Band 7+: Although modern technology has made international communication very easy, many business people still travel long distances for business meetings. Do the benefits of face-to-face meetings outweigh the disadvantages?

In this contemporary era, the creation of digital devices broke the physical boundary. People have contrasting views about the offline meeting, which sparked off an intense debate, some of them insist on traveling long distances to attend the meeting. However, I suppose that the benefits can hardly justify its potential drawbacks.

It’s undeniable that face-to-face meetings have lots of advantages. The paramount reason is that the traditional kind of meeting can enhance trust between businessmen, and it makes people feel more respected, as a result, they prefer to offer concessions to the party that has traveled a long distance. For instance, a recent report published by American universities reveals that the close rate which is dealt in offline meeting is 11% higher than online counterparts, and the average contract price improved approximately 6.3%. Moreover, this sort of meeting always breeds job opportunities. For instance, some uneducated individuals may make the airport messy, as a result, enterprises will employ more ground crews to alleviate the burden of high feet traffic.

Despite the aforementioned benefits of offline meeting, I still believe that we can’t ignore the importance of online meeting. Firstly, it saves considerable amount of money on transportations of employees for SMEs. Owing to financial constraints, their priority is earning money for a living. Secondly, it helps maintaining a balance between work and family. For some people who work in large institutions, they back and forth between different places from time to time, as a result, being by the side of one’s family has become a privilege for them. Corporate culture like promoting online conferences saves time for them, which definitely improves their job satisfaction, in order to enhance the desire and efficiency in work.

In conclusion, the merits of offline working are remarkable indeed. Nevertheless, the benefits of online conversation, including the companionship with family members, enhancing employees’ job satisfaction, and increasing work efficiency , would eclipse the merits.