Video Vocab is a series of English videos explaining the meaning of important business terms related to many of the topics that are part of every day business conversations.
Today we’re looking at business words related to projects and project management. First we’ll hear a short article introducing the topic and then we’ll go though each word in detail with some example sentences to show how you can use the words. At the end of the video you’ll have a chance to review practice your new vocabulary.
Today’s podcast continues our series on business vocabulary, with a special focus on collocations or word partnerships. By focusing on words that are commonly used together you can improve your vocabulary and also your ability to understand your English-speaking colleagues.
When you think of “office administration”, what are the first things that come to mind? They might be things like paperwork, filing, copying, and other boring and repetitive tasks. Most people probably don’t think of an office manager’s job as a crucial service that supports the successful running of a company and, therefore, its ability to make money.
Well, today we’re about to meet Thomas, who’s going to tell us about the role he plays as office manager at the Mexican subsidiary of a multinational chemical company.
Listening Questions
1) How does Thomas summarize his role as Office Manager?
2) What characteristics does Thomas list as important qualities of an office manager?
3) According to Thomas, what is a common misunderstanding about the best way for an office manager to do his job?
In this Business English Podcast lesson, we’ll be studying some phrases and vocabulary that you can use to discuss the economy and economic issues, including voicing and reassuring concerns.
我们谨就最近在四川发生的地震向中国听众表达我们的同情和支持，并希望灾区人们能尽快从地震中恢复过来。
No deal gets made, no contract gets signed, no business gets done just between two people or two companies. Everything occurs against the background of networks of relationships on the local, regional, and global scales. These relationships of price and production form what’s called “the economy.” People who study the economy – economists – like to point out, for example, that the price of soybeans in Brazil can affect the price of meat in China. It’s no wonder, then, that a favorite activity of business people everywhere is talking about the economy. Only by understanding the economic environment in which we do business can we operate effectively in it.
The dialog today takes place at Kendal Marcus, a global retailer of up market clothing and accessories. A retailer sells goods to the end customer; accessories are things like jewelry and belts which go along with or “accessorize” clothing. During a trip to Shanghai, Martin, a VP at Kendal’s, is visiting Tony Wu, country manager for China.
Listening Questions:
1) Why has Martin come to China?
2) Is Tony optimistic about the economic outlook, that is the future, in China?
3) What kind of concerns does Martin have?
4) How does Tony reassure him?
In the second part of our new ESL podcast series on business vocabulary, we continue with the topic of human resources (HR) by looking at useful language and collocations to describe the role and responsibilities of a training manager.
In this fast-changing global world, everything is moving. To make a successful business, it’s not enough just to follow yesterday’s trend. Companies and people need to constantly acquire new skills to succeed in tomorrow’s marketplace. This means driving new training initiatives to enhance performance. However, not all training is equally successful. To ensure training effectiveness, it’s important to track results and to have standard criteria for measuring outcomes.
In this podcast, we’ll listen to Andrea, a training manager, describing her function and responsibilities. Afterwards, we’ll study some key vocabulary. Then we’ll practice what we’ve learned.
Listening Questions
1) What kind of training programs does Andrea run?
2) Does Andrea work with vendors? What for?
3) What do the five letters in SMART stand for?
Today we’re kicking off a new series of ESL business vocabulary podcasts based on people talking about their jobs. In these episodes, we’ll learn vocabulary and language that are useful across a wide range of different professions and industries.
In this podcast we’ll hear an HR manager, Greg, describe his work and responsibilities. Afterwards, we’ll study some key vocabulary. In particular we’ll be focusing on how words are collocated, or used together. Then we’ll practice what we’ve learned.
When we think about human resource managers, many of us just think of hiring and firing, but actually, as Greg explains, the job involves a lot more than that. HR handles everything from job evaluations to settling disagreements between workers and management.
Listening Questions
1) What type of employment programs does Greg develop and manage?
2) Are there several HR managers or only one in Greg’s company?
3) Greg says that HR managers play a special role in companies that are unionized. What is this role?
