Dictionary of Human Resourcesand Personnel Management

A

AA /_e _e / same as attendance allowanceability /ə_b l ti/ noun the capacity or power to do something Ability to sell is essential for the job.ability test /ə_b l ti test/ noun same as aptitude testable /_e b(ə)l/ adjective capable or working well She’s a very able manager.

able-bodied /e b(ə)l _bɒdid/ adjec-tive with no physical handicap The work is strenuous and only suitable for the young and able-bodied.abroad /ə_brɔ_d/ adverb to or in an-other country The consignment of cars was shipped abroad last week. The chairman is abroad on business. He worked abroad for ten years. Half of our profit comes from sales abroad.absence /__bsəns/ noun the fact of not being at work or at a meeting in the absence of when someone is not there In the absence of the chairman, his deputy took the chair. unauthor-ised absence from work, absence without leave being away from work without permission and without a good reason

absent /__bsənt/ adjective not at work or not at a meeting He was ab-sent owing to illness. Ten of the work-ers are absent with flu. The chairman is absent in Holland on business.absentee /_bsən_ti_/ noun a person who is absent or an employee who stays away from work for no good reasonabsenteeism /_bs(ə)n_ti_ z(ə)m/ noun the practice of staying away from work for no good reason Low produc-tivity is largely due to the high level of

absenteeism. Absenteeism is high in the week before Christmas.

‘…but the reforms still hadn’t fundamentally changed conditions on the shop floor: absenteeism was as high as 20% on some days’ [Business Week]

absenteeism rate /_bsən-_ti_ z(ə)m re t/ noun the percentage of the workforce which is away from work with no good excuse The rate of ab-senteeism or the absenteeism rate al-ways increases in fine weather.ACAS /_e k_s/ abbr Advisory, Concil-iation and Arbitration Serviceaccept /ək_sept/ verb 1. to take some-thing which is being offered to accept delivery of a shipment to take goods into the warehouse officially when they are delivered 2. to say ‘yes’ or to agree to something She accepted the offer of a job in Australia. He accepted £2000 in lieu of notice.acceptable /ək_septəb(ə)l/ adjective which can be accepted Both parties found the offer acceptable. The terms of the contract of employment are not acceptable to the candidate.acceptance /ək_septəns/ noun ac-ceptance of an offer the act of agreeing to an offer to give an offer a condi-tional acceptance to accept an offer provided that specific things happen or that specific terms apply we have their letter of acceptance we have re-ceived a letter from them accepting the offer

acceptance bonus /əkseptəns _bəυnəs/ noun a bonus paid to a newemployee when they agree to join an or-ganisation (NOTE: an acceptance bonuscan be a feature of a golden hello and is designed both to attract and to retain staff)

acceptance sampling 2 account

acceptance sampling /ək_septəns accident-prone workersɑ_mpl ŋ/ noun the process of testing a /_ks d(ə)nt prəυn _w__kə/ noun asmall sample of a batch to see if the worker who is more likely to have acci-whole batch is good enough to be dents than other workersaccepted accident report /__ks d(ə)nt r -access /__kses/ noun to have ac- pɔ_t/ noun a report of an accidentcess to something to be able to obtain which has taken place at workor reach something She has access to accommodate /ə_kɒməde t/ verb tolarge amounts of venture capital. verb provide someone with a place to live into call up data which is stored in a com- The company accommodates its em-puter She accessed the address file on ployees near their workplace.the computer. accommodation /əkɒmə_de ʃ(ə)n/accession /ək_seʃ(ə)n/ noun the act noun 1. money lent for a short time 2. aof joining an organisation place to stay temporarily or live inaccession rate /ək_seʃ(ə)n re t/ Visitors have difficulty in finding hotel

accommodation during the summer.noun 1. the percentage of employees in‘…any non-resident private landlord can letan organisation who have joined it dur-

ing a particular period of time 2. a rate furnished or unfurnished accommodation to atenant’ [Times]of pay for employees when first hired

‘…the airline providing roomy accommodationsAfter the first year, pay went up consid-at below-average fares’ [Dun’s Business Month]erably despite the low accession rate.accommodation address /ə-The accession rate depends on whether

the entrants are skilled or unskilled. kɒmə_de ʃ(ə)n ədres/ noun an ad-

access time /__kses ta m/ noun thedress used for receiving messages butwhich is not the real address of the

time taken by a computer to find data companystored in it accordance /ə_kɔ_dns/ noun in ac-accident /__ks d(ə)nt/ noun some- cordance with in agreement with, ac-thing unpleasant which can be caused cording to, as someone says or writesby carelessness or which happens by In accordance with your instructions wechance such as a plane crash have deposited the money in your cur-

COMMENT: Fatal accidents and accidents rent account.I am submitting thewhich cause major injuries or which pre- claim for damages in accordance withvent an employee from working for more the advice of our legal advisers.than three days must be reported to the accordingly /ə_kɔ_d ŋli/ adverb inHealth and Safety Executive. agreement with what has been decided

accidental /_ks _dent(ə)l/ adjective We have received your letter and havehappening by chance, not done inten- altered the contract accordingly.tionally accidental destruction of the according to /ə_kɔ_d ŋ tu_/ prepo-computer files sition as stated or shown by someoneaccident book /__ks d(ə)nt bυk/ The computer was installed accordingnoun a book in which details of acci- to the manufacturer’s instructions.dents at work are noted down ‘…the budget targets for employment and

accident frequency rate growth are within reach according to the latestfigures’ [Australian Financial Review]

/_ks d(ə)nt _fri_kwənsi re t/ noun the account /ə_kaυnt/ noun 1. a record ofnumber of accidents involving injury or financial transactions over a period ofdeath during a specified number of time, such as money paid, received, bor-man-hoursThe accident frequency rowed or owed Please send me yourrate has risen since the new machinery account or a detailed or an itemized ac-was installed. count. 2. accounts of a business, aaccident prevention /_ks d(ə)nt company’s accounts a detailed recordpr _venʃən/ noun measures taken to of a company’s financial affairs 3. aprevent accidents customer who does a large amount of

accountability 3 accrue

business with a firm and has an account accounting systeman accountingwith it Smith Brothers is one of our machinelargest accounts. Our sales people ‘…applicants will be professionally qualifiedcall on their best accounts twice a and have a degree in Commerce or Accounting’month. 4. to keep the accounts to [Australian Financial Review]write each sum of money in the account accounting period /ə_kaυnt ŋbook The bookkeeper’s job is to enter p əriəd/ noun a period of time at theall the money received in the accounts. end of which the firm’s accounts are5. notice to take account of inflation, made upto take inflation into account to as- accounts department /ə_kaυntssume that there will be a specific per- d pɑ_tmənt/ noun a department in acentage of inflation when making company which deals with money paid,calculations verb to account for to received, borrowed or owedexplain and record a money transaction

accounts manager /ə_kaυntsto account for a loss or a discrepancyThe reps have to account for all their m_n d"ə/ noun the manager of an ac-expenses to the sales manager. counts department

accounts payable /əkaυntsaccountability /əkaυntə_b l ti/ _pe əb(ə)l/ noun money owed by anoun the fact of being responsible tocompanysomeone for something (such as the ac-

countability of directors to the accounts receivable /əkaυnts r -shareholders) _si_vəb(ə)l/ noun money owed to aaccountable /ə_kaυntəb(ə)l/ adjec- company

/əkred _te ʃ(ə)n/tive referring to a person who has to ex- accreditationplain what has taken place or who is noun the process of certifying the com-responsible for something (NOTE: you petence of a person in a certain areaare accountable to someone for accreditation of union officials officialsomething) recognition by a company that certainaccountancy /ə_kaυntənsi/ noun the employees are representatives of a trade

union and are treated as such by thework of an accountant They are study-companying accountancy or They are accoun-

tancy students. (NOTE: American accreditation of prior learningEnglish is accounting in this meaning) /əkred te ʃ(ə)n əv pra ə _l__n ŋ/accountant /ə_kaυntənt/ noun a per- noun a process that enables people to

obtain formal recognition of qualifica-son who keeps a company’s accountstions and experience that they haveThe chief accountant of a manufactur-gained before joining an organisationing group. The accountant has shown

a sharp variance in our labour costs. (NOTE: accreditation of prior learning

account director /ə_kaυnt da -may be used to support the award of avocational qualification)

rektə/ noun a person who works in anaccredited /ə_kred t d/ adjective re-advertising agency and who oversees

various account managers who are each ferring to an agent who is appointed bya company to act on its behalfresponsible for specific clientsaccrual /ə_kru_əl/ noun a gradual in-account executive /ə_kaυnt -

zekjυt v/ noun an employee of an or- crease by addition accrual of interestautomatic addition of interest to capitalganisation such as a bank, public rela-

