BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: STOCKPILING

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: STOCKPILING

Have you been secretly stockpiling grudges against one of your colleagues?

French translation: stockage


Hello Darlings, Happy Tuesday!

Hope you are well. So, I am updating today with a word of the day: STOCKPILING. Why stockpiling? Because you hear it so much these days in the context of masks and PPEs (Personal protective equipment for medical professionals in the front lines of fighting the cornavirus)

To be honest with you, because I have heard the word stockpiling so much lately within the context of the coronavirus, I have become slightly obsessed with the subject of "biological warfare." Why? I don't know. I think that after the coronavirus, nations and people will have to consider the ease with which biological warfare and germs and viruses can be stockpiled and used to "incapacitate" in a whole bunch of different ways not the least of which is healthwise. Look, for example, at what coronavirus did to the world economy?!

I just searched on Wikipedia for "biological warfare." Look at the overview of what I found. (Hope I did not quote too much for copyright purposes but I have provided  the link and attribution so I should be okay):

Offensive biological warfare, including mass production, stockpiling, and use of biological weapons, was outlawed by the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). The rationale behind this treaty, which has been ratified or acceded to by 170 countries as of April 2013,^[6] is to prevent a biological attack which could conceivably result in large numbers of civilian casualties and cause severe disruption to economic and societal infrastructure.^[7] Many countries, including signatories of the BWC, currently pursue research into the defense or protection against BW, which is not prohibited by the BWC.

A nation or group and that can pose a credible threat of mass casualty has the ability to alter the terms on which other nations or groups interact with it. Biological weapons allow for the potential to create a level of destruction and loss of life far in excess of nuclear, chemical or conventional weapons, relative to their mass and cost of development and storage. Therefore, biological agents may be useful as strategic deterrents in addition to their utility as offensive weapons on the battlefield.^[8]

As a tactical weapon for military use, a significant problem with a BW attack is that it would take days to be effective, and therefore might not immediately stop an opposing force. Some biological agents (smallpox, pneumonic plague) have the capability of person-to-person transmission via aerosolized respiratory droplets. This feature can be undesirable, as the agent(s) may be transmitted by this mechanism to unintended populations, including neutral or even friendly forces. Worse still, such a weapon could "escape" the laboratory where it was developed, even if there was no intent to use it - for example by infecting a researcher who then transmits it to the outside world before realizing that they were infected. Several cases are known of researchers becoming infected and dying of Ebola,^[9][10] which they had been working with in the lab (though nobody else was infected in those cases) - while there is no evidence that their work was directed towards BW, it demonstrates the potential for accidental infection even of careful researchers fully aware of the dangers. While containment of BW is less of a concern for certain criminal or terrorist organizations, it remains a significant concern for the military and civilian populations of virtually all nations.

When you read that, does it not give you chills? But I digressed. This post is about "stockpiling." How can we use that word in the context of business? Hme....well, the word means to accumulate, hoard, collect, gather, cache....I imagine you can stockpile data and documents and files. You can stockpile materials (such as pens, staplers, coffee cups). You can stockpile commodities, merchandies, weapons (including viruses and germs for biological warfare) and equipment. You can also "stockpile" grudges against your colleagues. 

You can't stockpile people and domestic animals - as a general rule. You stockpile things. Can you stockpile ideas? Can you stockpile goals? Maybe. Can you stockpile livestock? Possibly. I tend to think not but it is possible someone could use the word stockpile to discuss livestock which, technically, is a "thing."

So talk to me about the word "stockpile." What things are stockpiled at your office? Inquiring minds want to know.


Note: During this time, I am offering strictly telephone conversation courses to respect the order of President Emmanuel Macron who has issued a directive as you know that the French population must remain under curfew for the next 15 days. If you would like to start or continue with English conversation lessons therefore, it will be strictly by telephone. I look forward to speaking with you, que même. I have noticed that I now have visitors from countries other than France including Germany, United Arab Emirites, Belgium, Spain and Oman. You are also welcomed to take English conversation with me if you like :) 

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