| A | B |
|---|
| product development | the process of creating or improving a product or service |
| salespeople | gather information from customers |
| consumer panel | a group of people who offer opinions about a product or service |
| pure research | research done without a specific product in mind |
| applied research | research that studies existing product problems or possible design improvements for current products |
| manufacturing | a form of production in which raw and semi-finished materials are processed, assembled, or converted into finished products |
| mass production | an assembly process that produces a large number of identical products |
| continuous processing | raw materials constantly move through specially designed equipment that changes their form to make them more usable for consumption or further manufacturing |
| repetitive production | the same thing is done over and over to produce a product |
| intermittent processing | uses short production runs to make predetermined quantities of different products |
| custom manufacturing | the process used to design and build a unique product to meet the special needs of the purchaser |
| inventory management | planning the quantities of materials and supplies needed for production and the number of finished products required to fill customer orders |
| human resource planning | determining the types of jobs required for each part of production, the number of people needed for each job, and the skills each person will need in order to do the job |
| production scheduling | identifying the steps required in a manufacturing process, the time required to complete each step, and the sequence of the steps |
| quality management | the process of assuring product quality by developing standards for all operations and products and measuring results against those standards |
| computer-aided design (CAD) | engineers can design and test products before they are even built, |
| computer-integrated manufacturing | all manufacturing systems are designed and managed with computers |
| intangible services | services that do not have a physical product, they cannot be seen or examined before purchase |
| tangibles | the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and promotional material |
| reliability | the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately |
| responsiveness | the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service |
| assurance | the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence |
| empathy | the caring and individualised attention the business provides its cutomers |
