Wang: And our research and development activities too. Zhang: Yes, but… Wang: But what? Zhang: But we cannot go into too much detail in our presentation. You know it's sort of business secret, isn't it? Wang: Just enough to convince them that ours is of very high quality. Zhang: And naturally, we can include our quality control procedures and also after-sales services. Wang: And also we can demonstrate our product in the video. Don't you think so? Zhang: A neat idea.Cutting Departmental Costs Wang: You know our departmental costs have risen a lot recently. Zhang: Yes, I think we are exceeding our budget. Wang: What do you think are the reasons? Zhang: I think there are many reasons for this. You know last month we run a series of promotion campaigns. That's a lot of money, isn't it? Wang: Yes, but I think we spent too much on that. I mean we could have spent less. Zhang: Uh Um? Wang: You know we have been traveling a lot around the country. And most of us travel by air. Zhang: You mean some of the travels are not necessary. Wang: Exactly. You know, some of the face-to-face talks may simply be replaced by email communication. Zhang: There's a lot in what you've said. I think we should make full use of our modern facilities and save some expensive travels. Wang: Not only that. I think modern facilities, like computers, should be made full use of within the company, too. I mean a lot of money could have been saved, if we had done that. Zhang: What do you mean? Wang: You see, each month we spend a good lot of money on office supplies like print paper. Zhang: Yes, some of the managers always ask for printouts instead of retrieving information from the computer system. Wang: Especially those senior managers, who are usually older than others. They are simply not accustomed to the advanced computer system. Zhang: And young people are also responsible for the increase in costs, too. You know many of them often keep their computers on for the whole night. Wang: And very often they forget to turn off lights when they leave their offices. Zhang: So, something must be done before things become any worse. Wang: Right. I think we should offer some incentives to those who save costs in their jobs. Zhang: Like what? Wang: Like a quarterly award for them. Zhang: And personally I see an absolute need for a training course for our staff members. Wang: On computers? Zhang: Yeah. So that they can make better use of them. And in this way, I believe we'll be able to bring down our costs. Corporate Image Wang: You know we are going to run a series of activities for the local community. Zhang: Yes, just to improve our corporate image. But what do you think we can do for the community? Wang: I think we can do something for the needy people. Zhang: You mean we can contribute to the local community charity. Wang: Exactly. And apart from that, I think we could sponsor a few programmes of entertainment. Zhang: Like an orchestra or a singing performance or something? Wang: Yeah. And I think we should also do something for the primary pupils. You know how important they are nowadays. |