Governments, markets information from

Table IV. Chemical Market Information from Government Sources ...

Market research contributes to all functions of enterprise, from laboratory to sales. Four specific cases are outlined to illustrate some of the many methods avoilable for obtaining market information. The contributions of domestic journals, government publications, foreign journals, and other sources are analyzed. The significance of one-time publications is discussed with particular reference to congressional hearings, court actions, and the activities of the Tariff Commission. 

From a chemical marketer s viewpoint, the Chemical and Rubber Division serves well as a point in Government where information can be obtained as to the availability and location of chemical statistics issued by government agencies. 

Statistical techniques can be used for a variety of reasons, from sampling product on receipt to market analysis. Any technique that uses statistical theory to reveal information is a statistical technique, but not all applications of statistics are governed by the requirements of this part of the standard. Techniques such as Pareto Analysis and cause and effect diagrams are regarded as statistical techniques in ISO 9000-2 and although numerical data is used, there is no probability theory involved. These techniques are used for problem solving, not for making product acceptance decisions. 

The Promochem Group was the first international specialist supplier of certified reference materials (CRMs) and pharmaceutical reference substances used in environmental, medical and trace element analysis. Their experience provides a viewpoint that echoes, reinforces and expands on many of the trends discussed above (Jenks 1997). From the middle of the 1980 s, sales of CRM by Promochem increased between 10 % and 20 % annually, depending on the market sector and application. Since then National and International Metrology Institutes, such as the now privatized U.K. Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC), the European and U.S. Pharmacopoeias, the E.U. IRMM and others have recognized that efficient distribution of RMs, backed by available technical support, is as important as production and certification. Thus, they have moved to spread their influence outside their national origins. The Web and e-commerce will continue to grow as major facilitators of better information dissemination and supply of CRMs. 

A variety of policy "remedies" are available for such equity concerns, but they all tax some people and transfer the proceeds to others. The policies range from simple tax-and-transfer schemes to vouchers to "free" government information to mandates that firms provide information. The programs vary in their effects on market efficiency. A general lesson from economics is that if redistribution occurs, it should augment purchasing power rather than directly alter the behavior of market participants. 

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