2013年ESL之商务英语 24 Dealing With Rising Production Costs

（单词翻译）

Dealing¹ With Rising Production Costs

Giovanni: There are no two ways about it. We have to raise prices. 

Melanie: We can’t. We already raised prices earlier this year. Doing it again risks alienating² our customers. 

Giovanni: What else can we do? Our production costs have risen nearly 15 percent. We’ve tried absorbing them and offsetting³ them, but nothing has worked. Our profit margin⁴ continues to shrink and we don’t have any other choice. 

Melanie: What about lowering the quality of our raw materials? We could use a cheaper supplier. 

Giovanni: That’s a sure way to lose customers. If we start cutting corners on quality, our customers will leave in droves. 

Melanie: What if we discontinue manufacturing some of the less popular items? That should save us some money. 

Giovanni: Not enough. We either raise prices or stop production altogether. 

Melanie: There is one other option. 

Giovanni: What? 

Melanie: We could reduce our workforce⁵. 

Giovanni: You mean fire people? That’s off the table! 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse