MBA Vocabulary

The following list of words has been compiled from a range of sources, for the
purposes of preparing the MBA applicant for the multitude of new phrases
and terminology that they can expect to hear, learn and use on the course.
This list is not exhaustive, and due to the ever-changing nature of
international business, it is unrealistic, and probably impossible, to expect to
ever have a completely comprehensive list at any one point in time.
Remember, to fully assimilate new words into your vocabulary, you need to
see, hear and use these as often as possible, through listening, speaking,
reading and writing.
The books mentioned at the end of the list, are a great place to find these
words in context, and reading these regularly will really help to prepare you
for the challenges of the MBA course.

Be sure to check regularly check back at www.mbaenglishonline.com since

this list will be reviewed periodically.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
A
AAA-rated
Abolish
Accountability
Accountants
Accounts opinion
Accounting
Accounts
Accounts payable

Accounts receivables
Accrued expenses
Acquire
Acquiring companies
Aquisitions
Actions
Active selling
Activist hedge funds
Activist shareholders
Ad copy
Additional paid-in capital
Administration
Administrators
Advertising
Advertising Campaigns
Agenda
Aggressive
AIDA (Attention, capture Interest, create Desire, and request Action)
Alignment
Allocating resources
Analysts
Analytical tools
Analyzing
Antitrusts
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Application
Apply
Appoint
Appointment
Appraisals
Approval process
ASEAN (Association of Southeastern Asian Nations)
Assets

Asset turnover
Assignment
Associate
Assurance
Attend
Arbitrage
Auction (Bonds)
Audits
Authority
Authorise (UK)
Authorize (US)
Automotive
Awareness
Award
Averages

Page Top
B
Back and forth
Back office
Back office functions
Back up (back something up)
Bad debt
Balance of trade
Balance sheet
Bank of England
Bankruptcy
Banks Analyst
Bank statement
Banner Ad/Advertising
Barrier to Trade
Base on (base something on)
Bear markets

Benchmarking
Benchmark 10-year Treasury note
Benefit
Benefits administrators
Benign credit conditions
Best practices
Beta sites
Beta tests
Bid
Bills
Billboard
Board of directors
Boardroom
Bond auction process
Bond credit rating
Bond yield
Bond yield spreads
Bonus
Bookkeeping
Booking
Book Runner
Books
Booms
Boost
Bottom-feeder investors
Bottom line
Branch
Branch manager
Branch office
Brand
Brand image
Branded
Branding

Breakdown
Break-even
Break-even point
Breakthroughs
Bribery
Brokers
Brokerage commission
Bubble market
Budget
Budget deficit
Budgeting process
Bull market
Bulldog bond
Bullet chart
Bullet points
Bundling products
Bunds
Bureaucratic
Business accounts
Business community relations
Business description
Business ethics
Business goals
Business organization
Business owners equity
Business plan
Business risk
Busts
Buy-and-hold strategy
Buyer beware
Buying power
Buzzword

Page Top

C
Calculation
Calls (option)
Candidate
Capital
Capital budget
Capitals calls
Capital expenditure
Capital stock
Capital structure
Carrier
Cash
Cash flow
Cash management
Cash on delivery (COD)
Caveat emptor
CBI surveys
Central tendency
Central tendency measures
Centralization
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Chain of command
Charity
Charts
Checking references
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Chief Information Officer (CFO)
Claim
Clarify
Clarification

Closing
Coaching
Cold calling
Collections agency
Collections attorney
Collections period
Collateral
Commercial paper
Commercial sales
Commercials
Commission
Commission plans
Commitment
Commodities
Commodities markets
Common stocks
Community
Companies cost of capital
Compensation
Compensations analyst
Company environment
Company goals
Company resources
Competition
Competitor
Competitive advantage
Competitiveness
Competency
Concept
Concept testing
Concern
Conclude
Conclusion

Conflict
Conflicts of interest
Consequence
Consequently
Considerable
Considerably
Consignment
Consumer
Consumer confidence
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Consumer protection
Consumer sales
Consumption
Contest
Contract
Contract manufacturers
Control
Control chart
Control limit
Controlling to plan
Convene
Convention
Conventional
Convergence
Conversion premium
Conversion price
Conversation ratio
Conversion value of the bond
Convertible bonds
Convince
Cooling economy
Cope with (cope with something/someone)
Core competency

