the costs incurredby someone when doing something �The salary offered is £10,000 plus ex-penses. � He has a high salary and allhis travel expenses are paid by the com-pany. � all expenses paid with all costs

exemption 97 expenses

paid by the company � The companysent him to San Francisco all expensespaid.experience /k�spəriəns/ nounknowledge or skill that comes from hav-ing had to deal with many different situ-ations � She has a lot of experience ofdealing with German companies. � Igained most of my experience abroad. �Considerable experience is required forthis job. � The applicant was pleasant,but did not have any relevantexperience.experienced /k�spəriənst/ adjec-tive referring to a person who has livedthrough many situations and has learntfrom them � You are the most experi-enced negotiator I know. � We have ap-pointed a very experienced candidate assales director. � Our more experiencedstaff will have dealt with a crisis likethis before.experience rating /k�spəriənsretŋ/ noun the evaluation of a personto decide on their eligibility for insur-ance coverageexperiential learning /k-spərienʃəl �l��nŋ/ noun the processof learning skills through practiceexpert /�eksp��t/ noun a person whoknows a lot about something � an ex-pert in the field of electronics or an elec-tronics expert � The company asked afinancial expert for advice or asked forexpert financial advice. � expert’s re-port a report written by an expertexpertise /ekspə�ti�z/ noun special-ist knowledge or skill in a particularfield � We hired Mr Smith because ofhis financial expertise or because of hisexpertise in finance. � With years of ex-perience in the industry, we have plentyof expertise to draw on. � Lack of mar-keting expertise led to low sales figures.expert system /�eksp��t sstəm/noun software that applies the knowl-edge, advice and rules defined by ex-perts in a particular field to a user’s datato help solve a problemexpiration /ekspə�reʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of coming to an end � the expirationof an insurance policy � to repay beforethe expiration of the stated period � on

expiration of the lease when the leasecomes to an endexpire /k�spaə/ verb to come to anend � The lease expires in 2010.expiry /k�spaəri/ noun the act ofcoming to an end � the expiry of an in-surance policyexplain /k�splen/ verb to give rea-sons for something � The sales directortried to explain the sudden drop in unitsales.explanation /eksplə�neʃ(ə)n/ nouna reason for something � The human re-sources department did not accept herexplanation for being late.exploding bonus /kspləυdŋ�bəυnəs/ noun a bonus, offered to re-cent graduates who take a job with anorganisation, that encourages them tomake a decision as quickly as possiblebecause it reduces in value with everyday of delay (informal.)exploit /k�splɔt/ verb to use some-thing to make a profit � The directorsexploit their employees, who have towork hard for very little pay.exploitation /eksplɔ�teʃ(ə)n/ nounthe unfair use of cheap labour to getwork done � The exploitation of mi-grant farm workers was only stoppedwhen they became unionised.express letter /kspres �letə/ nouna letter sent very fastexpulsion /k�sp$lʃən/ noun the actof being thrown out of an organisation �What is the chance of expulsion forbreaking house rules?extend /k�stend/ verb 1. to offer � toextend credit to a customer 2. to makelonger � Her contract of employmentwas extended for two years. � We haveextended the deadline for making theappointment by two weeks.extension /k�stenʃən/ noun 1. al-lowing a longer time for something thanwas originally agreed � extension of acontract of employment the act of con-tinuing a contract for a further period 2.(in an office) an individual telephonelinked to the main switchboard � Thesales manager is on extension 53. � Canyou get me extension 21? Extension 21is engaged.

experience 98 extension

‘…the White House refusal to ask for anextension of the auto import quotas’[Duns Business Month]

extensive /k�stensv/ adjective verylarge or covering a wide area � an ex-tensive network of sales outlets � an ex-tensive recruitment driveexternal /k�st��n(ə)l/ adjective out-side a companyexternal audit /kst��n(ə)l �ɔ�dt/noun an audit carried out by an inde-pendent auditor (who is not employedby the company)external auditor /kst��n(ə)l�ɔ�dtə/ noun an independent personwho audits the company’s accountsexternally /k�st��n(ə)li/ adverb fromoutside an organisation � The new salesdirector was recruited externally.(NOTE: the opposite is internally)external recruitment /kst��n(ə)lr�kru�tmənt/ noun the recruitment ofemployees from outside an organisation� Internal recruitment is normally at-tempted before resorting to externalrecruitment.external workers /kst��n(ə)lw��kəz/ plural noun workers who are

outside the company such as casualworkers, freelancers or contract workersextra /�ekstrə/ adjective which isadded or which is more than usual � tocharge 10% extra for postage � Thereis no extra charge for heating. � Serviceis extra. � We get £25 extra pay forworking on Sunday.extra hours /ekstrə �aυəz/ nounworking more hours than are normal �She worked three hours extra. � Heclaimed for extra hours.extraordinary /k�strɔ�dn(ə)ri/ ad-jective different from normalextremely /k�stri�mli/ adverb verymuch � It is extremely difficult to breakinto the US market. � Their manage-ment team is extremely efficient.extrinsic reward /ek�strnsk r-wɔ�d/ noun a financial or material re-ward for work � Extrinsic rewards canbe measured, whereas intrinsic rewardscannot. Compare intrinsic reward

eye service /�a s��vs/ noun thepractice of working only when a super-visor is present and able to see you(slang)

extensive 99 eye service

F

F2F abbr face-to-face (slang)face time /�fes tam/ noun timespent communicating with other peopleface-to-face as opposed to time spentcommunicating with them electronically(informal.)face validity /�fes vəldti/ nounthe degree to which a test seems to bevalidface value /fes �v�lju�/ noun thevalue written on a coin, banknote orshare certificate � to take something atface value to believe something to betrue or genuine

‘…travellers cheques cost 1% of their face value– some banks charge more for small amounts’[Sunday Times]

facilitation /fəsl�teʃ(ə)n/ noun theprocess of helping people to do some-thing, e.g. to learn or to find a solutionto a problem, without dictating how theydo itfacilitator /fə�sltetə/ noun a personwho actively encourages discussion,new initiatives, etc.facilities /fə�sltiz/ plural noun ser-vices, equipment or buildings whichmake it possible to do something �There are no facilities for disabled visi-tors. � There are very good sports facil-ities on the company premises.fact /f�kt/ noun 1. a piece of informa-tion � The chairman asked to see all thefacts on the income tax claim. � Thesales director can give you the facts andfigures about the African operation. 2. �the fact of the matter is what is true isthatfact-finding /�f�kt fandŋ/ nounthe process of looking for informationfact-finding commission /�f�ktfandŋ kəmʃ(ə)n/ noun a committeeset up by a third party to carry out an

impartial review of issues in a labourdispute � A fact-finding commissionwas set up to look into the reasons forthe pay dispute.factor /�f�ktə/ noun something whichis important or which is taken into ac-count when making a decision � Thedrop in sales is an important factor inthe company’s lower profits. � Motiva-tion was an important factor in drawingup the new pay scheme.factor comparison /�f�ktə kəm-p�rs(ə)n/ noun a method of compar-ing jobs in relation to factors such astraining or effortfactor evaluation /�f�ktər v�lju-eʃ(ə)n/ noun a method of evaluatingor assessing jobs in relation to factorssuch as training or effortFactories Act /�f�kt(ə)riz �kt/noun an Act of Parliament which gov-erns the conditions in which employeeswork (such as heating, lighting or toiletfacilities)factor ranking /�f�ktə r�ŋkŋ/noun a method of grading jobs in rela-tion to factors such as training or effortfactory /�f�kt(ə)ri/ noun a buildingwhere products are manufactured � acar factory � a shoe factory � The com-pany is proposing to close three of itsfactories with the loss of 200 jobs.factory floor /f�kt(ə)ri �flɔ�/ nounthe main works of a factoryfactory hand /�f�kt(ə)ri h�nd/noun a person who works in a factoryfactory inspector /�f�kt(ə)ri n-spektə/ noun a government officialwho inspects factories to see if they arewell run

F2F 100 factory inspector

factory inspectorate /�f�kt(ə)rinspekt(ə)rət/ noun all inspectors offactoriesfactory work /�f�kt(ə)ri w��k/ nounwork on the production line in a factoryfactory worker /�f�kt(ə)ri w��kə/noun a person who works in a factoryfail /fel/ verb not to do somethingwhich you were trying to do � Theyfailed to agree on an agenda for themeeting. � Negotiations continued untilmidnight but the two sides failed tocome to an agreement.failure /�feljə/ noun 1. an act ofbreaking down or stopping � the failureof the negotiations 2. not doing some-thing which you promised to dofair /feə/ noun same as trade fair �The computer fair runs from April 1st to6th.fair deal /feə �di�l/ noun an arrange-ment where both parties are treatedequally � The employees feel they didnot get a fair deal from themanagement.fair dismissal /feə ds�ms(ə)l/ nounthe dismissal of an employee for reasonssuch as the employee’s bad conduct, e.g.theft or drunkenness, failure of the em-ployee to work capably, or redundancy,which are regarded as valid causesfair employment /feər m-�plɔmənt/ noun employment where noracial, religious or sex discriminationtakes place � The company has a strongpolicy of fair employment. � The re-cruitment of twice as many men aswomen was a denial of the principle offair employment.fairly /�feəli/ adverb 1. quite � She is afairly fast keyboarder. � The companyis fairly close to breaking even. 2. rea-sonably or equally � The union repre-sentatives put the employees’ side of thecase fairly and without argument.fair representation /feə reprzen-�teʃ(ə)n/ noun representation of allmembers of a bargaining unit fairly andwithout discriminationfair share agreement /feə �ʃeər ə- ri�mənt/ noun an arrangement whereboth management and unions agree thatemployees are not obliged to join a un-

ion, but that all employees pay the uniona share of bargaining costs as a condi-tion of employment � A fair shareagreement was reached, since even em-ployees who were not union membersbenefited from bargains struck betweenunion and management.fair trading /feə �tredŋ/ noun a wayof doing business which is reasonableand does not harm the consumerfair wear and tear /feə weər ən�teə/ noun acceptable damage causedby normal use � The insurance policycovers most damage but not fair wearand tear to the machine.faith /feθ/ noun � to have faith insomething or someone to believe thatsomething or a person is good or willwork well � The sales teams do nothave much faith in their manager. � Theboard has faith in the managing direc-tor’s judgement. � to buy something ingood faith to buy something thinkingthat is of good quality, that it has notbeen stolen or that it is not an imitationfaith validity /�feθ vəldti/ nounsame as face validityfall behind /fɔ�l b�hand/ verb to bein a worse position than � we havefallen behind our rivals we have fewersales or make less profit than our rivalsfalling unemployment /fɔ�lŋ$nm�plɔmənt/ noun unemploymentrates which are falling because morepeople are finding jobsfalse /fɔ�ls/ adjective not true or notcorrect � to make a false claim for aproductfalse negative /fɔ�ls �ne ətv/ nounthe exclusion of a suitable candidate bya screening processfalse positive /fɔ�ls �pɒztv/ nounthe inclusion of an unsuitable candidateby a screening process � False positiveresults from recruitment tests can end inthe selection of very unsuitablecandidates.falsification of accounts /fɔ�lsf-keʃ(ə)n əv ə�kaυnts/ noun the act ofmaking false entries in a record or of de-stroying a recordfalsify /�fɔ�lsfa/ verb to changesomething to make it wrong � They

factory inspectorate 101 falsify

were accused of falsifying the accounts.� to falsify accounts to change or de-stroy a recordfamily allowance /f�m(ə)li ə-�laυəns/ noun a payment to a mother, inaddition to regular wages, based on thenumber of dependent children in thefamily � Family allowances were in-creased since the government had put alimit on basic wage increases.family company /�f�m(ə)lik$mp(ə)ni/ noun a company wheremost of the shares are owned by mem-bers of a familyfamily-friendly policy /f�m(ə)li�frendli pɒlsi/ noun a policy that isdesigned to help employees to combinetheir work with their family responsibil-ities in a satisfactory way, e.g. by en-abling them to work flexible hours or byhelping them with childcarefarm out /fɑ�m �aυt/ verb � to farmout work to hand over work for anotherperson or company to do for you � Shefarms out the office typing to various lo-cal bureaux.fast track /�fɑ�st tr�k/, fast tracking/�fɑ�st tr�kŋ/ noun rapid promotionfor able employees � He entered thecompany at 21, and by 25 he was on thefast track.fatigue /fə�ti� / noun great tirednessfatigue curve /fə�ti� k��v/ noun acurve on a chart showing how outputvaries depending on how long an em-ployer has been working � The fatiguecurve helps to determine when rest peri-ods should be allowed. � The fatiguecurve shows a sharp slump in output af-ter three hours’ work.fat work /�f�t w��k/ noun (in theprinting industry) a job that offers thesame money for less effort than anothersimilar job � Workers were moving tomore prosperous areas of the country insearch of fat work.fault /fɔ�lt/ noun 1. the fact of being toblame for something which is wrong �It is the stock controller’s fault if thewarehouse runs out of stock. � Thechairman said the lower sales figureswere the fault of a badly motivated salesforce. 2. an act of not working properly

� The technicians are trying to correcta programming fault. � We think thereis a basic fault in the product design.faulty /�fɔ�lti/ adjective which doesnot work properly � Faulty equipmentwas to blame for the defective products.� They installed faulty computerprograms.favour /�fevə/ noun � as a favour tohelp or to be kind to someone � Heasked me for a loan as a favour. � verbto agree that something is right or suit-able � The board members all favourSmith Ltd as partners in the project.(NOTE: the usual US spelling is favor)favourable /�fev(ə)rəb(ə)l/ adjectivewhich gives an advantage � on favour-able terms on specially good terms �The shop is let on very favourable terms.(NOTE: the usual US spelling isfavorable)

favourable balance of trade/fev(ə)rəb(ə)l b�ləns əv �tred/,favourable trade balance/fev(ə)rəb(ə)l �tred b�ləns/ noun asituation where a country’s exports arelarger than its importsfavourite /�fev(ə)rət/ noun, adjec-tive (something) which is liked best �This brand of chocolate is a favouritewith the children’s market. (NOTE: theusual US spelling is favorite)

favouritism /�fev(ə)rətz(ə)m/ nounthe practice of treating one subordinatebetter than the others � The promotionof an inexperienced keyboarder to su-pervisor was seen as favouritism by therest of the workforce. (NOTE: the usualUS spelling is favoritism)

feasibility /fi�zə�blti/ noun theability to be done � to report on the fea-sibility of a projectfeasibility study /fi�zə�bltist$di/ noun the careful investigation ofa project to see whether it is worth un-dertaking � We will carry out a feasibil-ity study to decide whether it is worthsetting up an agency in North America.feather-bedding /feðə �bedŋ/noun 1. the heavy subsidising of un-profitable industry by government 2. thepractice of employing more staff thannecessary, usually as a result of union

family allowance 102 feather-bedding

pressure � Feather-bedding has raisedthe cost of labour. � Management com-plained that feather-bedding was hold-ing up the introduction of newtechnology.fee /fi�/ noun 1. money paid for workcarried out by a professional person(such as an accountant, a doctor or alawyer) � We charge a small fee for ourservices. � The consultant’s fee wasmuch higher than we expected. 2.money paid for something � an en-trance fee or admission fee � a registra-tion feefeedback /�fi�db�k/ noun informa-tion, especially about the result of an ac-tivity which allows adjustments to bemade to the way it is done in future �The management received a lot of feed-back on how popular the new payscheme was proving.feeling /�fi�lŋ/ noun the way in whichsomeone reacts to something � Theboard’s insensitive attitude has createdbad feelings or ill-feeling between themanagers and the junior staff. � feel-ings are running high people are get-ting angryfellow- /feləυ/ prefix meaning ‘personworking with’fellow-director /feləυ da�rektə/noun one of the other directorsfellow-servant doctrine /feləυ�s��vənt/ noun a common law conceptthat removes responsibility from an em-ployee for an accident to another em-ployee, if the accident was caused bynegligencefellow-worker /feləυ �w��kə/ nounone of the other workersfiddle /�fdl/ (informal.) noun an act ofcheating � It’s all a fiddle. � he’s onthe fiddle he is trying to cheat � verb tocheat � He tried to fiddle his tax re-turns. � The salesman was caught fid-dling his expense account.field /fi�ld/ noun 1. an area of study orinterest 2. � in the field outside the of-fice, among the customers � We havesixteen reps in the field. � verb � field acall to answer a telephone call fromsomeone who is likely to cause prob-lems or make a complaint (informal.)

field of research /fi�ld əv r�s��tʃ/noun an area of research interestfield of work /fi�ld əv �w��k/ nounthe type of work a person does � What’shis field?field research /�fi�ld rs��tʃ/, fieldwork /�fi�ld w��k/ noun looking for in-formation that is not yet published andmust be obtained in surveys � They hadto do a lot of fieldwork before theyfound the right market for the product.� Field research is carried out to gaugepotential demand.field review /�fi�ld rvju�/ noun aform of employee appraisal whereby theemployee’s work performance is as-sessed at the place of work (and not inthe manager’s office)field sales manager /fi�ld �selzm�nd"ə/ noun the manager in chargeof a group of salespeoplefield staff /�fi�ld stɑ�f/ noun employ-ees who work outside the organisation’sofficesfield work /�fi�ld w��k/ noun � fieldresearch � They had to do a lot of fieldwork to find the right market for theproduct.FIFO /�fafəυ/ abbr first in first outfight /fat/ verb � to fight againstsomething to struggle to try toovercome something � The unionsare fighting (against) the proposedredundancies.file /fal/ noun 1. a cardboard holderfor documents, which can fit in thedrawer of a filing cabinet � Put theseletters in the customer file. � Look in thefile marked ‘Scottish sales’. 2. docu-ments kept for reference � to placesomething on file to keep a record ofsomething � to keep someone’s nameon file to keep someone’s name on a listfor reference 3. a section of data on acomputer (such as payroll, address list,customer accounts) � How can we pro-tect our computer files? � verb to storeinformation so that it can be found eas-ily � You will find the salary scales filedby department. � The correspondence isfiled under ‘complaints’. � to file a pe-tition in bankruptcy, to file for bank-ruptcy 1. to ask officially to be made

fee 103 file

bankrupt 2. to ask officially for some-one else to be made bankruptfile copy /�fal kɒpi/ noun a copy of adocument which is kept for reference inan officefiling /�falŋ/ noun documents whichhave to be put in order � There is a lotof filing to do at the end of the week. �The manager looked through the week’sfiling to see what letters had been sent.filing basket /�falŋ bɑ�skt/ nounsame as filing tray

filing card /�falŋ kɑ�d/ noun a cardwith information written on it, used toclassify information into the correctorderfiling system /�falŋ sstəm/ nouna way of putting documents in order foreasy referencefiling tray /�falŋ tre/ noun a con-tainer kept on a desk for documentswhich have to be filedfill /fl/ verb 1. to make something full� We have filled our order book withorders for Africa. � The production de-partment has filled the warehouse withunsellable products. 2. � to fill a gap toprovide a product or service which isneeded, but which no one has providedbefore � The new range of small carsfills a gap in the market.fill in /fl �n/ verb 1. to write the re-quired information in the blank spaceson a form � Fill in your name and ad-dress in block capitals. 2. � to fill in forsomeone to do someone else’s job tem-porarily � I’ll fill in for him while he isaway at his brother’s wedding.fill out /fl �aυt/ verb to write the re-quired information in the blank spaceson a form � To get customs clearanceyou must fill out three forms.fill up /fl �$p/ verb 1. to make some-thing completely full � He filled up thecar with petrol. � My appointmentsbook is completely filled up. 2. to finishwriting on a form � He filled up theform and sent it to the bank.final /�fan(ə)l/ adjective last, comingat the end of a period � to pay the finalinstalment � to make the final payment� to put the final details on a document

final average monthly salary/fan(ə)l �v(ə)rd" m$nθli �s�ləri/noun US the earnings on which mostdefined benefit pensions are basedfinal demand /fan(ə)l d�mɑ�nd/noun the last reminder from a supplier,after which they will sue for paymentfinal salary /fan(ə)l �s�ləri/ nounthe salary earned by an employee on thedate of leaving or retiringfinance company /�fan�nsk$mp(ə)ni/, finance corporation/fan�ns kɔ�pə�reʃ(ə)n/, financehouse noun a company, usually part ofa commercial bank, which providesmoney for hire-purchasefinancial assistance /fan�nʃəl ə-�sstəns/ noun help in the form ofmoneyfinancial incentive scheme /fa-n�nʃəl n�sentv ski�m/ noun ascheme that offers share options or acash bonus as a reward if employees im-prove their performancefinancial participation /fan�nʃəlpɑ�ts�peʃ(ə)n/ noun the holding byemployees of shares in the companythey work forfinancial penalty /fan�nʃəl�pen(ə)lti/ noun a penalty in the form ofa fine or money deducted from wagesfine-tune /fan �tju�n/ verb to makesmall adjustments to a plan or the econ-omy so that it works betterfine-tuning /fan �tju�nŋ/ noun 1.the making of small adjustments in ar-eas such as interest rates, tax bands orthe money supply, to improve a nation’seconomy 2. the making of small adjust-ments so that something works betterfinished goods /fnʃt � υdz/ nounmanufactured goods which are ready tobe soldfink /fŋk/ noun US a worker hired toreplace a worker who is on strike (infor-mal.)fire /faə/ noun something which burns� to catch fire to start to burn � The pa-pers in the waste paper basket caughtfire.fire alarm /�faər əlɑ�m/ noun a bellwhich rings if there is a fire

file copy 104 fire alarm

fire certificate /�faə sətfkət/noun a document from the local fire bri-gade stating that a building meets offi-cial requirements as regards fire safetyfire door /�faə dɔ�/ noun a specialdoor to prevent fire going from one partof a building to anotherfire drill /�faə drl/ noun a procedureto be carried out to help people to es-cape from a burning buildingfire exit /�faər e zt/ noun a doorwhich leads to a way out of a building ifthere is a firefire extinguisher /�faər k-stŋ wʃə/ noun a portable device,usually painted red, for putting out firesfire hazard /�faə h�zəd/, fire risk/�faə rsk/ noun a situation or goodswhich could start a fire � That ware-house full of paper is a fire hazard.fire insurance /�faər nʃυərəns/noun insurance against damage by firefire precautions /�faə pr-kɔ�ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun care taken toavoid damage or casualties by firefire risk /�faə rsk/ noun � firehazard

fire safety officer /faə �seftiɒfsə/ noun a person responsible forfire safety in a buildingfirm /f��m/ noun a company, businessor partnership � a manufacturing firm �an important publishing firm � She is apartner in a law firm.firm up /�f��m �$p/ verb to agree on fi-nal details � We expect to firm up thedeal at the next trade fair.first /f��st/ noun a person or thing thatis there at the beginning or earlier thanothers � Our company was one of thefirst to sell into the European market.first aid /f��st �ed/ noun help givenby an ordinary person to someone whois suddenly ill or injured, given untilfull-scale medical treatment can begivenfirst aid kit /f��st �ed kt/, first aidbox /f��st �ed bɒks/ noun a box withbandages and dressings kept ready to beused in an emergency

first aid post /f��st �ed pəυst/ nouna special place where injured people canbe taken for immediate attentionfirst-class /f��st �klɑ�s/ adjective,noun 1. top quality or most expensive �he is a first-class accountant 2. (a typeof travel or type of hotel which is) mostexpensive and comfortable � I alwaystravel first-class. � First-class travelprovides the best service. � A first-classticket to New York costs more than I canafford. � The MD prefers to stay infirst-class hotels.first-class mail /f��st klɑ�s �mel/noun a more expensive mail service, de-signed to be faster � A first-class lettershould get to Scotland in a day.first half /f��st �hɑ�f/ noun a period ofsix months from January to the end ofJunefirst half-year /f��st hɑ�f �jə/ nounthe first six months or the second sixmonths of a company’s accounting yearfirst-line supervisor /f��st lan�su�pəvazə/ noun a supervisor who isin direct control of production workers� The HR department will liaise withfirst-line supervisors with regard to in-dividual workers.first quarter /f��st �kwɔ�tə/ noun theperiod of three months from January tothe end of March � The first quarter’srent is payable in advance.five-fold system /�fav fəυldsstəm/, five-point system /�favpɔnt sstəm/ noun a system of grad-ing an employee or a candidate for a jobfix /fks/ verb 1. to arrange or to agree� to fix a budget � to fix a meeting for 3p.m. � The date has still to be fixed. 2.to mend � The technicians are comingto fix the phone system. � Can you fixthe photocopier?fixed /fkst/ adjective unable to bechanged or removedfixed automation /fkst ɔ�tə-�meʃ(ə)n/ noun the practice of usingmachines in a way which does not allowany change in their operationfixed benefit retirement plan/fkst benft r�taəmənt pl�n/ nouna pension plan where the benefits arenot related to earnings

fire certificate 105 fixed benefit retirement plan

fixed(-term) contract worker/fkst t��m �kɒntr�kt w��kə/ noun aworker who has a fixed-term contractfor a period of time (e.g. one year)fixed day rate /fkst �de ret/, fixedday work a pay scheme where pay forthe day’s work does not vary with theamount of outputfixed shift /fkst �ʃft/ noun a periodof work assigned to an employee for anindefinite length of time � Some work-ers complain that fixed shifts make formonotony.fixed shift system /fkst �ʃftsstəm/ noun a system where employ-ees are given fixed hours of work undera shift systemfixed-term contract /fkst t��m�kɒntr�kt/ noun a contract of employ-ment valid for a fixed period of time � Ihave a fixed-term contract with the com-pany, and no guarantee of an extensionwhen it ends in May.flag /fl� / noun 1. a piece of clothwith a design on it which shows whichcountry it belongs to � a ship flying aBritish flag � ship sailing under a flagof convenience a ship flying the flag ofa country which may have no ships ofits own, but allows ships from othercountries to be registered in its ports 2. amark which is attached to information ina computer so that the information canbe found easily � verb to insert markson information in a computer so that theinformation can be found easily (NOTE:flagging – flagged)

flagged rate /fl� d �ret/ noun aspecial pay rate paid to employeeswhose positions warrant lower rates ofpay � Flagged rates helped to reducethe pay differentials in the organisation.flat /fl�t/ adjective not changing in re-sponse to different conditionsflat organisation /�fl�t ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)n/ noun an organisation withfew grades in the hierarchical structure� A flat organisation does not appeal tothose who like traditional bureaucraticorganisations.flat out /fl�t �aυt/ adverb workinghard or at full speed � The factory

worked flat out to complete the order ontime.

flat rate /fl�t �ret/ noun a chargewhich always stays the same � aflat-rate increase of 10% � We pay aflat rate for electricity each quarter. �He is paid a flat rate of £2 per thousand.flexecutive /flek�sekjυtv/ noun anexecutive with many different skillswho is able to switch jobs or tasks easily(slang)

flexibility /fleks�blti/ noun theability to be easily changed � There isno flexibility in the company’s pricingpolicy.flexible /�fleksb(ə)l/ adjective whichcan be altered or changed � We try to beflexible where the advertising budget isconcerned. � The company has adopteda flexible pricing policy.flexible automation /fleksb(ə)lɔ�tə�meʃ(ə)n/ noun the practice of us-ing machines in a way which allows theoperator to change the operation of themachine and so improve productivityflexible manufacturing system/fleksb(ə)l m�njυ�f�ktʃərŋsstəm/ noun a way of manufacturingusing computerised systems to allowcertain quantities of the product to bemade to a specific order. Abbr FMS

flexible retirement scheme/fleksb(ə)l r�taəmənt ski�m/ nouna scheme where employees can choosethe age at which they retire (betweencertain age limits, e.g. 55 and 65)flexible working hours/fleksb(ə)l �w��kŋ aυəz/, flexiblework /fleksb(ə)l �w��k/ pluralnoun a system where employees canstart or stop work at different hoursof the morning or evening providedthat they work a certain number ofhours per day or weekFlexible Work Regulations/fleksb(ə)l �w��k re jυleʃ(ə)nz/plural noun (in the UK) the legal rightfor a parent with a child under the age of6, or with a disabled child under the ageof 18, to ask that their working hoursshould be arranged to help them withtheir responsibilities

fixed contract worker 106 Flexible Work Regulations

flexilagger /�fleksil� ə/ noun acompany or organisation that puts toolittle emphasis on flexibility in its em-ployment practices (slang)

flexileader /�fleksili�də/ noun acompany or organisation that puts agreat deal of emphasis on flexibility inits employment practices (slang)

flexitime /�fleksitam/ noun a systemwhere employees can start or stop workat different hours of the morning or eve-ning, provided that they work a certainnumber of hours per day or week � Wework flexitime. � The company intro-duced flexitime working two years ago.� Flexitime should mean that employeeswork when they feel most productive.Same as flexible working hours(NOTE: American English also usesflextime)

flight risk /�flat rsk/ noun an em-ployee who may be planning to leave acompany in the near future (slang)

flipchart /�flptʃɑ�t/ noun a way ofshowing information to a group of peo-ple by writing on large sheets of paperwhich can then be turned over to showthe next sheetfloor /flɔ�/ noun 1. the part of the roomwhich you walk on 2. all the rooms onone level in a building � Her office is onthe 26th floor. (NOTE: In Britain the floorat street level is the ground floor, butin the USA it is the first floor. Eachfloor in the USA is one number higherthan the same floor in Britain.) 3. a bot-tom limit � The government will imposea floor on wages to protect the low-paid.(NOTE: the opposite is ceiling)

floorwalker /�flɔ�wɔ�kə/ noun an em-ployee of a department store who ad-vises customers, and supervises the shopassistants in a departmentfloppy disk /flɒpi �dsk/ noun asmall disk for storing informationthrough a computerflow /fləυ/ noun a movement � theflow of capital into a country � the flowof investments into Japan � verb tomove smoothly � Production is nowflowing normally after the strike.flow chart /�fləυtʃɑ�t/, flow diagram/�fləυ daə r�m/ noun a chart which

shows the arrangement of work pro-cesses in a seriesflowcharting /�fləυtʃɑ�tŋ/ nounsetting out the arrangement of work pro-cesses in the form of a chartflow diagram /�fləυ daə r�m/noun same as flow chart

fluidity /flu�dti/ noun ease of move-ment or changeflying picket /flaŋ �pkt/ noun apicket who travels round the country totry to stop workers going to workFMS abbr flexible manufacturingsystemfollow up /�fɒləυ $p/ verb to examinesomething further � I’ll follow up youridea of targeting our address list with aspecial mailing. � to follow up an ini-tiative to take action once someone elsehas decided to do somethingforbid /fə�bd/ verb to tell someonenot to do something or to say that some-thing must not be done � Smoking isforbidden in our offices. � The contractforbids resale of the goods to the USA.� Staff are forbidden to speak directlyto the press. (NOTE: forbidding – for-bade – forbidden)

force /fɔ�s/ noun 1. strength � to be inforce to be operating or working � Therules have been in force since 1986. � tocome into force to start to operate orwork � The new regulations will comeinto force on January 1st. 2. a group ofpeople � verb to make someone dosomething � Competition has forced thecompany to lower its prices. � After thetakeover several of the managers wereforced to take early retirement.forced distribution method/fɔ�st dstr�bju�ʃ(ə)n meθəd/ nouna performance appraisal techniquewhere certain percentages of workersare put in various categories in advanceforecast /�fɔ�kɑ�st/ noun a descrip-tion or calculation of what will probablyhappen in the future � The chairman didnot believe the sales director’s forecastof higher turnover. � verb to calculateor to say what will probably happen inthe future � She is forecasting sales of£2m. � Economists have forecast a fall

flexilagger 107 forecast

in the exchange rate. (NOTE: forecast-ing – forecast)

forecasting /�fɔ�kɑ�stŋ/ noun theprocess of calculating what will proba-bly happen in the future � Manpowerplanning will depend on forecasting thefuture levels of production.foreign national /fɒrn�n�ʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ noun a person who is acitizen of another country, not this oneforeign worker /fɒrn �w��kə/ nouna worker who comes from anothercountryforeman /�fɔ�mən/, forewoman/�fɔ�wυmən/ noun a skilled worker incharge of several other workers (NOTE:plural is foremen or forewomen)

for hire contract /fə �haəkɒntr�kt/ noun US a freelancecontractform /fɔ�m/ noun 1. � form of wordswords correctly laid out for a legal doc-ument 2. an official printed paper withblank spaces which have to be filled inwith information � a pad of order forms� The reps carry pads of order forms. �verb to start to organise � The brothershave formed a new company.formal /�fɔ�m(ə)l/ adjective clearlyand legally written � to make a formalapplication � to send a formal order �Is this a formal job offer? � The factoryis prepared for the formal inspection bythe government inspector.formality /fɔ��m�lti/ noun some-thing which has to be done to obey thelawformally /�fɔ�məli/ adverb in a formalway � We have formally applied forplanning permission for the new shop-ping precinct.formal procedures /fɔ�m(ə)l prə-�si�d"əz/ plural noun agreed writtenrules for dealing with matters such asgrievances and dismissalsformal warning /fɔ�m(ə)l �wɔ�nŋ/noun a warning to an employee accord-ing to formal procedures. � informalwarningformation /fɔ��meʃ(ə)n/, forming/�fɔ�mŋ/ noun the act of organising �the formation of a new company

formative assessment /fɔ�mətvə�sesmənt/ noun the appraisal of anemployee, where the employee is givennotes on what is wrong and what theyshould do to improve their performanceformer /�fɔ�mə/ adjective before or atan earlier time � The former chairmanhas taken a job with a rival company. �She got a reference from her formeremployer.formerly /�fɔ�məli/ adverb at an ear-lier time � He is currently managing di-rector of Smith Ltd, but formerly heworked for Jones Brothers.formica parachute /fɔ�makə�p�rəʃu�t/ noun unemployment insur-ance (slang)

forward /�fɔ�wəd/ adverb � to date acheque forward to put a later date thanthe present one on a chequeforwarding instructions/�fɔ�wədŋ nstr$kʃənz/ plural nouninstructions showing how the goods areto be shipped and deliveredfour-fifths rule /fɔ� �ffθs ru�l/ nounUS same as eighty per cent rule

fourth quarter /fɔ�θ �kwɔ�tə/ noun aperiod of three months from 1st Octoberto the end of the yearframework agreement/�fremw��k ə ri�mənt/ noun the draftof the main points of an agreement, withfurther details to be added laterfranchising operation/�fr�ntʃazŋ ɒpəreʃ(ə)n/ noun anoperation involving selling licences totrade as a franchisefraud /frɔ�d/ noun an act of makingmoney by making people believe some-thing which is not true � He got posses-sion of the property by fraud. � She wasaccused of frauds relating to foreigncurrency. � to obtain money by fraudto obtain money by saying or doingsomething to cheat someonefraud squad /�frɔ�d skwɒd/ noun thespecial police department which investi-gates fraudsfraudulent /�frɔ�djυlənt/ adjectivenot honest, or aiming to cheat people �a fraudulent transaction

forecasting 108 fraudulent

fraudulent conversion/frɔ�djυlənt kən�v��ʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of using money which does notbelong to you for a purpose for which itis not supposed to be usedfraudulently /�frɔ�djυləntli/ adverbnot honestly � goods importedfraudulentlyfree /fri�/ adjective, adverb 1. not cost-ing any money � I have been given afree ticket to the exhibition. � A cata-logue will be sent free on request. � freeof charge with no payment to be made2. with no restrictions 3. not busy or notoccupied � I shall be free in a few min-utes. � verb to make something avail-able or easy � The government’sdecision has freed millions of poundsfor investment.

‘American business as a whole is increasinglyfree from heavy dependence on manufacturing’[Sunday Times]

free agent /fri� �ed"ənt/ noun a free-lance worker who can offer their skillsand expertise to companies anywhere inthe worldfree collective bargaining /fri�kəlektv �bɑ� nŋ/ noun negotiationsbetween management and trade unionsabout wage increases and workingconditionsfree competition /fri� kɒmpə-�tʃ(ə)n/ noun the fact of being freeto compete without governmentinterferencefreedom /�fri�dəm/ noun the state ofbeing free to do anythingfreedom of association /fri�dəməv əsəυsi�eʃ(ə)n/ noun the ability tojoin together in a group with other peo-ple without being afraid of prosecutionfreedom of movement /fri�dəməv �mu�vmənt/ noun the ability ofworkers in the EU to move from countryto country and obtain work without anyrestrictionsfree enterprise /fri� �entəpraz/noun a system of business free fromgovernment interferencefree gift /fri� � ft/ noun a presentgiven by a shop to a customer who buysa specific amount of goods � There is a

free gift worth £25 to any customer buy-ing a washing machine.freelance /�fri�lɑ�ns/ adjective, noun(an independent worker) who works forseveral different companies but is notemployed by any of them � We haveabout twenty freelances working for usor about twenty people working for uson a freelance basis. � She is a free-lance journalist. � adverb selling yourwork to various firms, but not being em-ployed by any of them � He works free-lance as a designer. � verb 1. to dowork for several firms but not be em-ployed by any of them � She freelancesfor the local newspapers. 2. to sendwork out to be done by a freelancer �We freelance work out to severalspecialists.freelancer /�fri�lɑ�nsə/ noun a free-lance workerfreelance worker /�fri�lɑ�ns w��kə/noun a self-employed workerfreely /�fri�li/ adverb with no restric-tions � Money should circulate freelywithin the EU.free market economy /fri� mɑ�kt�kɒnəmi/ noun a system where thegovernment does not interfere in busi-ness activity in any wayfree-rider /fri� �radə/ noun a personwho receives benefits which have beennegotiated by a union for its members,even if they have not joined the union �Many union members resent free-riderswho benefit from the recent pay in-crease negotiated by the union.free sample /fri� �sɑ�mpəl/ noun asample given free to advertise a productfree trade /fri� �tred/ noun a systemwhere goods can go from one country toanother without any restrictionsfree trade area /fri� �tred eəriə/noun a group of countries practisingfree tradefree worker /�fri� w��kə/ noun a per-son who moves frequently from one jobor project to another, because they haveskills and ideas that many organisationsvalue and prefer to work on a short-termcontract rather than to build a careerwithin a single organisation

fraudulent conversion 109 free worker

freeze /fri�z/ verb to keep somethingsuch as money or costs at their presentlevel and not allow them to rise � tofreeze wages and prices � to freezecredits � We have frozen expenditure atlast year’s level. (NOTE: freezing –froze – frozen)

frequent /�fri�kwənt/ adjective whichcomes, goes or takes place often �There is a frequent ferry service toFrance. � We send frequent faxes toNew York. � How frequent are theplanes to Birmingham? � We send fre-quent telexes to New York.frequently /�fri�kwəntli/ adverb of-ten � The photocopier is frequently outof use. � We email our New York officevery frequently – at least four times aday.fresh blood /freʃ �bl$d/ noun newyounger staff, employed because thecompany feels it needs to have newideas (NOTE: also called new blood)

friction /�frkʃən/ noun small dis-agreements between people in the sameoffice � There was a lot of friction be-tween the sales and accounts staff.frictional unemployment/frkʃ(ə)n(ə)l $nm�plɔmənt/ noununemployment due to unforeseen cir-cumstances, such as changes in technol-ogy, lack of labour mobility orvariations in the demand and supply ofcertain productsFriday /�frade/ noun the fifth andlast day of the normal working week inan office � The hours of work are 9.30to 5.30, Monday to Friday.Friday afternoon /frade ɑ�ftə-�nu�n/ noun the period after lunch onFridays, when some companies stopworkFriday afternoon car /fradeɑ�ftə�nu�n kɑ�/ noun a new car withnumerous defects, presumably becauseit was made on a Friday afternoonfringe benefit /�frnd" benft/noun an extra item such as a companycar or private health insurance given bya company to employees in addition to asalary � The fringe benefits make up forthe poor pay. � Use of the company rec-

reation facilities is one of the fringebenefits of the job.front /fr$nt/ noun 1. a part of some-thing which faces away from the back �The front of the office building is on theHigh Street. � There is a photograph ofthe managing director on the front pageof the company report. 2. � in front ofbefore or on the front side of something� The chairman’s name is in front of allthe others on the staff list. 3. a businessor person used to hide an illegal trade �His restaurant is a front for a drugsorganisation.front-line management /fr$ntlan �m�nd"mənt/ noun managerswho have immediate contact with theemployeesfront man /�fr$nt m�n/ noun a per-son who seems honest but is hiding anillegal tradefrozen /�frəυz(ə)n/ adjective not al-lowed to be changed or used � Wageshave been frozen at last year’s rates.fulfil /fυl�fl/ verb to complete some-thing in a satisfactory way � The clauseregarding payments has not been ful-filled. (NOTE: the usual US spelling isfulfill) � to fulfil an order to supply theitems which have been ordered � Weare so understaffed that we cannot fulfilany more orders before Christmas.fulfilment /fυl�flmənt/ noun the actof carrying something out in a satisfac-tory way (NOTE: the usual US spellingis fulfillment)

full /fυl/ adjective 1. with as much in-side it as possible � The train was full ofcommuters. � When the disk is full,don’t forget to make a backup copy. 2.complete, including everything � weare working at full capacity we are do-ing as much work as possible 3. � infull completely � a full refund or a re-fund paid in full � Give your fullname and address or your name andaddress in full. � He accepted all ourconditions in full.full day /fυl �de/, full working day/fυl �w��kŋ de/, a full day’s work /əfυl dez �w��k/ noun a period when aworker works all the hours stipulated

freeze 110 full day

full employment /fυl m�plɔmənt/noun a situation where all the peoplewho can work have jobsfull payment /fυl �pemənt/ noun thepaying of all money owedfull pension /fυl �penʃən/ noun themaximum pension allowedfull rate /fυl �ret/ noun the fullcharge, with no reductionsfull-scale /�fυl skel/ adjective com-plete or very thorough � The MD or-dered a full-scale review of credit terms.� The HR department will start afull-scale review of the present paystructure.

‘…the administration launched a full-scaleinvestigation into maintenance procedures’[Fortune]

full-time /�fυl tam/ adjective, adverbworking all the normal working time,i.e. about eight hours a day, five days aweek � She’s in full-time work or Sheworks full-time or She’s in full-timeemployment. � He is one of our full-timestaff.full-time employee /fυl tam m-�plɔi�/, full-time worker /fυl tam�w��kə/ noun an employee who worksmore than 16 hours per week for acompanyfull-time employment /fυl tamm�plɔmənt/ noun work for all of aworking day � to be in full-timeemploymentfull-time equivalent /fυl tam -�kwvələnt/ noun a notional employeeearning the full-time wage, used as acomparison to part-time employeesfull-time job /fυl tam �d"ɒb/ nouna job that occupies all someone’s nor-mal working hoursfull-timer /fυl �tamə/ noun a personwho works full-timefully /�fυli/ adverb completely � fullyinsured pension scheme a pensionscheme where each contributor is in-sured to receive the full pension towhich they are entitled

‘…issued and fully paid capital is $100 million’[Hongkong Standard]

function /�f$ŋkʃən/ noun a duty orjob � verb to work � The advertisingcampaign is functioning smoothly. �

The new management structure does notseem to be functioning very well.functional /�f$ŋkʃən(ə)l/ adjective 1.which can function properly 2. referringto a jobfunctional authority /f$ŋkʃən(ə)lɔ��θɒrti/ noun the authority which isassociated with a jobfunctional job analysis/f$ŋkʃən(ə)l �d"ɒb ən�ləss/ nounan assessment of the specific require-ments of a job � Functional job analysisis used to identify what type of personshould be appointed to fill the vacancy.functionary /�f$ŋkʃənəri/ noun acivil servant (slightly derogatory)fund /f$nd/ noun money set aside for aspecial purpose � verb to providemoney for a purpose � The companydoes not have enough resources to fundits expansion programme. � to fund acompany to provide money for a com-pany to operate

‘…the S&L funded all borrowers’ developmentcosts, including accrued interest’ [Barrons]

funded /�f$ndd/ adjective backed bylong-term loans � long-term fundedcapitalfunded pension plan /f$ndd�penʃən pl�n/, funded pensionscheme /f$ndd �penʃən ski�m/ nouna pension plan where money is set asideannually to fund employees’ pensionsfunding /�f$ndŋ/ noun money forspending � The bank is providing thefunding for the new product launch.funding rate /�f$ndŋ ret/ noun theemployer’s contributions to a pensionfund shown as a percentage of the totalpensionable salaries of the employeesfund-raising /�f$nd rezŋ/ noun theprocess of trying to get money for acharity, etc. � a fund-raising salefunds /�f$ndz/ plural noun moneywhich is available for spending � Thecompany has no funds to pay for the re-search programme. � the companycalled for extra funds the companyasked for more money � to run out offunds to come to the end of the moneyavailable � to convert funds to anotherpurpose to use money for a wrong pur-pose � to convert funds to your own

full employment 111 funds

use to use someone else’s money foryourself.

‘…small innovative companies have beenhampered for lack of funds’ [Sunday Times]‘…the company was set up with funds totallingNorKr 145m’ [Lloyd’s List]

furlough /�f��ləυ/ noun a period ofunpaid leave or absence from work, es-

pecially for military personnel, govern-ment employees or expatriates � Manyemployees resent being contacted byhead office when on furlough.further education /f��ðər edjυ-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun education after endingfull-time education in schoolFYI abbr for your information

furlough 112 FYI

G

gain / en/ noun an increase or act ofbecoming larger � gain in experiencethe act of getting more experience �gain in profitability the act of becom-ing more profitable � verb to get or toobtain � He gained some useful experi-ence working in a bank.gainful employment / enf(ə)lm�plɔmənt/ noun employment whichpays moneygainfully /� enf(ə)li/ adverb � gain-fully employed working and earningmoneygainsharing /� enʃeərŋ/ noun apayment scheme where all themembers of a group of employees arepaid extra for increased productivity� Gainsharing will be instituted toincrease motivation. � Gainsharing hasallowed employees to identify with thecompany’s successful performance.galloping inflation / �ləpŋ n-�fleʃ(ə)n/ noun very rapid inflationwhich is almost impossible to reduceGantt chart /� �nt tʃɑ�t/ nouna type of chart used in project man-agement to plan and schedule work,setting out tasks and the time periodswithin which they should be completed(NOTE: A Gantt chart looks like a barchart in which the bars extend side-ways.)

gardening leave /� ɑ�d(ə)nŋ li�v/noun a period of leave stipulated in acontract of employment, during whichan employee is not allowed into thecompany offices and cannot take up an-other job (informal.)

garnishment /� ɑ�nʃmənt/ nouna procedure by which wages or salaryare withheld to pay off a debt � Thecompany had to resort to garnishment

to ensure that the worker paid for thedamage he caused to machinery.

gatekeeper /� etki�pə/ noun a per-son who acts as a screen between agroup and people outside the group(such as an interviewer in the human re-sources department who screens jobapplicants)gear / ə/ verb to link to or to connectwith � salary geared to the cost of liv-ing salary which rises as the cost of liv-ing increasesgeared scheme / əd �ski�m/ nouna system by which payment by resultsincreases in stages rather than in directproportion to increase in outputgear up / ər �$p/ verb to get ready �The company is gearing itself up for ex-pansion into the African market.general /�d"en(ə)rəl/ adjective ordi-nary or not specialgeneral audit /d"en(ə)rəl �ɔ�dt/noun a process of examining all thebooks and accounts of a companygenerally /�d"en(ə)rəli/ adverb nor-mally or usually � The office is gener-ally closed between Christmas and theNew Year. � We generally give a 25%discount for bulk purchases.general manager /d"en(ə)rəl�m�nd"ə/ noun a manager in charge ofthe administration of a companyGeneral National VocationalQualifications /d"en(ə)rəln�ʃ(ə)n(ə)l vəυ�keʃ(ə)n(ə)l kwɒlf-keʃ(ə)nz/ noun a system of exami-nations and qualifications in vocationalsubjects for young people who arein full-time education, giving abroard-based training in vocational sub-jects (run alongside traditional academic

gain 113 general manager

studies and of equal value to them).Abbr GNVQs

general office /�d"en(ə)rəl ɒfs/noun the main administrative office of acompanygeneral secretary /d"en(ə)rəl�sekrt(ə)ri/, General Secretary nounthe head official of a trade uniongeneral store /�d"en(ə)rəl stɔ�/noun a small country shop which sells alarge range of goodsgeneral strike /d"en(ə)rəl �strak/noun a strike of all the workers in acountrygeneral trading /d"en(ə)rəl�tredŋ/ noun dealing in all types ofgoodsgeneral union /d"en(ə)rəl�ju�njən/ noun a union which recruitsusually semi-skilled workers in allindustriesgeneric /d"ə�nerk/ adjective whichis shared by a group, and does not referto one individualgeneric skills /d"ənerk �sklz/plural noun skills which are applicablein various types of work and can betransferred from one job to anothergenerous /�d"en(ə)rəs/ adjective re-ferring to an amount that is larger thanusual or expected � She received a gen-erous redundancy payment. � The staffcontributed a generous sum for themanager’s retirement present.genuine /�d"enjun/ adjective true orreal � a genuine Picasso � a genuineleather pursegenuine material factor/d"enjun mə�təriəl f�ktə/ nounan acceptable reason for a differencein salary between a male and a femaleemployee (such as longer experience)genuine occupational qualifica-tions /d"enjun ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)n(ə)lkwɒlf�keʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun a situa-tion where a person of a certain sex orracial background is needed for a job,and this can be stated in the job adver-tisement. Abbr GOQs

geographical mobility /d"i�ə- r�fk(ə)l məυ�blti/ noun the ability

of workers to move from place to placeto find workget / et/ verb 1. to receive � We got aletter from the solicitor this morning. �He gets £250 a week for doing nothing.� She got £5,000 for her car. 2. to arriveat a place � She finally got to the officeat 10.30. (NOTE: getting – got)get across / et ə�krɒs/ verb to makesomeone understand something � Themanager tried to get across to theworkforce why some people were beingmade redundant.get ahead / et ə�hed/ verb to ad-vance in your careerget along / et ə�lɒŋ/ verb 1. to man-age � We are getting along quite wellwith only half the staff we had before. 2.to be friendly or to work well withsomeone � She does not get along verywell with her new boss.get back / et �b�k/ verb to receivesomething which you had before � I gotmy money back after I had complainedto the manager. � He got his initial in-vestment back in two months.get on / et �ɒn/ verb 1. to work ormanage � How is your new assistantgetting on? 2. to succeed � My son isgetting on well – he has just beenpromoted.get on with / et �ɒn wð/ verb 1. tobe friendly or work well with someone� She does not get on with her new boss.2. to go on doing work � The staff goton with the work and finished the orderon time.get out / et �aυt/ verb to producesomething � The accounts departmentgot out the draft accounts in time for themeeting.get through / et �θru�/ verb 1. tospeak to someone on the phone � I triedto get through to the complaints depart-ment. 2. to be successful � She gotthrough her exams, so she is now aqualified engineer. 3. to try to makesomeone understand � I could not getthrough to her that I had to be at the air-port by 2.15.Girl Friday / ��l �frade/ noun a fe-male employee who does various tasksin an office. � Man Friday (NOTE:

general office 114 Girl Friday

Sometimes Person Friday is used injob advertisements to avoid sexism.)

Girobank /�d"arəυb�ŋk/ noun abank in a giro system � a NationalGirobank account � She has her salarypaid into her National Girobankaccount.giro system /�d"arəυ sstəm/ nouna banking system in which money canbe transferred from one account to an-other without writing a cheque (themoney is first removed from the payer’saccount and then credited to the payee’saccount; as opposed to a cheque pay-ment, which is credited to the payee’saccount first and then claimed from thepayer’s account)give / v/ verb 1. to pass something tosomeone as a present � The office gavehim a clock when he retired. 2. to passsomething to someone � She gave thedocuments to the accountant. � Do notgive anybody personal details aboutstaff members. � Can you give me someinformation about the new computersystem? 3. to organise � The companygave a party on a boat to say goodbye tothe retiring sales director. (NOTE: giv-ing – gave – given)give back / v �b�k/ verb to handsomething back to someonegive-back /� v b�k/ noun US a de-mand by management that the employ-ees accept less favourable terms ofemployment � The give-back was in-sisted on by management because of thehigh costs of labour.give in to / v �n tu�/ verb to yieldor to surrender � to give in to pressurefrom the strikersgive up / v �$p/ verb to hand some-thing over to someone � Workers re-fused to give up any of their rights.give way to / v �we tu�/ verb tomake concessions or to agree to de-mands � to give way to the union’swage demandsglad-hand /� l�d h�nd/ verb toshake hands with and greet people at abusiness party or meetingglass ceiling / lɑ�s �si�lŋ/ noun amysteriously invisible barrier to promo-tion � Women managers complain that

they find it difficult to break through theglass ceiling and become members ofthe board.GMP abbr guaranteed minimumpensionGNVQs abbr General National Voca-tional Qualificationsgo / əυ/ verb 1. to move from oneplace to another � The cheque went toyour bank yesterday. � The plane goesto Frankfurt, then to Rome. � He is go-ing to our Lagos office. � She went on amanagement course. 2. to be placed �The date goes at the top of the letter.(NOTE: going – went – gone)go-ahead /� əυ əhed/ noun � to givesomething the go-ahead to approvesomething or to say that something canbe done � My project got a governmentgo-ahead. � The board refused to givethe go-ahead to the expansion plan. �adjective energetic or keen to do well �He is a very go-ahead type. � She worksfor a go-ahead clothing company.goal / əυl/ noun something which youtry to achieve � Our goal is to breakeven within twelve months. � The com-pany achieved all its goals. � to achieveyour goal to do what you set out to do �to set someone goals to give someoneobjectives to aim at � Bonus paymentsare motivating employees to achievecompany goals. � One of the HR man-ager’s goals was a fair payment scheme.� Our goal is to break even withintwelve months.go back on / əυ �b�k ɒn/ verb notto do what has been promised � Twomonths later they went back on theagreement.go-between /� əυ btwi�n/ noun aperson who acts as an intermediary inthe negotiations between two others �The head of the workers’ committee wasthe effective go-between in the dispute.gofer /� əυfə/ noun US same asgophergoing /� əυŋ/ adjective active or busygoing concern / əυŋ kən�s��n/noun a company that is actively trading(and making a profit) � sold as a goingconcern sold as an actively tradingcompany

Girobank 115 going concern

go into business / əυ ntə�bzns/ verb to start in business � Hewent into business as a car dealer. �She went into business in partnershipwith her son.goldbricker /� əυldbrkə/ noun US alazy employee who attempts to get awaywith doing the least possible amount ofwork (slang)

gold-bricking /� əυld brkŋ/ nounthe practice of regulating production bynot claiming production achieved onsome days so as to be able to carry itover and so allow employees to taketime off work on other days �Gold-bricking has reduced productionby half.gold-circle rate / əυld �s��k(ə)lret/ noun US a rate of pay that exceedsthe maximum rate of an employee’sevaluated pay level � The gold-circlerate is resented by some employees whosee it as an unmerited bonus.golden /� əυld(ə)n/ adjective made ofgold or like goldgolden formula / əυld(ə)n�fɔ�mjυlə/ noun the rule that unions areimmune from prosecution if their actionis taken in pursuance of a trade disputegolden handcuffs / əυld(ə)n�h�ndk$fs/ plural noun a contractualarrangement to make sure that a valuedmember of staff stays in their job, bywhich they are offered special financialadvantages if they stay and heavy penal-ties if they leavegolden hello / əυld(ə)n hə�ləυ/noun a cash inducement paid to some-one to encourage them to change jobsand move to another companygolden parachute / əυld(ə)n�p�rəʃu�t/, golden umbrella/ əυld(ə)n $m�brelə/ noun a large,usually tax-free sum of money given toan executive who retires from a com-pany before the end of their servicecontractgood / υd/ adjective 1. not bad 2. � agood deal (of) a large amount (of) � Wewasted a good deal of time discussingthe arrangements for the meeting. � agood many very many � A good manystaff members have joined the union.

good industrial relations / υd n-d$striəl r�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun a sit-uation where management and employ-ees understand each others’ problemsand work together for the good of thecompanygoods / υdz/ plural noun items whichcan be moved and are for salegoodwill / υd�wl/ noun 1. good feel-ing towards someone � To show good-will, the management increased theterms of the offer. 2. the good reputationof a business, which can be calculated aspart of a company’s asset value, thoughseparate from its tangible asset value(the goodwill can include the tradingreputation, the patents, the trade namesused, the value of a ‘good site’, etc., andis very difficult to establish accurately)� He paid £10,000 for the goodwill ofthe shop and £4,000 for the stock.goon / u�n/ noun US a person whodeliberately provokes disputes betweenemployers and employees (slang)

go out of business / əυ aυt əv�bzns/ verb to stop trading � The firmwent out of business last week.gopher /� əυfə/ noun an employeewho carries out simple menial dutiessuch as fetching and carrying things fora manager or another employee (NOTE:the usual US spelling is gofer)

GOQs abbr genuine occupationalqualificationsgo-slow / əυ �sləυ/ noun the slowingdown of production by workers as a pro-test against the management � A seriesof go-slows reduced production.go up / əυ �$p/ verb to rise � NI con-tributions are going up 3% next month.government contractor/ $v(ə)nmənt kən�tr�ktə/ noun acompany which supplies the govern-ment with goods by contractgovernment economic indica-tors / $v(ə)nmənt i�kənɒmk�ndketəz/ plural noun statisticswhich show how the country’s economyis going to perform in the short or longtermgovernment organisation/ $v(ə)nmənt ɔ� əna�zeʃ(ə)n/

go into business 116 government organisation

noun an official body run by thegovernmentgovernment pension/ $v(ə)nmənt �penʃən/ noun a pen-sion paid by the stategrade / red/ noun a level or rank� to reach the top grade in the civilservice � verb to make something risein steps according to quantitygraded hourly rate / redd aυəli�ret/ noun a pay scale where piece-workers receive different rates per piececompleted according to their appraisalratingsgrading /� redŋ/ noun an assess-ment of an employee’s performance bygiving a certain grade or mark � Thecompany has adopted a new gradingsystem for appraisals.gradual /� r�d"uəl/ adjective slowand regular � The company saw a grad-ual return to profits. � Her CV de-scribes her gradual rise to the positionof company chairman.gradually /� r�d"uəli/ adverbslowly and steadily � The company hasgradually become more profitable. �She gradually learnt the details of theimport-export business.gradual retirement / r�d"uəl r-�taəmənt/ noun same as phasedretirement

graduate /� r�d"uət/ noun a personwho has obtained a degreegraduated /� r�d"uetd/ adjectivechanging in small regular stagesgraduated income tax/ r�d"uetd �nk$m t�ks/ noun atax which rises in steps (each level of in-come is taxed at a higher percentage)graduated pension plan/ r�d"uetd �penʃən pl�n/, gradu-ated pension scheme / r�d"uetd�penʃən ski�m/ noun a pension schemewhere the contributions are calculatedon the salary of each person in theschemegraduated wages / r�d"uetd�wed"z/ plural noun wages which in-crease in accordance with establishedpay levels

graduate entry /� r�d"uət entri/noun the entry of graduates into em-ployment with a company � the gradu-ate entry into the civil servicegraduate recruitment /� r�d"uətrkru�tmənt/ noun the recruitment ofgraduates for traineeships in a companygraduate trainee / r�d"uət tre-�ni�/ noun a person in a graduate train-ing schemegraduate training scheme/ r�d"uət �trenŋ ski�m/ noun atraining scheme for graduatesgrand / r�nd/ adjective important �grand plan, grand strategy a majorplan � They explained their grand planfor redeveloping the factory site. �noun one thousand pounds or dollars(informal.) � They offered him fiftygrand for the information. � She’s earn-ing fifty grand plus car and expenses.grandfather clause /� r�nfɑ�ðəklɔ�z/ noun a clause in an insurancepolicy that exempts a category of in-sured employee from meeting new stan-dards � The grandfather clause exemptsthe older employees from the retrainingscheme.grandfather system /� r�nfɑ�ðəsstəm/ noun an appraisal systemwhere the manager’s appraisals of em-ployees are sent for review to the man-ager’s superiorgrand total / r�nd �təυt(ə)l/ nounthe final total made by adding severalsubtotalsgrant / rɑ�nt/ noun money given bythe government to help pay for some-thing � The government has allocatedgrants towards the costs of the scheme.� verb to agree to give someone some-thing � to grant someone three weeks’leave of absencegrant-aided scheme /� rɑ�nt eddski�m/ noun a scheme which is fundedby a government grantgrapevine /� repvan/ noun an un-official communications network in anorganisation � I heard on the grapevinethat the managing director has beensacked.graph / rɑ�f/ noun a diagram whichshows the relationship between two sets

government pension 117 graph

of quantities or values, each of which isrepresented on an axis � A graph wasused to show salary increases in rela-tion to increases in output. � Accordingto the graph, as average salaries haverisen so has absenteeism. � We need toset out the results of the questionnaire ina graph.graphologist / r��fɒləd"st/ noun aperson who studies handwriting, andcan identify the writer’s characteristicsfrom it � Some companies ask for jobapplications to be handwritten, so thatthey can be shown to a consultantgraphologist.graphology / r��fɒləd"i/ noun thestudy of handwriting, which is believedto show the writer’s characteristicsgraph paper /� rɑ�f pepə/ noun aspecial type of paper with many littlesquares, used for drawing graphsgrass ceiling / rɑ�s �si�lŋ/ noun thesocial and cultural factors that make itdifficult for women to use games of golfas an opportunity to do business (slang)

grassroots / rɑ�s�ru�ts/ plural nounthe basic ordinary members of a union,political party or of society in generalgratia � ex gratiagratuity / rə�tju�ti/ noun a tip,money given to someone who hashelped you � The staff are instructednot to accept gratuities.graveyard shift /� revjɑ�d ʃft/noun a night shift in a continuous shiftsystem, starting around midnight (infor-mal.)

gravy /� revi/ noun something whichdoes not involve effort (informal.)

gravy job /� revi d"ɒb/ noun US ajob which that offers the same moneyfor less effort than another similar job �Workers were moving to more prosper-ous areas of the country in search ofgravy jobs. (NOTE: in British Englishalso called cushy number)gravy train /� revi tren/ nounmeans of getting money easilygreat man theory / ret �m�nθəri/ noun the idea that leaders arepeople who are born with special quali-ties that distinguish them from others

and enable them to inspire their follow-ers and win their loyaltygreen ban / ri�n �b�n/ noun a banimposed by unions on work that theyconsider to be a threat to the natural en-vironment or to an area of historicalsignificancegreen card /� ri�n kɑ�d/ noun 1. aspecial British insurance certificate toprove that a car is insured for travelabroad 2. an identity card and work per-mit for a person going to live in theUSAgreen circle rate / ri�n �s��k(ə)lret/ noun US a rate of pay which is be-low the minimum rategrid / rd/ noun a system of numberedsquaresgrid method /� rd meθəd/ noun atwo-dimensional method of job evalua-tion based on breadth and depth of re-sponsibility � Some jobs score high onthe grid method since they involve manydifferent tasks and a lot ofdecision-making.grid structure /� rd str$ktʃə/noun a structure based on a gridgrievance /� ri�v(ə)ns/ noun a com-plaint made by an employee or trade un-ion to the management

‘ACAS has a legal obligation to try and resolveindustrial grievances before they reachindustrial tribunals’ [Personnel Today]

grievance interview /� ri�v(ə)nsntəvju�/ noun a meeting betweenmanagement and an employee or groupof employees where the managers listento the employee’s complaints and try tofind a solution to the problemgrievance procedure /� ri�v(ə)nsprəsi�d"ə/ noun a way of presentingand settling complaints from a trade un-ion to the managementgross / rəυs/ adjective 1. total or withno deductions 2. very serious � grossnegligence � adverb with no deduc-tions � My salary is paid gross. � verbto make a gross profit � He grosses£500 a week. � The group grossed£25m in 1999.

‘…gross wool receipts for the selling season toend June appear likely to top $2 billion’[Australian Financial Review]

graphologist 118 gross

gross earnings / rəυs ���nŋz/ plu-ral noun total earnings before tax andother deductionsgross income / rəυs �nk$m/ nounsalary before tax is deductedgross misconduct / rəυs ms-�kɒnd$kt/ noun very bad behaviour byan employeer, which is a fair reason fordismissal (such as drunkenness or theft)� He was dismissed for grossmisconduct.gross negligence / rəυs�ne ld"əns/ noun the act of showingvery serious neglect of duty towardsother peoplegross salary / rəυs �s�ləri/ nounsalary before tax is deductedground / raυnd/ noun � to gainground to start to win against an oppo-nent � to give ground to give wayagainst an opponentgroundless /� raυndləs/ adjectivewith no real reason � The complaintwas proved to be groundless.grounds / raυndz/ plural noun basicreasons � Does she have good groundsfor complaint? � There are no groundson which we can be sued. � What arethe grounds for the demand for a payrise?group / ru�p/ noun 1. several thingsor people together � A group of manag-ers has sent a memo to the chairmancomplaining about noise in the office. �The respondents were interviewed ingroups of three or four, and then singly.2. several companies linked together inthe same organisation � the groupchairman or the chairman of the group� group turnover or turnover for thegroup � the Granada Groupgroup appraisal / ru�p ə�prez(ə)l/noun the appraisal of an employee by agroup of other employeesgroup capacity assessment/ ru�p kə�p�sti əsesmənt/ noun theuse of work measurement techniquessuch as activity sampling to assess thework done by clerical, administrativeand other employees not directly in-volved in the production process as agroup and to establish optimum perfor-mance levels for them

group certificate /� ru�p sətfkət/noun (in Australia and New Zealand.) adocument provided by an employer thatrecords an employee’s income, incometax payments and contributions to a pen-sion fund during the previous financialyeargroup discussion / ru�p d-�sk$ʃ(ə)n/ noun a survey method inwhich a focus group is brought togetherto discuss informally a market-researchquestion � The group discussion wastaken over by one or two strong person-alities. � A sample of young people tookpart in a group discussion on the newshampoo.group dynamics / ru�p da-�n�mks/ plural noun the behaviourpatterns typical of groups, including theeffects that members of a group have oneach other, the personal relationshipsthat they form and the ways that groupsform, function and break up (NOTE:Takes a singular verb. Group dynam-ics is an important aspect of successfulteamwork and can influence the out-come of any group activity, for exam-ple a training course.)group incentive / ru�p n�sentv/noun an incentive payment made to agroup, rather than to an individualworkergroup incentive scheme / ru�pn�sentv ski�m/, group incentiveplan / ru�p n�sentv pl�n/ noun ascheme whereby payment by results isbased on the output of all the employeesin an organisationgroup insurance / ru�p n-�ʃυərəns/ noun an insurance schemewhere a group of employees is coveredby one policygroup life assurance / ru�p �lafnʃυərəns/ noun a life assurance pol-icy that covers a number of people, e.g.,the members of an association or club,or a group of employees at a companygroup outplacement / ru�p�aυtplesmənt/ noun a situation whereseveral employees are dealt with to-gether in being given help to find otherjobs after being made redundantgroup pension plan / ru�p�penʃən pl�n/, group pension

gross earnings 119 group pension plan

scheme / ru�p �penʃən ski�m/ noun alife insurance plan which provides anumber of employees with a retirementpensiongroup results / ru�p r�z$lts/ pluralnoun the results of a group of compa-nies taken togethergroup selection / ru�p s�lekʃən/noun a method of recruitment in whichcandidates are assessed in groups ratherthan individually (NOTE: Group selec-tion should not be confused with apanel interview.)group selection methods / ru�ps�lekʃən meθədz/ plural nounmethods of assessing the ability ofindividuals to work with others � Groupselection methods are being introducedto complement individual intelligenceand personality tests.group training / ru�p �trenŋ/noun a training method where a grouptrains together and so learns from eachothergrowth / rəυθ/ noun an increase insizegrowth industry /� rəυθ ndəstri/noun an industry that is expanding orhas the potential to expand faster thanother industriesgrowth rate /� rəυθ ret/ noun thespeed at which something growsguarantee / �rən�ti�/ noun a legaldocument in which the producer agreesto compensate the buyer if the product isfaulty or becomes faulty before a spe-cific date after purchase � a certificateof guarantee or a guarantee certificate� The guarantee lasts for two years. � Itis sold with a twelve-month guarantee.� the car is still under guarantee thecar is still covered by the maker’s guar-antee � verb 1. to give a promise thatsomething will happen � to guarantee adebt to promise that you will pay a debtmade by someone else 2. � the productis guaranteed for twelve months themanufacturer says that the product will

work well for twelve months, and willmend it free of charge if it breaks downguaranteed annuity / �rənti�də�nju�ti/ noun an arrangement in apension scheme by which a final lumpsum is used to purchase a fixed annuityguaranteed employment/ �rənti�d m�plɔmənt/ noun anarrangement that protects employees insituations where there is a shortage ofwork, by guaranteeing that they will bepaid a minimum wage for a specifiednumber of days or hours during whichthey have no work (NOTE: also calledguaranteed week)guaranteed minimum pension/ �rənti�d mnməm �penʃən/ nouna minimum pension which must be pro-vided by an occupational pensionscheme. Abbr GMPguaranteed week / �rənti�d�wi�k/ noun same as guaranteedemploymentguard / ɑ�d/ noun a person who pro-tects someone or a buildingguided interview / add�ntəvju�/ noun same as directedinterviewguideline /� adlan/ noun an unoffi-cial suggestion from the government asto how something should be done � Thegovernment has issued guidelines on in-creases in salaries and prices.guideline method /� adlanmeθəd/ noun a job evaluation tech-nique which takes into account attitudesto the job in the industry as a whole �The HR manager justified the guidelinemethod as adapting to the laws of sup-ply and demand.guild / ld/ noun an association ofmerchants or shopkeepers � a tradeguild � the guild of master bakersguilty /� lti/ adjective referring to aperson who has done something wrong� He was found guilty of libel. � Thecompany was guilty of not reporting thesales to the auditors.

group results 120 guilty

H

hack /h�k/ noun an ordinary worker(informal.) � a hack copywriterhaggle /�h� (ə)l/ verb to discussprices and terms and try to reduce them� to haggle about or over the details ofa contract � After two days’ hagglingthe contract was signed.half pay /hɑ�f �pe/ noun half yournormal salaryhalo effect /�heləυ fekt/ noun acrude and over-simple classification ofemployees into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ on thebasis of superficial characteristics suchas personal rapport or a pleasant mannerhalo error /�heləυ erə/ noun a mis-take made by promoting the wrong per-son because of the halo effecthand /h�nd/ noun 1. the part of thebody at the end of each arm � to shakehands to hold someone’s hand whenmeeting to show you are pleased to meetthem, or to show that an agreement hasbeen reached � The two negotiatingteams shook hands and sat down at theconference table. � to shake hands ona deal to shake hands to show that adeal has been agreed 2. � by hand usingthe hands, not a machine � These shoesare made by hand. � to send a letter byhand to ask someone to carry and de-liver a letter personally, not sending itthrough the post 3. a worker � to takeon ten more handshandbook /�h�ndbυk/ noun a bookwhich gives instructions on how to usesomething � The handbook does not sayhow you open the photocopier.handcuffs /�h�n(d)k$fs/ pluralnoun � golden handcuffshand-hold /�h�nd həυld/ verb to re-assure a nervous client or colleague(slang) (NOTE: hand-holding – hand –held)

handicap /�h�ndik�p/ noun 1.something which prevents someonefrom doing something � She found thather lack of qualifications was a greathandicap to getting her first job. 2. �

disability (NOTE: term now generallyunacceptable in sense 2 and replacedby disability)

handicapped /�h�ndik�pt/ adjec-tive without the advantage of something� She is handicapped by not having arecognised qualification.handicapped person /h�ndik�pt�p��s(ə)n/ noun a person with a disabil-ity (NOTE: term now generally unac-ceptable and replaced by disabledperson)

hand in /h�nd �n/ verb to deliver aletter by hand � he handed in his noticeor resignation he resignedhandle /�h�nd(ə)l/ verb to deal withsomething or to organise something �The accounts department handles all thecash. � We can handle orders for up to15,000 units. � They handle all ouroverseas orders.hand-operated /h�nd �ɒpəretd/adjective worked by hand, not automati-cally � a hand-operated machinehand over /h�nd �əυvə/ verb to passsomething to someone � She handedover the documents to the lawyer. � shehanded over to her deputy she passedher responsibilities to her deputyhandover /�h�ndəυvə/ noun thepassing of responsibilities to someoneelse � The handover from the old chair-man to the new went very smoothly. �When the ownership of a companychanges, the handover period is alwaysdifficult. � There was a smooth hand-over to the new management team.

hack 121 handover

hand-picked /h�nd �pkt/ adjectivecarefully selected � a hand-picked salesteamhands-on /h�ndz �ɒn/ adjective in-volving direct contact with the workingof a system or organisation � We need ahands-on manager who will superviseoperations closely. � More hands-onmanagement means we will have to in-crease the technical input in our man-agement training schemes.hands-on experience /h�ndz ɒnk�spəriəns/ noun the direct experi-ence of a systemhandwriting /�h�ndratŋ/ nounwriting done by hand � send a letter ofapplication in your own handwritingsend a letter of application written byyou with a pen, and not typedhandwritten /h�nd�rtn/ adjectivewritten by hand, not typed � It is moreprofessional to send in a typed ratherthan a handwritten letter of application.happy /�h�pi/ adjective very pleased� The human resources director wasnot at all happy to receive the union’snew demands. � We will be happy tosupply you at 25% discount. � The MDwas not at all happy when the sales fig-ures came in. � The workforce seemsquite happy with the new offer from themanagement.happy camper /h�pi �k�mpə/noun a person who has no grievancesagainst their employer (slang)

harass /�h�rəs, hə�r�s/ verb toworry or to bother someone, especiallyby continually checking on them ormaking sexual approachesharassment /�h�rəsmənt, hə-�r�smənt/ noun the act of harassingsomeone

‘EEC legislation should formally recognize thatsexual harassment is discrimination on groundsof sex’ [Personnel Management]

harassment procedure/�h�rəsmənt prəsi�d"ə/ noun writtenand agreed rules as to how cases ofharassment should be dealt with in acompanyhard /hɑ�d/ adjective 1. strong, notweak � to take a hard line in trade un-ion negotiations to refuse to compro-

mise with the other side 2. difficult � Itis hard to get good people to work onlow salaries. 3. solid 4. � after weeksof hard bargaining after weeks of diffi-cult discussions � adverb with a lot ofeffort � The sales team sold the newproduct range hard into the supermar-kets. � If all the workforce works hard,the order should be completed on time.hard bargain /hɑ�d �bɑ� n/ noun abargain with difficult terms � to drive ahard bargain to be a difficult negotia-tor � to strike a hard bargain to agreea deal where the terms are favourable toyouhard disk /�hɑ�d �dsk/ noun a com-puter disk which has a sealed case andcan store large quantities of information

‘…hard disks help computers function morespeedily and allow them to store moreinformation’ [Australian Financial Review]

hard drive noun same as hard diskharden /�hɑ�dn/ verb to become morefixed or more inflexible � The union’sattitude to the management has hard-ened since the lockout.hardship /�hɑ�dʃp/ noun bad condi-tions which make someone sufferhardship allowance /�hɑ�dʃp ə-laυəns/ noun additional pay for an em-ployee who accepts an assignment indifficult conditionshardware /�hɑ�dweə/ noun machinesused in data processing, including thecomputers and printers, but not theprogramshard-working /hɑ�d �w��kŋ/ adjec-tive referring to a person who workshardhassle /�h�s(ə)l/ noun bother or trou-ble (informal.) � Dealing with these peo-ple is too much of a hassle.hatchet man /�h�tʃt m�n/ noun arecently appointed manager, whose jobis to make staff redundant and reduceexpenditure (informal.)haulage contractor /�hɔ�ld" kən-tr�ktə/ noun a company which trans-ports goods by contracthazard /�h�zəd/ noun dangerhazardous /�h�zədəs/ adjective dan-gerous � hazardous equipment � haz-ardous occupations

hand-picked 122 hazardous

hazard pay /�h�zəd pe/ noun addi-tional pay for dangerous work � All theconstruction workers received hazardpay. � Hazard pay has to be pretty highto attract workers to this type of work.head /hed/ adjective most important ormain � Ask the head waiter for a table.� noun 1. the most important person 2.a person � Representatives cost on av-erage £25,000 per head per annum. 3.the top part or first part � Write thename of the company at the head of thelist. � verb to be the manager, to be themost important person � We are lookingfor someone to head our sales depart-ment. � He is heading a buying missionto China.head clerk /hed �klɑ�k/ noun themost important clerkheadcount /�hedkaυnt/ noun the to-tal number of employees who work foran organisationheaded paper /hedd �pepə/ nounnotepaper with the name of the com-pany and its address printed on it (NOTE:American English is letterhead)

headhunt /�hedh$nt/ verb to look formanagers and offer them jobs in othercompanies � she was headhunted shewas approached by a headhunter and of-fered a new jobheadhunter /�hedh$ntə/ noun a per-son or company whose job is to findsuitable top managers to fill jobs incompaniesheadhunting /�hedh$ntŋ/ nounsame as executive search

heading /�hedŋ/ noun the words atthe top of a piece of text � Items arelisted under several headings. � Look atthe figure under the heading ‘Costs2001–02’.head of department /hed əv d-�pɑ�tmənt/ noun a person in charge of adepartmentheadquarters /hed�kwɔ�təz/ pluralnoun the main office, where the boardof directors meets and works � Thecompany’s headquarters are in NewYork. Abbr HQ � to reduce headquar-ters staff to have fewer people workingin the main office

head up /hed �$p/ verb to be incharge of � He has been appointed tohead up our European organisation.

