Why good ideas fail
Read Why good ideas fail and check the IELTS Reading answers. TF became a retail success in the 1970s when it succeeded in spotting homeware trends and meeting the needs of its then trendy young customers. However, by 2004, the TF stores were failing and a rethink was clearly necessary. Tibal Fishe…
Passage preview
TF became a retail success in the 1970s when it succeeded in spotting homeware trends and meeting the needs of its then trendy young customers. However, by 2004, the TF stores were failing and a rethink was clearly necessary. Tibal Fisher, TF’s founder and CEO, decided to change its focus under a new brand name, TF’s Nextstage. His aim was to recapture the now ageing customers that had given him his early success and target consumers aged 60+ with devices and gadgets specifically designed to assist them with the problems associated with ageing: mobile phones with screens that were easy to read; kitchen gadgets with comfortable grips; electronic devices that were easy to set and adjust. TF’s market research proved to be very positive, showing strong consumer support for the products.
Vocabulary from this passage
11 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- deteriorating adjective
Becoming progressively worse in quality, condition or function over a period of time
The deteriorating condition of the bridge forced engineers to close it to heavy vehicles immediately.
- dexterity noun
Skill and ease in using the hands to perform delicate or precise movements and tasks
Surgeons need exceptional manual dexterity to perform delicate procedures through very small incisions.
- ethnographic observation noun
A research method in which people are studied in their natural settings to understand their everyday behaviour in depth
Ethnographic observation revealed that families rarely used the kitchen gadget the designers had considered essential.
- excessive adjective
Going beyond what is normal, reasonable or necessary, often in a way that causes harm or concern
Excessive consumption of sugary drinks is strongly associated with rising rates of obesity worldwide.
- explicitly adverb
In a clear and direct way that leaves no room for doubt or confusion about the intended meaning
The contract explicitly prohibits employees from sharing confidential information with competitors or the media.
- infirmity noun
Physical weakness or illness, especially as a result of old age, that limits a person's ability to function
Despite her infirmity, the retired teacher continued to volunteer at the local library every week.
- inject verb
To introduce a new quality, feeling or element into something in order to improve or enliven it
The new director tried to inject fresh creativity into a department that had become routine.
- perceive verb
To become aware of or interpret something in a particular way, often subjectively rather than objectively
Many consumers perceive higher prices as a sign of superior quality, even without evidence.
- recapture verb
To regain something that has been lost, such as a market, audience or earlier level of success
The firm hopes a redesigned logo will help it recapture the loyalty of younger shoppers.
- subconscious associations noun
Mental links between a brand or idea and feelings that people hold below the level of deliberate awareness
Advertisers often exploit subconscious associations between certain colours and feelings of safety or luxury.
- universal design noun
An approach to creating products and environments that can be used comfortably by the widest possible range of people
Universal design principles ensured the new building was accessible to wheelchair users and parents with prams alike.
Answers with explanations
- 1. TRUE
The statement says the stores planned to sell products that make life **easier** for **older people**. The first paragraph describes the founder's aim to target consumers **aged 60+** with gadgets **specifically designed to assist** them with ageing problems, such as easy-to-read phones and comfortable grips. Scan for the brand name and the older-customer signpost. The intention is stated directly, so the claim is fully supported and the answer is TRUE; no part of it is missing or contradicted.
- 2. TRUE
The claim is that the company's **market research** showed people **liked** the products. The first paragraph says the research **proved to be very positive**, with **strong consumer support**. Positive support is a clear paraphrase of liking, and the sentence names TF's own research, not another source. The whole claim is confirmed, so the answer is TRUE. Later failure of the stores does not change what the research indicated, because the question concerns the findings only.
- 2-3: D
2: The claim is that the company's **market research** showed people **liked** the products. The first paragraph says the research **proved to be very positive**, with **strong consumer support**. Positive support is a clear paraphrase of liking, and the sentence names TF's own research, not another source. The whole claim is confirmed, so the answer is TRUE. Later failure of the stores does not change what the research indicated, because the question concerns the findings only.
