地道美语听力练习:A Management Dispute

Jeannie: Have you heard about the new management dispute?

Salih: No, what’s happening?

Jeannie: Well, the CEO is having problems with the head of one of the subsidiaries.

Salih: Which one?

Jeannie: Lance Publishing. Apparently, the head, Bill Riker, is saying that he and the CEO differ too much in their business philosophy and they can’t agree on a future direction for the company.

Salih: I really hope they can settle their dispute soon. It doesn’t do anybody any good to have so much hostility in the office.

Jeannie: I hope so, too. This company can’t afford to have another high-level departure. We’ve lost so many good people already this past year.

Salih: We’ve had a lot of bad press, that’s for sure. It doesn’t matter that our employment contracts have confidentiality agreements. When somebody is disgruntled, they talk, and they talk loudly and to whomever will listen.

Jeannie: You’ve got that right. I just hope none of us gets caught in the crossfire. I deal with people at Lance Publishing every week.

Salih: I’m with you. I’m keeping a low profile and hoping that the whole thing will blow over soon. What the CEO and the head of Lance Publishing need is a good mediator who can find some way for two incompatible personalities to meet in the middle.

Jeannie: What do you think the chances are of that happening?

Salih: Quite frankly, knowing the people involved, I think it has a snowball’s chance in hell!