Market research function – Core responsibility: Within a chemical enterprise, personnel in the market research group are primarily responsible for which of the following activities?

Introduction / Context:
Successful chemical products require alignment with customer needs and market dynamics. The market research function informs product development and commercialization decisions before major engineering expenditures.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Market research focuses on external demand, competitive landscape, pricing, and customer preferences.
• Engineering groups handle equipment selection/design and cost estimation.

Concept / Approach:
Product evaluation considers value propositions, performance requirements, regulatory constraints, and price points to determine if a product concept merits further development and capital allocation.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Map responsibilities: marketing/research → product-market fit; engineering → equipment and design; finance/estimating → costs.Identify the market research deliverable: product evaluation in market context.Select option (b) as the correct responsibility.

Verification / Alternative check:
Stage-gate processes assign market assessment to front-end phases prior to basic/detailed engineering.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Equipment selection and design are engineering tasks.
• Cost estimation is typically done by process engineers and cost specialists.

Common Pitfalls:
Conflating “what to make” (market-led) with “how to make it” (engineering-led).

Final Answer:
Product evaluation (market need, customer acceptance, competitiveness)