Research And Development

1814 Words4 Pages

Research and Development
Research and development is an activity businesses use with an intention to discover something that can lead to the development of new products or procedures (1). Working out the feasibility of an idea to see if it is possible within significant constraints, and second finding some of the better ways to use it if it is feasible, is development. In the five step engineering cycle, development work is the experimental stage. Development projects are set up to establish the feasibility of new ideas. There is no clear line between engineering research and develop, or between development and design. These boundaries are not defined at all. Developers research as they go along. They open their thinking to new ideas and inspiration. Researchers must develop the new ideas to tell whether anything is found (2).
When thinking about engineering research and development it is important to differentiate it from scientific research. Many people get the two confused. Many inadequacies and shortcomings of engineering research and development come from confusing science and engineering (2). Scientists make an effort to establish a systematic body of knowledge about nature. They use the idea of nature in a very inclusive sense. Scientists are interested in finding out more about nature and relating it to what they already know. Engineers are interested in applying technology to do something useful better. Engineering is the application of technology to meet human needs more effectively (2). Engineers have an interest in science. Science gives engineers new tools and ideas to discover important factors. The main difference between engineers and scientists is their attitude. Scientists are mainly trying to learn. When the...

... middle of paper ...

...and development. Research and development is of great importance in business as the level of competition, production processes and methods are rapidly increasing. It is of special importance in the field of marketing where companies keep an eagle eye on competitors and customers in order to keep pace with modern trends and analyze the needs, demands and desires of their customers. Unfortunately, research and development are very difficult to manage, since the defining feature of research is that the researchers do not know in advance exactly how to accomplish the desired result. As a result, higher research and development spending does not guarantee more creativity, higher profit or a greater market share. President Obama requested $147.696 billion for research and development in 2011. Much of this spending is devoted to basic research on the mechanisms of disease.

Open Document