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FIRM

Graph that displays financial and political risk by intervals on which countries may be compared according to risk ratings. Bloomberg Financial Dictionary

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▪ I. firm firm ¹ [fɜːm ǁ fɜːrm] noun [countable] ORGANIZATIONS

a company or business, especially one which is quite small:

• The eight-volume guide contains entries for 700,000 lawyers and 44,000 law firms.

• a firm of chartered accountants

• The auditing services market is dominated by a small number of large accounting firms.

conˈsulting firm ORGANIZATIONS

a company that gives advice and training in a particular area to people in other companies; = CONSULTANCY

ˈsearch firm ORGANIZATIONS

a company that finds people with the right skills and experience to do a particular job for employers that need them; =HEAD-HUNTER:

• A search firm contacted him to talk about a chief executive position.

• The company has hired an executive search firm to help identify candidates.

word focus - ˈsearch firm

company, firm, business, corporation

A company is an organization that produces goods or provides a service for profit. A firm is a company, especially one that provides a service rather than goods, for example financial or legal services. A business is usually a company that employs a small number of people. A corporation is a large company, especially one consisting of many smaller companies.

Abbreviations used after company names

Co. company:

• J.P. Morgan & Co.
Corp. corporation:

• Microsoft Corp.
Inc. incorporated (= used in the US to show that a company is a corporation ) :

• Apple Computer Inc.
Ltd limited (= used in the UK and Canada to show that a company is a limited ( liability) company ) :

• Associated Newspapers Ltd
PLC public limited company (= a limited company whose shares are bought and sold freely ) :

• Pearson PLC
Pty proprietary company (= used in Australia and South Africa ) :

• Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd

[m0] ▪ II. firm firm ² verb [intransitive, transitive]

FINANCE if prices on a financial market firm to a particular level, they rise to that level:

firm to

• Sales volume hit £53 million as the shares firmed 19p to 126p.

[m0] ▪ III. firm firm ³ adjective [only before a noun]

1. firm decisions, judgements, or offers are final and not likely to be changed:

• The Confederation of British Industry said it was too early to make firm forecasts about demand.

• The airline has firm orders for 20 Airbus A321 medium-range jets.

2. FINANCE stocks, shares, prices etc which are firm have been rising and do not seem likely to fall:

• The Federal Reserve chairman implied that the US would keep interest rates firm.

• OPEC members need firm prices to maintain their revenues.

• The dollar ended the week on a firm note (= with a steady price ) .

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Ⅰ.

firm UK US /fɜːm/ noun [C]

► WORKPLACE a company or business: »The firm's share price has been rising steadily.
»The firm remains heavily dependent on North America, its biggest market.
big/medium-sized/small firm »Small and medium-sized firms accounted for 69.8% of the UK business population.
leading/major/top firm »He hired a top firm of architects and re-mortgaged the family home to finance the project.
accounting/law/manufacturing, etc. firm »Local manufacturing firms are under heavy competitive pressure, often from off-shore production.
set up/start (up)/establish a firm »Her grandfather had set up the firm soon after the war.
run/manage a firm »The firm was run from an office in Bolton.
»She joined the family firm soon after leaving school.

→ See Note COMPANY(Cf. ↑company)

→ See also CONSULTING(Cf. ↑consulting), SEARCH FIRM(Cf. ↑search firm)

Ⅱ.

firm UK US /fɜːm/ adjective

► agreed or decided and not likely to change: firm date/deadline »I was given a firm deadline of April 30.
firm bid/commitment »The group said it has a firm commitment to sell two radio stations in Chicago to minority partners.
firm order/offer »They already have firm orders for much of the new stock.
firm decision »We haven't made a firm decision as yet.

► FINANCE used to describe a price or level that is high and is likely to rise or stay high: »Home prices are edging higher as builders pay record prices for lumber, and tight supplies should keep prices firm next year.

→ See also STEADY(Cf. ↑steady)

● hold firm — Cf. hold firm

firmness noun [U]

► »the firmness of the bond market

Ⅲ.

firm UK US /fɜːm/ verb [I]

► FINANCE to remain at the same level, amount, etc. or to rise slightly: »In industries such as paper, chemicals, and steel, prices have firmed.
firm to sth »Copper firmed 1.8 cents to 142.1 cents a pound.
firm against sth »The dollar, meanwhile, firmed against the euro in the wake of the interest rate rise.
»Bank shares firmed on expectations that the Reserve Bank would leave interest rates untouched.

Financial and business terms. 2012.