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IV. THEME 1 GOALS, STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES

Commerce programs will address the Department's mission, and this Strategic Theme, in a number of ways. The goals to be pursued in this process, the strategies to be followed, the objectives to be met, and illustrative performance measures are included here.

A. Implement the President's National Export Strategy in conjunction with the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. In pursuing this goal, ITA will follow a strategy aimed at developing and implementing the National Export Strategy, our Nation's first-ever blueprint to generate high-paying jobs through exports.

o Strengthen trade advocacy, trade promotion, and the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. (ITA)

-- Percent of projects successfully completed. The percentage of foreign project and procurement contracts awarded to U.S. firms, as a result of ITA advocacy, will be compared to the total number of such contracts competed for and bid on by U.S. firms.

o Increase trade assistance targeted to small and medium-sized businesses. (ITA)

-- Number of counseling sessions. This will indicate the scope of one aspect of ITA assistance to U.S. firms regarding export of their goods and services, and relevant trade laws.

o More closely align trade objectives with U.S. foreign policy. (ITA)

-- Number of trade initiatives which foster foreign policy goals. This provides information on the scope of initiatives target toward specific goals.

B. Enforce U.S. trade laws and agreements to promote free and fair trade. In pursuing this goal, ITA will follow a strategy of: expanding enforcement of U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws; identifying market access problems and initiating actions to overcome these obstacles, and; ensuring foreign government compliance with trade agreements the U.S. has concluded.

o Expand trade law enforcement and compliance monitoring. (ITA)

-- Dollar value of AD/CVD collections made by the U.S. Customs Service. This information shows the effectiveness of our ability to enforce trade laws and to provide disincentives to firms seeking to circumvent them.

C. Strengthen and institutionalize trade advocacy efforts, placing special emphasis on the "Big Emerging Markets" and major projects. To implement this goal, ITA will form Business Development Committees and Joint Commissions, and conduct major trade promotion initiatives directed at increasing the number of U.S. firms exporting to more mature markets in Western Europe, Japan, and Canada.

o Continue emphasis on trade with the BEMs without losing focus on mature markets. (ITA)

-- Number of agreements (Market Development Cooperator grant awards). This shows the extent to which U.S. firms are addressing this important type of export market.

D. Restructure export controls for the twenty-first century. BXA will work with U.S. business and other government agencies to facilitate low-risk export transactions and to deter high-risk transactions.

o Streamline and reform U.S. export controls. (BXA)

-- Applications processed within statutory time frames. U.S. competitiveness will be enhanced as American business will be able to complete export transactions more rapidly.

o Implement the Nation's encryption export control policy. (BXA)

-- Increased value of relevant licensing decisions. This makes it easier for companies to export encryption products, provided they commit to developing recoverable encryption products that promote U.S. security and public safety. The policy also allows for the export of stronger encryption to secure financial transactions, which is a critical prerequisite for the success of electronic commerce on the Internet.

o Oversee domestic implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. (BXA)

-- Chemical industrial inspections conducted. The CWC mandated that facilities which handle listed chemicals submit declarations of their activities and submit to inspections that certify the accuracy of their declarations. BXA's monitoring role insures treaty compliance. Also, protecting confidential business information contributes to both the national security and the economic strength of the U.S.

E. Maintain a fully effective law enforcement program and protect U.S. national security, foreign policy, nonproliferation of dual-use commodities, counter-terrorism, nonproliferation of chemical weapons, and public safety interests. Maintaining a fully effective law enforcement program ensures our competitiveness in the global marketplace without compromising our national security and public safety interests.

o Investigate criminal and administrative violations of the specific statutes and regulations, and impose civil sanctions for those violations. (BXA)

-- Investigations accepted for criminal remedies. Prosecuting violations of export control laws and imposing civil sanctions enhances our ability to detect and deter illegal transactions.

o Develop and implement measures to prevent export control law violations, including reviews of unlicensed shipments as well as conducting pre-license checks and post-shipment verifications concerning licensed transactions. (BXA)

-- Increased pre-license checks completed. Pre-license checks establish the bona fides of foreign parties prior to export and prevents export control violations.

o Conduct export enforcement outreach with the U.S. export community, and expand outreach and education programs to train U.S. exporters how to identify and avoid illegal transactions. (BXA)

-- Increased firms assisted. Export controls depend on the cooperation of the U.S. export community. Educating U.S. exporters to understand the export control laws will help them to identify and avoid illegal transactions, thus reducing the likelihood of transactions harmful to U.S. interests.

