Sarah :… OK, I sent you a proposed agenda yesterday.

Have you had a

chance to look at it?
Ian: Yes, it looks fine.
Sarah: So, the purpose of today is to update each other on progress and
consider anything that might affect our schedule.
Ian: OK.
Sarah: So, Michelle, why don’t you start? How are things with the
marketing department?
Michelle: Up to now, the launch date has been set for the 15th of
November, to capture the Christmas trade – this means we must meet our
deadlines.
Sarah: Good point. So how’s the advertising campaign coming along?
Michelle: That’s fine. We’ve set a realistic schedule and planned in a bit
of extra time in case the printing takes longer than expected.
Sarah: Great. And how far are you with preparations for the launch
party?
Michelle: Our events manager says we’re on track. He booked the venue
two weeks ago and I’ve already received offers from various catering
companies. I haven’t made a final choice yet, but most of them are well
within our budget.
Sarah: That sounds good, Michelle, thanks. So, how does your side of
things look, Ian?
Ian: Well, actually, things aren’t running as smoothly as I’d hoped.
We’ve hit a problem with the handset battery life.
Sarah: OK … so what do you mean exactly?
Ian: Well, in some cases, the battery can run out in six hours if its key
features are in permanent use.
Michelle: So what you’re saying is we’re about to launch a new
revolutionary low cost mobile phone and its battery only lasts six hours!?
Ian: Well, obviously, that’s an extreme case, but the engineers have
identified that there is a basic design problem with the battery.
Sarah: So the real problem lies with the battery manufacturers? Ian Yes.
Michelle: But, Ian, what about our deadlines? Can this problem be
resolved?
Ian: Well, our engineers are looking into it and if it’s fixable, they’ll do it,
but they’ll need time. We may have to reschedule.
Michelle: But we can’t postpone the launch at this stage! There must be
something you can do.
Sarah: Are there any alternatives?
Ian: Well, I’ve got some suggestions, but you may not like them.
Sarah: Ian, you’ve put us in a difficult position – why don’t we get
another coffee and then we’ll look at our options?