3: The statement compares the **cost** of remodelling with what was **expected**. The passage gives the figure of **US $40 million** for remodelling the stores, but never says it was higher, lower or equal to any budget or forecast. A candidate may assume a failing project overspent, yet that is an inference. Because the text neither confirms nor contradicts the comparison, the information is simply absent, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 3. NOT GIVEN
The statement compares the **cost** of remodelling with what was **expected**. The passage gives the figure of **US $40 million** for remodelling the stores, but never says it was higher, lower or equal to any budget or forecast. A candidate may assume a failing project overspent, yet that is an inference. Because the text neither confirms nor contradicts the comparison, the information is simply absent, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 3-4: B
3: The statement compares the **cost** of remodelling with what was **expected**. The passage gives the figure of **US $40 million** for remodelling the stores, but never says it was higher, lower or equal to any budget or forecast. A candidate may assume a failing project overspent, yet that is an inference. Because the text neither confirms nor contradicts the comparison, the information is simply absent, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
4: The statement claims the coffee shops sold their **own brand** of **food and drink**. The second paragraph mentions that each store **featured a coffee shop** to increase traffic, but says nothing about what was sold or whether it carried the company's branding. Topical overlap on the coffee shop tempts candidates to answer TRUE, yet the specific detail about own-brand products is missing. The passage neither supports nor contradicts it, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 4. NOT GIVEN
The statement claims the coffee shops sold their **own brand** of **food and drink**. The second paragraph mentions that each store **featured a coffee shop** to increase traffic, but says nothing about what was sold or whether it carried the company's branding. Topical overlap on the coffee shop tempts candidates to answer TRUE, yet the specific detail about own-brand products is missing. The passage neither supports nor contradicts it, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 5. FALSE
The claim is that customers **liked the atmosphere** of the new stores. The end of the second paragraph reports the opposite: shoppers **complained** that the stores **felt like a senior center** and made them feel old. Complaining about how a place feels is a direct **contradiction** of liking its atmosphere. Because the text actively contradicts the statement rather than staying silent, the answer is FALSE, not NOT GIVEN.
- 6. surface
The gap follows **at a** and needs a **singular noun** describing the level of customers' minds. The expert's criticism is that the executives **looked only at surface attitudes**, missing deeper subconscious associations. Scan the first expert's comment for the phrase about research limits. The word **surface** is lifted from the text and the answer is one word, within the two-word limit. The word subconscious is the opposite level, so it cannot fit the gap.
- 7. ["weight loss","weight-loss"]
The gap follows **help people achieve** and needs a **noun phrase** naming the purpose of the product. Scan the second expert section for the brand name, where the text introduces the product as **a drug to aid weight loss**. The question's phrase **help people achieve** paraphrases **aid**. The answer is two words, so it respects the limit, and the hyphenated form is also acceptable. Excessive weight is the problem, not the goal, so it does not fit the gap.
- 8. name
The gap follows **a** and precedes a clause, so it needs a **singular noun**. The question's phrase **seems helpful and supportive** paraphrases the passage's **sounds like a helpful partner**. Scan the list of steps introduced by the signpost **First** to find it. The text says the team came up with a name, so the single word is lifted directly. Because the item is a singular countable noun after the article, the answer fits both grammar and the one-word length.
- 9. container
The gap follows **a reusable** and needs a **singular noun**. The question's **reusable** paraphrases the passage's idea that something **could later be used** to store diet guides and recipes. The signpost **We also aimed to make** introduces the second step after the name. The text names the container as both beautiful and functional, so that single word completes the phrase and meets the two-word limit. Pills are only what it holds, not the thing being given.
- 10. ["behaviour","behavior"]
The gap follows **studying the** and precedes **of consumers in the home**, so it needs a **noun**. The note's **in the home** paraphrases the passage's **going into people's houses**, and studying paraphrases examine. Scan for the technique named alongside one-on-one interviews. The text says researchers examine their behaviour, so that word completes the phrase. British spelling appears in the passage, and the American form is also acceptable, so both spellings are accepted within the limit.
- 11. focus groups
The gap follows **we organised** and precedes a phrase about finding out **what images customers associate** with products, so it needs a **plural noun**. The second expert says **we conducted** what are known as **focus groups**, where participants judged photos of people. The verb conducted paraphrases organised, and the purpose matches the image-association aim. The two-word answer is copied from the text and fits the word limit.
- 12. ["simple surveys","surveys"]
The gap follows **can be basic, e.g. by doing** and needs a **plural noun phrase** naming an activity. The note's **basic** paraphrases the passage's **simple**, and the speaker says **we have conducted simple surveys** in the building lobby, offering free products for opinions. Scan the final paragraph, which begins by saying research need not be sophisticated. Both the two-word phrase and the bare plural noun fit the grammar and the two-word limit, so both are accepted.
- 13. ["instincts","own instincts"]
The gap follows **company executives should follow their** and needs a **plural noun**. The question's **executives** corresponds to the passage's **an executive's**, and the speaker says the most important **signals** sometimes come from an executive's own instincts. The final paragraph applies this advice to the founder of the failing chain. The noun is lifted from the text and fits the two-word limit, and the possessive adjective already sits before the gap, so own instincts is also acceptable.