Thoughts.

Did Cable Price honestly overestimate the work to be done, or did they, knowing that no student would take a job for a week when there were others of a month, deliberately mislead the students into thinking there was a month's work when all the time Cable Price only wanted them up until the stocktaking on Friday 12th. Furthermore, because the students worked hard and well did Cable Price reward them. No. They laid them off a week before 12 February while still expecting them to come and help on 12 February.