F. Facilitate transition of defense industries. A strong economic infrastructure is partly dependent upon our country's ability to transition our defense industries to peacetime, commercial activities and products, while at the same time maintaining technological superiority to support the next generation of defense systems.

o Promote U.S. economic security, technological competitiveness, and defense diversification. (BXA)

-- Increased studies of critical defense industries. These studies help identify potential vulnerabilities and dependencies, as well as competitive opportunities.

G. Strengthen the public's understanding of the U.S. economy and its competitive position by improving Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other national, regional, and international economic accounts data. ESA's strategy will develop new estimating methods and work with other agencies to update and expand the coverage of source data used in estimating key components of the economic accounts.

o Develop new and improved measures of real GDP and prices. (ESA)

-- Expansion of coverage of source data on wages and salaries. More timely and accurate data on non-production and supervisory workers will result in more accurate estimates of the income side of GDP.

o Provide updated measures of the Nation's investment, savings, and wealth. (ESA)

-- Improvement of treatment of computer software in economic accounts. Updated comprehensive accounting for software will result in more accurate estimates of investment and will resolve at least part of the statistical discrepancy between the two measures of GDP.

o Provide improved measures of U.S. international trade and finance. (ESA)

-- Extension of annual selected services surveys to cover key categories on a quarterly basis. More accurate measures of international trade in rapidly-changing and fast-growing categories will improve the coverage and reduce the revisions of the international services components of the GDP and balance of payments accounts.

H. Improve national and local census and survey data through better business practices and public cooperation, through a strategy of systematic improvement and increased public involvement.

o Develop efficient and innovative business practices to improve cost cycle time, and the quality performance of Census data, through strategies of using new statistical methods and information technologies, improving our cost and management information systems, and improving our corporate computing environment. (ESA)

-- Improved accuracy and timeliness of census and survey data. This will help data users make more precise and effective policy decisions.

o Increase the level of public cooperation through strategies of simplifying public response, building partnerships, and implementing a customer focused marketing plan. (ESA)

-- More simplified and user-friendly designs and procedures on all forms. By making forms easier to use, it is expected that response rates will increase.

I. (EDA's strategies under Theme 1 are achieved through the activities of grants awarded to alleviate conditions of substantial and persistent unemployment and underemployment in economically-distressed areas of the Nation. All of EDA's performance goals relate directly to job creation, local capacity building, information dissemination, and recovery from economic dislocation.)

Establish, retain, or expand commercial, industrial, and high-technology enterprises to stimulate the creation of private sector jobs for unemployed and underemployed residents in economically distressed areas.

o Build, rebuild, or expand vital public infrastructure facilities that offer substantial employment potential and improve the capacity for economic growth in distressed areas. (EDA)

-- Jobs created and/or retained.

o Overcome specific capital market gaps and encourage greater private sector participation in economic development activities by establishing or expanding revolving loan funds in economically distressed areas. (EDA)

-- Non-EDA dollars invested.

J. Help distressed communities build their capacity to stimulate, maintain, or expand economic growth.

o Promote comprehensive, inclusive economic planning in distressed communities to identify economic problems, assess the availability of local and non-local resources, and formulate and implement realistic development strategies. (EDA)

-- Increased community participation.

o Provide technical assistance to communities to solve specific economic development problems, respond to development opportunities, and build and expand local organizational capacity in distressed areas. (EDA)

-- Quality of evaluation or feasibility study.

K. Provide new knowledge, analyses and technical information which serve both to assess economic development problems and to mobilize non-federal resources for their solutions at the local level.

o Study and research emerging and anticipated economic development problems. (EDA)

-- Research results disseminated through conferences, publications, and the Internet to practitioners.

o Provide technical assistance to local governments, community-based organizations and small businesses on economic development-related issues through colleges and universities. (EDA)

-- (Measures are being developed under a national research grant.)

o Aid firms and industries injured by import competition by providing technical assistance in diagnosing problems and assessing opportunities through business assistance centers. (EDA)

-- Improved sales and employment after assistance.

