The Internship Memo
Read the following memo.
"To all staff: From 1 March, the staff canteen will close for renovation for six weeks. During this period, a temporary vendor will operate from the car park between 12:00 and 14:00. Staff are asked to pre-order by 10:00 each morning via the intranet. The vendor cannot accept cash; payment is by staff card only. Those without a staff card should contact HR before 20 February to arrange a temporary credit line. The renovation is expected to improve ventilation and seating capacity. We appreciate your patience."
A new intern, without a staff card, reads the memo on 25 February and asks a colleague what to do.
1. What is the central purpose of the memo, and what is the intern's specific problem?
Read the worked answer
The memo's purpose is operational and directive: it informs staff of a temporary change to canteen arrangements during renovation and instructs them on the new procedure (pre-order by 10:00, card-only payment, HR contact for cardless staff).
The intern's problem is a timing conflict: the memo requires cardless staff to contact HR before 20 February, but the intern reads it on 25 February. The stated remedy has already expired, so the memo's instructions no longer cover the intern's situation.
2. What should the intern do, and which detail in the memo supports your advice?
Read the worked answer
The intern should contact HR immediately anyway, explaining the late read, because the underlying constraint (no card, no cash accepted) still applies and only HR can issue a temporary credit line.
The supporting detail is the memo's explicit rule that the vendor cannot accept cash; payment is by staff card only. Since the intern has neither a card nor the expired window, the only route to eating at the temporary vendor is an HR-arranged credit line. The intern should also pre-order by 10:00 once payment is sorted.