商务英语是许多专业人士提升事业发展不可或缺的技能。无论是在国际会议上进行演讲，还是撰写报告和电子邮件，了解商务英语的关键术语和短语将帮助你在商界中脱颖而出。以下是一些实用的商务英语术语和短语，以及它们的定义和使用实例。

Agenda
议程，即会议或讨论中计划讨论的事项列表。
Can you send me the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting?

Acquisition
收购，指一家公司购买另一家公司的股票或资产。
The acquisition of the small tech firm will be completed by the end of the quarter.

Brand
品牌，代表一种产品或服务，并通过其名称、标志和声誉与消费者建立联系。
They’re working hard to build their brand in the global market.

Benchmark
基准，是一种评价标准，通常用以比较产品、服务或业务流程的性能。
The company set a new benchmark for excellence in customer service.

Cash flow
现金流，指企业在一定期限内收到与支出的现金总量。
Positive cash flow is essential for the growth of the business.

Collateral
抵押品，是一种债务或借款的担保物质。
The bank requires collateral for the loan we are seeking.

Compliance
合规，指遵守法律、规则、标准或要求。
Our company is dedicated to ensuring full compliance with international trade laws.

Downsizing
裁员或缩减规模，是企业减少成本和提高效率常用的一种方式。
Unfortunately, the economic crisis has led to downsizing in many firms.

Equity
股权，即一个人或实体在公司中拥有的所有权利部分。
Investors will often ask for a percentage of equity in exchange for their funding.

Franchise
特许经营权，是授权个人或公司使用商标、商业模式和生产方法开展业务的方式。
He owns a franchise of a popular coffee shop chain.

Gross margin
毛利率，是指收入与销售商品或提供服务的直接成本之间的差额比率。
They have been working to improve their gross margin by reducing production costs.

Human Resources (HR)
人力资源部，公司中负责招聘、培训和福利管理等职能的部门。
Please forward your resume to the HR department.

Joint Venture
合资企业，是两家或以上的公司为了特定项目或商业活动共同投资成立的企业。
The two companies have entered into a joint venture to develop new technologies.

Leverage
杠杆作用，指使用借贷的资金来放大投资潜在的回报。
The hedge fund uses leverage to increase the potential returns for its clients.

Liquidity
流动性，指企业能够迅速无损转变为现金的能力。
Banks need to maintain enough liquidity to meet their short-term obligations.

Merger
合并，是两家或更多公司合并成一家新公司的过程。
The merger between the two leading tech companies created a giant in the industry.

Net income
净收入，是在扣除所有费用、税项和成本后公司的收入。
This year, the net income has been significantly higher than last year’s figures.

Outsource
外包，将公司的某些职能或服务转移给外部供应商完成。
Many companies choose to outsource their customer service departments to save costs.

Profit margin
利润率，销售收入减去成本之后的额度，通常以百分比表现。
They’ve increased their profit margin by streamlining their operations.

Return on Investment (ROI)
投资回报率，用于计算投资盈利与成本之间的比例。
The ROI for this project was estimated to be around 10%.

Shareholder
股东，即拥有公司一部分股份的个人或团体。
Shareholders are expected to receive dividends at the end of the fiscal year.

Startup
初创公司，是指新建立且在发展早期的公司，通常关注创新和快速增长。
The startup has just secured its second round of venture capital funding.

Synergy
协同效应，当多个因素或组织合作产生的总效果大于各自效果之和时所产生的效果。
The merger is expected to create significant synergy in terms of combined research and development.

Turnover
营业额或人员更替率，指企业在一定时期内的产品、服务销售总额，也可以指员工流失率。
The company is experiencing high turnover rates due to employee dissatisfaction.

Venture Capital (VC)
风险资本，是指投资于风险较高的初创公司或创业项目以获取潜在高收益的资金。
They are looking for venture capital to fund their expansion into new markets.

掌握这些商务英语关键术语和短语，将有助于非英语母语者更自信地在商务场合中交流。通过实际应用和不断练习，你可以提高自己的商务英语水平，从而在职业发展中更进一步。