ABSTRACT
One of the principal functions of early commercial development was that of market development. The research function at that time was the darling of the industry; they turned out new products at a prodigious rate. Market development had many successes, some of them spectacular, but it became increasingly obvious that this was an expensive procedure that could not be justified for every product that could be turned out by research. Commercial chemical development is not, of course, an independent entity complete unto itself; it must adjust to the industry it serves. Thus to understand the stresses and strains within commercial development as it evolved to satisfy the changing needs of the chemical industry, it is first necessary to examine the principal trends within that industry. Statistical market research is also of great value in activities on present products, a function essentially separate from commercial development.
