Why some businesses buzz – notes
An MBA is an advanced degree in business, (short for Master of Business Administration), and means both the qualification and also a person who has completed this degree.
A hotspot – 1) a small area with a relatively high temperature 2) a place of significant activity or danger
buzz – verb – 1 make a continuous low sound such as the one a bee makes. Eg We can hear something buzzing.
2 (usually + adverb or preposition) be busy and full of energy; eg The town was buzzing (with excitement and activity); Photographers were buzzing around, trying to take pictures for the press.
3 If your head/mind is buzzing, you are thinking about many different things at the same time.
demography – 1 The study of changes in the number of births, marriages, deaths, etc. in a particular area during a period of time
2 The demography of an area is the number and characteristics of the people who live in an area, in relation to their age, sex, whether they are married or not, etc: eg The increase in the number of young people leaving to work in the cities has had a dramatic impact on the demography of the villages.
Linux – a computer operating system launched in the early 1990s which promoted the idea of free software and distribution so anyone could access it and use it.
The Big Freeze (also The Big Chill) describes the scenario in which the universe becomes too cold to sustain life. Ms Gratton has borrowed this phrase to make a point.
You may be interested to know the verb to freeze someone out – phrasal verb = to make someone feel excluded from an arrangement or activity; to make someone feel that they are not part of a group by being unfriendly towards them
to ensure – to make sure / certain that sth will occur or be so; (to insure = to arrange for compensation in the event of damage to or loss of property)
co-operative – willing to consider others and work with them; help or do what people ask. Opposite of unco-operative!
on the face of it – used when describing how a situation seems on the surface
to screen (for sth) to test or examine someone or something to discover if there is anything wrong with them
to screen out – to block sth unwanted, eg telephone calls, junk emails
strive – to try very hard to do something or to make something happen, especially for a long time or against difficulties
to arise – to happen