Glossary of Commerce, Finance and Shipping




Words

Definition
Currency

The money used in a country
(e.g. euro, dollars )




Bank deposits
Money that people and organisation have a bank
Salary
Money paid monthly by an a employer



Wage
Money paid by the day or the hour, usually received weekly



Overtime
Money received for working extra hours



Commission
Money paid to salespeople and agents – a certain percentage of the income the employee generates



Bonus
Extra money given for meeting a target or for good financial results



Fees
Money paid to professional people such as lawyers and architects



Social security
Money paid by the goverment to unmployed and sick people



Pension



Money paid by a company or the government to a retired person



Living expenses



Money spent on everyday needs such as food, clothes and public transport



Bills



Requests for the payment of money owed for services such as electricity, gas and telephone connections



Rent



The money paid for the use of a house or flat



Mortgage



Repayments of money borrowed to buy a house or flat



Health insurance



Financial protection against medical expenses for sickness or accidental injuries.



Tax



Money paid to finance government spending



Revenue



All the money coming into a company during a given period



Shareholders



The people who invest money in shares



personal finance






All the money a person receives or earns as payment is his or her income



Debt



Money that is owed that will have to be paid to other people or business



Dividend



(A part of) the profit of a company that is paid to the people who own shares in it



Financial statement



Companies gives information about their financial situation



Balance sheet



Statements for shareholders and creditors



Budget
Plan to show how much money a person or organization will earn and how much they will need or be able to spend
Brand Name



Something valuable which a company possesses which is not material, such as a good reputation



Share Premium



Money made if the company sells shares at above their face value



Accrued Expenses



Expenses that have accumulated or built up during the accounting year but will not be paid until the following year, after the date of the balance sheet



Trade Mark



A name or symbol that is put on a product to show that is made by a particular producer and which cannot legally used by any other producer
Operations
Means making money by selling goods and services
Investing

Is spending cash, for the business’s future growth, including cash acquired by selling assets
Financing

Involves raising money by issuing stocks and bonds
Increase

To make or become larger in amount, number, or degree
Decrease

Become less in size, amount, strength, or quality
Bottom

The lowest part of something
Fluctuate

Change continually or frequently
Balance of trade

Countries that export a lot of oil or manufactured goods tend to have a positive

Quota

A limit to the quantity of goods that can be imported
Visible trade

The import and export of goods
Surplus

A country exporting more than it imports has a trade
Deficit

A country that imports more goods than exports
Visible trade

The import and export of goods
Protectionism

Attempting to reduce imports in favour of local production
Free trade

People and companies should be able to buy goods from all countries
Imports

Are goods or services from a foreign country
Exports
Are goods or services sold to a foreign country
Commercial invoice

Contains details of the goods e.g. quantity, weight
Ex Works


Means that the buyer collects the goods at the seller’s own premises
Free Carrier
Means that the goods to a named place where the carrier can load them onto a truck, train or aeroplane
Free on Board

Means that the seller pays for loading the goods onto the ship

Source:
MacKenzie. I. (2006). Professional english in use. Cambridge: C.U.P.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English