Jiraporn Jitrsukhon

JIRAPORN JITRSUKHON

                                                                                              June 21, 2015

                                               COMM3321 - Critical Reading and Writing, Section: O002

Abstract:

This particular research paper will examine the business metaphor “taking a product to market.” Included in this study is the history of the metaphor and reasons for its particular significance in today’s society. This paper will also examine three questions that the metaphor brings forth: What are the connotative meanings of this metaphor? What are the implications and effects of this metaphor? What problems are created by this metaphor’s use?

Keywords: product, market, metaphor, problems, connotations

        Metaphors are useful in the business world because they allow individuals to communicate rather dry ideas (Albrighton, 2013, paragraph 1). Metaphors depend on the familiarity of certain physical phenomena to bridge particular concepts together in an interesting way. Some metaphors that are used in the business world have become so engrained in our society that it is difficult to identify them as metaphors. At other times, the metaphors themselves may be new, but can be made familiar by the relationship it creates amongst the target domains it describes.

        Metaphors carry both conscious and unconscious connotations that demand deep analysis into understanding what we ourselves (and others) are trying to communicate. In this particular research paper, I will be focusing on the metaphor: “taking a product to market.”

        “Taking a product to market,” uses “product,” as a vehicle and the “product in a market,” as a tenor, viewing the product as a resource available to society. The historical usage of the “taking a product to market,” metaphor involves breaking down the metaphor into its two key words: product and market.

        The word “product,” is symbolically represented as a material good in this metaphor. It is an item that must be cultivated (rooting back to the metaphor’s agricultural meaning) and then must be prepared for the market. The act of bringing one’s product to market is viewed as the initial input of work that must be needed to make a product successful enough for sharing with others around you. Similar to any crop, the product itself must have a development period. Whether you are beginning with an idea or have a product already ready, there are multiple stages of refinement that must be completed before it can be sold. Similar to growing a crop, a product must come to fruition- everything must be done right and at the right time to bring a truly successful harvest.