This site deals with the estimation of potential users.

The ISO New Work Item Proposal states (quote from the ISO communication of 2004-10-07; the full document can be found under this link):

“3. Application of the standard
The standard should be applicable by all types of organizations (e.g. regardless of their size, location, the nature of their activities and products, and the culture, society and environment in which they carry out their activities.)”

This comprises all organizations, everywhere in the world. If we take ‘all types of organizations’ as representing
100%, then the estimated percentage split-up of users (according to the stakeholder definition in ISO WG SR
(document N48 rev 1) is, in the author’s view:

Users in %ages and bars, big letters

Government     1,5
Labour               1,0
Consumers        0,5
NGO                   1,0
Services             36,0
Industry            60,0

i.e. 96% of all potential users are “commercial enterprises”

Out of this 96% of potential users, the number of globally acting enterprises may account for about 1% and small and medium ones for 95%; seen this way, less than 10% may have cross-border business, while more than 85% act only locally.

It can be seen therefore that the ISO 26000 project has to fulfil the difficult task of meeting the needs of all these groups: it has to be as attractive to a globally acting enterprise as to ‘the bakery around the corner’.

Also, the guidance standard should not exceed a reasonable volume of some 40 pages if it is to be really studied by the 85+% of potential users, i.e. the small and medium organizations.

A professional survey (a “market analysis”) was, and still is, recommended to the project management, the better to meet the actual needs of all potential users in the final, published ISO 26000.

(Please note, any better estimation of the percentage split-up of users is more than welcome, along with supporting arguments. Please, just send an e-mail to the author.