‘…reporting to the deputy managing director,the successful candidate will be responsible forheading up a team which provides a fullpersonnel service’ [Times]

headway /�hedwe/ noun progress ina difficult situation � to make headwayto go forward or make progress � Weare not making any headway in ournegotiations.health /helθ/ noun being fit and well,not ill

‘…the main US banks have been forced to pullback from international lending as nervousnesscontinues about their financial health’[Financial Times]‘…financial health, along with a dose ofindependence, has largely sheltered Japan’spharmaceutical companies from a global waveof consolidation. Those assets, however, areexpected to soon lure foreign suitors toopowerful to resist’ [Nikkei Weekly]

health and safety /helθ ən �sefti/noun the area of policy and the law thatdeals with the well-being of employeesat work and is intended to protect themagainst accidents and risks to theirhealth (NOTE: Health and safety withinan organisation is often co-ordinatedby a particular person, but it is the re-sponsibility of all employees.)Health and Safety at Work Act(1974) /helθ ən sefti ət �w��k �kt/noun an Act of Parliament which ruleshow the health of employees should beprotected by the companies they workforHealth and Safety Commission/helθ ən �sefti kəmʃ(ə)n/ noun agovernment body set up to see that theprovisions of the Health and Safety atWork Act are obeyed, e.g. employersmust report fatal accidents orwork-related diseases. Abbr HSCHealth and Safety Executive/helθ ən �sefti zekjυtv/ nounthe executive committee of the Healthand Safety Commissionhealth hazard /�helθ h�zəd/ noun adanger to the health of a personhealth insurance /�helθ nʃυərəns/noun insurance which pays the cost oftreatment for illness, especially whentravelling abroad

hazard pay 123 health insurance

Health Register /�helθ red"stə/noun a list kept by a company of medi-cal examinations given to employeeswho handle hazardous substances(NOTE: no plural)

health screening /�helθ skri�nŋ/noun the checking of employees’ healthto ensure that they are fit for work(NOTE: Health screening can takeplace after a new employee has beenappointed, but before they start work,but it may also be a regular procedureespecially where the work people doinvolves hazardous substances or diffi-cult conditions.)

hearing /�hərŋ/ noun a case which isbeing heard by a committee or tribunalor court of law, or by an official bodyheavy hitter /hevi �htə/ noun an ex-ecutive or company that performs ex-tremely well (slang)

heavy industry /hevi �ndəstri/noun an industry which deals in heavyraw materials such as coal or makeslarge products such as ships or engineshelicopter view /�helkɒptə vju�/noun a general or broad view of a prob-lem as a whole, which does not go intodetails (slang)

help /help/ noun a thing which makesit easy to do something � The companywas set up with financial help from thegovernment. � Her assistant is not muchhelp – he can’t type or drive. � verb tomake it easy for something to be done(NOTE: you help someone or some-thing to do something)

helping interview /helpŋ ntə-�vju�/ noun an interview which uses asympathetic approach to achieve itsends � Helping interviews are effectivein getting nervous candidates to relax. �The management finds regular helpinginterviews with employees improvesrelations.helpline /�helplan/ noun a telephonenumber which links people to servicesthat can give them specialist advice, or asimilar service offered by shops to theircustomers. Also called carelinehesitate /�heztet/ verb not to be surewhat to do next � The company is hesi-tating about starting up a new computer

factory. � She hesitated for some timebefore accepting the job.hidden agenda /hdn ə�d"endə/noun a secret plan which one party todiscussions has, which the other partydoes not know abouthierarchical /haə�rɑ�kk(ə)l/ adjec-tive referring to an organisation whichhas several levels � The company has avery traditional hierarchical structure.hierarchy /�haərɑ�ki/ noun an or-ganisational structure with several lev-els of responsibility or authority � Atthe bottom of the hierarchy are the un-skilled workers.high /ha/ adjective 1. tall � Theshelves are 30 cm high. � The door isnot high enough to let us get the ma-chines into the building. � They areplanning a 30-storey-high office block.2. large, not low � High overhead costsincrease the unit price. � They are bud-geting for a high level of expenditure. �High interest rates are crippling smallbusinesses. � high taxation taxationwhich imposes large taxes on incomesor profits � highest tax bracket thegroup which pays the most taxhigh achiever /ha ə�tʃi�və/ noun aperson who achieves more than theyexpecthigh day rate /ha �de ret/ noun apayment system where high rates of payare paid to skilled employees for timeworkedhigher education /haər edjυ-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun education at universityhigh-grade /�ha red/ adjective ofvery good quality � high-grade petrol �high-grade trade delegation a delega-tion made up of very important peoplehigh-level /�ha lev(ə)l/ adjectivevery important � high-level decision adecision taken by the most importantperson or group � high-level meetingor delegation a meeting or delegation ofthe most important people (such as min-ister or managing directors)highly /�hali/ adverb very � she ishighly thought of by the managing di-rector the managing director thinks sheis very competent

Health Register 124 highly

highly-paid /hali �ped/ adjectiveearning a large salaryhighly-placed /hali �plest/adjective occupying an important post� The delegation met a highly-placedofficial in the Trade Ministry.high official /ha ə�fʃ(ə)l/,high-ranking official /ha r�ŋkŋə�fʃ(ə)l/ noun an important person in agovernment departmenthigh-powered /ha �paυəd/ adjec-tive very capable and intelligent, and atthe same time very energetic andforcefulhigh pressure /ha �preʃə/ noun astrong insistence that somebody shoulddo something � working under highpressure working with a manager tell-ing you what to do and to do it quickly,or with customers asking for suppliesurgentlyhigh season /ha �si�z(ə)n/ noun theperiod when there are most travellersand touristshigh unemployment /ha $nm-�plɔmənt/ noun a level of unemploy-ment which is high compared to previ-ous figureshike /hak/ US noun an increase �verb to increase � The union hiked itsdemand to $5 an hour.hip shooter /�hp ʃu�tə/ noun an ex-ecutive who follows their immediate in-stinct when responding to a question orproblem rather than considering it ratio-nally (slang)

hire /�haə/ noun � to work for hire towork freelance � verb 1. to employsomeone new to work for you 2. � tohire out cars, to hire out equipment,to hire out workers to lend cars, equip-ment or workers to customers who payfor their usehire car /�haə kɑ�/ noun a car whichhas been rented � He was driving a hirecar when the accident happened.hired gun /haəd � $n/ noun US aperson, often with special expertise,who works freelance and is brought inon a short-term contract to do a particu-lar job or work on a particular project(slang)

hiring /�haərŋ/ noun the act of em-ploying new staff � Hiring of new per-sonnel has been stopped.hiring and firing /haərŋ ən�faərŋ/ noun the practice of hiringnew employees and dismissing them inquick successionhiring rate /�haərŋ ret/ noun therate of pay for employees when firsthired � Though the hiring rate is low,pay goes up rapidly during the firstyear. � The hiring rate depends onwhether the entrants are skilled or not.histogram /�hstə r�m/ noun a chartor diagram with bars set on a base-line,the length of each bar expressing thequantity of an item or unithold /həυld/ verb 1. to own or to keep� They hold 10% of the company’sshares. � you should hold these shares– they look likely to rise you shouldkeep these shares and not sell them 2. tocontain � Each box holds 250 sheets ofpaper. 3. to make something happen �to hold a meeting or a discussion � Thereceiver will hold an auction of the com-pany’s assets. � Board meetings areheld in the boardroom. 4. � hold theline please (on the telephone) pleasewait � The chairman is on the other line– will you hold? 5. to have a certain jobor status � He holds the position ofchairman. (NOTE: holding- held)

‘…as of last night, the bank’s shareholders nolonger hold any rights to the bank’s shares’[South China Morning Post]

hold back /həυld �b�k/ verb to wait,not to go forward � payment will beheld back until the contract has beensigned payment will not be made untilthe contract has been signed � she heldback from signing the contract untilshe had checked the details she de-layed signing the contract until she hadchecked the detailshold down /həυld �daυn/ verb 1. tokeep at a low level � We are cuttingmargins to hold our prices down. 2. � tohold down a job to manage to do a dif-ficult job

‘…real wages have been held down; they haverisen at an annual rate of only 1% in the last twoyears’ [Sunday Times]

holding company /�həυldŋk$mp(ə)ni/ noun 1. a company which

highly-paid 125 holding company

owns more than 50% of the shares in an-other company 2. a company which ex-ists only or mainly to own shares insubsidiary companies (NOTE: the Ameri-can English for this is a proprietarycompany)

hold out for /həυld �aυt fɔ�/ verb towait and ask for � you should hold outfor a 10% pay rise do not agree to apay rise of less than 10%hold over /həυld �əυvə/ verb to post-pone or put back to a later date � Dis-cussion of item 4 was held over until thenext meeting.hold to /�həυld tu�/ verb not to allowsomething to change � we will try tohold him to the contract we will try tostop him going against the contract �the government hopes to hold wageincreases to 5% the government hopesthat wage increases will not be morethan 5%hold up /həυld �$p/ verb 1. to stay ata high level � Sales held up during thetourist season. 2. to delay � Paymentwill be held up until the contract hasbeen signed. � The strike will hold updispatch for some weeks. � The workersare holding up production as a form ofprotest against poor conditions.hold-up /�həυld $p/ noun a delay �The bad weather caused hold-ups in thedispatch of goods.holiday /�hɒlde/ noun a period whenan employee does not work, but rests,goes away and does things for pleasure� When is the manager taking his holi-days? � My assistant is off on holidaytomorrow. � He is going away on holi-day for two weeks. � the job carriesfive weeks’ holiday one of the condi-tions of the job is that you have fiveweeks’ holiday (NOTE: American Eng-lish is vacation)

holiday entitlement /�hɒlde n-tat(ə)lmənt/ noun the number ofdays’ paid holiday which an employeehas the right to take � She has not usedup all her holiday entitlement.holiday pay /�hɒlde pe/ noun asalary which is still paid during theholiday

home /həυm/ noun the place where aperson lives � Please send the letter tomy home address, not my office.home address /həυm ə�dres/ nounthe address of a house or flat where aperson lives � Please send the docu-ments to my home address.home run /�həυm r$n/ noun the jour-ney home at the end of the working day(informal.)homeworker /�həυmw��kə/ noun aperson who works at home for acompanyhomeworking /�həυmw��kŋ/ nouna working method where employeeswork at home on computer terminals,and send the finished material back tothe central office by modem. Also callednetworking, teleworkinghon abbr honoraryhonorarium /ɒnə�reəriəm/ nounmoney paid to a professional personsuch as an accountant or a lawyer whena specific fee has not been requested(NOTE: plural is honoraria)honorary /�ɒnərəri/ adjective notpaid a salary for the work done for anorganisation � She is honorary secre-tary of the tennis club. � He is honorarypresident of the translators’ association.honorary member /ɒnərəri�membə/ noun a member who does nothave to pay a subscriptionhooking /�hυkŋ/ noun US the prac-tice of persuading an employee to watchwhat other union members are doing orsaying and to report back tomanagementhorizontal /hɒr�zɒnt(ə)l/ adjectiveat the same level or with the same status� Her new job is a horizontal move intoa different branch of the business.horizontal job enlargement/hɒrzɒnt(ə)l �d"ɒb nlɑ�d"mənt/,horizontal job enrichment/hɒrzɒnt(ə)l �d"ɒb nrtʃmənt/noun the process of expanding a jobto include new activities, skills orresponsibilities, but still at the samelevel in the organisation � We haveimplemented horizontal job enlarge-ment to increase individual workloadswhile at the same time making the work

hold out for 126 horizontal job enlargement

more interesting. Compare vertical jobenlargementhorizontal organisation /hɒr-�zɒnt(ə)l ɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun sameas flat organisationhorse trading /�hɔ�s tredŋ/ nounhard bargaining which ends with some-one giving something in return for aconcession from the other sidehostile /�hɒstal/ adjective unfriendly,showing dislike � hostile work envi-ronment working surroundings whichare unfriendlyhot /hɒt/ adjective 1. very warm �Switch off the machine if it gets too hot.� The staff complain that the office istoo hot in summer and too cold in win-ter. 2. not safe, very bad � to makethings hot for someone to make it diffi-cult for someone to work or to trade �Customs officials are making things hotfor drug smugglers. � she is in the hotseat her job involves making many dif-ficult decisionshot cargo provision /hɒt �kɑ� əυprəv"(ə)n/ noun a clause in a contractthat allows employees to refuse to han-dle products from another factory wherethere is an industrial dispute in progresshot-desking /�hɒt deskŋ/ noun aflexible working practice that enablesemployees to occupy any vacantworkspace instead of sitting at a deskthat they think of as their own (NOTE:Organisations that use a hot-deskingsystem usually have standardisedworkspaces all equipped with informa-tion and communications technologies,and though employees may have lim-ited personal storage space in the formof a filing cabinet or locker, most oftheir work and information will bestored electronically. The system isusually adopted on the grounds thatconventional offices are only full for afraction of the time they are open, be-cause of sickness, holidays orteleworking, and hot-desking enablesexpensive office space to be fully uti-lised.)hour /aυə/ noun 1. a period of timelasting sixty minutes � to work athirty-five hour week to work sevenhours a day each weekday � we work

an eight-hour day we work for eighthours a day, e.g. from 8.30 to 5.30 withone hour for lunch 2. sixty minutes ofwork � He earns £14 an hour. � We pay£16 an hour. � to pay by the hour topay people a fixed amount of money foreach hour worked 3. � outside hours,out of hours when the office is not open� He worked on the accounts out ofhours.hourly /�aυəli/ adjective, adverb perhour

‘…despite the Fed’s long-standing fears thatlow unemployment will raise wage costs,average hourly earnings grew by just 3.6 percent in the year to November’[Investors Chronicle]

hourly-paid /aυəli ped/ adjectivepaid at a fixed rate for each hour workedhourly rate /aυəli �ret/, hourlywage /aυəli �wed"/ noun the amountof money paid for an hour workedhours of work /aυəz əv �w��k/plural noun the time when the staffof an office are working � Our hours ofwork are 9.30 to 5.30, with an hour offfor lunch.house /haυs/ noun a company � thelargest London finance house � a brok-ing house � a publishing househouse journal /�haυs d"��n(ə)l/,house magazine /�haυs m� əzi�n/noun a magazine produced for the em-ployees or shareholders in a company togive them news about the companyhouse party /�haυs pɑ�ti/ noun amethod of interviewing candidates inwhich they are invited to spend a fewdays in a hotel or other centre, wherethey are given tests and monitored forinterpersonal relationshouse union /�haυs ju�njən/ noun aunion representing employees in onecompany onlyhousing /�haυzŋ/ noun houses andflats for living in � The company pro-vides housing for senior staff.housing benefit /�haυzŋ benft/noun a local government benefit paid topeople who cannot pay their rentHR abbr human resourcesHRIS abbr human resource informationsystem

horizontal organisation 127 HRIS

HRM abbr human resourcesmanagementHRP abbr human resource planningHR service centre /etʃ ɑ� �s��vssentə/ noun a central office that dealswith routine administration and answersinquiries from managers and staffthroughout an organisation on mattersrelating to human resourcesHSC abbr Health and SafetyCommissionhuman /�hju�mən/ adjective referringto peoplehumanagement /hju�-�m�nd"mənt/ noun a style ofmanagement that emphasises the em-powerment of employeeshuman asset accounting/hju�mən ��set əkaυntŋ/ nounsame as human capital accountinghuman capital /hju�mən�k�pt(ə)l/ noun the employees of anorganisation, and their skills, knowledgeand experience, considered one of theorganisation’s assetshuman capital accounting/hju�mən �k�pt(ə)l əkaυntŋ/ nounan attempt to place a financial value onthe knowledge and skills possessed bythe employees of an organisation (NOTE:also called human asset accounting,human resource accounting)human error /hju�mən �erə/ noun amistake made by a person, not by amachinehuman factors engineering/hju�mən �f�ktəz end"nərŋ/, hu-man factor engineering /hju�mən�f�ktər end"nərŋ/ noun the workof designing workplace activities, facili-ties and systems on the basis of an anal-ysis of human capabilities and needs sothat the workplace can be fitted to theworker and employee performance opti-mised (NOTE: Human factors engineer-ing also tries to reduce risk by raisingsafety levels.)human-machine interface/hju�mən məʃi�n �ntəfes/ noun apoint of contact between a person and amachine such as a computerhuman relations /hju�mən r-�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun a field of study

that deals with social relations in theworkplace and gave rise to a philosophyand style of management that stressesteamwork and the importance of moti-vating employees, communicating withthem and giving them opportunities forpersonal growth and development intheir work (NOTE: takes a singular verb)

human relations management/hju�mən r�leʃ(ə)nz m�nd"mənt/noun management based on the im-portance of ensuring good relations andcooperation in an organisationhuman resource accounting/hju�mən r�zɔ�s əkaυntŋ/ nounsame as human capital accountinghuman resource informationsystem /hju�mən rzɔ�s nfə-�meʃ(ə)n sstəm/ noun an informa-tion system, usually a computerised one,which assists managers in making stra-tegic and operational decisions in thefield of human resources management.Abbr HRIShuman resource(s) planning/hju�mən r�zɔ�sz pl�nŋ/ noun theplanning of the future needs of a com-pany as regards employees, arrangingfor interviews for candidates, organisingtraining, etc. Abbr HRPhuman resources /hju�mən r-�sɔ�sz/ plural noun the employeeswhich an organisation has available �Our human resources must be lookedafter and developed if we are to raiseproductivity successfully. Abbr HR(NOTE: also called personnel)

‘…effective use and management of humanresources hold the key to future businessdevelopment and success’ [Management Today]

human resources department/hju�mən r�zɔ�sz dpɑ�tmənt/noun a section of the company whichdeals with the staffhuman resources management/hju�mən r�zɔ�sz m�nd"mənt/noun responsibility for an organisa-tion’s productive use of and con-structive dealings with its employees.Abbr HRMhuman resources manager/hju�mən r�zɔ�sz m�nd"ə/ noun aperson who is responsible for an organi-sation’s productive use of its employees

HRM 128 human resources manager

� She was appointed human resourcesmanager because of her experience inmanpower planning and recruitment.human resources officer/hju�mən r�zɔ�sz ɒfsə/ noun aperson who deals with the staff ina company especially interviewing can-didates for new postshuman rights /hju�mən �rats/plural noun the rights of individual menand women to basic freedoms, such asfreedom of speech and freedom ofassociationHuman Rights and EqualOpportunities Commission/hju�mən rats ənd i�kwəl ɒpə-�tju�ntiz kəmʃ(ə)n/ noun a bodyset up by the Australian federal gov-ernment in 1986 to administer the

laws relating to human rights,anti-discrimination, privacy and socialjusticehurry sickness /�h$ri sknəs/ nouna state of anxiety caused by the feelingthat you do not have enough time in theday to achieve everything that isrequiredhygiene /�had"i�n/ noun the qual-ity of being clean or being carefulthat everything is clean and conditionsare healthyhygienic /ha�d"i�nk/ adjective cleanand healthyhygienic management /ha-d"i�nk �m�nd"mənt/ noun a man-agement theory that good working con-ditions encourage hard work andproductivity

human resources officer 129 hygienic management

I

Icarus factor /�kərəs f�ktə/ nounthe tendency of managers or executivesto embark on projects which are too am-bitious and consequently fail (NOTE: InGreek mythology, Icarus tried to es-cape from Crete using wings made ofwax and feathers, but flew too near thesun and drowned in the sea after thewax melted.)

ID card /a �di� kɑ�d/, identity card/a�dentti kɑ�d/ noun a plastic cardwhich carries details of the person it be-longs toidea hamster /a�də h�mstə/ nounsomeone who appears to have an end-less supply of new ideas (slang)

identification /adentf�keʃ(ə)n/noun the act of showing who someoneis � visitors must produce proof ofidentification they must prove whothey areidle /�adl/ adjective 1. not working �2,000 employees were made idle by therecession. 2. � idle machinery, ma-chines lying idle machinery not beingusedidle capital /adl �k�pt(ə)l/ nouncapital not being used productivelyidle time /�adl tam/ noun the timefor which employees are paid althoughthey are unable to work because of fac-tors beyond their control � Idle time inJanuary was attributed to the temporaryclosing down of one of the company’sfactories. � Workers were laid off toavoid excessive idle time.illegal /�li� (ə)l/ adjective not legal oragainst the lawillegal immigrant /li� (ə)l�m rənt/, illegal alien /li� (ə)l�eliən/ noun a person who enters acountry to live permanently without

having the permission of the govern-ment to do soillegality /li�� �lti/ noun the fact ofbeing illegalillegally /�li� əli/ adverb against thelaw � He was accused of illegally im-porting arms into the country.illegal strike /li� (ə)l �strak/ nouna strike which violates an existing lawor that violates an agreement betweenemployers and unionsill-feeling /l �fi�lŋ/ noun bad feelingor a feeling of being upset � The man-agement’s attitude created a lot ofill-feeling among the junior employees.illness /�lnəs/ noun the state of beingill or of not being wellILM abbr internal labour marketILO abbr International LabourOrganisationimage /�md"/ noun the general ideathat the public has of a product, brand orcompany � They are spending a lot ofadvertising money to improve the com-pany’s image. � The company hasadopted a down-market image. � topromote a corporate image to publi-cise a company so that its reputation isimprovedimaginisation /m�d"na-�zeʃ(ə)n/ noun an approach to creativ-ity originated by Gareth Morgan in1993, that is concerned with improvingpeople’s ability to see and understandsituations, with finding new ways of or-ganising, with creating shared under-standing and personal empowerment,and with developing a capability forcontinuing self-organisationimmediate /�mi�diət/ adjective hap-pening at once � We wrote an immedi-

Icarus factor 130 immediate

ate letter of complaint. � Your orderwill receive immediate attention.immediate dismissal /mi�diətds�ms(ə)l/, summary dismissal/s$məri ds�ms(ə)l/ noun a dismissalwithout giving the employee any notice(usually caused by a crime committedby the employee, or drunkenness or vio-lent behaviour towards otheremployees)immigrant /�m rənt/ noun a personwho enters a country to live and work �There is a large immigrant populationworking without work permits. � The in-flux of immigrants is due to high unem-ployment in their own countries. �

emigrantimmigrant worker /m rənt�w��kə/ noun a worker who has enteredthe country as a potential immigrant, be-fore finding workimmigration /m� reʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the act of coming to live and work in acountry 2. an office at an airport or portof entry, where government officials in-spect the papers of people entering thecountry � She was held up at Immigra-tion, because her visa was not in order.� emigrationImmigration Laws /m� reʃ(ə)nlɔ�z/ plural noun legislation regardingimmigration into a countryImmigration Service /m-� reʃ(ə)n s��vs/ noun a governmentdepartment which deals with allowingimmigrants to enter and settle in a coun-try � The Immigration Service is tryingto cope with thousands of applicationsfrom potential immigrants.immobility /mə�blti/ noun notmoving from one place to anotherimmobility of labour /məblti əv�lebə/, immobility of the workforce/məblti əv ðə �w��kfɔ�s/ noun littlemovement of workers from one area ofthe country to anotherimmunity /�mju�nti/ noun protec-tion against arrest � immunity fromprosecution not being liable to be pros-ecuted � immunity from legal actionnot being liable to be sued (e.g. employ-ees who strike cannot be sued for breachof their contract of employment)

impaired /m�peəd/ adjective refer-ring to a sense or function harmed insuch a way that it does not workproperlyimpaired vision /mpeəd �v"(ə)n/noun eyesight which is not fully clearimpairment /m�peəmənt/ noun acondition in which a sense or function isharmed so that it does not work properly� His hearing impairment does not af-fect his work.impartial /m�pɑ�ʃ(ə)l/ adjective notbiased or not prejudiced � The arbitra-tion board’s decision is completelyimpartial.impersonal /m�p��s(ə)n(ə)l/ adjec-tive without any personal touch or as ifdone by machines � an impersonal styleof managementimpingement pay /m�pnd"məntpe/ noun extra pay paid to an employeefor working when they should be onholidayimplement noun /�mplmənt/ a toolor instrument used to do some work �We don’t have the right implements forthis type of work. � verb to put into ac-tion � to implement an agreement � toimplement a decisionimplementation /mplmen-�teʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of puttinginto action � the implementation of newrulesimplicit knowledge /mplst�nɒld"/ noun knowledge that is kept ina person’s mind without necessarily be-ing expressed in words and is oftenacted on instinctivelyimplied /m�plad/ adjective which ispresumed to exist � implied terms andconditions terms and conditions whichare not written in a contract, but whichare legally taken to be present in thecontractimportance /m�pɔ�tns/ noun con-siderable value or significance � Thebank attaches great importance to thedeal.important /m�pɔ�tnt/ adjectivewhich matters a lot � He left a pile ofimportant papers in the taxi. � She hasan important meeting at 10.30. � I waspromoted to a more important job.

immediate dismissal 131 important

‘…each of the major issues on the agenda at thisweek’s meeting is important to thegovernment’s success in overall economicmanagement’ [Australian Financial Review]

impossible /m�pɒsb(ə)l/ adjectivewhich cannot be done � Getting skilledstaff is becoming impossible. � Govern-ment regulations make it impossible forus to export.improve /m�pru�v/ verb to makesomething better or to become better �We are trying to improve our imagewith a series of TV commercials. � Theyhope to improve the company’s marketshare. � We hope the cash flow positionwill improve or we will have difficulty inpaying our bills.

‘…we also invest in companies whose growthand profitability could be improved by amanagement buyout’ [Times]

improved /m�pru�vd/ adjectivebetter � an improved offerimprovement /m�pru�vmənt/ noun1. the process of getting better � Thereis no improvement in the cash flow situ-ation. � Sales are showing a sharp im-provement over last year. � Employeeshave noticed an improvement in theworking environment. 2. somethingwhich is better � an improvement onan offer an act of making a better offer

‘…the management says the rate of loss-makinghas come down and it expects furtherimprovement in the next few years’[Financial Times]

improvement notice /m-�pru�vmənt nəυts/ noun an orderfrom the Health and Safety Executive,requiring a company to do something toimprove working conditions wherethere has been a breach of the Healthand Safety at Work Actimprove on /m�pru�v ɒn/ verb to dobetter than � she refused to improve onher previous offer she refused to makea better offerimprover /m�pru�və/ noun an em-ployee working for very low wages inreturn for learning by work experience� The management has a policy of em-ploying improvers where possible so asto cut down on salaries. � Three monthsas an improver gave me the necessaryconfidence to find a better paid position.

in-basket test /�n bɑ�skt test/,in-tray test /�n tre test/ noun amethod of testing management potentialby asking the candidate to deal with aset of problems � The candidates for themanagement post had to pass a series ofin-basket tests.incapability /nkepə�blti/ nounthe fact of being incapable of workingproperly because of illness orincompetence

COMMENT: In the case of incompetence,if the employee’s work does not improveafter they have been given time to im-prove, incapability can be a reason fordismissal.

incapacity /nkə�p�sti/ noun 1. thefact of not being able to do something �one’s incapacity for the job where oneis shown to be too incompetent or tooill, or one does not have the right skills,to do a job 2. the fact of being unable towork because of illness or disabilityincapacity benefit /nkə�p�stibenft/ noun a benefit paid to peoplewho are unable to work because of ill-ness or disabilityincentive /n�sentv/ noun somethingwhich encourages a customer to buy oremployees to work better

‘…some further profit-taking was seenyesterday as investors continued to lack freshincentives to renew buying activity’[Financial Times]

‘…a well-designed plan can help companiesretain talented employees and offer enticingperformance incentives – all at an affordablecost’ [Fortune]

‘…the right incentives can work when usedstrategically’ [Management Today]

‘…an additional incentive is that the Japaneseare prepared to give rewards where they are due’[Management Today]

incentive ceiling /n�sentv si�lŋ/noun a limit on how much can be paidon the basis of results � An incentiveceiling was introduced to limit bonusesand the possibility of resentment amongworkers.incentive drift /n�sentv drft/noun a decrease in the gap between ef-fort and output in production � Shortcuts were found to increase productivityand thus cause incentive drift.

impossible 132 incentive drift

incentive plan /n�sentv pl�n/,incentive scheme /n�sentv ski�m/,incentive programme /n�sentvprəυ r�m/ noun a scheme whichencourages better work by payinghigher commission or bonuses � In-centive schemes are boosting produc-tion. � The new bonus scheme givesthe workers more incentive to achieveproduction targets.incentive stock option /nsentv�stɒk ɒpʃən/ noun (in the UnitedStates) a plan that gives each qualifyingemployee the right to purchase a spe-cific number of the corporation’s sharesat a set price during a specific time pe-riod (NOTE: Tax is only payable whenthe shares are sold.)

incentivize /n�sentvaz/ verb USsame as motivate

incidental /ns�dent(ə)l/ adjectivewhich is not important, but connectedwith something elseincidental expenses /nsdent(ə)lk�spensz/ plural noun small amountsof money spent at various times in addi-tion to larger amountsincidentals /ns�dent(ə)lz/ pluralnoun same as incidental expenses

include /n�klu�d/ verb to count some-thing along with other things � Thecharge includes VAT. � The accountcovers services up to and including themonth of June.inclusive /n�klu�sv/ adjective whichcounts something in with other things �inclusive of tax � not inclusive of VAT �the conference runs from the 12th tothe 16th inclusive it starts on the morn-ing of the 12th and ends on the eveningof the 16thinclusive charge /nklu�sv�tʃɑ�d"/, inclusive sum /nklu�sv�s$m/ noun a charge which includes allitems or costsincome /�nk$m/ noun money whicha person receives as salary or dividends� lower income bracket, upper in-come bracket the groups of people whoearn low or high salaries considered fortax purposes

income before tax /nk$m bfɔ��t�ks/ noun gross income before taxhas been deductedincome bracket /�nk$m br�kt/noun a group of people earning roughlythe same incomeincomes policy /�nk$mz pɒlsi/noun the government’s ideas on how in-comes should be controlledincome statement /�nk$mstetmənt/ noun US a statement ofcompany expenditure and sales whichshows whether the company has made aprofit or loss (NOTE: the British equiva-lent is profit and loss account)income support /�nk$m səpɔ�t/noun a government benefit paid tolow-income earners who are workingless than 16 hours per week, providedthey can show that they are activelylooking for jobs. Abbr ISincome tax /�nk$m t�ks/ noun 1.the tax on a person’s income (bothearned and unearned) 2. the tax on theprofits of a corporation

‘…there is no risk-free way of taking regularincome from your money much higher than therate of inflation’ [Guardian]

income tax allowance /�nk$mt�ks əlaυəns/ noun an amount of in-come that a person does not have to payincome tax onincome tax form /�nk$m t�ksfɔ�m/ noun a form to be completedwhich declares all income to the taxofficeincome tax return /�nk$m t�ks r-t��n/ noun a form used for reportinghow much income you have earned andworking out how much tax you have topay on itincoming /�nk$mŋ/ adjective 1. �incoming call a phone call coming intothe office from someone outside � in-coming mail mail which comes into anoffice 2. referring to someone who hasrecently been elected or appointed � theincoming chairman � the incomingboard of directors the new boardwhich is about to start workingin-company training /nk$mp(ə)ni �trenŋ/ noun training pro-vided by an external organisation which

incentive plan 133 in-company training

specialises in running training coursesfor the employees of a particular com-pany only, and which is usually spe-cially adapted to the company’s needs. �

public training programme (NOTE:See also public training programmes)

incompatible /nkəm�p�tb(ə)l/adjective not able to live or work to-gether � Her views and those of the de-partment manager were incompatible. �The manager’s paternalistic approachwas incompatible with the company’smore democratic approach.incompetence /n�kɒmpt(ə)ns/noun the fact of being unable to do a jobwell � The clerk was fired for gross in-competence. � Much of the sales team’sincompetence is due to lack of training.incompetent /n�kɒmpt(ə)nt/ ad-jective unable to work effectively � Thesales manager is incompetent. � Thecompany has an incompetent salesdirector.incorrect /nkə�rekt/ adjectivewrong � The minutes of the meetingwere incorrect and had to be changed.incorrectly /nkə�rektli/ adverbwrongly � The package was incorrectlyaddressed.increase noun /�nkri�s/ 1. an act ofbecoming larger � There have been sev-eral increases in tax or tax increases inthe last few years. � There is an auto-matic 5% increase in price or price in-crease on January 1st. � Profits showeda 10% increase or an increase of 10%on last year. � increase in the cost ofliving a rise in the annual cost of living2. a higher salary � increase in pay orpay increase � The government hopesto hold salary increases to 3%. � shehad two increases last year her salarywent up twice � verb /n�kri�s/ 1. togrow bigger or higher � Profits have in-creased faster than the increase in therate of inflation. � Exports to Africahave increased by more than 25%. �The price of oil has increased twice inthe past week. � to increase in price tocost more � to increase in size or invalue to become larger or more valuable2. � the company increased her salaryto £20,000 the company gave her a risein salary to £20,000

‘…turnover has the potential to be increased toover 1 million dollars with energeticmanagement and very little capital’[Australian Financial Review]‘…competition is steadily increasing and couldaffect profit margins as the company tries toretain its market share’ [Citizen (Ottawa)]

increment /�ŋkrmənt/ noun a regu-lar automatic increase in salary � an an-nual increment � salary which rises inannual increments of £1000 each yearthe salary is increased by £1000incremental /ŋkr�ment(ə)l/ adjec-tive which rises automatically in stagesincremental increase/ŋkrment(ə)l �nkri�s/ noun an in-crease in salary according to an agreedannual incrementincremental salary scale/ŋkrment(ə)l �s�ləri skel/ noun asalary scale with regular annual salaryincreasesincremental scale /ŋkrment(ə)l�skel/ noun a salary scale with regularannual salary increasesincumbent /n�k$mbənt/ noun aperson currently filling a positionincur /n�k��/ verb to make yourselfliable to � to incur the risk of apenalty to make it possible that you riskpaying a penalty

‘…the company blames fiercely competitivemarket conditions in Europe for a £14moperating loss last year, incurred despite arecord turnover’ [Financial Times]

indecision /nd�s"(ə)n/ noun thefact of not being able to decide � Theemployees protested to the managementabout the indecision over relocation.indecisive /nd�sasv/ adjectivenot able to make up one’s mind or to de-cide on something important � He is tooindecisive to be a good manager.indecisiveness /nd�sasvnəs/noun the quality of being indecisiveindenture /n�dentʃə/ verb to con-tract with an apprentice who will workfor some years to learn a trade � He wasindentured to a builder.indentures /n�dentʃəz/ plural nouna contract by which an apprentice worksfor a master for some years to learn atrade

incompatible 134 indentures

independent /nd�pendənt/ adjec-tive not under the control or authority ofanyone elseindependent audit /ndpendənt�ɔ�dt/ noun an audit carried out by anauditor who is independent and not em-ployed by the companyindependent company/ndpendənt �k$mp(ə)ni/ noun acompany which is not controlled by an-other companyindependent contractor/ndpendənt �kɒntr�ktə/ noun aself-employed person who works for acompany, and is paid a fee for providinga service, but is not paid a salaryindependent trader /ndpendənt�tredə/, independent shop/ndpendənt �ʃɒp/ noun a shop whichis owned by an individual proprietor,not by a chainin-depth study /n depθ �st$di/noun a thorough painstaking studyindex /�ndeks/ noun 1. a list ofitems classified into groups or put inalphabetical order 2. a regular statisticalreport which shows rises and falls inprices, values or levels � verb to link apayment to an index � salaries indexedto the cost of livingindexation /ndek�seʃ(ə)n/ nounthe linking of something to an indexindexation of wage increases/ndekseʃ(ə)n əv �wed" nkri�sz/noun the linking of wage increases tothe percentage rise in the cost of livingindex-linked /ndeks �lŋkt/ adjec-tive which rises automatically by thepercentage increase in the cost of living� index-linked government bonds � In-flation did not affect her as she has anindex-linked pension.

‘…two-year index-linked savings certificatesnow pay 3 per cent a year tax free, in addition toindex-linking’ [Financial Times]

indicator /�ndketə/ noun some-thing which indicates

‘…we may expect the US leading economicindicators for April to show faster economicgrowth’ [Australian Financial Review]

indifference /n�df(ə)rəns/ � rangeof indifference

indirect /nda�rekt/ adjective notdirectindirect compensation /ndarektkɒmpən�seʃ(ə)n/ noun a non-financialbenefit given by a company to its em-ployees (such as sports facilities, a com-pany car or health insurance)indirect costs /ndarekt �kɒsts/plural noun costs which are not directlyrelated to the making of a product (suchas cleaning, rent or administration)indirect discrimination/ndarekt dskrm�neʃ(ə)n/ noundiscrimination that takes place when,although people seem to be beingtreated equally, there is actually somespecial condition attached to getting ajob, which rules out some of the peoplewho are qualified to apply for it andwhich cannot be justified underanti-discrimination lawsindirect labour /ndarekt �lebə/noun employees who are not directly re-lated to the production of the productindirect labour costs /ndarekt�lebə kɒsts/ plural noun the cost ofpaying employees not directly involvedin making a product such as cleaners orcanteen staff. Such costs cannot be allo-cated to a cost centre.indirect taxation /ndarekt t�k-�seʃ(ə)n/ noun taxes (such as sales tax)which are not paid direct to the govern-ment � The government raises moremoney by indirect taxation than bydirect.individual /nd�vd"uəl/ noun onesingle person � a savings plan tailoredto the requirements of the private indi-vidual � adjective single or belongingto one person � a pension plan designedto meet each person’s individualrequirementsindividual incentive scheme/ndvd"uəl n�sentv ski�m/ noun apayment scheme whereby an individualis rewarded for improvements in theirworkindividualism /nd�vd"uəlz(ə)m/noun the belief that society flourishes ifeach individual is responsible only forthemselves and their family (NOTE: theopposite is collectivism)

independent 135 individualism

individual relations /ndvd"uəlr�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun relations be-tween employers and individualemployeesinducement /n�dju�smənt/ nounsomething which helps to persuadesomeone to do something � They of-fered her a company car as an induce-ment to stay.

COMMENT: Inducement can be a tort, if,say, a union official induces members totake industrial action in contravention oftheir contracts of employment.

induction /n�d$kʃən/ noun an intro-duction to a new organisation or a newjobinduction course /n�d$kʃən kɔ�s/,induction training /n�d$kʃəntrenŋ/ noun a programme intended tohelp a person entering an organisationor starting a new job � The company isorganising a two-day induction coursefor new employees. � The inductioncourse spelt out the main objectives andprocedures of the organisation.industrial /n�d$striəl/ adjective re-ferring to manufacturing work � to takeindustrial action to go on strike orgo-slow

‘…indications of renewed weakness in the USeconomy were contained in figures on industrialproduction for April’ [Financial Times]

industrial accident /nd$striəl��ksd(ə)nt/ noun an accident whichtakes place at workindustrial action /nd$striəl��kʃən/ noun steps taken by employeesto strengthen their position in makingdemands on employersIndustrial Arbitration Court /n-d$striəl ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)n kɔ�t/ noun aspecial court that is responsible for set-tling industrial disputesindustrial arbitration tribunal /n-d$striəl ɑ�b�treʃ(ə)n trabju�n(ə)l/noun a court which decides in industrialdisputesindustrial court /nd$striəl �kɔ�t/noun a court which can decide in indus-trial disputes if both parties agree to askit to judge between themindustrial democracy /nd$striəld�mɒkrəsi/ noun a concept wherepower is shared by employees in an or-

ganisation or industry, in particular,where the employees have a role in thedecision-making processes, and canveto proposals by the management � In-dustrial democracy was part of the po-litical party’s manifesto.industrial development /n-d$striəl d�veləpmənt/ noun the plan-ning and building of new industries inspecial areasindustrial disease /n�d$striəl d-zi�z/, occupational disease /ɒkjυ-�peʃ(ə)n(ə)l dzi�z/ noun a diseasewhich is caused by the type of work orthe conditions in which someone works(such as disease caused by dust orchemicals in a factory)industrial dispute /nd$striəl d-�spju�t/ noun an argument betweenmanagement and employeesindustrial espionage /nd$striəl�espiənɑ�"/ noun the practice of tryingto find out the secrets of a competitor’swork or products, usually by illegalmeansindustrial health /nd$striəl �helθ/,industrial hygiene /nd$striəl�had"i�n/ noun a branch of medicinedealing with the health of people atwork � Standards of industrial hygieneare improving in line with developmentsin general medicine. � The developmentof industrial health has meant betterprotection against lung disease in themining industry.industrial injuries disablementbenefit /nd$striəl nd"əriz ds-�eb(ə)lmənt benft/ noun a benefitpaid to a worker who has been injuredor disabled at workindustrial injuries insurance /n-d$striəl �nd"əriz nʃυərəns/ noun agovernment insurance scheme for work-ers who have accidents at workindustrial practices /nd$striəl�pr�ktsz/ plural noun ways of man-aging or working in business, industryor trade (NOTE: also called tradepractices)

industrial psychology /nd$striəlsa�kɒləd"i/ noun a study of human be-haviour and mental health in theworkplace

individual relations 136 industrial psychology

industrial relations /nd$striəlr�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun relationsbetween management and employees �The company has a history of badlabour relations.

‘Britain’s industrial relations climate ischanging’ [Personnel Today]

industrial relations audit /n-d$striəl r�leʃ(ə)nz ɔ�dt/ noun a re-view of all relations between manage-ment and employees in a companyIndustrial Relations Court ofAustralia /nd$striəl rleʃ(ə)nzkɔ�t əv ɒ�streliə/ noun a superiorcourt in Australia which is responsiblefor enforcing decisions made by a courtof arbitration, deciding on claims for un-fair dismissal and ruling on points of in-dustrial lawindustrial sociology /nd$striəlsəυsi�ɒləd"i/ noun the study of em-ployees and their attitudes to work andmanagementIndustrial Training Board /n-d$striəl �trenŋ bɔ�d/ noun aregional government organisationwhose responsibility is to providetraining facilities for industryindustrial tribunal /nd$striəl tra-�bju�n(ə)l/ noun a court which can de-cide in disputes about employment

‘ACAS has a legal obligation to try and solveindustrial grievances before they reachindustrial tribunals’ [Personnel Today]

industrial unrest /nd$striəl $n-�rest/ noun action by employees (suchas protest meetings, strikes orwalk-outs) against pay or workingconditionsindustry /�ndəstri/ noun 1. all facto-ries, companies or processes involved inthe manufacturing of products � All sec-tors of industry have shown rises in out-put. 2. a group of companies making thesame type of product or offering thesame type of service � the aircraft in-dustry � the food-processing industry �the petroleum industry � the advertisingindustry

‘…with the present overcapacity in the airlineindustry, discounting of tickets is widespread’[Business Traveller]

industry-wide /�ndəstri wad/adjective affecting all companies inone industry � We are expecting

industry-wide wage increases for ma-chinists of 10%.industry-wide strike /ndəstriwad �strak/ noun a strike which af-fects a whole industry and not just indi-vidual firmsineffective time /nfektv �tam/noun the time spent by an operatorwhich does not contribute to production� The dramatic fall in productivity wasdue to an increase in ineffective time. �The poor profit figures can be put downto too much ineffective time and wast-age of raw materials.inefficiency /n�fʃ(ə)nsi/ noun thefact of not being able to work quicklyand correctly � The report criticised theinefficiency of the sales staff.inefficient /n�fʃ(ə)nt/ adjectivenot doing a job well or unable to workefficiently and correctly � an inefficientsales director � Inefficient workerswaste raw materials and fail to com-plete tasks on schedule.ineligibility /neld"�blti/ nounthe fact of being ineligibleineligible /n�eld"b(ə)l/ adjectivenot eligibleinequality /n�kwɒlti/ noun thestate of not being equal � The workforcehas complained about the inequalities ofthe pension scheme.inequity /n�ekwti/ noun unfairnessof treatment, e.g. unequal pay for thesame type of job � Inequity has causedmuch resentment in the organisation,especially when younger staff are beingpaid more than their seniors for thesame type of work.inexperienced /nk�spəriənst/adjective referring to a person who doesnot have much experience � The negoti-ating team was quite inexperienced indealing with management negotiators.� They have appointed an inexperi-enced young man as workshopmanager.in flagrante delicto /n flə r�ntid�lktəυ/ Latin phrase meaning ‘in theact of doing something’ � The clerk wascaught in flagrante delicto pocketing thepetty cash.

industrial relations 137 in flagrante delicto

inflated salary /nfletd �s�ləri/noun a salary which is increased with-out any reasoninflation /n�fleʃ(ə)n/ noun a greaterincrease in the supply of money orcredit than in the production of goodsand services, resulting in higher pricesand a fall in the purchasing power ofmoney � we have 3% inflation, infla-tion is running at 3% prices are 3%higher than at the same time last year �to take measures to reduce inflation �High interest rates tend to increaseinflation.

‘…the decision by the government to tightenmonetary policy will push the annual inflationrate above the year’s previous high’[Financial Times]

‘…the retail prices index rose 0.4 per cent in themonth, taking the annual headline inflation rateto 1.7 per cent. The underlying inflation rate,which excludes mortgage interest payments,increased to an annual rate of 3.1 per cent’[Times]

COMMENT: The inflation rate in the UK iscalculated on a series of figures, includingprices of consumer items; petrol, gas andelectricity; interest rates, etc. This givesthe ‘underlying’ inflation rate which can becompared to that of other countries. Thecalculation can also include mortgage in-terest and local taxes which give the‘headline’ inflation figure; this is higherthan in other countries because of theseextra items. Inflation affects businesses,in that as their costs rise, so their profitsmay fall and it is necessary to take thisinto account when pricing products.

inflation accounting /n�fleʃ(ə)nəkaυntŋ/ noun an accounting system,where inflation is taken into accountwhen calculating the value of assets andthe preparation of accountsinflationary /n�fleʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ adjec-tive which tends to increase inflation �inflationary trends in the economy � theeconomy is in an inflationary spiralthe economy is in a situation whereprice rises encourage higher wage de-mands which in turn make prices rise

‘…inflationary expectations fell somewhat thismonth, but remained a long way above theactual inflation rate, according to figuresreleased yesterday. The annual rate of inflationmeasured by the consumer price index has beenbelow 2 per cent for over 18 months’[Australian Financial Review]

infoholic /nfəυ�hɒlk/ noun a per-son who is obsessed with obtaining in-formation, especially on the Internet(slang)

inform /n�fɔ�m/ verb to tell someoneofficially � We are pleased to informyou that you have been selected for in-terview. � We have been informed bythe Department that new regulationsare coming into force.informal /n�fɔ�m(ə)l/ adjective notofficial or not formalinformally /n�fɔ�məli/ adverbunofficiallyinformal warning /nfɔ�m(ə)l�wɔ�nŋ/ noun a spoken warning to anemployee, which is not recorded andcannot be taken into account if theworker is disciplined later. � formalwarning

information /nfə�meʃ(ə)n/ noundetails which explain something � todisclose a piece of information � to an-swer a request for information � I en-close this leaflet for your information. �For further information, please write toDepartment 27. � disclosure of confi-dential information the act of tellingsomeone information which should besecretinformation agreement /nfə-�meʃ(ə)n ə ri�mənt/ noun an agree-ment between management and a unionregarding the information about thecompany which management agrees topass to the union on a regular basisinformation management /nfə-�meʃ(ə)n m�nd"mənt/ noun thetask of controlling information and theflow of information within an organisa-tion, which involves acquiring, record-ing, organising, storing, distributing andretrieving it (NOTE: Good informationmanagement has been described asgetting the right information to the rightperson in the right format at the righttime.)

information overload /nfə-�meʃ(ə)n əυvələυd/ noun the act ofburdening someone with too muchinformation

inflated salary 138 information overload

information retrieval /nfə-meʃ(ə)n r�tri�v(ə)l/ noun the findingof stored data in a computerinformation system /nfə�meʃ(ə)nsstəm/ noun a system of storing infor-mation either manually or by computer� The information system is so bad thatdetails on staff cannot be found easily.information technology /nfə-meʃ(ə)n tek�nɒləd"i/ noun workingwith data stored on computers (IT).Abbr IT

infringement /n�frnd"mənt/ nounan act of breaking a law or a rule � in-fringement of the company’s rulesin-house /n �haυs/ adverb, adjectivedone by someone employed by a com-pany on their premises, not by an out-side contractor � the in-house staff �We do all our data processing in-house.in-house training /n haυs�trenŋ/ noun training given to em-ployees at their place of workinitiative /�nʃətv/ noun the decisionto start something � to take the initia-tive to decide to do something � to lackinitiative not to be enterprising orgo-ahead � The manager will have to bereplaced – she lacks initiative.injunction /n�d"$ŋkʃən/ noun acourt order telling someone not to dosomething � He got an injunction pre-venting the company from selling hiscar.injure /�nd"ə/ verb to hurt someone �Two workers were injured in the fire.injury /�nd"əri/ noun hurt caused to apersoninjury benefit /�nd"əri benft/noun money paid to an employee whohas been hurt at workinland /�nlənd/ adjective inside acountryinnovation /nə�veʃ(ə)n/ noun thedevelopment of new products or newways of sellinginput /�npυt/ noun what is contrib-uted to an activity or project � Theamount of staff input in the companymagazine is small. � input of informa-tion, computer input data fed into a

computer � verb � to input informa-tion to put data into a computerinquire /n�kwaə/ verb to ask ques-tions about something � He inquired ifanything was wrong. � She inquiredabout the mortgage rate. � ‘inquirewithin’ ask for more details inside theoffice or shopinquire into /n�kwaər ntu�/ verbto investigate or try to find out aboutsomething � We are inquiring into thebackground of the new supplier.inquiry /n�kwaəri/ noun 1. an offi-cial question � I refer to your inquiry ofMay 25th. � All inquiries should be ad-dressed to this department. 2. an officialinvestigation � a government inquiryinto trading practices (NOTE: plural isinquiries)in-service training /n s��vs�trenŋ/ noun the training of staffwhile they are employed by an organisa-tion � Management trainees will drawfull salaries during the period of theirin-service training. Abbr INSETinside /n�sad/ adjective, adverb in,especially in a company’s office orbuilding � We do all our design workinside. � preposition in � There wasnothing inside the container. � We havea contact inside our rival’s productiondepartment who gives us very usefulinformation.insider /n�sadə/ noun a person whoworks in an organisation and thereforeknows its secretsinsider buying /nsadə �baŋ/, in-sider dealing /nsadə �tredŋ/, in-sider trading /nsadə �tredŋ/ nounthe illegal buying or selling of shares bystaff of a company or other persons whohave secret information about the com-pany’s plansinside work /�nsad w��k/, internalwork /n�t��n(ə)l w��k/ noun the workthat an operator can do within the periodthat the machine is workinginside worker /�nsad w��kə/ nounan employee who works in an office orfactory (not someone who works in theopen air or visits customers)insolvency /n�sɒlvənsi/ noun thefact of not being able to pay debts � the

information retrieval 139 insolvency

company was in a state of insolvencyit could not pay its debts

‘…hundreds of thrifts found themselves on thebrink of insolvency after a deregulationprogramme prompted them to enter dangerousfinancial waters’ [Times]

insolvency practitioner /n-�sɒlvənsi pr�ktʃ(ə)nə/ noun a personwho advises insolvent companiesinsolvent /n�sɒlvənt/ adjective notable to pay debts � The company wasdeclared insolvent. (NOTE: see note atinsolvency)

COMMENT: A company is insolvent whenits liabilities are higher than its assets; ifthis happens it must cease trading.

insourcing /�nsɔ�sŋ/ noun the useof an organisation’s or a department’sown employees and resources to meetits need for specific services (NOTE:compare outsourcing)inspect /n�spekt/ verb to examine indetail � to inspect a machine or an in-stallation � The gas board is sending anengineer to inspect the central heatingsystem. � Inspectors from the DTI havecome to inspect the accounts. � to in-spect products for defects to look atproducts in detail to see if they have anydefectsinspection /n�spekʃən/ noun theclose examination of something � tomake an inspection or to carry out aninspection of a machine or an installa-tion � the inspection of a product fordefects � to issue an inspection orderto order an official inspectioninspector /n�spektə/ noun an offi-cial who inspects � The inspectors willsoon be round to make sure the buildingis safe.inspectorate /n�spekt(ə)rət/ nounall inspectorsinspector of factories /nspektərəv �f�kt(ə)riz/ noun a government of-ficial who inspects factories to see ifthey are safely runinspector of taxes /nspektər əv�t�ksz/ noun an official of the InlandRevenue who examines tax returns anddecides how much tax people shouldpayinspector of weights and mea-sures /nspektər əv wets ən

�me"əz/ noun a government officialwho inspects weighing machines andgoods sold in shops to see if the quanti-ties and weights are correctinstall /n�stɔ�l/ verb 1. to put a ma-chine into an office or into a factory �We are planning to install the new ma-chinery over the weekend. � They mustinstall a new data processing system be-cause the old one cannot cope with themass of work involved. 2. to set up anew computer system so that it fits theuser’s requirements 3. to configure anew computer program to the existingsystem requirementsinstallation /nstə�leʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the act of putting new machines into anoffice or a factory � to supervise the in-stallation of new equipment 2. ma-chines, equipment and buildings �Harbour installations were picketed bystriking dockers. � The fire seriouslydamaged the oil installations. 3. settingup a new computer systeminstalment /n�stɔ�lmənt/ noun apart of a payment which is paid regu-larly until the total amount is paid � Thefirst instalment is payable on signatureof the agreement. (NOTE: the usual USspelling is installment) � the final in-stalment is now due the last of a seriesof payments should be paid now � topay £25 down and monthly instal-ments of £20 to pay a first payment of£25 and the rest in payments of £20each month � to miss an instalment notto pay an instalment at the right timeinstitute /�nsttju�t/ noun a societyor organisation which represents a par-ticular profession or activity � the Insti-tute of Chartered Accountants � theChartered Institute of Personnel andDevelopment � verb to start a new cus-tom or procedure � to institute a newstaff payment schemeinstitution /nst�tju�ʃ(ə)n/ noun anorganisation or society set up for a par-ticular purposeinstruct /n�str$kt/ verb 1. to give anorder to someone � to instruct some-one to do something to tell someone of-ficially to do something � He instructedthe credit controller to take action. �

insolvency practitioner 140 instruct

The foreman will instruct the men tostop working. 2. to teachinstruction /n�str$kʃən/ noun an or-der which tells what should be done orhow something is to be used � He gaveinstructions to his stockbroker to sell theshares immediately. � to await instruc-tions to wait for someone to tell youwhat to do � to issue instructions to telleveryone what to do � in accordancewith, according to instructions as theinstructions showinstructor /n�str$ktə/ noun a personwho shows how something is to be done� Two new instructors are needed forthe training courses. � Distance learn-ing can be carried out withoutinstructors.insubordination /nsəbɔ�d-�neʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of refusing to dowhat a person in authority tells you todoinsurable /n�ʃυərəb(ə)l/ adjectivewhich can be insuredinsurance /n�ʃυərəns/ noun anagreement that in return for regular pay-ments (called ‘premiums’), a companywill pay compensation for loss, damage,injury or death � to take out insurance� Repairs will be paid for by the insur-ance. � the damage is covered by theinsurance the insurance company willpay for the damage � Repairs will bepaid for by the insurance.insurance agent /n�ʃυərənsed"ənt/, insurance broker /n-�ʃυərəns brəυkə/ noun a person whoarranges insurance for clientsinsurance company /n�ʃυərənsk$mp(ə)ni/ noun a company whosebusiness is insuranceinsurance contract /n�ʃυərənskɒntr�kt/ noun an agreement by aninsurance company to insureinsurance cover /n�ʃυərəns k$və/noun protection guaranteed by an insur-ance policy � Do you have coveragainst theft?insurance plan /n�ʃυərəns pl�n/,insurance scheme /n�ʃυərəns ski�m/noun a set of conditions which make upan insurance package � What type of in-

surance scheme should be provided forthe employees?insurance policy /n�ʃυərənspɒlsi/ noun a document which showsthe conditions of an insurance contractinsure /n�ʃυə/ verb to have a contractwith a company where, if regular smallpayments are made, the company willpay compensation for loss, damage, in-jury or death � to insure someone’s life� He was insured for £100,000. � to in-sure against loss of earningsinsurer /n�ʃυərə/ noun a companywhich insures (NOTE: for life insurance,British English prefers to use assurer)

intangible /n�t�nd"b(ə)l/ adjectivewhich cannot be touchedintangible fixed assets /n-t�nd"b(ə)l fkst ��sets/ plural nounassets which have a value, but whichcannot be seen (such as goodwill, copy-rights, patents or trademarks)integrate /�nt ret/ verb to linkthings together to form one whole groupintegration /nt� reʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of bringing several businesses to-gether under a central control

COMMENT: In a case of horizontal inte-gration, a large supermarket might takeover another smaller supermarket chain;on the other hand, if a supermarket takesover a food packaging company the inte-gration would be vertical.

integration test /nt� reʃ(ə)ntest/ noun a test to show if a person isan employee or a freelancer (by seeingif the work done is an integral part of thecompany’s operations or simply an ad-ditional help to the company)integrative bargaining/nt retv �bɑ� nŋ/, integrativenegotiation /nt retv n əυʃi-�eʃ(ə)n/ noun bargaining to reach a so-lution which is beneficial to both sidesintelligence quotient /n�teld"ənskwəυʃ(ə)nt/ noun a measure of mentalability according to a comparative scale� The intelligence test showed he hadonly an average IQ. Abbr IQ

intelligence test /n�teld"əns test/noun a test to assess someone’s intellec-tual ability

instruction 141 intelligence test

inter- /ntə/ prefix between �inter-company dealings dealings be-tween two companies in the same group� inter-company comparisons com-paring the results of one company withthose of another in the same productareainteraction /ntər��kʃən/ noun acontact between individuals or groups �There is very little interaction betweenoffice staff and manual workers.interactive learning /ntər�ktv�l��nŋ/ noun learning through a com-puter teaching package, where the stu-dent is helped by the course and istaught by making responses to thecourseinteractive skills /ntər�ktv�sklz/ plural noun skills used whencommunicating with other people (suchas passing information, giving orders ordiscussing problems)inter-bank loan /ntə b�ŋk �ləυn/noun a loan from one bank to anotherinterest group /�ntrəst ru�p/ nouna group of people who share the sameinterests (such as sport, animal welfareor owning shares in the same company)interface /�ntəfes/ noun 1. the linkbetween two different computer systemsor pieces of hardware 2. a point wheretwo groups of people come into contact� verb to meet and act with � The officePCs interface with the computer at headoffice.interfere /ntə�fə/ verb to get in-volved in or try to change somethingwhich is not your concerninterference /ntə�fərəns/ noun theact of interfering � The sales depart-ment complained of continual interfer-ence from the accounts department.interference pay /ntə�fərəns pe/noun pay made to pieceworkers whohave not had enough work becauseother workers making parts have beenmoved to other jobsinterference time /ntə�fərənstam/ noun the time during which a ma-chine is waiting for the operator’s atten-tion while they are doing something else� The production manager will calcu-late how much time is lost through inter-

ference time. � Interference time wascaused by having a lot of machinesworked by one machinist.interim /�ntərm/ noun statement ofinterim profits or dividends

‘…the company plans to keep its annualdividend unchanged at 7.5 per share, whichincludes a 3.75 interim payout’[Financial Times]

interim agreement /ntərm ə-� ri�mənt/ noun an agreement in col-lective bargaining, which is designed tokeep a strike off while a more long-termagreement is being worked out � Theinterim agreement helped providebreathing space while the two sides re-considered their positions.interim manager /ntərm�m�nd"ə/ noun an experienced man-ager who is brought in to work tempo-rarily for an organisation, usually to filla vacancy or to coordinate a particularprojectinterim payment /ntərm�pemənt/ noun a payment of part of adividendinterim relief /ntərm r�li�f/ nounan order from an industrial tribunal tell-ing an employer to continue an em-ployee’s contract of employment (or tore-employ them) until a decision hasbeen made on a complaint for unfairdismissalintermediary /ntə�mi�diəri/ noun aperson who is the link between partieswho do not agree or who are negotiating� He refused to act as an intermediarybetween the two directors.

COMMENT: Banks, building societies andhire purchase companies are all types offinancial intermediaries.

intern /�nt��n/ noun a person who isundergoing on-the-job traininginternal /n�t��n(ə)l/ adjective 1. in-side a company � we decided to makean internal appointment we decided toappoint an existing member of staff tothe post, and not bring someone in fromoutside the company 2. inside a countryor a regioninternal alignment /nt��n(ə)l ə-�lanmənt/ noun the relationship be-tween positions in an organisation interms of rank and pay

inter- 142 internal alignment

internal audit /nt��n(ə)l �ɔ�dt/noun an audit carried out by a depart-ment inside the companyinternal audit department /n-t��n(ə)l �ɔ�dt dpɑ�tmənt/ nouna department of a company whichexamines the internal accounting con-trols of that company � She is themanager of the internal auditdepartment.internal auditor /nt��n(ə)l �ɔ�dtə/noun a member of staff who audits acompany’s accountsinternal communication /n-t��n(ə)l kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/ nouncommunication between employees ordepartments of the same organisation(NOTE: Internal communication cantake various forms such as team brief-ings, interviewing, employee or workscouncils, meetings, memos, anintranet, newsletters, suggestionschemes, the grapevine, and reports.)

internal consultant /nt��n(ə)lkən�s$ltənt/ noun an employee withspecial knowledge and expertise whooffers advice or business solutions toanother department within the sameorganisationinternal consulting /nt��n(ə)lkən�s$ltŋ/ noun the work done by aninternal consultantinternal growth /nt��n(ə)l � rəυθ/noun the development of a company bygrowing its existing business with itsown finances, as opposed to acquiringother businesses (called ‘externalgrowth’)internal labour market /nt��n(ə)l�lebə mɑ�kt/ noun the workforcealready employed in a group, which canbe redeployed to other jobs inside thegroup. Abbr ILM

internally /n�t��n(ə)l/ adverb insidea company � The job was advertisedinternally.internal market /nt��n(ə)l�mɑ�kt/ noun a way of operating alarge organisation, where each managerbecomes a separate entrepreneurial unitwhich is run as if totally independentfrom the rest of the group

internal promotion /nt��n(ə)lprə�məυʃ(ə)n/ noun the promotion ofsomeone working in the company al-ready (as opposed to bringing in a newemployee from outside)internal recruitment /nt��n(ə)l r-�kru�tmənt/ noun the process of fillingvacancies by recruiting staff from insidethe companyInternal Revenue Service /n-t��n(ə)l �revənju� s��vs/ noun USa government department which dealswith tax. Abbr IRSinternal telephone /nt��n(ə)l�telfəυn/ noun a telephone which islinked to other telephones in an officeinternational /ntə�n�ʃ(ə)nəl/ ad-jective working between countriesinternational call /ntən�ʃ(ə)nəl�kɔ�l/ noun a telephone call to anothercountryinternational (dialling) code/ntən�ʃ(ə)nəl �daəlŋ kəυd/ nounthe part of a telephone number used fordialling to another countryInternational Labour Organisa-tion (ILO) /ntən�ʃ(ə)nəl �lebərɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/ a section of theUnited Nations which tries to improveworking conditions and workers’ pay inmember countriesinternational union/ntən�ʃ(ə)nəl �ju�njən/ noun US aparent union composed of affiliated un-ions, known as ‘locals’Internet /�ntənet/ noun 1. interna-tional network linking thousands ofcomputers using telephone links �Much of our business is done on theInternet. � Internet sales form an im-portant part of our turnover. � Hesearched the Internet for information oncheap tickets to the USA. 2. the global,public network of computers and tele-phone links that houses websites, allowsemail to be sent and is accessed with theaid of a modem (NOTE: The Internetuses the Internet Protocol (IP) as acommunication standard.)

‘…they predict a tenfold increase in sales viainternet or TV between 1999 and 2004’[Investors Chronicle]‘…in two significant decisions, the Securitiesand Exchange Board of India today allowed

internal audit 143 Internet

trading of shares through the Internet and set adeadline for companies to conform to norms forgood corporate governance’ [The Hindu]

internship /n�t��nʃp/ noun US aprobationary period of on-the-job train-ing for newly qualified employees underthe guidance of experts � During his in-ternship he learnt the practical aspectsof the job.interpersonal /ntə�p��s(ə)n(ə)l/adjective between peopleinterpersonal communication/ntəp��s(ə)n(ə)l kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/noun any kind of communication thattakes place between individual peopleor between the members of a groupinterpersonal relations/ntəp��s(ə)n(ə)l r�leʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun relations, communications anddealing with peopleinterpersonal skills/ntəp��s(ə)n(ə)l �sklz/ plural nounskills used when communicating withother people, especially whennegotiatingintervene /ntə�vi�n/ verb to try tomake a change in a system � to inter-vene in a dispute to try to settle adisputeintervention /ntə�venʃən/ noun 1.acting to make a change in a system �the government’s intervention in the la-bour dispute 2. an action taken by anoutside agent to change the structure ofa large companyinterview /�ntəvju�/ noun 1. a meet-ing in order to talk to a person who isapplying for a job to find out whetherthey are suitable for it � We called sixpeople for interview. � I have an inter-view next week or I am going for an in-terview next week. 2. a meeting in orderto ask a person questions as part of anopinion poll 3. a meeting in order to talkto an employee about matters related totheir job � During my appraisal inter-view my boss and I agreed some targetsfor the next few months. � verb to talkto a person applying for a job to see ifthey are suitable � We interviewed tencandidates, but found no one suitable.interviewee /ntəvju��i�/ noun theperson who is being interviewed � Theinterviewer did everything to put the in-

terviewee at ease. � The intervieweeswere all nervous as they waited to becalled into the interview room.interviewer /�ntəvju�ə/ noun theperson who is conducting an interviewinterviewing /�ntəvju�ŋ/ noun thepractice of asking other people ques-tions in order to gain information fromor about them, or to assess their abilitiesor to decide on their suitability for a par-ticular job or positionintimidation /ntm�deʃ(ə)n/ nouna threat to harm someone if they do notdo what you wantintranet /�ntrənet/ noun a network ofcomputers and telephone links that usesInternet technology but is accessibleonly to the employees of a particular or-ganisation (NOTE: An intranet that is ex-tended beyond the employees of anorganisation to include, for example,suppliers, customers or distributors, itis called an extranet.)

in tray /�n tre/ noun a basket on adesk for letters or memos which havebeen received and are waiting to bedealt within-tray learning /�n tre l��nŋ/noun a training exercise in which thetrainee plays the role of a manager andhas to deal with the contents of an intray within a set period of timein-tray test /�n tre test/, in-tray ex-ercise /�n tre eksəsaz/ noun amethod of testing management potentialby asking the candidate to deal with aset of problemsintrinsic motivation /ntrnskməυt�veʃ(ə)n/ noun the motivation ofstaff by satisfying their deepest personalneedsintrinsic reward /ntrnsk r�wɔ�d/noun a non-material reward of workingin a job (such as status, job satisfactionor human interest) � The intrinsic re-wards of the job more than compensatedfor the low pay. � Comradeship is oneof the intrinsic rewards in this job.Compare extrinsic reward

introduce /ntrə�dju�s/ verb to makesomeone get to know somebody orsomething � to introduce a client to

internship 144 introduce

bring in a new client and make themknown to someoneintroduction /ntrə�d$kʃən/ nounthe act of bringing into use � the intro-duction of new technology putting newmachines (usually computers) into abusiness or industryinvalidity /nvə�ldti/ noun the con-dition of being disabledinvalidity benefit /nvə�ldtibenft/ noun money paid by the gov-ernment to someone who is permanentlydisabledinventory /�nvənt(ə)ri/ noun 1. (es-pecially US) all the stock or goods in awarehouse or shop � to carry a high in-ventory � to aim to reduce inventory 2.US a comprehensive list of particularitems � The human resources inventoryhelped decide how many new employeeswere needed.

