What does it mean to be innovative in business?

In order for a business to survive in today's world, it is important that we regularly

review what we are doing and how we are doing it. By considering new ideas and
new ways of doing things, and trying to innovate, we can improve on our
products/services, increase sales, reduce costs and make our processes more
effective and efficient. Innovation is key to increasing profits.
There are several ways a company can be innovative with their products and
services. Today we will look at four of them.
1. Using the latest technology to improve your product/service
When we think of innovation, we often think of new technologies. While they
might be impressive, we should not use new technologies just because they are
available. It is important to consider how the technology can improve our
product/service and make a difference to our customer. Companies that produce
cars, toiletries, household appliances, etc. often have a large R&D department to
work on making their products better.
2. Responding to customer demands by changing what is on offer
By listening to customer feedback, we can get their opinions on how we are doing
and find out about what it is that they want. We also need to be aware of changes in
customer demands and keep up with the times. When fast-food restaurant
McDonald's realised that the market wanted healthier choices, they introduced fruit
and salads, while removing the 'super-size' option from their menus.
3. Offering a new product/service to reach new customers
Your business might be doing well, but there is no growth or development and
there is a risk that your competitors might take away some of your customers.
Innovation sometimes means developing a new product that targets a different
market. Although video games were often played by boys, in 2006, video games
giant Nintendo introduced the game console Nintendo Wii, successfully targeting
girls and older customers with games like Cooking Mama and Brain Training.
4. Changing the way you provide a service
By looking at the changes to the customer's lifestyle and needs, we sometimes
realise that there might be better ways to serve them. Customers who do not have a
lot of time might prefer to have their food or their shopping delivered to their
homes, or they might like to do their banking online rather than in an actual bank.
Not all innovation will bring success to our businesses, but it can give us the
opportunity to grow and learn more about what we do and what our customers
might want.
Fill the gaps with the correct word.

We need to introduce innovative ideas and ways of doing things so that we can
improve and grow. One way of doing this is to look at the most recent technologies
and see how they can make our products or services better. Some companies have a
research and development department that specialises in this. Another way is to
be aware of changes in what our customers want and make sure we offer products
or services that meet their demands. A third way of introducing innovation is to
develop new products that can help you target new customers. You can also change
the way your service is offered to make it more convenient for your customers.

II. Are the sentences true or false?

1. We innovate because we want to increase the amount of money our businesses
make. (T)
2. Being innovative is all about using the newest technologies in your business. (F)
3. Customers often don't know what they want. (F)
4. McDonald's have not changed their menu since they started. (F)
5. If you always target the same customers, you might lose them to your
competitors. (T)
6. Nintendo understood that only boys will play computer games. (F)

If you think of the jobs robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and
teachers at the top of the list. It's easy to imagine robot cleaners and factory
workers, but some jobs need human connection and creativity. But are we
underestimating what robots can do? In some cases, they already perform better
than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients might feel more comfortable
sharing personal information with a machine than a person. Could there be a place
for robots in education after all?

British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks so. And he even has a date for the
robot takeover of the classroom: 2027. He predicts robots will do the main job of
transferring information and teachers will be like assistants. Intelligent robots will
read students' faces, movements and maybe even brain signals. Then they will
adapt the information to each student. It's not a popular opinion and it's unlikely
robots will ever have empathy and the ability to really connect with humans like
another human can.

One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In
some parts of the world, there aren't enough teachers and 9–16 per cent of children
under the age of 14 don't go to school. That problem could be partly solved by
robots because they can teach anywhere and won't get stressed, or tired, or move
somewhere for an easier, higher-paid job.

Those negative aspects of teaching are something everyone agrees on. Teachers all
over the world are leaving because it is a difficult job and they feel overworked.
Perhaps the question is not 'Will robots replace teachers?' but 'How can robots help
teachers?' Office workers can use software to do things like organise and answer
emails, arrange meetings and update calendars. Teachers waste a lot of time doing
non-teaching work, including more than 11 hours a week marking homework. If
robots could cut the time teachers spend marking homework and writing reports,
teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the job humans do best.
Are the sentences true or false?
1. Most jobs seem as if they can be done by robots or computers. (F)
2. Robots are always better at diagnosing illnesses than doctors. (F)
3. Many experts agree robots will replace teachers by 2027. (F)
4. One advantage of robot teachers is that they don't need to rest. (T)
5. Robot assistants could help teachers by marking homework and writing reports.
(T)
6. Some teachers use robots to reduce their time answering emails and marking
homework. (F)
1. It's easy to think robots …
will replace people even if we don't like the idea.
are more capable than people and it's true.
can do less than people but it's not always true
2. Anthony Seldon thinks teachers in the future will …
help robots in class.
teach knowledge to students.
no longer exist.
3. Robots will probably never …
have human understanding of emotions.
be a popular choice for teachers.
be intelligent enough to work in education.
4. Some parts of the world ...
pay robots to teach.
already use robots in teaching jobs.
have a shortage of teachers.
5. Teachers …
work harder than office workers.
have less help than office workers.
leave their jobs to become office workers.
6. Robots could …
empathise with students.
mark homework.
prepare lessons.