tions firm, or advertising agency who is accrual rate /ə_kru_əl re t/ noun theresponsible for looking after particular rate at which an employee’s pension in-clients and handling their business with creases as each year of service is com-the organisation pleted, so forming the basis foraccounting /ə_kaυnt ŋ/ noun the calculating their pensionwork of recording money paid, re- accrue /ə_kru_/ verb 1. to record a fi-ceived, borrowed or owed accounting nancial transaction in accounts when itmethods accounting procedures an takes place, and not when payment is

accurate 4 Action Programme

made or received 2. to increase and be on our behalf. to act as someone todue for payment at a later date Inter- do someone’s job while he is awayest accrues from the beginning of the She will act as marketing managermonth. while Mr Smith is on holiday. 2. to doaccurate /__kjυrət/ adjective correct something The board will have to actThe sales department made an accu- quickly if the company’s losses are go-rate forecast of sales. The designers ing to be reduced. The lawyers areproduced an accurate copy of the plan. acting on our instructions. to act on aaccurately /__kjυrətli/ adverb cor- letter to do what a letter asks to be done

acting /__kt ŋ/ adjective working inrectly The second quarter’s drop insales was accurately forecast by the place of someone for a short time act-computer. ing manager the Acting Chairmanaccuse /ə_kju_z/ verb to say that action /__kʃən/ noun 1. a thing whichsomeone has committed a crime She has been done actions short of dis-was accused of stealing from the petty missal ways of disciplining an em-cash box. He was accused of indus- ployee who has committed an offence,trial espionage. (NOTE: you accuse which stop short of dismissing themsomeone of a crime or of doing (such as demotion, removal of privi-something) leges, etc.) 2. to take industrial ac-achieve /ə_tʃi_v/ verb to succeed in tion to do something (usually to go on

strike) to show that you are not happydoing something, to do something suc-with conditions at work 3. a case in acessfully He has achieved hislaw court where a person or companylong-term training objectives.Thesues another person or company tocompany has achieved great success intake legal action to sue someone anthe Far East. We achieved all our ob-action for libel or a libel action an ac-jectives in 2001.tion for damages She brought an ac-‘…the company expects to move to profits of

FFr 2m next year and achieve equally rapid tion for wrongful dismissal against hergrowth in following years’ [Financial Times] former employer.

achievement /ə_tʃi_vmənt/ noun actionable /__kʃənəb(ə)l/ adjectivesuccess or something that has been referring to writing, speech or an actachieved which could provide the grounds forachievement test /ə_tʃi_vmənt bringing an action against someonetest/ noun a test designed to measure Was the employer’s treatment of the em-the skills which someone is currently ployee actionable?using (as opposed to an aptitude test, action-centred leadershipwhich measures the skills a person /_kʃən sentəd _li_dəʃ p/ noun acould use in the future) (NOTE: also theory of leadership which focuses oncalled attainment test) what leaders actually have to do in orderachiever /ə_tʃi_və/ noun a person who to be effective, rather than on the per-is successful or who tends to achieve his sonal qualities that they need to be goodor her objectives It was her reputation leaders, and which believes that leader-as a high achiever that made us think of ship can be taught (NOTE: ac-headhunting her. tion-centred leadership is usuallyacross-the-board /əkrɒs ðə _bɔ_d/ illustrated by three overlapping circles,

which represent the three key activitiesadjective applying to everything orundertaken by leaders: achieving theeveryone an across-the-board price

increase an across-the-board wage task, building and maintaining theincrease team and developing the individual)act /_kt/ noun a law passed by parlia- action learning /__kʃən l__n ŋ/

noun the process of learning by doing orment which must be obeyed by the peo-participating in an activityple verb 1. to work He has agreed

/__kʃənto act as an agent for an American com- Action Programmepany. The solicitor is acting for us or prəυ r_m/ noun an EU initiative con-

active 5 additional award

taining various draft directives to imple-ment the Social Charteractive /__kt v/ adjective involving many transactions or activities an ac-tive demand for oil shares Computer shares are very active. an active day on the Stock Exchangeactive interview /_kt v _ ntəvju_/ noun an interview where the inter-viewee is encouraged to answer fully the questions asked (as in an open-end interview)active listening /_kt v _l s(ə)n ŋ/ noun a technique which involves not only listening to the words someone uses, but also taking into account their tone of voice, their body language and other non-verbal signs in order to gain a fuller understanding of what they are ac-tually communicatingactively /__kt vli/ adverb in a busy way The company is actively recruit-ing new personnel.active partner /_kt v _pɑ_tnə/ noun a partner who works in a company that is a partnershipactivity /_k_t v ti/ noun 1. the fact of being active or busy a low level of business activity There was a lot of activity on the Stock Exchange. monthly activity report a report by a department on what has been done dur-ing the past month 2. something which is done out-of-work activities

‘…preliminary indications of the level of business investment and activity during the March quarter will provide a good picture of economic activity in the year’ [Australian Financial Review]

activity chart /_k_t v ti tʃɑ_t/ noun a plan showing work which has been done so that it can be compared to the plan of work to be doneactivity sampling /_k_t v ti sɑ_mpl ŋ/ noun an observation of tasks and their performances, carried out at random intervals Activity sampling was carried out to see how fast the ma-chinists worked.actuarial analysis /_ktʃueəriəl ə-_n_ləs s/ noun a calculation carried out by an actuary to assess somebody’s life expectancy or the degree of risk in-volved in an insurance proposal

actuary /__ktʃuəri/ noun a person employed by an insurance company or other organisation to calculate the risk involved in an insurance, and therefore the premiums payable by people taking out insuranceacute shortage /əkju_t _ʃɔ_t d"/ noun a very severe shortage for a period of time

ad /_d/ noun same as advertisement(informal) We put an ad in the paper. She answered an ad in the paper. He found his job through an ad in the paper.

adaptable /ə_d_ptəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. being able to change working practices 2. being able to change from job to jobadaptation /_d_p_te ʃ(ə)n/ noun something which has been adaptedThis machine is an adaptation of our original model.add /_d/ verb 1. to put figures together to make a total If you add the interest to the capital you will get quite a large sum. Interest is added monthly. 2. to put things together to make a large group We are adding to the sales force. They have added two new prod-ucts to their range. this all adds to the company’s costs this makes the company’s costs higher

adding machine /__d ŋ məʃi_n/ noun a machine which adds numbersaddition /ə_d ʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a thing or person added The management has stopped all additions to the staff. We are exhibiting several additions to our product line. The marketing director is the latest addition to the board. 2. in addition to added to, as well asThere are twelve registered letters to be sent in addition to this packet. 3. an act of putting numbers together You don’t need a calculator to do simple addition.additional /ə_d ʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective ex-tra which is added additional costs They sent us a list of additional charges. Some additional clauses were added to the contract. Additional duty will have to be paid.additional award /əd ʃ(ə)nəl ə-_wɔ_d/ noun an extra payment ordered by an industrial tribunal to a dismissed

additional voluntary contributions 6 admin

employee if the company refuses to re- adjourn /ə_d"__n/ verb to stop a meet-instate them. special award ing for a period The chairman ad-additional voluntary contribu- journed the meeting until three o’clock.

The meeting adjourned at midday.tions /əd ʃ(ə)nəl vɒlənt(ə)ri kɒntr -adjournment /ə_d"__nmənt/ noun an_bju_ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun extra pay-

ments made voluntarily by an employee act of adjourning He proposed the ad-to a pension scheme (on top of the nor- journment of the meeting.mal contributions, up to a maximum of adjudicate /ə_d"u_d ke t/ verb to15% of gross earnings). Abbr AVCs give a judgement between two parties inaddress /ə_dres/ noun the details of law or to decide a legal problem to

adjudicate a claim to adjudicate in anumber, street and town where an office dispute he was adjudicated bank-is or a person lives My business ad-rupt he was declared legally bankruptdress and phone number are printed on

the card. verb 1. to write the details of adjudication /əd"u_d _ke ʃ(ə)n/an address on an envelope or package noun the act of giving a judgement or ofa letter addressed to the managing di- deciding a legal problemrector an incorrectly addressed pack- adjudication officer /əd"u_d -age Please address your enquiries to _ke ʃ(ə)n ɒf sə/ noun an official whothe manager. 2. to speak The chair- decides whether someone is qualified toman addressed the meeting. receive benefitaddressee /_dre_si_/ noun a person adjudication tribunal /əd"u_d -to whom a letter or package is addressed _ke ʃ(ə)n tra bju_n(ə)l/ noun a groupaddressing machine /ə_dres ŋ mə- which adjudicates in industrial disputes

adjudicator /ə_d"u_d ke tə/ noun aʃi_n/ noun a machine which puts ad-dresses on envelopes automatically person who gives a decision on a prob-add up /_d _$p/ verb 1. to put several lem an adjudicator in an industrial

disputefigures together to make a total Headjust /ə_d"$st/ verb to change some-made a mistake in adding up the column

of figures. the figures do not add up thing to fit new conditions Prices arethe total given is not correct 2. to make adjusted for inflation.sense The complaints in the letter just ‘…inflation-adjusted GNP moved up at a 1.3%do not add up. annual rate’ [Fortune]

