Organizations
the head of the department = the manager, director
be in charge OF, be responsible FOR
to head a project/team = to lead, be the leader
vice = assistant, deputy, used as an adjective
"Vice president. Deputy manager."
PM = project manager
PA = personal assistant. "I'm PA to the Managing Director"
to report to someone/a boss
"I report to the Head of Finance."
your reports = employees reporting to you
underlings = employees below you
to account FOR something (to someone) = be responsible of
to hold someone accountable = make them report
better accountability = transparency in reports
the hierarchy/organigram = structure of the company
have someone above/below you = immediately over/under
departments within (=inside) an organisation
high and low tiers = ranks, categories
divisions, business lines, P&L accounts (=Profit and Loss)
& = ampersand, used for titles, brands, briefing style
to assign responsibilities to someone
to take ON new responsibilities = accept, assume
to take OVER a new position = accept, usually management
to be appointed (=named) to this position
to allocate (=assigne) a budget
to bestow responsibility = assign, formal
the founder = who founded (=started) the company
a startup = a new company with small budget, often in IT
a venture = a new business, often by established companies
a joint venture = when companies join to start a project
an entrepreneur = someone who founds companies
entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial spirit = what it takes (=is necessary) to be an entrepreneur
chairman > CEO > president
chairman or chairperson = leads the board of directors
CEO = Chief Executive Office, leads operations of the group
president = leads day-to-day executive operations
Note: All these positions might converge in the same person.
to chair a meeting = lead, moderate a meeting
board of directors = 'the board', elected by shareholders
steering committee = board of directors, advisory committee
managing/executive committee = for daily operations
an ordinary meeting = a regular meeting
an extraordinary meeting = exceptional, like a crisis committee
the management = the top directors, top executives
a managing director = manager of managers
an operations manager = manager of employees, executive
national/local divisions, branches, offices
different sectors, industries, activities
different product lines, divisions = usually in the same sector
labour-intense sectors = relying on large workforce
capital-intense sectors = relying on big investments
HQ = headquarters, head office
"The company is headquartered in San Francisco."
a parent company owns a child company
a subsidiary = a child company in a holding group
a conglomerate = a holding group, company of companies
Departments
operations, executive = core business, daily operations
core = central, basic, most important
"Our core business is rental of office space."
HR, human resources = recruitment, training, work contracts
purchase, procurement dept. = in charge of buying
sales & marketing dept. = placing product in the market
key account manager = holds long-term relationship with clients
PR agent = public relationships, dealing with press, conventions
finance dept.= raising funds, dealing with assets and liabilities
IT dept., ICT dept. = information (& communication) technologies
legal, compliance dept. = dealing with laws and regulations
R&D = research and development
customer service = customer care, aftersales, claims
IT helpdesk = remote technical service
labour hazard prevention = to prevent accidents
mergers & acquisitions = when two companies get together
maintenance/facilities dept = dealing with the facilities, maintenance, utilities contracts
utilities = power and water supply, telecommunications, ...
outsourcing company = external contractor/company
offshore services = provided remotely to sae costs
to relocate production = send production overseas to save costs
overseas = abroad, business jargon
History of a company
to set UP a company = start, found, establish
to run a business/shop = manage, operate daily
to struggle financially = have a hard time
to make ends meet = manage to cover costs
to break even = manage to cover costs
break-even point = when your initial investment returns
to suffer a U-turn, downturn = a complete turn downwards
a head start = a solid start
to make headway = make progress
to thrive, to break through = take good steps
a blossoming/flourishing/thriving business = take good steps
springing up = appearing, opening
"Pizza takeaways are springing up all over the place."
to plan short term/mid term/long term
"To set long-term goals. To draw long-term projections."
projections = forecast, expectations
to expand INTO other countries/sectors/activities
to tap INTO new markets = venture into, explore, expand
to set office in China = open
to operate in different countries/sectors
be in the red = be indebted
to go/run/slide into debt = enter 'the red'
to go bust = go bankrupt, informal
to close DOWN the business = definitive closure
declare the company dormant = stop operations temporarily
to cut down costs, slash costs = reduce
to make people redundant = to fire many employees at once
to lay off employees = to fire many employees at once
a redundancy plan = when employees are made redundant
layoffs = firings, "There will be layoffs."
Conflict
mobbing = harassment, to harass someone at work
be sidelined, be edged OFF , be stripped OFF your responsibilities
duties = responsibilities, main tasks
to claim (=ask for, demand) your rights
trade union, workers' union = organisation representing workers
workers council/committee = workers' representatives of a company
a business association = working for business owners' interests
collective bargaining agreement = terms and conditions of employment in an industry (=sector)
go ON a strike = stop work as a protest, to walk out
take industrial action = start a protest
industrial disputes = conflict between unions and management
to pay a settlement = compensation to resolve a dispute
to settle matters = solve matters/conflict