‘…a warehouse needs to tie up less capital ininventory and with its huge volume spreads outcosts over bigger sales’ [Duns Business Month]

inverse seniority /nv��s si�ni-�ɒrti/ noun a scheme which allows forlongest-serving employees to be laid offbefore those most recently recruitedinverted appraisal /nv��td ə-�prez(ə)l/ noun an appraisal where asubordinate appraises their managerinvestigate /n�vest et/ verb to ex-amine something which may be wrong� The Serious Fraud Office has beenasked to investigate his share dealings.investigation /nvest� eʃ(ə)n/noun an examination to find out what iswrong � They conducted an investiga-tion into petty theft in the office.Investor in People /nvestə n�pi�p(ə)l/ noun a national programmefor employee development sponsoredby the UK government (NOTE: Organi-sations that meet the required stan-dards in helping their employees toimprove their existing skills or learnnew ones are awarded the status of an‘Investor in People’.)

invitation /nv�teʃ(ə)n/ noun an actof asking someone to do something � toissue an invitation to someone to jointhe board � They advertised the invita-tion to tender for a contract.

invite /n�vat/ verb to ask someone todo something or to ask for something �to invite someone to an interview � toinvite someone to join the board � to in-vite tenders for a contractIOU noun ‘I owe you’; a signed docu-ment promising that you will pay backmoney borrowed � to pay a pile ofIOUs � I have a pile of IOUs whichneed paying.ipsative test /�psətv test/ noun atest where the candidate has to choosebetween various alternative answers (asin a multiple-choice test)IRA /�arə/ abbr US Individual Retire-ment Accountirrecoverable /r�k$v(ə)rəb(ə)l/adjective which cannot be recoveredirrecoverable debt /r-k$v(ə)rəb(ə)l �det/ noun a debt whichwill never be paidirregular /�re jυlə/ adjective not cor-rect or not done in the correct way �This procedure is highly irregular.irregularities /re jυ�l�rtiz/ pluralnoun things which are not done in thecorrect way and which are possiblyillegal

‘…the group, which asked for its shares to besuspended last week after the discovery ofaccounting irregularities, is expected to updateinvestors about its financial predicament by theend of this week’ [Times]

irregularity /re jυ�l�rti/ noun notbeing regular � the irregularity of thepostal deliveriesIRS abbr US Internal Revenue Serviceissue /�ʃu�/ noun a problem being dis-cussed � To bring up the question ofVAT will only confuse the issue. � tohave issues around to be concernedabout something (informal.)IT abbr information technologyitem validity /�atəm vəldti/ nounthe extent to which a test item measureswhat it is supposed to testitinerant worker /tnərənt �w��kə/noun a worker who moves from place toplace, looking for work � Most of theworkers hired during the summer areitinerant workers. � Much of the sea-sonal work on farms is done by itinerantworkers.

introduction 145 itinerant worker

J

janitor /�d"�ntə/ noun US a personwho looks after a building, making sureit is clean and that the rubbish is clearedaway (NOTE: British English iscaretaker)

Japanese management/d"�pəni�z �m�nd"mənt/ noun acombination of management styles thatemphasises human relations andteamworking and advanced manufactur-ing techniques such as just-in-time pro-duction and total quality managementwhich is credited with bringing aboutthe Japanese economic miracle that be-gan in the 1960s (NOTE: Japanese man-agement practices were studied in therest of the world in the hope that othercountries could imitate Japan’s eco-nomic success, but the downturn in theJapanese economy that began in the1990s has forced the Japanese them-selves to reassess them.)

JIT production abbr just-in-timeproductionjob /d"ɒb/ noun 1. a piece of work � todo a job of work to be given a job ofwork to do � to do odd jobs to do vari-ous pieces of work � He does odd jobsfor us around the house. � to be paid bythe job to be paid for each piece ofwork done 2. an order being worked on� We are working on six jobs at the mo-ment. � The shipyard has a big jobstarting in August. 3. regular paid work� He is looking for a job in the com-puter industry. � He lost his job whenthe factory closed. � She got a job in afactory. � He is going to apply for a jobin an office. � Thousands of jobs will belost if the factories close down. � tolook for a job to try to find work � tobe out of a job to have no work � tochange jobs to resign from one job andtake another � to apply for a job to ask

to be considered for a job, usually inwriting � to give up your job to resignfrom your work � to lose your job to besacked or made redundant � to retirefrom your job to leave work and take apension � to have a steady job to be ina good job, with no chance of beingmade redundant

‘…he insisted that the tax advantages hedirected toward small businesses will helpcreate jobs’ [Toronto Star]

job application /�d"ɒb �pl-keʃ(ə)n/ noun asking for a job inwritingjob application form /�d"ɒb �pl-keʃ(ə)n fɔ�m/ noun a form to be filledin when applying for a job � You haveto fill in a job application form.jobbing /�d"ɒbŋ/ noun the practice ofdoing small pieces of workjobbing printer /�d"ɒbŋ prntə/noun a person who does small printingjobsjob ceiling /�d"ɒb si�lŋ/ noun themaximum number of employees em-ployed at a given time � The recessionhas lowered the job ceilings in manycompanies in this area. � Raising thejob ceiling will enable many less quali-fied workers to find jobs.job centre /�d"ɒb sentə/ noun agovernment office which lists jobswhich are vacant � There was a longqueue of unemployed people waiting atthe job centre.job classification /�d"ɒb kl�sf-keʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of describ-ing jobs listed in various groupsjobclub /�d"ɒbkl$b/ noun an organi-sation which helps its members to findjobs � Since joining the jobclub she hasimproved her interview techniques andgained self-confidence.

janitor 146 jobclub

job cuts /�d"ɒb k$ts/ plural noun re-ductions in the number of jobsjob cycle /�d"ɒb sak(ə)l/ noun thetime taken to complete a particular jobjob description /�d"ɒb dskrpʃən/noun a description of what a job con-sists of and what skills are needed for it� The letter enclosed an applicationform and a job description.job design /�d"ɒb dzan/ noun adecision on what a job should consist ofjob dissatisfaction /�d"ɒb ds�ts-f�kʃən/ noun an employee’s feeling ofnot being satisfied with their jobjob enlargement /�d"ɒb n-lɑ�d"mənt/ noun the expansion of ajob by adding further tasks orresponsibilitiesjob enrichment /�d"ɒb nrtʃmənt/noun the process of making a job moresatisfying for the person doing itjob factor /�d"ɒb f�ktə/ noun an as-pect of a job which can be examined andto which scores can be given in job eval-uation � One of the most significant jobfactors considered in the evaluation wasthe danger involved.job family /�d"ɒb f�m(ə)li/ noun agroup of jobs having similar require-ments in terms of personneljob freeze /�d"ɒb fri�z/ noun an actof stopping the recruitment of staff in anorganisation � The recession has led toa general job freeze in the area.job grading /�d"ɒb redŋ/ nounthe process of arranging jobs in a certainorder of importance � Job grading re-sulted in certain jobs being relegated toa lower grade.job holder /�d"ɒb həυldə/ noun aperson who has a certain jobjob hopper /�d"ɒb hɒpə/ noun a per-son who changes jobs oftenjob hunting /�d"ɒb h$ntŋ/ noun theprocess of looking for employment �He bought a guide to job hunting show-ing how to write a good CV.jobless /�d"ɒbləs/ plural noun peoplewith no jobs, the unemployed (NOTE:takes a plural verb)

‘…the contradiction between the jobless figuresand latest economic review’ [Sunday Times]

job loading /�d"ɒb ləυdŋ/ noun theact of assigning a job a greater degree ofresponsibility � Job loading increasesthe self-esteem of workers whose jobshad seemed unimportant before.job measurement /�d"ɒbme"əmənt/ noun the act of establish-ing the time necessary for the perfor-mance of tasks by a skilled employeejob offer /�d"ɒb ɒfə/, offer of a job/ɒfər əv ə �d"ɒb/ noun a letter from anemployer, offering a jobjob opening /�d"ɒb əυp(ə)nŋ/noun a job which is empty and needsfilling � We have job openings for officestaff.job opportunities /�d"ɒb ɒpə-tju�ntiz/ plural noun new jobs beingavailable � The increase in export or-ders has created hundreds of job oppor-tunities. (NOTE: also calledemployment opportunites)

job performance /�d"ɒb pə-fɔ�məns/ noun the degree to which ajob is done well or badlyjob posting /�d"ɒb pəυstŋ/ noun asystem of advertising posts internally al-lowing employees to apply for otherjobs within the same organisationjob production /�d"ɒb prəd$kʃən/,jobbing production /�d"ɒbŋ prə-d$kʃən/ noun a production systemwhere different articles are producedeach to individual specificationsjob profile /�d"ɒb prəυfal/ noun adescription of a jobjob ranking /�d"ɒb r�ŋkŋ/ noun amethod of assessment where jobs to beassessed are each compared with all theothers and a final score for each ob-tained (NOTE: also called pairedcomparisons)

job requirement /�d"ɒb r-kwaəmənt/ noun the qualifications orexperience needed to start a jobjob rotation /�d"ɒb rəυteʃ(ə)n/noun the moving of workers from onejob to another systematically � Job ro-tation was instituted to make the workless monotonous.jobseeker /�d"ɒbsi�kə/ noun a personwho is looking for a job

job cuts 147 jobseeker

job-share /�d"ɒb ʃeə/ noun a form ofemployment in which two or more peo-ple share a single job, each person work-ing part-time and being paid an amountproportionate to the number of hoursthey workjob simulation exercise /d"ɒbsmjυ�leʃ(ə)n eksəsaz/ noun a testwhere candidates are put through a sim-ulation of the real jobjobs market /�d"ɒbz mɑ�kt/ nounthe number of jobs availablejob specification /�d"ɒb spesf-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun a very detailed descrip-tion of what is involved in a jobjob squeeze /�d"ɒb skwi�z/ noun aprocess of reducing the numbers of peo-ple employed, because of financialrestrictionsjob study /�d"ɒb st$di/ noun ananalysis of all aspects of a job whichmay affect performancejob ticket /�d"ɒb tkt/ noun a docu-ment which records when a particularjob was started (it is passed from workerto worker as the job progresses)job title /�d"ɒb tat(ə)l/ noun thename given to a person in a certain job� Her job title is ‘Chief Buyer’.job vacancy /�d"ɒb vekənsi/ nouna job which is empty and needssomeone to do itJohari window /d"əυhɑ�ri�wndəυ/ noun a technique used to ana-lyse how someone gives and receivesinformation and how interpersonal com-munication works (NOTE: The Johariwindow is usually represented by asquare divided into four sections by across, each section representing atype of communication in which a per-son has differing degrees of aware-ness of the impact they are making onthe other person and of the impact theother person is making on them)join /d"ɔn/ verb � to join a firm tostart work with a company � she joinedon January 1st she started work on Jan-uary 1stjoinder /�d"ɔndə/ noun a situationwhere a union or person is brought in asa party to unfair dismissal proceedingsif such a party has been instrumental in

the dismissal through some sort ofpressurejoint /d"ɔnt/ adjective 1. carried outor produced together with others � ajoint undertaking 2. one of two or morepeople who work together or who arelinked � She and her brother are jointmanaging directors.joint and several liability /d"ɔntən sev(ə)rəl laə�blti/ noun a situa-tion where someone who has a claimagainst a group of people can sue themseparately or together as a groupjoint commission /d"ɔnt kə-�mʃ(ə)n/ noun a group with equal num-bers of members from two or moregroups � They set up a joint manage-ment/union commission.joint commission of inquiry/d"ɔnt kəmʃ(ə)n əv n�kwaəri/noun a commission or committee withrepresentatives of various organisationson itjoint consultation /d"ɔnt kɒnsəl-�teʃ(ə)n/ noun established channels fordiscussion between management andemployees where management keepscontrol by disclosing plans to the em-ployee representatives and then askingthem to help put them into practice �Joint consultation helps to reduce thepossibility of industrial action.joint discussions /d"ɔnt d-�sk$ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun discussions be-tween management and employeesjoint ownership /d"ɔnt �əυnəʃp/noun the owning of a property by sev-eral ownersjoint venture /d"ɔnt �ventʃə/ nouna situtation where two or more compa-nies join together for one specific largebusiness projectjournal /�d"��n(ə)l/ noun 1. a bookwith the account of sales and purchasesmade each day 2. a magazinejourneyman /�d"��nimən/ noun USa skilled craftsman who has completedhis apprenticeshipjudge /d"$d"/ noun a person who de-cides in a legal case � The judge senthim to prison for embezzlement. � verbto make an assessment about someoneor something � to judge an employee’s

job-share 148 judge

managerial potential � He judged itwas time to call an end to thediscussions.judgement /�d"$d"mənt/, judgmentnoun a legal decision or official deci-sion of a court � to pronounce judge-ment, to give your judgement onsomething to give an official or legaldecision about somethingjudgment debtor /�d"$d"məntdetə/ noun a debtor who has been or-dered by a court to pay a debtjudicial /d"u��dʃ(ə)l/ adjective refer-ring to the lawjudicial processes /d"u�dʃ(ə)l�prəυsesz/ plural noun the ways inwhich the law worksjunior /�d"u�niə/ adjective younger orlower in rankjunior clerk /d"u�niə �klɑ�k/ noun aclerk, usually young, who has lower sta-tus than a senior clerkjunior management /d"u�niə�m�nd"mənt/ noun the managers ofsmall departments or deputies to depart-mental managersjunior partner /d"u�niə �pɑ�tnə/noun a person who has a small part ofthe shares in a partnershipjunior staff /�d"u�niə stɑ�f/ noun 1.younger members of staff (NOTE: staffrefers to a group of people and so isoften followed by a verb in the plural)

2. people in less important positions in acompanyjust /d"$st/ adjective fair and reason-able � The employees don’t expect mir-acles, but they do want a just settlementof the dispute. � Everyone respected theforeman for his just handling of theaffair.justice /�d"$sts/ noun 1. fair treat-ment in law � The employee lost hercase for unfair dismissal and felt thatjustice had not been done. 2. fairnessand reasonableness � The union negoti-ators impressed on the management thejustice of their demands.justify /�d"$stfa/ verb to give an ex-cuse for or to give a reason for � Theemployees’ representatives produced amass of documents to justify their wageclaim. � The HR manager was asked tojustify the dismissal before the indus-trial tribunal. (NOTE: justifies – justi-fying – justified)just-in-time production /d"$st ntam prə�d$kʃən/ noun the practice ofmaking goods to order just before theyare needed, so as to avoid having toomany goods in stock. Abbr JITjuvenile /�d"u�vənal/ adjective,noun young (person)juvenile labour /d"u�vənal �lebə/noun children and other young peopleemployed under special conditions (e.g.in films)

judgement 149 juvenile labour

K

K abbr one thousand � ‘salary: £20K+’salary more than £20,000 per annumkeen /ki�n/ adjective eager or active �keen competition strong competition �We are facing some keen competitionfrom European manufacturers.Keogh plan /�ki�əυ pl�n/ noun US aprivate pension system allowingself-employed businesspeople and pro-fessionals to set up pension and retire-ment plans for themselveskey /ki�/ adjective important � a keyfactor � key industries � key personnel� a key member of our managementteam � She has a key post in the organi-sation. � We don’t want to lose any keystaff in the reorganisation. � verb � tokey in data to put information into acomputer

‘…he gave up the finance job in September todevote more time to his global responsibilitiesas chairman and to work more closely with keyclients’ [Times]

key job /ki� �d"ɒb/ noun a very impor-tant jobkey-person insurance /�ki�p��s(ə)n nʃυərəns/ noun an insurancepolicy taken out to cover the costs of re-placing an employee who is particularlyimportant to an organisation if they dieor are ill for a long timekickback /�kkb�k/ noun an illegalcommission paid to someone, especiallya government official, who helps in abusiness dealkiss up to /ks �$p tυ/ verb US to at-tempt to win the favour of someone whois in a position of power by flatteringand being very attentive to them (infor-mal.)

knock off /nɒk �ɒf/ verb to stop work� We knocked off at 3p.m. on Friday.knock-on effect /�nɒk ɒn fekt/noun the effect which an action willhave on other situations � The strike bycustoms officers has had a knock-on ef-fect on car production by slowing downexports of cars.know /nəυ/ verb 1. to learn or to haveinformation about something � Doesshe know how long it takes to get to theairport? � The managing director’ssecretary does not know where he is. �He knows the African market very well.� I don’t know how a computer works.2. to have met someone � Do you knowMs Jones, our new sales director?(NOTE: knowing – knew – known)

know-how /�nəυ haυ/ noun knowl-edge or skill in a particular field � to ac-quire computer know-how � If wecannot recruit staff with the rightknow-how, we will have to initiate anambitious training programme.knowledge /�nɒld"/ noun what isknownknowledge-based assessment/nɒld" best ə�sesmənt/ noun theappraisal of an employee based onhow much they know as opposed tothe ability they have to put theirknowledge into practice. Compare per-formance-based assessment

knowledge worker /�nɒld"w��kə/ noun an employee whose valueto an organisation lies in the informa-tion, ideas and expertise that theypossess

K 150 knowledge worker

L

laboratory /lə�bɒrət(ə)ri/ noun aplace where scientific research is carriedout � The product was developed in thecompany’s laboratories. � All productsare tested in our own laboratories.(NOTE: plural is laboratories)

laboratory technician /lə-bɒrət(ə)ri tek�nʃ(ə)n/ noun a personwho deals with practical work in alaboratorylaboratory training /lə�bɒrət(ə)ritrenŋ/ noun a form of group trainingmethod for management trainees, de-signed to improve social skills andself-confidence through counselling,role-playing and simulation exercises �Laboratory training has been importantin improving self-confidence in futuresales staff. � Laboratory training willbe used to complement our training inaccountancy and marketing.Labor Day /�lebə de/ noun anAmerican national holiday celebrated onthe first Monday in Septemberlabor union /�lebə jυnjən/ nounUS an organisation which representsemployees who are its members in dis-cussions about wages and conditions ofwork with management (NOTE: BritishEnglish is trade union)

labour /�lebə/ noun 1. heavy work �to charge for materials and labour tocharge for both the materials used in ajob and also the hours of work involved� labour is charged at £5 an hour eachhour of work costs £5 2. workers, theworkforce � We will need to employmore labour if production is to be in-creased. � The costs of labour are ris-ing in line with inflation. � labourshortage, shortage of labour a situa-tion where there are not enough workersto fill jobs 3. � labour laws, labour leg-

islation laws relating to the employmentof workers (NOTE: the American spell-ing is labor)

labour agreement /�lebər ə- ri�mənt/, labour contract /�lebəkɒntr�kt/ noun a legal documentwhich is negotiated between the unionand the employer � After intensive bar-gaining a labour agreement was drawnup. � The new labour contract allowsfor a higher rate of pay.labour charges /�lebə tʃɑ�d"z/plural noun the cost of the workers em-ployed to make a product (not includingmaterials or overheads)labour dispute /�lebə dspju�t/noun a conflict or disagreement be-tween employer and employees or be-tween the groups who represent themlabourer /�lebərə/ noun a person whodoes heavy worklabour force /�lebə fɔ�s/ noun allthe workers in a company or in an area� We are opening a new factory in theFar East because of the cheap local la-bour force.

‘70 per cent of Australia’s labour force isemployed in service activity’ [AustralianFinancial Review]

labour force participation rate/lebə fɔ�s pɑ�ts�peʃ(ə)n ret/ nounthe proportion of people in the labourforce who are workinglabour force survey /�lebə fɔ�ss��ve/ noun a survey carried out fourtimes a year in the United Kingdom togain information about such topics asunemployment and hours of worklabour grading /�lebə redŋ/, la-bour ranking /�lebə r�ŋkŋ/ nounthe process of arranging jobs in order ofimportance in an organisation, and

laboratory 151 labour grading

therefore the pay which is suitable foreach joblabour injunction /�lebər n-d"$ŋkʃən/ noun a court order requir-ing an individual or group in an industryto stop certain actions considered dam-aging to anotherlabour-intensive /lebər n�tensv/adjective referring to an industry whichneeds large numbers of employees orwhere labour costs are high in relationto turnover � As the business becamemore labour-intensive, so human re-sources management became more im-portant. � With computerisation, thebusiness has become much lesslabour-intensive.labour laws /�lebə lɔ�z/ plural nounlaws concerning the employment ofworkerslabour market /�lebə mɑ�kt/ nounthe number of people who are availablefor work � 25,000 school-leavers havejust come on to the labour market.

‘European economies are being held back byrigid labor markets and wage structures’[Duns Business Month]

labour mobility /lebə məυ�blti/,mobility of labour /məυblti əv�lebə/ noun a situation in which peopleagree to move from one place to anotherto get work, or change skills within thesame organisation � Acute unemploy-ment dramatically increased mobility oflabour.labour relations /�lebə rleʃ(ə)nz/plural noun relations between manage-ment and employees � The companyhas a history of bad labour relations.labour reserve /�lebə rz��v/ nounthe people in the labour force who arenot workinglabour-saving /�lebə sevŋ/ adjec-tive avoiding the need for work bysomeone � Costs will be cut by the in-troduction of labour-saving devices.labour stability index /lebə stə-�blti ndeks/ noun an index showingthe percentage of employees who havebeen in their jobs for more than one yearlabour tourist /�lebə tυərst/ nounsomeone who lives in one country butworks in another

labour turnover /�lebə t��nəυvə/,turnover of labour /t��nəυvə əv�lebə / noun the movement of employ-ees with some leaving their jobs andothers joininglabour wastage /�lebə westd"/noun the loss of employees over a pe-riod of time � Labour wastage in thelast five years has been rising owing toan increase in people taking earlyretirement.lack /l�k/ noun the fact of not havingenough � verb not to have enough ofsomething � The industry lacks skilledstaff.lack of incentive /l�k əv n-�sentv/ noun not having enoughincentiveladder /�l�də/ noun 1. a series of stepsmade of wood or metal which can bemoved about, and which you can climb� You will need a ladder to look into themachine. 2. a series of different levelsthrough which an employee mayprogresslarge /lɑ�d"/ adjective very big or im-portant � Our company is one of thelargest suppliers of computers to thegovernment. � Why has she got an of-fice which is larger than mine?largely /�lɑ�d"li/ adverb mainly ormostly � Our sales are largely in thehome market. � They have largelypulled out of the American market.large-scale /�lɑ�d" skel/ adjectiveinvolving large numbers of people orlarge amounts of money � large-scaleinvestment in new technology �large-scale redundancies in the con-struction industrylast /lɑ�st/ adjective, adverb 1. comingat the end of a series � Out of a queue oftwenty people, I was served last. � Thisis our last board meeting before wemove to our new offices. � We finishedthe last items in the order just two daysbefore the promised delivery date. 2.most recent or most recently � Where isthe last batch of invoices? � The last tenorders were only for small quantities.last in first out /lɑ�st n f��st �aυt/noun a redundancy policy using theprinciple that the people who have been

labour injunction 152 last in first out

most recently appointed are the first tobe made redundant. Abbr LIFO

last quarter /lɑ�st �kwɔ�tə/ noun aperiod of three months at the end of thefinancial yearlast week /lɑ�st �wi�k/, last month/lɑ�st �m$nθ/, last year /lɑ�st �jə/noun the week or month or year beforethis one � Last week’s sales were thebest we have ever had. � The sales man-agers have been asked to report on lastmonth’s drop in unit sales. � Last year’saccounts have to be ready in time for theAGM.lateral /�l�t(ə)rəl/ adjective at thesame level or with the same status �Her transfer to Marketing was some-thing of a lateral move.lateral relations /l�t(ə)rəl r-�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun relationsbetween people of the same grade inan organisation � The struggle forpromotion has soured lateral relations.lateral transfer /l�t(ə)rəl�tr�nsf��/ noun an act of moving anemployee to another job at the samelevel in the organisation � I was pleasedwith my new job, even though it was alateral transfer and not a promotion.law /lɔ�/ noun 1. � the law all the lawsof a country taken together � to takesomeone to law to tell someone to ap-pear in court to settle an argument � in-side or within the law obeying the lawsof a country � against or outside thelaw not according to the laws of a coun-try � The company is possibly operatingoutside the law. � to break the law todo something which is not allowed bylaw � He is breaking the law by tradingwithout a licence. 2. a general rulelaw courts /�lɔ� kɔ�ts/ plural noun aplace where a judge listens to cases anddecides who is right legallylaw of diminishing returns /lɔ�rəv dmnʃŋ r�t��nz/ noun a generalrule that as more factors of productionsuch as land, labour and capital areadded to the existing factors, so theamount they produce is proportionatelysmallerlaw of effect /lɔ� əv �fekt/ noun theprinciple that behaviour which is re-

warded will be repeated � Payment byresults was designed to put the law of ef-fect into practice.law of supply and demand /lɔ�rəv səpla ən d�mɑ�nd/ noun a generalrule that the amount of a product whichis available is related to the needs of po-tential customerslawsuit /�lɔ�su�t/ noun a case broughtto a court � to bring a lawsuit againstsomeone to tell someone to appear incourt to settle an argument � to defenda lawsuit to appear in court to state yourcaselawyer /�lɔ�jə/ noun a person who hasstudied law and practises law as aprofessionlay /le/ verb to put � to lay an em-bargo on trade with a country to for-bid trade with a country (NOTE: laying –laid)

lay off /le �ɒf/ verb to dismiss em-ployees for a time (until more work isavailable) � The factory laid off half itsworkers because of lack of orders.

‘…the company lost $52 million last year, andhas laid off close to 2,000 employees’[Toronto Star]

lay-off /�le ɒf/ noun 1. an act of tem-porarily dismissing an employee for aperiod of more than four weeks � Therecession has caused hundreds oflay-offs in the car industry. 2. US sameas redundancylazy /�lezi/ adjective referring to a per-son who does not want to work � She istoo lazy to do any overtime. � He is solazy he does not even send in his ex-pense claims on time.leader /�li�də/ noun a person whomanages or directs others � the leaderof the construction workers’ union orthe construction workers’ leaderleaderless discussion /li�dələsd�sk$ʃ(ə)n/ noun a way of assessingcandidates for a post, by putting themtogether in a group and asking them todiscuss a problem, without appointingone of them as chairmanleadership /�li�dəʃp/ noun 1. a qual-ity that enables a person to manage oradminister others � Employees showingleadership potential will be chosen for

last quarter 153 leadership

management training. 2. a group of peo-ple who manage or administer an or-ganisation � The elections havechanged the composition of the unionleadership. (NOTE: no plural)

leading /�li�dŋ/ adjective most impor-tant � Leading industrialists feel the endof the recession is near. � They are theleading company in the field.leading indicator /li�dŋ�ndketə/ noun an indicator (such asmanufacturing order books) whichshows a change in economic trends ear-lier than other indicatorslead partner /�li�d pɑ�tnə/ noun theorganisation that takes the leading rolein an alliancelead time /�li�d tam/ noun 1. the timebetween deciding to place an order andreceiving the product � The lead timeon this item is more than six weeks. 2.the time between the start of a task andits completionleak /li�k/ verb to pass on secret infor-mation � Information on the contractwas leaked to the press. � They discov-ered an employee was leaking informa-tion to a rival company.leaky reply /li�ki r�pla/ noun a re-ply by email that is accidentally sent tothe wrong person and causes embarrass-ment to the sender (slang)lean /li�n/ adjective slim and efficient� After the cutbacks in staff, the com-pany is leaner and hungrier.lean management /li�n�m�nd"mənt/ noun a style of manage-ment, where few managers are em-ployed, allowing decisions to be takenrapidlylean production /li�n prə�d$kʃən/,lean operation /li�n ɒpə�reʃ(ə)n/noun a production method which re-duces excessive expenditure on staffand concentrates on efficient low-costmanufacturingleap-frogging /�li�p �frɒ ŋ/ ad-jective � leap-frogging pay demandspay demands where each section ofemployee asks for higher pay to dobetter than another section, which thenasks for further increases in turn �noun communication which by-passes

the official chain of command �Leap-frogging caused much resentmentamong middle managers who felt leftout of decisions.learning /�l��nŋ/ noun the process ofreceiving and assimilating informationor skills � The learning of new skills ishard for our senior employees who arenearing retirement. � The trainees allhad different learning potentials.Learning and Skills Council/l��nŋ ən �sklz kaυnsəl/ noun agovernement organisation responsiblefor the education and training of peopleover the age of 16learning by doing /l��nŋ ba�du�ŋ/ noun the gaining of knowledgeor skills through direct experience ofcarrying out tasks, usually under super-vision and as part of a training or induc-tion processlearning curve /�l��nŋ k��v/ noun1. a diagram or graph that represents theway in which people gain knowledge orexperience over time (NOTE: A steeplearning curve represents a situationwhere people learn a great deal in ashort time; a shallow curve representsa slower learning process. The curveeventually levels out, representing thetime when the knowledge gained is be-ing consolidated.) 2. the decrease in theeffort required to produce each singleitem when the total number of itemsproduced is doubled (NOTE: The con-cept of the learning curve has its originin productivity research in the aircraftindustry of the 1930s, when it was dis-covered that the time and effortneeded to assemble an aircraft de-creased by 20% each time the totalnumber produced doubled.)

learning difficulty /�l��nŋdfk(ə)lti/ noun a condiiton whichprevents someone from learning basicskills or assimilating information as eas-ily as other people (NOTE: plural islearning difficulties)

learning organisation /�l��nŋɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun an organisationwhose employees are willing and eagerto share information with each other, tolearn from each other, and to work as ateam to achieve their goals

leading 154 learning organisation

learning relationship /�l��nŋ r-leʃ(ə)nʃp/ noun a relationship be-tween a supplier and a customer inwhich the supplier changes and adapts aproduct as it learns more about the cus-tomer’s requirementslearning style /�l��nŋ stal/ nounthe way in which someone approachesthe task of acquiring knowledge andskills (NOTE: There are commonlythought to be four main types oflearner: the activist, who likes to get in-volved in new experiences and enjoyschange; the theorist, who likes to ques-tion established assumptions andmethods and learns best when there istime to explore links between ideasand situations; the pragmatist, wholearns best when there is a link be-tween the subject matter and the job inhand and they can try out in practicewhat they have learned; and the reflec-tor, who likes to take time and thinkthings through, and who learns bestfrom activities where they can observehow tasks are carried out.)

leave /li�v/ noun permission to beaway from work � six weeks’ annualleave six weeks’ holiday each year � togo or be on leave to be away from work� She is away on sick leave or on mater-nity leave. � verb 1. to go away from �He left his office early to go to the meet-ing. � The next plane leaves at 10.20. 2.to resign � He left his job and bought afarm. (NOTE: leaving – left)leave of absence /li�v əv ��bsəns/noun permission to be absent from work� He asked for leave of absence to visithis mother in hospital.leaver /�li�və/ noun a person who hasleftleaver’s statement /�li�vəzstetmənt/ noun an official documentgiven to someone who is leaving a com-pany and has recently received statutorysick payledger /�led"ə/ noun a book in whichaccounts are writtenlegal /�li� (ə)l/ adjective 1. accordingto the law or allowed by the law � Thecompany’s action in sacking the ac-countant was completely legal. 2. refer-ring to the law � to take legal advice to

ask a lawyer to advise about a legalproblemlegal adviser /li� (ə)l əd�vazə/noun a person who advises clients aboutthe lawLegal Aid /�li� (ə)l ed/, Legal Aidscheme /li� (ə)l �ed ski�m/ noun aBritish government scheme where a per-son with very little money can have le-gal representation and advice paid forby the stateLegal Aid Centre /li� (ə)l �edsentə/ noun a local office giving ad-vice to clients about applications for Le-gal Aid and recommending clients tosolicitorslegal costs /�li� (ə)l kɒsts/, legalcharges /�li� (ə)l tʃɑ�d"z/, legal ex-penses /�li� (ə)l kspensz/ pluralnoun money spent on fees to lawyers �The clerk could not afford the legal ex-penses involved in suing his boss.legally /�li� əli/ adverb according tothe law � directors are legally respon-sible the law says that the directors areresponsiblelegal profession /�li� (ə)l prə-feʃ(ə)n/ noun all qualified lawyerslegislation /led"�sleʃ(ə)n/ nounlawslegitimate /l�d"tmət/ adjective al-lowed by law � He has a legitimateclaim to the property.legitimate grievance /ld"tmət� ri�v(ə)ns/ noun an employee’s griev-ance based on an actual violation of acontract of employment � The employeereceived no compensation since he hadno legitimate grievance. � The humanresources department considered thatthe treatment of employees should besuch that no legitimate grievance couldbe claimed.leisure /�le"ə/ noun time free fromwork or other obligations � The organi-sation is trying to encourage construc-tive leisure pursuits. � The companyprovides many leisure facilities such astennis courts and a swimming pool. �Too much work and not enough leisurehad an adverse effect on his family life.

learning relationship 155 leisure

leisure activities /�le"ər �ktvtiz/plural noun what you do in your sparetimeleisure time /�le"ə tam/ noun a timewhen you are not at work, used foramusement, hobbies, etc. (NOTE: alsocalled spare time)

length /leŋθ/ noun a measurement ofhow long something islength of service /leŋθ əv �s��vs/noun the number of years someone hasworkedleniency /�li�niənsi/ noun the qualityof not being strict in dealing with subor-dinates � Given the employee’s goodwork record, she was treated with le-niency by her superior.leniency bias /�li�niənsi baəs/noun an unjustifiably high rating of anemployee’s job performance � Leniencybias works against objectivity in perfor-mance appraisal.let go /let � əυ/ verb to make some-one redundant or to sack someone (eu-phemism) (NOTE: letting – let)

letter /�letə/ noun 1. a piece of writingsent from one person or company to an-other to ask for or to give information 2.� to acknowledge receipt by letter towrite a letter to say that something hasbeen received 3. a written or printedsign (such as A, B, C, etc.) � Write yourname and address in block letters or incapital letters.letter box /�letə bɒks/ noun a placewhere incoming mail is putletter heading /�letə hedŋ/ nounthe name and address of a companyprinted at the top of a piece of notepaperletter of acknowledgement /letərəv ək�nɒld"mənt/ noun a letter whichsays that something has been receivedletter of application /letər əv�pl�keʃ(ə)n/ noun a letter in whichsomeone applies for a jobletter of appointment /letər əv ə-�pɔntmənt/ noun a letter in whichsomeone is appointed to a jobletter of attorney /letər əv ə�t��ni/noun a document showing that someonehas power of attorney

letter of complaint /letər əv kəm-�plent/ noun a letter in which someonecomplainsletter of dismissal /letər əv ds-�ms(ə)l/ noun an official letter notify-ing someone that they have beendismissedletter of introduction /letər əvntrə�d$kʃən/ noun a letter makingsomeone get to know another person �I’ll give you an introduction to the MD –he’s an old friend of mine.letter of offer /letər əv �ɒfə/ noun aletter which offers someone a jobletter of recommendation /letərəv rekəmen�deʃ(ə)n/ noun a letter inwhich the writer recommends someonefor a jobletter of reference /letər əv�ref(ə)rəns/ noun a letter in which anemployer recommends someone for anew jobletter of resignation /letər əvrez �neʃ(ə)n/ noun a letter in whichan employee resigns from their joblevel /�lev(ə)l/ noun the position ofsomething compared to others � to raisethe level of employee benefits � a deci-sion taken at the highest level a deci-sion taken by the most important personor group � low-level not very important� a low-level delegation � high-levelvery important � a high-level meeting

‘…employers having got their staff back up to areasonable level are waiting until the scope forovertime working is exhausted before hiring’[Sydney Morning Herald]

level playing field /lev(ə)l �pleŋfi�ld/ noun a situation in which the samerules apply for all competitors and noneof them has any special advantage overthe othersleverage /�li�vərd"/ noun 1. an influ-ence which you can use to achieve anaim � He has no leverage over thechairman. 2. borrowing money at fixedinterest which is then used to producemore money than the interest paidleveraged buyout /li�vərd"d�baaυt/, leveraged takeover/li�vərd"d �tekəυvə/ noun an act ofbuying all the shares in a company byborrowing money against the security ofthe shares to be bought. Abbr LBO

leisure activities 156 leveraged buyout

‘…the offer came after management had offeredto take the company private through a leveragedbuyout for $825 million’ [Fortune]

levy /�levi/ noun money which is de-manded and collected by the govern-ment � verb to demand payment of atax or an extra payment and to collect it� to levy a duty on the import of luxuryitems � The government has decided tolevy a tax on imported cars.

‘…royalties have been levied at a rate of 12.5%of full production’ [Lloyd’s List]

liability /laə�blti/ noun 1. a legalresponsibility for damage, loss or harm� The two partners took out insuranceto cover employers’ liability. � to ac-cept liability for something to agreethat you are responsible for something �to refuse liability for something to re-fuse to agree that you are responsible forsomething 2. someone or somethingwhich represents a loss to a person ororganisation � The sales director is analcoholic and has become a liability tothe company.liability insurance /laə�blti n-ʃυərəns/ noun insurance that protects aperson or organisation against the finan-cial consequences of being held legallyresponsible for something, e.g. for caus-ing an accidentliable /�laəb(ə)l/ adjective � liablefor legally responsible for � The chair-man was personally liable for the com-pany’s debts. � The garage is liable fordamage to customers’ cars.liaison /li�ez(ə)n/ noun the process ofkeeping someone informed of what ishappeningliaison officer /li�ez(ə)n ɒfsə/noun a person whose job it is to keepsomeone else informed of what is hap-pening � The human resources man-ager was appointed liaison officer withthe unions over relocation.licence /�las(ə)ns/ noun 1. an officialdocument which allows someone to dosomething 2. � goods manufacturedunder licence goods made with the per-mission of the owner of the copyright orpatent (NOTE: the American spelling islicense)

licence agreement /�las(ə)ns ə- ri�mənt/ noun a contractual agree-

ment by which a patent owner or copy-right owner allows a company to manu-facture something and pay a fee for thislicense /�las(ə)ns/ noun US spellingof licence � verb to give someone offi-cial permission to do something for afee, e.g. when a company allows anothercompany to manufacture its productsabroad � licensed to sell beers, winesand spirits � to license a company tomanufacture spare parts � She is li-censed to run an employment agency.lieu /lju�/ noun � in lieu of instead of �she was given two months’ salary inlieu of notice she was given twomonths’ salary and asked to leaveimmediatelylife /laf/ noun 1. the period of time forwhich something or someone exists �for life for as long as someone is alive �His pension gives him a comfortable in-come for life. 2. being alivelife annuity /�laf ənju�ti/ noun an-nual payments made to someone as longas they are alivelife assurance /�laf əʃυərəns/noun insurance which pays a sum ofmoney when someone dies, or at a cer-tain date if they are still alivelife assured /laf ə�ʃυəd/ noun theperson whose life has been covered bythe life assurancelife cover /�laf k$və/ noun same aslife assurancelife expectancy /laf k�spektənsi/noun the number of years a person islikely to livelife insurance /�laf n�ʃυərəns/noun same as life assurancelife insured /laf n�ʃυəd/ noun sameas life assuredlife-long employment /laf lɒŋm�plɔmənt/ noun the concept(common in Japan) that an employeewho enters a company when young willbe guaranteed employment by that com-pany for the rest of their working lifelifelong learning /laf lɒŋ �l��nŋ/noun a process of gaining knowledgeand skills which continues throughout aperson’s life (NOTE: Lifelong learningoccurs through formal and informal ed-ucation systems, both within and out-

levy 157 lifelong learning

side the workplace, and is seen as akey element in CPD and an importanttool in maintaining a person’s employ-ability in a rapidly changing businessenvironment.)life policy /�laf pɒlsi/ noun a lifeassurance contractlife skills /�laf sklz/ plural nounskills used in dealing with other peopleLIFO /�lafəυ/ abbr last in first outlight industry /lat �ndəstri/ nounan industry making small products suchas clothes, books or calculatorslightning strike /�latnŋ strak/noun a strike which is called suddenlyand only lasts a short timelimit /�lmt/ noun the point atwhich something ends or the pointwhere you can go no further � to setlimits to imports, to impose importlimits to allow only a specific amount ofimports � verb to restrict the number oramount of somethinglimited /�lmtd/ adjective restrictedlimited company /lmtd�k$mp(ə)ni/, limited liability com-pany /lmtd laə�blti k$mp(ə)ni/noun a company where each share-holder is responsible for repaying thecompany’s debts only to the face valueof the shares they own (NOTE: short-ened to Ltd)limited liability /lmtd laə�blti/noun a situation where someone’s lia-bility for debt is limited by lawlimited partnership /lmtd�pɑ�tnəʃp/ noun a registered businesswhere the liability of the partners is lim-ited to the amount of capital they haveeach provided to the business and wherethe partners may not take part in the run-ning of the businessline /lan/ noun 1. a row of letters orfigures on a page 2. a series of things,one after another � to be in line forpromotion to be the next to be pro-moted � to bring someone into line tomake someone do the same as the others3. US a row of people waiting one afterthe other (NOTE: British English isqueue) � to be on the breadline, onthe poverty line to be so poor as to havehardly enough to live on 4. a short letter

� to drop someone a line to sendsomeone a note 5. � the line is bad it isdifficult to hear clearly what someone issaying � the line is engaged the personis already speaking on the phone � to beon the line to someone to be telephon-ing someoneline authority /�lan ɔ�θɒrəti/ nounthe power to direct others and make de-cisions regarding the operations of theorganisationline management /�lanm�nd"mənt/, line organisation/�lan ɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun theorganisation of a company where eachmanager is responsible for doing whattheir superior tells them to doline manager /�lan m�nd"ə/ nouna manager responsible to a superior, butwith authority to give orders to otheremployeesline of business /lan əv �bzns/noun a type of business or workline organisation /�lan ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)n/ noun same as linemanagement

liquidation /lkw�deʃ(ə)n/ nounthe winding up or closing of a companyand selling of its assetslist /lst/ noun several items writtenone after the other � They have an at-tractive list of products or product list.� I can’t find that item on our stock list.� Please add this item to the list. � Shecrossed the item off her list.listed company /lstd �k$mp(ə)ni/noun a company whose shares can bebought or sold on the Stock Exchangelitigant /�lt ənt/ noun a person whobrings a lawsuit against someonelitigate /�lt et/ verb to go to law orto bring a lawsuit against someone tohave a dispute settledlitigation /lt� eʃ(ə)n/ noun thebringing of a lawsuit against someonelitigious /l�td"əs/ adjective referringto a person who likes to bring lawsuitsagainst other peoplelivery /�lvəri/ noun a company’s ownspecial design and colours, used e.g. onuniforms, office decoration and vehicles

life policy 158 livery

living /�lvŋ/ noun � she does notearn a living wage she does not earnenough to pay for essentials such asfood, heat and rent � to make a livingto earn enough to pay for your living ex-penses � He makes a good living fromselling secondhand cars.living expenses /�lvŋ kspensz/plural noun money spent on rent, food,etc., which may be paid by the companyif the worker has been asked to liveaway from homeloading /�ləυdŋ/ noun the process ofassigning work to workers or machines� The production manager has to en-sure that careful loading makes the bestuse of human resources.lobby /�lɒbi/ noun a group of peoplewho try to influence MPs, members oftown councils, etc. � the energy-savinglobby people who try to persuade MPsto pass laws to save energylocal adjective /�ləυk(ə)l/ located in orproviding a service for a restricted area� noun US a branch of a national tradeunionlocal authority /ləυk(ə)l ɔ��θɒrti/noun an elected section of governmentwhich runs a small area of the countrylocal collective bargaining/ləυk(ə)l kəlektv �bɑ� nŋ/ nouncollective bargaining which takes placein the factory or office, and not at na-tional levelLocal Commissioner /ləυk(ə)l kə-�mʃ(ə)nə/, Local Government Om-budsman /ləυk(ə)l $vənmənt�ɒmbυdzmən/ noun an official who in-vestigates complaints against localauthoritieslocal labour /ləυk(ə)l �lebə/ nounworkers who are recruited near a fac-tory, and are not brought there from adistancelocally /�ləυk(ə)li/ adverb in the areanear where an office or factory is based� We recruit all our staff locally.lock /lɒk/ noun a device for closing adoor or box so that it can be opened onlywith a key � The lock is broken on thepetty cash box. � I have forgotten thecombination of the lock on my briefcase.� verb to close a door with a key, so that

it cannot be opened � The manager for-got to lock the door of the computerroom. � The petty cash box was notlocked.lock out /lɒk �aυt/ verb � to lock outworkers to shut the factory door so thatworkers cannot get in and so force themnot to work until the conditions imposedby the management are metlockout /�lɒkaυt/ noun an industrialdispute where the management will notlet the workers into the factory untilthey have agreed to the management’sconditionslodge /lɒd"/ verb � to lodge a com-plaint against someone to make an of-ficial complaint about someonelog of claims /lɒ əv �klemz/ nouna type of document used in industrialnegotiations that lists the demands madeby employees on an employer or by anemployer on employeeslong /lɒŋ/ adjective for a large periodof time � in the long term over a longperiod of timelong-distance call /lɒŋ dstəns�kɔ�l/ noun a telephone call to a numberwhich is not nearlonghand /�lɒŋh�nd/ noun handwrit-ing where the words are written out infull and not typed or in shorthand � Ap-plications should be written in longhandand sent to the human resourcesmanager.long-range /lɒŋ �rend"/ adjectivefor a long period of time in the future �long-range economic forecast a fore-cast which covers a period of severalyearslong service award /lɒŋ �s��vsəwɔ�d/, award for long service/əwɔ�d fə lɒŋ �s��vs/ noun a gift orsome other form of recognition given toan employee who has worked for thesame organisation for a great manyyearslong-service leave /lɒŋ �s��vs li�v/noun a period of paid leave given bysome employers to staff who have com-pleted several years of servicelong-standing /lɒŋ �st�ndŋ/ ad-jective which has been arranged for along time � a long-standing agreement

living 159 long-standing

long-term /lɒŋ �t��m/ adjective for along time ahead � The managementplans are made on a long-term basis. �Sound long-term planning will give thecompany more direction. � It is in thecompany’s long-term interests to have acontented staff. � long-term objectivesaims which will take years to achievelong-term disability /lɒŋ t��mdsə�blti/ noun a disability which lastsor is likely to last a very long timeLong-Term Disability Plan /lɒŋt��m dsə�blti pl�n/ noun an insur-ance scheme that pays insured employ-ees a proportion of their wages in theevent of disablementlong-term planning /lɒŋ t��m�pl�nŋ/ noun planning for a long timein advance (such as in five years)loose /lu�s/ adjective not packedtogetherloose rate /�lu�s ret/ noun a rate ap-plied to an employee earning above therate earned by other employees in simi-lar jobs requiring similar skillslose /lu�z/ verb 1. not to have some-thing any more � to lose one’s job to bemade redundant or to be sacked � Helost his job in the reorganisation. � Shelost her job when the factory closed. �number of days lost through strikesthe number of days which are notworked when employees are on strike 2.to have less money � He lost £25,000 inhis father’s computer company. (NOTE:losing – lost)

loss /lɒs/ noun not having somethingany more � loss of an order not gettingan order which was expected � loss ofone’s job being made redundantlost time /lɒst �tam/ noun the timeduring which an employee does notwork, through no fault of their own �Better logistics will help cut down losttime.low /ləυ/ adjective not high or notmuch � We try to keep our wages billlow.low achiever /ləυ ə�tʃi�və/ noun aperson who does not do as well asexpected

lower /�laυə/ adjective smaller or lesshigh � a lower rate of interest � Saleswere lower in June than in May.lower earnings limit /ləυər ���nŋzlmt/ noun a minimum earnings levelat which an employee has to pay Na-tional Insurance contributionslower limit /ləυə �lmt/ noun thebottom limitlower-paid staff /ləυə ped �stɑ�f/noun staff who are paid less than otherslower ranks /�ləυə r�ŋks/ pluralnoun employees in less important jobslow-level /ləυ �lev(ə)l/ adjective notvery important � A low-level meetingdecided to put off making a decision.low-paid staff /ləυ ped �stɑ�f/noun staff on low salariesloyal /�lɔəl/ adjective 1. always buy-ing the same brand or using the sameshop � The aim of the advertising is tokeep the customers loyal. 2. referring toan employee who supports the companythey work for (NOTE: you are loyal tosomeone or something)

loyalty /�lɔəlt/ noun being faithfulLtd abbr limited companylump /l$mp/ noun � the Lump, Lumplabour self-employed workers who arepaid a lump sum for a day’s work or forthe amount of work completed (oftenwith a view to avoiding tax)lump sum /l$mp �s$m/ noun moneypaid in one single amount, not in severalsmall sums � a lump-sum bonus � Shesold her house and invested the moneyas a lump sum.luncheon voucher /�l$nʃtənvaυtʃə/ noun a ticket given by an em-ployer to an employee in addition totheir wages, which can be exchanged forfood in a restaurantlunch time /�l$ntʃ tam/ noun a timein the middle of the day when peoplehave lunch (for most British offices,from about 12.30 to 1.30pm, or from 1to 2 p.m.)lying time /�laŋ tam/ noun the timebetween the end of a period of work andthe date on which you are paid for it

long-term 160 lying time

M

MA abbr maternity allowanceMaastricht Treaty /�mɑ�strxttri�ti/ noun a treaty signed in 1992which sets out the principles for a Euro-pean Union and the convergence criteriafor states wishing to join the EMUmachine /mə�ʃi�n/ noun a devicewhich works with power from a motor �copying machine a machine whichmakes copies of documents, aphotocopiermachinery /mə�ʃi�nəri/ noun 1. ma-chines 2. an organisation or a system �the administrative machinery of a uni-versity � the machinery for awardinggovernment contractsmachinery guard /mə�ʃi�nəri ɑ�dz/ noun a piece of metal to preventworkers from getting hurt by the mov-ing parts of a machinemachine shop /mə�ʃi�n ʃɒp/ noun aplace where working machines areplacedmachine tool /mə�ʃi�n tu�lz/ noun atool worked by a motor, used to work onwood or metalmachinist /mə�ʃi�nst/ noun a personwho operates a machineMadam Chairman /m�dəm�tʃeəmən/, Madam Chairwoman/m�dəm �tʃeəwυmən/ noun a way ofspeaking to the female chairman of acommittee or meetingmagazine /m� ə�zi�n/ noun a paper,usually with pictures and printed onglossy paper, which comes out regu-larly, every month or every weekmail box /�mel bɒks/ noun 1. one ofseveral boxes where incoming mail isput in a large building 2. a box for putt-ing letters

main /men/ adjective most important� Our main office is in Birmingham. �The main building houses our adminand finance departments. � One of ourmain customers has gone intoreceivership.main office /men �ɒfs/ noun an of-fice building where the board of direc-tors works and meetsmaintain /men�ten/ verb 1. to keepsomething going or working � We try tomaintain good relations with the em-ployees’ representatives 2. to keepsomething working at the same level �The company has maintained the samevolume of business in spite of the reces-sion. � to maintain a dividend to paythe same dividend as the previous yearmaintenance /�mentənəns/ noun 1.the process of keeping things going orworking � Maintenance of contacts isimportant for a sales rep � It is essen-tial to ensure the maintenance of sup-plies to the factory. 2. the process ofkeeping a machine in good working or-der � We offer a full maintenanceservice.

‘…responsibilities include the maintenance oflarge computerized databases’ [Times]

‘…the federal administration launched afull-scale investigation into the airline’smaintenance procedures’ [Fortune]

maintenance contract/�mentənəns kɒntr�kt/ noun a con-tract by which a company keeps a pieceof equipment in good working ordermaintenance factors/�mentənəns f�ktəz/ plural nounelements at work which create em-ployee dissatisfaction when they are notadequately provided � The reason forthe strike was the lack of maintenancefactors such as decent rest periods.

MA 161 maintenance factors

maintenance of membership/mentənəns əv �membəʃp/ nounUS a requirement that employees whoare union members must remain so forthe full duration of their employment inan organisationmajor /�med"ə/ adjective important �There is a major risk of fire.

‘…a client base which includes many majorcommercial organizations and nationalizedindustries’ [Times]

majority /mə�d"ɒrti/ noun 1. morethan half of a group � the board ac-cepted the proposal by a majority ofthree to two three members of theboard voted to accept and two votedagainst 2. the number of votes by whicha person wins an election � He waselected shop steward with a majority ofthree hundred.majority vote /mə�d"ɒrti vəυt/,majority decision /mə�d"ɒrti d-s"(ə)n/ noun a decision made after avote according to the wishes of the larg-est groupmake /mek/ noun a brand or type ofproduct manufactured � Japanesemakes of cars � a standard make ofequipment � What make is the new com-puter system or What’s the make of thenew computer system? � verb 1. to pro-duce or to manufacture � The workersspent ten weeks making the table. � Thefactory makes three hundred cars a day.2. to do an action � to make a bid forsomething to offer to buy something �to make a payment to pay � to make adeposit to pay money as a deposit 3. toearn � he makes £50,000 a year or £25an hour 4. to increase in value � Theshares made $2.92 in today’s trading.make good /mek � υd/ verb 1. torepair � The company will make goodthe damage. 2. to be a success 3. tocompensate for something � to makegood a lossmake up /mek �$p/ verb to compen-sate for something � to make up a lossor difference to pay extra so that theloss or difference is coveredmake-whole remedy /mek �həυlremədi/ noun a way of compensatingan employee for their bad treatment inviolation of employment legislation �

Make-whole remedies are often consid-ered insufficient by aggrieved workers.make-work practices /�mek w��kpr�ktsz/ plural noun methods of cre-ating work for people who would other-wise have no work � Make-workpractices are boosting morale in areasbadly hit by the recession. � Make-workpractices at least provide practical workexperience.man /m�n/ noun a male worker, espe-cially a manual worker without specialskills or qualifications � All the menwent back to work yesterday. � verb toprovide the workforce for something �It takes six workers to man a shift. � Weneed volunteers to man the exhibition onSunday. � The exhibition stand wasmanned by three salesgirls. (NOTE:manning – manned. Note also toman does not mean only using men)

manage /�m�nd"/ verb 1. to director to be in charge of � to manage a de-partment � to manage a branch office �A competent and motivated person is re-quired to manage an important depart-ment in the company. 2. � to manage toto be able to do something � Did youmanage to see the head buyer? � Shemanaged to write six orders and takethree phone calls all in two minutes.

‘…the research director will manage and directa team of graduate business analysts reportingon consumer behaviour throughout the UK’[Times]

management /�m�nd"mənt/ noun1. the process of directing or running abusiness � She studied management atuniversity. � Good management or effi-cient management is essential in a largeorganisation. � a management graduateor a graduate in management � Badmanagement or inefficient managementcan ruin a business. 2. a group of man-agers or directors � The managementhas decided to give everyone a pay in-crease. (NOTE: Where managementrefers to a group of people it is some-times followed by a plural verb.)

‘…the management says that the rate ofloss-making has come down and it expectsfurther improvement in the next few years’[Financial Times]

management accountant/�m�nd"mənt əkaυntənt/ noun an

maintenance of membership 162 management accountant

accountant who prepares financial infor-mation for managers so that they cantake decisionsmanagement audit /�m�nd"məntɔ�dt/ noun a listing of all the managersin an organisation with informationabout their skills and experience � Themanagement audit helped determinehow many more managers needed to berecruited.management buyin /m�nd"mənt�ban/ noun the purchase of a subsid-iary company by a group of outside di-rectors. Abbr MBImanagement buyout/m�nd"mənt �baaυt/ noun thetakeover of a company by a group ofemployees, usually senior managers anddirectors. Abbr MBOmanagement by objectives/m�nd"mənt ba əb�d"ektvz/ nouna way of managing a business by plan-ning work for the managers to do andtesting if it is completed correctly andon timemanagement by walking around/m�nd"mənt ba wɔ�kŋ ə�raυnd/noun a way of managing where themanager moves round the office or shopfloor, discusses problems with the staffand learns from them. Abbr MBWAmanagement committee/�m�nd"mənt kəmti/ noun a com-mittee which manages something suchas a club or a pension fundmanagement course/�m�nd"mənt kɔ�s/ noun a trainingcourse for managersmanagement development/�m�nd"mənt dveləpmənt/ nounthe selection and training of potentialmanagersmanagement education/�m�nd"mənt edjυkeʃ(ə)n/ nounformal education in the principles andtechniques of management and relatedsubjects that leads to a qualificationmanagement function/�m�nd"mənt f$ŋkʃən/ noun theduties of being a managermanagement game /�m�nd"mənt em/ noun a problem which is given totrainee managers to solve as part of a

training course � The managementgame run on a computer, demanded de-cisions in marketing strategy.management of change/m�nd"mənt əv �tʃend"/ noun theprocess of managing the way changes inthe working environment are imple-mented and how they affect theworkforcemanagement ratio /�m�nd"məntreʃiəυ/ noun the number of manag-ers for every hundred employees inan organisation � There was a veryhigh management ratio since there wasmore planning and less manual workthan in most companies.management science/�m�nd"mənt saəns/ noun the studyof the skill and knowledge which can beapplied to management � He studiedmanagement science at a university.management style /�m�nd"məntstal/, style of management /stal əv�m�nd"mənt/ the way in which man-agers work, in particular the way inwhich they treat their employeesmanagement team /�m�nd"məntti�m/ noun a group of all the managersworking in the same companymanagement technique/�m�nd"mənt tekni�ks/ noun a wayof managing a businessmanagement trainee/m�nd"mənt tre�ni�/ noun a youngmember of staff being trained to be amanagermanagement training/m�nd"mənt �trenŋ/ noun theprocess of training staff to be managers,by making them study problems andwork out solutionsmanager /�m�nd"ə/ noun 1. thehead of a department in a company �She’s a department manager in an engi-neering company. � Go and see the hu-man resources manager if you have aproblem. � The production managerhas been with the company for only twoweeks. � Our sales manager started asa rep in London. � All new traineesmust report to the departmental man-ager. 2. the person in charge of a branchor shop � Mr Smith is the manager of

management audit 163 manager

our local Lloyds Bank. � The managerof our Lagos branch is in London for aseries of meetings.

‘…the No. 1 managerial productivity problem inAmerica is managers who are out of touch withtheir people and out of touch with theircustomers’ [Fortune]

manageress /m�nd"ə�res/ noun awoman who runs a shop or a departmentmanagerial /m�nə�d"əriəl/ adjec-tive referring to managers � All themanagerial staff are sent for trainingevery year. � Managerial staff have aspecial canteen. � to be appointed to amanagerial position to be appointed amanager � decisions taken at manage-rial level decisions taken by managersmanagerial grid /m�nd"əriəl� rd/ noun a type of management train-ing in which trainees attempt to solve anumber of problems in groups, andthereby discover their individualstrengths and weaknessesmanagerial obsolescence /m�n-d"əriəl ɒbsə�les(ə)ns/ noun a situa-tion where managers cannot keep upwith the latest technology or are not aswell-qualified as more junior staffmanagership /�m�nd"əʃp/ nounthe job of being a manager � After sixyears, she was offered the managershipof a branch in Scotland.managing change /m�nd"ŋ�tʃend"/ noun the process of managingthe way changes in the working envi-ronment are implemented and how theyaffect the workforcemanaging director /m�nəd"ŋda�rektə/ noun the director who is incharge of a whole company. Abbr MDmandate /m�n�det/ verb to give in-structions to someone who will repre-sent you in negotiationsmandating /m�n�detŋ/ noun theact of giving instructions to arepresentativemandatory /�m�ndət(ə)ri/ adjectivewhich everyone must obey � Wearing asuit is mandatory for all managerialstaff. � mandatory meeting a meetingwhich all staff have to attend

‘…the wage talks are focusing on employmentissues such as sharing of work amongemployees and extension of employment

beyond the mandatory retirement age of 60years’ [Nikkei Weekly]

mandatory injunction/m�ndət(ə)ri n�d"$ŋkʃən/ noun anorder from a court which compels some-one to do somethingmandatory issues /m�ndət(ə)ri�ʃu�z/ plural noun bargaining issuesthat directly affect employees’ jobsMan Friday /m�n �frade/ noun amale employee who does a variety oftasks in an office. � Girl Friday (NOTE:Sometimes person Friday is used injob advertisements to avoid sexism.)man-hour /�m�n aυə/ noun workdone by one employee in one hour �One million man-hours were lostthrough industrial action. � There aretwo hundred man-hours of work still tobe done, which will take ten workerstwenty hours to complete.manifest /�m�nfest/ noun a list ofgoods in a shipment � adjective obvi-ous or apparentmanifest content /m�nfest�kɒntent/ noun an apparent meaning ofwords used by one person to another �The manifest content of the director’stalk to us was congratulatory, but read-ing between the lines, we could tell shewas angry.manned /m�nd/ adjective with some-one working on it � The switchboard ismanned twenty-four hours a day. � Thestand was manned by our sales staff.(NOTE: manned does not mean onlyusing men)manning /�m�nŋ/ noun people whoare needed to do a work process (NOTE:manning does not mean only men)manning agreement /�m�nŋ ə- ri�mənt/ noun an agreement betweenthe company and the employees abouthow many employees are needed for acertain jobmanning levels /�m�nŋ lev(ə)lz/plural noun the number of people re-quired in each department of a companyto do the work efficientlymanpower /�m�npaυə/ noun thenumber of employees in an organisa-tion, industry or country (NOTE: man-power does not mean only men)

manageress 164 manpower

manpower audit /�m�npaυərɔ�dt/ noun a listing of all the employ-ees in an organisation with details oftheir skills and experience � A completemanpower audit was needed to decidewhat recruitment or training should becarried out to meet future requirements.manpower forecasting/�m�npaυə fɔ�kɑ�stŋ/ noun theprocess of calculating how many em-ployees will be needed in the future, andhow many will actually be availablemanpower planning /�m�npaυəpl�nŋ/ noun the process of planningto obtain the right number of employeesin each jobmanpower reductions /�m�npaυərd$kʃənz/ plural noun reductions inthe number of employeesmanpower requirements/�m�npaυə rkwaəmənts/, man-power needs /�m�npaυə ni�dz/ pluralnoun the number of employees neededmanpower shortage /�m�npaυəʃɔ�td"/ noun a lack of employeesman-to-man ranking /m�n təm�n �r�ŋkŋ/ noun the arrangement ofemployees in order according to theirskills or other criteria (NOTE: does notonly refer to men)

manual /�m�njυəl/ adjective done byhand or done using the hands � noun abook of instructions, showing what pro-cedures to followmanual labour /m�njυəl �lebə/,manual work /�m�njυəl w��k/ nounheavy work done by handmanual labourer /m�njυəl�lebərə/ noun a person who does heavywork with their handsmanufacture /m�njυ�f�ktʃə/ verbto make a product for sale, using ma-chines � The company manufacturesspare parts for cars. � noun the makingof a product for sale, using machinesmanufactured goods /m�nju-�f�ktʃəd υdz/ plural noun itemswhich are made by machinemargin /�mɑ�d"n/ noun 1. the differ-ence between the money received whenselling a product and the money paid forit 2. extra space or time allowed

‘…profit margins in the industries most exposedto foreign competition – machinery,transportation equipment and electrical goods –are significantly worse than usual’[Australian Financial Review]

marginal /�mɑ�d"n(ə)l/ adjectivehardly worth the money paidmarginal cost /mɑ�d"n(ə)l �kɒst/noun the cost of making a single extraunit above the number already plannedmarital status /m�rt(ə)l �stetəs/noun the condition of being married ornotmarket /�mɑ�kt/ noun 1. a place, of-ten in the open air where farm produceand household goods are sold � The fishmarket is held every Thursday. � Theopen-air market is held in the centralsquare. � Here are this week’s marketprices for sheep. 2. the possible sales ofa specific product or demand for a spe-cific product � There’s no market forword processors � The market for homecomputers has fallen sharply. � Wehave 20% of the British car market.

‘…market analysts described the falls in thesecond half of last week as a technicalcorrection to a market which had been pushedby demand to over the 900 index level’[Australian Financial Review]‘…market leaders may benefit from scaleeconomies or other cost advantages; they mayenjoy a reputation for quality simply by being atthe top, or they may actually produce a superiorproduct that gives them both a large marketshare and high profits’ [Accountancy]

marketing manager /�mɑ�ktŋm�nd"ə/ noun a person in charge of amarketing department � The marketingmanager has decided to start a new ad-vertising campaign.market rate /�mɑ�kt ret/ noun thenormal price in the market � We pay themarket rate for secretaries or We paysecretaries the market rate.

‘…after the prime rate cut yesterday, there was afurther fall in short-term market rates’[Financial Times]

married /�m�rid/ adjective joined ashusband and wifemarried couple /m�rid �k$p(ə)l/noun a husband and wifemarried staff /m�rid �stɑ�f/ nounstaff who have wives or husbandsmarzipan /mɑ�z�p�n/ adjective be-longing to the level of management im-

manpower audit 165 marzipan

mediately below the top executives(slang)mass /m�s/ noun 1. a large group ofpeople 2. a large number � We have amass of letters or masses of letters towrite.mass meeting /m�s �mi�tŋ/ noun ameeting attended by most or all of themembers of a trade union at a particularworkplace at which they reach decisionson important issues, e.g. whether or notto take industrial actionmass-produce /m�s prə�dju�s/verb to manufacture identical productsin large quantities � to mass-producecarsmass production /m�s prə-�d$kʃən/ noun the manufacture of largequantities of identical productsmass redundancies /m�s r-�d$ndənsiz/ plural noun many jobs be-ing lost and a large number of employ-ees being made redundant at the sametimemass unemployment /m�s $nm-�plɔmənt/ noun unemployment oflarge numbers of peoplemaster /�mɑ�stə/ adjective main ororiginal � master budget a budget pre-pared by amalgamating budgets fromvarious profit and cost centres such assales, production, marketing or adminis-tration in order to provide a main budgetfor the whole company � the mastercopy of a file the main copy of a com-puter file, kept for security purposes �the law of master and servant employ-ment law � noun 1. a skilled worker,qualified to train apprentices � a mastercraftsman 2. further university degreemaster and servant /mɑ�stər ən�s��vənt/ noun an employer andemployeemaster contract /�mɑ�stəkɒntr�kt/ noun an industry-wide con-tract between a group of employers andthe relevant unionsmastermind /�mɑ�stəmand/ verb 1.to have the main ideas behind a scheme2. to be in charge of a projectmasterminding /�mɑ�stəmandŋ/noun a type of interview where the in-terviewer influences the interviewee

who accepts their views � Master-minding resulted in interviews revealinglittle of the real discontent on the shopfloor.Master of Business Administra-tion /mɑ�stər əv �bzns ədmn-streʃ(ə)n/ noun full form of MBAmaternity /mə�t��nti/ noun the act ofbecoming a mothermaternity allowance /mə�t��nti ə-laυəns/ noun a government benefitpaid to women on maternity leave whoare not eligible for statutory maternitypay. Abbr MAmaternity leave /mə�t��nti li�v/noun a period when a woman is awayfrom work to have a baby but is oftenstill paidmaternity pay period /mə�t��ntipe pəriəd/ noun a period of eighteenweeks when statutory maternity pay ispaid. Abbr MPPmatrix management /�metrksm�nd"mənt/ noun management thatoperates both through the hierarchicalchain of command within the organisa-tion, and through relationships at thesame level with other managers workingin other locations or on different prod-ucts or projectsmatrix organisation /�metrksɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun a flexible or-ganisation structure where authority de-pends on the expertise needed for aparticular task and overall responsibilityis shared between several peoplematters arising /m�təz ə�razŋ/plural noun the business of a meetingwhich refers back to items discussed at aprevious meetingmaturity /mə�tʃυərti/ noun the thirdstage in a product life cycle when aproduct is well established in the marketthough no longer enjoying increasingsales, after which sooner or later it willstart to decline � amount payable onmaturity amount received by the in-sured person when the policy becomesmaturematurity curve /mə�tʃυərti k��v/noun a rate of pay increases based onage and length of service � Maturitycurves are not a feature of our pay

mass 166 maturity curve

structure since seniority is no guaranteeof real contribution.maximisation /m�ksma-�zeʃ(ə)n/, maximization noun the pro-cess of making something as large aspossible � profit maximisation or maxi-misation of profitmaximise /�m�ksmaz/, maximizeverb to make as large as possible � Ouraim is to maximise profits. � Theco-operation of the workforce will beneeded if we are to maximise produc-tion. � He is paid on results, and so hasto work flat out to maximise hisearnings.maximum /�m�ksməm/ noun thelargest possible number, price or quan-tity � It is the maximum the insurancecompany will pay. � up to a maximumof £10 no more than £10 � adjectivelargest possible � 40% is the maximumincome tax rate or the maximum rate oftax. � The maximum load for the truckis one ton. � Maximum production lev-els were reached last week.MBA /em bi� �e/ noun a degreeawarded to graduates who have com-pleted a further course in business stud-ies. Full form Master of BusinessAdministrationMBO abbr management buyoutMBWA abbr management by walkingaroundMD abbr managing director � She wasappointed MD of a property company.means /mi�nz/ noun a way of doingsomething � Do we have any means ofcopying all these documents quickly? �Bank transfer is the easiest means ofpayment. � plural noun money or re-sources � The company has the meansto launch the new product. � Such alevel of investment is beyond the meansof a small private company. (NOTE: plu-ral is means)means test /�mi�nz test/ verb to findout how much money someone has insavings and assets � All applicants willbe means-tested.measure /�me"ə/ noun 1. a way ofcalculating size or quantity � as a mea-sure of the manager’s performance asa way of judging if the manager’s per-

formance is good or bad 2. a type of ac-tion � to take measures to preventsomething happening to act to stopsomething happening � to take crisis,emergency measures to act rapidly tostop a crisis developing � verb 1. to findout the size or quantity of something orto be of a certain size or quantity � tomeasure the size of a package � a pack-age which measures 10cm by 25cm or apackage measuring 10cm by 25cm 2. �to measure the department’s perfor-mance to judge how well the depart-ment has donemeasured day work /me"əd �dew��k/ noun a payment scheme wherepayment for a day’s work depends on aspecified level of output being achievedmeasured performance /me"ədpə�fɔ�məns/ noun work performancewhich is measured in quantitative termsmechanic /m�k�nk/ noun a personwho works with engines or machines �He got a job as a car mechanic beforegoing to college.mechanical /m�k�nk(ə)l/ adjectiveworked by a machine � a mechanicalpumpmechanism /�mekənz(ə)m/ noun 1.the way in which something works �the company’s salary review mechanism2. the action of a machine or system � amechanism to slow down inflationmechanistic /mekə�nstk/ adjec-tive very formal and structured � It is atypical mechanistic organisation withrigid rules and procedures.mediate /�mi�diet/ verb to try tomake the two sides in an argument cometo an agreement � The human resourcesdirector said she would try to mediatebetween the manager and his staff. �The government offered to mediate inthe dispute.mediation /mi�d�eʃ(ə)n/ noun anattempt by a third party to make the twosides in an argument agree � The em-ployers refused an offer of governmentmediation. � The dispute was endedthrough the mediation of union officials.� Mediation by some third party is theonly hope for ending the dispute.

maximisation 167 mediation

medical /�medk(ə)l/ adjective refer-ring to the study or treatment of illness �he resigned for medical reasons he re-signed because he was too ill to workmedical certificate /�medk(ə)l sə-tfkət/ noun a certificate from a doc-tor to show that an employee has beenillmedical cover /�medk(ə)l k$və/noun same as medical insurancemedical examination /�medk(ə)l z�mneʃ(ə)n/ noun an examinationof a person by a doctor to find out theirstate of health � All members of staffhave to have an annual medicalexamination.medical insurance /�medk(ə)l n-ʃυərəns/ noun insurance which paysthe cost of medical treatment especiallywhen travelling abroadmedical profession /�medk(ə)lprəfeʃ(ə)n/ noun all doctorsmedical report /�medk(ə)l rpɔ�t/noun a report by a doctor on the medicalcondition of an employeemedium-term /�mi�diəm t��m/ ad-jective referring to a point between shortterm and long termmeet /mi�t/ verb 1. to come togetherwith someone � Union leaders came tomeet the negotiating committee. � Wemet the agent at his hotel. � The twosides met in the lawyer’s office. 2. to besatisfactory for � We must have a prod-uct which meets our requirements. � tomeet the demand for a new product tofill the demand for a product � to meetthe conditions of an agreement to ful-fil the conditions of an agreement � tomeet the union’s demands to agree towhat the union is asking for 3. to pay for� The company will meet your expenses.(NOTE: meeting – met)meeting /�mi�tŋ/ noun 1. the comingtogether of a group of people 2. � tohold a meeting to organise a meeting ofa group of people � The meeting will beheld in the committee room. � to open ameeting to start a meeting � to conducta meeting to be in the chair for a meet-ing � to close a meeting to end a meet-ing � to address a meeting to speak to ameeting

meetings room /�mi�tŋz ru�m/noun a special room in which meetingsare heldmember /�membə/ noun 1. a personwho belongs to a group, society or or-ganisation � Committee members votedon the proposal. � They were electedmembers of the board. � Every em-ployer is a member of the employers’federation. 2. an organisation which be-longs to a society � the member compa-nies of a trade association

‘…it will be the first opportunity for partymembers and trade union members to expresstheir views on the tax package’[Australian Financial Review]

membership /�membəʃp/ noun 1.the fact of belonging to a group, societyor organisation � membership qualifica-tions � conditions of membership �membership card � to pay your mem-bership or your membership fees �Membership of a trade union is notcompulsory, but is strongly encouragedon the shop floor. � membership of apension scheme the fact of belonging toa pension scheme 2. all the members ofa group � The union membership wasasked to vote for the new president.

