Verbs

to manufacture (verb) – to make something from materials.

ex. America doesn’t do much manufacturing anymore.

to affect (verb) – to change or influence.

ex. Their business model has strongly been affected by the new tax policies.

to head back (verb) – return.

ex. The company is heading back into a profitable area.

to regain (verb) – to get something back again.

ex. By cutting prices you can regain your market share.

to operate (verb) – to run, to manage.

ex. The chain operates over 25 stores in 3 countries.

to raise eyebrows (verb) – attract attention.

ex. A price increase of 3 percent isn’t a very big deal, but a 10 or 15 percent increase would definitely raise eyebrows.

to expand (verb) – to get bigger.

ex. Mr. Fazio thinks this is a good time to expand in Asia.

to capture (verb) – to get, to take.

ex. In the third quarter, we captured 5 percent of the market.

to fly high (verb) – to feel great; to be in an excellent position.

ex. After the deal I made last week I certainly was flying high.

Nouns

a decade (noun) – a period of 10 years.

ex. We’ve worked in this company for more than a decade.

a natural resource (noun) – a raw material from the earth (such as oil or copper).

ex. Many conflicts around the world exist to do to search for natural resources.

a start-up (noun) – a new company.

ex. Sometimes a start-up includes just one person working from home..

know-how (noun) – knowledge.

ex. Sure, we have the know-how to open a restaurant, but do we have the money?

the bottom line (noun) – a point of profit or loss.

ex. Ms. Fazio is very concerned about our bottom line.

a player (noun) – an important person or company in a group or industry.

ex. In order to compete in business you must know who the major players in your industry are.

a challenge (noun) – a problem that requires focus and hard work to deal with.

ex. Each year, our company is faced with many challenges.

a household name (noun) – a name that everybody knows.

ex. IBM is a household name in many countries.

a powerhouse (noun) – something (such as a company) that is very powerful.

ex. In the bottled-soda industry, Coca-Cola is a powerhouse.

a concept (noun) – an idea.

ex. It’s a good concept, but creating the actual product would be expensive.

a merger (noun) – the joining of two companies or groups into a single organization.

ex. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a hot area of commercial law in the moment.

a flagship thing (noun) – a leading item or product from a company.

ex. Do you know where my Nike’s flagship store is in New York City?

revenue (noun) – income.

ex. Few companies rely on just one product for all their revenue.

an equation (noun) – a situation with many variables.

ex. I didn’t understand one part of the equation, so I had the financial team explain it one time again.

a sponsor (noun) – support.

ex. Companies often sponsor sporting events as part of their marketing strategy.

a record (noun) – highest or largest ever.

ex. A record number of people have studied Chinese in recent years.

a feature (noun) – a special characteristic or key function.

ex. It is very important to test out the features on a new product before making the purchase.

an acquisition (noun) – a purchase.

ex. The acquisition of the shipping firm was seen as a good move for the transportation giant.

an asset (noun) – an item owned by a company or a person.

ex. Companies must work hard to protect their assets.

a turn around (noun) – a change of direction.

ex. In order to see a turnaround we may need to change the executive team.

a fashion statement (noun) – something that stands out and tries to say something about the user.

ex. Wearing a Jansport backpack in the United States was a fashion statement for preppies.

an impact (noun) – an influence or effect on something else.

ex. It is very important to make an impact on young people early.

a customer base (noun) – a group of a company’s customers.

ex. Our customer base keeps expanding year after year.

market share (noun) – the portion of the market that is held by one single company.

ex. It is unique to find a company that has over a 30% market share.

Adjectives & Adverbs

determined (adj.) – firmly intent on doing something.

ex. My brother is determined to retire before he’s 40.

out of this world (adj.) – incredible.

ex. The market for education services is out of this world, but there’s a lot of competition.

unique (adj.) – special and different from others.

ex. I didn’t find the ad unique at all. It looked just like all their other ads.

competitive (adj.) – having a lot of competition.

ex. The restaurant business is so competitive that I don’t think I want to get into it
now.

resistance (adj) – opposition.

ex. Plans to build new highways are often met with resistance from local residents..

largely (adverb) – mostly.

ex. The fall in production was largely due to poor weather.

huge (adj.) – very big.

ex. CEOs’ salaries are usually huge compared to the salaries of other employees.

lucrative (adj.) – profitable.

ex. The market for education services is lucrative, but there’s a lot of competition.

hip (adj.) – cool and fashionable.

ex. Many fashion brands are hip for young people.

boldly (adverb.) – confidently and bravely.

ex. Erica boldly walked into her boss’s office and demanded a raise.

fresh (adj.) – modern and new.

ex. Many car companies try to have a fresh image every 3 to 5 years.

deep (adj.) – wide and impressive.

ex. The company has a very deep client base and therefore has a large hold of the market share.

impressive (adj.) – causing admiration.

ex. There are many impressive law firms here in Colombia.

costly (adj.) – expensive.

ex. Since the new equipment is costly, we need approval before buying it.

model (adj.) – a great example of something.

ex. We are model employees and always try to excel.

domestically (adj.) – in one’s home market.

ex. Sometimes movies do poorly domestically but make a lot of money overseas.

remarkable (adj.) – incredible.

ex. What remarkable progress Starbucks made.

based (adj.) – where something is.

ex. We’re based in London, but we work with partners in 20 countries.

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