L. Improve opportunities for minority-owned businesses in major growth industries according to geographic demands. The major strategy used in this and the following goal is to market opportunities and provide public/private debt and equity financing for minority-owned businesses.

o Identify industry sectors offering potential for high growth in geographic service areas, and assess networks of available public and private resources to assist minority-owned businesses to penetrate these industries. (MBDA)

-- Increased numbers and dollar values of contracts awarded to assisted companies. With information provided through this and the other MBDA performance measures, it will be possible to make adjustments and improvements in key strategies to achieve the stated goals and objectives.

o Match minority-owned businesses with domestic and international opportunities. (MBDA)

-- Increased numbers and dollar values of contracts awarded to assisted companies.

o Coordinate and leverage resources with those of the Federal, State, and local government and private sector purchasers to deliver timely procurement information to minority-owned businesses. (MBDA)

-- Increased numbers and dollar values of contracts awarded to assisted companies.

o Structure active advocacy programs that include trade fairs, media events, networking events, and product and service promotions. (MBDA)

-- Increased customer satisfaction.

M. Improve the opportunities for minority-owned businesses to pursue financing.

o Identify and maintain data on regional lending trends. (MBDA)

-- Increased dollar value of loans placed.

o Attain agreements with financial institutions to commit new funds or increase current funding levels available for minority-owned businesses. (MBDA)

-- Increased dollar value of funds committed.

o Implement a system to provide specialized consulting services to minority-owned businesses, to assist in development and implementation of effective capital formation strategies. (MBDA)

-- Increased dollar value of new funding available.

N. Provide technical leadership for the Nation's measurement and standards infrastructure, and assure the availability of needed measurement capabilities. The strategy used in this goal is to perform laboratory research to anticipate important measurement needs, strengthen the national system of measurement standards, provide leadership for the national system of voluntary standards and conformity assessment, promote efficient delivery of measurement services, and create and maintain world-class measurement facilities to support U.S. industry.

o Anticipate and address the most important measurement and standards needs in a timely fashion. (TA)

-- TA will use the GPRA "Alternative Format" based on peer review (to ensure that the program is appropriate, clear, effectively designed and executed, and revalidated) and retrospective economic impact studies (to provide qualitative assessments and quantitative estimates of the economic impacts resulting from the technology infrastructure that NIST provides to U.S. industry and the Nation's economy) to assess how well goals are achieved and to provide feedback to program planning efforts to ensure that goals and objectives are met.

o Strengthen the national system of standards, measurement, measurement traceability, and conformity assurance. (TA)

-- Increased number and availability of Standard Reference Materials.

o Provide leadership in harmonizing international measurements and standards to facilitate international trade. (TA)

-- Increased NIST staff engaged in/leading international measurements/standards committees.

O. Support a nationwide system of manufacturing extension services that will improve the global competitiveness of small manufacturers. The strategy used in this goal regarding Manufacturing Extension Partnerships is to expand the number of clients served by providing a cost-effective nationwide system of assistance and to increase the performance of smaller manufacturers by assisting them in the use of efficient supply-chain mechanisms and effective information technology, and by accelerating their rate of new technology adoption.

o Improve coverage of the small manufacturing sector, providing extension services to an increasing proportion of small manufacturers. (TA)

-- Increased number of companies served. The number of clients served, the number of jobs created or retained, the amount of client capital investment, the value-added benefits to clients from completed activities, direct economic impact studies providing qualitative and quantitative estimates of MEP impacts, and peer assessments are used to assess how effectively the goal is being achieved and to provide feedback to program planning efforts to ensure that the goals and objectives are being met.

o Maintain high quality service delivery, providing useful and usable assistance in a timely fashion. (TA)

-- Activities completed by MEP centers.

o Maintain service delivery that provides value to customers, delivering strong impact. (TA)

-- Increases in sales.