‘…the bargaining committee will recommendthat its membership ratify the agreement at ameeting called for June’ [Toronto Star]

membership group /�membəʃp ru�p/ noun a group of which a certainperson is a membermemo /�meməυ/ noun a short mes-sage sent from one person to another inthe same organisation � She wrote amemo to the finance director. � Thesales manager is going to send a memoto all the sales representatives. � I sentthe managing director a memo aboutyour complaint.memo pad /�meməυ p�d/ noun apad of paper for writing short notesmemorandum /memə�r�ndəm/noun same as memomemorandum (and articles) ofassociation /memər�ndəm əndɑ�tik(ə)lz əv əsəυsi�eʃ(ə)n/ noun le-gal documents setting up a limited com-pany and giving details of its name,aims, authorised share capital, conductof meetings, appointment of directorsand registered office

medical 168 memorandum of association

mental handicap /ment(ə)l�h�ndik�p/ noun same as learningdifficulty (NOTE: term now generallyunacceptable)mentally handicapped /ment(ə)li�h�ndik�pt/ noun having a learningdifficulty (NOTE: term now generallyunacceptable)mentee /men�ti�/ noun a less experi-enced employee who is offered specialguidance and support by a respected andtrusted person with more experiencementor /�mentɔ�/ noun a person whois respected and trusted by a less experi-enced employee and offers special guid-ance and support to themmentoring /�mentərŋ/ noun a formof training or employee development inwhich a trusted and respected personwith a lot experience—the mentor—of-fers special guidance, encouragementand support to a less experiencedemployeemerit /�mert/ noun a quality whichdeserves rewardmerit award /�mert əwɔ�d/, meritbonus /�mert bəυnəs/ noun extramoney given to an employee becausethey have worked well � A merit bonuscan encourage the better workers, butwill discourage those who feel they can-not reach the required level.meritocracy /mer�tɒkrəsi/ noun asociety or organisation where advance-ment is based on a person’s natural abil-ity rather than on their backgroundmethod /�meθəd/ noun a way of do-ing something � They devised a newmethod of sending data. � What is thebest method of payment? � His organis-ing methods are out of date.method study /�meθəd st$di/ nouna study of the way in which somethingis donemid- /md/ prefix middle � from mid2001 from the middle of 2001 � Thefactory is closed until mid-July.mid-career crisis /md kərə�krass/ noun a point in the middle ofsomeone’s career when they have to de-cide what to do in the futuremiddle /�md(ə)l/ adjective in the cen-tre or between two points

middle manager /md(ə)l�m�nd"ə/ noun a manager of a depart-ment in a company, answerable to a se-nior manager or directormid-month /�md m$nθ/ adjectivewhich happens in the middle of themonth � mid-month accountsmid-week /�md wi�k/ adjectivewhich happens in the middle of a week� the mid-week lull in salesmigrant /�ma rənt/ noun a personwho moves from one place or country toanother, usually to workmigrant worker /ma rənt �w��kə/noun a worker who moves from place toplace looking for work � Migrant work-ers were working illegally without workpermits. � During the summer thou-sands of migrant workers cross the bor-der to work on the harvest.migration /ma� reʃ(ə)n/ noun mov-ing from one place or country to an-other, usually to workmilitary leave /mlt(ə)ri �li�v/ nounUS unpaid leave or absence from workby employees who are in the armedforces or who have to do their militaryservicemilk round /�mlk raυnd/ noun thevisiting of universities and colleges byemployers, in order to find promisingnew employees

‘…as the annual milk round gets under way,many students are more interested in finalexams than in job hunting’[Personnel Management]

minimal /�mnm(ə)l/ adjective thesmallest possible � There was a mini-mal quantity of imperfections in thebatch. � The head office exercises mini-mal control over the branch offices.minimise /�mnmaz/, minimizeverb 1. to make something seem to bevery small and not very important 2. tomake something as small as possible �The company is attempting to minimiseits labour costs by only hiring workerswhen they are needed. � Unemploymentwas minimised by giving more peoplepart-time work.minimum /�mnməm/ noun smallestpossible quantity, price or number � tokeep expenses to a minimum � to reducethe risk of a loss to a minimum (NOTE:

mental handicap 169 minimum

plural is minima or minimums) � ad-jective smallest possible � minimumpayment the smallest paymentnecessaryminimum age /mnməm �ed"/noun the lowest age at which someonecan be employed (13 in a few types ofemployment, but 16 is the legalminimum)minimum pay /mnməm �pe/,minimum wage /mnməm �wed"/noun the lowest hourly wage which acompany can legally pay its employeesminimum salary /mnməm�s�ləri/ noun the lowest amount ofmoney that an employee is guaranteedto earn, i.e. their basic pay, which maybe increased if an employee qualifies fora bonus by performing wellminor /�manə/ adjective less impor-tant � Items of minor expenditure arenot listed separately. � The minorshareholders voted against the pro-posal. � minor official a person in alow position in a governmentdepartmentminority /ma�nɒrti/ noun 1. a num-ber or quantity which is less than half ofthe total � A minority of board membersopposed the chairman. � A minority ofthe union members opposed the motion.� to be in the minority to be one of agroup that is a small part of a largergroup 2. a section of the populationfrom a specific racial group, which doesnor make up the majority of thepopulationminutes /�mnts/ plural noun notesof what happened at a meeting, writtenby the secretary � to take the minutesto write notes of what happened at ameetingmisappropriate /msə�prəυpriet/verb to use illegally money which is notyours, but with which you have beentrustedmisappropriation /msəprəυpri-�eʃ(ə)n/ noun the illegal use of moneyby someone who is not the owner butwho has been trusted to look after itmiscarriage of justice/msk�rd" əv �d"$sts/ noun a deci-sion wrongly or unjustly reached by a

court or decision which goes against therights of a party in a case, in such a waythat the decision may be reversed onappealmisconduct /ms�kɒnd$kt/ noun anillegal action by an employee, or an ac-tion which can harm someone, e.g. dis-obeying instructionsmisdemeanour /msd�mi�nə/ nouna minor crime � to commit a misde-meanour (NOTE: the usual US spellingis misdemeanor)mismanage /ms�m�nd"/ verb tomanage badly � The company had beenbadly mismanaged under the previousMD.mismanagement /ms-�m�nd"mənt/ noun bad management� The company failed because of thechairman’s mismanagement.misrepresentation /msreprzen-�teʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the act of making awrong statement in order to persuadesomeone to enter into a contract such asone for buying a product or service 2.the act of wrongly reporting factsmistake /m�stek/ noun an act or de-cision which is wrong � to make a mis-take to do something wrong � The shopmade a mistake and sent the wrongitems. � There was a mistake in the ad-dress. � He made a mistake in address-ing the letter.misunderstanding /ms$ndə-�st�ndŋ/ noun an act of not under-standing something correctly � Therewas a misunderstanding over the paydeal.misuse noun /ms�ju�s/ a wrong use� the misuse of funds or of assets � verb� to misuse funds to use funds in awrong way (especially funds which donot belong to you)misuse of authority /msju�s əvɔ��θɒrti/ noun the use of one’s author-ity in a wrong waymobile /�məυbal/ adjective whichcan move about � mobile workforceemployees who move from place toplace to get workmobile phone /�məυbal �fəυn/noun a small portable phone which canbe used away from home or the office

minimum age 170 mobile phone

mobile worker /məυbal �w��kə/noun an employee who does not haveone fixed place of work (NOTE: Mobileworkers, such as teleworkers, are usu-ally linked to a central base by tele-phone and computer)

mobility /məυ�blti/ noun the abilityto move from one place to anothermobility allowance /məυ�blti ə-laυəns/ noun an addition to normal sal-ary paid to an employee who is willingto travel to different places of workmodel /�mɒd(ə)l/ noun 1. a small copyof something made to show what it willlook like when finished � They showedus a model of the new office building. 2.something which can be copied � theSwedish model of industrial relations �adjective which is a perfect example tobe copied � a model agreementmoderate adjective /�mɒd(ə)rət/ 1.not too large � The trade union made amoderate claim. � The government pro-posed a moderate increase in the taxrate. 2. not holding very extreme views� a moderate trade union leader � verb/�mɒdəret/ to make less strong or lesslarge � The union was forced to moder-ate its claim.modification /mɒdf�keʃ(ə)n/noun a change � The board wanted tomake or to carry out modifications tothe plan. � The client pressed for modi-fications to the contract.modify /�mɒdfa/ verb to change orto make something fit a different use �The management modified its proposals.� This is the new modified agreement.(NOTE: modifies – modifying –modified)

momentum /məυ�mentəm/ noun amovement forwards � to gain or losemomentum to move faster or moreslowlyMonday morning feeling/m$nde �mɔ�nŋ fi�lŋ/ noun a feel-ing of being slightly ill or miserable ongoing to work on Monday morningmoney purchase pension /�m$nip��tʃs penʃən/ noun a pension planto which both employer and employeemake contributions

money purchase pensionscheme /m$ni p��tʃs �penʃənski�m/ noun (in the United Kingdom) apension plan in which the fund that isbuilt up from a person’s contributions isused to buy an annuity, and the retire-ment income that the beneficiary re-ceives depends on the amount of theircontributions, the performance of the in-vestments bought with those contribu-tions, the annuity rates and the type ofannuity purchased at retirementmonitor /�mɒntə/ noun a screen on acomputer � He brought up the informa-tion on the monitor. � verb to check orto examine how something is working �How do you monitor the performance ofthe sales reps?month /m$nθ/ noun one of twelve pe-riods which make a year � bills due atthe end of the current month � Sheearns £2,000 a month. � paid by themonth paid once each month � to givea customer two months’ credit to al-low a customer to pay not immediately,but after two monthsmonth end /m$nθ �end/ noun the endof a calendar month, when accountshave to be drawn up � The accounts de-partment are working on the month-endaccounts.monthly /�m$nθli/ adjective happen-ing every month or which is receivedevery month � We get a monthly state-ment from the bank. � She makesmonthly payments to the credit cardcompany. � My monthly salary chequeis late. � adverb every month � Heasked if he could pay monthly by directdebit. � The account is creditedmonthly.moonlight /�mu�nlat/ verb to do asecond job for cash (often in the eve-ning) as well as a regular job (informal.)

moonlighter /�mu�nlatə/ noun aperson who moonlightsmoonlighting /�mu�nlatŋ/ nounthe practice of doing a second job � Hemakes thousands a year frommoonlighting.morale /mə�rɑ�l/ noun a feeling ofconfidence or satisfaction � Employeemorale is low due to the threat of unem-

mobile worker 171 morale

ployment. � to boost morale to increasethe employees’ feelings of confidencemorning shift /�mɔ�nŋ ʃft/ noun ashift which works during the morning(typically from 7.00 or 8.00 a.m. tolunchtime)motion /�məυʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the act ofmoving about 2. a proposal which willbe put to a meeting to be voted on � tospeak against or for a motion � MrBrown will propose or move a motioncongratulating the board on the results.� The meeting voted on the motion. �The motion was carried or was defeatedby 220 votes to 196.motion study /�məυʃ(ə)n st$di/noun a study of the movements of em-ployees performing tasks in order to im-prove efficiencymotivate /�məυtvet/ verb to encour-age someone to do something, espe-cially to work or to sell � highlymotivated sales staff sales staff whoare very eager to sell

‘…creative people aren’t necessarily motivatedby money or titles, they may not want a largeroffice or more work, they don’t often want moreresponsibility. They want to see their ideasimplemented’ [Nation’s Business]

motivation /məυt�veʃ(ə)n/ noun1. an encouragement to staff 2. eager-ness to work well or sell large quantitiesof a product � the sales staff lack moti-vation the sales staff are not eagerenough to sellmotivational /məυt�veʃ(ə)n(ə)l/adjective referring to motivationmotivational factor /məυt-�veʃ(ə)n(ə)l f�ktə/ noun an aspect ofa job or an organisation which encour-ages employees to work hard � A bonussystem based on production targets wasa strong motivational factor. � A highcommission should be a strong motiva-tional factor for the sales force.mouse /maυs/ noun small moveabledevice attached to a personal computerand used to move or select items on thescreen (NOTE: plural is mouses ormice)

‘…you can use a mouse to access pop-up menusand a keyboard for a word-processor’ [Byte]

movement /�mu�vmənt/ noun 1. anact of changing position or going up or

down � movements in the money mar-kets � cyclical movements of trade �free movement of labour within theEU the principle that workers from anycountry of the EU can move to anothercountry to obtain work 2. a group ofpeople working towards the same aim �the labour movement � the free trademovement � the trade union movementmover and shaker /mu�vər ən�ʃekə/ noun an influential and dynamicperson within an organisation or groupof people who makes things happen (in-formal.)MPP abbr maternity pay periodMr Chairman /mstə �tʃeəmən/noun a way of speaking to the malechairman of a committee meetingmulti-employer bargaining/m$lti mplɔə �bɑ� nŋ/ noun cen-tralised bargaining about pay, usuallybetween employer’s associations repre-senting all the employers in a particularindustry in a country or region and therelevant trade unionsmultinational corporation/m$ltin�ʃ(ə)n(ə)l kɔ�pə�reʃ(ə)n/noun a company which has branches orsubsidiary companies in severalcountriesmultiple /�m$ltp(ə)l/ adjective many� noun a company with stores in sev-eral different towns

‘…many independents took advantage of thebank holiday period when the big multipleswere closed’ [The Grocer]‘…the multiple brought the price down to £2.49in some stores. We had not agreed to this dealand they sold out very rapidly. When theyreordered we would not give it to them. Thiskind of activity is bad for the brand and wecannot afford it’ [The Grocer]

multiple chain promotion plan/m$ltp(ə)l tʃen prə�məυʃ(ə)n pl�n/a system of linking each position in anorganisation to several others fromwhich promotion may be made, or towhich employees may be promotedmultiple-employer bargaining/m$ltp(ə)l mplɔə �bɑ� nŋ/ nounsame as multi-employer bargainingmultiple hurdle selection/m$ltp(ə)l �h��d(ə)l slekʃən/, mul-tiple hurdle system /m$ltp(ə)l�h��d(ə)l sstəm/ noun a method of se-

morning shift 172 multiple hurdle selection

lecting candidates for a job by requiringthat they should pass a series of tests �The multiple hurdle system very effi-ciently eliminates a large number ofcandidates.multiple management /m$ltp(ə)l�m�nd"mənt/ noun a managementsystem where committees of middlemanagers advise top management oncompany policymultiskilling /�m$ltisklŋ/ noun asystem of working where employees aretrained to work in various types of job,and none are kept on the same type ofwork for very long, so as to allow flexi-bility in the deployment of theworkforcemultitasking /�m$ltitɑ�skŋ/ noun1. performing several different tasks atthe same time 2. running several differ-ent software programs at the same timeMurphy’s law /m��fiz �lɔ�/ nounlaw, based on wide experience, whichsays that in commercial life if some-thing can go wrong it will go wrong, orthat when you are thinking that things

are going right, they will inevitably startto go wrongmushroom job /�m$ʃru�m d"ɒb/noun US a job which is unpleasant(slang)

mutuality /mju�tʃu��lti/ noun theright of a trade union to bargain on be-half of its members and so take a part inthe running of the companymutuality agreement /mju�tʃu-��lti ə ri�mənt/ noun an agreementbetween management and union, bywhich the management agrees not tomake changes to the conditions of workwithout consulting the unionMyers-Briggs type indicator/maəz br z �tap ndketə/ noun atest designed to indicate what type ofpersonality a person has on the basis ofthe preferences they show with regard tofour paired opposites: extraversion andintroversion; sensing and intuition;thinking and feeling; judging andperceivingMYOB abbr mind your own business

multiple management 173 MYOB

N

narrative /�n�rətv/ noun a descrip-tion of something as a storynarrative appraisal /�n�rətv ə-prez(ə)l/ noun a type of performanceappraisal where the employee’s perfor-mance is described with illustrations ofspecific points about itnation /�neʃ(ə)n/ noun a country andthe people living in itnational /�n�ʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective refer-ring to the whole of a particular country� noun a person who is a citizen of astatenational agreement /n�ʃ(ə)nəl ə-� ri�mənt/ noun an agreement betweenemployers and a union at national level(i.e. covering the whole country)National Council for Voca-tional Qualifications /n�ʃ(ə)nəlkaυnsəl fə vəυkeʃ(ə)n(ə)l kwɒləf-�keʃənz/ noun full form of NCVQnational executive (committee)/n�ʃ(ə)nəl �zekjυtv kəmti/ nounthe main committee running a tradeunionNational Insurance /n�ʃ(ə)nəl n-�ʃυərəns/ noun state insurance in theUnited Kingdom, organised by the gov-ernment, which pays for medical care,hospitals, unemployment benefits, etc.Abbr NInational insurance benefits/n�ʃ(ə)nəl n�ʃυərəns benfts/plural noun various benefits which aredependent on having paid NI contribu-tions (such as retirement pension)National Insurance contribu-tions /n�ʃ(ə)nəl n�ʃυərəns kɒntr-bju�ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun a proportion ofincome paid each month by an em-ployee and the employee’s company tothe National Insurance. Abbr NIC

nationality /n�ʃə�n�lti/ noun thestate of being a citizen of a particularcountry � he is of British nationalityhe is a British citizenNational Occupational Healthand Safety Commission/n�ʃ(ə)nəl ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)n(ə)l helθ ən�sefti kəmʃ(ə)n/ noun a governmentagency in Australia that is responsiblefor coordinating efforts to prevent in-jury, disease, and deaths occurring inthe workplacenational union /n�ʃ(ə)nəl�ju�njən/ noun a central union organi-sation which coordinates local branchesNational Vocational Qualifica-tion /n�ʃ(ə)n(ə)l vəυkeʃ(ə)nəlkwɒlf�keʃ(ə)n/ noun a qualificationawarded in the United Kingdom when aperson successfully completes a coursevocational training. Abbr NVQ (NOTE:National Vocational Qualifications arebased on standards developed byleading organisations in the industrialand commercial sectors, defining theskills or competences required in par-ticular occupations.)

national wage agreement/n�ʃ(ə)nəl �wed" ə ri�mənt/ nounan agreement reached through collectivebargaining between trade unions andemployers, which sets national rates ofpay within particular industries or forparticular jobsnationwide /�neʃənwad/ adjectiveall over a country � We offer a nation-wide delivery service. � The new car isbeing launched with a nationwide salescampaign.natural /�n�tʃ(ə)rəl/ adjective 1.found in the earth � The offices areheated by natural gas. 2. normal � Itwas only natural that the shopkeeper

narrative 174 natural

should feel annoyed when the hyper-market was built close to his shop. � Itwas natural for the workers to feel ag-grieved when production methods werechanged without consultation.natural wastage /n�tʃ(ə)rəl�westd"/ noun the process of losingemployees because they resign or retire,not because they are made redundant orare sacked � The company is hoping toavoid redundancies and reduce its staffby natural wastage.NAV abbr net asset valueNCVQ noun a government body set upto validate the system of national quali-fications in vocational subjects. Abbr ofNational Council for VocationalQualificationsneeds /ni�dz/ plural noun things thatare necessaryneeds assessment /�ni�dz ə-sesmənt/, assessment of needs /ə-sesmənt əv �ni�dz/ noun an analysisof an organisation’s manpower require-ments which can form the basis of train-ing plans � Needs assessment pointed toa level of manpower requirementswhich the company could not finance.negative /�ne ətv/ adjective mean-ing ‘no’neglect /n� lekt/ noun the act of notdoing a duty � verb � to neglect to dosomething to forget or omit to do some-thing which has to be done � He ne-glected to return his income tax form.neglected /n� lektd/ adjective notwell looked afterneglected business /n lektd�bzns/ noun a company which has notbeen actively run by its owners andcould therefore do betternegligence /�ne ld"əns/ noun 1. alack of proper care or not doing a duty(with the result that a person or propertyis harmed) 2. the act of not doing a jobproperly when one is capable of doing itnegligent /�ne ld"ənt/ adjective nottaking appropriate carenegligently /�ne ld"ənt(ə)li/ ad-verb in a way which shows negligencenegligent reference /ne ld"ənt�ref(ə)rəns/ noun a written reference

from an employer which could misleadanother employer about an employeenegligible /�ne ld"b(ə)l/ adjectivevery smallnegotiable /n� əυʃiəb(ə)l/ adjective1. which can be transferred from oneperson to another or exchanged for cash2. which can be discussed so that anagreement is reached � The employer’soffer was not negotiable, so when it wasturned down a strike seemed inevitable.� All parts of the offers are negotiable,with the exception of the new manninglevels. � The salary for the job isnegotiable.

‘…initial salary is negotiable around $45,000per annum’ [Australian Financial Review]

negotiate /n� əυʃiet/ verb � to ne-gotiate with someone to discuss a prob-lem or issue formally with someone, soas to reach an agreement � to negotiateterms and conditions or a contract todiscuss and agree the terms of a contract� to go back to the negotiating table tostart negotiations again after a break �The two sides discussed the proposals,and, a week later, the management ne-gotiators returned to the negotiating ta-ble with improved proposals.

‘…many of the large travel agency chains areable to negotiate even greater discounts’[Duns Business Month]

negotiating committee /n-� əυʃietŋ kəmti/ noun a group ofrepresentatives of management and un-ions who negotiate a wage settlementnegotiating team /n� əυʃietŋti�m/ noun a group which negotiates forone party in negotiations � The unionnegotiating team asked for further timeto consider the management’sproposals.negotiation /n əυʃi�eʃ(ə)n/ nounthe discussion of terms and conditionsin order to reach an agreement � con-tract under negotiation a contractwhich is being discussed � a matter fornegotiation something which must bediscussed before a decision is reached �to enter into or to start negotiations tostart discussing a problem � to resumenegotiations to start discussing a prob-lem again, after talks have stopped for atime � to break off negotiations to stopdiscussing a problem � to conduct ne-

natural wastage 175 negotiation

gotiations to negotiate � negotiationsbroke down after six hours discus-sions stopped because no agreementwas possible � breakdown in negotia-tions a halt in talking because no agree-ment has been reached, afternegotiations have been in progress forsome time � resumption of negotia-tions a restarting of negotiations, aftertalks have stopped for a time

‘…after three days of tough negotiations, thecompany reached agreement with its 1,200unionized workers’ [Toronto Star]

negotiator /n� əυʃietə/ noun a per-son who discusses a problem with theaim of achieving agreement betweendifferent people or groups of people �experienced union negotiator a mem-ber of a union who has a lot of experi-ence of discussing terms of employmentwith managementnepotism /�nepətz(ə)m/ noun thepractice of giving preferential treatmentto someone who is a relative or friend(especially giving a job to a member ofthe family who is less well qualifiedthan other candidates) � The staff talkedabout nepotism when the training offi-cer selected her nephew for manage-ment training.net /net/ adjective referring to a price,weight, pay, etc., after all deductionshave been made � net profit before taxthe profit of a company after expenseshave been deducted but before tax hasbeen paid � verb to make a true profit �to net a profit of £10,000 (NOTE: netting– netted) � adverb after deductionshave been made � His salary is paidnet.

‘…out of its earnings a company will pay adividend. When shareholders receive this it willbe net, that is it will have had tax deducted at 30per cent’ [Investors Chronicle]

net asset value /net ��set v�lju�/noun the total value of a company afterdeducting the money owed by it (it isthe value of shareholders’ capital plusreserves and any money retained fromprofits). Abbr NAVnethead /�nethed/ noun somebodywho is obsessed with the Internet(slang)netiquette /�netket/ noun the rulesfor proper procedure and good manners

that are usually observed when commu-nicating on the Internet (NOTE: The termderives from the word ‘etiquette’.)

netizen /�netz(ə)n/ noun a regularuser of the Internet (slang)

net margin /net �mɑ�d"n/ noun thepercentage difference between receivedprice and all costs, including overheadsnet pay /net �pe/ noun same astake-home pay

net salary /net �s�ləri/ noun the sal-ary which is left after deducting tax andNational Insurance contributionsnetwork /�netw��k/ noun a systemwhich links different points together �verb to link together in a networknetworking /�netw��kŋ/ noun 1. aworking method where employees workat home on computer terminals, andsend the finished material back to thecentral office by email 2. the practice ofkeeping in contact with former col-leagues, school friends, etc., so that allthe members of the group can help eachother in their careersneurolinguistic programming/nju�rəυlŋ wstk �prəυ r�mŋ/noun a theory of behaviour and commu-nication based on how people avoidchange and how to help them to change.Abbr NLP

neutrality laws /nju��tr�lti lɔ�z/plural noun US laws relating to discrim-ination which must be observed byorganisationsnew /nju�/ adjective recent or not old �under new management with a newownernewbie /�nju�bi/ noun a person who isnew to using the Internet (slang)

new blood /nju� �bl$d/ same as freshblood

new broom /nju� �bru�m/ noun amanager or director brought into a com-pany to change existing practices andpossibly remove old-established staffnews /nju�z/ noun information aboutthings which have happenednews agency /�nju�z ed"ənsi/noun an office which distributes news tonewspapers and television stations

negotiator 176 news agency

newsletter /�nju�zletə/ noun � com-pany newsletter a printed sheet orsmall newspaper giving news about acompanynewssheet /�nju�zʃi�t/ noun a leafletdistributed by an organisation, givingthe latest news about itselfnext of kin /nekst əv �kn/ noun thenearest member of the family (to becontacted if an employee dies or is in-volved in an accident)NI abbr National InsuranceNIC abbr National Insurancecontributionsnice guys finish last /nas azfnʃ �lɑ�st/ phrase a saying used inbusiness to suggest that people shouldthink about themselves firstnice-to-haves /nas tə �h�vz/ nounthe benefits of a job, such as free park-ing or subsidised meals, which are goodto have but not essential (informal.)

night /nat/ noun a period of time fromevening to morningnight duty /�nat dju�ti/ noun a pe-riod of work during the nightnight shift /�nat ʃft/ noun a shiftwhich works at night � There are thirtymen on the night shift.nightwork /�natw��k/ noun workdone at nightNLP abbr neurolinguistic programmingNo., No abbr numberno-attention job /nəυ ə�tenʃənd"ɒb/ noun a job that can be done withminimal concentration � No-attentionjobs create stress because of the bore-dom they produce.no-claims bonus /nəυ �klemzbəυnəs/ noun 1. a reduction of premi-ums on an insurance policy because noclaims have been made 2. a lower pre-mium paid because no claims have beenmade against the insurance policynomadic worker /nəυm�dk�w��kə/ noun same as mobile workernominal /�nɒmn(ə)l/ adjective (of apayment) very small � They are payinga nominal rent. � The employmentagency makes a nominal charge for itsservices.

nominal group technique/nɒmn(ə)l � ru�p tekni�k/ noun agroup method of drawing out ideas frompeople on a specific topic � Nominalgroup methods are used when represen-tatives from all the sales and productiondepartments are considering new prod-uct ideas.nominate /�nɒmnet/ verb to suggestsomeone for a job � to nominate some-one to a post to appoint someone to apost without an electionnomination /nɒm�neʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of nominating someone for apositionnominee /nɒm�ni�/ noun 1. a personwho is nominated, especially someonewho is appointed to deal with financialmatters on your behalf 2. a person whois nominated for a job (NOTE: a personmay be nominated to a position withoutany other candidates being consid-ered, or without the post being adver-tised; the word implies a personalchoice, rather than selection by a com-mittee. In other cases, it is better touse the words appoint, appointment,appointee)

COMMENT: Shares can be purchasedand held in nominee accounts so that theidentity of the owner of the shares cannotbe discovered easily.

non- /nɒn/ prefix notnon-analytical job evaluation/nɒn �nəltk(ə)l �d"ɒb v�lju-eʃ(ə)n/ noun a way of evaluating ajob, by giving each job a rank within theorganisation (as opposed to the analyti-cal system, where each job is evaluatedaccording to a points system)non-conformance /nɒn kən-�fɔ�məns/ noun the act of not con-forming � He was criticised fornon-conformance with the regulations.non-contributory pension plan/nɒn kəntrbjυt(ə)ri �penʃən pl�n/,non-contributory pension scheme //nɒn kəntrbjυt(ə)ri �penʃən ski�m/noun a pension scheme where a com-pany, not the employee, pays all contri-butions � The company pension schemeis non-contributory.non-directive counselling /nɒndarektv �kaυns(ə)lŋ/ noun the giv-

newsletter 177 non-directive counselling

ing of professional advice to others onpersonal matters, without following afixed form, but rather through open dis-cussion of problemsnon-directive interview /nɒn da-�rektv ntəvju�/, non-directed inter-view /nɒn da�rektd ntəvju�/ nounan interview in which the questions arenot set in advance and no fixed patternis followed � Non-directed interviewsgive candidates a good chance to showtheir creative potential.non-disclosure agreement /nɒnds�kləυ"ər ə ri�mənt/ noun a legallyenforceable agreement that stops presentor past employees from revealing com-mercially sensitive information belong-ing to their employer to anybody elsenon-disparagement agreement/nɒn d�sp�rd"mənt ə ri�mənt/noun an agreement intended to stoppresent or past employees fromcriticising their employers in public(NOTE: Non-disparagement agree-ments are relatively new and it is notyet clear whether the courts will acceptthem as legally binding.)non-executive director /nɒn -zekjυtv da�rektə/ noun a directorwho attends board meetings and givesadvice, but does not work full-time forthe companynon-exempt employee /nɒn -zempt m�plɔi�/ noun a person whosewages are subject to minimum wagelegislationnon-financial incentive scheme/nɒn fan�nʃəl n�sentv ski�m/ nouna scheme that provides an incentive toemployees to work harder or performbetter that takes some other form thanmoneynon-profit-making organisation/nɒn prɒft mekŋ ɔ� əna-�zeʃ(ə)n/, non-profit organisation/nɒn �prɒft ɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)n/ nounan organisation (such as a club) which isnot allowed by law to make a profit �Non-profit-making organisations areexempted from tax. (NOTE: Non-profitorganisations include charities, pro-fessional associations, trade unions,and religious, arts, community, re-search, and campaigning bodies. The

American English is non-profitcorporation.)

non-resident /�nɒn�rezdənt/ noun aperson who is not considered a residentof a country for tax purposes � He has anon-resident bank account.non-taxable /nɒn �t�ksəb(ə)l/ ad-jective which is not subject to tax �non-taxable income � Lottery prizes arenon-taxable.non-union labour /nɒn �ju�njənlebə/ noun employees who do not be-long to trade unions employed by acompanynon-union member /nɒn �ju�njənmembə/ noun a person who does notbelong to a trade unionnon-verbal communication /nɒnv��b(ə)l kəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the communicating of a message usingfacial expressions or body language, butwithout speaking � In negotiations, in-terpreting non-verbal communication isjust as important as listening to whatpeople say. 2. any form of communica-tion that is not expressed in words(NOTE: Non-verbal communication,which includes, for example, body lan-guage, silence, failure or slowness torespond to a message and lateness inarriving for a meeting, is estimated tomake up 65–90% of all communica-tion.)

norm /nɔ�m/ noun the usual quantityor the usual rate � The output from thisfactory is well above the norm for theindustry or well above the industrynorm.normal /�nɔ�m(ə)l/ adjective usual orwhich happens regularly � Normal de-liveries are made on Tuesdays and Fri-days. � Now that supply difficultieshave been resolved we hope to resumenormal service as soon as possible.normally /�nɔ�m(ə)li/ adverb in theusual way � The production line isworking normally again after thestoppage.normal working /nɔ�m(ə)l �w��kŋ/noun working in the usual way � Nor-mal working will be resumed as soon asthe men return to work on Monday.

non-directive interview 178 normal working

normal working week /nɔ�m(ə)l�w��kŋ wi�k/ noun the usual numberof hours worked per week � Eventhough she is a freelance, she works anormal working week.normative /�nɔ�mətv/ adjective be-lieving that everything should be agreedin writing and should then be binding onall partiesnorms /nɔ�mz/ plural noun the valuesof an organisation or of society � Theinduction period will familiarise work-ers with the norms of the organisation.no-smoking office /nəυ �sməυkŋɒfs/ noun an office where smoking isnot allowedno-strike agreement /nəυ �strakə ri�mənt/, no-strike clause /nəυ�strak klɔ�z/ noun (a clause in) anagreement where the employees say thatthey will never strikenotary public /nəυtəri �p$blk/noun a lawyer who has the authority towitness documents and spoken state-ments, making them official (NOTE: plu-ral is notaries public)

notch /nɒtʃ/ noun an increment on asalary scalenotice /�nəυts/ noun 1. a piece ofwritten information � The company sec-retary pinned up a notice about the pen-sion scheme. 2. an official warning thata contract is going to end or that termsare going to be changed � until furthernotice until different instructions aregiven � You must pay £200 on the 30thof each month until further notice. �without notice with no warning � with-out prior notice with no advance warn-ing � to give advance notice of toinform someone officially that some-thing will happen several weeks in thefuture 3. official written informationthat an employee is leaving their job ona certain date � she gave in or handedin her notice she resigned 4. the timeallowed before something takes place �We require three months’ notice � atshort notice with very little warning �

The bank manager will not see anyoneat short notice.noticeboard /�nəυtsbɔ�d/ noun aboard fixed to a wall where notices canbe put up � Did you see the new list ofprices on the noticeboard?notice of appearance /nəυts əvə�pərəns/ noun the lodging by an em-ployer of a document to confirm theirintention to defend an application by anemployee to an industrial tribunalnotice of maternity absence/nəυts əv mə�t��nti �bsəns/ nouna statutory notice given by an employeethat she is going to be absent from workto have a babynotice period /�nəυts pəriəd/,period of notice /pəriəd əv �nəυts/noun the time stated in the contract ofemployment which the employee orcompany has to allow between resign-ing or being fired and the employee ac-tually leaving their job (an employeehas to give at least one week’s noticeand an employer has to give betweenone week and twelve weeks’ notice, de-pending on the employee’s length ofservice)notification /nəυtf�keʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of informing someone ofsomethingnotify /�nəυtfa/ verb � to notifysomeone of something to tell someonesomething formally � The managementwere notified of the union’s decision.nuisance /�nju�s(ə)ns/ noun some-thing which causes harm or inconve-nience to someone or to propertynumerical order /nju�merk(ə)l�ɔ�də/ noun an arrangement by numbers� Put these invoices in numerical order.nursery /�n��s(ə)ri/ noun a specialroom or building where babies andsmall children can be looked after (notnecessarily on the company’s premises)� The company offers nursery provisionto its staff. Compare crècheNVQ abbr National VocationalQualification

normal working week 179 NVQ

O

O & M abbr organisation and methodsOAP abbr old age pensionerobject /əb�d"ekt/ verb to refuse to dosomething or to say that you do not ac-cept something (NOTE: you object tosomething)

objection /əb�d"ekʃən/ noun � toraise an objection to something to ob-ject to something � The union delegatesraised an objection to the wording of theagreement.objective /əb�d"ektv/ noun some-thing which you hope to achieve � Thecompany has achieved its objectives. �We set the sales forces specific objec-tives. � Our recruitment objectives areto have well-qualified and well-placedstaff. � long-term or short-term objec-tive an aim which you hope to achievewithin a few years or a few months � toachieve one’s objectives to do whatyou set out to do � The company hasachieved almost all its objectives. � ad-jective considered from a general pointof view rather than from that of the per-son involved � You must be objective inassessing the performance of the staff. �They have been asked to carry out anobjective survey of the market. (NOTE:the opposite is subjective)

objective setting /əb�d"ektvsetŋ/ noun the process of planning tar-gets (e.g. for negotiations). � manage-ment by objectives

objective test /əbd"ektv �test/noun a test where each question hasonly one possible answer (NOTE: the op-posite is subjective test)

obligation /ɒbl� eʃ(ə)n/ noun aduty to do something � There is no obli-gation to help out in another department� to be under an obligation to do

something to feel it is your duty to dosomethingobligatory /ə�bl ət(ə)ri/ adjectivenecessary according to the law or rules� Each member of the sales staff has topass an obligatory medicalexamination.observance /əb�z��v(ə)ns/ noun do-ing what is required by a law � Thecompany’s observance of the law con-cerning discrimination.observation /ɒbzə�veʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of noticing what is happeningobservational method /ɒbzə-veʃ(ə)n(ə)l �meθəd/ noun a way ofevaluating the performance of employ-ees, by watching them work and observ-ing their conduct with othersobserve /əb�z��v/ verb 1. to obey arule or law � Failure to observe the cor-rect procedure will be punished. � Res-taurants are obliged to observe the localfire regulations. 2. to watch or to noticewhat is happening � Officials have beeninstructed to observe the conduct of theballot for union president.observer /əb�z��və/ noun a personwho observes � Two official observersattended the election meeting.obsolescence /ɒbsə�les(ə)ns/ nounthe process of a product going out ofdate because of progress in design ortechnology, and therefore becoming lessuseful or valuableobsolescent /ɒbsə�les(ə)nt/ adjec-tive becoming out of dateobsolete /�ɒbsəli�t/ adjective no lon-ger used � Computer technologychanges so fast that hardware soon be-comes obsolete.

COMMENT: A product or asset may be-come obsolete because it is worn out, or

O & M 180 obsolete

because new products have been devel-oped to replace it.

obstacle /�ɒbstək(ə)l/ noun some-thing which prevents you from doingsomethingobstruct /əb�str$kt/ verb to get in theway or to stop something progressingoccupation /ɒkjυ�peʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the act of living or staying in a place 2. ajob or type of work � What is her occu-pation? � His main occupation is housebuilding. � It is not a well paidoccupation.

‘…the share of white-collar occupations in totalemployment rose from 44 per cent to 49 percent’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

occupational /ɒkjυ�peʃ(ə)nəl/ ad-jective referring to a joboccupational accident/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl ��ksd(ə)nt/ noun anaccident which takes place at workoccupational association /ɒkjυ-peʃ(ə)nəl əsəυsi�eʃ(ə)n/ noun anorganisation which represents peopledoing a certain type of work and de-fends their interestsoccupational deafness/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �defnəs/ noun deaf-ness caused by noise at work (as bysomeone using a pneumatic drill)occupational disease /ɒkjυ-�peʃ(ə)nəl dzi�z/ noun a diseasewhich affects people in certain jobsoccupational family/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �f�m(ə)li/ noun agroup of jobs having the same personnelrequirements � For jobs in certain oc-cupational families, finding qualifiedstaff is going to be difficult.occupational group/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl � ru�p/ noun a cate-gory of job or professionoccupational hazard/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �h�zəd/ noun a dan-ger which applies to certain jobs �Heart attacks are one of the occupa-tional hazards of directors.occupational health/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �helθ/, occupationalhygiene /ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �had"i�n/noun a branch of medicine dealing withthe health of people at work (NOTE: alsocalled industrial health)

occupational illness/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �lnəs/ noun an illnessassociated with a particular job (NOTE:Occupational illnesses include lungdisease, which can affect miners, re-petitive strain injury, which can affectkeyboard users, and asbestosis, whichis caused by working with asbestos.)occupational injury/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �nd"əri/ noun an in-jury which is caused by a certain type ofworkoccupational mobility/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl məυ�blti/ noun theextent to which people can move fromone type of occupation to another � Oc-cupational mobility is increasing be-cause of rising unemployment in someareas.Occupational Pensions Board/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �penʃənz bɔ�d/ nouna government body set up to overseeand validate occupational pensionschemes. Abbr OPBoccupational pension scheme/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �penʃən ski�m/ nounpension scheme where the worker gets apension from a fund set up by the com-pany he or she has worked for, which isrelated to the salary he or she was earn-ing (NOTE: also called company pen-sion scheme)occupational psychology/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl sa�kɒləd"i/ noun thestudy of the behaviour of people at workoccupational sick pay/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �sk pe/ noun extrapayments made by an employer to amember of staff who is sick, above thestatutory sick pay. Abbr OSPoccupational therapy/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl �θerəpi/ noun lightwork or hobbies used as a means oftreatment for an illness, condition ordisabilityoccupy /�ɒkjυpa/ verb � to occupy apost to be employed in a jobodd-job-man /ɒd �d"ɒb m�n/ nouna person who does various pieces ofworkodd jobs /ɒd �d"ɒbz/ plural nounsmall pieces of work, not connected toeach other and paid for individually �

obstacle 181 odd jobs

We have a number of odd jobs needingdoing, but nothing adding up to full-timeemployment.odd number /ɒd �n$mbə/ noun anumber which cannot be divided bytwo, e.g. 17 or 33 � Buildings with oddnumbers are on the south side of thestreetoff /ɒf/ adverb not working or not inoperation � The agreement is off. �They called the strike off. � It’s my dayoff tomorrow. � to take three days off �We give the staff four days off at Christ-mas. � preposition away from work �to take time off workoffence /ə�fens/ noun a crime or actwhich is against the law � to becharged with an offence to be accusedformally of having committed a crime �The manager was charged with threeserious offences. � to commit an of-fence to carry out a crime (NOTE: theusual US spelling is offense)

offender /ə�fendə/ noun a person whobreaks a law or regulation � When weinvestigated who was making privatecalls during the working hours, theworst offender was the human resourcesmanager.offer /�ɒfə/ noun a statement that youare willing to give or do something, es-pecially to pay a specific amount ofmoney to buy something � to make anoffer for a company � We made an offerof £10 a share. � £1,000 is the best offerI can make. � to make someone an of-fer to propose something to someone �The management made the union an im-proved offer. � to make someone an of-fer they can’t refuse to make an offerto someone which is so attractive thatthey cannot turn it down � to accept ortake up an offer to say ‘yes’ or to agreeto an offer � to turn down an offer torefuse something which has been of-fered � verb to say that you are willingto do something � to offer someone ajob to tell someone that they can have ajob in your company � She was offereda directorship with Smith Ltd. � offer ofemployment, offer of a job a letterfrom an employer saying that someonecan have a job with them

office /�ɒfs/ noun 1. a set of roomswhere a company works or where busi-ness is done 2. a room where someoneworks and does business � Come intomy office. � The human resources man-ager’s office is on the third floor. 3. apost or position � She holds or performsthe office of treasurer � to take office tostart to work in a certain positionoffice-bearer /�ɒfs beərə/ noun aperson who holds an office, especiallyon a union counciloffice block /�ɒfs blɒk/ noun abuilding which contains only officesoffice boy /�ɒfs bɔ/ noun a youngman who works in an office, usuallytaking messages from one department toanother � He worked his way up fromoffice boy to general manager in tenyears.office-free /ɒfs �fri�/ adjective refer-ring to an employee whose job does notrequire them to work in an officeoffice hours /�ɒfs aυəz/ plural nounthe time when an office is open � Donot make private phone calls during of-fice hours.office job /�ɒfs d"ɒb/ noun a job inan officeoffice junior /ɒfs �d"u�niə/ noun ayoung man or woman who does alltypes of work in an officeOffice of Fair Trading /ɒfs əv feə�tredŋ/ noun a government depart-ment which protects consumers againstunfair or illegal business. Abbr OFTofficer /�ɒfsə/ noun 1. a person whohas an official position, especially anunpaid one in a club or other association� The election of officers takes placenext week. 2. someone holding an offi-cial position, usually unpaid, of a clubor society, etc. � the election of officersof the association takes place next weekoffice staff /�ɒfs stɑ�f/ noun peoplewho work in officesoffice work /�ɒfs w��k/ noun workdone in an officeoffice worker /�ɒfs w��kə/ noun aperson who works in an officeofficial /ə�fʃ(ə)l/ adjective 1. from agovernment department or organisation

odd number 182 official

� She went to France on official busi-ness. � He left official documents in hiscar. � She received an official letter ofexplanation. � speaking in an officialcapacity speaking officially � to gothrough official channels to deal withofficials, especially when making a re-quest 2. done or approved by a directoror by a person in authority � This mustbe an official order – it is written on thecompany’s headed paper. � This is theunion’s official policy. � noun a personworking in a government department �Government officials stopped the importlicence. � minor official person in alow position in a government depart-ment � Some minor official tried to stopmy request for building permission.official dispute /əfʃ(ə)l d�spju�t/noun an industrial action approved by atrade unionofficialese /əfʃə�li�z/ noun the lan-guage used in government documentswhich can be difficult to understandofficially /ə�fʃ(ə)li/ adverb accordingto what is said in public � Officially heknows nothing about the problem, butunofficially he has given us a lot of ad-vice about it.official mediator /əfʃ(ə)l�mi�dietə/ noun a government officialwho tries to make the two sides in an in-dustrial dispute agreeofficial receiver /əfʃ(ə)l r�si�və/noun a government official who is ap-pointed to run a company which is in fi-nancial difficulties, to pay off its debtsas far as possible and to close it down �The company is in the hands of theoffical receiver.off the books /ɒf ðə �bυks/ adjec-tive US not declared to the tax authori-ties � Some of the staff are paid off thebooks.off-the-job training /ɒf ðə d"ɒb�trenŋ/ noun training given to em-ployees away from their place of work(such as at a college or school)off-topic /ɒf �tɒpk/ noun irrelevantor off the subjectold /əυld/ adjective having existed fora long time � The company is 125 yearsold next year. � We have decided to get

rid of our old computer system and in-stall a new one.old age /əυld �ed"/ noun a periodwhen a person is oldold age pensioner /əυld ed"�penʃ(ə)nə/ noun a person who receivesthe retirement pension. Abbr OAPold boy network /�əυld bɔnetw��k/ noun the practice of usinglong-standing key contacts to appointpeople to jobs or to get a job or to dobusiness. � networkingolder worker /əυldə �w��kə/ nounan employee who is above a particularage, usually the age of 50old-fashioned /əυld �f�ʃ(ə)nd/ ad-jective out of date or not modern � Hestill uses an old-fashioned typewriter.ombudsman /�ɒmbυdzmən/ noun 1.a management employee who is giventhe freedom to move around the work-place to locate and remedy unfair prac-tices (NOTE: plural is ombudsmen) 2.an official who investigates complaintsby the public against government de-partments or other large organisations

‘…radical changes to the disciplinary system,including appointing an ombudsman to reviewcases where complainants are not satisfied withthe outcome, are proposed in a consultativepaper the Institute of Chartered Accountantsissued last month’ [Accountancy]COMMENT: There are several ombuds-men: the main one is the ParliamentaryCommissioner, who is a civil servant andinvestigates complaints against govern-ment departments. The Banking Ombuds-man, the Investment Ombudsman, theBuilding Societies Ombudsman, the Pen-sions Ombudsman and the InsuranceOmbudsman are independent officialswho investigate complaints by the publicagainst banks, financial advisers, buildingsocieties, pension funds or insurancecompanies. They are all regulated by theFinancial Services Authority.

omnibus agreement /�ɒmnbəs ə- ri�mənt/ noun an agreement whichcovers many different itemsomnibus test /�ɒmnbəs test/ nouna test which covers various subjectson /ɒn/ preposition 1. being a memberof a group � to sit on a committee � Sheis on the boards of two companies. � Wehave 250 people on the payroll. � She is

official dispute 183 on

on our full-time staff. 2. in a certain way� on a commercial basis � He is still onprobation. � She is employed on verygenerous terms. 3. at a time � We work7 hours a day on weekdays. � The wholestaff has the day off on May 24th. 4. do-ing something � The director is on holi-day. � She is in the States on business.� The switchboard operator is on dutyfrom 6 to 9.on call /ɒn �kɔ�l/ adverb ready to becalled to work at any time � We musthave an engineer on call twenty-fourhours a day.on-call pay /ɒn �kɔ�l pe/ noun payfor being on call outside normal work-ing hours � The on-call pay was notenough to compensate for being on callall night.on-call time /ɒn �kɔ�l tam/ nountime outside normal working hourswhen an employee is standing by, readyfor workone-man business /w$n m�n�bzns/, one-man firm /w$n m�n�f��m/, one-man company /w$nm�n �k$mp(ə)ni/ noun a business runby one person alone with no staff orpartnersone-off /w$n �ɒf/ adjective done ormade only once � one-off item � one-offdeal � one-off payment � a one-off pay-ment a single payment, made once onlyand not repeatedone-off payment /w$n ɒf�pemənt/ noun a single payment, madeonce only and not repeatedonerous /�əυnərəs/ adjective heavy,needing a lot of effort or moneyone-sided /w$n �sadd/ adjectivewhich favours one side and not the otherin a negotiationon-going /ɒn � əυŋ/ adjective whichis continuing � on-going discussionsonline /ɒn�lan/ adjective, adverblinked directly to a mainframe computer� The sales office is online to the ware-house. � We get our data online fromthe stock control department.

‘…there may be a silver lining for‘clicks-and-mortar’ stores that have both anonline and a high street presence. Many of theseare accepting returns of goods purchased onlineat their traditional stores. This is a service that

may make them more popular as consumersbecome more experienced online shoppers’[Financial Times]‘…a survey found that even among experiencedusers – those who shop online at least once amonth – about 10% abandoned a plannedpurchase because of annoying online delays andprocedures’ [Financial Times]‘…some online brokers failed to foresee thehuge increase in private dealing and hadproblems coping with the rising volume. It hasbeen the year when private investors were ableto trade online quickly, cheaply, and on thewhole, with little bother’ [Financial Times]

online training /ɒnlan �trenŋ/noun computer-based training that is de-livered over the Internet or through acompany intraneto.n.o. abbr or near offeron-target earnings /ɒn tɑ� t���nŋz/ plural noun the amount earnedby people who work on commissionwhen they achieve the targets set forthem. Abbr OTEon-the-job training /ɒn ðə d"ɒb�trenŋ/ noun training given to em-ployees at their place of workon the side /ɒn ðə �sad/ adverb sep-arate from your normal work, and hid-den from your employer � He works inan accountant’s office, but he runs aconstruction company on the side. �Her salary is too small to live on, so thefamily lives on what she can make onthe side.on the understanding that /ɒn ðə$ndə�st�ndŋ ðət/ conjunction on con-dition that, provided that � We acceptthe terms of the contract, on the under-standing that it has to be ratified by ourmain board.OPB abbr Occupational PensionsBoardopen /�əυpən/ adjective 1. at work ornot closed � The store is open onSunday mornings. � Our offices areopen from 9 to 6. � They are open forbusiness every day of the week. 2. readyto accept something � we will keep thejob open for a month we will not givethe job to anyone else for a month � jobis open to all applicants anyone can ap-ply for the job � verb 1. to start a newbusiness � She has opened a shop in theHigh Street. � We have opened abranch in London. 2. to start work or to

on call 184 open

be at work � The office opens at 9 a.m.� We open for business on Sundays. 3.to begin � to open negotiations to be-gin negotiating � She opened the dis-cussions with a description of theproduct. � The chairman opened themeeting at 10.30.

‘…after opening at 79.1 the index touched apeak of 79.2 and then drifted to a low of 78.8’[Financial Times]

open ad /�əυpən �d/ noun an adver-tisement for a job where the applicantcan apply to the employer directly, with-out having to go through a third partysuch as an agency � Open ads can beused for recruitment when additionalstaff are required urgently.open-collar worker /əυpən �kɒləw��kə/ noun a person who works fromhome (slang)

open communication /əυpənkəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/ noun freedom ofpeople to communicate what they like towhoever they like within an organisa-tion � The policy of open communica-tion is an aid to decision-making as itcreates a wider source of expertise to betapped.open day /�əυpən de/ noun a daywhen an organisation is open to inter-ested candidates who may wish to in-spect the organisation and discuss careerpossibilities � I went to the charity’sopen day to see what training they de-manded for fund-raising work. � At theopen day last week, preliminary inter-views were held with candidates to see iftheir backgrounds were right for thecompany.open-door system /əυpən �dɔ�sstəm/ noun a system in which super-visors are always available at work totalk to employeesopen-ended /əυpən �endd/ adjec-tive with no fixed limit or with someitems not specified � They signed anopen-ended agreement. � The candidatewas offered an open-ended contractwith a good career plan. (NOTE: Ameri-can English is open-end)

open-ended interview /əυpənendd �ntəvju�/ an interview where thecandidate is asked general questions,

which make them give reasons for ac-tions, show their feelings, etc.opening /�əυp(ə)nŋ/ noun 1. the actof starting a new business � the openingof a new branch 2. an opportunity to dosomethingopen learning /əυpən �l��nŋ/ nouna system of flexible training courseswhich a trainee can start at any time, andwhich do not require a teacher � Openlearning can be fitted round the em-ployee’s work schedule.openness /�əυpənəs/ noun the qual-ity of being honest and not hiding any-thing � openness in discussing companyproblems with staffopen-plan office /əυpən pl�n�ɒfs/ noun a large room divided intosmaller working spaces with no fixeddivisions between themopen shop /əυpən �ʃɒp/ noun aworkplace where employees can be em-ployed whether they are members of aunion or notopen system /�əυpən sstəm/ nouna flexible type of organisation, which al-lows employees freedom to work intheir own way � An open system can al-low employees to choose their ownworking hours.open union /əυpən �ju�njən/ noun aunion which accepts members from awide range of jobsoperate /�ɒpəret/ verb 1. to be inforce � The new terms of service willoperate from January 1st. � The rulesoperate on inland postal services only.2. to make something work or function� to operate a machine to make a ma-chine work � He is learning to operatethe new telephone switchboard. 3. to dobusiness

‘…the company gets valuable restaurantlocations which will be converted to thefamily-style restaurant chain that it operates andfranchises throughout most parts of the US’[Fortune]

operation /ɒpə�reʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. abusiness organisation and work � thecompany’s operations in West Africa 2.� to put a plan into operation to start aplan working

‘…a leading manufacturer of business,industrial and commercial products requires a

open ad 185 operation

branch manager to head up its mid-westernCanada operations based in Winnipeg’[Globe and Mail (Toronto)]

operational /ɒpə�reʃ(ə)nəl/ adjec-tive 1. referring to how somethingworks 2. working or in operation � thesystem became operational on June1st the system began working on June1stoperational budget /ɒpəreʃ(ə)nəl�b$d"t/ noun a forecast of expenditureon running a businessoperations review /ɒpəreʃ(ə)nzr�vju�/ noun an act of examining theway in which a company or departmentworks to see how it can be made moreefficient and profitableoperative /�ɒp(ə)rətv/ adjective op-erating or working � The new systemhas been operative since June 1st � tobecome operative to start working �noun a person who operates a machinewhich makes a product � A skilled oper-ative can produce 250 units per hour.operator /�ɒpəretə/ noun 1. a personwho works a machine � a keyboard op-erator � a computer operator 2. a per-son who works a telephone switchboard� switchboard operator � to call theoperator or to dial the operator � toplace a call through or via the operator3. a person who runs a businessopinion-leader /ə�pnjən li�də/noun a person or organisation whoseopinions influence others in society � Apop-star is the ideal opinion-leader ifthe product is aimed at the teenagemarket.opportunistic /ɒpətju��nstk/ ad-jective done when the opportunity arises� opportunistic thefts in offices theftscommitted when valuables are left lyingaroundopportunity /ɒpə�tju�nti/ noun achance to do something successfully �to seize an opportunity to take advan-tage of an opportunity as soon as it ap-pears � to miss out on an opportunitynot to be able to take advantage of anopportunity. � equal opportunities

‘…the group is currently undergoing a period ofrapid expansion and this has created an excitingopportunity for a qualified accountant’[Financial Times]

oppose /ə�pəυz/ verb to try to stopsomething happening; to vote againstsomething � A minority of board mem-bers opposed the motion. � We are allopposed to the takeover. � A minority ofunion members opposed the deal.opposite number /ɒpəzt �n$mbə/noun a person who has a similar job inanother company � John is my oppo-site number in Smith’s John has thesame job in Smith’s as I have hereoptional /�ɒpʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective notnecessary according to rules � Atten-dance at staff meetings is optional, al-though the management encouragesemployees to attend.opt out /ɒpt �aυt/ verb to decide notto do somethingoral /�ɔ�rəl/ adjective referring tospeech, as opposed to writingoral warning /ɔ�rəl �wɔ�nŋ/ nounthe first stage of disciplinary measures,where an employee is told by the super-visor that their work is unsatisfactoryand must be improved � After beinggiven his second oral warning he knewhe would be fired for absenteeism. � Af-ter an oral warning from her supervisor,she received a written warning from thehuman resources director.order /�ɔ�də/ noun 1. an arrangementof records such as filing cards or in-voices � in order of merit the placingof employees in order according to theirqualities 2. working arrangement � ma-chine in full working order a machinewhich is ready and able to work prop-erly � the telephone is out of order thetelephone is not working � is all thedocumentation in order? are all thedocuments valid and correct? 3. an in-struction � verb 1. to instruct � to ordertwenty filing cabinets to be delivered tothe warehouse 2. to put in a certain way� The address list is ordered by country.� That filing cabinet contains invoicesordered by date.order fulfilment /�ɔ�də fυlflmənt/noun the process of supplying itemswhich have been orderedordinary /�ɔ�d(ə)n(ə)ri/ adjective notspecial

operational 186 ordinary

organ /�ɔ� ən/ noun a journal ormagazineorganic organisation /ɔ� �nkɔ� əna�zeʃ(ə)n/ noun a type of or-ganisation with little formality in itsstructure and proceduresorganigram /ɔ�� �n r�m/ nounsame as organisational chart

organisation /ɔ� əna�zeʃ(ə)n/,organization noun 1. a way of arrang-ing something so that it works effi-ciently � the organisation of the headoffice into departments � The chairmanhandles the organisation of the AGM. �The organisation of the group is toocentralised to be efficient. 2. a group orinstitution which is arranged for effi-cient work � employers’ or trade un-ion organisation a group of employersor trade unions with similar interests

‘…working with a client base which includesmany major commercial organizations andnationalized industries’ [Times]

organisational /ɔ� əna-�zeʃ(ə)nəl/, organizational adjectivereferring to the way in which somethingis organised � The paper gives a dia-gram of the company’s organisationalstructure.organisational analysis /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl ə�n�ləss/ noun a type ofanalysis carried out by an organisationthat is intended to identify areas where itis inefficient and ways in which it canbe restructured so as to become moreefficientorganisational change /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl �tʃend"/ noun a change inthe way something is organisedorganisational chart /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl �tʃɑ�t/ noun a chart show-ing the hierarchical relationships be-tween employees in a companyorganisational climate /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl �klamət/ noun the generalfeeling in an organisation � The organi-sational climate will improve as soon asemployees are allowed to take part indecision-making.organisational culture /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl �k$ltʃə/ noun same ascorporate culture

organisational development/ɔ� ənazeʃ(ə)nəl d�veləpmənt/noun a form of management trainingdesigned to affect the whole organisa-tion as well as the individual employeesorganisational iceberg /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl �asb�� / noun an officialor apparent system of an organisation,as opposed to the way the organisationis really runorganisational learning /ɔ� əna-zeʃ(ə)nəl �l��nŋ/ noun activitieswithin an organisation that are aimed atthe further training and personal devel-opment of employees and are intendedto create a willing acceptance ofchanges and improvements and highlevels of enthusiasm, energy, creativityand innovation among them (NOTE: Theconcept of organisational learning wasfurther developed as the learning or-ganisation.)organisation pyramid /ɔ� əna-�zeʃ(ə)n prəmd/ noun a structure ofan organisation with many employees atlower levels and fewer at the toporganisation theory /ɔ� əna-�zeʃ(ə)n θəri/ noun the study of thestructure and function of organisationsorganise /�ɔ� ənaz/, organize verbto set up a system for doing something� The company is organised into sixprofit centres. � The group is organisedby sales areas.

‘…we organize a rate with importers who havelarge orders and guarantee them space at a fixedrate so that they can plan their costs’[Lloyd’s List]

organised labour /ɔ� ənazd�lebə/ noun employees who are mem-bers of trade unions

‘…governments are coming under increasingpressure from politicians, organized labour andbusiness to stimulate economic growth’[Duns Business Month]

organogram /ɔ�� �nə r�m/ nounsame as organisational chartorientation /ɔ�riən�teʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the main interest or type of activity �The company’s orientation is towardsproduction and it has little marketingexperience. 2. the introduction of newemployees into an organisation � Theorientation programme included a talkby the chairman on the history of the

organ 187 orientation

company and its products. � Lack ofproper orientation can cause much dis-tress in the first days of a new job.oriented /�ɔ�rientd/, orientated/�ɔ�riəntetd/ adjective working in acertain direction � a market-orientatedapproachoriginating application /ə-rd"netŋ �pl�keʃ(ə)n/ noun aform by which an employee begins theprocess of complaint to an industrialtribunalostracise /�ɒstrəsaz/, ostracizeverb to reject and refuse to have any-thing to do with a member or membersof a group � Workers who carried onworking were ostracised after the strikeended.ostracism /�ɒstrəsz(ə)m/ noun re-jection of a member or members of agroup by others � The fate ofnon-strikers was ostracism by their for-mer colleagues.OTE abbr on-target earningsout /aυt/ adverb on strike � As soon asthe management made the offer, the staffcame out. � The shop stewards calledthe workforce out.out box /�aυt bɒks/ noun US a box orother container for documents and otheritems that have been dealt with (NOTE:Items are placed in the out box beforebeing filed or delivered to another per-son.)outcome /�aυtk$m/ noun a result �What was the outcome of thediscussion?outdoor training /aυtdɔ� �trenŋ/noun same as adventure trainingoutfit /�aυtft/ noun a small, some-times badly run company � They calledin a public relations outfit. � He worksfor some finance outfit.out-house /�aυt haυs/ adjective, ad-verb working outside a company’sbuildings � the out-house staff � We doall our data processing out-house.outing /�aυtŋ/ noun a trip away fromthe place of workoutline /�aυtlan/ noun a general de-scription, without giving many details �They drew up the outline of a plan or an

outline plan. � verb to make a generaldescription � The chairman outlined thecompany’s plans for the coming year.outline agreement /�aυt(ə)lan ə- ri�mənt/ noun the general draft of anagreement, without giving any detailsout of court /aυt əv �kɔ�t/ adverb,adjective � a settlement was reachedout of court a dispute was settled be-tween two parties privately without con-tinuing a court caseout-of-court settlement /aυt əvkɔ�t �set(ə)lmənt/ noun an act of set-tling a dispute between two parties pri-vately without continuing a court caseout-of-date /aυt əv �det/ adjective,adverb old-fashioned or no longer mod-ern � Their computer system is yearsout of date. � They’re still usingout-of-date equipment.out of pocket /aυt əv �pɒkt/ adjec-tive, adverb having paid out money per-sonally � The deal has left me out ofpocket.out of the loop /aυt əv ðə �lu�p/ ad-verb deliberately or accidentally ex-cluded from decision-making processesand the flow of information around anorganisation (informal.) (NOTE: A personwho is out of the loop is likely to feelisolated and will be unable to contrib-ute fully to the organisation.)

out of work /aυt əv �w��k/ adjec-tive, adverb with no job � The reces-sion has put millions out of work. � Thecompany was set up by threeout-of-work engineers.outplacement /�aυtplesmənt/noun help in finding another job, givenby an employer to an employee who hasbeen made redundantoutput /�aυtpυt/ noun 1. the amountwhich a company, person or machineproduces � Output has increased by10%. � 25% of our output is exported.2. information which is produced by acomputer (NOTE: the opposite is input)� verb to produce (by computer) � Theprinter will output colour graphics. �That is the information outputted fromthe computer. � The printer will outputcolour graphs. (NOTE: outputting –outputted)

oriented 188 output

‘…crude oil output plunged during the lastmonth and is likely to remain near its presentlevel for the near future’ [Wall Street Journal]

output bonus /�aυtpυt bəυnəs/,output-based bonus /aυtpυt best�bəυnəs/ noun an extra payment for in-creased productionoutput per hour /aυtpυt pər �aυə/noun the amount of something producedin one houroutside /�aυtsad/ adjective, adverbnot in a company’s office or building �to send work to be done outside tosend work to be done in other officesoutside director /aυtsad da-�rektə/ noun a director who is not em-ployed by the company, a non-executivedirectoroutside line /aυtsad �lan/ noun aline from an internal office telephonesystem to the main telephone exchange� You dial 9 to get an outside line.outside office hours /aυtsad�ɒfs aυəz/ adverb when the office isnot openoutside worker /�aυtsad w��kə/noun an employee who does not work ina company’s officesoutsourcing /�aυtsɔ�sŋ/ noun thepractice of obtaining services from spe-cialist bureaux or other companies,rather than employing full-time mem-bers of staff to provide them

‘…organizations in the public and privatesectors are increasingly buying in specialistservices – or outsourcing – allowing them to cutcosts and concentrate on their core businessactivities’ [Financial Times]

outstrip /aυt�strp/ verb to becomelarger than something else � Wage in-creases are outstripping inflation.(NOTE: outstripped – outstripping)

outvote /aυt�vəυt/ verb to defeat in avote � the chairman was outvoted themajority voted against the chairmanoutward bound training /aυtwəd�baυnd trenŋ/ noun same as adven-ture training

outwork /�aυtw��k/ noun work whicha company pays someone to do at homeoutworker /�aυtw��kə/ noun a personwho works at home for a company

over- /əυvə/ prefix more than � shopwhich caters to the over-60s a shopwhich has goods which appeal to peoplewho are more than sixty years oldoverachiever /əυvərə�tʃi�və/ nouna person who tries too hard and achievesmore than they are really capable of �Overachievers on the managementcourse were encouraged to slow down.overall /əυvər�ɔ�l/ adjective coveringor including everything � the companyreported an overall fall in profits thecompany reported a general fall in prof-its � overall plan a plan which coverseverythingoverall performance /əυvərɔ�l pə-�fɔ�məns/ noun the performance of anemployee relating to the whole job, andnot simply to part of itovercome /əυvə�k$m/ verb to beatsomething after a struggle � to over-come obstacles on the way to reachingagreement (NOTE: overcoming –overcame)overemployment /əυvərm-�plɔmənt/ noun a situation where thereis a shortage of labour in a certain areaor industryoverhaul /əυvə�hɔ�l/ verb to examinesomething carefully and make changesso that it works better � to overhaul thecompany’s union agreementsoverhead budget /əυvəhed�b$d"t/ noun a plan of probable over-head costsoverheads /�əυvəhedz/ plural nounthe costs of the day-to-day running of abusiness � The sales revenue covers themanufacturing costs but not the over-heads. (NOTE: American English is usu-ally overhead.)overlearning /�əυvəl��nŋ/ noun theprocess of continuing the learning pro-cess beyond the level of skill needed �The training manager found that with-out overlearning, skills were easily lost.overmanned /əυvə�m�nd/ adjec-tive having more employees thannecessaryovermanning /əυvə�m�nŋ/ nounthe state of having more employees thanare needed to do a company’s work �The MD’s plan is to reduce overman-

output bonus 189 overmanning

ning. � The answer to our overmanningproblem must be redundancies.overpaid /əυvə�ped/ adjective paidtoo much � Our staff are overpaid andunderworked.overproduce /əυvəprə�dju�s/ verbto produce too much of a productoverproduction /əυvəprə�d$kʃən/noun the manufacturing of too much ofa productoverqualified /əυvə�kwɒlfad/ ad-jective having too many skills for a job� With a degree in business studies sheis overqualified to be an ordinary shopfloor worker.overrated /əυvə�retd/ adjectivevalued more highly than it should be �The effect of the dollar on Europeanbusiness cannot be overrated. � Their‘first-class service’ is very overrated.overrepresent /əυvərepr�zent/verb to give one group more repre-sentatives than another � This group ofworkers are overrepresented on themanagement committee.override /əυvə�rad/ verb not to dosomething which has been decided � tooverride an orderoverrule /əυvə�ru�l/ verb to decideagainst something which has been de-cided � to overrule a decisionoverrun /əυvə�r$n/ verb to go be-yond a limit � The workers overran thetime limit set by the production man-ager. (NOTE: overrunning – overran –overrun)

overseas /�əυvəsi�z/ adjective, ad-verb across the sea or to foreign coun-tries � Management trainees knew thatthey would be sent overseas to learnabout the export markets. � Some work-ers are going overseas to find new jobs.

overseas call /əυvəsi�z �kɔ�l/ nouna call to another countryoversee /əυvə�si�/ verb to supervise(NOTE: overseeing – oversaw –overseen)overseer /�əυvəsə/ noun a personwho supervises other workersoverstaffed /əυvə�stɑ�ft/ adjectivewith more employees than are needed todo the work of the companyovertime /�əυvətam/ noun hoursworked more than the normal workingtime � to work six hours’ overtime �The overtime rate is one and a halftimes normal pay. � He worked sixhours’ overtime last week. � adverb �to work overtime to work longer hoursthan stated in the contract ofemploymentovertime ban /�əυvətam b�n/ nounan order by a trade union which forbidsovertime work by its membersovertime pay /�əυvətam pe/ nounpay for extra time workedovertime rate /�əυvətam ret/ nounthe rate of pay for extra time workedoverturn /əυvə�t��n/ verb � to over-turn a decision of a tribunal to cancela decision made previouslyoverwork /əυvə�w��k/ noun � she issuffering from overwork she has toomuch work and this is making her illoverworked /əυvə�w��kt/ adjectivehaving too much work to do � Our staffcomplain of being underpaid andoverworked.own /əυn/ verb to have or to possess �He owns 50% of the shares.owner /�əυnə/ noun a person whoowns somethingownership /�əυnəʃp/ noun the factof owning something

overpaid 190 ownership

P

P11 /pi� �lev(ə)n/ noun a workingsheet, showing the employer’s calcula-tions in deducting tax from an em-ployee’s payP11D /pi� lev(ə)n �di�/ noun a formshowing expenses paid to directorsP14 /pi� fɔ��ti�n/ noun a form sent byan employer to the Inland Revenue atthe end of a tax year, giving a summaryof pay and deductions of an individualemployeeP2P /pi� tə �pi�/ adjective referring todirect communications or dealings be-tween one computer to another withouta central server being involved (NOTE:Full form peer-to-peer)P35 /pi� θ��ti �fav/ noun an annualdeclaration of pay, tax and other deduc-tions for all employees, sent by the em-ployer to the Inland RevenueP45 /pi� fɔ�ti �fav/ noun a formgiven to an employee who leaves acompany, showing how much tax hasbeen deducted from their salaryP60 /pi� �sksti/ noun a certificateshowing pay and tax deducted for eachindividual employee, sent to each em-ployee at the end of the tax yearPA abbr personal assistantp.a. abbr per annumpacemaker /�pesmekə/ noun an or-ganisation which helps another tochange by giving advice or offeringsupportpackage /�p�kd"/ noun 1. a boxor bag in which goods are sold � In-structions for use are printed on thepackage. 2. a group of different itemsjoined together in one deal 3. a differentitems of software sold together � a pay-roll package � The computer is soldwith accounting and word-processing

packages. � The company’s area of spe-cialisation is accounts packages forsmall businesses.

