- development
- development de‧vel‧op‧ment [dɪˈveləpmənt] noun1. [uncountable] the growth or improvement of something, so that it becomes bigger or more advanced:
• promises of economic development and thousands of new jobs
• development of the hand-held dictionary market in Japan
• She saw the qualification as a part of her professional development.
• helping staff with their career development
ˌeconomic deˈvelopment [uncountable] ECONOMICSwhen a country or area increases its wealth, for example by changing from an economy based on agriculture to one based on industry, or by changing to more modern industries and services:• Free trade can be a powerful engine for economic development, creating new jobs and opening new markets.
ˌhuman reˈsource deˌvelopment also human resources development abbreviation HRD [uncountable] HUMAN RESOURCESthe work of improving human resources in an organization through training etc:• Human resource development must be driven by all managers, not just the personnel director.
ˈmanagement deˌvelopment [uncountable] HUMAN RESOURCESactivities to improve the skills of managers in a company, such as training and mentoring (= when more experienced managers give help and advice to less experienced ones) etc:• IBM's director of education and management development
ˈweb deˌvelopment [uncountable]COMPUTING the art and technology of making a website:• web development tools
2. [uncountable] MARKETING the process of planning and making new products or providing new services:• The new phone is the result of two years of development by AT&T units.
• The Japanese approach to product development is spreading around Detroit.
— see also research and developmentˈbrand deˌvelopment [uncountable] MARKETINGan attempt to make a brand more successful by changing it over time so that it remains popular and fashionable:• We need to look at brand development and what consumers will want in the next five to ten years.
3. [uncountable] PROPERTY the process of planning and building new houses, offices etc, or improving existing ones:• the development of office buildings, shopping centers and apartment complexes
ˈproperty deˌvelopment PROPERTY1. [countable, uncountable] land on which houses are built or being built:• the sale of a commercial property development in Witney, Oxfordshire
2. [countable] the process of building new houses, offices etc4. also real-estate development , housing development [countable] PROPERTY a group of new buildings that have all been planned and built together on the same piece of land:• low-income families living in high-rise housing developments
5. [uncountable] the process of creating a plan, policy, or idea:• the development of a coherent transport policy
6. [uncountable] the using of a natural substance or product in order to make a profit:• This includes $370 million for the development of the East Brae Field in the United Kingdom North Sea.
7. [countable] a new event or piece of news that will have an effect on the present situation:• The G-8 will discuss international financial developments, including the continued weakness of the yen.
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development UK US /dɪˈveləpmənt/ noun► [U] growth or changes that make something become more advanced: »The first year of the plan is primarily focused on organizational development.
»He was recruited to oversee international business development.
► [U] the process of creating something such as a new product or service: »software development
»The next stage in the development of this product line is a retail version.
► [U] the process of producing a plan, idea, etc.: »Motorola said it did not expect its policy, which has been in development since June, to affect its bottom line.
► [C] a recent event which is the latest in a series of related events: »Keeping up with new developments on the web is not easy.
»These beneficial economic developments have followed trade and investment liberalization.
► [U] ECONOMICS the planned increase of a country’s industry and wealth: »The EU has exercised leadership and argued for policies that support the expansion of trade, growth, and development.
»development projects
► [U] HR improvement of a skill, ability, quality, etc.: »An industry convention is a terrific venue for business skills training and professional development.
»They invested resources into employee training and development.
»individual/career/staff development
► [C] also UK housing development, also US real estate development) PROPERTY a group of similar buildings built in an area by a particular developer: »They recently bought a house in one of the town's new developments.
► [U] PROPERTY the building of houses, stores, offices, etc. usually by a company to make a profit, usually on an area of land where there were none before: »The land will be used for private development.
»He began his career at Goldman Sachs and moved on to real-estate development in the New York City area.
»commercial/industrial development
► [C or U] NATURAL RESOURCES an area of land that is used for its natural resources, or the use of an area of land for its natural resources: »Oil producers have focused their efforts on optimizing production from existing fields and investing more aggressively in new developments.
→ See also BRAND DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑brand development), CHANNEL DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑channel development), ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑economic development), HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑human resource development), MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑management development), MARKET DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑market development), NEW-PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑new-product development), PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑personal development), PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑product development), PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑property development), REDEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑redevelopment), RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑research and development), SELF-DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑self-development), WEB DEVELOPMENT(Cf. ↑web development)
Financial and business terms. 2012.
