Business Growth and Performance Survey

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW
This survey is an annual collection of management units collecting data about firm performance and the factors which affect firm performance. The scope of the survey is all employing businesses, excluding the following industries - Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Electricity, gas and water supply, Communication services, Government administration and defence, Education, Health and community services, Libraries, Museums and Parks and gardens. Data are classified by industry and size of firm. Some data are available by State.

A key feature of this survey is that it is a longitudinal survey (i.e. in the main, the same sample is used for each of the years of the survey). This enables firms with similar characteristics to be compared and contrasted with other firms with different characteristics, both at the same time point and over time.

PURPOSE
The purpose of the survey is to detect those factors which have an impact on firm growth and performance and to measure that impact. This information is keenly sought by small business policy makers and researchers both in Australia and around the world. The information will also enable a much more detailed analysis of where employment growth occurs in the Australian economy, by which type of firms and how widespread this growth is.

SCOPE
The scope of the survey includes businesses of all industries and sizes. However, the ABS Business Register generally excludes non-employing businesses, and so these have been excluded from this survey. The survey also excludes some industries, mainly because these are dominated by Government enterprises, which are of lesser importance from an industry policy viewpoint. With a limited sample size, it was therefore thought better to exclude these industries and use the available sample in those industries with more policy interest.

DATA DETAIL

Conceptual framework
Conceptually this survey should include firms of all industries and sizes. However, the ABS Business Register generally excludes non-employing businesses, and so these have been excluded from this survey. The survey also excludes some industries, mainly because these are dominated by Government enterprises, which are of lesser importance from an industry policy viewpoint. With a limited sample size, it was therefore thought better to exclude these industries and use the available sample in those industries with more policy interest.

Main outputs
Data is made available to users in a number of ways. The ABS releases information in its annual release of Small and Medium Enterprises (ABS Cat No. 8141.0); in addition the funder of the survey (the Department of Workplace Relations and Small Business - DWRSB) releases a range of statistical and research publications. ABS also provides an analysis service to other users, which is partially funded by DWRSB as an aid to encourage analysis by the research community. Each year an agreed work schedule is drawn up with the client which outlines costs and target dates for milestones including the provision of output. The target for the first release of data is the September following the enumeration.

Classifications
As the survey is longitudinal, and with an extensive list of possible explanatory variables for firm performance, the list of possible classifications is extensive. The main ones, however, are: industry, size, age of firm, growth status, innovation status and export status.

Other concepts (summary)
Growth of firms is defined in terms of both employment and output. Size of firm is also defined into micro, other small, medium and large firms.

GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT

Comments and/or Other Regions
No finer geographic breakdown is available.

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Annually

Frequency comments
Collection runs from 1994-95 to 1997-98

COLLECTION HISTORY
The sample was designed and conducted for the first time in respect of 1994-95. 13,000 management units were selected for the first part of a 2 phase design. The second phase includes a sample of only half that size. The main reason for the 2 phase design was so that the second phase could incorporate innovation status, export status and growth status as design variables. These data are not available on the ABS Business register and hence could not be incorporated into the first phase design.

The sample size in future years will continue to be at about the 1995-96 level.

DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes