Company Structure
B2 Business English · Describing Your Company
01 · Warm-Up
Getting Started
Describe your job title and explain what you do in your company.
What processes are you responsible for?
Explain the main operations that take place in your company.
What kind of organisation are you? What do you produce or provide?
How is your company structured? Do you have departments, divisions, or teams?
Who do you report to, and who reports to you?
02 · Vocabulary
Key Business Vocabulary
Essential vocabulary for describing your company and role.
Company Hierarchy — study the structure before doing the exercises
| ENGLISH | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| be in business | We've been in business for over 20 years. |
| be located in | Our headquarters is located in Warsaw. |
| be based in | The company is based in Kraków. |
| have offices | We have offices in Warsaw, Berlin and Paris. |
| specialise in | We specialise in industrial control systems. |
| make / produce / manufacture | We manufacture transformers for the energy sector. |
| supply / sell / distribute | Our products are distributed throughout Europe. |
| import / export | The company imports and exports spare parts. |
| be with (a company) | I've been with Hitachi for three years. |
| work in | I work in the engineering department. |
| work as | I work as a project manager. |
| be involved in | I'm involved in quality assurance. |
| be responsible for | I'm responsible for ensuring new staff are well trained. |
| head (a department) | She heads the HR Department. |
| manage | I manage the sales team in the southern region. |
| look after | I look after the Marketing Department. |
| be in charge of | He's in charge of the Sales Department. |
| report to | I report directly to the Head of Finance. |
03 · Functional Language
Useful Phrases
Click each panel to expand it. Toggle Polish translations to test yourself.
We are a multinational company.
We are a family-run business.
We are a start-up / SME (small and medium enterprise).
We have been in business for [X] years.
We are based in / located in [city].
We have offices in [city / country].
We operate in [sector / industry].
04 · Translation
Polish → English Translation
Translate each sentence into English. Click to reveal the answer.
05 · Listening
Who Does What?
Listen to six people describing their jobs. Write the correct job title next to each person. There are three extra job titles you do not need.
Job Titles Word Bank
Administration Assistant · Warehouse Manager · Production Manager · Purchasing Manager · Sales Director · Advertising Manager · Purchasing Assistant · Financial Director · Managing Director
06 · Speaking
Discussion Questions
Describe your job title and explain what you do in your company.
What processes are you responsible for?
Explain the main operations that take place in your company.
What kind of organisation are you?
What do you produce?
What is the main service that you provide?
How has your company's structure changed in the last five years?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of working in a large multinational company?