Business Orders In business, an order is a spoken or written intention of a deal ( 交易 ) for specific products or services. From a buyer’s point of view it expresses the intention to buy and is called a purchase order ( 购货订单 ). From a seller’s point of view it expresses the intention to sell and is referred to as a sales order ( 销售订单 ). When the purchase order of the buyer and the sales order of the seller agree, the orders become a contract between the buyer and the seller. In many businesses, orders are used to collect and report costs and revenues according to well-defined purposes. Then it is possible to show for what purposes costs have been incurred( 带来,引起 ). Businesses such as retail stores, restaurants and filling stations ( 加油站 ) conduct business with their customers by accepting orders that are spoken or implied by the buyer’s actions. Taking a shopping cart of merchandise( 商品,货物 ) to a check-out counter is an implied intent to buy the merchandise. Placing a take-out or eat-in order at a restaurant is a spoken purchase order. Putting gas in one’s tank( 油箱 ) at a filling station is an implied order. The main concern for commercial orders is that there must be agreement (offer and acceptance) for the order to be a contract. Once an agreement or contract is in place, businesses record these as confirmed purchase orders and confirmed sales orders. 1. When do orders become a contract between the buyer and the seller? 2. What is the function of orders in business? 3. What is the difference between a purchase order and a sales order?