‘…airlines offer special stopover rates and hotelpackages to attract customers to certain routes’[Business Traveller]‘…the remuneration package will include anattractive salary, profit sharing and a companycar’ [Times]‘…airlines will book not only tickets but alsohotels and car hire to provide a completepackage’ [Business Traveller]‘…in today’s fast-growing packaged goods areamany companies are discovering that awell-recognized brand name can be a pricelessasset’ [Duns Business Month]

package deal /�p�kd" di�l/ noun anagreement where several different itemsare agreed at the same time � Theyagreed a package deal which involvesthe construction of the factory, trainingof staff and purchase of the product.paid /ped/ adjective for which moneyhas been givenpaid assistant /ped ə�sst(ə)nt/noun an assistant who receives a salarypaid educational leave /pededjυkeʃ(ə)n(ə)l �li�v/ noun time awayfrom work for an employee to studypaid holiday /ped �hɒlde/, paidleave /ped �li�v/ noun a holiday ortime away from work when the em-ployee’s wages are still paid eventhough they are not working � I was en-titled to paid holiday three months afterjoining the company.paid-up /ped �$p/ adjective paid infullpaid-up policy /ped $p �pɒlsi/noun a life insurance policy based onpremiums which have already been paidpaired comparisons /peəd kəm-�p�rs(ə)nz/ noun a method of assess-ment where jobs to be assessed are each

P11 191 paired comparisons

compared with all others and a finalscore for each obtained (also called ‘jobranking’) � Having observed the workperformance of ten employees, the su-pervisor used paired comparisons torank performance. (NOTE: also calledjob ranking)

palmtop /�pɑ�mtɒp/ noun a verysmall computer which can be held inyour hand and which usually has a char-acter recognition screen instead of akeyboardpanel /�p�n(ə)l/ noun 1. a flat surfacestanding upright 2. a group of peoplewho give advice on a problem � a panelof expertspanel interview /�p�n(ə)l ntəvju�/noun an interview conducted by a groupof people, not just by a singleinterviewerpaperwork /�pepəw��k/ noun officework, especially writing memos and fill-ing in forms � Exporting to Russia in-volves a large amount of paperwork.parental leave /pərent(ə)l �li�v/noun a period away from work that isallowed to a parent to care for a new-born or newly adopted childparity /�p�rti/ noun being equal � fe-male staff want parity with men theywant to have the same rates of pay andperks as the men � The companyshowed it did not believe in parity by al-ways assigning women to lower posi-tions than men.

‘…the draft report on changes in theinternational monetary system casts doubt aboutany return to fixed exchange-rate parities’[Wall Street Journal]

Parkinson’s law /�pɑ�knsənz lɔ�/noun a law, based on wide experience,that in business the amount of work in-creases to fill the time available for itParliamentary Commissionerfor Administration/pɑ�ləment(ə)ri kəmʃ(ə)nə fərədmn�streʃ(ə)n/ noun the ombuds-man who investigates complaints by thepublic against government departmentsparte � ex parte

partial /�pɑ�ʃ(ə)l/ adjective notcomplete

partial disability /pɑ�ʃ(ə)l dsə-�blti/ noun a situation where an em-ployee is partly disabled, as so is eligi-ble for less benefitpartial disablement /pɑ�ʃ(ə)l ds-�eb(ə)lmənt/ noun the condition of be-ing disabled to such an extent that youcan only do part of your normal workpartial retirement /pɑ�ʃ(ə)l r-�taəmənt/ noun same as phasedretirementparticipate /pɑ��tspet/ verb to takepart in an activity or enterprise � Thestaff are encouraged to participate ac-tively in the company’s decision-makingprocesses.participation /pɑ�ts�peʃ(ə)n/noun the act of taking part � Employeesare demanding more participation inthe company’s affairs. � Participationhelps to make an employee feel part ofthe organisation.participation rate /pɑ�ts�peʃ(ə)nret/ noun the proportion of a group thatis active in some way � What is the par-ticipation rate in this department’sfund-raising efforts?participative /pɑ��tspətv/ adjec-tive where both sides take part � We donot treat management-worker relationsas a participative process.participative management /pɑ�-tspətv �m�nd"mənt/ noun man-agement of an organisation or depart-ment with the active participation of thestaffpartner /�pɑ�tnə/ noun a person whoworks in a business and has an equalshare in it with other partners � I be-came a partner in a firm of solicitors.partnership /�pɑ�tnəʃp/ noun an un-registered business where two or morepeople (but not more than twenty) sharethe risks and profits according to a part-nership agreement � to go into partner-ship with someone � to join withsomeone to form a partnership � to of-fer someone a partnership, to takesomeone into partnership with you tohave a working business and bringsomeone in to share it with you � to dis-solve a partnership to bring a partner-ship to an end � to go into partnership

palmtop 192 partnership

with someone to join with someone toform a partnershippart-owner /pɑ�t �əυnə/ noun a per-son who owns something jointly withone or more other people � I ampart-owner of the restaurant.part-time /pɑ�t �tam/ adjective, ad-verb not working for the whole workingweek � a part-time worker � It is apart-time job that involves. � He is try-ing to find part-time work when the chil-dren are in school. � We are looking forpart-time staff to work our computers. �She only works part-time as she hassmall children to look after.part-time director /pɑ�t tam da-�rektə/ noun same as non-executivedirectorpart-time employee /pɑ�t tamm�plɔi�/, part-time worker /pɑ�ttam �w��kə/ noun an employee whoworks for part of a working week (offi-cially between 8 and 16 hours per week)part-timer /pɑ�t �tamə/ noun a per-son who works part-timepart-time work /pɑ�t tam �w��k/,part-time employment /pɑ�t tamm�plɔmənt/ noun work for part of aworking week (officially, between 8 and16 hours per week)party /�pɑ�ti/ noun a person or organi-sation involved in a legal dispute or le-gal agreement � How many parties arethere to the contract? � The company isnot a party to the agreement.pass /pɑ�s/ noun a permit to allowsomeone to go into a building � Youneed a pass to enter the ministry offices.� All members of staff must show apass. � verb 1. to move something on tosomeone else � to pass the buck tomove a problem or responsibility on tosomeone else to deal with � It has got tothe point that there is so muchbuck-passing that none of the problemsget solved. 2. to be successful � Hepassed his typing test. � She has passedall her exams and now is a qualifiedaccountant.passive interview /p�sv�ntəvju�/ noun an interview where theinterviewee only answers the questions(as in a closed interview)

password /�pɑ�sw��d/ noun a wordor character which identifies a user andallows them access to a computersystempaternalism /pə�t��n(ə)lz(ə)m/noun used to describe a style of man-agement where the employer is overpro-tective towards their employeespaternalistic /pət��nə�lstk/ adjec-tive being overprotective towards theemployeespaternalistic management style/pət��nəlstk �m�nd"mənt stal/noun a way of managing, where the em-ployer takes all the decisions and tries tokeep the loyalty of the workforce bygiving them special treatmentpaternity leave /pə�t��nti li�v/noun a short period of leave given to afather to be away from work when hispartner has a babypattern bargaining /�p�t(ə)nbɑ� nŋ/ noun bargaining betweenunions and an employer, in which theunions refer to past collective agree-ments made with employerspay /pe/ noun a salary or wages,money given to someone for regularwork � holiday with pay holiday whichan employee can take by contract andfor which they are paid � verb 1. to givemoney to buy an item or a service �How much did you pay to have the officecleaned? 2. to give an employee moneyfor work done � The workforce has notbeen paid for three weeks. � We paygood wages for skilled workers. � Howmuch do they pay you per hour? � to bepaid by the hour to get money for eachhour worked � to be paid at pieceworkrates to get money for each piece ofwork finished

‘…recession encourages communication notbecause it makes redundancies easier, butbecause it makes low or zero pay increaseseasier to accept’ [Economist]

payable /�peəb(ə)l/ adjective whichis due to be paid � payable on demandwhich must be paid when payment isasked forpay as you earn /pe əz ju� ���n/ atax system, where income tax is de-ducted from the salary before it is paidto the worker. Abbr PAYE

part-owner 193 pay as you earn

pay-as-you-go /pe əz ju� � əυ/ USsame as pay as you earn

pay-cheque /�pe tʃek/ noun 1. a sal-ary cheque given to an employee 2. amonthly cheque by which an employeeis paid (NOTE: the American spelling ispaycheck)

pay comparability /�pekɒmp(ə)rəblti/ noun a similar paysystem in two different companiespay day /�pe de/ noun a day onwhich wages are paid to employees(usually Friday for employees paid oncea week, and during the last week of themonth for employees who are paid oncea month)pay differentials /�pe dfərenʃəlz/plural noun differences between oneemployee’s pay and another’s in similartypes of jobs (NOTE: also called salarydifferentials or wage differentials)

PAYE abbr pay as you earnpay freeze /�pe fri�z/ noun a periodwhen wages are not allowed to beincreasedpay hike /�pe hak/ noun an increasein salarypay levels /�pe lev(ə)lz/ plural nounrates of pay for different types of work(NOTE: also called wage levels)

payment /�pemənt/ noun 1. the actof giving money in exchange for goodsor a service � We always ask for pay-ment in cash or cash payment and notpayment by cheque. � The payment ofinterest or the interest payment shouldbe made on the 22nd of each month. �payment by results money given whichincreases with the amount of work doneor goods produced 2. money paidpayment-in-kind /pemənt n�kand/ noun an alternative form of pay,given to employees in place of moneybut considered to be of equivalent value(NOTE: A payment in kind may take theform, for example, of use of a car or anopportunity to purchase goods at costprice.)

payment-in-lieu /pemənt n �lju�/noun a payment given in place of some-thing such as a holiday which an em-ployee is entitled to but is unable to take

payment scheme /�peməntski�m/, payment system /�peməntsstəm/ noun a method used by an or-ganisation to pay staff � The human re-sources manager has devised a paymentscheme which is both fair andmotivating.payment structure /�peməntstr$ktʃə/ noun wage or salary levels inan organisationpay negotiations /�pe n əυʃi-eʃ(ə)nz/, pay talks /�pe tɔ�ks/ pluralnoun discussions between managementand employees about pay increasespay off /pe �ɒf/ verb 1. to finish pay-ing money which is owed � He won thelottery and paid off his mortgage. � Sheis trying to pay off the loan by monthlyinstalments. 2. to terminate somebody’semployment and pay all wages that aredue � When the company was takenover the factory was closed and all theworkers were paid off.pay package /�pe p�kd"/ nounthe salary and other benefits offeredwith a job � The job carries an attrac-tive pay package. (NOTE: also calledsalary package)pay packet /�pe p�kt/ noun an en-velope containing the pay slip and thecash paypay parity /�pe p�rti/ noun earningthe same pay for the same job (NOTE:also called wage parity)pay review /�pe rvju�/ noun are-examination by the employer of anemployee’s pay � I’m soon due for apay review and hope to get a rise.(NOTE: also called salary review orwage review)Pay Review Board /pe r�vju�bɔ�d/ noun an official body which ex-amines pay scales in a nationalised in-dustry or public service andrecommends changespay review body /pe r�vju� bɒdi/noun an independent organisationwhich examines pay scales of groups ofemployees and recommends increasespay rise /�pe raz/ noun an increasein paypayroll /�perəυl/ noun 1. the list ofpeople employed and paid by a com-

pay-as-you-go 194 payroll

pany � The company has 250 on thepayroll. 2. the money paid by a com-pany in salaries � The office has aweekly payroll of £10,000.payroll administration /�perəυlədmnstreʃ(ə)n/ noun the process ofadministering the salaries and NIC pay-ments for employees and claims fortheir expensespayroll clerk /�perəυl klɑ�k/ noun aperson employed to administer the pay-ment of employees (NOTE: also calledwages clerk)payroll costs /�perəυl kɒsts/ pluralnoun the running costs of payrolladministration, as well as the actualsalaries themselvespayroll ledger /�perəυl led"ə/noun a list of staff and their salariespay round /�pe raυnd/ noun an an-nual series of wage bargaining negotia-tions in various industriespay scale /�pe skel/ noun a tablethat sets out the range of pay offered foreach grade of job in an organisation(NOTE: also called salary scale orwage scale)pay slip /�pe slp/, pay statement/�pe stetmənt/ noun a piece of papershowing the full amount of an em-ployee’s pay, and the money deductedas tax, pension and National Insurancecontributionspay threshold /�pe θreʃhəυld/noun a point at which pay increases be-cause of a threshold agreementPBR abbr payment by resultspeak /pi�k/ noun the highest point �The shares reached their peak in Janu-ary. � The share index has fallen 10%since the peak in January. � With-drawals from bank accounts reached apeak in the week before Christmas. �He has reached the peak of his career. �verb to reach the highest point � Pro-ductivity peaked in January. � Shareshave peaked and are beginning to slipback. � He peaked early and neverachieved his ambition of becoming man-aging director. � Demand peaks in Au-gust, after which sales usually decline.peak hour /�pi�k aυə/ noun a timewhen traffic is worst or when everyone

is trying to travel to work or from workback home � The taxi was delayed inthe rush hour traffic.peak season /pi�k �si�z(ə)n/ noun aperiod when a company is busiestpeak unemployment /pi�k $nm-�plɔmənt/ noun a period when unem-ployment is as its highest levelpeer /pə/ noun a person who is thesame age or at the same level as some-one else � The human resources direc-tor and her peers believed in a strictchain of authority, but the younger man-agers wanted a more flexible approach.peer group appraisal /�pə ru�pəprez(ə)l/ noun an appraisal of an em-ployee by their peer grouppeer-to-peer /pə tə �pə/ adjectivefull form of P2Ppeg /pe / verb to maintain or fix some-thing at a specific level � to peg wageincreases to the cost-of-living index tolimit increases in wages to the increasesin the cost-of-living indexpenalise /�pi�nəlaz/, penalize verbto punish or fine � They were penalisedfor bad time-keeping.penalty /�pen(ə)lti/ noun a punish-ment, often a fine, which is imposed ifsomething is not done or is done incor-rectly or illegally � to impose a penaltyon someone to make someone pay afine, to suspend someone, etc., as apunishmentpenalty clause /�pen(ə)lti klɔ�z/noun a clause which lists the penaltieswhich will be imposed if the terms ofthe contract are not fulfilled � The con-tract contains a penalty clause whichfines the company 1% for every weekthe completion date is late.penalty rate /�pen(ə)lti ret/ noun ahigher than normal rate of pay given toemployees for work they do outside nor-mal working hourspencil-whip /�pensəl wp/ verbto criticise somebody in writing(slang) (NOTE: pencil-whipping –pencil-whipped)pendulum arbitration /�pendjυləmɑ�btreʃ(ə)n/ noun a method of arbi-tration where each side makes a pro-posal and the arbitrator chooses one of

payroll administration 195 pendulum arbitration

them, which then becomes binding onboth partiespension /�penʃən/ noun money paidregularly to someone who no longerworks � to draw a pension to receive apension � verb � to pension someoneoff to ask someone to retire and take apensionpensionable /�penʃənəb(ə)l/ adjec-tive able to receive a pensionpensionable earnings/penʃənəb(ə)l ���nŋz/ plural nounearnings being received at the momentof retirement, on which the pension iscalculatedpension book /�penʃən bυk/ noun abook with vouchers entitling the bearerto be paid a weekly pensionpension contributions /�penʃənkɒntrbju�ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun pay-ments made by a company or employeeinto a pension fundpension entitlement /�penʃən n-tat(ə)lmənt/ noun an amount of pen-sion which someone has the right to re-ceive when they retirepensioner /�penʃənə/ noun a personwho receives a pensionpension fund /�penʃən f$nd/ nounmoney which provides pensions for re-tired employeespension plan /�penʃən pl�n/, pen-sion scheme /�penʃən ski�m/ noun aplan worked out by an insurance com-pany which arranges for an employee topay part of their salary over many yearsand receive a regular payment whenthey retirePensions Ombudsman /�penʃənzɒmbυdzmən/ noun a government offi-cial who arbitrates in disputes over pen-sions and the administration of pensionfundspeople churner /�pi�p(ə)l tʃ��nə/noun a bad employer with a reputationfor losing talented staff (slang)

people skills /�pi�p(ə)l sklz/ pluralnoun the techniques used in forming re-lationships and dealing with other peo-ple � Good people skills are essentialfor anyone working in customer service.

per /p��, pə/ preposition 1. at a rate of� we pay £10 per hour we pay £10 foreach hour worked 2. out of � The rate ofimperfect items is about twenty-five perthousand.

‘…a 100,000 square-foot warehouse generates$600 in sales per square foot of space’[Duns Business Month]

per annum /pər ��nəm/ adverb in ayear � What is their turnover per an-num? � What is his total income per an-num? � She earns over £100,000 perannum.per capita /pə �k�ptə/ adjective, ad-verb for each personper-capita expenditure /pək�ptə k�spendtʃə/ noun the totalmoney spent divided by the number ofpeople involvedper capita income /pə k�ptə�nk$m/ noun the average income ofone personper day /pə �de/, per diem /pə�di�em/ adverb for each dayperform /pə�fɔ�m/ verb to do well orbadly � how did she perform at the in-terview? did she do well or badly at theinterview?performance /pə�fɔ�məns/ noun theway in which someone or somethingacts � performance of staff against ob-jectives how staff have worked, mea-sured against the objectives setperformance appraisal /pə-�fɔ�məns əprez(ə)l/, performanceassessment /pə�fɔ�məns əsesmənt/an assessment of the quality of a per-son’s work in a jobperformance-based assessment/pə�fɔ�məns best əsesmənt/ an as-sessment of an employee’s knowledgeand skills as shown in their work. Com-pare knowledge-based assessmentperformance indicator /pə-�fɔ�məns ndketə/ noun a figure ormeasurement that acts as a guide to howwell an organisation is performing, as awhole or in some aspect of its activities,and what its strengths and weaknessesare (NOTE: Performance indicators canrelate, for example, to the quality orquantity of its output or to the turnoverrate amongst its staff.)

pension 196 performance indicator

performance-related pay /pə-�fɔ�məns rletd pe/, performancepay /pə�fɔ�məns pe/ noun pay whichis linked to the employee’s performanceof their duties. Abbr PRPperformance standard /pə-�fɔ�məns st�ndəd/ noun a measure ofperformance needed to reach a certainlevel, as in the NVQ systemper head /pə �hed/ adverb for eachperson � Allow £15 per head for ex-penses. � Representatives cost on aver-age £50,000 per head per annum.period /�pəriəd/ noun a length of time� for a period of time or for a period ofmonths or for a six-year period � salesover the holiday periodperiodic /pəri�ɒdk/ adjective fromtime to time � a periodic review of staffsalariesperiod of disqualification/pəriəd əv dskwɒlf�keʃ(ə)n/ nouna period during which a pregnantwoman cannot claim statutory sick pay(11 weeks before giving birth)period of entitlement /pəriəd əvn�tat(ə)lmənt/ noun a period duringwhich an employee can claim statutorysick payperiod of incapacity for work/pəriəd əv nkəp�sti fə �w��k/noun a period when an employee hasbeen away from work because of sick-ness for four consecutive days (and thenbecomes eligible for SSP). Abbr PIWperiod of qualification /pəriəd əvkwɒlf�keʃ(ə)n/ noun the time whichhas to pass before someone qualifies forsomethingperipheral workers /pə�rf(ə)rəlw��kəz/ plural noun workers who arehired as necessary (part-timers or work-ers on short-term contracts) as opposedto ‘core’ workers who are permanentperk /p��k/ noun an extra item givenby a company to employees in additionto their salaries (such as company carsor private health insurance) � She earnsa good salary and in addition has allsorts of perks.permalancer /�p��məlɑ�nsə/ nounsomeone who is officially a freelancebut has worked for the same company

for so long that they are regarded almostas a permanent member of its staff(slang)

permanency /�p��mənənsi/ noun thefact of being permanent � There is alack of permanency about the company.permanent /�p��mənənt/ adjectivewhich will last for a long time or forever � the permanent staff andpart-timers � She has found a perma-nent job. � She is in permanentemployment.permanent health insurance/p��mənənt �helθ nʃυərəns/ nounlong-term insurance which gives an in-come during periods of disability. AbbrPHI

permanently /�p��mənəntli/ adverbalways or for ever � The company ispermanently in debt.permanent night shift/p��mənənt �nat ʃft/ noun a shiftwhich only works at night (as opposedto the alternating system)permission /pə�mʃ(ə)n/ noun beingallowed to do something � to givesomeone permission to do somethingto allow someone to do something � toask for permission to do something toask someone in authority to allow you todo something � He asked the manager’spermission to take a day off.permit noun /�p��mt/ an official doc-ument which allows someone to dosomething � verb /pə�mt/ to allowsomeone to do something � This docu-ment permits you to export twenty-fivecomputer systems. � The ticket permitsthree people to go into the exhibition. �Will we be permitted to use her name inthe advertising copy? � Smoking is notpermitted in the design studio. (NOTE:permitting – permitted)

per month /pə �m$nθ/ adverb foreach month � He makes about £250 permonth.per pro /pə �prəυ/ same as perprocurationem � The secretary signedper pro the manager.per procurationem /pəprɒkjυr�s�əυnəm/ Latin phrasemeaning ‘with the authority of’

performance-related pay 197 per procurationem

perquisite /�p��kwzt/ noun same asperkpersistent unemployment /pə-sstənt $nm�plɔmənt/ noun unem-ployment which is constant, owing tolack of skills or lack of jobsperson /�p��s(ə)n/ noun 1. someone(a man or a woman) � an insurance pol-icy which covers a named person � thepersons named in the contract thepeople whose names are given in thecontract � the document should bewitnessed by a third person someonewho is not named in the documentshould witness it 2. � in person by do-ing something or going somewhereyourself, not through another person ormeans � she came to see me in personshe came to see mepersonal /�p��s(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective 1.referring to one person � apart fromthe family shares, she has a personalshareholding in the company apartfrom shares belonging to her family as agroup, she has shares which she ownsherself � the car is for his personal usethe car is for him to use himself 2. pri-vate � The envelope was marked ‘Per-sonal’. � I want to see the director on apersonal matter.personal allowance /p��s(ə)n(ə)lə�laυənsz/ noun a part of a person’s in-come which is not taxedpersonal assets /p��s(ə)n(ə)l��sets/ plural noun moveable assetswhich belong to a personpersonal assistant /p��s(ə)n(ə)l ə-�sstənt/ noun a person who performsvarious secretarial and administrativetasks for someone in authority such as adirectorpersonal contract /p��s(ə)n(ə)l�kɒntr�kt/ noun a contract negotiatedbetween an employer and a single em-ployee (as opposed to a collective con-tract, negotiated with a group ofemployees)personal development/p��s(ə)n(ə)l d�veləpmənt/ noun theprocess of gaining additional knowl-edge, skills and experience in order toimprove the way you do your presentjob and your prospects of future em-ployment and promotion, and, more

generally, to develop your own talentsand fulfil your own potential (NOTE:also called self-development)

personal effects /p��s(ə)n(ə)l -�fekts/ plural noun things which belongto someonePersonal Identification Number/p��s(ə)n(ə)l adentf�keʃ(ə)nn$mbə/ noun a unique number allo-cated to the holder of a cash card orcredit card, by which he or she can enteran automatic banking system, e.g., towithdraw cash from a cash machine orto pay in a store. Abbr PIN

personal income /p��s(ə)n(ə)l�nk$m/ noun the income received byan individual person before tax is paidpersonal inventory /p��s(ə)n(ə)l�nvənt(ə)ri/, personality inventory/p��sən�lti �nvəntəri/ noun a listof strengths and weaknesses in anemployee’s personality � When con-sidering candidates for a post thehuman resources manager drew up apersonality inventory for each one.personality /p��sə�n�lti/ noun 1. afamous person, usually connected withtelevision or sport 2. a person’s charac-ter or general naturepersonality clash /p��sə�n�ltikl�ʃ/ noun a situation where two mem-bers of staff with strong personalitiescannot work togetherpersonality test /p��sə�n�lti test/noun a test to assess a person’s charac-ter � We give all the sales staff a per-sonality test to see how they cancommunicate with potential customers.� His personality test showed he was aparticularly aggressive individual.personal letter /p��s(ə)n(ə)l �letə/noun a letter which deals with personalmatters (NOTE: also called privateletter)

personally /�p��s(ə)n(ə)li/ adverb inperson � He personally opened the en-velope. � She wrote to me personally.personal pension plan/p��s(ə)n(ə)l �penʃən pl�n/ noun apension plan which applies to one em-ployee only, usually a self-employedperson, not to a group. Abbr PPP

perquisite 198 personal pension plan

personal property /p��s(ə)n(ə)l�prɒpəti/ noun things which belong to aperson � The fire caused considerabledamage to personal property.personnel /p��sə�nel/ noun all thepeople who work for an organisation orat a particular location � The personnelof the warehouse or the warehouse per-sonnel have changed their shift system.� The company is famous for the way itlooks after its personnel. (NOTE: now re-placed in some cases by humanresources)personnel changes /p��sə�neltʃend"z/, staff changes /�stɑ�ftʃend"z/ plural noun arrivals and de-partures of members of staff of acompanypersonnel department /p��sə�neldpɑ�tmənt/ noun same as humanresources departmentpersonnel development /p��sə-nel d�veləpmənt/ noun the selectionand training of employees for particularjobs in an organisationpersonnel manager /p��sə�nelm�nd"ə/ noun same as humanresources managerpersonnel officer /p��sə�nelɒfsə/ noun same as humanresources officerpersonnel planning /p��sə�nelpl�nŋ/ noun same as humanresource(s) planningpersonnel policy /p��sə�nelpɒlsi/ noun a set of rules or guidelinesthat define the way in which an organi-sation deals with matters relating tostaff, or a particular rule or guideline re-lating to a particular issue affecting staffpersonnel records /p��sənel�rekɔ�dz/ plural noun details of mem-bers of staffperson specification /�p��s(ə)nspesfkeʃ(ə)n/ noun a form of jobdescription which gives the ideal per-sonal qualities needed for the job and adescription of the ideal candidate for thejobperson-to-person call /p��s(ə)ntə �p��s(ə)n kɔ�l/ noun a telephone callwhere you ask the operator to connectyou with a named person

PERT abbr programme evaluation andreview techniqueper week /pə �wi�k/ adverb for eachweekper year /pə �jə/ adverb same as perannumPEST noun an analysis of the envi-ronment in which a company works,under the heading of political economic,social, technical. Full form political,economic, social, technicalPeter principle /�pi�tə prnsp(ə)l/noun a law, based on wide experience,that people are promoted until they oc-cupy positions for which they areincompetentpetty /�peti/ adjective not importantpetty cash /peti �k�ʃ/ noun a smallamount of money kept in an office topay small debtspetty theft /peti �θeft/ noun thestealing of small items (as in an office: itcan be the reason for summarydismissal)phase /fez/ noun a period or part ofsomething which takes place � the firstphase of the expansion programmephased retirement /fezd r-�taəmənt/ noun a gradual reduction inthe number of hours someone works asthey approach the age of retirement, typ-ically to a three- or four-day week in thelast six monthsphase in /fez �n/ verb to bringsomething in gradually � The new sys-tem of pension contributions will bephased in over the next two months.

‘…the budget grants a tax exemption for$500,000 in capital gains, phased in over thenext six years’ [Toronto Star]

phase out /fez �aυt/ verb to removesomething gradually � Smith Ltd will bephased out as a supplier of spare parts.PHI abbr permanent health insurancephone book /�fəυn bυk/ noun a bookwhich lists names of people or compa-nies with their addresses and telephonenumbersphysical (examination) /fzk(ə)l z�m�neʃ(ə)n/ noun a medical ex-amination � All the candidates have topass a physical examination. � Though

personal property 199 physical

his qualifications for the job were good,he was rejected after failing thephysical.physically handicapped /fzkli�h�ndik�pt/ adjective having a physi-cal disability (NOTE: now generally un-acceptable and replaced by disabled)

physical working conditions/fzk(ə)l �w��kŋ kəndʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun the surroundings in which some-one works, taking into account aspectssuch as temperature, air quality, light-ing, safety, cleanliness and noisepick and shovel work /pk ən�ʃ$v(ə)l w��k/ noun boring and detailedwork such as the examination of docu-ments for mistakespicket /�pkt/ noun a striking em-ployee who stands at the entrance to aplace of work to try to persuade otheremployees not to go to work � to crossa picket line to go into a place to work,even though pickets are trying to pre-vent employees from going in � verb �to picket a factory to stand at the en-trance of a place of work to try to pre-vent other employees from going toworkpicketing /�pktŋ/ noun the act ofstanding at the entrance of a place ofwork to try to prevent other employeesgoing to work � lawful picketing pick-eting which is allowed by law � peace-ful picketing picketing which does notinvolve aggressionpicket line /�pkt lan/ noun a line ofpickets at the entrance of a place ofwork � to man a picket line or to be onthe picket linepiece /pi�s/ noun a small part of some-thing � to sell something by the piece �The price is 25p the piece.piece rate /�pi�s ret/ noun a rate ofpay for a product produced or for apiece of work done and not paid for atan hourly rate � to earn piece ratespiece-rate system /�pi�s retsstəm/ noun a system of payment inwhich an employee is paid a particularamount of money for each unit that theyproduce

piece rate wages /�pi�s retwed"z/ plural noun payments basedon the number of units producedpiecework /�pi�sw��k/ noun work forwhich employees are paid for the prod-ucts produced or the piece of work doneand not at an hourly ratepieceworker /�pi�sw��kə/ noun aperson who is employed at a piece ratepie chart /�pa tʃɑ�t/ noun a diagramwhere information is shown as a circlecut up into sections of different sizespilferage /�plfərd"/, pilfering/�plfərŋ/ noun the stealing of smallamounts of money or small items froman office or shoppilot fish /�palət fʃ/ noun a juniorexecutive who acts as an assistant to amore senior executive and often walksclose behind them, as a pilot fish fol-lows a shark (slang)

PIN abbr Personal IdentificationNumberpin-drop syndrome /�pn drɒpsndrəυm/ noun stress caused when aworking environment is extremely quiet(slang)

pink-collar job /pŋk �kɒlə d"ɒb/noun a sexist term for a job that is nor-mally done by a woman, especially ayoung one (slang)

pink slip /pŋk �slp/ noun US an of-ficial letter of dismissal given to an em-ployee (in place of a final interview)pink slipper /pŋk �slpə/ noun US aperson who has been dismissed fromemploymentPIW abbr period of incapacity for workplace /ples/ noun where something isor where something happens � to takeplace to happen � The meeting will takeplace in our offices. � verb � to placestaff to find jobs for staff � how areyou placed for work? have you enoughwork to do?placement /�plesmənt/ noun theact of finding work for someone � Thebureau specialises in the placement offormer executives.placement service /�plesmənts��vs/ noun an office which special-

physically handicapped 200 placement service

ises in finding jobs (such as for studentsleaving college)place of birth /ples əv �b��θ/ nounthe place where someone was bornplaintiff /�plentf/ noun a person whostarts an action against someone in thecivil courts (NOTE: since April 1999,this term has been replaced byclaimant)

plan /pl�n/ noun 1. an organised wayof doing something � an investmentplan � a pension plan � a savings plan2. a way of saving or investing money �verb to organise carefully how some-thing should be done in the future � toplan for an increase in staff costs tochange a way of doing things becauseyou think there will be an increase instaff costs

‘…the benefits package is attractive and thecompensation plan includes base, incentive andcar allowance totalling $50,000+’[Globe and Mail (Toronto)]

planning /�pl�nŋ/ noun the processof organising how something should bedone in the future � Setting up a new in-centive scheme with insufficient plan-ning could be a disaster. � Thelong-term planning or short-term plan-ning of the project has been completed.plant /plɑ�nt/ noun 1. industrial ma-chinery and equipment 2. a large factory� to set up a new plant � They closeddown six plants in the north of the coun-try. � He was appointed plant manager.plant-hire firm /plɑ�nt haə �f��m/noun a company which lends large ma-chines (such as cranes and tractors) tobuilding companiesplateauing /�pl�təυŋ/ noun the pro-cess of entering a phase where perfor-mance remains the same or yourposition neither gets better nor getsworse over a long period (NOTE: Em-ployees may experience plateauing ifthey are not very ambitious or if thereare few opportunities for promotion intheir organisation.)

Plc, PLC, plc abbr public limitedcompanyplug and play /pl$ ən �ple/ adjec-tive used to describe a new member ofstaff who does not need training (slang)

pluralism /�plυərəlz(ə)m/ noun thebelief that the way to achieve good in-dustrial relations is to acknowledge thatvarious groups of employees have dif-ferent requirements and make differentdemands, and that compromises have tobe reached � Pluralism is making moreemployees feel they are part of the or-ganisation. (NOTE: the opposite isunitarism)

plus /pl$s/ preposition 1. added to �Her salary plus commission comes tomore than £45,000. � Production costsplus overheads are higher than revenue.2. more than � salary of £100,000 plusa salary of more than £100,000 � nouna good or favourable point � To haveachieved £1m in new sales in less thansix months is certainly a plus for thesales team.poaching /�pəυtʃŋ/ noun the prac-tice of enticing employees to work foranother organisation or enticing mem-bers of one union to join another union� The company was accused of poach-ing staff from its rival. (NOTE: alsocalled raiding)

pocket /�pɒkt/ noun � to be £25 inpocket to have made a profit of £25 � tobe £25 out of pocket to have lost £25pocket calculator /pɒkt�k�lkjυletə/ noun a calculator whichcan be carried in the pocketpocket diary /pɒkt �daəri/ noun adiary which can be carried in the pocketpoint /pɔnt/ noun 1. a place or posi-tion 2. a unit for calculationspoints plan /�pɔnts pl�n/,point-factor system /�pɔnt f�ktəsstəm/ noun a method of assessing thevalue of different jobs that uses a scaleof points to rate each particular job ac-cording to a range of criteria (NOTE: alsocalled point-factor system)

points system /�pɔnts sstəm/noun a system whereby points are givento items in order to evaluate them � Thehuman resources department uses apoints system for performance apprais-als. � A points system can be used inevaluating candidates for a job.police record /pəli�s �rekɔ�d/ nouna note of previous crimes for which

place of birth 201 police record

someone has been convicted � He didnot say that he had a police record.(NOTE: also called criminal record)

policy /�pɒlsi/ noun 1. a course of ac-tion or set of principles 2. a contract forinsurancepolicyholder /�pɒlsi həυldə/ nouna person who is insured by an insurancecompanypolite /pə�lat/ adjective behaving in apleasant way � We insist on our salesstaff being polite to customers. � Wehad a polite letter from the MD.politely /pə�latli/ adverb in a pleasantway � She politely answered the cus-tomers’ questions.polygraph /�pɒli rɑ�f/ noun a lie de-tector, a machine which tells if a personis lying by recording physiologicalchanges which take place while the per-son is being interviewedpolygraphy /pə�l rəfi/ noun thepractice of using a polygraph to checkmembers of staffpool /pu�l/ noun an unused supply � apool of unemployed labour or ofexpertisepoor /pɔ�/ adjective 1. without muchmoney � The company tries to help thepoorest members of staff with loans. � Itis one of the poorest countries in theworld. 2. not very good � poor quality� poor service � poor performance byoffice staff � poor organisation of work-ing methodspoorly /�pɔ�li/ adverb badly � The of-fices are poorly laid out. � The plan waspoorly presented. � poorly-paid staffstaff with low wagespopulation /pɒpjυ�leʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the number of people who live in acountry or in a town � Population sta-tistics show a rise in the 18–25 agegroup. � Population trends have to betaken into account when drawing upeconomic plans. � The working popula-tion of the country is getting older. 2.the group of items or people in a surveyor studypopulation growth /pɒpjυ�leʃ(ə)n rəυθ/ noun an increase in thepopulation

population trends /pɒpjυ�leʃ(ə)ntrendz/ plural noun developments inthe size and make-up of the population� To assess the future employment mar-ket, the human resources departmentstudied population trends. � Judging bypresent population trends, there will bea labour shortage in five years’ time.portable /�pɔ�təb(ə)l/ adjective whichcan be carried � a portable computerportable pension /pɔ�təb(ə)l�penʃən/, portable pension plan/pɔ�təb(ə)l �penʃən pl�n/ noun a pen-sion entitlement which can be movedfrom one company to another withoutloss (as an employee changes jobs)portfolio working /pɔ�t�fəυliəυw��kŋ/ noun a way of organising yourworking life in which, instead of work-ing full-time for one employer and pur-suing a single career, you work forseveral different employers, do severaldifferent jobs and follow several differ-ent career paths all at the same timeposition /pə�zʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a pointof view � What is the union’s positionon the issue of the closed shop? 2. a jobor paid work in a company � to applyfor a position as manager � We haveseveral positions vacant. � All the va-cant positions have been filled. � Sheretired from her position in the accountsdepartment.position of authority /pəzʃ(ə)nəv ɔ��θɒrti/ noun a job where the em-ployee has authority over otheremployeespositive /�pɒztv/ adjective meaning‘yes’ � The board gave a positive reply.positive discrimination /pɒztvdskrm�neʃ(ə)n/ the practice of giv-ing more favourable treatment to a mi-nority to help them be more equal � Thecompany’s policy of positive discrimi-nation is to enable more women toreach senior management posts.positive vetting /pɒztv �vetŋ/noun the close examination of a personworking with secret information whomay not be reliablepost /pəυst/ noun 1. a system of send-ing letters and parcels from one place toanother � to send an invoice by post �

policy 202 post

He put the letter in the post. � Thecheque was lost in the post. 2. letterssent or received � Has the post arrivedyet? � The first thing I do is open thepost. � The receipt was in this morn-ing’s post. � The letter didn’t arrive bythe first post this morning. (NOTE: Brit-ish English uses both mail and postbut American English only uses mail)3. job, paid work in a company � to ap-ply for a post as cashier � we have threeposts vacant � All our posts have beenfilled. � We advertised three posts in the‘Times’. � verb 1. to send something bypost � to post a letter or to post a parcel2. � to post up a notice to put a noticeon a wall or on a noticeboard

‘Toronto stocks closed at an all-time high,posting their fifth day of advances in heavytrading’ [Financial Times]

post- /pəυst/ prefix afterpostal ballot /�pəυst(ə)l b�lət/,postal vote /�pəυst(ə)l vəυt/ noun anelection where the voters send their bal-lot papers by postpostcode /�pəυstkəυd/ noun a set ofletters and numbers used to indicate atown or street in an address on anenvelopepost-entry closed shop /pəυstentri kləυzd �ʃɒp/ noun a closed shopwhich applies to employees after theyhave joined a companypost-industrial experience /pəυstnd$striəl k�spəriəns/ noun experi-ence after working in industryposting /�pəυstŋ/ noun an appoint-ment to a job � He has been offered anoverseas posting.posting and bidding /pəυstŋ ən�bdŋ/ noun the act of advertising a jobinternally so that employees can applyfor itpotential /pə�tenʃəl/ adjective possi-ble � she is a potential managing di-rector she is the sort of person whocould become managing director �noun the possibility of becomingsomething

‘…career prospects are excellent for someonewith growth potential’ [Australian FinancialReview]‘…for sale: established general cleaningbusiness; has potential to be increased to over 1

million dollar turnover’ [Australian FinancialReview]

potential review /pə�tenʃəl rvju�/noun a study of an employee’s perfor-mance to determine what direction theircareer should take in the organisationpower /�paυə/ noun 1. strength orability 2. a force or legal rightpower and influence theory ofleadership /paυər ənd �nfluənsθəri əv li�dəʃp/ noun the theory thatleadership is based on the nature of therelationships between leaders and thepeople who follow them, which areshaped by the power and influence ex-erted by the leaders, rather than on theexceptional abilities that leaders as indi-viduals are supposed to possesspower lunch /�paυə l$ntʃ/ nounsame as working lunchpower of attorney /paυər əv ə-�t��ni/ noun a legal document whichgives someone the right to act on some-one’s behalf in legal matterspower structure /�paυə str$ktʃə/noun the way in which power is distrib-uted among different groups or individ-uals in an organisationpower struggle /�paυə str$ (ə)l/noun a fight between people or groupsto obtain control of something � Therewas a power struggle in the boardroom,and the finance director had to resign.p.p. abbr per procurationem � verb �to p.p. a letter to sign a letter on behalfof someone � Her assistant p.p.’d theletter while the manager was at lunch.PR abbr public relations � A PR firm ishandling all our publicity. � She worksin PR. � The PR people gave away100,000 balloons.practice /�pr�kts/ noun a way of do-ing things � His practice was to arriveat work at 7.30 and start counting thecash.precautionary measure /pr-�kɔ�ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri me"ə/ noun an actiontaken to prevent something unwantedtaking placeprecautions /pr�kɔ�ʃ(ə)nz/ pluralnoun measures taken to avoid some-thing unpleasant � We intend to takeprecautions to prevent thefts in the of-

post- 203 precautions

fice. � The company did not take properfire precautions.precondition /pri�kən�dʃ(ə)n/noun a condition set before somethinghappens, e.g. a condition set by one sidebefore joining negotiations � Manage-ment has agreed to talks withoutpreconditions.predecessor /�pri�dsesə/ noun aperson who had a job or position beforesomeone else � He took over from hispredecessor last May. � She is using thesame office as her predecessor.predictive validity /prdktv və-�ldti/ noun the process of assessing thevalidity of selection tests, by comparingthe employee’s performance in testswith their subsequent job performancepre-employment screening /pri�mplɔmənt �skri�nŋ/ noun healthscreening that takes place after a personhas been appointed to a job but beforethey start workpreferential /prefə�renʃəl/ adjectiveshowing that something is preferredmore than anotherpreferential shop /prefə�renʃəlʃɒp/ noun an agreement with a unionthat management will give first chanceof new jobs to members of the union �A preferential shop system is resentedby applicants who do not wish to be-come members of the union.preferential treatment/prefərenʃəl �tri�tmənt/ noun goodtreatment given to someone in power orto someone who is a friend of the persongiving the treatment � He gets preferen-tial treatment because he’s the MD’snephew.prejudice /�pred"υds/ noun 1. biasor unjust feelings against someone 2.harm done to someone � without prej-udice without harming any interests (aphrase spoken or written in letters whentrying to negotiate a settlement, mean-ing that the negotiations cannot be re-ferred to in court or relied upon by theother party if the discussions fail) �verb to harm � to prejudice someone’sclaimprejudiced /�pred"υdst/ adjectivebiased or with unjust feelings against

someone � The company was accusedof being prejudiced against women.preliminary /pr�lmn(ə)ri/ adjectiveearly, happening before anything elsepreliminary hearing /prlmn(ə)ri�hərŋ/ noun the first meeting of an in-dustrial tribunal where the tribunal de-cides if it is competent to hear the casepremature retirement /premətʃυər�taəmənt/ noun same as earlyretirementpremium bonus /�pri�miəmbəυnəs/ noun an extra payment to anemployee for taking less than the stan-dard time for a taskpremium pay /�pri�miəm pe/, pre-mium rate /�pri�miəm ret/ noun a rateof payment for overtime workpremium pay plan /�pri�miəm pepl�n/ noun an improved pay scale foremployees who perform particularlywell, often used to motivate employeesand reward such achievements as highproductivity, long service or completionof trainingpresent adjective /�prez(ə)nt/ 1. hap-pening now � What is the present ad-dress of the company? 2. being therewhen something happens � Only six di-rectors were present at the board meet-ing. � verb /pr�zent/ to give a talkabout or demonstration of something �I’ve been asked to present at the salesconference. � The HR director willpresent the new staff structure to theBoard.presentation /prez(ə)n�teʃ(ə)n/noun a demonstration or exhibition of aproposed planpresenteeism /prez(ə)n�ti�z(ə)m/noun the practice of spending morehours at work or in the workplace thanis healthy, necessary or productive, e.g.when an employee comes to work whensick for fear of losing their job or lettingthe company downpreside /pr�zad/ verb to be chairman� The MD will preside over the meeting.� The meeting was held in the commit-tee room, Mr Smith presiding.president /�prezd(ə)nt/ noun thehead of a company, society or club �She was elected president of the sports

precondition 204 president

club. � After many years on the board,A.B. Smith has been appointed presidentof the company.

COMMENT: In the UK, president is some-times a title given to a non-executive for-mer chairman of a company; in the USA,the president is the main executive direc-tor of a company.

press cutting agency /�pres k$tŋed"ənsi/ noun a company which cutsout references to clients from newspa-pers and magazines and sends them onto thempress the flesh /pres ðə �fleʃ/ verbto shake hands with people at a businessfunction (informal.)pressure /�preʃə/ noun somethingwhich forces you to do something � toput pressure on someone to do some-thing to try to force someone to dosomething � The banks put pressure onthe company to reduce its borrowings.prevention /pr�venʃən/ noun stepsto prevent something happeningpreventive measure /prventv�me"ə/ noun an action taken to preventsomething from taking placeprevious /�pri�viəs/ adjective whichhappens earlier or which existed before� List all previous positions with thesalaries earned.price /pras/ noun money which has tobe paid to buy something � verb to givea price to a product � We have two usedcars for sale, both priced at £5,000. � toprice oneself out of the market to askfor such a high salary that you cannotget a job

‘…that British goods will price themselves backinto world markets is doubtful as long as sterlinglabour costs continue to rise’ [Sunday Times]

price ceiling /�pras si�lŋ/ noun thehighest price which can be reachedprice cutting /�pras k$tŋ/ noun asudden lowering of pricesprice structure /�pras str$ktʃə/noun a way in which prices are arrangedfor a series of productspricing policy /�prasŋ pɒlisi/noun a company’s policy in givingprices to its products � Our pricing pol-icy aims at producing a 35% grossmargin.

primary /�praməri/ adjective basic‘…farmers are convinced that primary industryno longer has the capacity to meet new capitaltaxes or charges on farm inputs’[Australian Financial Review]

primary boycott /praməri�bɔkɒt/ noun US pressure put on anemployer by workers directly involvedin an industrial dispute. � secondaryboycottprimary group /�praməri ru�p/noun a group which is small enough toallow the members to interactinformallyprimary industry /praməri�ndəstri/ noun an industry dealing withbasic raw materials such as coal, woodor farm produceprimary labour market /praməri�lebə mɑ�kt/ noun a market forworkers with specific skillsprimary negotiating demands/praməri nə� əυʃietŋ dmɑ�ndz/plural noun initial demands made byone side in a negotiation, which are infact not negotiableprimary sector /�praməri sektə/noun industries dealing with basic rawmaterials (such as coal, wood or farmproduce)principal /�prnsp(ə)l/ noun 1. a per-son or company that is represented byan agent 2. money invested or borrowedon which interest is paid � to repayprincipal and interest � We try to repaypart of principal each month. (NOTE: donot confuse with principle) � adjectivemost important � The company’s prin-cipal asset is its design staff.

‘…the company was set up with funds totallingNorKr 145m with the principal aim of makingcapital gains on the secondhand market’[Lloyd’s List]

principle /�prnsp(ə)l/ noun a basicpoint or general rule � in principle inagreement with a general rule � agree-ment in principle agreement with thebasic conditions of a proposalpriority /pra�ɒrti/ noun � to havepriority to have the right to be firstprivate /�pravət/ adjective 1. belong-ing to a single person, not to a companyor the state � a letter marked ‘privateand confidential’ a letter which must

press cutting agency 205 private

not be opened by anyone other than theperson it is addressed to 2. � in privateaway from other people � In public theunion said it would never go back to thenegotiating table, but in private theywere already having discussions withthe company representatives. � Heasked to see the managing director inprivate. � In public he said the companywould break even soon, but in private hewas less optimistic.

‘…in the private sector the total number of newhouse starts was 3 per cent higher than in thecorresponding period last year, while publicsector starts were 23 per cent lower’[Financial Times]

private enterprise /pravət�entəpraz/ noun businesses which areowned privately, not nationalised � Theproject is completely funded by privateenterprise.private health insurance /pravət�helθ nʃυərəns/, private healthscheme /pravət �helθ ski�m/ nouninsurance which will pay for the cost oftreatment in a private hospital, not astate oneprivately /�pravətli/ adverb awayfrom other people � The deal was nego-tiated privately.private means /pravət �mi�nz/ plu-ral noun income from dividends, inter-est or rent which is not part ofsomeone’s salaryprivate ownership /pravət�əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where acompany is owned by privateshareholdersprivate secretary /pravət�sekrt(ə)ri/ noun a secretary whoworks for one manager or director only,and deals with personal and confidentialmattersprivate sector /�pravət sektə/noun all companies which are owned byprivate shareholders, not by the state �The expansion is completely funded bythe private sector. � Salaries in the pri-vate sector have increased faster than inthe public sector.privilege /�prvld"/ noun an advan-tage associated with a certain position orsituation � Using the company jet is aprivilege given only to top management.

proactive /prəυ��ktv/ adjective tak-ing the initiative in doing something (asopposed to reacting to events)probation /prə�beʃ(ə)n/ noun a pe-riod when a new employee is beingtested before getting a permanent job �We will take her on probation. � Theaccountant was appointed on threemonths’ probation at the end of whichhe was not found to be satisfactory.probationary /prə�beʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ ad-jective while someone is being tested �We will take her for a probationary pe-riod of three months. � After the proba-tionary period the company decided tooffer him a full-time contract.probationary employee /prə-beʃ(ə)n(ə)ri m�plɔi�/ noun an em-ployee who is still on probationprobationary period /prə-�beʃ(ə)n(ə)ri pəriəd/ noun a periodduring which a new employee is on pro-bation � During the probationary pe-riod the employee may be dismissedwithout notice. � The probationary pe-riod is three months, after which themanagement may decide not to keep theworker, or alternatively, may offer anemployment contract.probationer /prə�beʃ(ə)nə/ noun aperson who is on probationproblem /�prɒbləm/ noun somethingto which it is difficult to find an answer� The company suffers from staffproblems.problem area /�prɒbləm eəriə/noun an area of a company’s workwhich is difficult to run � Overseassales is one of our biggest problemareas.problem-solving /�prɒbləm sɒlvŋ/noun the task of dealing with problemsthat occur within an organisation andthe methods that managers use to solvethem (NOTE: The most widely usedmethod of problem-solving proceedsthrough the following stages: recognis-ing that a problem exists and definingit; generating a range of solutions;evaluating the possible solutions andchoosing the best one; implementingthe solution and evaluating its effec-tiveness in solving the problem.)

private enterprise 206 problem-solving

procedural /prə�si�d"ərəl/ adjectivereferring to procedure

‘…the procedural ‘gentleman’s agreement’approach was not sufficient to sustain individualemployees against workplace industrial action’[Personnel Management]

procedural agreement /prə-�si�d"ərəl ə ri�mənt/ noun an agree-ment between a trade union and man-agement on procedure to be followedduring negotiations or bargainingprocedure /prə�si�d"ə/ noun a way inwhich something is done � The inquiryfound that the company had not fol-lowed the approved procedures. � Themanagement complained that the unionsdid not follow the proper procedure. �this procedure is very irregular this isnot the proper way to do something

‘…this was a serious breach of disciplinaryprocedure and the dismissal was unfair’[Personnel Management]

procedure manual /prə�si�d"əm�njuəl/ noun a document in whichthe step-by-step instructions that governthe way in which an organisation con-ducts particular activities are writtendown (NOTE: Procedure manuals areoften used in the induction and trainingof new recruits.)proceedings /prə�si�dŋz/ pluralnoun � to take or to institute proceed-ings against someone to start a legal ac-tion against someoneprocess /�prəυses/ noun the series ofsteps or stages that make up an activity� decision-making processes ways inwhich decisions are reached � verb 1. �to process figures to sort out informa-tion to make it easily understood � Thesales figures are being processed by ouraccounts department. 2. to deal withsomething in the usual routine way � Itusually takes at least two weeks to pro-cess an insurance claim. � Orders areprocessed in our warehouse.process chart /�prəυses tʃɑ�t/ nouna diagram which shows all the stages in-volved in a job or project in the correctorderprocess skills /�prəυses sklz/ plu-ral noun skills in organising, prob-lem-solving, decision-making, etc.production /prə�d$kʃən/ noun 1. theact of showing something � on produc-

tion of when something is shown �Goods can be exchanged only on pro-duction of the sales slip. 2. the makingor manufacturing of goods for sale � Weare hoping to speed up production byinstalling new machinery. � Higherproduction is rewarded with higher pay.production bonus /prə�d$kʃənbəυnəs/ noun an extra payment madefor each job or task completed after acertain production target has beenreachedproduction curve /prə�d$kʃənk��v/ noun the extent to which outputvaries according to how long the em-ployee has been workingproduction management/prə�d$kʃən m�nd"mənt/ noun theprocess of supervising a factory or aproduction processproduction standards /prə-�d$kʃən st�ndədz/ plural noun thequality levels relating of productionproduction target /prə�d$kʃəntɑ� t/ noun the amount of units a fac-tory is expected to produceproduction transfer /prə�d$kʃəntr�nsf��/ noun the transferring of em-ployees from jobs in which manpowerrequirements are declining to jobswhere manpower requirements are onthe increaseproductivity /prɒd$k�tvti/ nounthe rate of output per employee or permachine in a factory � Bonus paymentsare linked to productivity. � The com-pany is aiming to increase productivity.

‘…though there has been productivity growth,the absolute productivity gap between manyBritish firms and their foreign rivals remains’[Sunday Times]

productivity audit /prɒd$k�tvtiɔ�dt/ noun a review of a company’sproductivity and its relationship with itsemployeesproductivity bargaining /prɒd$k-�tvti bɑ� nŋ/ noun bargaining be-tween a union and management to agreeon the level of productivity to beachievedproductivity drive /prɒd$k�tvtidrav/ noun an extra effort to increaseproductivity

procedural 207 productivity drive

productivity measurement/prɒd$k�tvti me"əmənt/ noun ameasurement of the efficiency ofproductionproduct management /prɒd$kt�m�nd"mənt/ noun the process of di-recting the making and selling of a prod-uct as an independent itemprofession /prə�feʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. anoccupation for which official qualifica-tions are needed and which is oftenmade a lifelong career � The managingdirector is an accountant by profession.� HR management is now more widelyrecognised as a profession. 2. a group ofspecialised employees � the accountingprofession � the legal professionprofessional /prə�feʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjec-tive 1. referring to one of the professions� We had to ask our lawyer for profes-sional advice on the contract. � Theprofessional institute awards diplomas.� professional man, professionalwoman a man or woman who works inone of the professions (such as a lawyer,doctor or accountant) 2. expert orskilled � Her work is very professional.� They did a very professional job indesigning the new office. 3. doing workfor money � a professional tennisplayer 4. fully qualified in a profession� She’s a professional photographer. �noun a skilled person or a person whodoes skilled work for moneyprofessional body /prəfeʃ(ə)n(ə)l�bɒdi/ noun an organisation whichtrains, validates and organises examina-tions for its membersprofessional indemnity /prə-feʃ(ə)n(ə)l n�demnti/ noun insur-ance against claims taken out by compa-nies providing professional servicessuch as accountancyprofessionalism /prə-�feʃ(ə)nəlz(ə)m/ noun the quality ofshowing a professional attitude � Hissales reports show a lack of profession-alism which could be remedied by a pe-riod of in-house training.professional misconduct /prə-feʃ(ə)n(ə)l ms�kɒnd$kt/ noun behav-iour by a member of a profession (suchas a lawyer, accountant or doctor) which

the body regulating that profession con-siders to be wrongprofessional mobility /prə-feʃ(ə)n(ə)l məυ�blti/ noun the abilityof employees to move from one type ofjob to another within the same organisa-tion (NOTE: also called skills mobility)professional negligence /prə-feʃ(ə)n(ə)l �ne ld"əns/ noun the actof failing to carry out one’s duties prop-erly (on the part of a professionalperson)professional qualification /prə-feʃ(ə)n(ə)l kwɒlf�keʃ(ə)n/ noun adocument which shows that someonehas successfully finished a course ofstudy which allows them to work in oneof the professionsprofessional traits /prəfeʃ(ə)n(ə)l�trets/ plural noun characteristics(such as skills, knowledge or agreementwith the aims of a professional organisa-tion) which mark the true professionalproficiency /prə�fʃ(ə)nsi/ noun skillin doing something at more than a basiclevel � Her proficiency in languagesshould help in the export department. �To get the job he had to pass a profi-ciency test.proficient /prə�fʃ(ə)nt/ adjectivecapable of doing something well � Sheis quite proficient in Spanish.profile /�prəυfal/ noun a brief de-scription of the characteristics of some-thing or someone � They asked for aprofile of the possible partners in thejoint venture. � Her CV provided a pro-file of her education and career to date.profile method /�prəυfal meθəd/noun an analytical method of job evalu-ation used by management consultantsprofit /�prɒft/ noun money gainedfrom a sale which is more than themoney spent on making the item sold oron providing the service offeredprofit centre /�prɒft sentə/ noun aperson or department that is consideredseparately for the purposes of calculat-ing a profit � We count the kitchenequipment division as a single profitcentre.profit-related /�prɒft rletd/ ad-jective linked to profit

productivity measurement 208 profit-related

profit-related pay /prɒft rletd�pe/ noun pay (including bonuses)which is linked to profitprofit-sharing /�prɒft ʃeərŋ/ nounthe practice of dividing profits amongemployeesprofit-sharing scheme /�prɒftʃeərŋ ski�m/ noun a scheme bywhich employees (either all of them, oronly certain selected categories) are en-titled to get a share of the profits of theorganisation they work for �Profit-sharing schemes encourage em-ployees to identify more closely with thecompany.program /�prəυ r�m/ noun 1. a setof instructions telling a computer to per-form some task 2. US same asprogramme � verb to write a programfor a computer � to program a com-puter to install a program in a computer� The computer is programmed to printlabels.programme /�prəυ r�m/ noun aplan of things which will be done � todraw up a programme of investment oran investment programme � The train-ing programme sends all managers forretraining every year. � We are initiat-ing a new recruitment programme.(NOTE: the usual US spelling isprogram)

programmed instruction/prəυ r�md n�str$kʃən/, pro-grammed learning /prəυ r�md�l��nŋ/ noun a course of instructioncarried out by each trainee at their ownspeedprogramme evaluation and re-view technique (PERT) /-prəυ r�m v�ljueʃ(ə)n ən r�vju�tekni�k/ noun a way of planning andcontrolling a large project, concentrat-ing on scheduling and completion ontime. Abbr PERT

progress noun /�prəυ res/ the move-ment of work forward � to report on theprogress of the work or of the negotia-tions � in progress which is being donebut is not finished � negotiations inprogress � work in progress � to makeprogress to move forward in your work� verb /prəυ� res/ to move forward or

go ahead � The contract is progressingthrough various departments.progress chaser /�prəυ restʃesə/ noun a person whose job is tocheck that work is being carried out onschedule, that orders are being fulfilledon time, etc.progression /prəυ� reʃ(ə)n/ nounthe process of moving forward in stagesprogressive /prəυ� resv/ adjectivewhich moves forward in stagesprogress report /�prəυ res rpɔ�t/noun a document which describes whatprogress has been madeprohibition /prəυ�bʃ(ə)n/ noun anact of forbidding somethingprohibition notice /prəυ�bʃ(ə)nnəυts/ noun a notice from the Healthand Safety Executive telling a companyto stop doing something which isdangerousprohibitory injunction /prə-hbt(ə)ri n�d"$ŋkʃən/ noun an in-junction which prevents someone fromdoing an illegal actprojective listening /prəd"ektv�ls(ə)nŋ/ noun the act of imagining theeffects of one’s own words on otherpeople in order to improve direct com-munication skills � The sales managertrained the new sales reps in projectivelistening.projective test /prəd"ektv �test/noun a test of personality, where a can-didate is asked to describe what they seein certain shapesproject management /�prɒd"ektm�nd"mənt/ noun the coordinationof the financial, material and human re-sources needed to complete a projectand the organisation of the work that theproject involvespromote /prə�məυt/ verb to givesomeone a more important job or tomove someone to a higher grade � Hewas promoted from salesman to salesmanager.promotion /prə�məυʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of moving up to a more importantjob � I ruined my chances of promotionwhen I argued with the managing direc-tor. � The job offers good promotionchances or promotion prospects. � to

profit-related pay 209 promotion

earn promotion to work hard and effi-ciently and so be promoted � to get pro-motion to be promoted � to be passedover for promotion not to be promotedwhen other employees on the same levelare promotedpromotion ladder /prə�məυʃ(ə)nl�də/ noun a series of steps by whichemployees can be promoted � By beingappointed sales manager, she movedseveral steps up the promotion ladder.proposal under consideration/prəpəυz(ə)l $ndə kənsdə�reʃ(ə)n/noun the proposal which is being con-sidered at the momentproprietor /prə�praətə/ noun theowner of a business, especially in thehospitality industry � She is the propri-etor of a hotel or a hotel proprietor. �The restaurant has a new proprietor.proprietress /prə�praətrəs/ noun awoman owner � She is the proprietressof an advertising consultancy.prosecute /�prɒskju�t/ verb to bringsomeone to court to answer a criminalcharge � He was prosecuted forembezzlement.prosecution /prɒs�kju�ʃ(ə)n/ noun1. the act of bringing someone to courtto answer a charge � his prosecution forembezzlement 2. a party who brings acriminal charge against someone � Thecosts of the case will be borne by theprosecution. 3. lawyers representing theparty bringing a criminal charge againstsomeoneprosecution counsel /prɒs-�kju�ʃ(ə)n kaυnsəl/ noun a lawyer act-ing for the prosecutionprospect noun 1. � her job pros-pects are good she is very likely to finda job 2. the possibility that somethingwill happen � There is no prospect ofnegotiations coming to an end soon. �verb to look for � to prospect customersprospective /prə�spektv/ adjective1. which may happen in the future 2. re-ferring to a person who could be ap-pointed to a job � We are interviewingprospective candidates next week.protect /prə�tekt/ verb to defendsomething against harm � Employeesare protected from unfair dismissal by

government legislation. � The cover issupposed to protect the machine fromdust.protected class /prətektd �klɑ�s/noun an employee who has skills thatare currently in short supply (slang)

protection /prə�tekʃən/ noun 1.something or a legislation which pro-tects � The legislation offers no protec-tion to part-time workers. � The newlegislation offers some protectionagainst unscrupulous employers. 2. theact of protectingprotective /prə�tektv/ adjectivewhich protectsprotective award /prə�tektv ə-wɔ�d/ noun an award made to an em-ployee who was made redundant with-out the company following the normalconsultation procedures or the normalnotice periodprotective clothing /prətektv�kləυðŋ/ noun clothes (such as hats,gloves or goggles) which protect aworker from dangerous substancesprotest noun /�prəυtest/ a statementor action to show that you do not ap-prove of something � to make a protestagainst high prices � in protest atshowing that you do not approve ofsomething � The staff occupied the of-fices in protest at the low pay offer. � todo something under protest to dosomething, but say that you do not ap-prove of it � verb /prə�test/ � to pro-test against something to say that youdo not approve of somethingprotest strike /�prəυtest strak/noun a strike in protest at a particulargrievanceprotocol /�prəυtəkɒl/ noun a set ofrules that govern and regulate a processproven /�pru�v(ə)n/ adjective whichhas been proved by time � a candidateof proven experienceproven experience /pru�v(ə)n k-�spəriəns/ noun experience showingthat someone has been successfulprovident /�prɒvd(ə)nt/ adjectiveproviding benefits in case of illness, oldage or other cases of need � a providentfund � a provident society

promotion ladder 210 provident

provision /prə�v"(ə)n/ noun the actof providing something � to make pro-vision for to see that something is al-lowed for in the future � there is noprovision for or no provision has beenmade for car parking in the plans forthe office block the plans do not includespace for cars to parkprovisional /prə�v"(ə)n(ə)l/ adjec-tive temporary, not final or permanent �He was given a provisional posting tosee if he could manage a larger depart-ment � The provisional budget has beendrawn up for each department. � Theyfaxed their provisional acceptance ofthe contract.provisionally /prə�v"(ə)nəli/ ad-verb not finally � The contract has beenaccepted provisionally.proviso /prə�vazəυ/ noun a condi-tion � We are signing the contract withthe proviso that the terms can be dis-cussed again after six months. (NOTE:plural is provisos or provisoes)

proximate cause /�prɒksmət kɔ�z/noun the direct cause (of an accident)proxy /�prɒksi/ noun 1. a documentwhich gives someone the power to acton behalf of someone else � to sign byproxy 2. a person who acts on behalf ofsomeone else � She asked the chairmanto act as proxy for her.PRP abbr performance-related paypsychic income /sakk �nk$m/noun the amount of personal psycholog-ical satisfaction that someone gets froma job, as opposed to the salary that theyearn by doing itpsychological contract/sakəlɒd"k(ə)l �kɒntr�kt/ noun theexpectations that an employee and anemployer have of what each will do forthe other, which are not written down inthe actual contract of employment butnevertheless form an important of theirrelationship (NOTE: The psychologicalcontract involves such things as levelsof employee commitment on the oneside and job satisfaction and the qual-ity of working life on the other.)

psychological test/sakəlɒd"k(ə)l �test/ noun a way ofassessing the principal traits of a per-

son’s character � The result of the psy-chological test showed that he wasprone to depression.psychologist /sa�kɒləd"st/ noun adoctor who specialies in the study of themind and its processes � Studies by psy-chologists have shown the influence ofwork stress on production-line workers.psychology /sa�kɒləd"i/ noun thestudy of the mind and its processespsychometric /sakə�metrk/ ad-jective referring to psychometricspsychometrics /sakə�metrks/noun a way of measuring ability andpersonality where the result is shown asa number on a scale � Psychometricscan be successfully applied to recruit-ment processes. (NOTE: takes a singularverb)

psychometric test /sakəmetrk�tests/ noun a test to measure psycho-logical traits in candidatespsychosometric /sakəυsə-�metrk/ adjective same aspsychometric

psychosometric test/sakəυsəmetrk �test/ noun same aspsychometric test

public /�p$blk/ adjective referring toall the people in general � noun � thepublic, the general public the people �in public in front of everyone � In pub-lic he said that the company would soonbe in profit, but in private he was lessoptimistic.public funds /p$blk �f$ndz/ pluralnoun government money available forexpenditurepublic health inspector /p$blk�helθ nspektə/ noun same as Envi-ronmental Health Officer

public holiday /p$blk �hɒlde/noun a day when all employees are enti-tled to take a holidaypublic liability insurance /p$blklaə�blti nʃυərəns/ noun insuranceagainst claims by members of the publicpublic limited company /p$blklmtd �k$mp(ə)ni/ noun a companywhose shares can be bought on theStock Exchange. Abbr Plc, PLC, plc

provision 211 public limited company

public ownership /p$blk�əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where thegovernment owns a business, i.e. wherean industry is nationalisedpublic relations /p$blk r-�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun the practice ofbuilding up and keeping good relationsbetween an organisation and the public,or an organisation and its employees, sothat people know and think well of whatthe organisation is doing � She works inpublic relations. � A public relationsfirm handles all our publicity. � Thecompany’s internal public relationswere improved by setting up the housejournal. Abbr PR (NOTE: takes asingular verb)public relations department/p$blk r�leʃ(ə)nz dpɑ�tmənt/noun the section of a company whichdeals with relations with the public.Abbr PR departmentpublic relations exercise /p$blkr�leʃ(ə)nz eksəsaz/ noun a cam-paign to improve public relationspublic servant /p$blk �s��vənt/noun a person employed by a govern-ment department or agencypublic service /�p$blk �s��vs/noun the various departments and agen-cies that carry out government policiesand provide the services that are fundedby the governmentpublic training programme/p$blk �trenŋ prəυ r�m/ nouna training programme that has a setsyllabus and is open to the employees ofany organisationpull /pυl/ verb � pull the plug onsomething to bring something such as abusiness project to an end, especially bycutting off its financial support (infor-mal.)pull out /pυl �aυt/ verb to stop beingpart of a deal or agreement � Our Aus-tralian partners pulled out of thecontract.punctual /�p$ŋktʃuəl/ adjective tend-ing to arrive at a place at the right time

punctuality /p$ŋktʃu��lti/ nounthe tendency to arrive at a place at theright timepunitive /�pju�ntv/ adjective whichpunishespunitive damages /pju�ntv�d�md"z/ damages which punish thedefendant for the loss or harm caused tothe plaintiff; heavy damages awarded toshow that the court feels the defendanthas behaved badly towards the plaintiffpunitive measure /pju�ntv�me"ə/ noun a measure to punishsomeonepurchase book /�p��tʃs bυk/ nouna book in which purchases are recordedpush /pυʃ/ noun the action of makingsomething move forward � push theenvelope /pυʃ ði �envələυp/ to go be-yond normal limits and try to do some-thing that is new and sometimes risky(slang)put back /pυt �b�k/ verb to changeto a later time � We had to put back themeeting because the leader of the man-agement team was ill.put in /pυt �n/ verb � to put an ad ina paper to have an ad printed in a news-paper � the union put in a 6% wageclaim the union asked for a 6% increasein wagesput off /pυt �ɒf/ verb to arrange forsomething to take place later thanplanned � The meeting was put off fortwo weeks. � She asked if we could putthe visit off until tomorrow.put out /pυt �aυt/ verb to send out �We are planning to put out most of thework to freelancers. � to put work outto contract to decide that work shouldbe done by a company on a contract,rather than employ members of staff todo itpyramid /�prəmd/ noun 1. a shapelike a triangle with a wide bottom risingto a point at the top 2. a hierarchicalstaff structure in an organisation, withfew employees at the top and manymore at the bottom

public ownership 212 pyramid

Q

quadruplicate /kwɒ�dru�plkət/noun � in quadruplicate with the origi-nal and three copies � The invoices areprinted in quadruplicate. � The applica-tion form should be completed inquadruplicate.qualification /kwɒlf�keʃ(ə)n/noun formal proof of the fact that some-one has successfully completed a spe-cialised course of study or has acquireda skill � You must have the right qualifi-cations for the job. � Job-hunting is dif-ficult if you have no qualifications.

‘…personnel management is not an activity thatcan ever have just one set of qualifications as arequirement for entry into it’[Personnel Management]

qualified /�kwɒlfad/ adjective hav-ing passed special examinations in asubject � She is a qualified accountant.� We have appointed a qualified de-signer to supervise the decorating of thenew reception area. � highly qualifiedwith very good results in examinations� All our staff are highly qualified. �They employ twenty-six highly qualifiedengineers.

‘…applicants will be professionally qualifiedand ideally have a degree in Commerce andpostgraduate management qualifications’[Australian Financial Review]

qualify /�kwɒlfa/ verb � to qualifyas to follow a specialised course ofstudy and pass examinations so that youcan do a certain job � She has qualifiedas an accountant. � He will qualify as asolicitor next year.

