Questions of 04/21/00 about "let's get down to business."

1) Mako's question (from Mr. Todorokihara): Can this be used in the past tense?

Yes. It's like any other idiom, so it can be used in a variety of ways.

Examples:

1) We got down to business after having coffee and donuts. (past)

2) One member of our planning committee said, "Let's get down to business" about ten minutes into the meeting. (present tense used in a quotation)

3) We will get down to business right after everyone is here. (future)

2) Yoshiko's question: She asked if the person who says this statement is a specially designated person or has a special position in the company.

Not really--anyone can say it if she or he feels like it. If a manager is present in the room, however, that manager may be the one to say it because he or she has authority over the others. If a new employee said it to a group of managers, those managers may feel that the employee is being presumptuous.