Business Lesson 13: Deadlines

Business Lesson 13
Deadlines

Framework and Time Frame

Sometimes a task is simply too much for a single person to handle. For example, if Lufthansa, Emirates, and British Airways decided to merge into one mega-airline by the end of this year, it would be a guarantee that the project of joining all the companies’ assets and compiling all the paperwork would be much too great for one single person (or 25 for that matter).  For this reason, group work is very popular among large businesses. Group work allows for a shorter time frame and an equal distribution of tasks. This lesson will go through the structure of group work in a business English setting.

Patrick has been selected by his executives to head a team of five. Their task is to find investors for a new cell phone design which their company is attempting to launch by next spring.

Patrick: Okay guys, welcome to our first official meeting! I’m Patrick and I’m your project manager. Since we’re all going to be spending a great deal of time together, make sure to exchange contact information with each other at the end of the meeting. You can find my contact information on the website that Jane should have up and running by this evening. Victoria, did you want to quickly go over our time frame?
Victoria: Of course Patrick, hello everyone, I’m Victoria, Patrick has allocated me to be in charge of all the administrative duties: paperwork, deadlines, and communication. Here’s the scoop: We have exactly six months starting tomorrow to have a definitive list of sponsors for the board or we can all start looking for another job. Here’s our timeline: by the end of the first month, we should have an extensive list of potential sponsors and some dialogue underway with the majority of them.
Patrick: Victoria, sorry, let me just interrupt you for a moment. Jacob and Charlotte, you too are going to be our field hands. What that means is that you two are going to actually be travelling through the city and speaking face to face with these potential sponsors and selling our proposal to them. I’ve worked with you both twice before and I know that sales and negotiations are your strong suits so we’re lucky to have you both. Go on Victoria.
Victoria: No worries Patrick. Okay, the second month should consist of negotiations and further searching for sponsors. By the third month we’re expected to provide a progress report, so we’re hoping by then that we actually have some good news to share with the board. The fourth and fifth months are for crossing T’s and dotting I’s. We need to make sure every detail with every sponsor is ironed out before presenting our final report to the executives.
Patrick: One more interruption, sorry Victoria. This is where you enter the picture Daniel. Your expertise, from what I understand, is in documentation and transcribing. I need you to make sure that every report, proposal, and important piece of writing is either done by you, or filtered through you. Essentially, you’re our drafting and editing expert.
Victoria: Okay everyone; month six is the most important. We must meet the deadlines as we can’t afford to have any loose ends in our last month. The board is really pushing to see significant results by that stage in our project.
Patrick: Thanks Victoria. Remember, Vicky and I are as much in this as you are. I’ll be on the streets with Jacob and Charlotte and Vicky will be helping with the administrative tasks as well as the digital aspect with Jane. We’re all in this together so don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. See you all this Thursday and try to get the ball rolling as soon as you can. remember to respect the deadlines and the everybody is happy.

Vocabulary List