By Jeffrey Gangemi

Administrators and students agree that the most challenging part of being an international student at a U.S. B-school is picking up the English language. To help ease the transition, here's a list of terms and distinctions that will be helpful in your first weeks of class.

By no means complete, the list nevertheless makes a good starting point. Included are business terms, slang, and expressions commonly used in civic, government, and trade organizations.

• Business and B-School Terms

Band-Aid: Literally, a miniature adhesive bandage. In business, a quick and temporary fix to a larger problem

Blackberry: A type of portable e-mail system.

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) vs. Chairman of the Board: The chief executive officer runs the day-to-day operations of a company, whereas the chairman of the board heads the governing body in charge of making corporate policy.

Cold call: In business, it means making a sales call without a prior contact or appointment. In B-school, it's a method of teaching, where a professor randomly selects a student to discuss a business case.

Copyright: The exclusive right to make and dispose of copies of a literary, musical, or artistic work.

Cost-benefit analysis: Technique used to quantify the tangible and intangible upsides and downsides of a project.

Deliverable: Final product.

Drill down: To increase the amount of detail about and understanding of a topic.

Gearhead: Someone with a technical background.

Guerilla marketing: Unconventional promotional strategy.

Honor code: Agreement that some schools require of students -- normally along the lines of "I promise not to lie, cheat, or steal."

Incentivize: To motivate.

IPO (Initial Public Offering): The first sale of stock by a company to the public.

M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions): When companies merge, or when one company acquires another.

Out-of-the-box: New way of looking at and thinking about a problem.

Patent: The exclusive right, granted by the government, to make use of an invention or process for a specific period of time, usually 14 years.

Quant jock: Someone with an analytical background whose strength is crunching numbers.

Quid pro quo: A Latin term meaning "one thing for another thing." An exchange of favors: You do something for someone, he or she does something for you.

Red herring: When an irrelevant topic is presented to divert attention from the important one at hand.

Return on investment (ROI): A measurement used in financial analysis to judge the rate of return on all sources of long-term capital.

Run the numbers: Perform a thorough quantitative analysis.

Sarbanes-Oxley: Complex set of U.S. accounting procedures put in place in 2002 after a series of corporate scandals.

Sexy: Adjective for a business deal or concept that has special appeal because it's new, exciting, and different.

Soft skills: Nonanalytical skills such as conflict resolution, leadership, and communication.

Stickiness: A Web site's ability to keep users from leaving.

Synergy: The effective combination of two or more actions or projects.

Takeaway: Key point(s) of a meeting or analysis.

Takeover: Acquiring control over a corporation; may be hostile or friendly.

Value added: An enhancement to a product or service that increases its value to the consumer.



• General Slang Terms

Blown away by: Amazed.

BYOB: Bring your own beverage.

Chill out or chill: To relax or calm down.

Crack me up: To inspire laughter.

Deer in the headlights: Frozen, caught off-guard, or taken by surprise.

Geek: An intelligent but socially inept person (see also "Nerd").

Hitting on all cylinders: When a car is running smoothly. In business, when a company is functioning properly.

Hole in the wall: Either an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) or an unattractive establishment, usually a restaurant.

Nerd: Intelligent, obsessive, and socially inept person. Usually associated with computers or other technical pursuits (see also "Geek").

Screw up: To ruin or mess up.



• Terms from Sports

Ballpark: Literally, the stadium where a baseball game is played. In business, to give a rough estimate.

Crunch time: Part of a game where the result is still yet to be determined, characterized by extreme pressure. In business, a time when each decision is critical to the final success or failure of an operation.

Hole-in-one: Golf term where the player scores perfectly on a hole. In business, where a successful deal is made on the first try.

Play hardball: In sports, playing with a harder and more dangerous ball. In business, to get tough.

Touchdown: To score in American football. Think of it like a goal in soccer. In business, a great success.

Turf: In sports, the surface of a playing field, similar to grass. In business, the territory or area of responsibility and authority.



• Governmental, Trade, and Labor Organizations

AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations): Organization of labor unions to help increase the rights of workers.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency): Government agency to protect human health and the environment

FCC (Federal Communications Commission): Government agency regulating interstate and international communication television, radio, wire, satellite, and cable.

FDA (Food & Drug Administration): Government public health organization regulating drugs, biological products, medical devices, food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

FTC (Federal Trade Commission): Government agency founded to protect consumers and encourage fair trade.

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement): A trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico established to create jobs and raise living standards in North America.

SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission): Government organization regulating securities markets like the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.

Teamsters (International Brotherhood of Teamsters): One of the largest and most powerful labor unions in the U.S.

U. S. Supreme Court: Highest court in the judicial branch of the U.S. government.

List compiled from interviews with current and former international students, current administrators, and glossaries from Vanderbilt and Stanford universities.