The impact of laws on metric conversion: A survey of selected large US corporations

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which a sample of the Fortune 1000 firms perceived that legal impediments to metric conversion exists. The Fortune 1000 firms included in the study were: (a) the 41 firms which identified legal impediments to metric conversion in an earlier study report commissioned by the Board, U.S. Metric Board 1979 Survey of Selected Large U.S. Firms and Industries; and (b) 10 additional firms from the industry groups indicating some problems with laws and regulations. This study attempted to make several determinations among which were: whether or not legal impediments or perceptions of legal impediments to metric conversion exist; the correlation between metric planning and the perception that impediments exist; the distribution of perceived impediments among Federal, State and local laws; the nature of corporate lobbying activities; and corporate experiences in addressing legal impediments to conversion.