‘…federal examiners will also determine whichof the privately insured savings and loansqualify for federal insurance’[Wall Street Journal]

qualifying day /�kwɒlfaŋ de/noun a working day for which an em-ployee is eligible to receive statutorysick pay

qualifying earnings /�kwɒlfaŋ��nŋz/ plural noun earnings on whichNational Insurance contributions havebeen paid and which qualify an em-ployee for incapacity benefitquality /�kwɒlti/ noun what some-thing is like or how good or bad some-thing is � The poor quality of theservice led to many complaints. � Thereis a market for good-quality secondhandcomputers.quality assurance standards/kwɒlti ə�ʃυərəns st�ndədz/ pluralnoun guaranteed levels of product qual-ity which can be checked by thecompanyquality circle /�kwɒlti s��k(ə)l/noun a group of employees in a com-pany who meet to discuss quality con-trols and working practices. Abbr QCquality control /�kwɒlti kəntrəυl/noun the process of making sure that thequality of a product is goodquality controller /�kwɒlti kən-trəυlə/ noun a person who checks thequality of a productquality of life /kwɒlti əv �laf/noun the general feeling of wellbeing inyour lifequality of working life /kwɒlti əv�w��kŋ laf/ noun the general satisfac-tion with your life at work, including theenvironment, career structure and pay.Abbr QWLquality time /�kwɒlti tam/ nountime during which you can devote your-self fully and without distractions to anactivity that you consider important, e.g.to building a strong relationship withyour familyquantifiable /�kwɒntfaəb(ə)l/ ad-jective which can be quantified � The

quadruplicate 213 quantifiable

effect of the change in the discountstructure is not quantifiable.quantifiable objective/kwɒntfaəb(ə)l əb�d"ektv/ noun anobjective for which it is possible to givea measure to gauge if it has beenreachedquarter /�kwɔ�tə/ noun a period ofthree months � The instalments are pay-able at the end of each quarter.quarterly /�kwɔ�təli/ adjective, ad-verb happening once every three months� There is a quarterly charge for elec-tricity. � The bank sends us a quarterlystatement. � We agreed to pay the rentquarterly or on a quarterly basis.quarterly statement of contribu-tions /kwɔ�təli stetmənt əvkɒntr�bju�ʃ(ə)nz/ noun a statementissued by a pension company whichshows how much has been paid into apensions scheme over the last quarterquestion /�kwestʃən/ noun 1. wordswhich need an answer � The managingdirector refused to answer questionsabout redundancies. � The trainingmanager prepared a series of questionsto test the trainees’ reactions in differ-ent sales situations. 2. a problem � Theboard discussed the question of redun-dancy payments. � The main question isthat of the cost of the trainingprogramme. � to raise a question tomention a problem and expect it to bediscussed � She raised the question ofmoving to less expensive offices. � verb1. to ask questions � She questioned thechairman on the company’s investmentpolicy. 2. to show doubt about some-

thing or suggest that something may bewrong � We all question how accuratethe data is.questionnaire /kwestʃə�neə/ noun aprinted list of questions aiming at col-lecting data in an unbiased way, espe-cially used in market research � We’llsend out a questionnaire to test theopinions of users of the system. � Ques-tionnaires were handed to the staff ask-ing them about their attitudes to workconditions.queue /kju�/ noun 1. a line of peoplewaiting one behind the other � to form aqueue or to join a queue 2. a series ofdocuments (such as orders or applica-tion forms) which are dealt with in order� his case went to the end of the queuehis case was dealt with last � verb toform a line one after the other for some-thing � The candidates queued outsidethe interviewing room.quid pro quo /kwd prəυ �kwəυ/noun money paid or an action carriedout in return for something � He agreedto repay the loan early, and as a quidpro quo the bank released the collateral.quit /kwt/ verb to resign or leave a job� He quit after an argument with themanaging director. � Several of themanagers are quitting to set up theirown company. (NOTE: quitting – quit)quorum /�kwɔ�rəm/ noun a minimumnumber of people who have to be pres-ent at a meeting to make it valid � tohave a quorum to have enough peoplepresent for a meeting to go ahead � Dowe have a quorum?QWL abbr quality of working life

quantifiable objective 214 QWL

R

race /res/ noun a group of people whoare different because of skin colour,hair, eyes, etc.Race Relations Act 1976 /res r-�leʃ(ə)nz �kt nanti�n sev(ə)nti�sks/ noun an Act of Parliament whichmakes racial discrimination in employ-ment an offenceracial /�reʃ(ə)l/ adjective of or refer-ring to a person’s raceracial discrimination /reʃ(ə)ldskrm�neʃ(ə)n/ noun the practice oftreating a person differently (usuallyworse) because of their race � The or-ganisation was accused of racial dis-crimination in selecting managers.racial prejudice /reʃ(ə)l�pred"υds/ noun feelings againstsomeone because of their race � Theyinvestigated claims of racial prejudicein hiring staff. � The immigrant feltforced to give up his job because ofracial prejudice on the shop floor.racism /�resz(ə)m/, racialism/�reʃəlz(ə)m/ noun the belief in racistideas or actions based on racist ideas �She accused the company of racism intheir appointments to the managementcommittee.racist /�resst/ noun, adjective (a per-son) believing that people of certain ra-cial or ethnic groups are inferiorraiding /�redŋ/ noun same aspoachingrainmaker /�renmekə/ noun a per-son, especially a lawyer, who wins cli-ents who spend a lot of money doingbusiness with their firm (slang)

raise /rez/ noun US an increase in sal-ary � He asked the boss for a raise. �She is pleased – she has had her raise. �She got her raise last month. (NOTE:

British English is rise) � verb 1. to aska meeting to discuss a question � Thechairman tried to prevent the questionof redundancies being raised. 2. to in-crease or to make higher � The govern-ment has raised the tax levels. � Theorganisation will raise wages if infla-tion gets worse.R&D abbr research and developmentrandom /�r�ndəm/ adjective donewithout making any special selection �at random without special selection �The director picked out two sales re-ports at random.random check /r�ndəm �tʃek/noun a check on items taken from agroup without any special selectionrandom inspection /r�ndəm n-�spekʃən/ noun an inspection carriedout without any particular choice andwithout warningrandom sampling /r�ndəm�sɑ�mplŋ/ noun the choosing of sam-ples for testing without any specialselectionrange /rend"/ noun 1. a series ofitems � There are a whole range of al-ternatives for the new salary scheme. 2.a spread of sizes or amounts withinfixed limits � The company’s salaryscale ranges from £5,000 for a traineeto £50,000 for the managing director. �range of salaries, salary range a list ofsalaries paid, from the lowest to thehighest � The salary range is £10,000 –£14,000. � verb to be within a group ofsizes or amounts falling within fixedlimits � The company sells productsranging from cheap downmarket pens toimported luxury items. � The company’ssalary scale ranges from £10,000 for atrainee to £150,000 for the managingdirector. � Our activities range from

race 215 range

mining in the USA to computer servicesin Scotland.range of indifference /rend" əvn�df(ə)rəns/ noun the top area of asalary scale, where the salaries are sohigh that salary increases are no longeran incentive to perform betterrank /r�ŋk/ noun a position in a com-pany or an organisation � All managersare of equal rank. � Promotion meansmoving up from a lower rank. � in rankorder in order according to position ofimportance � verb 1. to classify in orderof importance � Candidates are rankedin order of appearance. � Candidatesare ranked in order of their test results.2. to be in a certain position � all man-agers rank equally all managers havethe same status in the companyrank and file /r�ŋk ən �fal/ nounthe ordinary members of a trade unionor other association � The decision wasnot liked by the rank and file. �rank-and-file members ordinarymembersranking /�r�ŋkŋ/ adjective in acertain position � a high-ranking offi-cial � she is the top-ranking or thesenior-ranking official in the delega-tion she is the member of the delegationwho occupies the highest official post �noun the act of arranging into a list inorder of quality, importance or quantity� Job ranking was carried out accord-ing to the relative importance of eachjob in the organisation.ranking system /�r�ŋkŋ sstəm/noun a way of calculating the value ofjobs and sorting them into differentlevelsrate /ret/ noun 1. the money chargedfor time worked or work completed 2.an amount of money paid (shown as apercentage) 3. an amount, number orspeed compared with something else �the rate of increase in redundancies �The rate of absenteeism or the absentee-ism rate always increases in fineweather. � verb � to rate someonehighly to value someone, to think some-one is very good

‘…the unions had argued that public sector payrates had slipped behind rates applying inprivate sector employment’[Australian Financial Review]

rate of inflation /ret əv n-�fleʃ(ə)n/ noun the percentage increasein prices over a twelve-month period(NOTE: also called rate of inflation)

rate of taxation /ret əv t�k-�seʃ(ə)n/ noun the proportion of aparticular sum of money (such as asalary) which must be paid in tax � Hepays income tax at the highest rate.(NOTE: also called tax rate)

rate of unemployment /ret əv$nn�plɔmənt/ noun number of peopleout of work, shown as a percentage ofthe total number of people available forwork (NOTE: also called unemploy-ment rate)

ratification /r�tf�keʃ(ə)n/ nounofficial approval � The agreement hasto go to the board for ratification.ratify /�r�tfa/ verb to approve offi-cially � The agreement has to be rati-fied by the board. (NOTE: ratifies –ratifying – ratified)

rating /�retŋ/ noun the act of givingsomething a value, or the value givenrating scale /�retŋ skel/ noun a se-ries of grades used in performanceratingrating standard /�retŋ st�ndəd/noun an international standard of workefficiency for pieceworkersratio /�reʃiəυ/ noun 1. a proportion orquantity of something compared tosomething else � the ratio of successesto failures � With less manual workavailable, the ratio of employees tomanagers is decreasing. 2. a mathemati-cal expression that shows the relation-ship between two amounts � The ratioof junior staff to senior staff is 5:1. �Our product outsells theirs by a ratio oftwo to one.rationalisation /r�ʃ(ə)nəla-�zeʃ(ə)n/, rationalization noun a pro-cess designed to make an organisationefficient and profitable again when itsperformance or results have been poor,which usually involves changes in or-ganisation structure, redundancies, plantclosures and cutbacks in supplies andresources (NOTE: The term is also usedin a cynical way as a euphemism formass redundancies.)

range of indifference 216 rationalisation

rationalise /�r�ʃ(ə)nəlaz/, rational-ize verb to make something more effi-cient � The rail company is trying torationalise its freight services. � The or-ganisation is trying to rationalise itssalary scales.rat race /�r�t res/ noun competitionfor success in business or in a career �He decided to get out of the rat race andbuy a small farm.raw /rɔ�/ adjective in the original stateor not processedraw data /rɔ� �detə/ noun data as it isput into a computer, without beinganalysedraw deal /rɔ� �di�l/ noun a bad ar-rangement or bad treatment � She got araw deal from her manager.raw labour /rɔ� �lebə/ noun un-skilled workers � Because too high aproportion of the local workforce wasraw labour, the company had to recruitfrom further afield.RDO noun (in Australia and New Zea-land) a day of leave granted to staff un-der certain employment agreementswhen they have accumulated a particu-lar amount of overtime (NOTE: Full formrostered day off)reach /ri�tʃ/ verb to get to something �to reach an agreement to agree � toreach a decision to decide � The twoparties reached an agreement over theterms for the contract. � The boardreached a decision about closing thefactory.readjust /ri�ə�d"$st/ verb to adjustagain � to readjust salary scalesreadvertise /ri���dvətaz/ verb toadvertise again � All the candidatesfailed the test so we will just have to re-advertise. � to readvertise a post to putin a second advertisement for a vacantpostreadvertisement /ri�əd-�v��tsmənt/ noun a second advertise-ment for a vacant post � Thereadvertisement attracted only two newapplicants.real /rəl/ adjective (of prices oramounts) shown in terms of money ad-justed for inflation � in real terms actu-ally or really � Salaries have gone up by

3% but with inflation running at 5% thatis a fall in real terms.

‘…real wages have been held downdramatically: they have risen as an annual rateof only 1% in the last two years’ [Sunday Times]

real earnings /rəl ���nŋz/, realwages /rəl �wed"z/ plural noun in-come which is available for spending af-ter tax and other contributions havebeen deducted, corrected for inflationreal time /�rəl tam/ noun the timewhen a computer is working on the pro-cessing of data while the problem towhich the data refers is actually takingplace � The website allows you to checkshare prices in real time or gives realtime information on share prices.real-time system /�rəl tamsstəm/ noun a computer system wheredata is inputted directly into the com-puter which automatically processes itto produce information which can beused immediatelyreapplication /ri��pl�keʃ(ə)n/noun a second or subsequent applicationfor a jobreapply /ri�ə�pla/ verb to apply again� When he saw that the job had still notbeen filled, he reapplied for it. (NOTE:reapplies – reapplying – reapplied)

reappoint /ri�ə�pɔnt/ verb to ap-point someone again � She was reap-pointed chairman for a furtherthree-year period.reappointment /ri�ə�pɔntmənt/noun the act of being reappointed � Onher reappointment as chairman, shethanked the board for their support. �The board decided to offer him reap-pointment for a further two years at theend of his fixed-term contract.reason /�ri�z(ə)n/ noun an explanationas to why something has happened �The chairman was asked for his reasonsfor cancelling the meeting. � The com-pany gave no reason for the sudden clo-sure of the factory.reasonable /�ri�z(ə)nəb(ə)l/ adjec-tive 1. sensible or not annoyed � Themanager of the shop was very reason-able when I tried to explain that I hadleft my credit cards at home. 2. moder-ate or not expensive � The union has

rationalise 217 reasonable

decided to put in a reasonable wageclaim.reasonable behaviour/ri�z(ə)nəb(ə)l b�hevjə/ noun a wayof approach by an employer when mak-ing employees redundantreassess /ri�ə�ses/ verb to assessagain � The manager was asked to reas-sess the department staff, after the as-sessments were badly done by thesupervisors.reassessment /ri�ə�sesmənt/ nouna new assessmentreassign /ri�ə�san/ verb to assignsomething again or to assign someone toa new positionreassignment /ri�ə�sanmənt/ nouna new assignmentreassure /ri�ə�ʃυə/ verb to makesomeone calm or less worried � Themanager tried to reassure her that shewould not lose her job.rebuke /r�bju�k/ noun an act ofcriticising someone for doing somethingreceipt /r�si�t/ noun 1. a piece of pa-per showing that money has been paidor that something has been received �She lost her taxi receipt. � Keep the re-ceipt for items purchased in case youneed to change them later. � Pleaseproduce your receipt if you want to ex-change items. 2. the act of receivingsomething � Goods will be suppliedwithin thirty days of receipt of order �to acknowledge receipt of a letter towrite to say that you have received a let-ter � We acknowledge receipt of yourletter of the 15th. � Invoices are pay-able within thirty days of receipt. � Onreceipt of the notification, the companylodged an appeal.reception /r�sepʃən/ noun a place ina hotel or office where visitors registeror say who they have come to seereceptionist /r�sepʃənst/ noun aperson in a hotel or office who meetsguests or clients, answers the phone, etc.recession /r�seʃ(ə)n/ noun a fall intrade or in the economy � The recessionhas reduced profits in many companies.� Several firms have closed factoriesbecause of the recession.

COMMENT: There are various ways of de-ciding if a recession is taking place: theusual one is when the GNP falls for threeconsecutive quarters.

recipient /r�spiənt/ noun a personwho receives something � She was therecipient of an allowance from the com-pany. � A registered letter must besigned for by the recipient.reckonable year /rekənəb(ə)l �jə/noun a year in which full National In-surance Contributions have been paid(used to calculate the state retirementpension)recognise /�rekə naz/, recognizeverb 1. to know someone or somethingbecause you have seen or heard thembefore � I recognised his voice beforehe said who he was. � Do you recognisethe handwriting on the applicationform? 2. � to recognise a union toagree that a union can act on behalf ofemployees in a company � Althoughmore than half the staff had joined theunion, the management refused to re-cognise it.recognition /rekə �nʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of recognising something orsomebody � recognition of a trade un-ion, union recognition the act of agree-ing that a union can act on behalf ofemployees in a companyrecognition agreement /rekə -�nʃ(ə)n ə ri�mənt/ noun a documentwhich sets out the terms under which aunion is recognised, and the ways inwhich management and union will worktogether in the futurerecommend /rekə�mend/ verb 1. tosuggest that something should be done� The management consultant recom-mended a different form of pay struc-ture. 2. to say that someone orsomething is good � I certainly wouldnot recommend Miss Smith for the job.recommendation /rekəmen-�deʃ(ə)n/ noun an act of saying thatsomeone or something is good � We ap-pointed him on the recommendation ofhis former employer. � to make a rec-ommendation to suggest that some-thing should be donereconcile /�rekənsal/ verb 1. tomake two financial accounts or state-

reasonable behaviour 218 reconcile

ments agree � She is trying to reconcileone account with another or to reconcilethe two accounts. 2. to make two thingsagree � Their manager tried to recon-cile the different points of view.reconsider /ri�kən�sdə/ verb tothink again about a decision which hasalready been made � The interim agree-ment will provide a breathing spacewhile both sides reconsider theirpositions.record noun /�rekɔ�d/ 1. a report ofsomething which has happened � Thechairman signed the minutes as a truerecord of the last meeting. � for the re-cord, to keep the record straight tonote something which has been done �For the record, I would like these salesfigures to be noted in the minutes. � onrecord correctly reported � The chair-man is on record as saying that profitsare set to rise. � to go on record asstating to state emphatically, so that itcan be noted 2. a description of what hashappened in the past � the salesperson’srecord of service or service record � thecompany’s record in industrial relations� He has a very poor timekeeping re-cord. � verb /r�kɔ�d/ to note or report� to record a complaint to listen to acomplaint and make a note of it � Yourcomplaint has been recorded and willbe investigated.record of achievement /rekɔ�d əvə�tʃi�vmənt/ noun a document given tosomeone who has finished a course ofinstruction, showing their achievementin class, exam results, etc.records /�rekɔ�dz/ plural noun docu-ments which give information � Thenames of customers are kept in the com-pany’s records. � We find from our re-cords that our invoice number 1234 hasnot been paid.recreation /rekri�eʃ(ə)n/ noun lei-sure time � Giving the shift workers halfan hour recreation in the middle of themorning has resulted in improvedproductivity.recreational /rekri�eʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ ad-jective referring to recreationrecreational facilities /rekri-�eʃ(ə)n(ə)l fəsltiz/ plural nounsports centres, football pitches, gyms,

etc., provided by a company for theemployeesrecruit /r�kru�t/ verb � to recruitnew staff to search for and appoint newstaff to join a company � We are re-cruiting staff for our new store. � nouna new member of staff � The inductionprogramme for recruits begins onWednesday.recruitment /r�kru�tmənt/, recruit-ing /r�kru�tŋ/ noun � recruitment ofnew staff the process of searching forand appointing new staff to join a com-pany � Which section in HR deals withrecruitment and selection?recruitment consultant /r-�kru�tmənt kəns$ltənt/ noun anagency which recruits staff for a com-pany (usually interviewing and drawingup a shortlist of candidates for a finaldecision by the management)recruitment fair /r�kru�tmənt feə/noun an exhibition where employers tryto recruit college graduates as newmembers of staffrecruitment ratio /r�kru�tməntreʃiəυ/ noun a ratio of the number ofpeople appointed to jobs to the numberof candidates applying � The recruit-ment ratio is low in departments wherea high level of skills is required. � Thesudden demand for a large number ofnew employees has led to the loweringof the recruitment ratio.red circle rate /red �s��k(ə)l ret/noun a pay rate which is above the mini-mum rate for an employee’s evaluatedlevelred circling /red �s��klŋ/ noun thepractice of paying staff at a higher rate,even if their jobs have been downgradedredeploy /ri�d�plɔ/ verb to moveemployees from one place to another orfrom one type of job to another � Weclosed the design department and rede-ployed the workforce in the publicityand sales departments.redeployment /ri�d�plɔmənt/noun the act of moving employees fromone place of work to another or fromone type of job to anotherred tape /red �tep/ noun official pa-perwork which takes a long time to

reconsider 219 red tape

complete � The appointment of the newmanager has been held up by red tape inthe HR department.reduce /r�dju�s/ verb to make smalleror lower � We must reduce expenditureif we want to stay in business. � Wehave made some staff redundant to re-duce overmanning. � The company re-duced output because of a fall indemand. � The government’s policy isto reduce inflation to 5%. � to reducestaff to make employees redundant inorder to have a smaller number of staff� to reduce salaries to lower the levelof salariesreduction /r�d$kʃən/ noun an actof making something smaller or less �Reduction in demand has led to thecancellation of several new projects. �The company was forced to make jobreductions. � We expect the new gov-ernment to introduce tax reductions. �The new MD has proposed a series ofstaff reductions. � Working onlypart-time will mean a significant reduc-tion in take-home pay. � reduction ofmanning levels an act of reducing thenumber of employees needed in certainjobs � reduction of working hours theact of reducing the number of hoursworkedredundancy /r�d$ndənsi/ noun 1.the dismissal of a person whose job nolonger needs to be done 2. a person whohas lost a job because they are notneeded any more � The takeover caused250 redundancies.redundancy pay /r�d$ndənsi pe/,redundancy payment /r�d$ndənsipemənt/ noun payment made to anemployee to compensate for losing theirjobredundant /r�d$ndənt/ adjective 1.(ability or skill) which is no longerneeded or is useless � redundant clausein a contract � The new legislation hasmade clause 6 redundant. � Retrainingcan help workers whose old skills havebecome redundant. 2. (person) wholoses their job because their skills are nolonger needed � to make someone re-dundant to dismiss an employee who isnot needed any more

redundant staff /rd$ndənt �stɑ�f/noun staff who have lost their jobs be-cause they are not needed any morere-employ /ri�m�plɔ/ verb to em-ploy someone again � He came back tothe factory hoping to be re-employed.re-employment /ri�m�plɔmənt/noun the act of employing someoneagainre-engage /ri�n� ed"/ verb tore-employ someone, but not necessarilyin the same jobre-engagement /ri�n� ed"mənt/noun the act of employing someoneagain, but not necessarily in the samejobreferee /refə�ri�/ noun a person suchas a former employer or teacher whocan give a report on someone’s charac-ter, ability or job performance � Shegave the name of her boss as a referee.� When applying please give the namesof three referees. � He chose his formerheadmaster as referee.reference /�ref(ə)rəns/ noun 1. theprocess of mentioning or dealing with �with reference to your letter of May 25th2. a person such as a former employer orteacher who can give a report on some-one’s character, ability or job perfor-mance � He gave the name of hisformer manager as a reference. �Please use me as a reference if youwish.reference period /�ref(ə)rənspəriəd/ noun a period which is used asa base for comparisonsrefresher course /r�freʃə kɔ�s/noun a course of study designed to bringexisting skills or knowledge up to date� Refresher courses were given to any-one who had not used this machinery forsome time. � She went on a refreshercourse in bookkeeping.refreshment /r�freʃmənt/ nounfood and drinkrefreshment time /r�freʃmənttam/, refreshment break /r-�freʃmənt brek/ noun a rest time dur-ing work when employees can havesomething to eat or drink. � coffeebreak, tea break

reduce 220 refreshment time

region /�ri�d"ən/ noun 1. a large areaof a country � Her territory consists ofall the eastern region of the country. 2.� in the region of about or approxi-mately � She was earning a salary inthe region of £35,000.register /�red"stə/ noun an officiallist � to enter something in a register �to keep a register up to date � to be onthe unemployment register to be offi-cially classified as unemployed � verbto write something in an official list �After he was made redundant he regis-tered at the unemployment office.registered disabled person/red"stəd dseb(ə)ld �p��s(ə)n/noun a person who is registered with theDepartment for Employment as havinga disabilityregistered letter /red"stəd �letə/,registered parcel /red"stəd �pɑ�səl/noun a letter or parcel which is noted bythe post office before it is sent, so thatthe sender can claim compensation if itis lostregistered office /red"stəd �ɒfs/noun the office address of a companywhich is officially registered with theCompanies’ Registrarregistered unemployed/red"stəd əz $nm�plɔd/ noun aperson who has not got a job, has regis-tered for unemployment benefit and isactively looking for workregistrar /red"�strɑ�/ noun a personwho keeps official recordsregular /�re jυlə/ adjective whichhappens or comes at the same time eachday, each week, each month or eachyear � His regular train is the 12.45. �The regular flight to Athens leaves at06.00.regular income /re jυlər �nk$m/noun an income which comes in everyweek or month � She works freelanceso she does not have a regular income.regular staff /�re jυlə stɑ�f/ nounthe full-time staffrehabilitation /ri�əbl�teʃ(ə)n/noun the process of making someone fitfor work again (after illness, a period inprison, etc.)

COMMENT: By the Rehabilitation of Of-fenders Act, 1974, a person who is con-victed of an offence, and then spends aperiod of time without committing anyother offence, is not required to revealthat they have a previous conviction.

rehabilitation centre /ri�əbl-�teʃ(ə)n sentə/ noun a centre wherepeople who have not been working forsome time (such as because of illness orunemployment) can be trained tore-enter the work environmentrehire /ri��haə/ verb to take back anemployee after they have been made re-dundant or have left the company � Idon’t think it was a good idea to rehirethose two workers.reimburse /ri�m�b��s/ verb � to re-imburse someone their expenses topay someone back for money whichthey have spent � You will be reim-bursed for your expenses or your ex-penses will be reimbursed.reimbursement /ri�m�b��smənt/noun the act of paying back money �reimbursement of expensesreinstate /ri�n�stet/ verb to allowsomeone to return to a job from whichthey were dismissed � The union de-manded that the sacked workers shouldbe reinstated.reinstatement /ri�n�stetmənt/noun the act of putting someone backinto a job from which they weredismissedreinstatement order /ri�n-�stetmənt ɔ�də/ noun an order by atribunal to an employer to give a dis-missed person their job backreject /r�d"ekt/ verb to refuse to ac-cept, or to say that something is not sat-isfactory � The union rejected themanagement’s proposals.rejection /r�d"ekʃən/ noun a refusalto accept, such as the refusal to give acustomer credit � After the union’s re-jection of the offer, management cameback with new redundancy terms.relations /r�leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun re-lationships with other people, compa-nies or countries � Relations betweenthe management and the workforce havebeen strained recently. � to break off

region 221 relations

relations with someone to stop dealingwith someonerelease /r�li�s/ noun the act of settingfree � release from a contract � He wasoffered early release so that he couldtake up his new job. � verb to end anemployee’s contract earlyrelevant /�reləv(ə)nt/ adjective whichhas to do with what is being discussedor the current situation � Can you giveme the relevant papers? � The new as-sistant does not have any relevantexperience.reliability /rlaə�blti/ noun the factof being reliablereliable /r�laəb(ə)l/ adjective whichcan be trusted � We are looking for areliable bookkeeper to deal with thepayroll. � The sales manager is com-pletely reliable.reliable test /rlaəb(ə)l �test/ nouna test which always gives correct resultsrelief /r�li�f/ noun 1. help 2. a personwho takes the place of someone who issick or on holiday � A relief managerhas been sent from headquarters. � Thebus carrying relief workers was late.relief shift /r�li�f ʃft/ noun a shiftwhich comes to take the place of an-other shift, usually the shift between theday shift and the night shiftrelieve /r�li�v/ verb to come to workto take the place of another employee atthe end of a shift � The shift will be re-lieved at 06.30.relocate /ri�ləυ�ket/ verb to estab-lish an organisation in a new place, or tobe established in a new place � Theboard decided to relocate the companyin Scotland. � When the companymoved its headquarters, 1500 peoplehad to be relocated. � If the companymoves down south, all the managerialstaff will have to relocate.relocation /ri�ləυ�keʃ(ə)n/ noun theact of moving to a different place � Wewill pay all the staff relocation costs.relocation allowance /ri�ləυ-�keʃ(ə)n əlaυəns/ noun a special pay-ment given to an employee who agreesto move to another town to workrelocation expenses /ri�ləυ-�keʃ(ə)n kspensz/ plural noun ex-

penses involved when an employee hasto move house because their place ofwork has changed, or when a new em-ployee has to move house to join thecompany, paid by the companyremedial transfer /rmi�diəl�tr�nsf��/ noun an act of transferringan employee to a more suitable job afterthey have not performed well in theirpresent position � The HR manager andthe supervisor discussed the possibilityof a remedial transfer.removal /r�mu�v(ə)l/ noun 1. the actof moving to a new house or office �Staff are allowed removal expenses onjoining the company. 2. the act of sack-ing someone (usually a director) from ajob � The removal of the managing di-rector is going to be very difficult.remunerate /r�mju�nəret/ verb topay someone for doing something � Thecompany refused to remunerate themfor their services.remuneration /rmju�nə�reʃ(ə)n/noun payment for services � She has amonthly remuneration of £4800. � Thejob is interesting but the remunerationis low. � She receives a small remuner-ation of £400 a month. � No one willwork hard for such poor remuneration.

COMMENT: Remuneration can take sev-eral forms: the regular monthly salarycheque, a cheque or cash payment forhours worked or for work completed, etc.

remuneration package /r-mju�nə�reʃ(ə)n p�kd"/ noun thesalary, pension contributions, bonusesand other forms of payment or benefitthat make up an employee’s totalremunerationremunerations committee /r-mju�nə�reʃ(ə)nz kəmti/ noun acommittee of senior executives ornon-executive directors who decide ondirectors’ salariesremunerations consultant /r-mju�nə�reʃ(ə)nz kəns$ltənt/ nounan adviser who gives advice on wageand salary structuresremunerative /r�mju�nərətv/ ad-jective referring to a job which payswell � She is in a highly remunerativejob.

release 222 remunerative

renew /r�nju�/ verb to continue some-thing for a further period of time � Hiscontract was renewed for a further threeyears.renewal /r�nju�əl/ noun the act of re-newing � His contract is up for renewalin January.reopen /ri��əυpən/ verb to open again� The office will reopen soon after itsrefit. � The management agreed to re-open discussions with the union.reopening /ri��əυp(ə)nŋ/ nounopening again � the reopening of thestore after refittingreopening clause /ri��əυp(ə)nŋklɔ�z/ noun a clause in an agreementbetween a union and an employer whichallows the union to reopen discussionson a particular issue during the term ofthe agreementreorganisation /ri�ɔ� əna-�zeʃ(ə)n/, reorganization noun theact of organising something in a newway � His job was downgraded in theoffice reorganisation or in the reorgani-sation of the office.reorganise /ri��ɔ� ənaz/, reorga-nize verb to organise in a new way �We have reorganised all our reps’territories.repair shop /r�peə ʃɒp/ noun asmall factory where machines arerepairedrepeat /r�pi�t/ verb to do or say some-thing again � He repeated his addressslowly so that the saleswoman couldwrite it down. � When asked what thecompany planned to do, the chairmanrepeated ‘Nothing’. � We’ll have to re-peat the survey next year. � repeatedabsences from work the act of beingabsent from work again and againrepetitive /r�pettv/ adjective whichhappens again and againrepetitive strain injury /rpettv�stren nd"əri/, repetitive stressinjury /rpettv �stres nd"əri/ nouna pain in the arm felt by someone whoperforms the same movement manytimes over a certain period, such aswhen keyboarding. Abbr RSIrepetitive work /r�pettv w��k/noun work which involves repeating the

same task over and over again � Super-visors try to introduce some variationinto the work pattern since repetitivework leads to boredom. � Psychologistsclaim that repetitive work can be just asstressful as more demanding but variedwork.replace /r�ples/ verb to put someoneor something in the place of someone orsomething else � They replaced theforeman with a younger man. � We arereplacing all our salaried staff withfreelancers.replacement /r�plesmənt/ noun 1.an item which replaces something � Weare out of stock and are waiting for re-placements. 2. a person who replacessomeone � My assistant leaves us nextweek, so we are advertising for areplacement.replacement rate /r�plesməntret/ noun the proportion of an organi-sation’s workforce that is replaced everyyear � The high replacement rate canbe put down to dissatisfaction withworking conditions.report /r�pɔ�t/ noun a statement de-scribing what has happened or describ-ing a state of affairs � The accountantsare drafting a report on salary scales. �The sales manager reads all the reportsfrom the sales team. � verb 1. to make astatement describing something � Eachmanager reports on the progress madein their departments over the last sixweeks. 2. � to report to someone to beresponsible to or to be under someone �She reports direct to the managing di-rector. � The salesforce reports to thesales director. 3. to go to a place or toattend � She has been asked to reportfor an interview. � Please report to ourLondon office for training. � to reportsick to state officially that you are sickand so cannot work

‘…responsibilities include the production ofpremium quality business reports’ [Times]

‘…the research director will manage a team ofbusiness analysts monitoring and reporting onthe latest development in retail distribution’[Times]

‘…the successful candidate will report to thearea director for profit responsibility for sales ofleading brands’ [Times]

renew 223 report

reportable accident /rpɔ�təb(ə)l��ksd(ə)nt/ noun an accident whichcauses death, or which makes an em-ployee stay away from work for morethan three daysreporting pay /r�pɔ�tŋ pe/ nounguaranteed pay for employees who re-port for work whether there is work forthem to do or not � The reporting paysystem can be a drain on the company’sresources when the order book is low.represent /repr�zent/ verb 1. towork for a company, showing goods orservices to possible buyers � He repre-sents an American car firm in Europe. �Our French distributor represents sev-eral other competing firms. � Whichsector of the workforce does she repre-sent on the committee? 2. to act on be-half of someone � He sent his solicitorand accountant to represent him at themeeting. � Three managers representthe workforce in discussions with thedirectors.representation /reprzen�teʃ(ə)n/noun 1. the act of selling goods for acompany � We offered them exclusiverepresentation in Europe. � They haveno representation in the USA. 2. the factof having someone to act on your behalf� The minority shareholders want rep-resentation on the board. � The ordi-nary shop floor workers wantrepresentation on the committee. 3. acomplaint made on behalf of someone �The managers made representations tothe board on behalf of the hourly-paidmembers of staff.representative /repr�zentətv/noun 1. a person who acts on someone’sbehalf � He sent his solicitor and ac-countant to act as his representatives atthe meeting. � The board refused tomeet the representatives of theworkforce. 2. same as salesrepresentative

reprimand /�reprmɑ�nd/ noun offi-cial criticism given to an employee �After receiving one reprimand he knewhe would be sacked for further absen-teeism. � verb to criticise someone offi-cially � He was reprimanded by themanager.

repudiate /r�pju�diet/ verb to refuseto accept something � to repudiate anagreement or a contract to refuse toperform one’s obligations under anagreement or contractrepudiation /rpju�di�eʃ(ə)n/ nouna refusal to accept somethingrequest /r�kwest/ noun an act of ask-ing for something � They put in a re-quest for a government subsidy. � Hisrequest for a loan was turned down bythe bank. � on request if asked for �We will send samples on request or‘samples available on request.’requirement /r�kwaəmənt/ nounwhat is needed � to meet the require-ments of a job to have the right qualifi-cations or experience for a jobrequisition /rekw�zʃ(ə)n/ noun anofficial order for something � What isthe reference number of your latestrequisition?requisition form /rekw�zʃ(ə)nfɔ�m/ noun a form sent to the human re-sources department from a departmentin an organisation asking for a new em-ployee to be found to fill a vacancy �The requisition form should contain alldetails of the job specification and termsof employment offered.research /r�s��tʃ/ noun the processof trying to find out facts or informationresearch and development /r-s��tʃ ən d�veləpmənt/ noun scien-tific investigation which leads to mak-ing new products or improving existingproducts � The company spends mil-lions on research and development.Abbr R&D

resent /r�zent/ verb to feel annoyedabout something � The rest of the officeresented his promotion to manager.resentful /r�zentf(ə)l/ adjective feel-ing annoyed about something � The ju-nior members of staff feel resentful thatthe managers have a separate diningroom.resentment /r�zentmənt/ noun afeeling of annoyance at something �The resentment of the unions at theirtreatment by management ended in a se-ries of one-day strikes.

reportable accident 224 resentment

residence /�rezd(ə)ns/ noun 1. ahouse or flat where someone lives � Hehas a country residence where hespends his weekends. 2. the act of livingor operating officially in a countryresidence permit /�rezd(ə)nsp��mt/ noun an official document al-lowing a foreigner to live in a country �She was granted a residence permit forone year or a one-year residence permit.� He has applied for a residence permit.resident /�rezd(ə)nt/ noun a personor company considered to be living oroperating in a country for official or taxpurposes � The company is resident inFrance.residual /r�zdjuəl/ adjective re-maining after everything else has goneresidual unemployment /r-zdjuəl $nm�plɔmənt/ noun unem-ployment amongst people who are notcapable of doing the work availableresign /r�zan/ verb to give up a job �He resigned from his post as treasurer.� He has resigned with effect from July1st. � She resigned as finance director.resignation /rez �neʃ(ə)n/ nounthe act of giving up a job � He wrote hisletter of resignation to the chairman. �to hand in or to give in or to send inyour resignation to resign from yourjobresizing /ri��sazŋ/ noun same asupsizing

resolution /rezə�lu�ʃ(ə)n/ noun adecision to be reached at a meeting �The meeting rejected the resolution orthe resolution was defeated by ten votesto twenty. � The meeting carried oradopted a resolution to go on strike. � Aresolution was passed to raise salariesby six per cent.� to put a resolution toa meeting to ask a meeting to vote on aproposalresolve /r�zɒlv/ verb to decide to dosomething � The meeting resolved thata strike ballot should be held.resources /r�sɔ�sz/ plural noun 1. asource of supply of something 2. themoney available for doing something �the cost of the new project is easilywithin our resources we have quite

enough money to pay for the newproject

respondent /r�spɒndənt/ noun anemployer who is defending a casebrought before the industrial tribunal byan employeeresponsibilities /rspɒns�bltiz/plural noun duties � He finds the re-sponsibilities of being managing direc-tor too heavy.responsibility /rspɒns�blti/noun the fact of being responsible � Themanager has overall responsibility forthe welfare of the staff in herdepartment.responsible /r�spɒnsb(ə)l/ adjec-tive 1. � responsible to someone beingunder someone’s authority � She is di-rectly responsible to the managing di-rector. � responsible for directing orbeing in charge of doing a certain job �He is responsible for all sales. � He isresponsible for the staff in his depart-ment. 2. (person) who is sensible or whocan be trusted � a responsible job jobwhere important decisions have to betaken or where the employee has manyresponsibilities � He is looking for a re-sponsible job in marketing.responsible job /r�spɒnsəb(ə)ld"ɒb/ noun a job where important deci-sions have to be taken or where the em-ployee has many responsibilities � Sheis looking for a responsible job inmarketing.responsibly /r�spɒnsbli/ adverb ina responsible way � The staff acted veryresponsibly when the fire broke out.responsive /r�spɒnsv/ adjective re-ferring to a person who listens and doeswhat someone asks � The human re-sources manager was responsive to herrequest for compassionate leave.responsive listening /rspɒnsv�ls(ə)nŋ/ noun the act of listeningcarefully and responding to what an-other person says � The HR manager’sresponsive listening made the traineefeel that she understood her problems.respresentational rights/reprzenteʃ(ə)n(ə)l �rats/ pluralnoun the rights of a union to represent

residence 225 respresentational rights

employees in dealings withmanagement

restart /r�stɑ�t/ verb to start some-thing again � Negotiations will restarttomorrow.restart interview /�ri�stɑ�tntəvju�/ noun an interview given tosomeone who is unemployed, with theaim of advising them on means of get-ting back to workrest break /�rest brek/ noun a periodof time during the working day when anemployee is allowed to be away fromtheir workstation for a rest or mealbreak (NOTE: Many countries have lawsgoverning how often employees are al-lowed rest breaks and how long thoserest breaks should be, depending onthe number of hours the employeeworks in a day.)

rest period /�rest pəriəd/ noun thelength of time between periods of workthat an employee is entitled to have forrest (NOTE: Many countries have lawsgoverning the rights of employees tohave a particular number of periods ofrest per day, per week, and, some-times, per month.)

restraint /r�strent/ noun controlrestrict /r�strkt/ verb to limit or toimpose controls on � We are restrictedto twenty staff by the size of our offices.restrictive /r�strktv/ adjectivewhich limitsrestrictive covenant /rstrktv�k$vənənt/ noun a clause in a contractwhich prevents someone from doingsomethingrestrictive practices /rstrktv�pr�ktsz/, restrictive trade prac-tices /rstrktv �tred pr�ktsz/plural noun ways of working whichmake people less free (such as trade un-ions stopping workers from doing cer-tain jobs or companies not allowingcustomers a free choice of product) � Aspart of a policy of restrictive practiceshe refused to do anything which was notlaid down in his contract of employ-ment. � Restrictive practices in industrymean that employers will not be able toafford to take on more labour.

restructuring /ri��str$ktʃərŋ/ nounthe process of reorganising the financialbasis of a companyresult /r�z$lt/ noun something whichhappens because of something else �What was the result of the price investi-gation? � The company doubled itssales force with the result that the salesrose by 26%. � verb � to result in toproduce as a result � The doubling ofthe sales force resulted in increasedsales. � The extra orders resulted inovertime work for all the factory staff. �We have to fill several vacancies result-ing from the recent internal promotions.result-driven /r�z$lt drv(ə)n/ ad-jective used to describe a strategy or or-ganisation that focuses mainly on resultsand achievements (NOTE: A re-sult-driven organisation concentrateson achieving its aims, and deliveringproducts at the required time, cost, andquality, and considers performance tobe more important than procedures.)resume /r�zju�m/ verb to start again� The discussions resumed after a twohour break.résumé /�rezju�me/, resume nounUS a summary of a person’s work expe-rience and qualifications sent to a pro-spective employer by someone applyingfor a job (NOTE: British English is cur-riculum vitae)resumption /r�z$mpʃən/ noun anact of starting again � we expect anearly resumption of negotiations weexpect negotiations will start again soonretail price(s) index /ri�tel�prasz ndeks/ noun an index whichshows how prices of consumer goodshave increased or decreased over a pe-riod of time. Abbr RPIretain /r�ten/ verb 1. to keep � mea-sures to retain experienced staff � Outof the profits, the company has retained£50,000 as provision against bad debts.2. � to retain a lawyer to act for acompany to agree with a lawyer thatthey will act for you (and pay them a feein advance)retainer /r�tenə/ noun money paid inadvance to someone so that they willwork for you, and not for someone else� We pay them a retainer of £1,000.

restart 226 retainer

retention /r�tenʃən/ the process ofkeeping the loyalty of existing employ-ees and persuading them not to work foranother company

‘…a systematic approach to human resourceplanning can play a significant part in reducingrecruitment and retention problems’[Personnel Management]

retention bonus /r�tenʃənbəυnəs/ noun a bonus payment paid toemployees who are obliged to stay on toclose down a business, where their col-leagues will have been eligible for re-dundancy paymentsretention profile /r�tenʃənprəυfal/ noun the analysis of all em-ployees who join at the same date,showing how many leave each year, ex-pressed as a percentage of the originaltotalretiral /r�taərəl/ noun US same asretirementretire /r�taə/ verb 1. to stop work andtake a pension � She retired with a£15,000 pension. � The founder of thecompany retired at the age of 85. � Theshop is owned by a retired policeman. 2.to make an employee stop work andtake a pension � They decided to retireall staff over 50.retiree /rtaə�ri�/ noun a person whohas retired or is about to retireretirement /r�taəmənt/ noun 1. theact of retiring from work � I am lookingforward to my retirement. � Older staffare planning what they will do in retire-ment. 2. the period when a person isretiredretirement annuity /r�taəmənt ə-nju�ti/ noun an annuity bought whensomeone retires, using part of the sumput into a personal pension planretirement date /r�taəmənt det/noun the date on which someone retiresand takes a pensionretirement pension /r�taəməntpenʃən/ noun a state pension given inthe UK to a man who is over 65 andwoman who is over 60. Women’s pen-sion age is gradually being adjusted to65.retrain /ri��tren/ verb to train some-one for a new job, or to do the same job

in a more efficient way � She went backto college to be retrained.retraining /ri��trenŋ/ noun the actof training again � The shop is closedfor staff retraining. � He had to attend aretraining session. � Retraining is nec-essary to keep up with new productionmethods.retroactive /retrəυ��ktv/ adjectivewhich takes effect from a time in thepast � The union is asking for a retroac-tive pay rise. � They got a pay rise ret-roactive to last January.

‘The salary increases, retroactive from April ofthe current year, reflect the marginal rise inprivate sector salaries’ [Nikkei Weekly]

retroactively /retrəυ��ktvli/ ad-verb going back to a time in the pastreturner /r�t��nə/ noun a person whogoes back to work after being away for atimereverse charge call /rv��s �tʃɑ�d"kɔ�l/ noun a telephone call where theperson receiving the call agrees to payfor itreversionary annuity /r-v��ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri ə�nju�ti/ noun an annu-ity paid to someone on the death of an-other personreview /r�vju�/ noun a general exami-nation � to conduct a review of distribu-tors � she had a salary review lastApril her salary was examined (and in-creased) in April � verb to examinesomething generally � to review sala-ries to look at all salaries in a companyto decide on increases � His salary willbe reviewed at the end of the year. �The company has decided to reviewfreelance payments in the light of therising cost of living.revoke /r�vəυk/ verb to cancel � torevoke a decision or a clause in anagreementreward /r�wɔ�d/ noun money or othergains from effort � The present given tothe retiring manager was a reward formany years loyal service to the com-pany. � Although the job is very de-manding, the rewards are considerable.� verb to give a person something in re-turn for effort or achievement � Thework is hard and not very rewardingfinancially.

retention 227 reward

reward management /r�wɔ�dm�nd"mənt/ noun the creation andrunning of a system that rewards thework done by employees (NOTE: Re-ward management deals not only withbasic pay, but also with the whole re-muneration package offered to em-ployees including such things asincentive schemes and fringe bene-fits.)reward package /r�wɔ�d p�kd"/noun the total of all money and benefitsgiven to an employee (including salary,bonuses, company car, pension plans,medical insurance, etc.)reward review /r�wɔ�d rvju�/noun a study of an employee’s perfor-mance to determine their correct paylevelright /rat/ noun a legal title to some-thing � The staff have a right to knowhow the company is doing.rightful claimant /ratf(ə)l�klemənt/ noun a person who has a le-gal claim to something (NOTE: this termhas now replaced plaintiff. The otherside in a case is the defendant)right-hand man /�rat h�nd m�n/noun a man who is the main assistant tosomeoneright of appeal /rat əv ə�pi�l/ nounthe right to challenge a decision of atribunalright of association /rat əvəsəυsi�eʃ(ə)n/ noun the right of em-ployees to join a union (as opposed tothe right to dissociate, i.e. the right to re-fuse to join a union)right to dissociate /rat tə d-�səυsiet/ noun the right of employeesto refuse to join a union (as opposed tothe right of association, i.e. the right tojoin a union)right to manage /rat tə �m�nd"/noun a right which a management has totake decisions without necessarily tak-ing the opinions of the employees intoaccountright to strike /rat tə �strak/ nouna legal title for workers to stop workingif they have a good reason for itright to work /rat tə �w��k/ nounthe right of an adult person to find work

rigid /�rd"d/ adjective not flexible orwhich cannot be changed � The econ-omy is being held back by rigid labourlaws. � The employees complained thatthe management was too rigid in inter-preting the rule book.rise /raz/ noun 1. an increase � Thereneeds to be an increase in salaries tokeep up with the rise in the cost of liv-ing. 2. an increase in pay � She askedher boss for a rise. � He had a 6% risein January. (NOTE: American English israise) � verb to move upwards or to be-come higher � Salaries are rising fasterthan inflation. (NOTE: rising – rose –risen)rising unemployment /razŋ$nm�plɔmənt/ noun unemploymentrates which are rising because morepeople are being made redundantrisk-averse /rsk ə�v��s/ adjectivenot wanting to take risksroadshow /�rəυdʃəυ/ noun a travel-ling exhibition where companies havestands to show what they do in order toattract potential traineesrock bottom /rɒk �bɒtəm/ noun �sales have reached rock bottom saleshave reached the lowest point possiblerole /rəυl/ noun a part played by some-one in a workplace or organisation �The manager is more effective in hisrole as employer than as salesman. � Itis easier for an outsider to play the roleof mediator in the dispute.role ambiguity /�rəυl �mb ju�ti/noun uncertainty on the part of an em-ployee about what their role within anorganisation actually is and what col-leagues expect of them (NOTE: Role am-biguity often occurs in newly createdposts or in positions that are undergo-ing change.)role conflict /�rəυl kɒnflkt/ noun asituation in which two or more require-ments in a job are, or seem to be, incom-patible with each other (NOTE: Roleconflict can occur when colleagueshave different expectations of what thepriorities of the person doing a particu-lar job should be, or when someone’sloyalties are divided between a particu-lar department and the organisation asa whole, or between personal profes-

reward management 228 role conflict

sional ethics and the demands of theorganisation.)

role culture /�rəυl k$ltʃə/ noun atype of corporate culture that assumesthat employees are rational and thatroles can be defined and discharged us-ing clearly defined procedures (NOTE:An organisation with a role culture isbelieved to be very stable but bad atimplementing change management.)

role model /�rəυl mɒd(ə)l/ nounsomeone whose behaviour is copiedrole play /�rəυl ple/, role playing/�rəυl pleŋ/ noun a training techniquewhere trainees play different roles(salesperson, customer, manager, junior,etc.) in order to get a better understand-ing of people and to improve their pow-ers of communication � Role-playingwas used as part of the managementtraining programme.

‘…role playing designed to simulate worksituations: for example, candidates may beasked to stand in for a fictional manager whohas been taken sick’ [Sunday Times]

roll call /�rəυl kɔ�l/ noun the callingout of the names of employees to see ifthey are present (as during a fire in anoffice or factory)rolling budget /rəυlŋ �b$d"t/noun a budget which moves forward ona regular basis (such as a budget cover-ing a twelve-month period, whichmoves forward each month or quarter)rota /�rəυtə/, roster /�rɒstə/ noun alist showing when different members ofstaff will do certain duties � We aredrawing up a new roster for Saturdayafternoon work.rotate /rəυ�tet/ verb to do tasks inturns � The shifts are rotated everyfortnight.rotating shifts /rəυtetŋ �ʃfts/noun a system where employees taketurns in working different shifts � Ro-tating shifts can be unpopular withworkers who do not want to break theirroutine.rotation /rəυ�teʃ(ə)n/ noun the act oftaking turns � to fill the post of chair-man by rotation each member of thegroup is chairman for a period thengives the post to another member

round table discussions /raυndteb(ə)l d�sk$ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun dis-cussions involving several parties whosit round the same tableroutine /ru��ti�n/ noun a normal orregular way of doing something � Re-fitting the conference room has dis-turbed the office routine. � adjectivenormal or which happens regularly �routine work � a routine call � Theycarried out a routine check of the fireequipment.RSI abbr repetitive strain injuryrule /ru�l/ noun 1. a general way ofconduct � It is a company rule thatsmoking is not allowed in the offices. �The rules of the organisation are ex-plained during the induction sessions. �as a rule usually � As a rule, we do notgive discounts over 20%. 2. � to workto rule to work strictly according to therules agreed by the company and union,and therefore to work very slowly �verb 1. to give an official decision �The commission of inquiry ruled that thecompany was in breach of contract. 2.to be in force or to be current � Thecurrent ruling agreement is beingredrafted.rulebook /�ru�lbυk/ noun a bookwhich lists the rules by which the mem-bers of a union or self-regulatory or-ganisation must operateruling /�ru�lŋ/ noun a decision � Theinquiry gave a ruling on the case. � Ac-cording to the ruling of the court, thecontract was illegal.rumour clinic /�ru�mə klnk/ nounUS an information service for employ-ees which corrects false rumours whichmight be circulating in an organisation� Installing a rumour clinic is an im-portant part of the management’s inter-nal public relations.run /r$n/ verb to manage or to organise� She runs a mail-order business fromhome. � They run a staff sports club.(NOTE: running – ran – run)

runaway inflation /r$nəwe n-�fleʃ(ə)n/ noun very rapid inflation,which is almost impossible to reducerun with /�r$n wð/ verb to decide tocarry out an idea or project (informal.)

role culture 229 run with

S

sabbatical /sə�b�tk(ə)l/ noun, ad-jective (referring to) paid or unpaid timeoff, for the purposes of research or studyor travel � The union claimed sabbati-cal leave for every six years worked. �She is due for a sabbatical next year.sack /s�k/ noun � to get the sack tobe dismissed from a job � verb to dis-miss someone from a job � He wassacked after being late for work.sackable offence /s�kəb(ə)l ə-�fens/ noun behaviour which automati-cally means dismissal � Being drunk inthe office is a sackable offence here.sacking /�s�kŋ/ noun a dismissalfrom a job � The union protestedagainst the sackings.s.a.e. abbr stamped addressed enve-lope � Send your application form tothe Human Resources manager, with ans.a.e. for reply.safeguard /�sef ɑ�d/ verb to protect� The duty of the directors is to safe-guard the interests of the shareholders.safety /�sefti/ noun the fact of beingfree from danger or risk � to take safetyprecautions or safety measures to actto make sure something is safesafety audit /�sefti ɔ�dt/ noun acheck of the workplace to see howsafety regulations are beingimplementedsafety committee /�sefti kəmti/noun a committee set up to examine thehealth and safety policy of a particularcompanysafety measures /�sefti me"əz/plural noun actions to make sure thatsomething is safesafety offence /�sefti əfens/ nounbehaviour which can cause a hazard

safety officer /�sefti ɒfsə/ noun anofficial who inspects places of work andwork methods to make sure that they aresafesafety precautions /�sefti pr-kɔ�ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun actions to try tomake sure that something is safesafety regulations /�sefti re jυ-leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun rules to make aplace of work safe for the employeessafety representative /�seftireprzentətv/ noun a trade union rep-resentative for health and safetyproblemssalaried partner /s�lərid �pɑ�tnə/noun a partner, often a junior one, whoreceives a regular salary in accordancewith the partnership agreementsalaried staff /�s�lərid stɑ�f/ nounstaff earning salaries, as opposed tothose paid on different termssalary /�s�ləri/ noun 1. a regular pay-ment for work done, made to an em-ployee usually as a cheque at the end ofeach month � The company froze allsalaries for a six-month period. � If Iget promoted, my salary will go up. �The salary may be low, but the fringebenefits attached to the job are good. �She got a salary increase in June. � sal-ary bands all salaries at certain levels �The pay structure is made up five salarybands. 2. an amount paid to an em-ployee, shown as a monthly, quarterlyor yearly total (NOTE: plural is salaries)

salary ceiling /�s�ləri si�lŋ/ noun1. the maximum amount which can beearned for a particular job or by a partic-ular class of employee, as set by a gov-ernment or by an agreement between atrade union and an employer 2. the high-est level on a pay scale that a particular

sabbatical 230 salary ceiling

employee can achieve under his or hercontractsalary cheque /�s�ləri tʃek/ noun amonthly cheque by which an employeeis paidsalary club /�s�ləri kl$b/ noun ameeting of representatives from variouscompanies to discuss the salary struc-ture in an industrysalary cut /�s�ləri k$t/ noun a sud-den reduction in salarysalary deductions /�s�ləri d-d$kʃənz/ plural noun money which acompany removes from salaries to payto the government as tax, National In-surance contributions, etc.salary differentials /�s�ləri dfə-renʃəlz/ plural noun same as paydifferentialssalary drift /�s�ləri drft/ noun sameas earnings driftsalary expectations /�s�ləriekspekteʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun thehopes of an employee that their salarywill increasesalary package /�s�ləri p�kd"/noun same as pay packagesalary-related pension scheme/s�ləri rletd �penʃən ski�m/ nouna pension scheme where the pension re-ceived is based on the final salary of thecontributorsalary review /�s�ləri rvju�/ nounsame as pay review � She had a salaryreview last April or her salary was re-viewed last April.salary rise /�s�ləri raz/ noun sameas pay rise (NOTE: American English israise in this meaning)

salary scale /�s�ləri skel/ nounsame as pay scale � He was appointedat the top end of the salary scale.salary structure /�s�ləri str$ktʃə/noun the organisation of salaries in acompany with different rates of pay fordifferent types of job

‘…the union of hotel and personal serviceworkers has demanded a new salary structureand uniform conditions of service for workers inthe hotel and catering industry’[Business Times (Lagos)]

sales /selz/ plural noun money re-ceived for selling something � Saleshave risen over the first quarter.sales analysis /�selz ən�ləss/noun an examination of the reports ofsales to see why items have or have notsold wellsales assistant /�selz əsstənt/noun a person in a shop who sells goodsto customerssales budget /�selz b$d"t/ noun aplan of probable salessales campaign /�selz k�mpen/noun a series of planned activities toachieve higher salessales chart /�selz tʃɑ�t/ noun a dia-gram showing how sales vary frommonth to monthsales clerk /�selz klɑ�k/ noun US aperson who sells goods to customers ina store

‘…the wage agreement includes sales clerks andcommission sales people in stores in Toronto’[Toronto Star]

sales department /�selz d-pɑ�tmənt/ noun the section of a com-pany which deals in selling the com-pany’s products or servicessales drive /�selz drav/ noun a vig-orous effort to increase salessales executive /�selz zekjυtv/noun a person in a company or depart-ment in charge of salessales force /�selz fɔ�s/ noun a groupof salespeople or sales representativesresponsible for the sales of either a sin-gle product or the entire range of an or-ganisation’s productssalesman /�selzmən/ noun a manwho sells an organisation’s products orservices to customers � Salesmen arepaid a basic salary plus commission.sales manager /�selz m�nd"ə/noun a person in charge of a salesdepartmentsalesmanship /�selzmənʃp/ nounthe art of selling or of persuading cus-tomers to buysales representative /�selz repr-zentətv/, sales rep /�selz rep/ nouna person who sells an organisation’s

salary cheque 231 sales representative

products or services to customers � Wehave six sales representatives in Eu-rope. � They have vacancies for salesrepresentatives to call on accounts inthe north of the country.sales target /�selz tɑ� t/ noun theamount of sales a sales representative isexpected to achievesaleswoman /�selzwυmən/ noun 1.a woman who sells an organisation’sproducts or services to customers 2. awoman in a shop who sells goods tocustomers (NOTE: plural issaleswomen)

sandwich course /�s�ndwtʃ kɔ�s/noun a course of study where students ata college or institute spend a period oftime working in a factory, office orother organisation as part of gainingtheir qualificationsatisfaction /s�ts�f�kʃən/ noun agood feeling of happiness and content-ment � He finds great satisfaction in thejob even though the pay is bad.satisfy /�s�tsfa/ verb 1. to give sat-isfaction or to please � to satisfy a cli-ent to make a client pleased with whatthey have purchased 2. to fill the re-quirements for a job (NOTE: satisfies –satisfying – satisfied)

save-as-you-earn /sev əz ju����n/ noun a scheme where employeescan save money regularly by having itdeducted automatically from theirwages and invested in National Savings.Abbr SAYE

savings account /�sevŋz əkaυnt/noun an account where you put moneyin regularly and which pays interest, of-ten at a higher rate than a depositaccountsavings and loan (association)/�sevŋz ən �ləυn əsəυs�eʃən/ nounUS a financial association which ac-cepts and pays interest on deposits frominvestors and lends money to peoplewho are buying property. The loans arein the form of mortgages on the securityof the property being bought. S&Ls areregulated by the Office of Thrift Super-vision and are protected by the SavingsAssociation Insurance Fund. Abbr S&L(NOTE: the S&Ls are also called thrifts;

the British equivalents are the buildingsocieties)

COMMENT: Because of deregulation ofinterest rates in 1980, many S&Ls foundthat they were forced to raise interest ondeposits to current market rates in orderto secure funds, while at the same timethey still were charging low fixed-interestrates on the mortgages granted to bor-rowers. This created considerable prob-lems and many S&Ls had to be rescuedby the Federal government.

SAYE abbr save-as-you-earnscab /sk�b/ noun an employee whogoes on working when there is a strike(informal.)scalar /�skelə/ adjective working ac-cording to a scalescalar principle /�skeləprnsp(ə)l/ noun the principle thatemployees should only communicatewith their seniors through the estab-lished hierarchyscale /skel/ noun a system which isgraded into various levels � scale ofsalaries a list of salaries showingdifferent levels of pay in different jobsin the same companyscale down /skel �daυn/ verb tolower in proportionscale up /skel �$p/ verb to increasein proportionScanlon plan /�sk�nlən pl�n/ nouna type of gain sharing plan that pays abonus to employees when they improvetheir performance or productivity by acertain amount as measured against apreviously established standardschedule /�ʃedju�l/ noun 1. a timeta-ble, a plan of time drawn up in advance� The managing director has a busyschedule of appointments. � Her secre-tary tried to fit me into her schedule. �on schedule at the time or stage setdown in the schedule � The launch tookplace on schedule. � to be ahead ofschedule to be early � The building wascompleted ahead of schedule. � to be onschedule to be on time � The project ison schedule. � to be behind schedule tobe late � I am sorry to say that we arethree months behind schedule. � tohave a heavy schedule of meetings tohave a large number of meetings ar-

sales target 232 schedule

ranged 2. a list, especially additionaldocuments attached to a contract � theschedule of territories to which a con-tract applies � See the attached sched-ule or as per the attached schedule. �Please find enclosed our schedule ofcharges. 3. a list of items � verb 1. tolist officially � We offer a 10% reduc-tion on scheduled prices or scheduledcharges to selected customers. 2. to planthe time when something will happen �The building is scheduled for comple-tion in May.Schedule A /ʃedju�l �e/ noun aschedule under which tax is charged onincome from land or buildingsSchedule B /ʃedju�l �bi�/ noun aschedule under which tax was formerlycharged on income from woodlandsSchedule C /ʃedju�l �si�/ noun aschedule under which tax is charged onprofits from government stockSchedule D /ʃedju�l �di�/ noun aschedule under which tax is charged onincome from trades or professions, in-terest and other earnings not derivedfrom being employedSchedule E /ʃedju�l �i�/ noun aschedule under which tax is charged onincome from salaries, wages or pensionsSchedule F /ʃedju�l �ef/ noun aschedule under which tax is charged onincome from dividendsscheme /ski�m/ noun a plan, arrange-ment or way of working � Under thebonus scheme all employees get 10% oftheir annual pay as a Christmas bonus.� He has joined the company pensionscheme. � We operate a profit-sharingscheme for managers. � The new pay-ment scheme is based on reward for in-dividual effort.school-leaver /�sku�l li�və/ noun aperson who has just left schoolscientific management/saəntfk �m�nd"mənt/ noun atheory of management which believes inthe rational use of resources in order tomaximise output, thus motivating work-ers to earn more moneyscope /skəυp/ noun a range of sub-jects being dealt with � the scope of anagreement

screen /skri�n/ verb to examine some-thing carefully to evaluate or assess it �to screen candidates to examine candi-dates to see if they are completelysuitablescreening /�skri�nŋ/ noun � thescreening of candidates the examiningof candidates to see if they are suitableseagull manager /�si� $lm�nd"ə/ noun a manager who isbrought in to deal with a project, makesa lot of fuss, achieves nothing, and thenleaves (slang)search /s��tʃ/ verb 1. to look forsomething � The company is searchingfor a formula which will be acceptableto the unions. 2. to examine thoroughly� Members of staff were searched asthey left the building.season /�si�z(ə)n/ noun 1. one of fourparts into which a year is divided, i.e.spring, summer, autumn and winter 2. aperiod of time when some activity usu-ally takes place � the selling seasonseasonal /�si�z(ə)n(ə)l/ adjectivewhich lasts for a season or which onlyhappens during a particular season �seasonal variations in sales patterns �The demand for this item is veryseasonal.seasonal employment/�si�z(ə)n(ə)l mplɔmənt/, seasonalwork /�si�z(ə)n(ə)l w��k/ noun a jobwhich is available at certain times of theyear only (such as in a ski resort)seasonal worker /�si�z(ə)n(ə)lw��kə/ noun a worker who is em-ployed for a few months during the highseasonsecond /s�kɒnd/ verb to lend a mem-ber of staff to another company, organi-sation or department for a fixed periodof time � He was seconded to the De-partment of Trade for two years.secondary /�sekənd(ə)ri/ adjectivesecond in importancesecondary action /sekənd(ə)ri��kʃən/, secondary strike/sekənd(ə)ri �strak/, secondarypicketing /sekənd(ə)ri �pktŋ/ nounindustrial action aimed at a companywhich is not a party to an industrial dis-pute, to prevent it from supplying a

Schedule A 233 secondary action

striking factory or receiving suppliesfrom itsecondary boycott /sekənd(ə)ri�bɔkɒt/ noun US pressure put on anemployer by those not directly involvedin an industrial dispute. � primaryboycottsecondary group /�sekənd(ə)ri ru�p/ noun a group which is smallenough to allow its members to interactinformallysecondary industry /�sekənd(ə)rindəstri/ noun an industry which usesbasic raw materials to produce manufac-tured goodssecondary picketing /sekənd(ə)ri�pktŋ/ noun same as secondaryactionsecondary sector /�sekənd(ə)risektə/ noun industries which use basicraw materials to make manufacturedgoodssecondary strike /sekənd(ə)ri�strak/ noun same as secondaryactionsecond-class mail /sekənd klɑ�s�mel/ noun a less expensive, slowermail service � The letter took three daysto arrive because he sent itsecond-class.secondee /skɒn�di�/ noun a personwho is seconded to another jobsecondment /s�kɒndmənt/ nounthe act or period of being seconded toanother job for a period � He is on threeyears’ secondment to an Australiancollege.second quarter /sekənd �kwɔ�tə/noun a period of three months fromApril to the end of Junesecret /�si�krət/ adjective which is notknown by many people � The MD keptthe contract secret from the rest of theboard. � The management signed a se-cret deal with a foreign supplier. �noun something which is hidden orwhich is not known by many people �to keep a secret not to tell secret infor-mation which you have been toldsecretarial /sekr�teəriəl/ adjectivereferring to the work of a secretary �Secretarial work is seen as a step to-wards management positions. � He is

looking for secretarial work. � We needextra secretarial help to deal with themailings. � Their secretarial duties arenot onerous, just boring.secretarial course /sekr�teəriəlkɔ�s/ noun a course of study for secre-taries � She is taking a secretarialcourse.secretary /�sekrət(ə)ri/ noun 1. aperson who helps to organise work,types letters, files documents, arrangesmeetings, etc., for someone � My secre-tary deals with incoming orders. � Hersecretary phoned to say she would belate. 2. an official of a company or soci-ety 3. a member of the government incharge of a department � the Trade Sec-retary � the Foreign Secretary � theEducation Secretarysecretary and personal assis-tant /sekrət(ə)ri ən p��s(ə)n(ə)l ə-�sst(ə)nt/ noun a secretary to atop-level member of an organisation,such as director, or senior managerSecretary of State /sekrət(ə)ri əv�stet/ noun 1. GB a member of thegovernment in charge of a department �the Secretary of State for Trade and In-dustry 2. US a senior member of thegovernment in charge of foreign affairs(NOTE: the British equivalent is the For-eign Secretary)Secretary of the Treasury/sekrət(ə)ri əv ðə �tre"əri/ noun US asenior member of the government incharge of financial affairssecret ballot /si�krət �b�lət/ nounan election where the voters vote insecretsector /�sektə/ noun a part of theeconomy or the business organisation ofa country � All sectors of the economysuffered from the fall in the exchangerate. � Technology is a booming sectorof the economy.

‘…government services form a large part of thetertiary or service sector’ [Sydney MorningHerald]

secure /s�kjυə/ adjective safe, whichcannot change � secure job a job fromwhich you are not likely to be maderedundantsecurity /s�kjυərti/ noun the fact ofbeing protected against attack � office

secondary boycott 234 security

security the act of protecting an officeagainst theftsecurity of employment /s-kjυərti əv m�plɔmənt/ noun a feel-ing by an employee that they have theright to keep their job until they retireselect /s�lekt/ verb to choose � Theboard will meet to select three candi-dates for a second interview.selection /s�lekʃən/ noun 1. a choice2. the process of choosing someone fora job � Assessment of candidates for fi-nal selection will depend on tests andinterviews.selection instrument /s�lekʃənnstrυmənt/ noun a psychometric testused as a method of selecting people fora job or for trainingselection interviewing /s�lekʃənntəvju�ŋ/ noun the interviewing of anumber of candidates in order to selectone or more for a job or for trainingselection of personnel /slekʃənəv p��sə�nel/ noun same asrecruitmentselection procedure /s�lekʃənprəsi�d"ə/ noun the general method ofchoosing a candidate for a jobselection test /s�lekʃən test/ nouna test to assess whether someone shouldbe selected for a job or for trainingself- /self/ prefix referring to yourselfself-actualisation /self �ktʃuəla-�zeʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of develop-ing your skills and talents to the fullestpossible extent or to the point wherethey are most beneficial to you (NOTE:also called self-fulfilment)self-administered pensionscheme /self ədmnstəd �penʃənski�m/ noun a scheme where the trust-ees actively administer the funds and areresponsible for its performanceself-appraisal /self ə�prez(ə)l/noun a person’s own assessment of theircapabilities and character � The appli-cation forms contain room for a shortself-appraisal.self-assessment /self ə�sesmənt/noun 1. the process of calculating howmuch tax you should pay and reportingit to the Inland Revenue on time �

Self-assessment forms should be re-turned to the tax office by 31st January.2. a systematic and regular review of itsown activities carried out by an organi-sation, which compares the resultsagainst a model of excellence (NOTE:Self-assessment allows an organisa-tion to identify its strengths and weak-nesses and to plan improvementactivities.) 3. same as self-appraisal �Candidates are asked to write atwo-page self-assessment as part of thejob application. � Self-assessment canbe an embarrassing process for manyapplicants.self-certification /self sətf-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun a procedure that allowsan employee who takes sick leave forseven days or less to avoid loss of earn-ings by filling in a form when they re-turn to work, indicating the nature of theillness and how long it lasted, and byhaving the form countersigned by amanagerself-confidence /self �kɒnfdəns/noun the quality of feeling confident inyour own ability � After a month of suc-cessful sales, my self-confidence im-proved dramatically. � Her lack ofself-confidence was obvious at theinterview.self-confident /self �kɒnfdənt/ ad-jective referring a person who is confi-dent in their own ability � The traineewas self-confident to the point ofarrogance.self-development /self d-�veləpmənt/ noun same as personaldevelopmentself-directed team /self d�rektdti�m/ noun same as autonomousteamworkingself-employed /self m�plɔd/ ad-jective working for yourself or not onthe payroll of a company � aself-employed engineer � He worked fora bank for ten years but is nowself-employed.self-employment /self m-�plɔmənt/ noun the business or activityof someone who is not an employee ofsomebody else under a contract of em-ployment, but either works as a free-lance or owns a business (NOTE:

security of employment 235 self-employment

Self-employment has an important ef-fect on how a person’s earnings aretreated for tax purposes and on the de-gree of employment protection theyhave.)self-fulfilment /self fυl�flmənt/noun same as self-actualisation(NOTE: the usual US spelling isself-fulfillment)self-image /self �md"/ noun an ideathat a person has about their own char-acter and abilitiesself-instruction /self n�str$kʃən/noun the process of teaching oneself �He learnt the language at home, entirelythrough self-instruction.self-made man /self med �m�n/noun a man who is rich and successfulbecause of his own work, not because heinherited money or positionself-made woman /self med�wυmən/ noun a woman who is richand successful because of her ownwork, not because she inherited moneyor positionself-managed (work) team /selfm�nd"d �w��k ti�m/, self-managing(work) team /self m�nd"ŋ �w��kti�m/ noun same as autonomousteamworkingself-regulation /self re jυ�leʃ(ə)n/noun the regulation of an industry by it-self, through a committee which issues arulebook and makes sure that membersof the industry follow the rules (NOTE:For example, the Stock Exchange isregulated by the Stock ExchangeCouncil.)self-starter /self �stɑ�tə/ noun a per-son who can be relied on to take the ini-tiative in a new situation without askingfor instructionsself-taught /self �tɔ�t/ adjective re-ferring to a person who has taughtthemselvessellout /�selaυt/ noun the act of givingin to demands in exchange for financialconcessions � a sellout to themanagementsemi- /semi/ prefix half or partseminar /�semnɑ�/ noun the teachingof a small class of advanced students �He attended a seminar on direct selling.