Corporate
Corporate bonds
Corporate brokers
Corporate governance
Corporate knowledge
Corporate ventures
Corruption
Cost-benefit
Cost plus
Cost plus pricing
Cost benefit analysis
Cost control
Cost of goods sold
Coverage
Counter
Counterfeit
Counterpart
Coupon
Cover
Coverage
Crash
Creative messages
Credit
Credit analysis
Credit approval process
Credit conditions
Credit crunch
Credit default swaps (CDS)
Credit management
Credit risk premium
Crew
Critical path
Critical path method (CPM)

Cross-functional team
Crossover
Crossover analysis
Currency
Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt
Current ratios
Customer-focused
Customer opinion
Customer service
Customer Service Management (CSM)
Customer value
Customize
Cycles

Page Top
D
Damage
Data
DAX index
Days sales on hand
Deal with (deal with something/someone)
Dealer
Debt capital
Debt ratio
Debt to equity ratio
Debenture
Decentralization
Decision-making
Decline
Decrease
Dedication
Default

Deferred charges
Deficit
Deficit spending
Defined
Delay
Delegation
Delighted
Delisting
Delivery
Demand
Demographics
Departments
Deposit
Depository Trust Company (DTC)
Depreciation
Depreciation matching
Deregulate
Deregulation
Derivative
Dispatch
Development professionals
Differentiate
Diluted (shareholdings)
Discount
Discounted cash flow valuation
Descriptions
Designs
Dispose of something
Diversify
Diversification
Developing products
Development professionals
Differentiating products

Diminishing returns
Direct response selling
Direct sales force
Direct-to-customer advertising (DTC)
Directors
Discounts
Discrimination
Distributions
Dividends
Domestic bond
Double declining balance
Double entry system
Dovish (hawkish)
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)
Down market
Downturn
Draft
Drop
DTC (Depository Trust Company)
Dump
Dumping
Durable
Durability
Due diligence

Page Top
E
E-commerce
Earnings
Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT)
ECB Council
Economic growth
Economic growth rate

Economic indicators
Economic policy
Economic risk
Economic trends
Economies of scale
Effective delegation
Efficiency experts
Efficient market
Efficient market theory
Emerging
Emerging markets
Emphasise (UK)
Emphasize (US)
Emphasize
Employee
Employee orientation
Employee performance appraisal
Employee involvement
Employment
Employment agency
Employment law
Endorse
End user
Engineering
Entrepreneur
Environments
Equipment
Equipment improvements
Equity capital
Equity costs
Equity fund-raising
Ethics
Ethical

Etiquette
Euribor
Eurobond
Eurodollar deposits
European Central Bank (ECB)
European Union (EU)
Eurozone
Evaluate
Evaluation
Exceed
Exchange
Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)
Executive summary
Executive search firm
Exotic products
Expand
Expansion
Expense
Expense variance reports
Expenses
Expertise
Exploit
Exploiting corporate knowledge
Export
Extending offers
Extending product lines
Extraordinary income

Page Top
F
Facility
Fact finding teams
Factors

Failures
Fake
Fall
Fare
Faulty
Feasible
Feasibility
Features
Federal Reserve (Fed)
Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)
Fed funds rate
Fed role
Fed watching
Federal income taxes
Feedback
Fiduciary responsibilities
Finance
Finance department
Financial goals
Financial leases
Financial markets
Financial needs
Financial needs analysis
Financial Services Authority (FSA)
Financial statement analysis
Financial structure
Financial ratios
Financial statements
Financing
Firing employees
First In First Out (FIFO)
Fiscal policy
Fiscal stimulus

Fiscal years
Five-P Rule (Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance)
Fixed assets
Fixed costs
Flat yield curve
Flexible
Floor space
Flow
Fluctuation
Fluctuate
Flyer
Focus group
Focusing people
Follow-up-questions
Forecast
Foreign bond
Foreign exchange markets
Formula
Frame of reference
Fraud
Free trade
Frequency
Frequency distribution
Frequent flyer
FTSE Eurofirst (300)
FTSE indices
FTSE 100
Functions
Fund managers
Fundamental
Fundamental analysis
Futures markets

