PART TWO: MINI-PRESENTATION

　　What is important when…?

　　Planning business trips 计划出差时需考虑哪些要点?

　　l Purpose 目的

　　l Travel arrangement 旅行安排

　　First of all, you have to be very clear about the purpose of your trip. For example, if it is a business visit to another company for a potential contract, you’ll have to think before-hand who you’re going to meet, what to discuss and how to promote your company. If your purpose is to launch a product, you’ll have to collect detailed information about the product and be prepared to answer any questions that may be raised.

　　Travel arrangement is also important. You should have advanced booking for deals and discounts and have a good preparation of the trip. An itinerary is very important so that you can manage your time in an efficient way to better fulfill your purposes.

　　When planning business trips, you should also give a thought to the luggage. You should keep your luggage light and never expect anyone else to carry it for you. Well-prepared and travelling light, the business trip will be a rewarding delight.

　　首先，你必须非常清楚出差的目的。比如，如果是为了潜在的合约对其他公司做商务型拜访的话，你必须在出差之前考虑—你将会见的人是谁，要讨论什么以及怎样宣传你的公司;如果你的目的是推出一个产品，你必须收集关于产品的详细信息以及准备去回答可能提出的任何问题。

　　旅行安排也很重要。你应该为了得到优惠和折扣提前预定并且为出差做好准备。行程表是非常重要的，这是一个对时间管理的有效方法，能更好的实现你的目标。

　　计划出差时，你也应该对行李有所安排。你应该轻装上阵而且不要指望别人帮你运行李。良好的准备和轻装上阵，你会在商务之旅中收获喜悦。

　　What is important when…?

　　Selecting an agency to arrange business travel 选择负责旅行安排的旅行社时需要考虑哪些要点?

　　l Reputation 声誉

　　l Speed of service 服务速度

　　In selecting an agency to arrange business travel, whether the agency is reputable or not is a very important factor to consider. An agency with a good reputation is usually reliable and offers quality service which is essential for the accomplishment of your business tasks. So you need to find out whether a certain agency specializes in business travel arrangement or not, whether it is experienced and has a proven track record of performance before making the selection.

　　Speed of service is also very important. It often means business opportunities. Sometimes there may be an urgent trip to make so it is better to select a travel agency which deals with last-minute airline bookings.

　　Discounts offered are also important. This can minimize travel expenses without sacrificing comfort and efficiency.

　　选择一个旅行社来安排商务旅行，旅行社是否有良好的声誉是需要考虑的一个重要因素。拥有良好声誉的旅行社通常是可信赖的他们提供高质量的服务这对完成商业任务很重要。因此你必须调查旅行社是否是专业从事商务旅行安排，是否有相关经验以及是否有一个良好的成绩记录，之后才能做出选择。

　　服务的速度也很重要。这通常意味着商机。有时候可能有一个紧急的出差，所以最好选择一个旅行社可以提供最后一分钟航班的预定。

　　打折也很重要。这可以让我们在不影响舒适度和效率的基础上花费最少的钱。

　　What is important when…?

　　Preparing for a business trip 准备商务旅行时需要考虑哪些要点?

　　l Delegating essential tasks 将重要工作委托他人

　　l Staying accessible 保持联系

　　When preparing for a business trip, it is important to delegate essential tasks. This ensures that important work is not interrupted when someone is away and things go on normally to avoid any delay. This is important for overall performance.

　　Staying accessible is another important thing to consider when you are going away on a business trip. It is necessary in case your superiors or clients need to reach you. A better way is to leave contact details such as mobile phone number that works or call back to tell them about your room number as soon as you get to the destination and stay in a hotel.

　　Informing people around you is also important. In that way if there is anything urgent that requires your signature or something, it can be done before you are away and things can be better arranged.

　　准备商务旅行时，将重要工作委托他人很重要。这样确保当某人离开的时候重要的工作不被打断而且工作正常进行以避免任何延误。这对整体性能很重要。

　　保持联系是你离开公司去商务旅行的另一个重要事宜。保持联系很重要以防你的上级或者客户需要与你联系。一个更好的方法是留下联系方式比如公用手机号或者一到达目的地，入住酒店就回电话告诉他们你的房间号码。

　　通知你周围的人也很重要，因为如果这里有任何紧急情况需要你签字或者别的事情，这样可以在你离开之前更好的安排。

　　PART THREE: DISCUSSION

　　Cutting Travel Costs

　　Your company is planning to reduce the amount it spends on business trips. You have been asked to suggest ways of doing this. Discuss the situation together, and decide:

　　l how the total number of business trips might be reduced

　　l how the costs of some trips might be reduced

　　削减差旅成本

　　你们所在公司计划削减差旅支出。请你们为此提出建议。讨论并决定：

　　l 如何减少总的出差次数

　　l 如何减少某些差旅成本

　　A: You know our company is planning to reduce the amount it spends on business trips.

