A tale of two laboratories I: The challenge

This is a tale of two fictional commercial laboratories, but all features in the story represent true events and occurrences culled from a range of real-world laboratories, here re-arranged in a more focused fashion for a purpose: "How can the Theory of Sampling (TOS) help the commercial laboratory to improve its reputation and to increase its business"? The relevance for existing laboratories is striking. The reader will have to bear with the column for mostly focusing on sampling issues in what obviously is a much more complex scientific and business context, but please indulge us for a little while - there is a sharp return to real-world realities at the end of the story. Laboratory A is in fierce market competition with Laboratory B (and indeed several others in the global market), a situation that has existed for decades. This has so far led to a healthy business-oriented science, technology and human capital drive that has served both laboratories well. Both laboratories are also keenly aware of the necessity to be in command of TOS for all relevant in-house activities involving sampling, sub-sampling, mass-reduction, sample splitting etc. But whereas Laboratory A has availed itself of the services of TOS strictly within its regimen only (as is indeed the case for most laboratories), one fine day the manager of Laboratory B had an epiphany that made her see the potential advantages of applying TOS in full, which involved a distinctly "beyond-the-laboratory" scope.