Down or Up

Down - less stature...less prestige

Up - more stature...more prestige

Let's look at baseball.

1) Third basemen Joe Cool was sent back DOWN to the minors because he had not been playing well recently in the majors. (Major League vs. Minor Leagues )

2) The best pitcher from the Salt Lake Stingers (minor league AAA team) went UP to the Anaheim Angels (major l

It could of course be about a physical relocation too

It could of course be about a physical relocation too

Doubtful. Unless, of course, the regional office was few floors down from the head office.

Especially in the corporate world, "up" and "down" take on meanings different from the literal "up" and "down" that we are all accustomed with.

Nonetheless, you are correct, "it could be..." But th

In the States, one is often said to be sent "down" to a regional office to mean that one is checking on or being relocated to a office in the southern part of the state. Likewise, one could be sent "over to" or "up to" a regional office, regardless of whether the regional office was a step up or down on the career ladder. I don't think that one can say that the locational meaning is less likely

I don't think that one can say that the locational meaning is less likely than the status meaning.

I strongly suspect that if it were "locational", locations would have been provided.

In any event, the reader has all the information to work with. If there are locations and the regional office is south, then your guess is correct. If no locations are p