The development process

Market research
The original concept is the basic idea
for something.
In designing products and services, market
research -
out what people want i. .r l"".r.
|TO-* -
This may involve questionnair., o."..yru*"yr,
]:p:::"l.
wtth questlons about what people buy
and why,
' perhaps
with interviews in the streeior ly t.t.pt o"..
There may be consumer panels and focus
groups, where
ordinary people meet to łi..,rs product id'e-a, iniorm"tly.
Perhaps the researchers will make sales
forecasts,
'
estimates of how many products
will b. ,olJ.

l
l
See Unit 21 for more on marketing.

lre Development and launch

In software, developers often produce
1ll a final test version, the beta version,
users are asked to point out bugs (problems)
before ń; ;;il;;i
where
flr"lir"d.
Car designers use CADCAM (computer-assisted
design / computer-assisted
manufacturing) to help develop u.,ł
-uk. proa,r.,, ;d
;r;;iff.i.r,, pro,o.rp.r.
Researchers in laboratoriT may take years
to.develop new drugs, testing or
trialling them in trials to show.not o"iy.rr"ii1.1
-9 .r..,i"", "#;l"
that they
are safe. Drugs need to be made on
arr'i.rd.rst i"ir."r"u"i...-iłi"l,"J, b.
rold.
of making a product available, perhaps

l; l"rlfiJ.:r*?rocess in particular places,

product launch is the moment when the product
is officially made available for
sale. This is the .big moment'.
If a design defect or design fault is
found in a product aftet ithas been launched,
the company may have ń .ecall ir,
who have bought it to return it,
perhaps so that the defect can be "rŃ;h;se -
Ćorr..rJd.

3ó Buslness Vocobu lary in |Jse (lntermediate)

 14"T Three PeoPle are talking about their
work in product development. Correct
in italics, using expressions from the mistakes
A and B op-p|rit..
1
(a) Market researcbes sboruedthere
was a real
need for this service, but before
orr".ins ir.-.; At our research centre in Toulouse
had to test it in a (b) beta.opy jn Ftance, the (g)
with Jmall designators
groups of users over several
-o.rih, to .li-i.r"r.
all the bugs. Even so, (c) after t r"łr, 9:u:lop the prototypes. People
ro^r-urrrc think that my job is dangerous,
sard they could get into other people's
accounts!
,
Dut there ls, so much (h\ tasting
on
computer first, that all the danger
T|e
1or9 you eat, the thinner you get, una 1a) has been eliminated by the tiń
foro!sr."ups said they liked ,h.';;r;;;;; we use the product. (1) CADCAR
!!,
first.we had to prove to irr" means that the process of design
was (e) secure. Another problem ""ińri;H
*r, rnukń ',i, and manufacture is much q.ricń.
on an (f) industrial leuel: at first we
.o"tJ oły than before.
,lall
quantities l" tt . hno.ut-oĘ'but
T\:_,,j]l
making it in bigger quantities *;;l;il;ii;.
§ 4,"tr Conrplete tlris t:rlk by a rnarketing
specialist using words from A
ancl B opposite.
A few years ago a famous car company
launched a new ca! basecl on
a completely new
(1) .. . They'd clone years o1:
technical research and (2)
research with
focus (3) ancl (4) panels arrd anall,sis of responses
to questionnaires
and (.5) . Then came the (6)
. . Sales of the car wefe vefy
goo<1 until a Swedish
newsPaPer reported the results
of its ,elk test,. They found that
car had a tendency to tip over if you t]re
turrred quickly to avoid an elk.
This r,vas due to a
(7) .,..............,..... fault in the
car, so they had to (8)
.. ail the cars they'cl soid
to correct it. in order

Business Vocobulary in lJse (lntermediote)

