20110103 Business Executives (1)

What do top executives really do?

Business executive – for some, the term elicits respect and envy, while for others executives are a source of resentment and a symbol of greed. But how much do people really know about executives – and their roles in the organizations they lead?

A lot of attention is given to the perks executives enjoy – big offices, expense accounts and large paychecks. Less focus falls on the long hours, high stress levels and limited job security faced by many executives. Very few people really understand what it is like to be a senior executive. Of all the workers in the U.S., only 0.27 percent are chief executives – making top executives members of a very exclusive and mysterious club.

Here are some of the most common executive positions and the roles they play in the organizations they work for.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

People usually think of a CEO as the boss. Indeed, a CEO is generally the highest-ranking administrator in an organization; however, that doesn’t make CEOs all-powerful. While they are often responsible for achieving goals, planning and oversight of an organization. CEOs are ultimately responsible to an organization’s board of directors and shareholders.

resent v. 厭惡

resentment n. 憤怒/怨恨/厭惡

=> an anger

eg: Henry has a lot of resentment toward his parents during his teenage years.

=> Henry青少年時期對父母親有許多的不滿

eg: Her promotion caused widespread resentment among her colleagues.

=> 她的晉升引起同事間普遍的不滿

ex- 除了...之外

exclusive adj. 獨有的/專用的

=> available to only a specific people

eg: This lounge is for the exclusive use of our VIP customers.

=> 這個休息區是給我們VIP顧客專屬使用的

eg: The bank is offering an exclusive discount to its long-term customers.
eg: This room is for the exclusive use of our VIPs.
eg: This parking space is for the exclusive use of the president.

exclusive adj. 昂貴的/高級的

eg: This brand of leather jackets can only be found in this exclusive store.

=> 這個品牌的皮夾克只有在這家高級服裝店出售

ultimately adv. 最後/終究

=> in the end, finally

eg: Timothy's hard work ultimately won him a promotion.

=> Timothy的辛勤工作最後終於讓他得到升職

eg: Sam works for his uncle right now, but ultimately he wants to open his own business.

=> Sam現在為他叔叔工作，但是終究想要開創自己的事業。

elicit v. 引出/誘出

perk n. 津貼/額外補貼

paycheck n. 付薪水的支票/薪津

administrator n. 管理人/行政官員

=> somebody who is in charge of managing how a company is run

shareholder n. 股東

=> people who has purchases a part of the company

//== Chat room ==//

long hours 很長的工作時間/讀書時間

eg: I often work long hours these days.

=> 我最近常常花很多的時間在工作上

small hours 深夜/三更半夜/凌晨以後的時間

= wee hours

=> early hours in the morning

=> between 1 am and 5 am

=> 之所以叫做small hours是因為一點、兩點、三點這些都是很小的數字

//== Grammar on the go ==//

A lot of attention is given to the perks executives enjoy – big offices, expense accounts and large paychecks. Less focus falls on the long hours, high stress levels and limited job security faced by many executives.

a lot of attention is given to

less focus falls on

eg: A lot of attention is given to how glamorous fashion models look in fashion magazines. Less focus falls on how hard it is for models to work at these photo shoots.

eg: A lot of attention is given to how amazing movie stars look on film. Less focus falls on how the workers behind the scenes make the movie stars look good.