　　B: Yes, I think that’s because we spent too much on travel when we could have spent less. Do you have any idea?

　　A: In my opinion, the absolute best way to cut the costs of business trips is not to take some trips in the first place.

　　B: Yeah, by reducing the total number of trips.

　　A: Indeed, some of the travels are not at all necessary. I think this can be done by not taking part in unnecessary conferences and avoid unnecessary travel by using IT systems such as videoconferencing and E-mail as substitutions for some expensive travels.

　　B: Exactly. You know, some of the face-to-face talks may simply be replaced by a conference call and some travels can be arranged at a later date in conjunction with another trip.

　　A: For some trips we have to make, there are also ways to reduce the costs.

　　B: Yeah. In my opinion, saving should start from the very first step, that is, choosing the right transport. We should always consider first the cheapest ways of getting around, that is, train and bus, and plan ahead to pay less for the air fare when we have to travel by plane.

　　A: I see what you mean. Generally, the cheaper the air fare, the less flexible it is. The cheapest fares do not allow you to make any changes to your booking. So we can save money by planning ahead and using a less flexible ticket.

　　B: You’re right. Accommodation is also a major travel expense. The company should encourage its staff to stay in nice hotels instead of expensive ones and always ask for a discount.

　　A: When it comes to local transport, employees should be advised not to choose convenience over cost-effectiveness. For instance, a taxi is much less expensive than a chauffeured car.

　　B: To make this effective, we can offer some incentive reward to those who save costs in their travel.

　　A: Like what?

　　B: For instance, if the destination is an attractive one, we can allow our employees to stay one more night at leisure when it is weekend.

　　A: Good idea. By doing so, I believe we can have a significant reduction of travel costs.

　　A：你知道吧我们公司正计划削减差旅费。

　　B：是的，我认为这是因为我们在差旅方面花费太多。我们可以削减，你有什么好方法么?

　　A:就我来看，削减差旅费最好的方法是首先出差次数不要太多。

　　B：是的，通过减少出差的总的次数。

　　A：当然，有一些出差不是那么必要。我认为减少费用可以通过拒绝参加一些必要性不大的会议以及避免一些不必要的差旅而是采用IT系统比如电视会议和邮件来代替一些昂贵的出差。

　　B：确实是这样。你知道，有些面对面的谈话可以用电话会议来替代也或者可以把日程安排的晚一些以其他出差合并。

　　A: 对那些必须安排的出差，这里也有一些方法来减少成本。

　　B：是的，就我来看，节省费用应该从第一步开始。就是说，选择合适的交通工具。我们应该始终考虑出差最便宜的交通方式，即为，火车和汽车，以及当我们必须搭乘飞机时，提前订票以获得优惠的票价。

　　A:我明白你的意思。通常来说，机票越便宜，退换票就越不灵活。最便宜的机票不允许你对预定做任何改变。因此我们可以通过提前预定灵活性小的机票来节省费用。

　　B：你是对的。住宿也是一项主要的差旅经费。公司应该鼓励员工住在设施良好的酒店而不是昂贵的酒店，并且总是询问折扣情况。

　　A：当涉及到当地的交通，不应该建议员工选择便利却超出成本效益的交通方式，。举个例子，出租车就要比配有司机的专车要划算。

　　B：为了更有效率，我们也可以为那些在出差时节省费用的员工提供一些刺激性的奖励制度。

　　A:比如说?

　　B:举个例子说，如果目的地风景秀丽，我们可以允许员工在周末多呆一个或几个晚上休闲。

　　A: 好主意。通过这样做，我相信我们的差旅费可以有显著的减少。

　　(1) Do you think there will be any negative effect on a company’s performance if there is a reduction in business travel?(Why?/Why not?)

　　一旦削减出差次数，你认为它会不会对企业总体业绩产生影响?(为什么?)

　　Yes. Companies always need external contact for their overall performance. They need to go out to know and to be known.

　　(2) How to prevent employees spending more than they are supposed to during business travel?

　　如何防止员工在差旅费上超支?

　　An effective way would be to have one set procedure for all employees to follow for business travel expense. Pick a simpliest financial software system that serves your business travel needs and then have everyone from the top down follow it exactly.

　　(3) Do you think companies are willing to pay extra for business class travel?(Why?/Why not?)

　　你认为公司是否愿意多花钱让出差员工坐头等舱?(为什么?)

　　No, I don’t think so. Unless when it is necessary, no companies would be willing to pay extra for business class travel since it means increase of costs.

　　(4) How important is it to plan the itinerary before staring a business trip?(Why?)

　　出差之前计划行程有多重要?(为什么?)

　　It’s very important. A well-planned itinerary enables a traveler to make the best possible use of time on travel.

　　(5) What’s the most cost-effective way to reduce costs for business travelers?

　　对商务旅行者而言，什么是最省钱的方法?

　　I think the most cost-effective way would be to look for better-value hotels as well as cheaper flights.