Page Top

G
Gainsay
Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO)
Gearing (leverage)
General employee administrators
General business partners
General employee administrator
General partners
Generally Accepted Accounting Principals (GAAP)
Generate
Geographic segmentation
German DAX index
Get ahead (get ahead of something)
Get down to (get down to something)
Go according to plan
Go ahead (go ahead with something)
Goals
Good centralization
Goods sold
Global
Global competition
Global corporate knowledge
Global credit crises
Goal setting
Governance
Government debt
Government economic goals
Government role
Government securities
Greater good
Greenmailer
Gross cash flow

Gross cash flow from operations

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Gross income
Gross margin
Grow
Growth
Growth capital deals
Growth oriented investors
Growth share matrixes
Growth strategy
Growth/mature company
Group of seven
Guideline

Page Top
H
Handle (handle something)
Handling layoffs
Hard sells
Hawkish (dovish)
Headquarters
Hedge fund
Hedging
Hire
Hiring
Hit a low
Hoarding (UK)
Hold
Host country
Housing sales
Housing trends
Human resources (HR)

Page Top

I
Identifying
Image advertising
Image improving
Impact
Impact advertising
Implement
Implementation
Implementing strategic plans
Import
Improving equipment
Improving processes
Incentive
In charge of
In line with (in line with something)
Income
Income before taxes
Income statements
Incorporated (Inc.)
Increasing productivity
Independent sales reps
Indexes
Indicators
Individual goals
Individual investors
Industry norms
Inflation
Inflation-unemployment-trade-off
Information sharing
Information systems (IS)
Information technology (IT)
Infrastructure

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Innovate
Innovation
Inside sales
Insubordination
Insurance
Insurance laws
Institutional investors
Intangibles
Integrity
Intellectual property
Intellectual property laws
Intelligence pyramid
Interbank markets
Interest
Interest expense
Interest rate
Interim
Intermediaries
Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
International selling
Internet e-commerce
Interview
Interviewing candidates
Introductory
Inventory
Inventory turnover
Invest
Investment
Investment banks
Investors
Investor protection
Investor relations

Invoice
Involved with (involved with something)
Issue
Item

Page Top
J
Japanese government bonds (JGBs)
Job descriptions
Job seeker
Joint marketing agreements
Joint venture
Judgments
Just In Time (JIT)
Just under/over

Page Top
K
Keynes, John Maynard
Keynesian economic theory

Page Top
L
Labour (UK)
Labor (US)
Labor costs
Labor Union (US)
Lagging
Land assets
Last IN First Out (LIFO)
Launch
Launching products
Launder money/profits

Law
Law of diminishing returns
Lax boards
Layoffs
Leaders
Leadership skills
Leadership styles
Leading indicators index
Leads (sales)
Leases
Ledgers
Legal
Legal department
Lender of last resort
Level
Level playing field
Leverage
Leveraged buyout
Liability
Liberalise (UK)
Liberalize (US)
Liberalisation (UK)
Liberalization (US)
Life cycle
Limited contract
Last In First Out (LIFO)
Limited Liability Company (LLC)
Line item (budgets)
Liquidation
Liquidity
Liquidity premium
Liquidity ratios
List

Listening skills
Loan
Logo
London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor)
London Stock Exchange (LSE)
Long-term debt
Long-term finance
Lose
Loss
Loss leaders
Loyal

Page Top
M
Machine productivity
Management skills
Management team
Managers
Manufacturing
Margin
Market
Marketing
Market analysis
Market buyouts
Market capitalization
Market-driven
Market research
Market research studies
Market test
Marketable securities
Market segments
Market strategies
Marketing goals

Matilda Bonds
Mean
Measurable goals
Media
Median
Meet
Meet a deadline
Merge
Merger
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A)
Messages
Mission statement
Mode
Model
Monetary Policy Committee
Monetary policy
Money
Money laundering
Monitor
Monopolies and Mergers Commission
Morale
Motivate
Motivate employees
Motivate sales force
Mortgaged-backed securities

Page Top
N
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
NASDAQ composite
National
National accounts
National economy

Near cash
Near cash assets
Net benefits
Net exports
Net income
Net income per employee
Net margin
Net Present Value (NPV)
Nikkei 225 index
No frills airline
Nominal share price
Non-executive chairman
Non-executive director (NED)
Non-recurring income
Normal distribution
Notes payable