� She is running a seminar for seniormanagers.semi-retired /semi r�taəd/ adjec-tive having retired on a pension, but stillworking part-timesemi-skilled /semi �skld/ adjectivehaving had or involving some trainingsenior /�si�niə/ adjective 1. referringto an employee who is more important �decision taken at senior level a deci-sion taken by directors or senior manag-ers 2. referring to an employee who isolder or who has been employed longerthan anotherseniority /si�ni�ɒrti/ noun 1. the factof being more important � in order ofseniority 2. the fact of being being olderor being an employee of the companylongerseniority system /si�ni�ɒrtisstəm/ noun a way in which employ-ees can gain seniority in an organisationsenior management /si�niə�m�nd"mənt/ noun the main directorsof a companysenior manager /si�niə �m�nd"ə/,senior executive /si�niər -�zekjυtv/ noun a manager or directorwho has a higher rank than otherssenior partner /si�niə �pɑ�tnə/noun the most important partner in afirm of solicitors or accountantssenior staff /�si�niə stɑ�f/ noun 1.older members of staff 2. people inmore important positions in a companysenior vice-president /si�niə vas�prezd(ə)nt/ noun one of a few mainexecutive directors of a companysensitivity training /sens�tvtitrenŋ/ noun the development of char-acter and awareness by social interac-tion in small groups � Sensitivitytraining has helped him to be forcefulwithout offending others in thedepartment.separation /sepə�reʃ(ə)n/ noun USthe act of leaving a job (resigning, retir-ing or being fired or made redundant) �The interviewer asked the candidatewhether the separation mentioned in hisCV was due to resignation, redundancyor dismissal. � The exit interviews at-

self-fulfilment 236 separation

tempted to find out what employees re-ally felt about separation.sequester /s�kwestə/, sequestrate/�si�kwstret, s�kwestret/ verb totake and keep a bank account or prop-erty because a court has ordered it � Theunion was fined for contempt of courtand its funds have been sequestrated.sequestration /si�kwe�streʃ(ə)n/noun the taking and keeping of propertyon the order of a court, especially seiz-ing property from someone who is incontempt of courtsequestrator /�si�kwstretə, s-�kwestretə/ noun a person who takesand keeps property on the order of acourtSERPS /s��ps/ abbr state earn-ings-related pension schemeserve /s��v/ verb 1. to deal with a cus-tomer � to serve an apprenticeship towork with a skilled worker for a legallyagreed period in order to learn fromthem 2. � to serve someone with awrit, to serve a writ on someone togive someone a writ officially, so thatthey have to receive it 3. to work � Sheserved ten years as an accounts clerk.service /�s��vs/ noun 1. the workdone by an employee for his or her em-ployer of company � After a lifetime’sservice to the company he was rewardedwith a generous golden handshake. 2.the business of providing help in someform when it is neededservice agreement /�s��vs ə- ri�mənt/, service contract /�s��vskɒntr�kt/ noun a contract between acompany and a director showing allconditions of work � The service agree-ment says very little about hours ofwork.service job /�s��vs d"ɒb/ noun a jobin an industry which does not makeproducts, but offers a service (such asbanking, insurance or transport)session /�seʃ(ə)n/ noun a period oftime spent on a specific activity, espe-cially as part of a larger event � Themorning session or the afternoon ses-sion will be held in the conference room.set /set/ noun a group of items whichgo together, which are used together or

which are sold together � a set of tools� adjective fixed or which cannot bechanged � There is a set fee for all ourconsultants. � verb to fix or to arrange� We have to set a price for the newcomputer. � The price of the calculatorhas been set low, so as to achieve maxi-mum unit sales. (NOTE: setting – set) �set the bar to motivate staff by settingtargets that are above their current levelof achievementsettle /�set(ə)l/ verb to solve a prob-lem or dispute � to settle a claim toagree to pay what is asked for � The in-surance company refused to settle hisclaim for storm damage.settlement /�set(ə)lmənt/ noun anagreement after an argument or negotia-tions � a wage settlement � to effect asettlement between two parties tobring two parties together to make themagree

‘…he emphasised that prompt settlement of allforms of industrial disputes would guaranteeindustrial peace in the country and ensureincreased productivity’ [Business Times(Lagos)]

settlement day /�set(ə)lmənt de/noun the day on which shares whichhave been bought must be paid for (onthe London Stock Exchange the accountperiod is three business days from theday of trade) (NOTE: also called ac-count day)set up /set �$p/ verb to begin some-thing or to organise something new � toset up an inquiry or a working party � toset up a company to start a companylegallyseven-point plan /sev(ə)n pɔnt�pl�n/ noun a list of items used in as-sessing the potential of job candidates

COMMENT: The seven points are: physi-cal appearance, educational qualifica-tions, general intelligence level, specialskills (not necessarily connected to theircurrent employment), outside interests,mental and emotional disposition, per-sonal and family circumstances.

severance pay /�sev(ə)rəns pe/noun money paid as compensation to anemployee whose job is no longer neededsex /seks/ noun one of two groups(male and female) into which peoplecan be divided

sequester 237 sex

Sex Discrimination Act 1975,1986 /seks dskrm�neʃ(ə)n �ktnanti�n sev(ə)nti �fav, nanti�neti �sks/ noun Acts of Parliamentwhich ban discrimination on grounds ofsexsexism /�seksz(ə)m/ noun the beliefthat one sex is superior to the othersexist /�seksst/ adjective showing abelief that one sex is superior to theother � He was reprimanded for makingsexist remarks about her.sexual /�sekʃuəl/ adjective relating tosexsexual discrimination /sekʃuəldskrm�neʃ(ə)n/, sex discrimina-tion /seks dskrm�neʃ(ə)n/ nounthe practice of treating men and womenin different ways (usually favouringmen) � The company was accused ofsex discrimination in its appointment ofmanagers. � Sex discrimination hasmade it difficult for women to reachmanagerial posts in the organisation.sexual harassment /sekʃuəl�h�rəsmənt, hə�r�smənt/ noun thepractice of making unpleasant sexualgestures, comments or approaches tosomeone � She complained of sexualharassment by the manager.shakeout /�ʃekaυt/ noun a completechange, where weak or inefficient peo-ple or companies are removed � Onlythree companies were left after theshakeout in the computer market.shakeup /�ʃek$p/ noun a total reor-ganisation � The managing director or-dered a shakeup of the salesdepartments.shape up or ship out /ʃep $p ɔ�ʃp �aυt/ interjection an order to im-prove your performance at work be-cause if you do not you will be firedshare /ʃeə/ noun 1. a part of some-thing that has been divided up amongseveral peoole or groups 2. an one ofmany equal parts into which a com-pany’s capital is divided (the owners ofshares are shareholders or, more for-mally, ‘members’) � He bought a blockof shares in Marks and Spencer. �Shares fell on the London market. � Thecompany offered 1.8m shares on the

market. � verb 1. to own or use some-thing together with someone else � It isvery awkward having to share a tele-phone. � I don’t want to share an officewith her because she smokes. 2. to di-vide something up among several peo-ple or groups � Three companies sharethe market.

shareholder /�ʃeəhəυldə/ noun aperson who owns shares in a company �to call a shareholders’ meeting (NOTE:Formally called a ‘member’.)

‘…as of last night the bank’s shareholders nolonger hold any rights to the bank’s shares’[South China Morning Post]

share issue /�ʃeər ʃu�/ noun an actof selling new shares in a company tothe publicshare option scheme /ʃeər �ɒpʃənski�m/ noun an arrangement where anemployee has regular deductions madeagainst their pay against the right to buyshares in the company at a fixed lowprice at a later dateshare ownership scheme /ʃeər�əυnəʃp ski�m/, share incentivescheme /ʃeər n�sentv ski�m/ nouna scheme whereby employees in a com-pany can buy shares in it and so share inthe profits � Share ownership schemeshelp employees to identify more closelywith the company they work for.shed /ʃed/ verb to lose (NOTE: shed-ding – shed) � to shed staff to losestaff by making them redundantsheet /ʃi�t/ noun � sheet of paper apiece of papershelve /ʃelv/ verb to postpone or toput back to another date � The projectwas shelved. � Discussion of the prob-lem has been shelved.shift /ʃft/ noun 1. a group of employ-ees who work for a period, and then arereplaced by another group � to workdouble shifts to work with two shifts ofworkers on duty 2. a period of timeworked by a group of employeesshift differential /�ʃft dfərenʃəl/noun a payment made to employees inaddition to their basic pay to compen-sate them for the inconvenience of thepattern of shift work

Sex Discrimination Act 1975, 1986238 shift differential

shift transfer /�ʃft tr�nsf��/ nounthe act of changing an employee’s shiftor working hoursshift work /�ʃft w��k/ noun a systemof work with shiftsshoddy /�ʃɒdi/ adjective of bad qual-ity � shoddy workmanshipshop /ʃɒp/ noun 1. a place wheregoods are stored and sold � a computershop � an electrical goods shop 2. theplace in a factory where goods are madeshop assistant /�ʃɒp əsstənt/noun a person who serves the customersin a shopshop floor /ʃɒp �flɔ�/ noun 1. thespace in a shop given to the display ofgoods for sale 2. � on the shop floor inthe factory, in the works or among theordinary workers � The feeling on theshop floor is that the manager does notknow his job.shop floor workers /ʃɒp �flɔ�w��kəz/ plural noun manual workersand technical workers as opposed to of-fice workersshopping centre /�ʃɒpŋ sentə/noun a group of shops linked togetherwith car parks and restaurantsshop steward /ʃɒp �stju�əd/ nounan elected trade union official who rep-resents employees in day-to-day negoti-ations with the managementshort /ʃɔ�t/ adjective, adverb for asmall period of time � in the shortterm, in the short run in the near futureor quite soonshortage /�ʃɔ�td"/ noun a lack orlow availability of something � a short-age of skilled staff � We employpart-timers to make up for staffshortages.shorthanded /ʃɔ�t�h�ndd/ adjec-tive without enough staff � We’rerather shorthanded at the moment.shortlist /�ʃɔ�tlst/ noun a list of can-didates who can be asked to come for atest or interview (drawn up after all ap-plications have been examined and themost obviously unsuitable candidateshave been rejected) � to draw up ashortlist � She is on the shortlist for thejob. � verb to make a shortlist � Fourcandidates have been shortlisted. �

Shortlisted candidates will be asked foran interview.short-range forecast /ʃɔ�t rend"�fɔ�kɑ�st/ noun a forecast which coversa period of a few monthsshort-staffed /ʃɔ�t �stɑ�ft/ adjectivewith not enough staff � We’re rathershort-staffed at the moment.short-term /ʃɔ�t �t��m/ adjective 1.for a period of weeks or months � She isemployed on a short-term contract. � ona short-term basis for a short period 2.for a short period in the future � Weneed to recruit at once to cover ourshort-term manpower requirements.short-term contract /ʃɔ�t t��m�kɒntr�kt/ noun a contract of employ-ment for a short period (such as sixmonths)short-term forecast /ʃɔ�t t��m�fɔ�kɑ�st/ noun a forecast which coversa period of a few monthsshort time /ʃɔ�t �tam/ noun reducedworking hours resulting in less than halfa normal week’s pay � Several machin-ists will be on short time as long as theshortage of orders lasts. � The companyhas had to introduce short-time workingbecause of lack of orders.show of hands /ʃəυ əv �h�ndz/noun a vote where people show howthey vote by raising their hands � Themotion was carried on a show of hands.shut /ʃ$t/ adjective not open for busi-ness � The office is shut on Saturdays. �verb to close � to shut a shop or a ware-house (NOTE: shutting – shut)

shut down /ʃ$t �daυn/ verb to makea factory or office stop working for atime � The offices will shut down forChristmas. � Six factories have shutdown this month.shutdown /�ʃ$tdaυn/ noun the shut-ting of a factory or officeshutout /�ʃ$taυt/ noun the locking ofthe door of a factory or office to stop thestaff getting insick /sk/ adjective ill � to be off sickto be away from work because you areill � to report sick to say officially thatyou are ill and cannot work

shift transfer 239 sick

sick building syndrome /sk�bldŋ sndrəυm/ noun a conditionwhere many people working in a build-ing feel ill or have headaches, caused byblocked air-conditioning ducts in whichstale air is recycled round the building,often carrying allergenic substances orbacteriasickie /�ski/ noun a day of sick leave,usually one taken when the employee isonly pretending to be ill (slang)

sickness /�sknəs/ noun the conditionof being illsickness and accident insur-ance /sknəs ənd ��ksd(ə)nt n-ʃυərəns/ noun a form of health insur-ance that may be sold to a person whotakes a loan or uses a credit card, so that,if the borrower is unable to work be-cause of accident or illness, the policycovers the regular payments to thelender or the credit card companysickness benefit /�sknəs benft/noun a payment made by the govern-ment or private insurance to someonewho is ill and cannot work � The sick-ness benefit is paid monthly.sickout /�skaυt/ noun a form of pro-test in which a group of employees tryto achieve their demands by not going towork and claiming that they are ill(slang)

sideline /�sadlan/ noun a businesswhich is extra to your normal work �He runs a profitable sideline sellingpostcards to tourists.sign /san/ verb to write your name ina special way on a document to showthat you have written it or approved it �The letter is signed by the managing di-rector. � The new recruit was asked tosign the contract of employment.signature /�s ntʃə/ noun a person’sname written by themselves on acheque, document, etc. � All our com-pany’s cheques need two signatures. �The contract of employment had the HRdirector’s signature at the bottom.sign on /san �ɒn/ verb 1. to startwork, by signing your name in the hu-man resources office � to sign on forthe dole to register as unemployed 2. togive someone a job by offering a signed

contract of employment � We are sign-ing on more admin staff next month.silver circle rate /slvə �s��k(ə)lret/ noun US a system whereby pay in-creases are based on length of service �The silver circle rate is partly designedto encourage employees to stay withfirm a long time.similar work /smlə �w��k/ nounwork done by men and women in thesame organisation which has equalvaluesimulation /smjυ�leʃ(ə)n/ noun animitation of a real-life situation fortraining purposes � The simulation ex-ercises for trainee air hostesses includeapplying first-aid treatment topassengers.sinecure /�snkjυə/ noun a jobwhich is well-paid but involves very lit-tle work � His job in his father’s firmwas little more than a sinecure.single /�sŋ (ə)l/ adjective 1. onealone 2. not married � marital status:single � noun a person who is notmarriedsingle door policy /sŋ (ə)l �dɔ�pɒlsi/ noun the organisation of a hu-man resources department, where vari-ous managers are of equal rank and caneach deal with any problem that arisessingle-employer bargaining/sŋ (ə)l m�plɔə bɑ� nŋ/ noun ne-gotiations, especially on pay and condi-tions, between trade unions and a singleemployersingle industry union /sŋ (ə)l�ndəstri ju�njən/ noun a union whosemembers work in only one industry(such as the mineworkers’ union)single status /sŋ (ə)l �stetəs/noun an arrangement where managersand ordinary staff all enjoy the sameconditions of work, pay structures, rec-reational facilities, etc., with no extraperks for anyonesingle table bargaining /sŋ (ə)l�teb(ə)l bɑ� nŋ/ noun bargaining atone table, with several unions takingpart on behalf of all employees em-ployed by a company. Abbr STBsit-down protest /�st daυnprəυtest/, sit-down strike /�st daυn

sick building syndrome 240 sit-down protest

strak/ noun a strike where the employ-ees stay in their place of work and re-fuse to work or to leave � They staged asit-down strike but were forced to leavethe premises by the police.site /sat/ noun 1. the place wheresomething is located � We have chosena site for the new factory. � The super-market is to be built on a site near thestation. 2. a website which is created bya company, organisation or individual,and which anyone can visit � Howmany hits did we have on our site lastweek? � verb to place or position � tobe sited to be placed � The factory willbe sited near the motorway.site engineer /�sat end"nə/ nounan engineer in charge of a building be-ing constructedsite foreman /�sat fɔ�mən/ noun aforeman in charge of workers on abuilding sitesit-in /�st n/ noun a strike where theemployees stay in their place of workand refuse to work or leave (NOTE: plu-ral is sit-ins)sitting /�stŋ/ noun � sitting next toNellie a training method, where a newemployee learns a manual process bysitting beside an experienced workerwho shows how the work is done (infor-mal.)situation /stʃu�eʃ(ə)n/ noun a jobsituational /stʃu�eʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjec-tive referring to a situationsituational interview /stʃu-eʃ(ə)n(ə)l �ntəvju�/, situa-tion-based interview /stʃueʃ(ə)nbest �ntəvju�/ noun an interviewwhere a candidate is asked specificquestions about situations which mayoccur in a jobsituational test /stʃueʃ(ə)n(ə)l�test/ noun a test where a candidate isplaced in certain imaginary situationsand is asked to react to themsituations vacant /stʃueʃ(ə)nz�vekənt/ noun a list in a newspaper ofjobs which are availablesituations wanted /stʃueʃ(ə)nz�wɒntd/ noun a section of a newspaperwhere workers advertise for jobs or of-fer services

skeleton service /�skeltn s��vs/noun a service provided by skeletonstaffskeleton staff /�skeltn stɑ�f/ nouna small number of staff who are left tocarry on essential work while most ofthe workforce is awayskill /skl/ noun an ability to do some-thing because you have been trained �We are badly in need of technical skillsnow that we have computerised the pro-duction line. � She has acquired somevery useful office management skills. �He was not appointed because he didn’thave the skills required for the job.

‘Britain’s skills crisis has now reached suchproportions that it is affecting the nation’seconomic growth’ [Personnel Today]‘…we aim to add the sensitivity of a newEuropean to the broad skills of the newprofessional manager’ [Management Today]

skill centre /�skl sentə/ noun a cen-tre which gives adults accelerated voca-tional trainingskilled /skld/ adjective having learntcertain skillsskilled job /skld �d"ɒb/ noun a jobfor which certain skills are neededskilled workers /skld �w��kəz/,skilled labour /skld �lebə/ nounworkers who have special skills or whohave had long trainingskills analysis /�sklz ən�ləss/noun the process of obtaining informa-tion about the technical and behaviouralskills that employees possess or that arerequired in a particular jobskills inventory /�sklz nvənt(ə)ri/noun a list of all the skills, qualifica-tions, etc., of each member of staff, sothat they can be redeployed rather thanbe made redundant if their job ceases toexistskills mapping /�sklz m�pŋ/noun same as skills analysisskills mobility /sklz məυ�blti/noun same as professional mobilityskills shortage /�sklz ʃɔ�td"/noun a lack of employees with certainskillsslack /sl�k/ adjective not busy �Business is slack at the end of the week.� January is always a slack period. �

site 241 slack

The foreman decided to tighten up onslack workers.slacken off /sl�kən �ɒf/ verb to be-come less busy � Trade has slackenedoff.slackness /�sl�knəs/ noun the qual-ity of being lazy � She got fired for gen-eral slackness and unpunctuality.slack period /�sl�k pəriəd/ nounthe time between finishing a job andstarting another oneslack season /�sl�k si�z(ə)n/ nouna period when a company is not verybusyslave labour /slev �lebə/ nounworkers who are owned and exploitedby their employerssleeping partner /sli�pŋ �pɑ�tnə/noun a partner who has a share in thebusiness but does not work in itsliding /�sladŋ/ adjective which risesin stepsslip /slp/ noun a small piece of paperslow down /sləυ �daυn/ verb to stoprising, moving or fallingslowdown /�sləυdaυn/ noun a reduc-tion in business activitysmall businessman /smɔ�l�bznəsm�n/ noun a man who owns asmall businesssmall change /smɔ�l �tʃend"/ nouncoinssmall-scale enterprise /smɔ�lskel �entəpraz/ noun a small businesssmartsizing /�smɑ�tsazŋ/ noun theprocess of reducing the size of a com-pany by making incompetent and ineffi-cient employees redundantsmoking /�sməυkŋ/ noun the actionof smoking cigarettes, pipes or cigars �Smoking is forbidden in the computerroom.SMP abbr statutory maternity paysocial /�səυʃ(ə)l/ adjective referring tosociety in generalSocial Chapter /�səυʃ(ə)l tʃ�ptə/noun an additional section of theMaastricht Treaty which commits signa-tory states to the promotion of employ-ment, improved working conditions,dialogue between management and la-

bour, development of human resourcesand the fight against exclusionSocial Charter /səυʃ(ə)l �tʃɑ�tə/noun � European Social Charter

social dumping /səυʃ(ə)l �d$mpŋ/noun the practice of making a companycompetitive in the international field byreducing pay and living standards for itsemployeessocial fund /�səυʃ(ə)l f$nd/ noun agovernment fund which providesone-off grants to low-income familiessocial partners /səυʃ(ə)l �pɑ�tnəz/plural noun employers and trade unions,working togethersocial security /səυʃ(ə)l s-�kjυərti/, social insurance /səυʃ(ə)ln�ʃυərəns/ noun a government schemewhere employers, employees and theself-employed make regular contribu-tions to a fund which provides unem-ployment pay, sickness pay andretirement pensions � He gets weeklysocial security payments. � She neverworked but lived on social security foryears.Social Security Act 1975/səυʃ(ə)l s�kjυərti �kt nanti�nsev(ə)nti �fav/ noun an Act of Parlia-ment creating benefits for victims of in-dustrial accidents and diseases, anddisablement benefitssocio-economic /səυʃiəυ i�kə-�nɒmk/ adjective referring to socialand economic conditions, social classesand income groups � We have commis-sioned a thorough socio-economic anal-ysis of our potential market.

COMMENT: The British socio-economicgroups are: A: upper middle class: se-nior managers, administrators, civil ser-vants and professional people; B: middleclass: middle-ranking managers, admin-istrators, civil servants and professionalpeople; C1: lower middle class: juniormanagers and clerical staff; C2: skilledworkers: workers with special skills andqualifications; D: working class: un-skilled workers and manual workers; E:subsistence level: pensioners, the un-employed and casual manual workers.

socio-technical system /səυʃiəυ�teknk(ə)l sstəm/ noun a system that

slacken off 242 socio-technical system

studies the interaction of people and ma-chines, in order to improve efficiencysoft benefits /sɒft �benfts/ pluralnoun benefits offered to employees thatdo not take the form of money (slang)software /�sɒftweə/ noun computerprogramssole /səυl/ adjective onlysole agent /səυl �ed"ənt/ noun aperson who has the sole agency for acompany in an area � She is the soleagent for Ford cars in the locality.solemn /�sɒləm/ adjective � solemnand binding agreement an agreementwhich is not legally binding, but whichall parties are supposed to obeysolidarity /sɒl�d�rti/ noun the loy-alty of members of a group to each other� Union solidarity meant that membersof other unions were unwilling to crosspicket lines.solution /sə�lu�ʃ(ə)n/ noun the an-swer to a problem � We think we havefound a solution to the problem of get-ting skilled staff.solve /sɒlv/ verb to find an answer to aproblem � The new rates of pay shouldsolve some of our short-term recruit-ment problems.sort out /sɔ�t �aυt/ verb 1. to put intoorder � Did you sort out the accountsproblem with the auditors? 2. to settle aproblemsought after /�sɔ�t ɑ�ftə/ adjectivewhich everyone wants to have � Herskills are widely sought after.sour /�saυə/ verb to make thingsbecome unpleasant � The struggle forpromotion has soured relations in thedepartment.source /sɔ�s/ noun the place wheresomething comes from � What is thesource of her income? � You must de-clare income from all sources to the taxoffice. � income which is taxed atsource income where the tax is removedand paid to the government by the em-ployer before the income is paid to theemployeespan of control /sp�n əv kən-�trəυl/ noun the number of subordinateswhom a person supervises or adminis-

ters at the workplace � The job has alarge amount of responsibility with awide span of control. � Too wide a spanof control can lead to inefficientsupervision.spare /speə/ adjective extra, not beingused � He has invested his spare capitalin a computer shop. � to use up sparecapacity to make use of time or spacewhich has not been fully usedspare time /speə tam/ noun timewhen you are not at work � He builthimself a car in his spare time.spate /spet/ noun a sudden rush � aspate of dismissals or of resignationsspear carrier /�spə k�riə/ nounsomebody at the second level in an or-ganisation’s hierarchy who is responsi-ble for carrying out commands andcommunicating messages from thetop-level executives (slang)

special award /speʃ(ə)l ə�wɔ�d/noun an award in cases of unfair dis-missal, where the employee was sackedeither for joining or for refusing to join atrade union. � additional awardspecialise /�speʃəlaz/, specializeverb to deal with one particular type ofskill, product or service � The companyspecialises in electronic components. �They have a specialised product line. �He sells very specialised equipment forthe electronics industry. � After work-ing in all the departments, he finally de-cided to specialise in distribution.specialism /�speʃəlz(ə)m/, spe-cialisation /speʃəla�zeʃ(ə)n/ nounthe study of one particular subject orconcentration on one particular type ofworkspecialist /�speʃəlst/ noun a personor company that deals with one particu-lar type of product or one subject � Youshould go to a specialist in computers orto a computer specialist for advice. �We need a manager who can grasp theoverall picture rather than a narrowspecialist.special leave /speʃ(ə)l �li�v/ nounleave that may be granted to an em-ployee in certain special circumstances(NOTE: Special leave includes leavegranted for study, for jury service, for

soft benefits 243 special leave

trade union duties, or to candidates inlocal or national elections.)specification /spesf�keʃ(ə)n/noun detailed information about what orwho is needed or about a product to besuppliedspecify /�spesfa/ verb to stateclearly what is needed � Candidates areasked to specify which of the three poststhey are applying for. (NOTE: specifies-specifying- specified)spelling mistake /�spelŋ mstek/noun a mistake in spelling a wordspiral /�spaərəl/ verb to twist roundand round, getting higher all the time �a period of spiralling prices � spiral-ling inflation inflation where price risesmake employees ask for higher wageswhich then increase prices againspirit /�sprt/ noun a general moodsplit /splt/ adjective which is dividedinto partssplit shift /splt �ʃft/ noun a form ofshift working where shifts are split intotwo shorter periodssplit vote /splt �vəυt/ noun a votewhere part of a group votes in one way,and another part votes in a differentway, so dividing a block votesponsor /�spɒnsə/ noun 1. a personwho recommends another person for ajob 2. a company which pays part of thecost of making a TV programme by tak-ing advertising time on the programme� verb 1. to act as a sponsor for some-thing � The company has sponsored thefootball match. 2. to recommend some-one for a job 3. to pay for someone to goon a training course � Six of the man-agement trainees have been sponsoredby their companies.sponsorship /�spɒnsəʃp/ noun theact of sponsoring � The training coursecould not be run without the sponsor-ship of several major companies.spouse /spaυs/ noun a husband orwife � All employees and their spousesare invited to the staff party.squeeze /skwi�z/ noun governmentcontrol carried out by reducing theavailability of something

‘…the real estate boom of the past three yearshas been based on the availability of easy credit.

Today, money is tighter, so property should bearthe brunt of the credit squeeze’[Money Observer]

SSP abbr statutory sick paySSP1 noun a form given to workerswho are not eligible for statutory sickpay, so that they can claim sicknessbenefitsstaff /stɑ�f/ noun people who work fora company or organisation � The officestaff have complained about the lack ofheating. (NOTE: staff refers to a groupof people and so is often followed by aplural verb) � to be on the staff or amember of staff or a staff member tobe employed permanently by a company� verb to employ workers � The de-partment is staffed by skilledpart-timers.staff agency /�stɑ�f ed"ənsi/ nounan agency which looks for office stafffor companiesstaff appointment /�stɑ�f ə-pɔntmənt/ noun a job on the staffstaff association /�stɑ�f əsəυsi-eʃ(ə)n/ noun a society formed bymembers of staff of a company to repre-sent them to the management and to or-ganise entertainmentsstaff canteen /stɑ�f k�n�ti�n/ nouna restaurant which belongs to a factoryor office, where the staff can eatstaff club /stɑ�f �kl$b/ noun a clubfor the staff of a company, which organ-ises staff parties, sports and meetingsstaffer /�stɑ�fə/ noun US a member ofthe permanent staffstaff function /stɑ�f �f$ŋkʃən/ nounwork in an organisation which is not di-rectly linked to production of goods orservices for salestaff incentives /stɑ�f n�sentvz/plural noun pay and better conditionsoffered to employees to make themwork betterstaffing /�stɑ�fŋ/ noun the provisionof staff for a companystaffing levels /�stɑ�fŋ lev(ə)lz/plural noun the numbers of employeesrequired in a department of a companyfor it to work efficientlystaff management /stɑ�f�m�nd"mənt/ noun management or

specification 244 staff management

administration of the employees of anorganisationstaff outing /stɑ�f �aυtŋ/ noun a tripby the staff to celebrate something awayfrom the officestaff representative /stɑ�f repr-�zentətv/ noun a person who repre-sents the staff on a committeestaff status /stɑ�f �stetəs/ noun thefact of enjoying special perks which aregiven to some members of staff and notto othersstaff turnover /stɑ�f �t��nəυvə/noun changes in staff, when some leaveand others join � The lack of any clearcareer prospects is the reason for ourhigh staff turnover.staggered /�st� əd/ adjective refer-ring to holidays or working hours whichare arranged so that they do not all beginand end at the same time � We have astaggered lunch hour so that there is al-ways someone on the switchboard.staggered day work /st� əd �dew��k/ noun a working arrangementwhere groups of employees start andfinish work at intervals of 30 minutes orone hourstakeholder /�stekhəυldə/ noun aperson such as a shareholder, employeeor supplier who has a stake in a businessstakeholder pension/�stekhəυldə penʃən/ noun a pension,provided through a private company, inwhich the income a person has after re-tirement depends on the amount of con-tributions made during their workinglife (NOTE: Stakeholder pensions aredesigned for people without access toan occupational pension scheme.)stamp /st�mp/ noun a device formaking marks on documents; markmade in this way � The invoice has thestamp ‘Received with thanks’ on it. �The customs officer looked at the stampsin his passport. � verb 1. to mark a doc-ument with a stamp � to stamp an in-voice ‘Paid’ � The documents werestamped by the customs officials. 2. toput a postage stamp on (an envelope,etc.)stamped addressed envelope/�st�mpt ə�drest �envələυp/ noun an

envelope with your own address writtenon it and a stamp stuck on it to pay forreturn postage � Please send a stampedaddressed envelope for further detailsand our latest catalogue. Abbr s.a.e.

standard /�st�ndəd/ noun the normalquality or normal conditions whichother things are judged against � up tostandard of acceptable quality � Thisbatch is not up to standard or does notmeet our standards. � adjective normalor usual � a standard model car � Wehave a standard charge of £25 for athirty-minute session. � standard rateof taxation the basic rate of income taxwhich rises as income moves above acertain levelstandard hour /st�ndəd �aυə/noun a unit of time used to establish thenormal time which a job or task is ex-pected to take, and used later to comparewith the actual time takenStandard Industrial Classifica-tion /st�ndəd nd$striəl kl�sf-�keʃ(ə)n/ noun an international schemefor classifying industries into groups forstatistical purposesstandard letter /st�ndəd �letə/noun a letter which is sent withoutchange to various correspondentsstandard of living /st�ndəd əv�lvŋ/ noun the quality of personalhome life (such as amount of food orclothes bought, size of family car, etc.)standard performance /st�ndədpə�fɔ�məns/ noun the average outputwhich is achieved by an experiencedemployeestandard practice /st�ndəd�pr�kts/ noun the usual way of doingthings � It’s standard practice to passan envelope with money in it to the di-rector’s secretary.standard time system /st�ndəd�tam sstəm/ noun a method of pay-ment whereby an employee is paid onthe basis of units of work performed,each of which has an agreed standardtime which is established after workstudystandby duty /�st�ndba dju�ti/noun waiting to see if you are needed orif an emergency happens

staff outing 245 standby duty

standby pay /�st�ndba pe/ nounwages paid when an employee is onstandby dutystand in for /st�nd �n fɔ�/ verb totake someone’s place � Mr Smith isstanding in for the chairman, who is ill.(NOTE: standing – stood)

standing committee /�st�ndŋ kə-mti/ noun a permanent committeewhich deals with matters not given toother committeesstanding order /st�ndŋ �ɔ�də/noun an order written by a customerasking a bank to pay money regularly toan account � I pay my subscription bystanding order.standing orders /st�ndŋ �ɔ�dəz/plural noun rules or regulations whichregulate the conduct of any body, suchas a councilstand off /st�nd �ɒf/ verb to reduceemployees’ hours of work because ofshortage of work (NOTE: standing –stood)

standstill /�st�ndstl/ noun a situa-tion where work has stopped � Produc-tion is at a standstill. � The strikebrought the factory to a standstill.start /stɑ�t/ noun the beginning � verbto begin to do something � to start legalproceedings against someone to startbegin legal proceedingsstarter /�stɑ�tə/ noun a young personwho is starting in a job for the first time.� self-starter

starting /�stɑ�tŋ/ noun the act ofbeginningstarting date /�stɑ�tŋ det/ noun adate on which something startsstarting point /�stɑ�tŋ pɔnt/ nounthe place where something startsstarting salary /�stɑ�tŋ s�ləri/noun a salary for an employee whenthey start work with a companystart-up /�stɑ�t $p/ noun 1. the begin-ning of a new company or new product� We went into the red for the first timebecause of the start-up costs of the newsubsidiary in the USA. 2. a new, usuallysmall business that is just beginning itsoperations, especially a new business

supported by venture capital and in asector where new technologies are usedstate /stet/ noun 1. an independentcountry 2. a semi-independent sectionof a federal country (such as the USA)3. the government of a country

‘…the unions had argued that public sector payrates had slipped behind rates applying in stateand local government areas’[Australian Financial Review]

state earnings-related pensionscheme /stet ��nŋz rletd�penʃən ski�m/ noun a state pensionwhich is additional to the basic retire-ment pension and is based on averageearnings over an employee’s career.Abbr SERPSstate enterprise /stet �entəpraz/noun a company run by the statestate-owned industry /stet əυnd�ndəstri/ noun an industry which isnationalisedstate ownership /stet �əυnəʃp/noun a situation where an industry isnationalisedstate pension /stet �penʃən/ nouna pension paid by the statestate sickness benefit /stet�sknəs benft/ noun sick pay forself-employed people or others who arenot eligible to receive statutory sick paystatistics /stə�tstks/ plural nounfacts or information in the form of fig-ures � to examine the sales statistics forthe previous six months � Governmenttrade statistics show an increase in im-ports. � The statistics on unemploymentdid not take school-leavers into account.status /�stetəs/ noun importance, po-sition in society � loss of status the actof becoming less important in a groupstatus agreement /�stetəs ə- ri�mənt/ noun part of a collectiveagreement which defines the rights andobligations of each of the partiesinvolvedstatus quo /stetəs �kwəυ/ noun theexisting structure and procedures in anorganisation � The contract does not al-ter the status quo.status quo clause /stetəs �kwəυklɔ�z/ noun a clause in an agreement bywhich the management guarantees that

standby pay 246 status quo clause

employees will not be worse off underany new working conditions proposedstatus symbol /�stetəs smbəl/noun something which shows how im-portant its owner is � The chairman’sRolls Royce is simply a status symbol.statute /�st�tʃu�t/, statute law/st�tʃu�t �lɔ�/ noun an establishedwritten law, especially an Act ofParliamentstatutory /�st�tʃυt(ə)ri/ adjectivefixed by law � There is a statutory pe-riod of probation of thirteen weeks. �Are all the employees aware of theirstatutory rights?statutory holiday /st�tʃυt(ə)ri�hɒlde/ noun a holiday which is fixedby law � The office is closed for thestatutory Christmas holiday.statutory instrument/st�tʃυt(ə)ri �nstrυmənt/ noun anorder (which has the force of law) madeunder authority granted to a minister byan Act of Parliamentstatutory maternity pay/st�tʃυt(ə)ri mə�t��nti pe/ nounpayment made by an employer to anemployee who is on maternity leave.Abbr SMP

statutory notice period/st�tʃυt(ə)ri �nəυts pəriəd/ nounthe time stated in the contract ofemployment which the employee oremployer has to allow between resign-ing or being fired and the employee ac-tually leaving their job (an employeehas to give at least one week’s noticeand an employer has to give betweenone week and twelve weeks' notice, de-pending on the employee's length ofservice)statutory sick pay /st�tʃυt(ə)ri�sk pe/ noun payment made eachweek by an employer to an employeewho is away from work because of sick-ness. Abbr SSP

STB abbr single table bargainingsteady /�stedi/ adjective continuing ina regular way � The company can pointto a steady increase in profits. � Thereis a steady demand for computers. � Hehas a steady job in the supermarket.

step /step/ noun 1. a type of action �The first step taken by the new MD wasto analyse all the expenses. � to takesteps to prevent something happeningto act to stop something happening 2. amovement forward � Becoming assis-tant to the MD is a step up the promo-tion ladder.stepped /stept/ adjective rising insteps according to quantitystepped pay system /stept �pesstəm/ noun a system of payment forwork according to rising levels of per-formance � The civil service has astepped pay system divided into variousgrades.step up /step �$p/ verb to increase �The company has stepped up productionof the latest models. (NOTE: stepping –stepped)

stiff /stf/ adjective harsh or difficult �They are facing stiff competition fromthe American chain. � He had to take astiff test before he qualified. � There arestiff penalties for not complying with thelaw.stipend /�stapend/ noun a regularsalary or allowance paid to the personholding a particular officestipulate /�stpjυlet/ verb to demandthat a condition be put into a contract �The company failed to pay on the datestipulated in the contract. � The newmanager stipulated that the contract runfor five years.stipulation /stpjυ�leʃ(ə)n/ noun acondition in a contract � The contracthas a stipulation that the new managerhas to serve a three-month probationaryperiod.stock /stɒk/ noun 1. the quantity ofgoods for sale in a warehouse or retailoutlet 2. shares in a company

‘US crude oil stocks fell last week by nearly2.5m barrels’ [Financial Times]

‘…the stock rose to over $20 a share, higherthan the $18 bid’ [Fortune]

stock controller /�stɒk kəntrəυlə/noun a person who notes movements ofstockstock level /�stɒk lev(ə)l/ noun thequantity of goods kept in stock � We try

status symbol 247 stock level

to keep stock levels low during thesummer.

stock option /�stɒk ɒpʃən/ noun anopportunity for senior managers to buyshares in the company they work for at alater date and at a cheap pricestocks and shares /stɒks ən�ʃeəz/ plural noun shares in ordinarycompaniesstock valuation /stɒl v�lju-�eʃ(ə)n/ noun an estimation of thevalue of stock at the end of an account-ing periodstop /stɒp/ noun the end of an action �The new finance director put a stop tothe reps’ inflated expense claims. �verb 1. to make something not move orhappen any more � The shipment wasstopped by customs. � The governmenthas stopped the import of luxury items.� to stop a cheque, to stop payment ona cheque to ask a bank not to pay acheque you have written 2. not to doanything any more � The work forcestopped work when the company couldnot pay their wages. � The office staffstop work at 5.30. � We have stoppedsupplying Smith & Co. 3. � to stopsomeone’s wages to take money out ofsomeone’s wages � We stopped £25from his pay because he was late.stoppage /�stɒpd"/ noun moneytaken regularly from an employee’swages for insurance, tax, etc.

‘…the commission noted that in the early 1960sthere was an average of 203 stoppages each yeararising out of dismissals’ [Employment Gazette]

stop-work meeting /stɒp �w��kmi�tŋ/ noun (in Australia and NewZealand) a meeting held by employeesduring working hours to discuss issuessuch as wage claims and working condi-tions with union representatives ormanagementstorage capacity /�stɔ�rd" kə-p�sti/ noun the space available forstoragestrategic /strə�ti�d"k/ adjectivebased on a plan of actionstrategic planning /strə�ti�d"k�pl�nŋ/ noun the process of planningthe future work of a company

strategy /�str�təd"i/ noun a plan offuture action � What is the strategy ofthe HR department to deal withlong-term manpower requirements?(NOTE: plural is strategies)

streamline /�stri�mlan/ verb to makesomething more efficient or more sim-ple � to streamline the accounting sys-tem � to streamline distribution servicesstreamlined /�stri�mland/ adjectiveefficient or rapid � We need a morestreamlined payroll system.streamlining /�stri�mlanŋ/ nounthe process of making somethingefficientstress /stres/ noun nervous tension orworry, caused by overwork, difficultywith managers, etc. � People in posi-tions of responsibility suffer fromstress-related illnesses. � The new workschedules caused too much stress on theshop floor.

‘…manual and clerical workers are more likelyto suffer from stress-related diseases. Causes ofstress include the introduction of newtechnology, job dissatisfaction, fear of job loss,poor working relations with the boss andcolleagues, and bad working conditions’[Personnel Management]

stressful /�stresf(ə)l/ adjective whichcauses stress � Psychologists claim thatrepetitive work can be just as stressfulas more demanding but varied work.stress management /�stresm�nd"mənt/ noun a way of copingwith stress-related problems at workstress puppy /�stres p$pi/ nounsomeone who complains a lot about be-ing stressed but actually seems to enjoyit (slang)

stretch /stretʃ/ verb to pull out or tomake longer � The investmentprogramme has stretched the com-pany’s resources. � he is not fullystretched his job does not make himwork as hard as he couldstrike /strak/ noun 1. stopping ofwork by the workers (because of lack ofagreement with management or becauseof orders from a union) 2. � to takestrike action to go on strike � to try toavert a strike to try to prevent a strikefrom taking place � verb 1. to stopworking because there is no agreement

stock option 248 strike

with management � to strike for higherwages or for shorter working hours � tostrike in protest against bad workingconditions 2. � to strike a bargain withsomeone to come to an agreementstrike ballot /�strak b�lət/, strikevote /�strak vəυt/ noun a vote by em-ployees to decide if a strike should beheldstrikebound /�strakbaυnd/ adjec-tive not able to work or to move becauseof a strike � Six ships are strikebound inthe docks.strikebreaker /�strakbrekə/ nounan employee who goes on workingwhile everyone else is on strikestrike call /�strak kɔ�l/ noun a de-mand by a union for a strikestrike committee /�strak kəmti/noun a group of employees representingvarious parts of an organisation formedto organise a strikestrike fund /�strak f$nd/ nounmoney collected by a trade union fromits members, used to pay strike paystrike notice /�strak nəυts/ nounadvance notice that a strike will takeplace on a certain datestrike pay /�strak pe/ noun wagespaid to striking employees by their tradeunionstriker /�strakə/ noun an employeewho is on strike � Strikers marched tothe company headquarters.structural /�str$ktʃərəl/ adjective re-ferring to a structure � to make struc-tural changes in a companystructure /�str$ktʃə/ noun the way inwhich something is organised � the ca-reer structure within a corporation �The paper gives a diagram of the com-pany’s organisational structure. � verbto arrange in a specific way � to struc-ture a meetingstructured interview /str$ktʃəd�ntəvju�/ noun an interview using pre-set questions and following a fixed pat-tern. Compare unstructured interview

structuring /�str$ktʃərŋ/ noun theact of bringing order into anorganisation

student apprenticeship /stju�dntə�prentsʃp/ noun a scheme where astudent at a college is sponsored by acommercial company and is apprenticedto that companystudy /�st$di/ noun 1. an act of exam-ining something carefully � The com-pany has asked the consultants toprepare a study of new production tech-niques. � He has read the governmentstudy on sales opportunities. 2. learningsomething from books or from attendingclasses � verb 1. to examine somethingcarefully � We are studying the possi-bility of setting up an office in NewYork. 2. to learn something from booksor from classes � He is studying theprinciples of human resourcemanagement.study leave /�st$di li�v/ noun timeoff work to allow a employee to followa coursestyle /stal/ noun a way of doing ormaking something � a new style ofproduct � old-style managementtechniquessub /s$b/ noun wages paid in advancesub- /s$b/ prefix under or lessimportantsubcontract noun /s$b�kɒntr�kt/ acontract between the main contractor fora whole project and another firm whowill do part of the work � They havebeen awarded the subcontract for all theelectrical work in the new building. �We will put the electrical work out tosubcontract. � verb /s$bkən�tr�kt/(of a main contractor.) to agree with acompany that they will do part of thework for a project � The electrical workhas been subcontracted to Smith Ltd.subcontractor /s$bkən�tr�ktə/noun a company which has a contract todo work for a main contractorsubjective /səb�d"ektv/ adjectiveconsidered from the point of view of theperson involved, and not from any gen-eral point of view � Her assessments ofthe performance of her staff are quitesubjective. (NOTE: the opposite isobjective)

subjective test /səb�d"ektv test/noun a test where the examiner evalu-

strike ballot 249 subjective test

ates the answers according to their ownjudgement (as opposed to an objectivetest) (NOTE: the opposite is objectivetest)subject to /�s$bd"kt tu�/ adjectivedepending on � the contract is subjectto government approval the contractwill be valid only if it is approved by thegovernmentsubmit /səb�mt/ verb to put some-thing forward to be examined � Thereps are asked to submit their expensesclaims once a month. � The union hassubmitted a claim for a ten per centwage increase. (NOTE: submitting –submitted)subordinate /sə�bɔ�dnət/ noun aperson in a lower position in an organi-sation � Her subordinates find her diffi-cult to work with. � Part of themanager’s job is to supervise the train-ing of their subordinates.subsidise /�s$bsdaz/, subsidizeverb to help by giving money � Thegovernment has refused to subsidise thecar industry.subsistence /səb�sstəns/ noun aminimum amount of food, money, hous-ing, etc., which a person needssubsistence allowance /səb-�sstəns ə�laυəns/ noun money paid bya company to cover the cost of hotels,meals, etc., for an employee who is trav-elling on businesssubstandard /s$b�st�ndəd/ adjec-tive not of the necessary quality or quan-tity to meet a standard � The workerswere criticised for substandardperformance.substantive agreement /səb-st�ntv ə� ri�mənt/ noun an agree-ment between management and unionsrelating to pay, working hours, etc.substitute /�s$bsttju�t/ noun a per-son or thing that takes the place ofsomeone or something else � verb totake the place of someone or somethingelsesucceed /sək�si�d/ verb 1. to do well,to be profitable � The company has suc-ceeded best in the overseas markets. �His business has succeeded more thanhe had expected. 2. to do what was

planned � She succeeded in passing hercomputing test. � They succeeded inputting their rivals out of business. 3. totake over from someone in a post � MrSmith was succeeded as chairman byMrs Jones.success /sək�ses/ noun 1. an act ofdoing something well � The launch ofthe new model was a great success. �The company has had great success inthe Japanese market. 2. the act of get-ting a good result or getting the desiredresult � He has been looking for a jobfor six months, but with no success.successful /sək�sesf(ə)l/ adjectivehaving got the desired result � The suc-cessful candidates will be advised byletter.successfully /sək�sesf(ə)li/ adverbwell or getting the desired result � Shesuccessfully negotiated a new contractwith the unions. � The new model wassuccessfully launched last month.successor /sək�sesə/ noun a personwho takes over from someone � MrSmith’s successor as chairman will beMrs Jones.suggestion /sə�d"estʃən/ noun anidea which is put forwardsuggestion box /sə�d"estʃənbɒks/, suggestions box /sə-�d"estʃənz bɒks/ noun a place in acompany where employees can put for-ward their ideas for making the com-pany more efficient and profitablesuggestion scheme /sə�d"estʃənski�m/ noun a system whereby employ-ees can make suggestions on how theorganisation should be run more effi-ciently or profitably � The suggestionsscheme takes the form of a monthlymeeting where employees can offerideas for improvement of productiontechniques.suitable /�su�təb(ə)l/ adjective conve-nient or which fits � Wednesday is themost suitable day for board meetings. �We had to readvertise the job becausethere were no suitable candidates.sum /s$m/ noun a quantity of money �A sum of money was stolen from the hu-man resources office. � She received thesum of £5000 in compensation.

subject to 250 sum

sum insured /s$m n�ʃυəd/ noun thelargest amount of money that an insurerwill pay under an insurance policysummarily /�s$mərli/ adverb donerapidly, without notice � She was sum-marily dismissed.summary /�s$məri/ noun a short ac-count of what has happened or of whathas been written � The MD gave a sum-mary of her discussions with the Ger-man trade delegation. � The salesdepartment has given a summary ofsales in Europe for the first six months.� adjective done rapidly, without noticesummary dismissal /s$məri ds-�ms(ə)l/ noun a dismissal without giv-ing the employee any notice (usually be-cause of a crime committed by theemployee or drunkenness or violent be-haviour towards other employees)summer holidays /s$mə �hɒldez/plural noun holidays taken by the work-ers in the summer when the weather isgood and children are not at schoolSunday closing /s$nde �kləυzŋ/noun the practice of not opening a shopon SundaysSunday trading laws /s$nde�tredŋ lɔ�z/ plural noun regulationswhich govern business activities onSundays (NOTE: the American equiva-lent is Blue Laws)superannuation /su�pər�nju-�eʃ(ə)n/ noun a pension paid to some-one who is too old or ill to work anymoresuperannuation plan/su�pər�nju�eʃ(ə)n pl�n/, superan-nuation scheme /su�pər�nju-�eʃ(ə)n ski�m/ noun a pension plan orschemesuperior /sυ�pəriə/ noun a more im-portant person � Each manager is re-sponsible to their superior for accuratereporting of sales.supervise /�su�pəvaz/ verb to moni-tor work carefully to see that it is beingdone well � She supervises six people inthe accounts department.supervision /su�pə�v"(ə)n/ nounthe fact of being supervised � New staffwork under supervision for the firstthree months. � She is very experienced

and can be left to work without anysupervision.supervisor /�su�pəvazə/ noun a per-son who supervises � The supervisorwas asked to write a report on the work-ers’ performance.supervisory /�su�pəvazəri/ adjec-tive as a supervisor � Supervisory staffchecked the trainees’ work. � He worksin a supervisory capacity.supervisory board /�su�pəvazəribɔ�d/ noun a board of directors whichdeals with general policy and planning(as opposed to the executive board,which deals with the day-to-day runningof the company in a two-tier system)supervisory management/�su�pəvazəri m�nd"mənt/ nounthe most junior level of managementwithin an organisation (NOTE: The activ-ities involved in supervisory manage-ment include staff recruitment,handling day-to-day grievances andstaff discipline, and ensuring that qual-ity and production targets are met.)supplement noun something whichis added � The company gives him asupplement to his pension. � verb toadd � We will supplement the ware-house staff with six part-timers duringthe Christmas rush.supplementary /s$pl�ment(ə)ri/adjective in addition tosupplementary training/s$plment(ə)ri �trenŋ/ noun train-ing to increase employees’ efficiency �Supplementary training is needed tosharpen up performance.supply and demand /səpla ən d-�mɑ�nd/ noun the amount of a productwhich is available and the amountwhich is wanted by customerssurplus /�s��pləs/ noun more ofsomething than is needed � We are pro-posing to put our surplus staff on shorttime. � adjective more than is needed �surplus to requirements not neededany moresuspend /sə�spend/ verb 1. to stopdoing something for a time � We havesuspended payments while we are wait-ing for news from our agent. � Theyagreed to suspend the discussions for a

sum insured 251 suspend

week. 2. to stop someone working for atime � He was suspended on full paywhile the police investigations were go-ing on.suspension /sə�spenʃən/ noun 1. anact of stopping something for a time � asuspension of negotiations 2. the act ofstopping someone working for a timesweated labour /swetd �lebə/noun 1. people who work hard for verylittle money � Of course the firm makesa profit – it employs sweated labour. �Most of the immigrant farmworkers aresweated labour. 2. hard work which isvery badly paidsweatshop /�swetʃɒp/ noun a fac-tory using sweated laboursweetener /�swi�t(ə)nə/ noun an in-centive offered to help persuade some-body to take a particular course ofaction (informal.)sweetheart agreement /�swi�thɑ�tə ri�mənt/ noun (in Australia andNew Zealand.) an agreement reachedbetween employees and their employerwithout the need for arbitrationSWOT analysis /�swɒt ən�ləss/noun a method of assessing a person,company or product by consideringtheir Strengths, Weaknesses and exter-nal factors which may provide Opportu-nities or Threats to their development.

Full form Strengths, Weaknesses,Opportunities, Threatssympathetic /smpə�θetk/ adjec-tive showing sympathysympathetic strike /smpə�θetkstrak/ noun a strike undertaken toshow agreement with another group ofemployees on strikesympathy /�smpəθi/ noun feelingsorry because someone else has prob-lems � The manager had no sympathyfor her staff who complained of beingoverworked. � to strike or to come outin sympathy to stop work to show thatyou agree with another group of work-ers who are on strike � The postal work-ers went on strike and the telephoneengineers came out in sympathy.system /�sstəm/ noun an arrange-ment or organisation of things whichwork together � Our accounting systemhas worked well in spite of the large in-crease in orders. � What system is beingused for filing data on personnel?systems analysis /�sstəmz ə-n�ləss/ noun the process of using acomputer to suggest how a company canwork more efficiently by analysing theway in which it works at presentsystems analyst /�sstəmz�nəlst/ noun a person who specialisesin systems analysis

suspension 252 systems analyst

T

table /�teb(ə)l/ noun 1. a piece of fur-niture with a flat top and legs 2. a dia-gram or chart � verb to put items ofinformation on the table before a meet-ing � The report of the finance commit-tee was tabled. � to table a motion toput forward a proposal for discussion ata meetingtable of organisation /teb(ə)l əvɔ� əna�zeʃ(ə)n/ noun a diagramshowing a list of people working in vari-ous departments, with their areas of re-sponsibility and relationships betweenpersonneltactic /�t�ktk/ noun a way of doingthings so as to be at an advantage �Concentrating our sales force in thatarea could be a good tactic. � The di-rectors planned their tactics before go-ing into the meeting.take /tek/ verb 1. to receive or to get� the shop takes £2,000 a week theshop receives £2,000 a week in cashsales � she takes home £250 a weekher salary, after deductions for tax etc. is£250 a week 2. to do a certain action �to take action to do something � Youmust take immediate action if you wantto stop thefts. � to take a call to answerthe telephonetake back /tek �b�k/ verb � to takeback employees to re-employ formeremployeestake-home pay /�tek həυm pe/noun pay received, after tax, etc., hasbeen deducted � After all the deduc-tions, his take-home pay is only £300 aweek.take on /tek �ɒn/ verb to agree toemploy someone � to take on more stafftake over /tek �əυvə/ verb 1. to startto do something in place of someoneelse � Miss Black took over from Mr

Jones on May 1st. 2. � to take over acompany to buy a business by offeringto buy most of its shares � The companywas taken over by a large multinational.takeover /�tekəυvə/ noun 1. an actof buying a controlling interest in abusiness by buying more than 50% of itsshares � the take-over period is alwaysdifficult the period when one person istaking over work from another 2. the actof starting to do something in place ofsomeone elsetakeover bid /�tekəυvə bd/ nounan offer to buy all or a majority of theshares in a company so as to control it �They made a takeover bid for thecompany.take up /tek �$p/ verb to accept � totake up a new post to start a new jobtalent /�t�lənt/ noun people with ex-ceptional abilities, especially the em-ployees that the company values mosttalks /tɔ�ks/ plural noun discussions �The talks broke down late last night. �to hold talks with someone to discusswith someonetardiness /�tɑ�dinəs/ noun the fact ofbeing late or unpunctual (formal.) � Tar-diness and poor performance were bothresponsible for this year’s bad profitfigures.target /�tɑ� t/ noun something to aimfor � performance targets � verb 1. toaim to sell to somebody � I’ll follow upyour idea of targeting our address listwith a special mailing. 2. to aim attask noun /tɑ�sk/ work which has to bedone � The job involves some taskswhich are unpleasant and others whichare more rewarding. � The candidatesare given a series of tasks to completewithin a time limit. � verb to give some-one a task to do

table 253 task

task analysis /�tɑ�sk ən�ləss/noun a method used to identify and ex-amine the tasks performed by peoplewhen they are working with computer-ised or non-computerised systems(NOTE: the purpose of task analysis isto find the most efficient way of inte-grating the human element into auto-mated systems)

task bonus /�tɑ�sk bəυnəs/ noun anextra payment for a task completed ontime � Task bonuses are paid to moti-vate workers to complete vital jobs onschedule.task group /�tɑ�sk ru�p/ noun agroup of employees who are brought to-gether temporarily in order to completea specific project or tasktask payment system /�tɑ�skpemənt sstəm/, task system ofpay /tɑ�sk sstəm əv �pe/ a paymentsystem where employees are paid foreach task completed on time � Slowerworkers dislike the introduction of atask payment system.tax /t�ks/ noun 1. money taken by thegovernment or by an official body topay for government services 2. anamount of money charged by govern-ment as part of a person’s income or ongoods bought � basic tax income taxpaid at the normal rate � to levy or toimpose a tax to make a tax payable �The government has imposed a 15% taxon petrol. � to lift a tax to remove a tax� The tax on company profits has beenlifted. � tax deducted at source taxwhich is removed from a salary or inter-est before the money is paid out � verbto make someone pay a tax, to impose atax on something � businesses are taxedat 40% � income is taxed at 35% � lux-ury items are heavily taxedtax abatement /�t�ks əbetmənt/noun a reduction of taxtaxable /�t�ksəb(ə)l/ adjective whichcan be taxedtaxable income /t�ksəb(ə)l�nk$m/ noun income on which a per-son has to pay taxtaxable items /�t�ksəb(ə)l atəmz/plural noun items on which a tax has tobe paid

tax adjustments /�t�ks ə-d"$stmənts/ plural noun changesmade to taxtax adviser /�t�ks ədvazə/, taxconsultant /�t�ks kəns$ltənt/ noun aperson who gives advice on taxproblemstax allowance /�t�ks əlaυəns/ nouna part of the income which a person isallowed to earn and not pay tax ontaxation /t�k�seʃ(ə)n/ noun the actof taxingtax avoidance /�t�ks əvɔd(ə)ns/noun the practice of legally trying topay as little tax as possibletax bracket /�t�ks br�kt/ noun asection of people paying a particularlevel of income taxtax burden /�t�ks b��dn/ noun aheavy tax charge (as a percentage of acompany’s profits) � The burden ofbusiness taxes on small companies.tax code /�t�ks kəυd/ noun a numbergiven to indicate the amount of tax al-lowance a person hastax collector /�t�ks kəlektə/ noun aperson who collects taxes which areowedtax concession /�t�ks kənseʃ(ə)n/noun an act of allowing less tax to bepaidtax credit /�t�ks kredt/ noun a partof a dividend on which the company hasalready paid advance corporation taxwhich is deducted from the share-holder’s income tax chargetax declaration /�t�ks deklə-reʃ(ə)n/ noun a statement made to thetax authorities about money earned, ex-penses and allowances claimed, etc.tax-deductible /t�ks d�d$ktb(ə)l/adjective which can be deducted froman income before tax is calculated �these expenses are not tax-deductibletax has to be paid on these expensestax deductions /�t�ks dd$kʃənz/plural noun US 1. money removed froma salary to pay tax 2. business expenseswhich can be claimed against taxtax evasion /�t�ks ve"(ə)n/ nounthe practice of illegally trying not to paytax

task analysis 254 tax evasion

tax-exempt /t�ks �zempt/ adjec-tive 1. not required to pay tax 2. (of in-come or goods) which are not subject totaxtax exemption /�t�ks zempʃən/noun US 1. the fact of being free frompayment of tax 2. the part of incomewhich a person is allowed to earn andnot pay tax ontax form /�t�ks fɔ�m/ noun a blankform to be filled in with details of in-come and allowances and sent to the taxoffice each yeartax-free /�t�ks�fri�/ adjective with notax having to be paid � tax-free goodstax inspector /�t�ks nspektə/noun an official of the Inland Revenuewho examines tax returns and decideshow much tax someone should paytax loophole /�t�ks lu�phəυl/ nouna legal means of not paying taxtaxpayer /�t�kspeə/ noun a personor company that has to pay tax � basictaxpayer or taxpayer at the basic rate �Corporate taxpayers are being targetedby the government.tax relief /�t�ks rli�f/ noun an al-lowance to pay less tax on certain partsof someone’s incometax return /�t�ks rt��n/ noun acompleted tax form, with details of in-come and allowancestax shelter /�t�ks ʃeltə/ noun a fi-nancial arrangement (such as a pensionscheme) where investments can bemade without taxtax threshold /�t�ks θreʃhəυld/noun a point at which another percent-age of tax is payable � The governmenthas raised the minimum tax thresholdfrom £4,000 to £4,500.tax year /�t�ks jə/ noun a twelvemonth period on which taxes are calcu-lated (in the UK, 6th April to 5th Aprilof the following year)tea break /�ti� brek/ noun a rest timeduring work when the employees candrink coffee or teateaching machine /�ti�tʃŋ məʃi�n/noun a machine (usually a specially pro-grammed computer) which can be usedto teach skills without an instructor

team /ti�m/ noun a group of peoplewho work together and co-operate toshare work and responsibilityteam briefing /ti�m �bri�fŋ/ noun aregular briefing session by a managerfor a team, useful for the rapid commu-nication of information to all the mem-bers of the team, and also for keepingthe manager aware of the feelings andproblems of the teamteam-building /�ti�m bldŋ/ noun aset of training sessions designed to instilco-operation and solidarity in a group ofemployees who work together as a teamteam player /ti�m �pleə/ noun some-body who works well as a member of ateamteam rate /�ti�m ret/ noun the payrate for a group of people workingtogetherteam spirit /ti�m �sprt/ noun thegeneral mood of a team, expressed asloyalty to the team and with motivationcoming from working in a teamteamwork /�ti�mw��k/ noun a groupeffort applied to workTEC /tek/ abbr Training and EnterpriseCounciltechnical /�teknk(ə)l/ adjective re-ferring to a particular machine or pro-cess � The document gives all thetechnical details on the new computer.technical college /�teknk(ə)lkɒld"/ noun a college which offerscourses of further education in technicalsubjects � Some of our managementtrainees study business courses at thelocal technical college. � The technicalcollege runs a foundation course inproduct management.technician /tek�nʃ(ə)n/ noun a per-son who is specialised in industrial work� Computer technicians worked to in-stall the new system.technique /tek�ni�k/ noun a skilledway of doing a job � The company hasdeveloped a new technique for process-ing steel. � We have a special techniquefor answering complaints from custom-ers. � marketing techniques skill inmarketing a producttechnological /teknə�lɒd"k(ə)l/adjective referring to technology � the

tax-exempt 255 technological

technological revolution the changingof industry by introducing newtechnologytechnology /tek�nɒləd"i/ noun ap-plying scientific knowledge to industrialprocesses � the introduction of newtechnology putting new electronicequipment into a business or industrytelecentre /�telisentə/ noun a build-ing with office space and facilities sothat people can work outside theirhomes but away from their workplacetelecommute /�telikəmju�t/ verb towork without leaving home, using acomputer linked by modem to the em-ployer’s central officetelecommuter /�telikəmju�tə/ nounsame as teleworker

telecommuting /�telikəmju�tŋ/noun same as teleworking

teleconferencing /�teli-kɒnf(ə)rənsŋ/ noun the use of tele-phone or television channels to connectpeople in different locations in order toconduct group discussions, meetings,conferences or coursestelecottage /�telikɒtd"/ noun sameas telecentre

telephone book /�telfəυn bυk/noun a book which lists all people andbusinesses in alphabetical order withtheir telephone numbers � He looked upthe number of the company in the tele-phone book.telephone line /�telfəυn lan/ nouna wire along which telephone messagestraveltelephone number salary/�telfəυn n$mbə s�ləri/ noun a veryhigh salary amounting to millions ormore (slang)

teleworker /�teliw��kə/ noun a per-son who works at home, especially oneusing a computer linked to the centralofficeteleworking /�teliw��kŋ/ noun aworking method where an employeeworks at home on computer, and sendsthe finished material back to the centraloffice by modem. Also calledhomeworking, networking

temp /temp/ noun a temporary officeworker � We have had two temps work-ing in the office this week to clear thebacklog of letters. � verb to work as atemporary office workertemperature /�temprtʃə/ noun ameasurement of heat in degrees

COMMENT: Acceptable working tempera-tures vary with the type of work involved.Heavy work can be done at lower temper-atures than sedentary office work, wherethe recommended ambient temperatureshould not be lower than 19°.

temping /�tempŋ/ noun the practiceof working as a temporary office worker� He can earn more money fromtemping than from a full-time job.temporarily /�temp(ə)rərəli/ adverblasting only for a short timetemporary /�temp(ə)rəri/ adjectivewhich only lasts a short time � He has atemporary job as a filing clerk or he hasa job as a temporary filing clerk. � Shehas a temporary post with a construc-tion company.temporary contract /temp(ə)rəri�kɒntr�kt/ noun a contract of employ-ment for a short period onlytemporary disablement/temp(ə)rəri ds�eb(ə)lmənt/ nounthe fact of being unable to work for aperiod because of illness or an accidenttemporary employment/temp(ə)rəri m�plɔmənt/, tempo-rary work /�temp(ə)rəri w��k/ nounfull-time work which does not last formore than a few days or monthstemporary staff /�temp(ə)rəristɑ�f/, temporary employees/temp(ə)rəri m�plɔi�z/, temporaryworkers /�temp(ə)rəri w��kəz/ pluralnoun members of staff who are ap-pointed for a short time � We need torecruit temporary staff for the busy sum-mer season. � He is a temporary em-ployee and has no chance of apermanent position.tender /�tendə/ noun an offer to dosomething for a specific price � a suc-cessful tender � an unsuccessful tender� to put a project out to tender, to askfor or invite tenders for a project toask contractors to give written estimatesfor a job � to put in or submit a tender

technology 256 tender

to make an estimate for a job � verb �to tender one’s resignation to give inone’s resignationtentative /�tentətv/ adjective notcertain � They reached a tentativeagreement over the proposal. � We sug-gested Wednesday May 10th as a tenta-tive date for the next meeting.tentatively /�tentətvli/ adverb with-out being sure � We tentatively sug-gested Wednesday as the date for ournext negotiating meeting.tenure /�tenjə/ noun 1. the right tohold property or a position � he has ten-ure he has a permanent job, from whichhe cannot be sacked or made redundant2. the time when a position is held �during his tenure of the office ofchairmanterm /t��m/ noun 1. a period of timewhen something is legally valid � theterm of a lease � We have renewed hercontract for a term of six months. � Theterm of the loan is fifteen years. 2. a pe-riod of time

‘…companies have been improvingcommunications, often as part of deals to cutdown demarcation and to give everybody thesame terms of employment’ [Economist]

terminal /�t��mn(ə)l/ noun the build-ing where you end a journey � adjectiveat the endterminal assessment /t��mn(ə)lə�sesmənt/ noun an assessment of atrainee at the end of the course (as op-posed to continuous assessment whichis carried out during the course)terminal gratuity /t��mn(ə)l rə-�tju�ti/ noun a bonus given to someoneat the end of a fixed term contract ofemploymentterminal illness /t��mn(ə)l �lnəs/noun an illness where the patient is notlikely to live more than six monthsterminal leave /t��mn(ə)l �li�v/noun leave at the end of a fixed contractof employmentterminate /�t��mnet/ verb 1. to endsomething or to bring something to anend � His employment was terminated.2. to dismiss someone � His employ-ment was terminated.

termination /t��m�neʃ(ə)n/ noun1. bringing to an end 2. US the end of acontract of employment; leaving a job(resigning, retiring, or being fired ormade redundant) � Both employer andemployee areed that termination wasthe only way to solve the problem.termination allowance /t��m-�neʃ(ə)n əlaυəns/, termination pay/t��m�neʃ(ə)n pe/ noun a paymentto an employee who loses a job throughno fault of their owntermination clause /t��m-�neʃ(ə)n klɔ�z/ noun a clause whichexplains how and when a contract canbe terminatedtermination interview /t��m-�neʃ(ə)n ntəvju�/ noun a meeting be-tween a management representative andan employee who is to be dismissed,usually explaining the reasons for thedismissal, stating whether a notice pe-riod must be worked and, especially inthe case of redundancy, giving details ofany assistance the employee can expectfrom the employertermination of service /t��m-neʃ(ə)n əv �s��vs/ noun the endingof an employee’s contract of employ-ment for a reason such as redundancy,employer insolvency or dismissalterm of office /t��m əv �ɒfs/ nouna period when someone holds an office� during his term of office as chairmanterms /t��mz/ plural noun the condi-tions or duties which have to be carriedout as part of a contract, or the arrange-ments which have to be agreed before acontract is valid � By or Under theterms of the contract, the company is re-sponsible for all damage to the property� to negotiate for better terms � He re-fused to agree to some of the terms ofthe contract. � terms (and conditions)of employment the conditions set out ina contract of employment � After theirinterviews for the job, the candidatesconsidered the terms of employmentoffered.tertiary industry /t��ʃəri �ndəstri/noun an industry which does not pro-duce raw materials or manufacture prod-ucts but offers a service such asbanking, retailing or accountancy

tentative 257 tertiary industry

tertiary sector /�t��ʃəri sektə/ nounthe section of the economy containingthe service industriestest /test/ noun 1. an examination tosee if something works well or is possi-ble 2. an examination to assess someone� Candidates have to take a battery oftests. � verb 1. to examine something tosee if it is working well � We are stilltesting the new computer system. 2. toexamine someone to assess their abilityto do a jobtest battery /�test b�t(ə)ri/ noun anumber of different tests, especiallypsychometric tests, used together to as-sess someonetestee /tes�ti�/ noun a person who isbeing testedtester /�testə/ noun a person who testssomeonetestimonial /test�məυniəl/ noun awritten report about someone’s charac-ter or ability � She has asked me towrite her a testimonial.testing /�testŋ/ noun the act of exam-ining a person to assess their ability todo a jobtheft /θeft/ noun the act of stealing �We have brought in security guards toprotect the store against theft. � Theyare trying to cut their losses by theft.

