Purchasing Director Mugs

"Would you mind if I saw him first "

"I'm afraid 'It's a surprise', doesn't cut it as a growth strategy."

'Finally! A meeting with one of the bigwigs.'

"We need to reset our fiscal compass to the changing business horizon."

'The good news is I had a very good year.'

Gay Times...

'We've financed three more startups for no fathomable reason.'

"Does anyone here have a clue what it is we used to get?"

Signs: Sales, Profit and Media coverage.

'If I may say so, business is booming.'

You can breed these if the environment is right.

'It's my company, I'll decide whether I want to go to the partner's meeting or not.'

"Maybe we should have another look at the 'business as usual' idea."

Expenses/Income. "Our only problem is working out how to switch these."

'We have what might be a very good idea...'

Big Shot/Bigger Shot.

'I'm being promoted to The Capable Office - he said I'm incapable!'

His temperature appears to rise and fall with the FT index

'Foster's here, regarding his raise sir. Shall I have him crawl in now, or let him sweat a while?'

They loved the presentation on competing in the marketplace.

'We're very tight on space right now but we'll have you in an office as soon as we can. Meanwhile...'

Supply Chain

"This is what happens when you award the contract to the cheapest tender...."

'I've been sent by the board to ask if you'd be willing to cut your symbolic one dollar a year salary to fifty cents.'

"So do I take it that's a 'NO' to the pay rise?"

'Now go out there and sell yourself!'

White flag being waved around bosses door.

Sales used to be through the roof, now they're through the floor.

"I know we said we would get you a laptop.. but this will have to do until business gets better."

How Many It Takes

"Well so much for our policy of putting the customer second!"

'We're plowing our excess profits back into justifying our profits.'

Executive with desk-boxes 'get rich' and 'get even'.

The contract was not worth the paper it was written on, which considering the paper was not a good sign.

"UK government aren’t budging boss. Sole supplier or not under the new procurement regulations our new contract has to have three KPIs..."