Page Top
O
Off-balance-sheet-financing
Offers
On the right track
On-voting preference shares
Open plan office
Operating budget
Operating income
Operating leases
Operating margin
Operations
Operation description
Opportunity
Opportunity costs
Options (stock/calls and puts)

Order placement
Order taking
Orientation
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
Organization
Outcomes
Outlet
Outline (business plans)
Outside sales
Outsource
Overhead projector (OHP)
Overheating economy
Overkill
Overload
Overtime
Overuse
Overview
Owner equity
Ownership

Page Top
P
Packaging products
Panel
Paper (commercial)
Parent company
Parity products
Partner
Partnership
Patent
Path
Pattern
Payable

Payback
Payback period
Peak
Pension fund deficit
Perk
Personnel
Per value (stocks)
Performance appraisals
Performance improvements (products)
Periods
Persuasion
Pitch
Placing products
Plain vanilla
Planed obsolescence
Plans
Planning
Plant
Plant something in someones mind
Plunge
Point out
Poison pill
Politics
Poor references
Positioning products
Postpone
Potential returns
Poverty
Power
Precious metals
Predict
Pre-emption rights
Preferred stocks

Premises
Prepayments
Present value
Present value table
Presentations
Pre-tax income
Pricing
Price points
Price-earnings (P/E) ratio
Prices
Primary market research study
Primary and secondary markets
Prime rate
Principles
Privacy
Private banking
Private equity
Problem employees
Problem solving
Procedure
Process
Produce
Producer
Producer Price Index (PPI)
Product
Product adoption curve
Product description
Product development
Product launch
Product liability
Product line extensions
Product placement
Product testing

Production
Production factors
Productive life matching
Productive capacity
Productivity growth
Professional managers
Professionals
Profile
Profitability
Profitability ratios
Profits Earnings (PE) ratio
Profits warning
Pro forma
Pro forma statements
Programs (PR)
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Progress
Project management tools
Promote
Promotability
Promotion
Promoting products
Promotional advertising
Promotions
Proper planning prevents poor performance (Five-P rule)
Property
Property assets
Propose
Proposal
Proprietorship
Proprietary trading
Prospecting
Prospects

Pros and cons

Protect
Protecting consumers
Protectionism
Prototype
Provision for income taxes
Psychographic
Public Relations (PR)
Public relations programs
Purchase
Pushing products
Puts (option)
Put off (put something off)
Put something into practice/effect

Page Top
Q
Qualification
Qualify
Qualifying questions
Quality
Quality assurance (QA)
Quality circles
Quality control
Quality standards
Quantitative assurance
Quantitative information
Quarter
Quarterly
Question and answer (Q&A) session
Quick ratios
Quota

Page Top

R
R and D
Range
Rate
Ratio
Real estate group
Real estate law
Receipt
Receivable
Recession
Recommend
Recommendation
Reconciling
Reconciling accounts
Recover
Recovery
Recruit
Recruiter
Recruitment
Recruitment Agency
Redeemable B shares
Redundancy
Redundant
Referrals
Reference
Regulation
Regulatory
Regulatory change
Reliable
Reliability
Relocate

Relocation
Reorganization
Reporting lines
Reports
Repurchase rate (repo rate)
Reputation
Requirement
Reschedule
Research and Development (R&D)
Researching markets
Resignation
Resistance
Resources
Respond
Responsibilities
Restriction
Restructure
Retail
Retail deposits
Retail Price Index (RPI)
Retail sales
Retailer
Retained earning
Return
Return On Assets (ROA)
Return On Investment (ROI)
Reorganization
Reverse engineering
Revenue
Reward
Rhetorical question
Rise
Rights issue

Risks (business/securities)
Risk aversion
Risk premium
Rival bid
Roll out
Round-the-clock
Run into trouble/problems
Run through

Page Top
S
Sale and lease back
Sale
Sales channel segmentation
Sales coverage
Sales driven
Sales driven companies
Sales force
Sales strategy
Sales variance reports
Sample
Samurai bond
Satisfaction
Saturation
Saving
Scientific management
Security
Securities
Securities Exchange and Commission (SEC)
Securitization
Secured and unsecured debt
Security
Segment