37
 Innovation and invention

ffi lnnovation and invention

I
design,,o *ukilIi
o. design
drawings for how something a design a designer
i is
I to be made
develop: to make , ,r.- id*
successful, for example by
l development
a development a developer
maklng or improvinea orodrl
Innovate: to think of new
innovation
ideas, methods, products, an innovation an innovator
etc.
invent: to design und
-"t .-
something for the first time
invention
an invention an inventor

technology: the
a technology a technologist
practical or industrial
use of scientific discoveries

li countable = you can sa y a/an; uncountable

= you can't say a/an

Research and technology

Hi' I'm RaY and I'm head of
Product dełelopment at Lightning Gchnologies.
semiconductors, ńe comPonents Lightning makes
at the heari of eu.ry,cńpu,.-.
develoPment (R&D) at our
resea*r' ."rrt .l,rr, ooarid"
I,- in charge of research and
in the comnuter industry,
n.rr"". ór. laboratories are some
of the
il:Łffij!łJe *. rr"". ń"J" -;;;.*
discoveries and
",rJ
I love technology, using
sciendfic knowledge for.pracdcal
1rt semiconductors is fascinating.
§7e
purposes. The
;;;". ;tting,edge or leading edge technology of
"." of semiconductor
l;:T,łm;:il:;:rffifi::lx,*t j**j,:"rlJ:"ff i::T;,rthi,g"..a.r,*"ii_"r_
of course, ńe hi-tech products
of today become the low-tech
tomorrow. Products that are products of
no lo,g.. u|i.-a"r. i.."rr.,i.rirrlT'O
Eil;a.*."-1
technology are obsolete..It's
never get into that situation.
my ;.Ui. -lt. zure that Lightning's products
AmE: research center
l

l1
J

Patents and intellectual properĘ

Information or knowledge,that
belong, ,o individual
or comDanv
is proprietary.A producid*.l.,p"J
protected in law by patents "9ilg
"r,
,*il;i;'ili;ń#fi:' Noun Verb
.o ńut otlr..3.u".ro' copy its design. BrE: a licence to license
Other companies may pay to AmE: a license to
use ńe design under licence ticense
products. These payments in their own
are royaltjes.
In publishing, if a text,p_ictu:e,
etc,. is copyrigit, it cannot
without permission. Payments be used by others
to th. u,rńo, ?..; ;h;;;;r*i*
The area of law relating to patents "]Ji.rr,"r.
and copyright is intellectual property.

38 Business Vocaóu lary in tJse (lntermediate)

1 5.1 Choose the correct forms to complete these sentences containing words from A opposite.
1 §7h,ite came up with (a design/design) that combined lightness and warmth.
2 There's an eńibition on architecture and (the design/dósign) at the Museum
of Modern Art.
3 McGrew is vice president of (a development/development) and product planning.
4 The FDA has approved (a development/developmeńt) for treati;g
tooth disease, a new laser machine.
5 Elęctric light was (an invention/invention) which enabled people to stay up later.
6 Sometimes (an invention/invention) is so obvious that it is haid to believe nobody
thought of it before.
7 Channel Four has always encouraged experimentation and (an innovatioMnnovation)
in its films.
8 He discovered (an innovation/innovation) that has enabled him to build
guitars more efficiently.

'l 5.2 Complete this presentation using words from B opposite. Put the words in brackets into
their correct form,
Hi,I'm Raj (1) I'm head (2) product (3 develop) ....................... at
(4) ...,.,. Indian Rice Research Centre. I'm in charge of research (5)
development (6) ., our (7 researching) .... centre in Delhi. Our
(8 laboratory) are (9) ,...,............,.... of the most (10 innovation) ...

(11) ....,... agriculture. §(/e have recently (12) ..... some big
( 13 breakthrough) ....,.................. in increasing rice production.
I love (14 technological) ............ , using scientific knowledge (15) improve
people's lives. (16) technology (I7) . .,.,. rice development (18)
a good example (19) ..... this,

\We are at the (20)

edge of rice-growing techniques. Everything we do
(ż1) . ..... state-of-the-art, using the most advanced biological (22 know)
..,.,....

available.

15.3 Match the expressions (1-6) from C opposite with their meanings (a-f).
1 coPYright infringement a a payment to the owner of a design, or to an author
2 property
intellectual b an arrangement between the ownir of a design and
3 Patent aPPlication someone else, allowing them to use the design for money
4 ProPrietary information c when someone uses another's text, pictures,itc. without
5 royalty payment permission
6 licensing agfeement d when an inventor asks the authorities to officially
recognize an invention as his/her properfy
e designs, ideas, etc. that belong to someone
f ńe law relating to designs, ideas, etc. ńat belong to someone

Business Vocobulary in Use (lntermediote) 39