Linguaskill Business Vocabulary List

adaptability nounC1

The ability to adjust to new conditions or ways of working.

Interviewers will be looking for evidence of adaptability, as the role involves frequent changes in priorities.

allude verbC2

To refer to something indirectly without stating it openly.

The manager alluded to possible job cuts but gave no details.

appraiser nounC2

A person who carries out a formal assessment of an employee's performance.

Each appraiser must complete a training course before conducting annual reviews.

backtrack verbC1

To withdraw from a position or promise previously stated.

The supplier backtracked on its earlier promise of free delivery.

demotion nounC1

The act of moving an employee to a lower rank or position.

Staff were reassured that the restructuring would not result in anyone's demotion or loss of pay.

digress verbC2

To move away from the main subject temporarily while speaking.

Sorry, I'm digressing; let's get back to the second-quarter figures.

disengaged adjectiveC1

Lacking interest in or commitment to one's work or organisation.

Exit interviews suggest that many staff became disengaged after the bonus scheme was withdrawn.

envisage verbC1

To imagine or expect something as a likely future possibility.

We do not envisage any further problems once the new system is installed.

expedient adjectiveC2

Useful or convenient for achieving a purpose, sometimes at the expense of fairness.

It may be expedient to outsource payroll rather than hire additional staff.

inefficiency nounC1

A failure to make the best use of time, money or resources.

The audit identified several inefficiencies in the way holiday requests are processed.

instigate verbC2

To cause a process or course of action to begin.

The new HR director instigated a full review of the company's pay structure.

layoff nounC1

The ending of an employee's job because there is not enough work or money.

The firm announced 200 layoffs at its Midlands plant following a sharp fall in orders.

overrule verbC1

To reject a decision by using higher authority.

The regional manager was overruled by head office on the pricing issue.

pertain verbC2

To relate to or be connected with a particular subject.

I have attached all the documents that pertain to the warranty claim.

plummet verbC1

To fall suddenly and steeply in value or amount.

Share prices plummeted after the company issued a profit warning.

realignment nounC2

A change to the priorities or structure of something to suit new conditions.

A strategic realignment towards online sales is recommended in the final section of the report.

regrettably adverbC1

Used to express polite disappointment about an unwelcome fact.

Regrettably, we are unable to offer the discount you requested on this occasion.

renegotiate verbC1

To discuss and change the terms of an existing agreement.

We'll need to renegotiate the contract if raw material costs keep rising.

reorganisation nounC1

The process of changing the way an organisation or system is arranged.

Following the reorganisation, the marketing and sales teams will report to a single director.

retort verbC2

To reply quickly and sharply to a remark or criticism.

When asked about delays, the project leader retorted that the specification had changed twice.

retraining nounC1

Training that teaches employees new skills for a different job or changed role.

Staff affected by the automation programme will be offered retraining in data analysis.

walkout nounC1

A sudden strike in which workers leave their workplace in protest.

Production was halted for a day after a walkout by factory staff over proposed shift changes.

disbursement nounC1

The paying out of money, especially from a fund or on behalf of a client.

The solicitor's bill listed the fee separately from disbursements such as court charges.

EBITDA nounC1

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, used as a proxy for operating profitability.

Investors focus on EBITDA because it strips out financing and accounting choices to show the core performance.

immaterial adjectiveC1

Too small or insignificant to affect the overall picture.

The unrecorded accrual was judged immaterial and left uncorrected.

liquidate verbC1

To wind up a company by selling its assets to pay its debts.

Creditors voted to liquidate the retailer after rescue talks collapsed.

bearish adjectiveC1

Expecting prices or prospects to decline.

Growth funds turned bearish on consumer apps after a string of disappointing exits.

iterative adjectiveC1

Proceeding through repeated cycles of building, testing and refining.

Their iterative release schedule meant customers saw small improvements every fortnight.

shareholding nounC1

The quantity of shares in a company that a person or organisation owns.

After three rounds, the founder's shareholding had fallen below a quarter of the company.

absenteeism nounB2

A pattern of frequent, often unjustified, absence from work.

Absenteeism spiked on the shop floor the week after the new shift rota was imposed.

accolade nounC1

An award or expression of high praise.

The design accolade gave the launch a wave of earned coverage the media budget could never buy.

addendum nounC1

An item of additional material added to a document or contract.

The revised service levels were set out in an addendum signed the following week.

cogent adjectiveC2

Clear, logical, and convincing.

She made a cogent business case that tied the price directly to lost revenue.

commensurate adjectiveC1

Corresponding in size or degree to something else.

The consulting fee was commensurate with the scale of savings the engagement was expected to deliver.

contingency reserve nounC1

Budget or time set aside for identified risks that may or may not materialise, drawn down at the manager's discretion.

That's what the contingency reserve is for; draw it down and log the risk it covered.

forthright adjectiveC1

Direct and outspoken in stating one's views.

He was forthright about the price: anything below eight million was off the table.

impropriety nounC1

Conduct that breaches accepted standards of honesty or ethics.

Even the appearance of impropriety in awarding the contract to a director's relative triggered an internal review.

inroads nounC1

Progress made toward achieving something, often at another's expense.

The new entrant had made significant inroads into the incumbent's market share before the review even began.

postmortem nounC1

A structured review held after a launch or failure to establish what went wrong and why.

The postmortem traced the outage to a single untested configuration change.

re-engagement nounC1

Efforts to bring disengaged users back to active use of a product.

The re-engagement push reminded dormant users of unfinished projects.