Segmentation
Selling, General and Administrative Expense (SG&A)
Seniority
Service
Service description
Service Organizations
Setback
Set up
Setting goals
Severance package
Severance pay
Sexual harassment
Share
Share buyback
Shareholder
Shareholders fund
Sheets
Shelving system
Shipment
Shorting shares
Shortlist
Short-term investor
Significance
Simplify
Site
Skill
Slice-of-life commercials
Slowdown
Slump
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Social change
Social trends
Sole proprietorship

Solution
Solve
Solvency ratios
Source
Sovereign entities
Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF)
Speaking directly
Special dividend
Specific goals
Specification
Sponsor
Spreads
Stake
Stakeholder
Standard
Standard and Poors (S&P) 500
Standard deviation from the mean
Standard of living
Start-ups
Starts (housing)
Statement
State-of-the-art
Statistic
Sterling Libor or Euribor
Stock
Stock dividends
Stock Market
Stock split
Straight-line depreciation
Strategic
Strategic planning
Strategic initiatives
Strategy

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)

Strengthen
Structure
Structured Investments Vehicles (SIVs)
Studies
Stunt
Subsidiary
Subsidise (UK)
Subsidize (US)
Subsidy
Summary
Summarise (UK)
Summarize (US)
Sum of years digits
Supplier
Supplier programs
Supply
Supply chain
Support systems
Surplus
Sustain
Survey

Page Top
T
T-accounts
Table (to table something)
Tackle
Tactical initiatives
Tactics
Take care of
Take on (take something on)
Takeover

Target
Tamper proof packaging
Tariffs
Tax
Tax accountant
Tax departments
Tax relief on interest
Tax Laws
Taylor, Frederick
Taylorism
Teams
Teaser
Technical analysis
Technology
Technology Adoption Curve
Telemarketing
Templates
Tender offer
Term
Terms of contract
Terminate
Terminating
Termination
Testing products
10-year bunds
10-year treasury notes
The treasury
Tick size
Tight credit spread
Tightening monetary policy
Time frame
Time-consuming
Timed interest earned ratio

Time-and-motion-studies
Time limited goal
Time value of money
Tip
Tool
Track record
Tracking business cycle
Trade union (UK)
Trader
Traffic
Training professional
Tranches
Transaction
Transaction risk
Translation risk
Transmission
Transparency
Treasury
Treasury bill
Treasury bond
Treasury note
Trees (decision)
Trend
Trial
Trial run
Trust
Turnaround
Turnover
Tycoon

Page Top
U
Underline

Understaffed
Unemployment
Unemployment and non-farm payroll employment release
Unemployment-inflation trade-off
Uneven
Unfair dismissal
Uniform Commercial Codes (UCC)
Unique selling point (USP)
Unionized workers
Unit trust
Unsecured debt
Upgrade
Upmarket
Upturn
User
User rights

Page Top
V
Vacancy
Valid
Value
Valuation premium
Values
Variable
Variability measures
Variable costs
Variance reports
Varied
Veblen Effect
Velocity of money
Venture capital activity
Venture Capital (VC) firms

Ventures
Viable
Vision
Voice mail
Volatile
Volume
Volume discounts

Page Top
W
Wage
Warehouse
Warrant
Wave (wave something through/on/away)
Wealth
Weighted average
Whistle-blowing
White-collar crimes
White knight
Wisdom
Withdraw
With regards to
With respect to
Worker
Work force
Worker productivity
Working capital
Writers options
Wrongful termination

Page Top
Y
Yankee bonds

Year-over-year
Yield curves
Yields (and interest rates)

Page Top
Z
Zero-coupon bond
Zero defects

Page Top
Sources:

Reading and Understanding the Financial Times, Kevin Boakes, Second

edition, 2008, Pearson Education Limited www.pearsoned.co.uk/boakes

The Complete Idiots Guide to MBA Basics, Tom Gorman, second edition,
Alpha Books, Published by the Penguin Group 2003

Market Leader, Intermediate, 3rd Edition, David Cotton, David Falvey

Simon Kent Published by Pearson Longman in association with the
Financial Times http://www.market-leader.net/

English for Presentations, Express series, Marion Grussendorf, Oxford

University press
http://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/business_esp/express_series/w
ork_skills/9780194579360?cc=global&selLanguage=en