‘Saudi Arabia will no longer adjust itsadd up to /_d _$p tυ/ verb to make a production to match short-term supply withtotal of The total expenditure adds up demand’ [Economist]to more than £1,000. ‘…on a seasonally-adjusted basis, output of

adequate /__d kwət/ adjective largetrucks, electric power, steel and paperdecreased’ [Business Week]

enough to operate without adequate adjuster /ə_d"$stə/ noun a personcover to act without being completely who calculates losses for an insuranceprotected by insurance companyad hoc /_d _hɒk/ adjective for this adjustment /ə_d"$stmənt/ noun theparticular purpose They run ad hoc act of adjusting to make an adjust-surveys to test customer reaction when ment to salaries adjustment of pricesproducts are launched. Shipping by to take account of rising costs Detailsairfreight was an ad hoc arrangement of tax adjustments are set out in the en-initially. closed document. an adjustment ofad hoc decision /_d hɒk d - prices to take account of rising costs_s "(ə)n/ noun a decision taken to solve adjustor /ə_d"$stə/ noun same asa particular problem adjusteradhocracy /_d_hɒkrəsi/ noun man-agement which works by taking short-term decisions, but fails to make long-term plans

admin /__dm n/ noun 1. the work of administration, especially paperwork(informal) All this admin work takes a lot of my time. There is too much

administer 7 adventure training

admin in this job. Admin costs seem to adult education /_d$lt edjυ-be rising each quarter. The admin _ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun education provided forpeople have sent the report back. 2. ad- adultsministration staff or the administration ad valorem tax /_d və_lɔ_remdepartment Admin say they need the t_ks/ noun tax calculated according toreport immediately. She did not an-

the value of the goods taxedswer my note but sent it on to admin.advance /əd_vɑ_ns/ noun 1. money(NOTE: no plural; as a group of people it

can have a plural verb) paid as a loan or as a part of a payment

administer /əd_m n stə/ verb to or-to be made later She asked if shecould have a cash advance. We paid

ganise, manage or direct the whole of an her an advance on account. Can Iorganisation or part of one She admin- have an advance of £100 against nextisters a large pension fund. It will be month’s salary? 2. an increase 3. inthe HR manager’s job to administer the advance early, before something hap-induction programme. pens freight payable in advanceadministration /ədm n _stre ʃ(ə)n/ prices fixed in advanceadjectivenoun 1. the action of organising, con- earlyadvance bookingadvancetrolling or managing a company He payment Advance holiday bookingshas a qualification in business adminis- are up on last year. You must givetration. 2. a person or group of people seven days’ advance notice of with-who manage or direct an organisation drawals from the account. verb 1. toIt is up to the administration to solve the lend The bank advanced himproblem, not the government. 3. the run- £100,000 against the security of hisning of a company in receivership by an house. 2. to increase Prices generallyadministrator appointed by the courts advanced on the stock market. 3. to

administration costs /ədm n -make something happen earlier Thedate of the AGM has been advanced to

_stre ʃ(ə)n kɒsts/, administration May 10th. The meeting with the Ger-expenses /ədm n _stre ʃ(ə)n k- man distributors has been advancedspens z/ plural noun the costs of man- from 11.00 to 09.30.agement, not including production, mar- advanced course /ədvɑ_nst _kɔ_s/keting or distribution costs noun a course for students who are notadministrative /əd_m n strət v/ ad- beginnersjective referring to administration ad- advancement /əd_vɑ_nsmənt/ nounministrative details administrative promotion The only way to get ad-expenses vancement in this company is throughadministrator /əd_m n stre tə/ further training. The job is attractivenoun 1. a person who directs the work because of the potential forof other employees in a business After advancement.several years as a college teacher, she advantage /əd_vɑ_nt d"/ noun some-hopes to become an administrator. 2. a thing useful which may help you to beperson appointed by a court to manage successful Knowledge of two foreignthe affairs of someone who dies without languages is an advantage. There isleaving a will 3. a person appointed by a no advantage in arriving at the exhibi-court to administer a company which is tion before it opens. Fast typing is aninsolvent advantage in a secretary. to take ad-admonish /əd_mɒn ʃ/ verb to give a vantage of something to use somethingwarning or reprimand (formal) The which helps youworkers were admonished by the man- adventure training /əd_ventʃəager for careless work. tre n ŋ/, adventure learning /əd-adoption leave /ə_dɒpʃən li_v/ noun _ventʃə l__n ŋ/ noun a type oftime away from work allowed to an em- training in which employees engageployee for dealing with matters relating in group games and physically de-to the adoption of a child manding outdoor activities such as

adverse 8 Advisory, Conciliation and

climbing and abseiling away from their usual work environment (NOTE:the aim of adventure training is to develop skills in leadership, prob-lem-solving, decision-making and in-terpersonal communication and to build team spirit)adverse /__dv__s/ adjective unfa-vourable adverse balance of trade a situation in which a country imports more than it exportsadverse action /_dv__s __kʃən/ noun a decision which has unfavourable consequences for employees The new bonus system was considered adverse action by underachievers in the organisation.adverse impact /_dv__s _ mp_kt/ noun an undesirable and unexpected re-sult of an action Offering bonuses only for very high productivity rates had an adverse impact, discouraging rather than motivating workers.advert /__dv__t/ noun same as adver-tisement (informal) to put an advert in the paper to answer an advert in the paper classified adverts display adverts

advertise /__dvəta z/ verb 1. to ar-range and pay for publicity designed to help sell products or services or to find new employees to advertise a va-cancy to advertise for a secretary 2. to announce that something is for sale or that a job is vacant or that a service is offered to advertise a new productadvertisement /əd_v__t smənt/ noun a notice which shows that some-thing is for sale, that a service is offered, that someone wants something or that a job is vacant

advertisement manager /əd-_v__t smənt m_n d"ə/ noun the manager in charge of the advertisement section of a newspaperadvertiser /__dvəta zə/ noun a per-son or company that advertises The catalogue gives a list of advertisers.advertising /__dvəta z ŋ / noun the business of announcing that something is for sale or of trying to persuade cus-tomers to buy a product or service She works in advertising or She has a job in

advertising. Their new advertising campaign is being launched next week. The company has asked an advertis-ing agent to prepare a presentation. to take advertising space in a paper to book space for an advertisement in a newspaperadvertising manager /__dvəta z ŋm_n d"ə/ noun the manager in charge of advertising a company’s productsadvertising space /__dvəta z ŋ spe s/ noun a space in a newspaper set aside for advertisementsadvice /əd_va s/ noun 1. a notifica-tion telling someone what has happened 2. an opinion as to what action to take to take legal advice to ask a lawyer to say what should be doneThe accountant’s advice was to send the documents to the police. We sent the documents to the police on the advice of the accountant. We took the accoun-tant’s advice and sent the documents to the police. as per advice according to what is written on the advice noteadvise /əd_va z/ verb 1. to tell some-one what has happened We have been advised that the shipment will arrive next week. 2. to suggest to someone what should be done The lawyer ad-vised us to send the documents to the police.

advise against /ədva z ə_ enst/ verb to suggest that something should not be done The HR manager advised against dismissing the staff without notice.

adviser /əd_va zə/, advisor noun a person who suggests what should be done He is consulting the company’s legal adviser.advisory /əd_va z(ə)ri/ adjective as an adviser He is acting in an advisory capacity.Advisory, Conciliation and Arbi-tration Service /ədva z(ə)ri kəns lie ʃ(ə)n ənd ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)ns__v s/ noun a British government service which arbitrates in disputes be-tween management and employees. Abbr ACAS

COMMENT: ACAS has three roles: it will conciliate in a dispute if asked; it advises employers, trade unions and employees

advisory arbitration 9 agency

on matters concerning industrial relations; tion in employment (NOTE: the Britishit arbitrates in cases where industrial dis- equivalent is equal opportunities)putes cannot be settled inside the com-

affirmative recruitment /ə-pany’s own grievance structure.

advisory arbitration /ədva z(ə)rif__mət v r _kru_tmənt/ noun recruit-ment which gives special consideration

ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)n/ noun arbitration which to applicants from affirmative actionrecommends a solution to a dispute, but groups (NOTE: the British equivalent isis not binding on either party The two equal opportunities)parties resorted to advisory arbitration

afford /ə_fɔ_d/ verb to be able to payto avoid the legal process. Though thetwo parties had agreed to advisory arbi- for or buy something We could not af-

ford the cost of two telephones. Thetration, neither of them agreed with thecompany cannot afford the time to trainrecommendation. new staff. (NOTE: only used after can,

advisory board /əd_va z(ə)ri bɔ_d/ cannot, could, could not, able to)noun a group of advisors AFL-CIO noun an organisation linkingaffect /ə_fekt/ verb to cause some US trade unions. Abbr of Americanchange in or to have a bad effect on Federation of Labor – Congress ofsomething The new government regu- Industrial Organisationslations do not affect us. after-tax profit /ɑ_ftə _t_ks prɒf t/affiliated /ə_f l e t d/ adjective con-

noun profit after tax has been deductednected with or owned by another com-against /ə_ enst/ preposition relatingpanySmiths Ltd is one of our

affiliated companies. to or part of Can I have an advanceaffiliated societies /əf lie t d sə- against next month’s salary?The

bank advanced him £10,000 against the_sa ətiz/ plural noun non-profit-makingsecurity of his house.organisations which exist to provide fi-

‘…investment can be written off against thenancial support to members and theirmarginal rate of tax’ [Investors Chronicle]

families in sickness and old age age /e d"/ noun the number of yearsaffiliated trade union /əf lie t dsomeone has livedtre d _ju_njən/ noun trade unionsage bracket /_e d" br_k t/, agewhich a member of a larger organisa-

tion, such as a national association group /_e d" ru_p/ noun a group ofaffirmative /ə_f__mət v/ adjective people of about the same age the

25–30 age groupmeaning ‘yes’ the answer was in the/_e d"affirmative the answer was yes age discrimination

affirmative action /əf__mət v d skr m ne ʃ(ə)n/ noun unfair treat-ment resulting from prejudice against a__kʃən/ noun US the practice of pro-person on the grounds of their ageviding opportunities for disadvantaged(NOTE: countries such as Australia andgroups such as ethnic minorities,the United States have passed laws towomen or people with disabilities make age discrimination illegal)

COMMENT: Affirmative recruitment is usu- ageism /_e d" z(ə)m/ noun unfair dis-ally carried out by central or local govern-ment organisations. crimination against older people

affirmative action group /ə- age limit /_e d" l m t/ noun the topf__mət v __kʃən ru_p/ noun a group age at which you are allowed to do a jobof people who are eligible for or need There is an age limit of thirty-five onaffirmative action People in affirma- the post of buyer.tive action groups get special consider- agency /_e d"əns / noun 1. an officeation when applying for local or job of representing another companygovernment jobs.

/ə-in an area They signed an agency

affirmative action program agreement or an agency contract. 2. anf__mət v __kʃən prəυ r_m/ noun office or business which arranges thingsUS a programme to avoid discrimina- for other companies

agency labour 10 aim

agency labour /_e d"ənsi le bə/ noun staff supplied by an employment agencyagency shop /_e d"ənsi ʃɒp/ noun US a provision that requires non-union employees to pay union dues if they are part of a bargaining unitagenda /ə_d"endə/ noun a list of things to be discussed at a meetingThe conference agenda or the agenda of After two hours we were still discuss-ing the first item on the agenda. We usually put put finance at the top of the agenda. The chair wants two items re-moved from or taken off the agenda.agent /_e d"ənt/ noun 1. a person who represents a company or another person in an area to be the agent for BMW cars to be the agent for IBM 2. a person in charge of an agency

an advertising agent The estate agent sent me a list of properties for sale. Our trip was organised through our local travel agent. Management would only discuss the new payment scheme with agents officially represent-ing the workers. 3. a person who is formally acting on behalf of employees or a union Management would only discuss the new payment scheme with agents officially representing the work-ers. Certain workers were selected as agents to voice the grievances of the men and women on the shop floor.(business) agent US the chief local official of a trade unionagent’s commission /e d"ənts kə_m ʃ(ə)n/ noun money, often a per-centage of sales, paid to an agentage pension /_e d" penʃən/ noun a sum of money paid regularly by a gov-ernment to people who have reached the official age of retirementaggrieved /ə_ ri_vd/ adjective upset and annoyedaggrieved party /ə ri_vd _pɑ_ti/ noun the person who has a grievanceAGM abbr Annual General Meetingagree /ə_ ri_/ verb 1. to approve The figures were agreed between the two parties. We have agreed the budgets for next year. The terms of the con-tract are still to be agreed. 2. to say yes

to something that is suggested We all agreed on the plan. 3. to agree to or on something to approve somethingAfter some discussion she agreed to our plan. The bank will never agree to lend the company £250,000. We all agreed on the need for action. to agree to do something to say that you will do something She agreed to be chairman. Will the finance director agree to resign?agreed /ə_ ri_d/ adjective which has been accepted by everyone We pay an agreed amount each month. The shop is leased on agreed terms. The agreed terms of employment are laid down in the contract.agreement /ə_ ri_mənt/ noun 1. a spoken or written contract between peo-ple or groups which explains how they will act a written agreement an un-written or verbal agreement to draw up or to draft an agreement to break an agreement to sign an agreement to reach an agreement or to come to an agreement on something a collective wage agreement 2. a contract between two parties which explains how they will act a written agreement an un-written or verbal agreement to draw up or to draft an agreement to break an agreement to sign an agreement to reach an agreement or to come to an agreement on something a collective wage agreement

‘…after three days of tough negotiations the company has reached agreement with its 1,200 unionized workers’ [Toronto Star]

agree with /ə_ ri_ w ð/ verb 1. to say that your opinions are the same as some-one else’s I agree with the chairman that the figures are lower than normal. 2. to be the same as The auditors’ fig-ures do not agree with those of the ac-counts department.agricultural labourer/_ r k$ltʃərəl _le b(ə)rə/ noun a per-son who does heavy work on a farmaim /e m/ noun something which you try to do One of our aims is to in-crease the quality of our products. the company has achieved all its aims the company has done all the things it had hoped to do verb to try to do some-thing Each member of the sales team

air 11 alter

must aim to double their previous year’s sales. We aim to be No. 1 in the mar-ket within two years.air /eə/ verb to air a grievance to talk about or discuss a grievance The management committee is useful be-cause it allows the workers’ representa-tives to air their grievances.AIRC abbr Australian Industrial Rela-tions Commissionairmail letter /_eəme l letə/ noun a letter sent by airalarm /ə_lɑ_m/ noun a device which gives a loud warningalcoholism /__lkəhɒl z(ə)m/ noun the excessive drinking of alcohol which becomes addictivealien /_e liən/ noun 1. a person who is not a citizen of a country 2. (in the UK) a person who is not a citizen of the United Kingdom, a Commonwealth country or the Irish Republicalienation /e liə_ne ʃ(ə)n/ noun a lack of a sense of fulfilment when an employee cannot see the result of their work The monotony of the job created a sense of alienation. The manage-ment wanted to combat any sense of alienation by involving the employees in company decisions.allegation /_lə_ e ʃ(ə)n/ noun the suggestion that something has hap-pened, without being able to prove itallege /ə_led"/ verb to suggest some-thing, without being able to prove itThe management alleged that the union had broken the agreement.all-in /ɔ_l _ n/ adjective including everything The fee payable is £150 all-in.

all-in policy /ɔ_l n _pɒl si/ noun in-surance which covers all risksall-in rate /ɔ_l n _re t/, all-in price /ɔ_l n _pra s/ noun 1. a pricewhich covers all items in a purchase such as delivery, tax and insurance, as well as the goods themselves 2. a wage which includes all extra payments such as bonuses and merit payall-out /ɔ_l _aυt/ adjective complete or very serious The firm has launched an

all-out campaign to improve productiv-ity on Friday afternoons.all-out strike /ɔ_l aυt _stra k/ noun a complete strike by all employeesallow /ə_laυ/ verb 1. to say that some-one can do something Junior mem-bers of staff are not allowed to use the chairman’s lift. The company allows all members of staff to take six days’ holiday at Christmas. 2. to give to al-low 5% discount to members of staff We allow her a discount because she’s the manager’s sister. 3. to agree to or accept legally to allow a claim or an appeal

allowable /ə_laυəb(ə)l/ adjective le-gally acceptedallowance /ə_laυəns/ noun 1. money which is given for a special reason a travel allowance or a travelling allow-ance 2. part of an income which is not taxed allowances against tax or tax allowances personal allowances 3. money removed in the form of a dis-count an allowance for depreciation an allowance for exchange loss

