NOTES
INTRODUCTION
This release presents key indicators on the incidence of business use of information technology and business innovation in Australia, as collected by the 2005-06 Business Characteristics Survey (BCS). Previously, these IT and innovation indicators were produced from the separate annual Business Use of IT and biennial Innovation surveys, respectively.
Collection of these data using the BCS vehicle is part the ABS' Integrated Business Characteristics Strategy (IBCS). This strategy integrates the collection and quality assurance of data required for input into the Business Longitudinal Database (BLD) and the production of data on a wide variety of point in time estimates for business use of information technology (BUIT), Innovation and a broad range of other non-financial business characteristics. A key part of the IBCS is the production of annual BUIT and business innovation indicators, with a more detailed set of items for each of these topics collected every second year (i.e. in alternating years).
This release contains a range of summary indicators of business use of IT and innovation. More detailed information for these and other business characteristics will be released in the forthcoming months, please refer to Explanatory Notes 39 to 41. While this release contains measures on the incidence of use of IT and innovation, detailed analysis on the intensity and impact of these on business performance is being undertaken and will be released by the ABS over the next year, please refer to Explanatory Note 45.
CHANGES TO THE MEASURE OF INNOVATION
In moving to the BCS as a survey vehicle for collection of innovation statistics, the ABS has taken the opportunity to collect a more detailed range of innovation indicators. The inclusion of marketing methods as a type of innovation and more detailed measures of innovation activity that was still in development or has been abandoned, have resulted in the most comprehensive range of innovation measures ever to be made available. More information about the impacts of changes resulting from the new strategy on innovation measures is included in Explanatory Notes 31 to 35.
The measures of innovation presented here are not comparable to those released for previous stand-alone Innovation surveys.
INQUIRIES
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Diane Braskic on Perth (08) 9360 5241.
Print Page
Print All