P. Assist U.S. businesses in continuously improving their productivity and efficiency utilizing Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework core values, criteria, and assessment methods. The strategy used in this goal is to diversify and expand delivery of performance excellence concepts, conduct research to develop quality management as a business discipline, and promote quality awareness and business excellence practices in smaller service businesses and manufacturers.

o Develop, continuously improve, and disseminate evaluation criteria, manage the MBNQA, and provide global leadership in promoting quality awareness and performance excellence. (TA)

-- Under GPRA's "Alternative Format", TA will use a Board of Overseers, and the National Quality Foundation for stakeholder review. In addition, the total number of quality awards issued nationwide, based on the Baldrige award, is used to assess how effectively goals are achieved and to provide feedback to program planning efforts to ensure that the goals and objectives are being met.

o Foster effective partnerships with customers, suppliers, employees, and the public to enhance overall U.S. capability and effectiveness. (TA)

-- Increased requests for MBNQA documentation.

o Lead an expanding national system of State and local quality programs and increase national awareness of the utility of the Baldrige model through the MEP program. (TA)

-- Increased State and local programs supported.

Q. Stimulate U.S. economic growth by developing high-risk and enabling technologies through industry-driven cost-shared partnerships. The strategy used in this goal regarding the Advanced Technology Program is to identify and promote high-risk and enabling technologies, leverage resources for technological innovation by strengthening an expanding partnership connections, and leverage R&D investment and speed the pace of innovation by providing researchers with a common technical basis for describing, comparing, and exchanging results.

o Partner with industry to develop innovative technologies which will enable novel and/or greatly improved products and services. (TA)

-- Results of increased number of competitions per year. Direct economic impact studies will provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of the economic impacts of ATP assistance and will assess how effectively goals are being met and provides feedback to program planning efforts to ensure that goals and objectives are being met.

o Promote cooperative R&D ventures to encourage the rapid diffusion of new, enabling technologies throughout industry sectors. (TA)

-- Amount of industry cost sharing commitments.

o Maximize leverage in driving key strategic technologies by focusing on interdependent R&D projects with common, specific technical goals identified by industry. (TA)

-- Cumulative dollar level of industry cost-sharing commitments.

R. Coordinate and lead interagency efforts to enhance industry competitiveness in partnership with industry, academia, and the States. The strategy used in this goal is to facilitate useful dialogues and to foster partnerships between industry, academia, the States, and appropriate agencies to identify and jointly address issues that will enhance the competitiveness of American industry.

o Coordinate and lead interagency efforts to develop the technology base for next generation automobiles, improve productivity in construction, and enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness in partnership with industry. (TA)

-- Successful integration of PNGV technologies into Year 2000 concept cars. Information produced under this and the following performance measure provide important guidance on the effectiveness of efforts to identify and document: best practices; State and local needs; partnerships between the Federal government and State governments, industry and academia.

o Coordinate and lead interagency efforts to strengthen technology partnerships between States and the Federal government. (TA)

-- Identification of "best practices" in State and regional technology-based economic development.

S. Help protect, promote, and expand intellectual property rights systems throughout the U.S. and abroad. This goal is supported through a strategy of international negotiations, establishing new partnerships, and leveraging information technology.

o Participate in international cooperative arrangements. (PTO)

-- Increased technical assistance to developing countries. As countries move to market economies, technical assistance can help them establish intellectual property systems compatible with a free global economy.

o Cooperate with other government agencies to ensure that intellectual property concerns are adequately addressed. (PTO)

-- Increased number of cooperative efforts.

T. Support the development of a National Information Infrastructure (NII) that will be accessible to all Americans.

o Administer the Information Infrastructure Grants program to assist educational, health care and other social service entities in planning and developing the telecommunications and information infrastructure. (NTIA)

-- Increased schools and libraries connected to the NII.

o Improve delivery of communications products and services to the public through Executive Branch initiatives in legislative and regulatory forums. (NTIA)

-- Increased identification of new technologies and their application to government operations.

o Ensure that educational and cultural benefits of public broadcasting are widely available, and the use of telecommunications technologies to improve effectiveness of distance learning. (NTIA)

-- Increased access by rural populations.

U. Advocate international telecommunications policies to help open international markets and promote U.S. interests.

o Improve international competitiveness of the U.S. telecommunications industry. (NTIA)

-- Adoption of U.S.-supported standards within the international telecommunications community.

