Business Result Upper-Intermediate Glossary (Units 1-16)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key business terms, project management phrases, HR concepts, and economic principles across Units 1 through 16 of the Business Result Upper-intermediate glossary.

acquaintance

A person that you know, but who is not a close friend.

ostentatious

Expensive or noticeable in a way that is intended to impress people.

synergy

A relationship in which two or more people or companies work together and achieve more energy, power, success, etc. than they could separately.

absenteeism

Staying away from work, especially often and without good reasons.

autonomy

The ability to act and make decisions without being controlled by anyone else.

time in lieu

Time off that an employee is allowed to take in return for extra hours they have worked at other times.

allocate resources

To officially decide how money, equipment, staff etc. should be used.

budget constraints

Factors that limit or restrict the amount of money that can be spent on sth.

make contingency plans

To make plans for what to do if a particular event happens or does not happen.

upfront planning

Making plans for sth in advance, before you start.

commercially-viable proposition

A business idea that is good enough to be successful and make money.

cutting-edge technology

The newest or most advanced technological machinery, equipment, or knowledge.

patent

An official right to be the only person to make, use, or sell a product.

exceed customers’ expectations

To make sth better than customers hoped or expected.

rule of thumb

A practical method of doing or measuring sth, usually based on past experience rather than on exact measurement.

sub-standard

Not as good as normal; not acceptable.

bribery

The dishonest act of giving sb money to persuade them to help you or to do sth bad.

counteract

To do sth to reduce or prevent the bad or harmful effects of sth.

stay true to (your) principles

To continue to behave according to particular beliefs about what is right, even when situations change.

cashflow

The movement of money into and out of a business as goods are bought and sold.

overheads

Regular costs that you have when you are running a business or an organization, such as rent, electricity, wages, etc.

USP

Unique selling point; a feature of a product or service that makes it different from all the others.

business process outsourcing

The practice of giving the responsibility for running a particular system or service to people outside the company.

competitive edge

Something that gives you an advantage over competitors.

protectionism

The principle or practice of protecting a country’s own industry by taxing foreign goods.

streamline

To make a system, an organization, etc. work better, especially in a way that saves money.

glass ceiling

The barrier created by people’s attitudes that stops women, or other groups, from getting the most senior jobs.

secondment

The fact of moving an employee to another department, office, etc. in order to do a different job for a short period of time.

staff turnover

The rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced by other people.

business angel

Someone who invests their own money to help a new business.

gap in the market

A business opportunity to make or sell sth that is not yet available.

venture capitalist

A private investor or company that invests money in new companies, which may involve a lot of risk and bring good profits.

counterpart

Someone that has the same position or function as sb / sth else in a different place or situation.

filtering

The process of removing sb / sth that you do not want from a large number of people or things using a special system, device, etc.

bottom-up

Starting with or involving the people who have lower positions in an organization or their ideas.

empowerment

The action of giving sb more control or power over their life or situation.

natural wastage

The process of reducing the number of people who are employed by an organization by not replacing people who leave their jobs.

level off

To stay at a steady level of development or progress after a period of sharp rises or falls.

plummet

To suddenly fall to a much lower amount or value.

collectivist

Belonging to a system in which things such as businesses and goods are owned by groups or by all the people, rather than by individuals.

egalitarian

Based on the belief that everyone is equal and should have the same rights and opportunities.

assessment criteria

The standards by which sb / sth is judged.

performance management

The activity of checking and controlling how well people do their jobs in an organization.

sabbatical

A period of time when sb is allowed to stop their normal work in order to study or travel.

soft skills

The abilities that sb has to communicate and work well with other people.