Mark is a senior student at a vocational college. Davie is a freshman in the same college. They are from the same high school so they know each other well. They meet on campus at the beginning of the school year. 

Dialogue 1

Ann: Hi, Davie. Haven’t seen you for ages. How are you?  

Dave: Fine, thanks. And you?

Ann: I’m well, too. I hear you and I are in the same department.

Dave: Yes, and logistics is also my major. However, I do not have much idea about it. What is it all about?

Ann: Oh, logistics is a new multi-discipline. It is the science of ensuring that the right products reach the right place in the right quantity at the right time to satisfy customer demands.

Dave: Mm, sounds interesting. Does logistics mean transportation and delivery?

Ann: That’s not the whole story. Modern logistics is related to the effective and efficient flow of materials and information. It is a vital economic sector to customers and clients in our society. It involves such functions as packaging, material handling, loading and unloading, transporting, warehousing & inventory, processing, cargo distributing, and so on.

Dave: Oh, it is indeed a very complicated system.

Ann: Yeah, it is actually the systematic management of various activities. Nowadays logistics has become a hot subject in China.

Dave: Wow, I really have to do my best to learn it well.

Ann: Good luck!