‘…the compensation plan includes base, incentive and car allowance totalling $50,000+’ [Globe and Mail (Toronto)]

allowed time /əlaυd _ta m/ noun paid time which the management agrees an employee can spend on rest, cleaning or meals, not workingallow for /ə_laυ fɔ_/ verb to give a dis-count for or to add an extra sum to cover something to allow for money paid in advance Allow an extra 10% for post-age and packing. delivery is not al-lowed for delivery charges are not included allow 28 days for delivery calculate that delivery will take up to 28 days

all-risks policy /ɔ_l _r sks pɒl si/ noun an insurance policy which covers risks of any kind, with no exclusionsalphabetical order /_lfəbet k(ə)l _ɔ_də/ noun the arrangement of records (such as files and index cards) in the or-der of the letters of the alphabet (A,B,C,D, etc.)alter /_ɔ_ltə/ verb to change to alter the terms of a contract

alteration 12 analytical job evaluation

alteration /ɔ_ltə_re ʃ(ə)n/ noun a change which has been made He made some alterations to the terms of a contract. The agreement was signed without any alterations.alternate /_ɔ_ltəne t/ verb to do something by turns or in rotation Two workers alternate on the machine.alternating shift system/ɔ_ltəne t ŋ _ʃ ft s stəm/ noun a system where two groups of employees work day or night shifts, and after a certain period, change roundalternation ranking /ɔ_ltə_ne ʃ(ə)n r_ŋk ŋ/ noun a method of ranking, beginning with the highest and lowest, then the second highest and lowest, and so onalternative /ɔ_l_t__nət v/ noun a thing which can be done instead of an-other What is the alternative to firing half the staff? we have no alternative there is nothing else we can do adjec-tive other, which can take the place of something to find someone alterna-tive employment to find someone an-other job

amalgamate /ə_m_l əme t/ verb to join together with another group The amalgamated union has a total member-ship of 250,000.amalgamation /əm_l ə_me ʃ(ə)n/ noun the joining together of several trade unions to increase their strengthambition /_m_b ʃ(ə)n/ noun what someone wants to do or achieve in their life We insist that our sales represen-tatives have plenty of ambition. Her ambition is to become the senior partner in the firm.ambitious /_m_b ʃəs/ adjective full of ambition, wanting to do or achieve something He is ambitious, but not very competent.amend /ə_mend/ verb to change and make more correct or acceptablePlease amend your copy of the contract accordingly.amendment /ə_mendmənt/ noun a change to a document to propose an amendment to the constitution to make amendments to a contract

amenities /ə_mi_n tiz/ plural noun services provided by an organisation for the people who work in it The staff amenities included a subsidised canteen and sports facilities.amount /ə_maυnt/ noun a quantity of money a small amount invested in gilt-edged stock A small amount has been deducted to cover our costs. A large amount is still owing. What is the amount to be written off? What is the amount outstanding? verb to amount to to make a total of Their debts amount to over £1m.

analogue /__n(ə)lɒ / noun a person’s opposite in another organisation The conference of production managers gave those attending the opportunity to meet their analogues in other industries.(NOTE: US spelling is also analog)analyse /__nəla z/, analyze verb to examine someone or something in detail

to analyse a statement of account to analyse the market potentialanalysis /ə_n_ləs s/ noun a detailed examination and report a job analysis

market analysis Her job is to pro-duce a regular sales analysis. (NOTE:plural is analyses)analyst /__nəl st/ noun a person who analyses a market analyst a systems analystanalytical /_nə_l t k(ə)l/ adjective using analysisanalytical estimating/_nəl t k(ə)l _est me t ŋ/ noun a work measurement technique where the time taken to perform a job is estimated on the basis of prior experienceAnalytical estimating was not consid-ered a satisfactory work measurement technique because the union com-plained that previously established time period Analytical estimating was used on those jobs that hadn’t changed since the original work measurement.analytical job evaluation/_nəl t k(ə)l _d"ɒb v_ljue ʃ(ə)n/ noun a method of evaluating a job using a points system to compare one job with another (as opposed to non-analytical evaluation)

ancillary staff 13 annuity

ancillary staff /_n_s ləri stɑ_f/ noun staff who are not administrators, pro-duction staff or sales staff (such as cleaners, porters, canteen staff, etc.)andragogy /__ndrə ɒ i/ noun the science of adult learning, that is of teaching adults in an adult way, as op-posed to teaching them as if they were children Andragogy has developed in response to the increasing number of adults with the time and money to spend on further education. The training manager was aware of the latest theo-ries in andragogy of importance in the training of machinists.Anglo-Saxon work ethic /_ŋ ləυ s_ksən _w__k eθ k/ noun a feeling inBritain and the USA that work is the most important task for an adultanniversary /_n _v__s(ə)ri/, anni-versary date /_n _v__s(ə)ri de t/ nouna date in a following year which is the same as a particular occasion, e.g. the date of joining a pension schemeannounce /ə_naυns/ verb to tell something to the public to announce the first year’s trading results to an-nounce the results for 2002 The direc-tor has announced a programme of investment.

announcement /ə_naυnsmənt/ noun an act of telling something in pub-lic the announcement of a cutback in expenditure the announcement of the appointment of a new managing direc-tor The managing director made an announcement to the staff.annual /__njuəl/ adjective for one year an annual statement of income They have six weeks’ annual leave. The company has an annual growth of 5%. We get an annual bonus. on an annual basis each year The figures are revised on an annual basis.

‘…real wages have risen at an annual rate of only 1% in the last two years’ [Sunday Times]‘…the remuneration package will include an attractive salary, profit sharing and a company car together with four weeks’ annual holiday’ [Times]

Annual General Meeting /_njuəl d"en(ə)rəl _mi_t ŋ/ noun an annualmeeting of all shareholders of a com-pany, when the company’s financial sit-

uation is presented by and discussed with the directors, when the accounts for the past year are approved and when dividends are declared and audited.Abbr AGM (NOTE: the American equiv-alent is annual meeting or annual stockholders’ meeting)annual holiday /_njuəl _hɒl de / noun a holiday which is taken once a year

annual hours /_njuəl _aυəz/ plural noun the total of all the hours worked in a year (e.g. 1720 hours per annum), laid out in a contract of employment, so al-lowing an employee more flexibility than a weekly hour systemannual income /_njuəl _ nk$m/ noun money received during a calendar yearannualised /__njuəla zd/, annual-ized adjective shown on an annual basis

‘…he believes this may have caused the economy to grow at an annualized rate of almost 5 per cent in the final quarter of last year’ [Investors Chronicle]

annualised percentage rate/_njuəla zd pə_sent d" re t/ noun a yearly percentage rate, calculated by multiplying the monthly rate by twelve (not as accurate as the APR, which in-cludes fees and other charges)annually /__njuəli/ adverb each yearThe figures are updated annually.Annual Percentage Rate /_njuəl pə_sent d" re t/ noun a rate of interest(such as on a hire-purchase agreement) shown on an annual compound basis, in-cluding fees and charges. Abbr APRannual report /_njuəl r _pɔ_t/ noun a report of a company’s financial situa-tion at the end of a year, sent to all the shareholdersannual salary /_njuəl _s_ləri/ noun a salary for one year’s workannuitant /ə_nju_ tənt/ noun a per-son who receives an annuityannuity /ə_nju_ ti/ noun money paid each year to a retired person, usually in return for a lump-sum payment; the value of the annuity depends on how long the person lives, as it usually can-not be passed on to another person; an-nuities are fixed payments, and lose

annuity for life

their value with inflation, whereas a pension can be index-linked to buy or to take out an annuity He has a gov-ernment annuity or an annuity from the government. contingent annuity an annuity paid to someone on the death of another person

COMMENT: When a person retires, he or she is required by law to purchase a ‘com-pulsory purchase annuity’ with the funds accumulated in his or her pension fund. This gives them a taxable income for the rest of their life, but usually it is a fixed in-come which does not change with inflation.

annuity for life /ənju_ ti fə _la f/ noun annual payments made to some-one as long as they are aliveannul /ə_n$l/ verb to cancel or to stop something being legal The contract was annulled by the court. (NOTE: an-nulling – annulled)annullable /ə_n$ləb(ə)l/ adjective which can be cancelledannulling /ə_n$l ŋ/ adjective which cancels an annulling clause in a con-tract noun the act of cancelling the annulling of a contractannulment /ə_n$lmənt/ noun the act of cancelling the annulment of a contract

answer /_ɑ_nsə/ verb to speak or write after someone has spoken or written to you to answer a letter to write a letter in reply to a letter which you have re-ceived to answer the telephone to lift the telephone when it rings and listen to what the caller is sayinganswerphone /_ɑ_nsəfəυn/ noun a machine which answers the telephone automatically when a person is not in the office and allows messages to be re-corded He wasn’t in when I called so I left a message on his answerphone.antedate /_nt _de t/ verb to put an earlier date on a document The in-voice was antedated to January 1st. The contract was antedated to January 1st.

anticipation /_nt s _pe ʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of doing something before it is due to be done

