[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 39 (Wednesday, February 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 8963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3430]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506 (c)(2)(A)).
    Bureau: International Trade Administration (ITA).
    Title: Commercial Service Market Segmentation Study of Moderate 
U.S. Exporters Focus Groups.
    Agency Form Number: ITA-XXXX.
    OMB Number: None.
    Type of Request: Regular Submission.
    Burden: 108 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 72.
    Average Hours per Response: 1.5 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Expanding U.S. exports is a national priority 
essential to improving U.S. trade performance. The Department of 
Commerce, ITA, U.S. Commercial Service (CS) serves as the key U.S. 
government agency responsible for promoting exports of goods and 
services from the United States, particularly by small and medium-sized 
enterprises, and assisting U.S. exporters in their dealings with 
foreign governments. The CS is mandated by the Government Performance 
and Results Act of 1993 and the President's Management Agenda Fiscal 
Year 2002 to improve program performance and achieve better results for 
the American people. In accordance with these mandates, the CS needs to 
address the weaknesses and opportunities for improvement identified by 
the Office of Management and Budget's 2003 Program Assessment Rating 
Tool (PART). To address these weaknesses and opportunities and in an 
effort to remain relevant to the marketplace and optimize our 
respective operations, the Commercial Service, Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership (MEP), Census Bureau (Census), and Export-Import Bank (Ex-
Im) have embarked on a market segmentation research study of moderate 
U.S. exporters. The objectives are to gain market knowledge and 
generate statistically valid characterizations about the needs and 
buying behavior of exporting companies, with a particular focus on 
Moderate exporters, which are defined as those U.S. firms that 
currently export, but on a limited or reactive basis and whose 
international sales comprise less than 10% of total sales or whose 
international sales growth is less than 10% per year. Respondents 
benefit from the collection of this information because it will be used 
to improve services provided to the public. Without this information, 
the CS/MEP/Census/Ex-Im team is unable to systematically determine the 
needs, attitudes and behaviors of U.S. exporters. This effort will 
gather statistically valid market intelligence on SME attitudes and 
behaviors vis-[agrave]-vis making international sales and working with 
a government consultant.
    Affected Public: U.S. companies that are recruited by Pacific 
Consulting Group, the vendor hired by the U.S. Commercial Service for 
this research.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, (202) 395-3897.
    Copies of the above information collection can be obtained by 
calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230. E-mail: [email protected].
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent to David Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, [email protected] or fax (202) 395-7285 within 30 days of the 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

    Dated: February 22, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E7-3430 Filed 2-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P