A: You know our departmental costs have risen a lotrecently.
B: Yes, I think we are exceeding our budget. Literally, costs have gone through the roof. A-" So what do you think are the reasons? B: I think there are many reasons for this. You know
last  month  we  ran  a  series  of  promotion campaigns. That meant a lot of money, didn't it? A: Yes, But I think we spent way too much on other sorts of things. I mean we could have spent less. B: Uh?
A: you know we have been traveling a lot around thecountry. And most of us travel by air.
R: You mean some of the travels are not necessary?
A: Exactly. You know, some of the face-to-face talks may simply be replaced by email correspondence. R: There's a lot in what you've said. I think we should make full use of our modern facilities and we can certainly forgo some expensive travels.
A: Not only that, I think modern facilities, like computers, should be made full use of within the company, too. You can bet tons of money could have been saved if we had done that.
R: What do you mean?
A: You see, each month we spend a good deal of money on office supplies like printout paper.
R: Yes,  some of the managers always ask for printouts instead of retrieving information from the computer system.
A: Especially those senior managers, who are usually older than others. They are simply not accustomed to the advanced computer system.
B: 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. A: And very often they forget to turn off lights when they leave their offices.
B: So, something must be done before things becomeany worse.
A: Right. I think we should offer some incentives tothose who save costs in their jobs.
R: Like what?
A-" Like a quarterly award for them.
R: Neat idea. Maybe some small gifts like a shopping voucher will also work wonders. And personally Isee an absolute need for a training course for our staff members.
A: On computers?
I~i: Yeah. So that they can make better use of them. And in this way, I believe we'll he able to bring down our costs effectively.
Follow-on questions
I think it is the responsibility of all the staff in thedepartment.  If  everyone  joins  together,  thecompany would control costs, otherwise it wouldhave to rise.
I have to say the area is Sales. They have manytraveling by air around the country, which spendmuch money on it.
Yes.  If each area is able to be self-sufficientfinancially, the general purpose to make profitsand reduce costs will be reach quickly.
Is the current attitude that the costs likely tocontinue to increase on a world-wide  scale?(why? / why not?)
Yes,  many things,  including oil,  pesticides,transport labor,  etc.  have  all  become  moreexpensive than before.
【参考解析】
这道小组讨论题的主题是削减部门成本。背景是你所在的部门的成本迅速增加，你被要求考虑如何减少成本。题目所给的两个提示点是导致成本突然S曾Dii的原因以及如何鼓励员工来帮助削减成本。