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25 Most Common Business Abbreviations Everyone Should Know

In a work environment of constant stress and rush, saving time is a very important aspect. Therefore, there are a number of abbreviations in business English that are recognized and used in companies around the world. If you're planning to work for an international firm and don't want to sound like a rookie and get embarrassed by not knowing acronyms, take a look at our helpful compilation of the most common abbreviations.

We also remind you that registration for the online Business English Online course is now open. The course will help students with Intermediate (B1+) or Upper Intermediate (B2) levels develop the business communication skills needed to conduct meetings, negotiations, presentations and correspondence with partners, clients and colleagues.

dept - department

Ensure every dept gets a copy of this. - Make sure every department gets this copy.

ATTN-attention

Attention! This abbreviation can be found in fax messages. For example, ATTN: Joe Smith would mean that this fax was directed to Joe Smith and he needs to pay attention to it.

pls-please

Pls switch off the lights before you leave. Please turn off the lights before you leave.

approx. — approximate or approximately.

We're expecting approx. 50 boxes in tomorrow's shipment. — We expect about 50 boxes in tomorrow's delivery.

doc - document.

Can you email me the doc before lunch? — Can you send me the document by lunchtime?

TBA - To Be Announced

Often used when planning business events to show that something is planned, but some details still need to be confirmed and announced later.

The new Finance Manager will be joining us next month. The actual date is TBA. — A new financial manager will join us next month. The actual date will be announced.

FYI - For Your Information.

Often used to draw attention to specific information such as data, reports, or attachments.

FYI, the monthly sales report for June is attached to this email. — For your information, the monthly sales report for June is attached to this letter.

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HQ - Headquarters

Meetings with business partners are usually held at HQ. — Meetings with business partners usually take place at the central office.

R&D - Research & Development.

If you have a new product in mind, why not discuss it with the R&D Department? — If you have a new product in mind, why not discuss it with R&D?

ASAP - As Soon As Possible.

As soon as possible, urgently. You will certainly see such an abbreviation in work mail - letters with urgent questions are usually designated that way.

ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival

This refers to the estimated time of arrival, or the time someone should arrive at their destination.

Let me know your flight's ETA so I can be at the airport to pick you up. Let me know your flight arrival time so I can be at the airport to pick you up.

B2B-Business-to-Business

A business relationship in which a company's customers are other companies.

There's talk that our company will be venturing into B2B e-commerce. — They say that our company will be engaged in e-commerce between companies.

B2C - Business-to-Consumer

Business relationships in which the company's customers are individual consumers.

Most online shopping businesses are B2C. — Most online shopping companies are B2C.

RFP Request For Proposals

A common practice for companies is to request proposals from suppliers interested in bidding to complete a project for a company.

The committee is still waiting for one more RFP from a company in Italy before we decide. The committee is still waiting for another RFP from a company in Italy before we decide.

HR-Human Resources

The department that deals with the employees of the company.

If you need to hire more staff, it's best to let HR know early. - If you need to hire more employees, it is better to inform the HR department in advance.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

This is an acronym used in the information technology (IT) field to mean "Search Engine Optimization" - a technique to get visitors to your website from search engines like Google.

In order for our online marketing campaign to succeed, we must improve the SEO of our web store. In order for our online marketing campaign to be successful, we need to improve the SEO of our web store.

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P&L - Profit & Loss

This means profit and loss, which is a statement of the company's financial position.

The board of directors won't be happy with our P&L this year. The Board of Directors will not be satisfied with our profit and loss this year.

IPO - Initial Public Offering

The first time a company offers to sell its shares to the public.

It hasn't been decided yet what the pricing of the IPO will be. - It has not yet been determined what the IPO price will be.

ISP - Internet Service Provider

Here is another abbreviation used in IT to refer to the Internet.

Our ISP has been informed about the slow internet access during peak hours. — Our ISP has been informed that the Internet connection is slow during rush hour.

PO-Purchase Order

It means "purchase order", an official document issued by a company to a specific seller for the purchase of goods.

She has sent out a PO to the same supplier who sold us those work benches. “ She sent out a PO from the same vendor who sold us these work racks.

CEO - Chief Executive Officer

Chief executive officer of the company.

I am founder and chief executive officer of this company. — I am the founder and CEO of this company.

CFO - Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer or Head of Finance.

With our CFO on extended leave, who's in charge of finance now? Since our CFO is on extended leave, who is in charge of finance now ?

PR - public relations

This is a general abbreviation used to refer to either a department or an activity that creates a good public image for a company.

Improving our customer service has been good for our PR. — Customer service improvements were good for our PR.

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QC - Quality Control

This means quality control is an activity that ensures that products meet an acceptable standard.

All of our products undergo strict QC. All our products undergo strict quality control.

cc - carbon copy

This is a preliminary postal designation, which means sending a copy of the letter.

Remember to cc the proposal to your manager. Do n't forget to give a copy of the proposal to your manager.