Copyright 版權
A：Tell your graphic artists to go back to the drawing board for our new logo design. I just saw the prototype that came out of your department last week. It just wonu2019t work.
B：Why? Whatu2019s the problem?
A：It is way too similar to the Nike swoosh. Donu2019t you know? Thatu2019 s copyrighted. If we come out with something even close to the design they have, we could be legally liable. Theyu2019d sue us in a heartbeat.
B：I saw the design. We had a team of all-star designers on it. I donu2019 t think it resembled Nikeu2019 s logo at all. Thatu2019s a huge stretch of the imagination to say our design would violate their copyright.
A：Our legal department doesnu2019t think so. They reviewed the copyrighted images from Nike. After discussion with our general manager, they determined it would be copyright infringement to place this design on our products. Itu2019 s better to be safe than sorry.
B：What if we modified the design a little bit. Say we change the color. Do you think that would be enough to differentiate from the copyrighted image?
A：Nope. The verdict from the legal department is to start from scratch. This time come up with something more creative.
B：More creative?
A：Not only do we have to worry about not overstepping bounds with copyright, but we also want something different from everyone else. We want to stand out to our consumers. Come up with something good, then we'll set our own copyright on it.
B：Okay. Looks like itu2019s back to square one.
A：去告訴你們的設計師回畫室討論一下我們新徽標的設計問題。我剛剛看過你們部門上星期拿出的設計樣，根本不能用。
B：為什么？有什么問題？
A：這個設計與耐克產品上的圖案太相似了。你難道不知道，這是受版權保護的？哪怕我們設計出來的東西與他們的圖案接近，我們也會負法律責任的，他們會立即起訴我們。
B：我看過那個設計，那是我們明星團隊一手設計的，我認為根本不像耐克的標識。說我們的設計會侵犯他們的版權，這想象力未免有點兒太豐富了。
A：我們的法律部門可不這么認為。他們仔細看了耐克受版權保護的圖案，并和我們總經理討論過。最后他們認定如果把這個圖案放在我們的產品上，那會侵犯他們的版權。我們最好還是防患于未然吧。
B：如果我們再修改一下設計怎么樣？比如說把顏色變變，你認為這樣就足以與受版權保護的圖案區分了吧？
A：不行。法律部門的定論是一切從零開始。這一次要搞出更有獨創性的設計。
B：更有獨創性？
A：我們不但要小心別越過版權的權限，而且還要拿出完全與眾不同的設計。我們的設計要醒目以吸引顧客。有了好的設計，我們就可以申請自己的版權了。
B：好的。看來還是重新設計吧。
Performance Reviews 業績評估
A：Letu2019s go over Fridayu2019 s performance reviews.
B：Most of them were pretty positive. Take Tom Clark for example. Heu2019s extroverted, which makes him a very effective salesman. You can see his sales for this quarter are a record high for our company. Heu2019s also easygoing and very friendly. Add that to his good looks, and you can see why heu2019 s so popular, in and out of the office!
A：Yes, Iu2019ve also heard that heu2019s a ladyu2019s man. Well, that is actually a strike against him in the performance review. It seems like he has trouble keeping his private life and professional life separate. He has been involved in several office romances that have been detrimental to employee professionalism and performance.
B：He was censored for the two incidents, and since then, he has corrected his behavior. I think that says a lot for his character.
A：Do you recommend him for a raise, then?
B：I think heu2019s deserving of a promotion because he has brought a lot of profit to the company.
A：What about John Martin? His report wasnu2019 t so hot. Heu2019s always making excuses, he has no common sense, and he lacks responsibility.
B：You can see his sales record is less than impressive. He is hard to deal with. After disciplinary action, he complained to the Board of Directors with charges of discrimination. It seems he always ignores his faults and criticizes others.
A：Just between you and me, I canu2019 t stand the guy. But itu2019s very difficult to fire him. He landed this position because of his parents. They are very influential stockholders.
A：我們看一下周五的業績評估情況。
B：大部分都是正面評價。拿湯姆·克拉克來說，他性格外向，因此做推銷員非常合適。你可以看到他這個季度的銷售額創了我們公司的最高記錄。他本人也比較隨和，很友好。再加上他長相不錯，因此他在我們辦公室內外備受歡迎。
A：你說得對，我也聽說他很討女人喜歡。事實上，這也正是他在業績評估中遭到攻擊的原因。似乎他公私生活不分，又卷入了幾宗辦公室緋聞，這對一個員工的職業道德和業績表現有害無益。
B：他因為那兩件事情受到審查，從那以后，他改正了自己的行為。我想這清楚說明了他的個性。
A：那你同意給他提職嗎？
B：我認為應該給他升職，因為他給公司創造了大量利潤。
A：約翰·馬丁怎么樣？他的名聲沒有那么多爭議。可他總是找借口，沒有什么常識，也缺少責任心。
B：你看他的銷售記錄也沒有什么起色。這個人很難打交道。懲戒他之后，他向董事會抱怨指控我們歧視他。好像他總是無視自己的過錯，反而批評他人。
A：這事就我們兩個知道就行了，我受不了這家伙。可是要解雇他很難。他得到這個職位是由于他父母的緣故，他們可是有影響力的股東。