14 application

anticipatory /_n_t s pət(ə)ri/ adjec-tive done before it is dueanticipatory breach /_n-t s pət(ə)ri _bri_tʃ/ noun the refusal by a party to a contract to perform their obligations under the contract at a time before they were due to be performedanti-inflationary measure /_ntin_fle ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri me"ə/ noun a mea-sure

taken to reduce inflationany other business /eni $ðə _b zn s/ noun an item at the end of an agenda, where any matter can be raised. Abbr AOBappeal /ə_pi_l/ noun 1. the fact of be-ing attractive 2. the act of asking a law court or a government department to change its decision He lost his appeal for damages against the company. she won her case on appeal her case was lost in the first court, but the appeal court said that she was right verb 1. to attract The idea of working in Austra-lia for six months appealed to her. 2. to ask a law court or a government depart-ment or to alter its decision The union appealed against the decision of the tri-bunal. (NOTE: you appeal to a court ora person against a decision)appeal proceedings /ə_pi_l prə-si_d ŋz/ plural noun the formal hearing of an appeal by a tribunalappeals procedure /ə_pi_lz prə-si_d"ə/ noun the way in which an em-ployee can appeal against a decisionappendix /ə_pend ks/ noun 1. addi-tional sheets at the back of a contract 2. additional pages at the back of a bookapplicant /__pl kənt/ noun a person who applies for something an appli-cant for a job or a job applicant an applicant to an industrial tribunal There were thousands of applicants for shares in the new company.application /_pl _ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the act of asking for something, usually in writing shares payable on applica-tion She sent off six applications for job or six job applications. 2. effort or diligence She has shown great appli-cation in her work on the project.

application blank

application blank /_pl _ke ʃ(ə)n bl_ŋk/ noun US a form for recording an applicant’s qualifications for a jobapplication form /_pl _ke ʃ(ə)n fɔ_m/ noun a form to be filled in when applying for a new issue of shares or for a job

apply /ə_pla / verb 1. to ask for some-thing, usually in writing to apply in writing to apply in person About fifty people have applied so far. The more ambitious of the office workers will apply for the management trainee programme. (NOTE: applies- applying-applied) 2. to affect or to relate toThis clause applies only to deals outside the EU.appoint /ə_pɔ nt/ verb to choose someone for a job We have appointed a new distribution manager. They’ve appointed Janet Smith (to the post of) manager. (NOTE: you appoint a personto a job)appointee /əpɔ n_ti_/ noun a person who is appointed to a jobappointment /ə_pɔ ntmənt/ noun 1. an arrangement to meet to make or to fix an appointment with someone for two o’clock He was late for his ap-pointment. She had to cancel her ap-pointment. 2. the act of being appointed to a job on his appointment as man-ager when he was made manager 3. a job

appointments book /ə_pɔ ntmənts bυk/ noun a desk diary in which ap-pointments are notedappointments vacant /ə-pɔ ntmənts _ve kənt/ noun a list (in a newspaper) of jobs which are availableapportion /ə_pɔ_ʃ(ə)n/ verb to share out costs, blame, etc. Costs are appor-tioned according to projected revenue.apportionment /ə_pɔ_ʃ(ə)nmənt/ noun the sharing out of costsapportionment of wages /ə-pɔ_ʃ(ə)nmənt əv _we d" z/ noun a de-cision as to what payment is made to an employee who leaves before pay dayA generous apportionment of wages was favoured by the human resources de-partment so that employees would not lea The union objected to the com-

15 appropriate

pany’s apportionment of wages, claim-ing that employees were not receiving amounts corresponding to days worked.appraisal /ə_pre z(ə)l/ noun a calcu-lation of the value of someone or something

‘…we are now reaching a stage in industry and commerce where appraisals are becoming part of the management culture. Most managers now take it for granted that they will appraise and be appraised’ [Personnel Management]

appraisal interview /ə_pre z(ə)l ntəvju_/ noun an interview where themanager (the appraiser) discusses with the employee (the appraisee) his or her performanceappraise /ə_pre z/ verb to assess or to calculate the value of something or someoneappraisee /əpre _zi_/ noun an em-ployee who is being appraised by their manager in an appraisal interviewappraiser /ə_pre zə/ noun a person who conducts an appraisal inteviewappreciate /ə_pri_ʃie t/ verb 1. to no-tice how good something is 2. (of cur-rency, shares, etc.) to increase in valueappreciation /əpri_ʃi_e ʃ(ə)n/ noun1. an increase in value 2. the act of valu-ing something highly He was given a rise in appreciation of his excellent work.

apprentice /ə_prent s/ noun a young person who works under contract for a period in order to be trained in a skill verb to be apprenticed to someone to work with a skilled worker to learn from them

apprenticeship /ə_prent sʃ p/ noun the time spent learning a skilled tradeHe served a six-year apprenticeship in the steel works.approach /ə_prəυtʃ/ noun an act of getting in touch with someone with a proposal She has had an approach from a firm of headhunters. verb to get in touch with someone with a pro-posal She was approached by a head-hunter with the offer of a job.appropriate adjective /ə_prəυpriət/ suitable I leave it to you to take ap-propriate action.

approval

approval /ə_pru_v(ə)l/ noun 1. agree-ment to submit a budget for approval

to give something your approval to approve something 2. on approval a sale where the buyer only pays for goods if they are satisfactory to buy a photocopier on approvalapprove /ə_pru_v/ verb 1. to ap-prove of something to think something is good The chairman approves of the new company letter heading. The sales staff do not approve of interfer-ence from the accounts division. 2. to agree to something officially to ap-prove the terms of a contract The pro-posal was approved by the board.approximate /ə_prɒks mət/ adjec-tive not exact, but almost correct The sales division has made an approximate forecast of expenditure.approximately /ə_prɒks mətli/ ad-verb almost correctly Expenditure on marketing is approximately 10% down on the previous quarter.approximation /əprɒks _me ʃ(ə)n/ noun a rough calculation Each de-partment has been asked to provide an approximation of expenditure for next year. The final figure is only an approximation.APR abbr Annual Percentage Rateaptitude /__pt tju_d/ noun the ability to do somethingaptitude test /__pt tju_d test/ noun test to see if a candidate is suitable for a certain type of work. Compare attain-ment testarbitrate /_ɑ_b tre t/ verb (of an out-side party) to try to settle an industrial dispute by talking to representatives of both sides, who agree in advance to abide by the arbitrator’s decisionarbitration /ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)n/ noun the settling of a dispute by an outside party, agreed on by both sides to take a dis-pute to arbitration or to go to arbitra-tion arbitration in an industrial dispute The two sides decided to sub-mit the dispute to arbitration or to refer the question to arbitration.arbitration agreement /ɑ_b -_tre ʃ(ə)n ə ri_mənt/ noun an agree-ment between two parties that any dif-

16 argue

ferences between them shall be settled by arbitrationarbitration award /ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)n əwɔ_d/ noun a decision by an arbitra-tion tribunalarbitration board /ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)n bɔ_d/ noun a group which arbitratesarbitration clause /ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)n klɔ_z/ noun a clause in a contract stating how differences between the parties can be settled by arbitrationarbitration tribunal /ɑ_b _tre ʃ(ə)n tra bju_n(ə)l/ noun a group which ad-judicates in industrial disputesarbitrator /_ɑ_b tre tə/ noun a person not concerned with a dispute who is chosen by both sides to try to settle it an industrial arbitrator They refused to accept or they rejected the arbitra-tor’s ruling.area /_eəriə/ noun 1. a measurement of the space taken up by something (calcu-lated by multiplying the length by the width) a no-smoking area The area of this office is 3,400 square feet. We are looking for a shop with a sales area of about 100 square metres. 2. a region of the world 3. a subject a problem area or an area for concern 4. a district or part of a town The office is in the commercial area of the town. Their factory is in a very good area for getting to the motorways and airports. 5. a part of a country, a division for commercial purposes Her sales area is the North-West. He finds it difficult to cover all his area in a week. 6. part of a room, factory, restaurant, etc. a no-smoking area

area code /_eəriə kəυd/ noun a spe-cial telephone number which is given to a particular area The area code for central London is 0207.area manager /eəriə _m_n d"ə/ noun a manager who is responsible for a company’s work in a specific part of the countryargue /_ɑ_ ju_/ verb to discuss some-thing about which you do not agreeThe union officials argued among them-selves over the best way to deal with the ultimatum from the management. We spent hours arguing with the managing

argument 17 ascribed status

director about the site for the new factory.to argue against something to give

reasons why you think something should not be doneargument /_ɑ_ jυmənt/ noun 1. an act of discussing something without agreeing She was sacked after an ar-gument with the managing director. 2. a reason for supporting or rejecting some-thing The document gives the man-agement’s arguments in favour of flexible working hours.arising /ə_ra z ŋ/ adjective which co-mes from differences arising from the contractaround /ə_raυnd/ preposition approxi-mately His salary is around $85,000.arrange /ə_re nd"/ verb 1. to put into a suitable or pleasing order The office is arranged as an open-plan area with small separate rooms for meetings. The files are arranged in alphabetical order. 2. to organise We arranged to have the meeting in their offices. (NOTE:you arrange for someone to do some-thing; you arrange for something to be done; or you arrange to do something)arrangement /ə_re nd"mənt/ noun1. the way in which something is organ-ised The company secretary is making all the arrangements for the meeting. 2. the settling of a financial dispute He came to an arrangement with his creditors.

arrears /ə_r əz/ plural noun 1. money which is owed, but which has not been paid at the right time We are pressing the company to pay arrears of interest.2. in arrears owing money which should have been paid earlier The payments are six months in arrears. He is six weeks in arrears with his rent.article /_ɑ_t k(ə)l/ noun 1. a product or thing for sale to launch a new article on the market 2. a section of a legal agreement such as a contract or treatySee article 8 of the contract. Article 117 of the Treaty of Rome an article which requires member states to im-prove working conditions and workers’ living conditions Article 118(a) of the Treaty of Rome an article which re-quires member states to improve health and safety in the working environment

Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome an article which requires all member states to apply equal pay to men and women doing equal jobsarticled clerk /ɑ_t k(ə)ld _klɑ_k/ noun a clerk who is bound by contract to work in a solicitor’s office for some years to learn the law (NOTE: officiallynow called a trainee solicitor, though the old term is still used)articles /_ɑ_t k(ə)lz/ plural noun a time when a clerk is working in a solici-tor’s office learning the law (NOTE: offi-cially now called a training contract,though the old term is still used) to serve articles to work in a solicitor’s of-fice to learn the lawarticles of association /ɑ_t k(ə)lz əv əsəυsi_e ʃ(ə)n/ plural noun a docu-ment which lays down the rules for a company regarding such matters as the issue of shares, the conduct of meetings and the appointment of directors He is a director appointed under the articles of association of the company. This procedure is not allowed under the arti-cles of association of the company.articles of incorporation/ɑ_t k(ə)lz əv nkɔ_pə_re ʃ(ə)n/ plural noun US a document which sets up a company and lays down the relationship between the shareholders and the com-pany (NOTE: the British equivalent isMemorandum of Association)articles of indenture /ɑ_t k(ə)lz əv n_dentʃə/ plural noun a contract by which an apprentice works for a master for some years to learn a tradearticles of partnership /ɑ_t k(ə)lz əv _pɑ_tnəʃ p/ plural noun a document which sets up the legal conditions of a partnershipartisan /ɑ_t _z_n/ noun a worker who has special training in a manual skill

asap /e es e _pi_, _e s_p/, ASAP as soon as possibleascribed status /əskra bd _ste təs/ noun status which someone has in an or-ganisation by right (as opposed to status achieved by merit)

aspirations

aspirations /_sp _re ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun ambitions or hopes of advance-ment in your jobaspire /ə_spa ə/ verb to aspire to to have a strong ambition toassembly line /ə_sembli la n/ noun a production system where a product such as a car moves slowly through the factory with new sections added to it as it goes along She works on an assem-bly line or She is an assembly line worker.

assembly point /ə_sembli pɔ nt/, meeting point /_mi_t ŋ pɔ nt/ noun aplace where people can meet (such as at a railway station or for checking during fire drill)assert /ə_s__t/ verb to assert your-self to show that you have control or can make decisions She doesn’t assert herself much in public meetings, but her sales figures are impressive.assertiveness /ə_s__t vnəs/ noun the ability to state opinions or show that you can make decisionsassertiveness training /ə-_s__t vnəs tre n ŋ/ noun the process of training employees to have more con-fidence in themselvesassess /ə_ses/ verb to calculate the value of something or someone to as-sess damages at £1,000 to assess a property for the purposes of insuranceassessment /ə_sesmənt/ noun a cal-culation of value a property assess-ment a tax assessment They made a complete assessment of each employee’s contribution to the organisation.assessment centre /ə_sesmənt sentə/ noun a special place which as-sesses the abilities of a group of em-ployees sent by their organisationsThe three days at the assessment centre consisted of in-basket tests and personal interviews. The assessment centre aims to spot those individuals with man-agement potential.assessment of competence /ə-sesmənt əv _kɒmp t(ə)ns/ noun an assessment of an employee’s ability to do a job properly as measured by an agreed set of standards

18 associated

assessor /ə_sesə/ noun 1. a person who assesses someone 2. a person who advises a tribunalassign /ə_sa n/ verb 1. to give legally

to assign a right to someone to as-sign shares to someone 2. to give some-one something to use or a job of work to do, and be responsible for He was as-signed the job of checking the sales figures.assignee /_sa _ni_/ noun a person who receives something which has been assigned to him or herassignment /ə_sa nmənt/ noun 1. the legal transfer of a property or right the assignment of a patent or of a copy-right to sign a deed of assignment 2. a particular task given to someone Her first assignment was to improve the company’s image. The oil team is on an assignment in the North Sea.assignment of wages /əsa nmənt əv _we d" z/ noun a procedure in which a deduction is made from an em-ployee’s wages and is paid to a third party An assignment of wages was ar-ranged to pay a worker who had filled in while the regular employee was ill.assignor /_sa _nɔ_/ noun a person who assigns something to someoneassist /ə_s st/ verb to help Can you assist the stock controller in counting the stock? She assists me with my in-come tax returns. (NOTE: you assistsomeone in doing something or with something)assistance /ə_s st(ə)ns/ noun helpSome candidates need assistance in fill-ing in the form.assistant /ə_s st(ə)nt/ noun a person who helps or a clerical employeeassistant manager /əs st(ə)nt _m_n d"ə/ noun a person who helps a manager

associate /ə_səυsiət/ adjective linkednoun a person who works in the same

business as someone She is a business associate of mine.associate company /əsəυsiət _k$mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which is partly owned by another companyassociated /ə_səυsie t d/ adjective linked

associated company 19 attendance money

associated company /əsəυsie t d _k$mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which is partly owned by another (though less than 50%), and where the share-owning company exerts some management con-trol or has a close trading relationship with the associate Smith Ltd and its associated company, Jones Brothersassociate director /əsəυsiət da -_rektə/ noun a director who attends board meetings, but has not been elected by the shareholdersassociation /əsəυsi_e ʃ(ə)n/ noun a group of people or companies with the same interest an employers’ associa-tion Our company has applied to join the trade association.assume /ə_sju_m/ verb 1. to suppose, to believe something to be true I as-sume you have enough money to pay these expenses? 2. to take for yourselfHe has assumed responsibility for mar-keting. The company will assume all risks.assumption /ə_s$mpʃən/ noun 1. a general belief We are working on the assumption that the exchange rate will stay the same. 2. the act of taking for yourself assumption of risksassurance /ə_ʃυərəns/ noun 1. insur-ance, an agreement that in return for regular payments a company will pay compensation for loss of life 2. a firm statement that something will happenHe received an assurance from the HR director that he would not be demoted.assure /ə_ʃυə/ verb 1. to insure or to have a contract with a company where if regular payments are made, the com-pany will pay compensation if you dieHe has paid the premiums to have his wife’s life assured. 2. to assure some-one that to state something firmly so that someone is sure that it is trueassurer /ə_ʃυərə/, assuror noun an insurer or a company which insures(NOTE: assure, assurer, and assur-ance are used in Britain for insurance policies relating to something which will certainly happen (such as death); for other types of policy (i.e. those against something which may or may not happen, such as an accident) use

the terms insure, insurer, and insurance)attach /ə_t_tʃ/ verb to fasten or to link

I am attaching a copy of my previous letter. Please find attached a copy of my letter of June 24th. The company attaches great importance to good timekeeping.attachment /ə_t_tʃmənt/ noun the act of holding a debtor’s property to pre-vent it being sold until debts are paidattachment of earnings order /ə-t_tʃmənt əv ___n ŋz ɔ_də/ noun a court order to make an employer pay part of an employee’s salary to the court to pay off debtsattainment /ə_te nmənt/ noun the act of reaching a certain standard or goalattainment test /ə_te nmənt test/ noun a test designed to measure the skills which someone is currently using. Compare aptitude testattend /ə_tend/ verb to be present atThe chairman has asked all managers to attend the meeting. None of the share-holders attended the AGM.attendance /ə_tendəns/ noun the fact of being present at a meeting or at work

Attendance at the staff meeting is not compulsory. Some of the employees were reprimanded for poor attendance. The supervisor kept a strict record of the workers’ attendance. Promotion to the post of supervisor depends to a certain extent on a person’s attendance record. attendance allowance /ə_tendəns əlaυəns/ noun a benefit paid to a dis-abled person over 65 to cover the costs of having someone to care for them. Abbr AAattendance bonus /ə_tendəns bəυnəs/ noun a bonus given to em-ployees for good attendance You may find that payment of an attendance bo-nus will motivate workers. An atten-dance bonus is awarded for a 95% attendance record.attendance money /ə_tendəns m$ni/ noun payment made to workers who turn up even when there is no work for them to do

attendance time 20 authorise

attendance time /ə_tendəns ta m/ noun hours spent at work that are paid for

attendant /ə_tendənt/ noun a lower-level employee who is given a measure of responsibilityattend to /ə_tend tu_/ verb to give careful thought to something and deal with it The managing director will at-tend to your complaint personally. We have brought in experts to attend to the problem of installing the new computer.attention /ə_tenʃən/ noun careful thought or consideration to pay atten-tion to to study carefully and follow in-structions, rules, etc.attitude /__t tju_d/ noun the way in which a person behaves or thinksattract /ə_tr_kt/ verb to make some-thing or someone join or come in We have difficulty in attracting skilled staff to this part of the country.attractive /ə_tr_kt v/ adjective which attracts attractive salary a good salary to make high-quality appli-cants apply for the jobattribution theory of leadership/_tr _bju_ʃ(ə)n θ əri əv li_dəʃ p/ noun the theory that leaders observe the behaviour of the people they lead, decide what it is that is causing them to behave in that particular way, e.g. what is causing them to perform well or perform badly, and base their own actions on what they believe those causes to be

attrition /ə_tr ʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a de-crease in the loyalty of consumers to a product, due to factors such as boredom or desire for a change 2. loss of labour through natural wastageat will /ət _w l/ adverb employment-at-willaudio-typing /_ɔ_diəυ ta p ŋ/ noun typing to dictation from a recording on a dictating machineaudio-typist /_ɔ_diəυ ta p st/ noun a typist who types to dictation from a re-cording on a dictating machineaudit /_ɔ_d t/ noun 1. the examination of the books and accounts of a company

to carry out the annual audit A thorough job audit was needed for job

evaluation. 2. a detailed examination of something in order to assess it A thor-ough job audit was needed for job eval-uation. A manpower audit showed up a desperate lack of talent. verb to ex-amine the books and accounts of a com-pany Messrs Smith have been asked to audit the accounts. The books have not yet been audited.auditing /_ɔ_d t ŋ/ noun the act of ex-amining the books and accounts of a companyauditor /_ɔ_d tə/ noun a person who audits

COMMENT: Auditors are appointed by the company’s directors and voted by the AGM. In the USA, audited accounts are only required by corporations which are registered with the SEC, but in the UK all limited companies with a turnover over a certain limit must provide audited annual accounts.

audit trail /_ɔ_d t tre l/ noun the records that show all the stages of a transaction, e.g. a purchase, a sale or a customer complaint, in the order in which they happened (NOTE: an audittrail can be a useful tool for problem-solving and, in financial markets, may be used to ensure that the dealers have been fair and accurate in their proceedings.)Aufsichtsrat /_aυfz ktsrɑ_t/ Ger-man noun a supervisory boardAustralian Industrial Relations Commission /ɒstre liən nd$striəl r _le ʃ(ə)nz kəm ʃ(ə)n/ noun an ad-ministrative body in Australia, estab-lished in 1988, that is responsible for settling industrial disputes by concilia-tion and for setting the standards that companies must meet to qualify for in-dustrial awardsauthorisation /ɔ_θəra _ze ʃ(ə)n/, authorization noun permission or power to do something Do you have authorisation for this expenditure? He has no authorisation to act on our behalf.

authorise /_ɔ_θəra z/, authorize verb1. to give permission for something to be done to authorise payment of £10,000 2. to give someone the author-

authoritarian

ity to do something to authorise someone to act on the company’s behalfauthoritarian /ɔ_θɒr _teəriən/ ad-jective demanding a high level of disci-pline or obedience The employees disliked the authoritarian management style. The managing director is very authoritarian and expects immediate obedience.

authority /ɔ__θɒr ti/ noun the power to do something a manager with au-thority to sign cheques He has no au-thority to act on our behalf. Without the necessary authority, the manager could not command respect. Only se-nior managers have the authority to ini-tiate these changes.authority chart /ɔ__θɒr ti tʃɑ_t/ noun a diagram that shows who has au-thority over whom and who is account-able to whom within an organisation(NOTE: an authority chart is similar to an organisation chart.)autocratic management style/ɔ_təkr_t k _m_n d"mənt sta l/ noun a style of management where the managers tell the employees what to do, without involving them in the decision-making processes (NOTE: theopposite is democratic management style)automated /_ɔ_təme t d/ adjective worked automatically by machines a fully automated car assembly plantautomatic /ɔ_tə_m_t k/ adjective which works or takes place without any person making it happen There is an automatic increase in salaries on Janu-ary 1st.automatically /ɔ_tə_m_t kli/ ad-verb working without a person giving instructions Addresses are typed in automatically. automatically unfair dismissals dismissals which are always unfair, whatever the circumstances (such as when a woman employee is dismissed for being pregnant or some-one is dismissed for belonging to a trade union)

automatic data processing/ɔ_təm_t k _de tə prəυses ŋ/ noun data processing done by a computer

21 average

automatic sanction /ɔ_təm_t k _s_ŋkʃən/ noun a penalty which is ap-plied automatically, outside the legal process, to an employee taking part in industrial action The fear of automatic sanction stopped many employees going on strike for better working conditions.automatic telling machine/ɔ_təm_t k _tel ŋ məʃi_n/ noun a machine which gives out money when a special card is inserted and special instructions givenautomatic wage progression/ɔ_təm_t k _we d" prə reʃ(ə)n/ noun an automatic increase in wages according to the time a person has worked in the organisation Automatic wage progression was seen as a way of motivating employees to stay in the company.

automation /ɔ_tə_me ʃ(ə)n/ noun the use of machines to do work with very little supervision by peopleautonomous /ɔ__tɒnəməs/ adjective which rules itself The workforce in the factory is made up of several auton-omous work groups.autonomous bargaining /ɔ_-tɒnəməs _bɑ_ n ŋ/ noun direct bar-gaining between management and em-ployees, without involving trade unionsautonomous learning /ɔ_tɒnəməs _l__n ŋ/ noun learning by yourself, without teachersautonomous teamworking /ɔ_-tɒnəməs _ti_mw__k ŋ/, autonomous working group /ɔ_tɒnəməs _w__k ŋ

ru_p/ noun a group of employees who can work independently, taking decisions together as a group (NOTE:also called self-managing team)autonomy /ɔ__tɒnəmi/ noun working by yourself, without being managedavailable capital /əve ləb(ə)l _k_p t(ə)l/ noun capital which is ready to be usedAVCs abbr additional voluntary contributionsaverage /__v(ə)r d"/ noun 1. a num-ber calculated by adding several figures together and dividing by the number of figures added the average for the last three months or the last three months’

average adjustment 22 axe

average sales average or average of sales 2. on average, on an average in general On average, £15 worth of goods are stolen every day. 3. the shar-ing of the cost of damage or loss of a ship between the insurers and the own-ers adjective 1. the middle of a set of figures the average figures for the last three months the average increase in salaries 2. not very good The com-pany’s performance has been only aver-age. He’s only an average worker. verb to produce as an average figurePrice increases have averaged 10% per annum. Days lost through sickness have averaged twenty-two over the last four years.

‘…a share with an average rating might yield 5 per cent and have a PER of about 10’ [Investors Chronicle]‘…the average price per kilogram for this season to the end of April has been 300 cents’ [Australian Financial Review]

average adjustment /_v(ə)r d" ə-_d"$stmənt/ noun a calculation of the share of cost of damage or loss of a shipaverage age /_v(ə)r d" _e d"/ noun the age of a group of people, calculated by adding all the ages and dividing by the number of people in the group The average age of our managers is 32.average earnings scheme/_v(ə)r d" ___n ŋz ski_m/ noun a pension scheme where the benefit is calculated annually on the earnings in each year

average out /_v(ə)r d" _aυt/ verb to come to a figure as an average It averages out at 10% per annum. Sales increases have averaged out at 15%.average-sized /_vər d" _sa zd/ ad-jective not large or small They are an

average-sized company. He has an average-sized office.avert /ə_v__t/ verb to stop something happening The management made an increased offer in the hope of averting the strike.avoid /ə_vɔ d/ verb to try not to do something My aim is to avoid paying too much tax. We want to avoid direct competition with Smith Ltd. The com-pany is struggling to avoid bankruptcy.(NOTE: you avoid something or avoid doing something)avoidance /ə_vɔ dns/ noun trying not to do something avoidance of an agreement or of a contractawait /ə_we t/ verb to wait for We are awaiting the decision of the plan-ning department. They are awaiting a decision of the court. The agent is awaiting our instructions.award /ə_wɔ_d/ noun a decision which settles a dispute or claim an award by an industrial tribunal The arbitrator’s award was set aside on appeal. The latest pay award has been announced. verb to decide the amount of money to be given to someone to award someone a salary increase to award a contract to someone to decide that someone will have the contract to do work

award wage /ə_wɔ_d we d"/ noun a rate of pay set by an industrial court or tribunal in Australia or New Zealand for a particular occupationaxe /_ks/ noun the project got the axe the project was stopped verb to cut or to stop to axe expenditure Several thousand jobs are to be axed.(NOTE: the usual US spelling is ax)