V. Set policies for efficiently and effectively managing the Federal use of the radio spectrum, and prepare for international radio spectrum setting conferences of the ITU.

o Ensure that government needs for vital telecommunications services are met nationally and internationally. (NTIA)

-- Development of database of allocated bands and of automated method for accessing/using database.

o Coordinate U.S. preparations for international frequency allocation conferences and lead U.S. delegations to these conferences. (NTIA)

-- Development of long-range plans to meet U.S. spectrum needs.

W. Provide leadership in developing telecommunications policy initiatives in emerging areas of national priority.

o Implement the President's Global Electronic Commerce initiative regarding the governance of the Internet domain system, Internet content restrictions, and international privacy. (NTIA)

-- Development of private sector approach to Internet governance.

X. Promote safe navigation by revolutionizing U.S. marine and air navigation, mapping and surveying; assist commercial shipping in moving increased cargoes safely and efficiently; and provide a precise satellite-derived reference system as the basis for the Nation's geographical positioning needs. NOAA's strategy for accomplishing this goal is to provide for continuous access to, and processing of, quality data used to construct navigation charts and their underlying databases.

o Build, maintain and deliver a digital nautical charting database to underpin new electronic navigational systems which integrate satellite positioning, tidal heights and currents, radars and sonars, and navigational aids. (NOAA)

-- Increased access to charts in electronic format. This will promote safe navigation as mariners begin to utilize this superior digital information format for routine navigation operations.

o Update nautical surveys of the Nation's coastlines and coastal areas using full-bottom coverage technologies. (NOAA)

-- Increased percent of critical areas surveyed to produce up-to-date charts. Reducing the backlog of hydrographic surveys for critical areas will improve the information base upon which charts are developed and updated.

o Install measurement and communications systems to provide mariners with real-time observations and forecasts of water level, tides and currents, and weather conditions in major ports. (NOAA)

-- Increased access to full suite of data. New access to real-time physical conditions and predictions will improve the safety and efficiency of maritime operations.

o Transform the obsolete geodetic reference frame into a Global Positioning System-based system of monumented marks and continuously operating reference stations to support the digital revolution in mapping, charting, and surveying. (NOAA)

-- Increased availability to more users. User needs for improved geographical positioning will be met as more Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) are installed, and the Federal base network is completed.

o Provide modern aeronautical navigation information and facilitate the transfer of this function to the Department of Transportation. (NOAA)

-- Percent of aeronautical charts and products revised on schedule. Up-to-date and accurate aeronautical charts are critical to safe airborne navigation.

Y. Improve short-term warning and forecast products and services to enhance public safety and the Nation's economic productivity by enhancing the ability to observe, understand, and model the environment, and effectively disseminate products and services to users. NOAA's strategy will be to re-invest in research components in order to improve observation systems and develop a better understanding of environmental processes.

o Maintain the modernized operations of the National Weather Service, to continue improving the timeliness and accuracy of short-range environmental predictions which have immediate impact on individuals and many sectors of the economy. (NOAA)

-- Increased lead time and accuracy for severe weather warnings. Improved warnings of severe weather events are a direct indicator of progress toward advancing short-term warnings and forecasts, and thus the protection of life and property.

o Maintain continuous operational satellite coverage of the Nation critical for warnings and forecasts. (NOAA)

-- Increased accuracy of temperature, snow, aviation, and precipitation forecasts. Satellite operations underpin the ability to continuously monitor atmospheric conditions, and are a primary input for models and forecast guidance products.

o Strengthen observing and prediction systems through scientific, technological and programmatic advances, and international cooperation. (NOAA)

-- Increased lead time and accuracy for hurricane landfall. Reducing the potential area of warning for hurricane landfall through the application of high resolution forecasting models and in-situ observations of storm development promotes cost savings while advancing forecast services.

o Improve customer service to the public, emergency managers, the media, and private forecasters through effective communication and utilization of critical weather data and information necessary for protection of life and property. (NOAA)

-- Increased volume of data handled through NWS telecommunications gateway (Megabytes). Fast, reliable and high-volume data flows are critical to the effective conduct of operations and the preparation of information for the public.

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