Business Vocabulary 1 — Two New Terms
Learning objectives
In this article, you will
- learn about two important business words
- practice key vocabulary on the topic of business
- practice two word families.
Newsmart Level 2 (A2/B1, TOEIC 255–400, TOEFL iBT 30–40, IELTS 4)
Double-click any word to open the dictionary.
Business Vocabulary 1 — Two New Terms
Like everyday English, business vocabulary is evolving and adding new words all the time. As learners of business English, you can practice many of these new business terms in Newsmart. In this article we’ll look at two interesting (and related) terms that have recently entered the business English vernacular. They are “disruptive” and “activist.”
In the everyday sense, we’ve probably all known a person who could be described as “disruptive.” If you think about your classes at school, for example, there probably was (or still is!) a noisy, selfish individual who upset the orderly atmosphere of the classroom. In this context, to be “disruptive” is definitely not a great thing.
In business language, however, it isn’t negative for a company or technology to be disruptive. In the business world, this adjective has become synonymous with “innovative” or “forward-thinking.” Upstart companies like Uber and Airbnb take great pleasure in disrupting traditional ways of doing business. They see themselves as shaking up industries that have old, outdated ideas and are ready for a new approach. In this business context, to be “disruptive” is a positive thing!
Another word which has a more technical or special meaning in business language is “activist.” In everyday English, an activist is a passionate person fighting for an environmental or political cause and doing their best to make a positive change in society. In this context, activism is generally something to admire, even if you don’t always agree with the cause that the activist is fighting for.
In the language of business, however, “activists” or “activist investors” are often seen in a less positive way. Activist investors believe in changing how a company operates in order to increase the return on their investment. Activists take over a company uninvited by buying large numbers of its shares and obtaining seats on its board. Activists are often unpopular, especially with company directors who lose their positions and employees who lose their jobs.
So, words can take on slightly different meanings when they become part of business vocabulary. However, sometimes the original, everyday meaning can still apply. For example, the people in a company taken over by an activist investor might easily think that the investor is being disruptive in the original, negative sense of the word!
Photo credit: Bastiaan Slabbers/iStock
Originally published at www.getnewsmart.com.