COMMENT: Theft from other employees isa reason for dismissal, but theft of officeproperty may be less serious.

think tank /�θŋk t�ŋk/ noun a groupof experts who advise or put forwardplansthird party insurance /θ��d pɑ�tin�ʃυərəns/ noun insurance to coverdamage to any person who is not one ofthe people named in the insurance con-tract (that is, not the insured person northe insurance company)third quarter /θ��d �kwɔ�tə/ noun aperiod of three months from July toSeptemberthird sector /θ��d �sektə/ noun thesector of an economy that is made up ofnon-profit organisationsthree martini lunch /θri� mɑ��ti�nil$ntʃ/ noun a business lunch at which alot of alcohol is drunk to relax the client(informal.)

three shift system /θri� �ʃftsstəm/ noun a system of working withthree shifts (morning, afternoon andevening or night shifts)360 degree appraisal /θri�h$ndrəd ən sksti d ri� ə�prez(ə)l/noun an assessment of the performanceof a person working for an organisation,to which colleagues ranking above, be-low and of equal rank contributethreshold /�θreʃhəυld/ noun thepoint at which something changesthrow out /θrəυ �aυt/ verb 1. to re-ject or to refuse to accept � The pro-posal was thrown out by the planningcommittee. � The board threw out thedraft contract submitted by the union. 2.to get rid of something which is notwanted � The AGM threw out the oldboard of directors. � He was thrown outof the company for disobedience. (NOTE:throwing – threw – thrown)

time /tam/ noun 1. a period duringwhich something takes place, e.g. onehour, two days, fifty minutes, etc. 2. ahour of the day (such as 9.00, 12.15, teno’clock at night, etc.) � the time of ar-rival or the arrival time is indicated onthe screen � Departure times are de-layed by up to fifteen minutes because ofthe volume of traffic. 3. a system ofhours on the clock 4. hours workedtime and a half /tam ənd ə �hɑ�f/noun the normal rate of pay plus 50%extratime and method study /tam ən�meθəd st$di/ noun a process of exam-ining the way in which something isdone to see if a cheaper or quicker waycan be foundtime and motion expert /tam ən�məυʃ(ə)n eksp��t/ noun a personwho analyses time and motion studiesand suggests changes in the way work isdonetime and motion study /tam ən�məυʃ(ə)n st$di/ noun a study in anoffice or factory of the time taken to docertain jobs and the movements employ-ees have to make to do themtime-card /�tam kɑ�d/, time-clockcard /�tam klɒk kɑ�d/ noun a cardwhich is put into a timing machine when

tertiary sector 258 time-card

an employee clocks in or clocks out, andrecords the time when they start andstop worktime clock /�tam klɒk/ noun a ma-chine which records when an employeearrives at or leaves worktime-keeping /�tam ki�pŋ/ nounthe fact of being on time for work � Hewas warned for bad time-keeping.time limit /�tam lmt/ noun themaximum time which can be taken to dosomething � The work was finishedwithin the time limit allowed. � The timelimit on applications to the industrialtribunal is three months. � to keepwithin the agreed time limits to com-plete work by the time agreedtime management /�tamm�nd"mənt/ noun conscious controlof the amount of time you spend on var-ious work activities in order to maxi-mise your personal efficiency (NOTE:Time management involves analysinghow you spend your time, decidinghow important each of your differentwork tasks is and reorganising your ac-tivities so that you spend most time onthe tasks that are most important.)time off /tam �ɒf/ noun time awayfrom work granted to an employee to at-tend to private affairs � The sales man-ager was given time off to settle thedetails of his divorce. � We only givepeople time off in very deserving cases,because we have so much work goingthrough. � The management offered hertime off in lieu of overtime pay. � timeoff in lieu time away from work insteadof pay � time off for union work anagreed amount of time which an em-ployer can allow a union official towork on union duties during normalworking hourstime rate /�tam ret/ noun a rate forwork which is calculated as money perhour or per week, and not money forwork completedtime-saving /�tam sevŋ/ adjectivewhich saves time � a time-saving device� noun the practice of trying to savetime � The management is keen ontime-saving.timescale /�tamskel/ noun the timewhich will be taken to complete work �

Our timescale is that all work should becompleted by the end of August. � He isworking to a strict timescale.time sheet /�tam ʃi�t/ noun a recordof when an employee arrives at andleaves work, or one which shows howmuch time a person spends on differentjobs each daytime span /�tam sp�n/ noun theamount of time from when somethingstarts to when it ends � time span ofdiscretion a way of showing the amountof responsibility given to an employee,by only checking their work at long in-tervals (checking at shorter intervalswould indicate a lack of confidence)time study /�tam st$di/ noun astudy of the time taken to finish a cer-tain piece of worktime work /�tam w��k/ noun workwhich is paid for at a rate per hour or perday, not per piece of work completedtip /tp/ noun money given to someonewho has helped you � The staff are notallowed to accept tips. � verb to givemoney to someone who has helped you� She tipped the receptionist £5. (NOTE:tipping – tipped)title inflation /�tat(ə)l nfleʃ(ə)n/noun the practice of giving an employeea new and important-sounding job title,which suggests that they now have ahigher status in the organisation, with-out changing the nature of the work heor she actually doesTNA abbr training needs analysisTOIL /tɔl/ noun time off in lieutoken /�təυkən/ noun somethingwhich acts as a sign or symboltoken strike /�təυkən strak/ noun ashort strike to show that workers have agrievancetoken woman /təυkən �wυmən/noun a woman who is a member of acommittee to show that women are be-ing representedtool /tu�l/ noun an instrument used fordoing manual work (such as a hammeror screwdriver)top /tɒp/ noun 1. the upper surface orupper part � Do not put coffee cups ontop of the computer. 2. the highest point

time clock 259 top

or most important place � She rose tothe top of her profession. � adjective atthe highest point or most importantplace � top management � The com-pany is one of the top six exporters.top-down approach /tɒp �daυn ə-prəυtʃ/ noun a style of leadership inwhich the senior management makesplans and decides what should be doneand then communicates its plans and de-cisions to employees at lower levels inthe organisation (NOTE: the opposite isbottom-up approach)

top-down information /tɒp daυn/noun a system of passing informationdown from management to theworkforcetop-down planning /tɒp �daυnpl�nŋ/ noun methods of planning,where decisions are taken at executivelevel, and passed down to the workforcewithout any consultationtop executive /tɒp �zekjυtv/, topmanager /tɒp �m�nd"ə/ noun a maindirectortop-flight /tɒp �flat/, top-ranking/tɒp �r�ŋkŋ/ adjective in the most im-portant position � Top-flight managerscan earn very high salaries. � He is thetop-ranking official in the delegation.top-hat pension plan /tɒp h�t�penʃ(ə)n pl�n/ noun a special extrapension scheme for senior managerstop management /tɒp�m�nd"mənt/ noun the main directorsof a companytop official /tɒp ə�fʃ(ə)l/ noun avery important person in a governmentdepartmenttop-ranking /tɒp �r�ŋkŋ/ adjectivesame as top-flighttort /tɔ�t/ noun harm done to a personor property which can be the basis of acivil lawsuittotal /�təυt(ə)l/ adjective complete orwith everything added together � Thecompany has total assets of over £1bn.� The total cost was much more thanexpected. � Our total income from ex-ports rose last year.total disability /təυt(ə)l dsə�bləti/noun a situation where an employee is

completely disabled, and so can receivemaximum benefittotal quality management/təυt(ə)l kwɒlti �m�nd"mənt/noun a management style which de-mands commitment to maintain and im-prove quality throughout the workforce(with control of systems, quality, in-spection of working practices, etc.)Abbr TQMtotal systems approach /təυt(ə)l�sstəmz əprəυtʃ/ noun a way of or-ganising a large company, in which thesystems in each section are all seen aspart of the total corporate systemtotal wage bill /təυt(ə)l �wed" bl/noun all the money paid by a companyin salaries and wagestouch /t$tʃ/ verb � to touch base tomake contact with someone to see howthings are goingtoxic employee /tɒksk m�plɔi�/noun an employee who is angry or dis-contented and spreads discontent in thecompany or department where theywork (slang)TQM abbr total quality managementtrack record /�tr�k rekɔ�d/ nounsuccess or failure of a company or sales-person in the past � We are looking forsomeone with a track record in the com-puter market.trade /tred/ noun 1. the business ofbuying and selling 2. a particular type ofbusiness, or people or companies deal-ing in the same type of product � She’svery well known in the clothing trade.trade association /�tred əsəυsi-eʃ(ə)n/ noun a group which links to-gether companies in the same tradetrade bureau /�tred bjυərəυ/ nounan office which specialises in commer-cial inquiriestrade cycle /�tred sak(ə)l/ noun aperiod during which trade expands, thenslows down, then expands againtrade description /tred d-�skrpʃən/ noun a description of a prod-uct to attract customerstrade dispute /�tred dspju�t/noun a dispute between employers andemployees or between the groups that

top-down approach 260 trade dispute

represent them � Lower rates for over-time than last year will almost certainlyprovoke a trade dispute.trade fair /�tred feə/ noun a large ex-hibition and meeting for advertising andselling a specific type of product �There are two trade fairs running inLondon at the same time – the carpetmanufacturers’ and the mobiletelephones.trade magazine /�tred m� əzi�n/noun a magazine aimed at working peo-ple in a specific industrytrade off /tred �ɒf/ verb to give upone demand made in negotiating againsta concession from the other sidetrade-off /�tred ɒf/ noun an act of ex-changing one thing for another as part ofa business deal (NOTE: plural istrade-offs)trade practices /tred �pr�ktsz/plural noun same as industrialpracticestrade press /�tred pres/ noun allmagazines produced for people workingin a certain tradetrades and labour council/tredz ən �lebə kaυnsəl/ noun (inAustralia and New Zealand.) an or-ganisation that represents all the tradeunions in a particular state or territoryTrades Council /�tredz kaυnsəl/noun a regional body which brings to-gether representatives of several tradeunions in a particular area to discusspossible joint actionTrades Union Congress /tredzju�njən �kɒŋ res/ noun an organisa-tion linking all British trade unions.Abbr TUC (NOTE: although Trades Un-ion Congress is the official name forthe organisation, trade union is com-moner than trades union in BritishEnglish. American English is laborunion)trade test /�tred test/ test designedto assess someone’s ability to do a cer-tain job � In assessing candidates weuse both trade tests and personalitytests.trade union /tred �ju�njən/, tradesunion /tredz �ju�njən/ noun an em-ployees’ organisation which represents

its members in discussions with em-ployers about wages and conditions ofemployment � He has applied for tradeunion membership or he has applied tojoin a trade union. � Both the trade un-ion representatives and the managementside hope to be able to avert a strike. �The trade union is negotiating with themanagement for a shorter workingweek.trade unionist /tred �ju�njənst/noun a member of a trade uniontrade union law /tred ju�njən �lɔ�/noun laws concerning the running oftrade unionstrade union recognition /tredju�njən rekə �nʃ(ə)n/ noun the ac-ceptance by an employer of the right ofa trade union to conduct collective bar-gaining on behalf of their employeestrain /tren/ verb 1. to teach someoneto do something � He trained as an ac-countant. � The company has appointeda trained lawyer as its managing direc-tor. 2. to learn how to do somethingtrainee /tre�ni�/ noun a person who islearning how to do something � We takefive graduates as trainees each year. �Office staff with leadership potential areselected for courses as trainee manag-ers. � We employ an additional traineeaccountant at peak periods.trainee-centred learning /treni�sentəd �l��nŋ/ noun a training processwhere the trainee is expected to do re-search and carry out group projects,rather than listen to lecturestrainee manager /treni��m�nd"ə/ noun an employee beingtrained to be a managertraineeship /tre�ni�ʃp/ noun thepost of traineetrainer /�trenə/ noun a person whotrains stafftraining /�trenŋ/ noun the process ofbeing taught how to do something �There is a ten-week training period fornew staff. � The shop is closed for stafftraining. � After six months’ training hethought of himself as a professionalsalesman. � on-the-job training train-ing given to employees at their place ofwork � off-the-job training training

trade fair 261 training

given to employees away from theirplace of work (such as at a college orschool)Training, Enterprise andEducation Directorate /trenŋentəpraz ənd edjυ�keʃ(ə)ndarekt(ə)rət/ a British governmentorganisation which is responsible fortraining schemes for workerstraining centre /�trenŋ sentə/noun a government-run organisationwhich trains adults in job skills � Sev-eral of our workers are at a trainingcentre to learn how to operate the newmachinery.training college /�trenŋ kɒld"/noun a college which provides trainingfor particular professions � She did asix-month computing course at a train-ing college.training credit scheme /trenŋ�kredt ski�m/ noun a scheme by whichyoung people get vouchers to pay fortrainingtraining group /�trenŋ ru�p/noun a group of usually seven to twelvepeople who meet regularly over a periodof about two weeks for sensitivitytrainingtraining levy /�trenŋ levi/ noun atax to be paid by companies to fund thegovernment’s training schemestraining needs /�trenŋ ni�dz/ plu-ral noun the amount or type of trainingthat needs to be given to the employeesof an organisation in order to make upfor a shortage of skills or abilities that ispreventing the organisation from fulfill-ing its aims and operating effectivelytraining needs analysis /�trenŋni�dz ən�ləss/ noun analysis de-signed to identify the training needs of adepartment or organisation, or of partic-ular employees. Abbr TNAtraining officer /�trenŋ ɒfsə/noun a person who deals with the train-ing of staff in a companytraining session /�trenŋ seʃ(ə)n/noun a meeting where staff are trainedtransactional analysis /tr�n-z�kʃ(ə)nəl ə�n�ləss/ noun a methodof developing new attitudes and behav-iour with reference to certain uncon-

scious rules adopted by people whilecommunicating with others �Transactional analysis sessions havehelped many of our managers deal moreeffectively with subordinates.transfer noun /�tr�nsf��/ an act ofmoving an employee to another job inthe same organisation � She applied fora transfer to our branch in Scotland �verb /tr�ns�f��/ 1. to move someone orsomething to a new place � The accoun-tant was transferred to our Scottishbranch. � He transferred his shares to afamily trust. � She transferred hermoney to a deposit account. 2. to movean employee to another job in the sameorganisationtransfer of training /tr�nsf�� əv�trenŋ/ noun the use of skills learnedduring a training course in a person’sactual workplace to improve the waythey do a jobtransferred charge call /tr�ns-f��d �tʃɑ�d" kɔ�l/ noun a phone callwhere the person receiving the callagrees to pay for ittransitional unemployment/tr�nzʃ(ə)nəl $nm�plɔmənt/ nouna period where someone is out of workfor a short time between two jobstrashcan hypothesis /�tr�ʃk�nhapɒθəss/ noun US a tendency toassign any miscellaneous job to thehuman resources department (informal.)

travel /�tr�v(ə)l/ noun the moving ofpeople from one place to another orfrom one country to another � Overseastravel is a very important part of the job.travel agency /�tr�v(ə)l ed"ənsi/noun an office which arranges travel forcustomerstravel expenses /�tr�v(ə)l k-spensz/ plural noun money spent ontravelling and hotels for businesspurposestrial noun /�traəl/ 1. a court case tojudge a person accused of a crime � Heis on trial or is standing trial for embez-zlement. 2. a test to see if something isgood � on trial in the process of beingtested � The product is on trial in ourlaboratories. � to take someone on atrial basis to take on a new member of

training 262 trial

staff for a short time, to see if they areacceptable � verb to test a product tosee how good it is (NOTE: trialling –trialled)

tribunal /tra�bju�n(ə)l/ noun an offi-cial court which examines special prob-lems and makes judgementstrim /trm/ verb to cut short � Staffcosts have been trimmed. (NOTE: trim-ming – trimmed)

triplicate /�trplkət/ noun � in tripli-cate with an original and two copies �The application form should be com-pleted in triplicate.trouble /�tr$b(ə)l/ noun a problem ordifficult situation � There was sometrouble in the warehouse after the man-ager was fired.troublemaker /�tr$b(ə)lmekə/ nouna difficult employee, who is alwayscausing problems for managementtroubleshooter /�tr$b(ə)lʃu�tə/noun a person whose job is to solveproblems in a company � They broughtin a troubleshooter to try to sort out themanagement problems.trunk call /�tr$ŋk kɔ�l/ noun a call toa number in a different zone or areatrust /tr$st/ noun 1. the fact of beingconfident that something is correct, willwork, etc. 2. the duty of looking aftergoods, money or property which some-one has passed to you as trusteetrustee /tr$�sti�/ noun a person whohas charge of money in trust � the trust-ees of the pension fundTUC abbr Trades Union Congressturkey trot /�t��ki trɒt/ noun thepractice of transferring a difficult, in-competent, or nonessential employeefrom one department to another (slang)

turn down /t��n �daυn/ verb to re-fuse � He turned down the job he wasoffered. � she was turned down for thepost she was not offered the postturnkey operation /�t��nki� ɒpə-reʃ(ə)n/ noun a deal where a companytakes all responsibility for constructing,fitting and staffing a building (such as aschool, hospital or factory) so that it iscompletely ready for the purchaser totake overturn round /t��n �raυnd/ verb tomake a company change from making aloss to become profitable � they turnedthe company round in less than a yearthey made the company profitable inless than a yeartwilight shift /�twalat ʃft/ nounthe evening shift, just before it gets dark24/7 /twenti fɔ� �sev(ə)n/ adverbtwenty-four hours a day, every day ofthe week (NOTE: Businesses often ad-vertise themselves as being ‘open24/7’.)two-tier board /tu� tə �bɔ�d/ nouna system where a company has twoboards of directors, an executive boardwhich runs the company on aday-to-day basis, and a supervisoryboard which monitors the results anddeals with long-term planningtype /tap/ verb to key words using acomputer keyboard, word processor ortypewriter � He can type quite fast.typewritten /�taprt(ə)n/ adjectivewritten on a computer keyboard, nothandwritten � He sent in a typewrittenjob application.typist /�tapst/ noun a person whosejob is to write letters using a computerkeyboard � The HR department needsmore typists to deal with all thecorrespondence.

tribunal 263 typist

U

ultimatum /$lt�metəm/ noun astatement to someone that unless theydo something within a period of time,action will be taken against them � Theunion officials argued among them-selves over the best way to deal with theultimatum from the management. � Themanagement has given the union an ul-timatum. (NOTE: plural is ultimatumsor ultimata)ultra vires /$ltrə �vari�z/ Latinphrase ‘beyond powers’ultra vires contract /$ltrə �vari�zkɒntr�kt/ noun a contract which theparties are not competent to signumpire /�$mpaə/ noun an independ-ent person who is asked to decide in adispute in cases where the adjudicatorscannot come to a decisionunacceptable /$nək�septəb(ə)l/adjective which cannot be accepted �The terms of the contract are quiteunacceptable.unanimous /ju��n�nməs/ adjectivewhere everyone votes in the same way� There was a unanimous vote againstthe proposal. � They reached unani-mous agreement.unanimously /ju��n�mməsli/ ad-verb with everyone agreeing � The pro-posals were adopted unanimously.unauthorised /$n�ɔ�θərazd/, unau-thorized adjective not permitted �unauthorised access to the company’srecords � unauthorised expenditure �No unauthorised persons are allowedinto the laboratory. � unauthorisedabsence from work or absence with-out leave the fact of being away fromwork without permission and without agood reasonunauthorised person /$n-ɔ�θərazd �p��s(ə)n/ noun a person

who has not received permission to dosomething � No unauthorised personsare allowed into the laboratory.uncommitted /$nkə�mtd/ adjec-tive referring to an employee who is nothappy and does not feel involved in theorganisation they work for � There is adrive on to weed out employees who areuncommitted to the objectives of thecompany.unconditional /$nkən�dʃ(ə)nəl/adjective with no conditions or provi-sions attached � unconditional accep-tance of the offer by the board � Afterthe interview he got an unconditionaloffer of a job.unconditionally /$nkən-�dʃ(ə)n(ə)li/ adverb without imposingany conditions � The offer was acceptedunconditionally by the trade union.unconditional offer/$nkəndʃ(ə)nəl �ɒfə/ noun a job offerwith no conditions or provisionsattachedunderachiever /$ndərə�tʃi�və/noun a person who achieves less thanthey are capable ofunderemployed /$ndərm�plɔd/adjective with not enough work � Thestaff is underemployed because of thecutback in production.underemployment /$ndərm-�plɔmənt/ noun 1. situation whereworkers in a company do not haveenough work to do 2. a situation wherethere is not enough work for all theworkers in a countryundergo /$ndə� əυ/ verb to gothrough or to take � The managers haveto undergo a period of retraining. � Shehas to undergo a fitness test. (NOTE: un-dergoing – underwent – undergone)

ultimatum 264 undergo

undermanned /$ndə�m�nd/ adjec-tive with not enough staff to do the work� The department will be undermannedduring the Christmas period.undermanning /$ndə�m�nŋ/ nouna situation of having too few staff thanare needed to do the company’s work �The company’s production is affected byundermanning on the assembly line. �Undermanning is caused by lack ofavailable skilled workers in the area.undermine /$ndə�man/ verb tomake something less strong � The leak-ing of the secret report has underminedconfidence in the management.underpaid /$ndə�ped/ adjective notpaid enough � Our staff say that theyare underpaid and overworked.underrepresent /$ndərepr�zent/verb to give one group fewer represen-tatives than another � Women areunderrepresented at senior managementlevel.under review /$ndə r�vju�/ adverbin a state of being examined � Ourwage and salary structure is currentlyunder review.understaffed /$ndə�stɑ�ft/ adjec-tive with not enough staff to do the com-pany’s workunderstanding /$ndə�st�ndŋ/noun a private agreement � to come toor to reach an understanding to agree� The management and union came toan understanding about the demarca-tion problems.understudy /�$ndəst$di/ noun aperson who is learning how to do ajob which is currently being done bysomeone else, so as to be able totake over the job if the present incum-bent retires or is ill � They have plannedto put understudies into each of the keymanagements posts. � The productionmanager made sure his understudycould run the factory if called uponto do so. (NOTE: plural is understud-ies) � verb to learn how to do a job byworking alongside the present incum-bent, so as to be able to take over if heretires or is ill � He is understudying theproduction manager. (NOTE: under-studies – understudying –understudied)

undertake /$ndə�tek/ verb 1. toagree to do something � The union hasundertaken not to call a strike withoutfurther negotiation with the manage-ment. (NOTE: undertaking – under-took – undertaken) 2. to carry out �They are undertaking a study on em-ployee reactions to pay restraint.undertaking /�$ndətekŋ/ noun 1.a business � He is the MD of a largecommercial undertaking. 2. a (legallybinding) promise � They have given usa written undertaking not to strike be-fore negotiations have been completed.underutilisation /$ndəju�tla-�zeʃ(ə)n/, underutilization noun a sit-uation where members of a social groupare underrepresented in a particular jobcategory � the underutilisation ofwomen in top management postsunderutilised /$ndə�ju�tlazd/,underutilized adjective not usedenoughunderworked /$ndə�w��kt/ adjec-tive not given enough work to do � Thedirectors think our staff are overpaidand underworked.undischarged bankrupt/$ndstʃɑ�d"d �b�ŋkr$pt/ noun aperson who has been declared bankruptand has not been released from that stateunemployed /$nm�plɔd/ adjectivenot having any paid work � noun � theunemployed the people without anyjobsunemployed office workers/$nmplɔd �ɒfs w��kəz/ plural nounoffice workers with no jobsunemployment /$nm�plɔmənt/noun 1. the state of not having any work2. a situation where a person is willingto work but cannot find a job 3. thenumber of people in a country or regionwho are willing to work but cannot findjobsunemployment benefit /$nm-�plɔmənt benft/ noun a paymentfrom the government made to someonewho is unemployedunemployment pay /$nm-�plɔmənt pe/ noun money given bythe government to someone who isunemployed

undermanned 265 unemployment pay

unemployment rate /$nm-�plɔmənt ret/ same as rate ofunemploymentunequal value jobs /$ni�kwəl�v�lju� d"ɒbz/ plural noun jobs doneby men and women which are not equalin valueunfair /$n�feə/ adjective not just orreasonableunfair contract term /$nfeə�kɒntr�kt t��m/ noun a term in a con-tract which a court holds to be unjustunfair dismissal /$nfeə ds-�ms(ə)l/ noun the act of removingsomeone from a job for reasons whichare not fair

COMMENT: Unfair dismissal cannot beclaimed where a worker is dismissed forincapability, gross misconduct or in casesof genuine redundancy.

unfair labour practices /$nfeə�lebə pr�ktsz/ plural noun illegalactivities by workers or employersunfairly /$n�feəli/ adverb in an unfairway � She complained that she wastreated unfairly by her manager.unfilled /$n�fld/ adjective referring toa vacancy which has not been filled �There are still six unfilled places on thetraining course. � Many specialisedjobs remain unfilled because of a lack ofqualified candidates.unfreezing /$n�fri�zŋ/ noun the pro-cess of getting accustomed to a new or-ganisation and its procedures �Unfreezing can be stressful in new em-ployees who are used to more bureau-cratic organisations.unhappy camper /$nh�pi�k�mpə/ noun someone who has agrievance against their employer (slang)

unilateral /ju�n�l�t(ə)rəl/ adjectiveon one side only or done by one partyonlyunilateral decision /ju�nl�t(ə)rəld�s"(ə)n/ noun a decision taken byone party alone � They took the unilat-eral decision to cancel the contract.unilaterally /ju�n�l�t(ə)rəli/ ad-verb by one party only � The decisionwas taken to cancel the contractunilaterally.

uninstalled /$nn�stɔ�ld/ adjectivedismissed from employment (slang)

union /�ju�njən/ noun same as tradeunion

‘…the blue-collar unions are the people whostand to lose most in terms of employmentgrowth’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

union agreement /�ju�njən ə- ri�mənt/ noun an agreement betweenmanagement and a trade union overwages and conditions of workunion card /�ju�njən kɑ�d/ noun acard showing that the holder is a mem-ber of a trade unionunion dues /ju�njən �dju�z/, unionsubscriptions /�ju�njən səb-skrpʃənz/ plural noun payment madeby workers to belong to a unionunionised /�ju�njənazd/, unionizedadjective referring to a company wherethe members of staff belong to a tradeunion

‘…after three days of tough negotiations, thecompany reached agreement with its 1,200unionized workers’ [Toronto Star]

unionism /�ju�njənz(ə)m/ noun 1.the fact of having trade unions 2. thefact of being a member of a trade unionunionist /�ju�njənst/ noun a memberof a trade unionunion leader /ju�njən �li�də/ nounthe head official of a trade unionunion member /ju�njən �membə/noun a person who belongs to a tradeunionunion official /ju�njən ə�fʃ(ə)l/noun a person holding an official posi-tion in a trade unionunion recognition /ju�njənrekə �nʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of agree-ing that a trade union can act on behalfof staff in a companyunion representative /ju�njənrepr�zentətv/ noun a person who rep-resents a trade union on a committeeunion shop /�ju�njən ʃɒp/ noun USa place of work where it is agreed thatall employees must be members of atrade unionunit /�ju�nt/ noun 1. a single productfor sale 2. a group of people set up for aspecial purpose

unemployment rate 266 unit

unitarism /�ju�ntərz(ə)m/ noun thebelief that the management andworkforce are working together for thegood of the company (NOTE: the oppo-site is pluralism)unite /ju��nat/ verb to join together �The directors united with the managersto reject the takeover bid. � The threeunions in the factory united to presenttheir wage claims to the management.unjustified /$n�d"$stfad/ adjectivewhich is not justified � The unionclaimed the sackings were quiteunjustified.unofficial /$nə�fʃ(ə)l/ adjectivedone without authorityunofficial industrial action/$nəfʃ(ə)l nd$striəl ��kʃən/ nounan industrial action such as a strike orgo-slow taken by employees without theapproval of a trade unionunofficially /$nə�fʃəli/ adverb notofficially � The HR manager told theunion negotiators unofficially that theirclaim would be accepted.unofficial sanctions /$nəfʃ(ə)l�s�ŋkʃ(ə)ns/ plural noun sanctions im-posed by an employer on union mem-bers who are working to ruleunofficial strike /$nəfʃ(ə)l �strak/noun a strike by local employees whichhas not been approved by the main tradeunionunpaid /$n�ped/ adjective not paidunpaid holiday /$nped �hɒlde/,unpaid leave /$nped �li�v/ nounleave during which the employee doesnot receive any payunpunctual /$n�p$ŋktʃuəl/ adjec-tive referring to an employee who is notpunctual or who does not arrive on timefor workunpunctuality /$np$ŋktʃu��lti/noun the practice of not arriving on timefor work or for an appointment � Hewas warned that he would be sacked forfurther unpunctuality.unrest /$n�rest/ noun a state of protestbecause of dissatisfaction withconditionsunskilled /$n�skld/ adjective nothaving specific skills or training �

Using unskilled labour will reducelabour costs. � Nowadays there is rela-tively little work for an unskilledworkforce or for unskilled workers.unskilled worker /$nskld �w��kə/noun a worker who has had no particu-lar trainingunsocial /$n�səυʃ(ə)l/ adjective � towork unsocial hours to work at timessuch as in the evening, at night or duringpublic holidays when most people arenot at workunstructured interview /$n-str$ktʃəd �ntəvju�/ noun an inter-view which is not based on a series offixed questions and which encouragesopen discussion � Shy respondents of-ten perform well in unstructured inter-views where they have more freedom ofexpression. Compare structuredinterview

unsuccessful /$nsək�sesf(ə)l/ ad-jective not successful � He made six un-successful job applications before hefinally got a job.unsuccessfully /$nsək�sesf(ə)li/adverb with no success � He unsuccess-fully applied for the job of marketingmanager.unsuitable /$n�su�təb(ə)l/ adjectivenot suitable � We send all candidates ashort written test, so as to weed outthose who are clearly unsuitable for thejob.untrained /$n�trend/ adjective refer-ring to a person who has had no training� She came into the office straight fromschool, and completely untrained. � Thecompany has a policy of not recruitinguntrained staff.unwaged /$n�wed"d/ noun � theunwaged people with no jobsup /$p/ adverb, preposition in or to ahigher position � She worked her wayup to become sales director. � verb toincrease � Management upped their of-fer to 7%. (NOTE: upping – upped)

upgrade /$p� red/ verb to increasethe importance of someone or of a job �Her job has been upgraded to seniormanager level.

unitarism 267 upgrade

upgrading /$p� redŋ/ noun the actof increasing the importance of some-one or of a jobuphold /$p�həυld/ verb � to uphold adecision to reject an appeal against adecisionupper /�$pə/ adjective higherupper age limit /$pər �ed" lmt/noun the highest age limitupper earnings limit /$pə´ ���nŋzlmt/ noun the top level of earningsabove which tax or other financial leviesdo not applyupsizing /�$psazŋ/ noun the processof increasing the number of staff em-ployed by an organisationup-to-date /$p tə �det/ adjective,adverb current, recent or modern � anup-to-date computer system � to bringsomething up to date to add the latest

information or equipment to something� to keep something up to date to keepadding information to something so thatit always has the latest information in it� We spend a lot of time keeping ourmailing list up to date.upward /�$pwəd/ adjective towards ahigher position � an upward movementupward communication /$pwədkəmju�n�keʃ(ə)n/ noun communica-tion between the lower level of staff inan organisation and senior managementuser’s guide /�ju�zəz ad/, user’shandbook /�ju�zəz h�ndbυk/, user’smanual /�ju�zəz m�njυəl/ noun abook showing someone how to usesomethingutmost good faith /$tməυst υd�feθ/ noun a state which should existbetween parties to certain types of legalrelationship (such as partnerships orinsurance)

upgrading 268 utmost good faith

V

vacancy /�vekənsi/ noun a job whichis to be filled � There are two vacanciesin the human resources department. �We advertised the vacancy both inter-nally and in the local press. � We havebeen unable to fill the vacancy for askilled machinist. � They have a va-cancy for a secretary.vacant /�vekənt/ adjective 1. empty,not occupied 2. referring to a job whichneeds to be filled

‘…the current vacancy rate in Tokyo stands at7%. The supply of vacant office space, if newbuildings are built at the current rate, is expectedto take up to five years to absorb’[Nikkei Weekly]

vacate /və�ket/ verb � to vacate apost to leave a jobvacation /və�keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a pe-riod when the law courts are closed 2.US a holiday or period when people arenot working � The CEO is on vacationin Montana. � He was given two weeks’vacation after his wife’s death. � Thejob comes with a month’s annualvacation.valence /�veləns/ noun the degree towhich a person’s actions are importantto them, and therefore an important in-gredient in motivationvalid /�v�ld/ adjective 1. which is ac-ceptable because it is true � That is nota valid argument or excuse. � The intel-ligence test is not valid since it does notaccurately measure basic mental skills.2. which can be used lawfully � Thecontract is not valid if it has not beenwitnessed.validate /�v�ldet/ verb 1. to checkto see if something is correct � The doc-ument was validated by the bank. 2. tomake something validvalidation /v�l�deʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.the act of making something valid 2.

confirmation of how valid or effectivesomething is � The validation of the in-telligence test was based on the resultsof research in the university psychologydepartment. � Validation of the inter-view techniques will help to determinehow useful they are in assessing candi-dates objectively.validity /və�ldti/ noun effectivenessor usefulness � The validity of thesetests is questionable since applicantshave also managed to pass them whohave been unsatisfactory in subsequentemployment.value /�v�lju�/ noun the amount ofmoney which something is worth � thefall in the value of sterling � He im-ported goods to the value of £2500.value added evaluation /v�lju��dd v�lju�eʃ(ə)n/ noun a processof calculating the worth of a trainingprogramme by measuring the differencebetween the competence or skills oftrainees at the beginning and the end ofthe programmeValue Added Tax /v�lju� �dd�t�ks/ noun full form of VATvalue mesh /�v�lju� meʃ/ noun away of representing the position andvalue of a particular job in the overallmarketplace (NOTE: a value mesh canhelp employees to identify what theirnext career move should be and en-courage them to consider all the op-portunities available within their ownorganisation and others)variable costs /veəriəb(ə)l �kɒsts/plural noun production costs which in-crease with the quantity of the productmade, e.g. wages or raw materialsvariance /�veəriəns/ noun the differ-ence between what was expected andthe actual results

vacancy 269 variance

variation /veəri�eʃ(ə)n/ noun theamount by which something changes �seasonal variations variations whichtake place at different times of the year� There are marked seasonal variationsin unemployment in the hotel industry.VAT /vi� e �ti�, v�t/ noun a tax ongoods and services, added as a percent-age to the invoiced sales price � The in-voice includes VAT at 17.5%. � Thegovernment is proposing to increaseVAT to 22%. � Some items (such asbooks) are zero-rated for VAT. � Hedoes not charge VAT because he asksfor payment in cash. Full form ValueAdded Tax

‘…the directive means that the services ofstockbrokers and managers of authorized unittrusts are now exempt from VAT; previouslythey were liable to VAT at the standard rate.Zero-rating for stockbrokers’ services is stillavailable as before, but only where the recipientof the service belongs outside the EC’[Accountancy]COMMENT: In the UK, VAT is organisedby the Customs and Excise Department,and not by the Treasury. It is applied ateach stage in the process of making orselling a product or service. Company ‘A’charges VAT for their work, which isbought by Company ‘B’, and pays theVAT collected from ‘B’ to the Customsand Excise; Company ‘B’ can reclaim theVAT element in Company ‘A’’s invoicefrom the Customs and Excise, but willcharge VAT on their work in their invoiceto Company ‘C’. Each company along theline charges VAT and pays it to the Cus-toms and Excise, but claims back anyVAT charged to them. The final consumerpays a price which includes VAT, andwhich is the final VAT revenue paid to theCustoms and Excise. Any company or in-dividual should register for VAT if their an-nual turnover or income is above a certainlevel

verbal /�v��b(ə)l/ adjective using spo-ken words, not writingverbal agreement /v��b(ə)l ə-� ri�mənt/ noun an agreement which isspoken (such as over the telephone)verbally /�v��bəli/ adverb using spo-ken words, not writing � They agreed tothe terms verbally, and then started todraft the contract. � He was warnedverbally that his work was not up tostandard.

verbal permission /v��b(ə)l pə-�mʃ(ə)n/ noun an act of telling some-one that they are allowed to dosomethingverbal warning /v��b(ə)l �wɔ�nŋ/noun the first stage of disciplinary mea-sures, where an employee is told by thesupervisor or manager that their work isunsatisfactory and must be improved �After being given one verbal warning,he knew he would be sacked if he wasabsent from work again.vertical /�v��tk(ə)l/ adjective upright,straight up or downvertical job enlargement/v��tk(ə)l �d"ɒb nlɑ�d"mənt/, ver-tical job enrichment /v��tk(ə)l�d"ɒb nrtʃmənt/ noun the expansionof a job to include new activities orresponsibilitiesvertical staff meeting /v��tk(ə)l�stɑ�f mi�tŋ/ noun a meeting betweenmanagers and two or more levels of sub-ordinate staff � Vertical staff meetingscan help management to understandsome of the grievances of workers onthe shop floor.vested benefit /vestd �benft/noun a benefit attached to a pensionscheme to which the contributor has arightvested interest /vestd �ntrəst/noun a special interest in keeping an ex-isting state of affairsvested right /vestd �rat/ noun aright such as a benefit, retirement pen-sion, etc., to which a pensioner isentitledvestibule training /�vestbju�ltrenŋ/ noun a form of in-servicetraining which takes place in specialrooms built to copy exactly the actualplace of workvet /vet/ verb to examine somethingcarefully � All candidates have to bevetted by the managing director. � Thecontract has been sent to the legal de-partment for vetting. (NOTE: vetting –vetted)veteran /�vet(ə)rən/ noun an em-ployee who has been in the same postfor many years � There are so manyveterans in some departments that it is

variation 270 veteran

difficult to introduce new workingpractices.

vicarious /v�keəriəs/ adjective notdirectvicarious liability /vkeəriəs laə-�blti/ noun the legal responsibility of aperson for actions committed by some-one else when they are officially underthat person’s control, especially the lia-bility of an employer for acts committedby an employee in the course of theirworkvice- /vas/ prefix deputy or second incommand � He is the vice-chairman ofan industrial group. � She was ap-pointed to the vice-chairmanship of thecommittee.vice-president /vas �prezd(ə)nt/noun US one of the executive directorsof a companyvictimisation /vktma�zeʃ(ə)n/,victimization noun the unfair or unrea-sonable treatment of one employee bytheir employer or by other employees �Victimisation can come from senior em-ployees’ fear of losing their jobs to ju-niors, or from racial and sexualprejudice.victimise /�vktmaz/, victimizeverb to treat an employee unfairly � Theworker felt he was being victimised be-cause of his religion.

‘…the Swedish model defines victimization atwork as ‘recurrent, reprehensible or distinctlynegative actions which are directed againstindividual employees in an offensive manner’’[People Management]

videoconferencing /�vdiəυ-kɒnf(ə)rənsŋ/ noun the use of livevideo links that enable people in differ-ent locations to see and hear one anotherand so to discuss matters and hold meet-ings without being physically presenttogether in one placeviolate /�vaəlet/ verb to break a rule,law or agreement � The union has vio-lated the terms of the agreement.violation /vaə�leʃ(ə)n/ noun the actof breaking a rule � The strike is a vio-lation of the no-strike agreement signedlast year. � in violation of a rule whichbreaks a rule � The management madesix managers redundant, in violation of

the agreement which they had signedwith the union.virtual office /v��tʃuəl �ɒfs/ noun aworkplace that has no physical locationbut is created when a number of em-ployees use information and communi-cations technologies to do their workand collaborate with one another (NOTE:a virtual office is characterised by theuse of teleworkers, telecentres, mobileworkers, hot-desking and hotelling)

virtual team /v��tʃuəl �ti�m/ noun agroup of employees working in differentlocations who use communicationstechnologies such as groupware, email,an intranet or videoconferencing to col-laborate with each other and work as ateamvisitors’ bureau /�vztəz bjυərəυ/noun an office which deals with visi-tors’ questionsvocation /vəυ�keʃ(ə)n/ noun an oc-cupation that you feel strongly youshould do and have the right skills for �He found his vocation as a special needsteacher.vocational /vəυ�keʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjec-tive referring to a choice of career or oc-cupation which a person wishes tofollowvocational qualification /vəυ-keʃ(ə)n(ə)l kwɒlf�keʃ(ə)n/ noun aqualification awarded after a person hassuccessfully completed a period of vo-cational training (NOTE: Vocationalqualifications prove that a person hasthe knowledge and skills needed for aparticular trade or profession and maylead to full membership of a profes-sional association.)

vocational training /vəυ�keʃ(ə)nəl�trenŋ/ noun training for a particularjobvoicemail /vɔs mel/ noun an elec-tronic communications system whichstores digitised recordings of telephonemessages for later playbackvoluntarily /�vɒlənt(ə)rəl/ adverbwithout being forced or paidvoluntary /�vɒlənt(ə)ri/ adjective 1.done freely without anyone forcing youto act 2. done without being paid

vicarious 271 voluntary

voluntary redundancy/vɒlənt(ə)ri r�d$ndənsi/ noun a situa-tion where the employee asks to bemade redundant, usually in return for alarge paymentvoluntary service overseas/vɒlənt(ə)ri s��vs əυvə�si�z/ nounan organisation which sends volunteers(both young people and older special-ists) to work overseas, sharing skills andexperience with workers in developingcountries. Abbr VSOvoluntary unemployment/vɒlənt(ə)ri $nm�plɔmənt/ noun un-employment because people do notwant to take existing work � Voluntaryunemployment can largely be put downto the excessively low wages offered byemployers in the area.voluntary work /�vɒlənt(ə)ri w��k/noun unpaid work (such as work for acharity or club)voluntary worker /�vɒlənt(ə)riw��kə/ noun a person who does unpaidwork � We can use voluntary workersto help in fund raising for charity.volunteer /vɒlən�tə/ noun a personwho offers to do something � The shopis run entirely by volunteers. � verb to

offer to do something � He volunteeredfor redundancy because he wanted toretire early.

‘British Executive Service Overseas’ register of1,700 volunteers covers almost every type ofwork’ [British Business]

vote /vəυt/ noun the act of marking apaper or holding up your hand, to showyour opinion or to show who you wantto be elected � to take a vote on a pro-posal, to put a proposal to the vote toask people present at a meeting to say ifthey do or do not agree with the pro-posal � one member one vote a systemwhere each member or delegate hasonly one vote (so avoiding block votes)� verb to show an opinion by marking apaper or by holding up your hand at ameeting � The meeting voted to closethe factory. � 52% of the members votedfor Mr Smith as chairman. � 52% of thestaff voted for a strike. � to vote for aproposal, to vote against a proposal tosay that you agree or do not agree with aproposalvote of confidence /vəυt əv�kɒnfd(ə)ns/ noun a vote taken toshow that the meeting approves the ac-tions of someoneVSO abbr voluntary service overseas

voluntary redundancy 272 VSO

W

wage /wed"/ noun money paid to anemployee in return for work done, espe-cially when it is paid weekly and in cash� She is earning a good wage or goodwages for a young person. (NOTE: theplural wages is more usual when refer-ring to the money earned, but wage isused before other nouns)

‘European economies are being held back byrigid labor markets and wage structures’[Duns Business Month]‘…real wages have been held downdramatically: they have risen at an annual rate ofonly 1% in the last two years’ [Sunday Times]COMMENT: The term ‘wages’ refers toweekly or hourly pay for workers, usuallypaid in cash. For employees paid by amonthly cheque, the term used is ‘salary’.

wage adjustments /�wed" ə-d"$stmənts/ plural noun changesmade to wageswage administration /�wed"ədmnstreʃ(ə)n/ noun the process ofplanning a wage system and putting itinto practice � Wage administration hasbeen made much easier by the new com-puter system.wage arrears /�wed" ərəz/ pluralnoun unpaid wages which are owedwage ceiling /�wed" si�lŋ/ nounthe highest legal wage for a particularclass of employeewage claim /�wed" klem/ noun anact of asking for an increase in wageswage compression /�wed" kəm-preʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of narrowing thedifference between the highest and low-est paid jobs � Wage compression hasbeen a key factor in reducing discontentamong lower-paid workers.wage controls /�wed" kəntrəυlz/plural noun statutory controls over wageincreases, by which governments try tokeep wage inflation low

wage differentials /�wed" dfə-renʃəlz/ plural noun differences in sal-ary between employees in similar typesof jobs. Same as pay differentialswage drift /�wed" drft/ noun sameas earnings driftwage-earner /�wed" ��nə/ noun aperson who earns a wagewage-earning /�wed" ��nŋ/ adjec-tive � the wage-earning populationpeople who have jobs and earn moneywage formula /�wed" fɔ�mjυlə/noun the basis on which an employee ispaid � The most common wage formulafor salespeople is a combination of abasic salary plus commission.wage freeze /�wed" fri�z/ noun aperiod when wages are not allowed toincreasewage incentive /�wed" nsentv/noun a financial benefit offered as a re-ward to employees who perform well ina specified areawage levels /�wed" lev(ə)lz/ pluralnoun same as pay levelswage negotiations /�wed"n əυʃi�eʃ(ə)ns/ plural noun same aspay negotiationswage packet /�wed" p�kt/ nounsame as pay packetwage parity /�wed" p�rti/ nounsame as pay paritywage-price spiral /wed" �prasspaərəl/ noun a situation where pricerises encourage higher wage demandswhich in turn make prices risewage restraint /�wed" rstrent/noun the act of keeping increases inwages under controlwage review /�wed" rvju�/ nounthe examination of salaries or wages in a

wage 273 wage review

company to see if the employees shouldearn morewage scale /wed" skel/ noun sameas pay scale

wages clerk /�wed"z klɑ�k/ nounsame as payroll clerk

wages council /�wed"z kaυnsəl/an organisations made up of employersand employees’ representatives whichfixes basic employment conditions inindustries where places of work are toosmall or too scattered for trade unions tobe establishedwages floor /�wed"z flɔ�/ noun thelowest legal wage for a particular classof workerwages inspector /�wed"z n-spektə/ noun an inspector employedby a wages council to inspect businessesand check on their wage levelswages policy /�wed"z pɒlsi/noun a government policy on what per-centage increases should be paid toworkerswages sheet /�wed"z ʃi�t/ noun alist of employees with the wages theyare earningwage survey /�wed" s��ve/ nouna study of wages paid by organisationsin the same industry to help determinewage levels � The company had notcarried out a thorough wage survey andso was found to be paying much lowerwages in some areas and above-averagewages in others.waiting days /�wetŋ dez/ pluralnoun the first three days during which aperson is sick and cannot claim statutorysick paywaiting list /�wetŋ lst/ noun a listof people waiting for something such asan interview or a jobwaiting time /�wetŋ tam/ nounlost working time caused by a break-down in machinery, lack of supplies,etc.waive /wev/ verb to give up a right �He waived his claim to the estate. � towaive a payment to say that payment isnot necessary

waiver /�wevə/ noun the giving up ofa right or removal of the conditions of arule � If you want to work without apermit, you will have to apply for awaiver. � waiver of breach of contracta situation where an employer dismissessomeone a long time after an offencewas committedwaiver clause /�wevə klɔ�z/ noun aclause in a contract giving the condi-tions under which the rights in the con-tract can be given upwalk-in /�wɔ�k n/ noun a personwho approaches an organisation for ajob, without knowing if any jobs areavailable (NOTE: plural is walk-ins)walk off /wɔ�k �ɒf/ verb to stop work-ing and leave an office, factory or taskas a protest � The builders walked offthe job because they said the site wastoo dangerous.walk out /wɔ�k �aυt/ verb to stopworking and leave an office or factoryas a protest � The whole workforcewalked out at the news of her dismissal.walk-out /�wɔ�k aυt/ noun a strike orstopping work � Production has beenheld up by the walk-out of the workers.� Production has been held up by aworkers’ walk-out. (NOTE: plural iswalk-outs)want /wɒnt/ noun a need felt by a per-son, which is formed by that person’seducation, culture and characterwant ads /�wɒnt �dz/ plural nounadvertisements listed in a newspaper un-der special headings such as ‘propertyfor sale’ or ‘jobs wanted’warehouse capacity /�weəhaυskəp�sti/ noun a space available in awarehousewarm-up /�wɔ�m $p/ noun the firstinformal part of an interview where theinterviewer tries to put the intervieweeat ease � Every interview should startwith a warm-up.warn /wɔ�n/ verb to say that there is apossible danger � He was warned thatany further instances of absenteeismwould be punished by stopping his pay.(NOTE: you warn someone of some-thing or that something may happen)

wage scale 274 warn

watchdog body /�wɒtʃdɒ bɒdi/noun a body which watches something(especially government departments orcommercial firms) to see that regula-tions are not being abusedweb /web/ noun the thousands ofwebsites and webpages within theInternet, which users can visitwebpage /�webped"/ noun a singlefile of text and graphics, forming part ofa websitewebsite /�websat/ noun a position onthe web, which is created by a company,organisation or individual, and whichanyone can visit � How many hits didwe have on our website last week?weed out /wi�d �aυt/ verb to removeunsuitable candidates or employees �The test is designed to weed out candi-dates who have low mathematical skills.� The new management has weeded outsome of the dead wood in the salesdepartment.week /wi�k/ noun a period of sevendays (from Monday to Sunday) � to bepaid by the week to be paid a certainamount of money each week � He earns£500 a week or per week. � She worksthirty-five hours per week or she worksa thirty-five-hour week.weekday /�wi�kde/ noun a normalworking day (not Saturday or Sunday)weekly /�wi�kli/ adjective done everyweek � The weekly rate for the job is£250.weekly rate /wi�kli �ret/ nounmoney paid for one week’s workweekly wage /wi�kli �wed"/ nounthe amount of money paid per week �The weekly rate for the job is £250.week’s pay /wi�ks �pe/ noun totalgross earnings per week, includingbonusesweighted average /wetd��v(ə)rd"/ noun an average which iscalculated taking several factors into ac-count, giving some more value thanothersweighted checklist /wetd�tʃeklst/ noun a list of factors used for

evaluation, which each have a differentweighting or importance in the finalassessmentweighted index /wetd �ndeks/noun an index where some importantitems are given more value than less im-portant onesweighting /�wetŋ/ noun additionalsalary or wages paid to compensate forliving in an expensive part of the coun-try � The salary is £15,000 plus Londonweighting.welfare /�welfeə/ noun 1. the practiceof looking after people � The chairmanis interested in the welfare of the work-ers’ families. 2. money paid by the gov-ernment to people who need it � Withno job and no savings, he was forced tolive on welfare.

‘California become the latest state to enact aprogram forcing welfare recipients to work fortheir benefits’ [Fortune]

welfare services /�welfeə s��vsz/plural noun benefits and assistance pro-vided by an employer to their staff (helpwith funeral expenses, counselling, le-gal advice, health checkups, etc.)welfare state /welfeə �stet/ noun acountry which looks after the health, ed-ucation, etc., of the peoplewellness programme /�welnəsprəυ r�m/ noun a companyprogramme that offers benefits, activi-ties or training designed to improve em-ployees’ health and fitnesswell-paid /wel �ped/ adjective earn-ing a high salary � She has a well-paidjob in an accountancy firm.well-paid job /wel ped �d"ɒb/ nouna job with a high salarywell pay /�wel pe/ noun payment toan employee for having been off sickless often than a specified amount oftime � Well pay can be regarded as areward for good health.well-qualified /wel �kwɒlfad/ ad-jective referring to a person who hasgood qualifications for a job � Six of thecandidates are very well-qualified,which will make the choice difficult.

watchdog body 275 well-qualified

whistleblower /�ws(ə)lbləυə/ nouna person who reveals dishonest practices(informal.)white-collar /wat �kɒlə/ adjectivereferring to office workers

‘…the share of white-collar occupations in totalemployment rose from 44 per cent to 49 percent’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

white-collar job /wat �kɒlə d"ɒb/noun a job in an officewhite-collar worker /wat �kɒləw��kə/ noun a worker in an office, notin a factorywhizz-kid /�wz kd/ noun a brilliantyoung person who quickly becomessuccessful in business � She was awhizz-kid who reached head of depart-ment in five years.widow’s pension /wdəυz�penʃən/ noun a state pension paid to awidow aged 45 or older when her hus-band diedwildcat strike /�waldk�t strak/noun a strike organised suddenly byworkers without the approval of themain union officewilful disobedience /wlf(ə)l dsə-�bi�diəns/ noun the act of not obeyinglawful instructions issued by the man-agement (as a means of antagonisingthem)wilful misconduct /wlf(ə)l ms-�kɒnd$kt/ noun the act of doing some-thing which harms someone whileknowing it is wrongwilful neglect /wlf(ə)l n� lekt/noun the act of intentionally not doingsomething which it is your duty to dowithdraw /wð�drɔ�/ verb 1. to takemoney out of an account � to withdrawmoney from the bank or from your ac-count � You can withdraw up to £50from any cash machine by using yourcard. 2. to take back an offer � When hefound out more about the candidate, theHR manager withdrew the offer of a job.� When the workers went on strike, thecompany withdrew its revised pay offer.(NOTE: withdrawing – withdrew)withdrawal /wð�drɔ�əl/ noun 1. theact of removing money from an account� to give seven days’ notice of with-drawal � Withdrawals from bank ac-

counts reached a peak in the week be-fore Christmas. 2. the act of taking back� withdrawal of an offerwithhold /wð�həυld/ verb to keepback money or information � to with-hold a percentage of wages (NOTE:withholding – withheld)

withholding tax /wð�həυldŋt�ks/ noun US 1. a tax which re-moves money from interest or dividendsbefore they are paid to the investor(usually applied to non-resident inves-tors) 2. an amount deducted from aperson’s income which is an advancepayment of tax owed (such asPAYE) 3. income tax deducted fromthe paycheque of an employee beforethey are paidwithout prejudice /wðaυt�pred"υds/ phrase a phrase spoken orwritten in letters when attempting to ne-gotiate a settlement, meaning that thenegotiations cannot be referred to incourt or relied upon by the other party ifthe discussions fail � without prejudicecommunication written offer of com-pensation, which does not include or im-ply responsibility or admission of guiltand which cannot be used in evidence incourtwomen returners /wmn r-�t��nəz/ plural noun women who returnto full-time work after having hadchildrenwording /�w��dŋ/ noun a series ofwords � Did you read the wording onthe contract?work /w��k/ noun 1. things done usingthe hands or brain 2. a job, somethingdone to earn money � He goes to workby bus. � She never gets home fromwork before 8 p.m. � His work involvesa lot of travelling. � He is still lookingfor work. � She has been out of work forsix months. � It is not the work itselfthat the employees are complainingabout, but the conditions in the work-shop. � verb 1. to do things with yourhands or brain, for money � The factoryis working hard to complete the order. �She works better now that she has beenpromoted. � to work a machine tomake a machine function � to work torule to work strictly according to rules

whistleblower 276 work

agreed between the company and thetrade union e.g. by not doing overtime,as a protest 2. to have a paid job � Sheworks in an office. � He works atSmith’s. � to work in a particular oc-cupation to have a paid job � He isworking as a cashier in a supermarket.

‘…the control of materials from purchased partsthrough work in progress to finished goodsprovides manufacturers with an opportunity toreduce the amount of money tied up inmaterials’ [Duns Business Month]‘…the quality of the work environmentdemanded by employers and employees alike’[Lloyd’s List]

workaholic /w��kə�hɒlk/ noun aperson who works all the time, and isunhappy when not workingwork-based learning /w��k best�l��nŋ/ noun learning and the assess-ment of learning done at the place ofworkworkday /�w��kde/ noun a day whenwork is done, as opposed to a holidayworker /�w��kə/ noun 1. a person whois employed � worker representationon the board the fact of having a repre-sentative of the workers as a director ofthe company 2. a person who workshard � She’s a real worker. � She’s ahard worker.worker director /w��kə da�rektə/noun a director of a company who is arepresentative of the workforceworker instructor scale /w��kərn�str$ktə skel/ noun a chart whichlists the responsibilities of a job in termsof both set procedures and use of per-sonal judgementworker participation /w��kəpɑ�ts�peʃ(ə)n/ noun situation wherethe workers take part in making man-agement decisions. Same as employeeparticipationworker’s compensation /w��kəzkɒmpən�seʃ(ə)n/ noun the liability ofan employer to pay compensation to anemployee or their family, when the em-ployee has been injured or killed whileworkingwork ethic /�w��k eθk/ noun a be-lief that work is morally good or thatpeople have a moral or religious duty to

work hard and try to better themselves(NOTE: The work ethic originatedamong Protestants, being central tothe views of Martin Luther and JohnCalvin, and played an important role inthe achievements of the IndustrialRevolution.)

work experience /�w��k k-spəriəns/ noun the practice of a stu-dent working for a company to gain ex-perience of how businesses workworkfare /�w��kfeə/ noun a systemwhere people have to do work for thecommunity in order to qualify for wel-fare paymentswork flow /�w��k fləυ/ noun the se-quence of jobs which results in a finalproduct or service � A flow chart on thewall showed the work flow for the com-ing month.workforce /�w��kfɔ�s/ noun the totalnumber of employees in an organisa-tion, industry or countrywork group /�w��k ru�p/ noun agroup of people who work together in aformal wayworking /�w��kŋ/ adjective 1. refer-ring to a person who works or who per-forms tasks 2. referring to workworking conditions /�w��kŋ kən-dʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun the general stateof the place where people work (e.g.whether it is hot, noisy, dark, dangerous,etc.)working day /�w��kŋ de/, workingweek /�w��kŋ wi�k/ noun 1. the nor-mal time which is worked during a dayor the normal number of hours workedduring a day or week 2. a day whenworkers work (as opposed to a publicholiday)working from home /w��kŋ frəm�həυm/ noun a working method whereemployees work at home on computerterminals, and send the finished materialback to the central office by modem.Also called networking, teleworkingworking hours /�w��kŋ aυəz/ plu-ral noun the hours for which an em-ployee is paid to work agreed as part ofa contract

workaholic 277 working hours

working lunch /w��kŋ �l$ntʃ/noun a lunch where business matters arediscussed (NOTE: also called powerlunch)

working partner /�w��kŋ pɑ�tnə/noun a partner who works in apartnershipworking population /�w��kŋpɒpjυleʃ(ə)n/ noun the people whoare in paid employmentworking practices /�w��kŋpr�ktsz/ plural noun a way in whichwork is done in an organisation �Working practices have been changedin order to improve efficiency. � A sur-vey of working practices in the whole in-dustry led to radical changes in thecompany.working supervisor /w��kŋ�su�pəvazə/ noun a worker who con-trols the work of others as well as doingmanual work themselveswork in progress /w��k n�prəυ res/ noun the value of goods be-ing manufactured which are not com-plete at the end of an accounting period� Our current assets are made up ofstock, goodwill and work-in-progress.Abbr WIP (NOTE: American English iswork in process)

work-life balance /w��k �lafb�ləns/ noun the balance between theamount of time and effort someone de-votes to work and the amount they de-vote to other aspects of life (NOTE:Work-life balance is the subject ofwidespread debate on how to allowemployees more control over theirworking arrangements so that theyhave more time for their outside activi-ties and responsibilities, but in a waythat will still benefit the organisationsthey work for.)

workload /�w��kləυd/ noun theamount of work which a person has todo � He has difficulty in coping with hisheavy workload.workman /�w��kmən/ noun a manwho works with his hands (NOTE: pluralis workmen)

workmanship /�w��kmənʃp/ nounthe skill of a good workman � bad or

shoddy workmanship bad work doneby a workmanworkmate /�w��kmet/ noun a personwho works with anotherwork measurement /w��k�me"əmənt/ noun the process of estab-lishing the time necessary for the perfor-mance of certain tasks by a trainedemployeework out /w��k �aυt/ verb � he isworking out his notice he is workingduring the time between resigning andactually leaving the companywork overload /w��k �əυvələυd/noun the fact of having too much work(a frequent cause of stress)work permit /�w��k p��mt/ noun anofficial document which allows some-one who is not a citizen to work in acountryworkplace /�w��kples/ noun a placewhere you work

‘…every house and workplace in Britain is to bedirectly involved in an energy efficiencycampaign’ [Times]

workplace bullying /w��kples�bυliŋ/ noun persistent intimidation orharassment at work which demoralisesand humiliates a person or groupwork practices /�w��k pr�ktsz/noun same as working practices �Work practices have been changed inorder to improve efficiency. � A surveyof work practices in the whole industryled to radical changes in the company.work profiling /�w��k praυfalŋ/noun same as profile methodwork rage /�w��k red"/ noun actionsthat express feelings of violent and irra-tional anger aroused in an employee bysomething that happens in the work-place (informal.)

works /w��ks/ noun a factory � Thereis a small engineering works in the samestreet as our office. � The steel works isexpanding. (NOTE: takes a singular orplural verb)

work sampling /�w��k sɑ�mplŋ/noun a random observation of work pro-cesses in order to improve efficiencyand economy

working lunch 278 work sampling

work schedule /�w��k ʃed"u�l/noun a timetable of jobs to be doneworks committee /�w��ks kəmti/,works council /�w��ks kaυnsəl/ nouna committee of employees and manage-ment which discusses the organisationof work in a factorywork shadow /�w��k ʃ�dəυ/ nounsomeone who observes an employeewhile they are doing a job in order tolearn something about how that job isdone (NOTE: Work shadowing has tradi-tionally been seen as a way of givingwork experience to school students orgraduates, but it is also a means of en-abling employees to find out moreabout other jobs within their organisa-tion.)work-sharing /�w��k ʃeərŋ/ noun1. a system that allows two or morepart-timers to share one job, each doingpart of the work for part of the pay 2. asystem where employees agree to sharework when there is less work available,so as to avoid redundanciesworkshop /�w��kʃɒp/ noun a smallfactoryworkshy /�w��kʃa/ adjective lazywork simplification /w��ksmplf�keʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of re-moving unnecessary tasks in order tomake a job simpler � Work simplifica-tion can save time which will then beused for other tasks.works manager /�w��ks m�nd"ə/noun a person in charge of a worksworks outing /�w��ks aυtŋ/ noun atrip taken by the workers of a factoryworkspace /�w��kspes/ noun thememory or space available on a com-puter for temporary workwork standard /�w��k st�ndəd/noun output which is considered normalas the basis for a work study � The workstandard had to be lowered since veryfew workers could meet it.workstation /�w��ksteʃ(ə)n/ nouna desk with a computer terminal, printer,telephone, etc., at which an employee inan office workswork stoppage /�w��k stɒpd"z/noun the act of stopping work becauseof industrial action � Frequent stop-

pages are holding up the productionline.work structuring /�w��kstr$ktʃərŋ/ noun the design of workprocesses so that the factors such ashours of work, tasks performed and de-gree of responsibility that affect em-ployees’ jobs are organised in the mostefficient waywork study /�w��k st$di/ noun ananalysis of all aspects of a job affectingefficiency or performancework team /�w��k ti�m/ noun a groupof employees who perform tasks to-gether � Work teams have led to muchgreater flexibility and co-operation.work-to-rule /w��k tə �ru�l/ noun anact of working strictly according to therules agreed between the union andmanagement e.g. by not doing any over-time, as a protestworkweek /�w��kwi�k/ noun US theusual number of hours worked per week� She works a normal 35-hourworkweek.World Wide Web /w��ld wad�web/ noun same as web

writ (of summons) /rt əv�s$mənz/ noun a legal document whichbegins an action in the High Court �The company obtained a writ to preventthe trade union from going on strike.write /rat/ verb to put words or figureson to paper � She wrote a letter of com-plaint to the manager. � The telephonenumber is written at the bottom of thenotepaper. (NOTE: writing – wrote –written)

write-in /�rat n/ noun a written en-quiry from outside an organisation, ask-ing if there are any jobs available � Wehave received several write-ins aboutjobs since it became known that we weresetting up a new factory and sales office.(NOTE: plural is write-ins)

writing /�ratŋ/ noun somethingwhich has been written � to put theagreement in writing � He had difficultyin reading the candidate’s writing.written permission /rt(ə)n pə-�mʃ(ə)n/ noun a document which al-lows someone to do something

work schedule 279 written permission

written warning /rt(ə)n �wɔ�nŋ/noun a written message to an employee,threatening punishment or dismissal ifperformance or behaviour is not im-proved � Management must always giveboth a verbal and written warning be-fore dismissal.wrong /rɒŋ/ adjective not right or notcorrect � The total in the last column iswrong. � The sales director reportedthe wrong figures to the meeting. � Itried to phone, but I got the wrong num-ber. � The accounts departmentchecked his expenses claim and found itwas wrong.wrongdoer /�rɒŋdu�ə/ noun a personwho commits an offence

wrongdoing /�rɒŋdu�ŋ/ noun badbehaviour or actions which are againstthe lawwrongful /�rɒŋf(ə)l/ adjectiveunlawfulwrongful dismissal /rɒŋf(ə)l ds-�ms(ə)l/ noun the act of removingsomeone from a job for reasons whichare wrong

COMMENT: An employee can complain ofwrongful dismissal to the County Court.

wrongfully /�rɒŋf(ə)li/ adverb in anunlawful way � He claimed he waswrongfully dismissed.wrongly /�rɒŋli/ adverb not correctly,or badly � He wrongly invoiced SmithLtd for £250, when he should have cred-ited them with the same amount.

written warning 280 wrongly

Y Z

yakka /�j�kə/ noun (in Australia andNew Zealand) work (informal.)

YAPPY /�j�pi/ noun a young affluentparent (slang)

year /jə/ noun a period of twelvemonthsyearbook /�jəbυk/ noun a referencebook which is published each year withupdated or new informationyearly /�jəli/ adjective happeningonce a year � For the past few years hehas had a yearly pay rise of 10%.year to date /jə tə �det/ noun theperiod between the beginning of a cal-endar or financial year and the presenttimeyellow dog contract /jeləυ �dɒ kɒntr�kt/ noun US an agreement be-tween an employer and employee thatthe latter will not join a trade union orengage in trade union activitiesyes-man /�jes m�n/ noun a man whoalways agrees with what his boss saysyouth /ju�θ/ noun young peopleYouth Employment Officer /ju�θm�plɔmənt ɒfsə/ noun a govern-ment official who tries to find employ-ment for young people � The YouthEmployment Officer was kept busy try-

ing to reduce unemployment amongschool-leavers in his area.Youth Training /ju�θ �trenŋ/ nouna scheme run by the Training and Enter-prise Councils which aims to provideyoung people with both off-the-jobtraining and work experience in a partic-ular area. Abbr YTzero /�zərəυ/ noun nought, the num-ber 0zero-based budgeting /zərəυbest �b$d"tŋ/ noun the planning ofbudgets on the basis that no funds are al-located automatically, and that everypiece of projected expenditure has to bejustifiedzero-hours contract /�zərəυ aυəzkɒntr�kt/ noun a contract of employ-ment where the employee is not guaran-teed any work, but must wait on standbyuntil required, and is only paid for hoursactually workedZIP code /�zp kəυd/ noun US num-bers in an address that indicate a postaldelivery area (NOTE: British English ispostcode)zipper clause /�zpə klɔ�z/ noun USa clause in a contract of employmentwhich prevents any discussion of em-ployment conditions during the term ofthe contract

yakka 281 zipper clause

SUPPLEMENT

Job Description Template

Job Description

Job Title: Production Manager

Location: Ealing Branch

Reports to: Production Manager, Head Office

Job Purpose Summary: To supervise the work of the productiondepartment

Key Responsibilities: 1. To agree product specifications withsales departments and time schedules withstock control department2. To ensure product is manufacturedaccording to agreed specifications andwithin time schedules3. To ensure quality of finished product4. To negotiate with suppliers5. To supervise on-the-job training for staffand trainees

Responsible for Managing: 1 sub-manager10 machinists3 trainees2 cleanersequipment valued at £2,000,000

Job Application Form Template

Job Application Form

Application for employment as:

Surname: Other names:Address:

Contact DetailsHome Telephone: Work Telephone:Mobile: Email:

Education and TrainingSchools attended since age 11:Examinations taken with results: Diplomas, degrees, qualifications:

Employment HistoryPresent employer: Previous employers (most recent first):Name: Name: Name:Address: Address: Address:

Job title: Job title: Job Title:Duties: Duties: Duties:

Pay/Salary: Pay/Salary: Pay/Salary:Dates of employment: Dates of employment: Dates of employment:From: To: From: To: From: To:Reason for leaving: Reason for leaving: Reason for leaving:

RefereesPlease give the names of two people who can give an assessment of your suitability forthis job (one of whom should be your present employer).Name: Name:Name of organisation: Name of organisation:Address: Address:Contact Tel No (work/mob): Contact Tel No (work/mob):Email: Email:

No approach will be made to your present employer before an offer of employment ismade to you.

Sickness/AbsenceIf you have had an illness in the last two years which has caused you absence fromwork, please give details with the number of days you were absent.

I confirm that the above information is correct to the best of my knowledge. I acceptthat deliberately providing false information could result in my dismissal.

Signed: Date:

Invitation to Interview Template

Mr A. Smith30 Swallow CottagesLondonSW1 2AB

17th August, 200_Dear Mr Smith,

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Thank you for your application for the above post.

We would like you to come for a preliminary interview with our Production Director.The interviews will be held at our offices on 29th and 30th August. Can you phone meto arrange a suitable time on one of those days? The interview should last about 30minutes. If you have any special needs, especially concerning access, please let usknow in advance.

Yours sincerely

Andrea BlackHR Manager

Letter of Reference Template

A. BlackHR Manager[Name of company][Town][Post code]

25th August, 2000_

Dear Ms Black,

Mr Alan John SMITH

I have known Alan Smith since 1999. He came to work for this company as a Traineein the Production Department, and rapidly moved up the scale to become DeputyProduction Manager three years ago.

He is a very able manager, and is particularly keen on keeping up to date with newtechnology. He has been responsible for introducing new production techniques inseveral areas of our work.

He has always got on well with other members of staff, although he is quick to pointout mistakes in his department’s work and is keen on good timekeeping. He isparticularly good with trainees, as a result of which he has over the past few years builtup a very efficient young workforce.

During his time with us, Alan has been an enthusiastic member of the Staff SportsClub, of which he is treasurer.

We shall be sorry to see him leave us, but I know that he is looking for a morechallenging position.

Yours sincerely

J. JonesProduction Director

[NB It is becoming more common for employers simply to confirm dates of employment in aletter of reference and to give very little other information]

Letter of Appointment Template

Mr A. Smith30 Swallow CottagesLondonSW1 2AB

6th September, 200_

Dear Mr Smith,

Following your interview and our conversation yesterday, this letter is to confirmyour appointment as Production Manager.

This letter and the attached terms and conditions form the basis of your contract ofemployment.

Congratulations on your appointment. You will, I am sure, find a very pleasantworking environment here, and we look forward to seeing you as a member of ourteam.

When you arrive for work next week, please ask for Andrea Black in the HRDepartment. In the meantime, if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to callme on extension 2340.

Yours sincerely

John BrownProduction Director

Short Contract Template

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Name of Employer:

Name of Employee:

Job Title:

Job Description:

Job Location:

Salary: £______per annum (payable 4 weekly in arrears)

Starting Date:

Hours of Work: 9.15am - 5.45pm Monday to Friday, 1hr lunch

Overtime: You will/will not be paid overtime

Holiday Entitlement: 20 days per annumFor the year ending 31st December 200_ the holidayentitlement is __ days (calculated at a rate of 1.7 daysper month worked)

Absence from work: If for any reason you cannot come to work you shouldtelephone your manager as soon as possible on the firstday of absence

Pension Scheme The company does/does not operate a pensionscheme. Details of the scheme are providedseparately

Disciplinary and Information on these procedures are providedGrievance Prodedures in the Staff Handbook, together with information on all

company policies

Probation: All appointments are subject to three months’probation, during which time employment may beterminated with one week’s notice on either side

Termination: After successful completion of the probation period,the notice period will be __months.

References: All appointments are subject to satisfactory references.

Signed: Date:

Staff Record Form Template

PERSONNEL RECORD FORM

Surname: Other names:Address:

Home Number: Mobile Number:Date of Birth: Marital Status:National Insurance number:

NEXT OF KIN:Address: Phone number:

OCCUPATION RECORD

Employment contract (date of issue):Department:Date joined: Salary:Appraisal Date: Salary changes:

TRAINING RECEIVEDType of training: Date:

ABSENCEFrom: To: Cause:

ACCIDENTSDate: Type of accident: Action:

DISCIPLINARY ACTION:

TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT:Date:Reasons:

NOTE: The Data Protection Act 1998 requires UK employers who hold personal data on computers toregister with the Data Protection Registrar. Computerised personal data must be available, so that, atreasonable intervals and expense, individuals can be informed about their personal data and, whereappropriate, have it corrected or erased. ‘Personal data’ includes not just factual information but also opinionsexpressed about employees.

Written Warning Template

Mr A. J. SmithProduction Department

15th July, 200_

Dear Mr Smith,

Following the disciplinary interview which you attended on 12th June, I amwriting to confirm the decision taken that you will be given a written warningunder the second stage of the Company’s Disciplinary Procedure.

This warning will be placed in your personal record file, but will be disregardedfor disciplinary purposes after a period of six months, provided your conductreaches a satisfactory level.

1) The nature of the unsatisfactory conduct was:

2) The improvement we expect is:

3) The date by which improvement is required is:

The likely consequence of insufficient improvement is dismissal.

You have the right to appeal against this decision to the Production Directorwithin two weeks of receiving this letter, in writing, giving your reasons.

Yours sincerely

ManagerProduction Department

Letter of Dismissal

Mr A. J. SmithProduction Department

2nd February, 200_

Dear Mr Smith

On 12th June last year, you were informed that you would be given a writtenwarning in accordance with the second stage of the Company’s DisciplinaryProcedure. In a letter of 15th July you were warned that unless your conductimproved, you were likely to be dismissed.

At the disciplinary hearing held on 1st February, it was decided that yourperformance was still unsatisfactory and that you would be dismissed.

I am therefore writing to confirm the decision that you be dismissed and that yourlast day of service with the company will be 15th February.

The reasons for your dismissal are:

You have the right to appeal against this decision to the Production Directorwithin seven days of receiving this notice of dismissal, in writing, giving yourreasons.

Yours sincerely

ManagerProduction Department

Letter of Resignation Template

30 Swallow CottagesLondonSW1 2AB

Mr J. BrownProduction Director

19th October, 200_

Dear John,

As I told you verbally yesterday, I have decided to leave the company and thisletter is to inform you of my resignation from the post of Production Manager.

The notice period indicated in my contract of employment is six weeks, but youagreed during our conversation yesterday that in my case this could be reduced tofive weeks so as to enable me to take up the offer of another position. My date forleaving the company will therefore be 23rd November inclusive of any days ofholiday still remaining.

As I explained to you I have been very happy working here, and shall be leavingwith many regrets. I have however been offered a post at a substantially highersalary with another company, where the prospects of further advancement aregreater. It is an offer which I felt I simply could not turn down.

Yours sincerely

Alan SmithProduction Manager

Acknowledgement of Resignation Template

Alan SmithProduction Director

20th October, 200_

Dear Alan,

Thank you for your letter of the 19th October.

We are naturally most sorry that you should be leaving the company, but I quiteunderstand your reasons for doing so. The company you are joining has anexcellent reputation, and I am sure you will be as happy there as you have beenwith us.

I have noted your date of resignation, and that your last day of service with us willbe 23rd November. This information has been passed to the HR Department todeal with.

On a personal level, Alan, I shall be particularly sorry to see you go; you havebeen an excellent manager as well as a friend, and I trust we will still keep intouch.

With best wishes for the future

Yours sincerely

John BrownProduction Director

Email & Internet Usage Policy Template

1. Appropriate use:Computer resources belong to the Company and have been supplied for businessuse. Limited personal use of the email facility and Internet access is, however,permitted provided that it does not interfere with work performance, that staffremember that in all their own correspondence they are representing theCompany, and that Company funds are not misused.

2. Downloading Internet files:Staff are advised that accessing or downloading material from Internet sitescontaining unsuitable content, i.e. pornography or material that may cause offenceto others, is a serious breach of Internet policy and is likely to result indisciplinary action, including summary dismissal.

No member of staff apart from the IT Manager is permitted to download ordistribute copyright information and/or software, including programme files (i.e.those with an .exe extension). Staff must contact the IT Manager to download textfiles that are not on the list of Internet sites recognised by the Company.

3. Employee privacy:Employees cannot expect any email messages composed, received or sent on theCompany network, regardless of the use of personal email passwords, to be forprivate viewing only. It may be necessary for the Company to monitor and viewemail correspondence and the Company reserves the right to do so.

Employees similarly cannot expect any history of websites accessed via theCompany network, regardless of the use of personal passwords, to be for privateuse only.

4. Complaints:Employees who feel they have cause for complaint as a result of emailcommunication or Internet use should raise the matter initially with theirimmediate manager and/or the IT manager.

Exit Interview Form Template

Name: Department:

Current Position:

Start Date: Leaving Date:

1. What did you like most about your job and why?

2. What did you like least about your job and why?

3. How did you feel about your workload?

4. Was the job described to you fairly when you took it on?

5. Were your duties clearly defined?

6. Is the current job description accurate?

7. How do you feel about the training you received?

8. Were there opportunites for advancement?

9. Do you have any suggestions for improving your current job?

10. Do you think the company has a good reputation as an employer?

11. Would you recommend the company as an employer to others?

12. If you are going to another job, whom will you be working for?

13. What kind of work will you be doing?

14. What were your working relationships like with your colleagues?

15. What was morale like in your department?

16. Did you feel discipline was fair in your department? If not, why not?

Any other comments?

Exit Interview Form Template (continued)

17. Did your immediate manager: Always Usually Seldom Never

Show fair treatment?

Give praise for work well done?

Deal promptly with complaints/problems?

Give encouragement and help when needed?

Explain the job properly?

Inform you of your progress?

Listen to suggestions/criticisms?

18. How do you feel about the pay andbenefits provided?

Very Good Good Fair Poor

Pay for your job

Holiday/Sick pay

Pension Scheme

Health Insurance

Life Assurance

Loan Facilities

Educational Assistance

Other

19. How do you feel about otherfacilities/services provided?

Very Good Good Fair Poor

Office accommodation and equipment

Health and Safety provisions

First Aid

Security

Sports and social facilities

Refreshment facilities

HR services

Any comments?

Name: Date: