Series
Business Operations Survey
en-NZOmnibus; BOS
en-NZStatistics New Zealand
en-NZThe Business Operations Survey is used to collect performance measures from New Zealand businesses to better understand the practices and behaviours they undertake which may have an impact on their performance. These statistics feed into policy and micro data research that helps identify the current situation of the New Zealand business environment, as well as potential areas of improvement. The survey covers all businesses in New Zealand that have 6 or more employees, and have been active for one year or more.
en-NZThe main objective of the survey is to collect information on the operations of New Zealand businesses in order to quantify business behaviour, capacity, and performance. In addition, each module in the survey has its own specific objectives. The modules included in the Business Operations Survey and their objectives are listed below.
Module A: Business Operations
This module aims to provide a longitudinal series of information relating to business performance. This will assist in the development of models aimed at investigating causal relationships. As well as traditional measures of performance such as turnover and profitability, there is also a need to collect information on such areas as export intensity. The purpose of collecting business environmental information is to analyse any relationships between the environment in which a business operates and the results it achieves.
Significant changes were made to questions in Module A in 2023. Further information on these changes can be found here.
Module B: Innovation or Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
The content of module B alternates between Innovation (odd years) and ICT (even years). The objectives of each module are as follows:
ICT: This module aims to provide a core set of comprehensive, official statistics on businesses use of:
- computers, ICT services, and security
- Impact of ICT
- Internet use and connection
- purchases and sales of goods or services via the internet
- web presence
- computer networks
- cellphones.
Innovation: The objective of the innovation module is to provide information on the characteristics of innovation in New Zealand's private-sector businesses. This information will enable the development of policy that will facilitate innovation, and understand the dynamics of innovative businesses. The innovation module runs every two years, and replaced Statistics NZ's former Innovation Survey, last run in 2003. The module was designed in accordance with OECD guidelines to develop an understanding of the contribution of all aspects of innovation to the New Zealand economy by measuring:
- levels of firm innovation
- how and why firms collaborate with other firms and institutions in order to innovate
- factors affecting the ability of firms to innovate
- outcomes of innovation for firms, including its effect on exports.
Some changes were made to questions in Module B in 2023. Further information on these changes can be found here.
Module C and D: Contestable module
The contestable module content changes year on year. Modules that have been run in the past are:
2005: Business practices
2006: Employment practices
2007: International engagement
2008: Business strategy and skills
2009: Business practices
2010: Price and wage setting; Financing
2011: International engagement
2012: Regulation
2013: Business practices; Skill needs and recruitment
2014: Skills acquisition; Business finance
2015: International engagement
2016: Regulation; Skill acquisition
2017: Business Practices; Health and Safety
2018: Changing nature of work; Business finance
2019: International engagement
2020: COVID-19
2021: The Transition to a Low Emissions Economy
2022: Price and wage setting; Business Finance
The specific objectives can be found in the study of each year.
Some changes were made to questions in Module Business practices in 2023 and Module Climate Change is new. Further information on these changes can be found here.
en-NZ4 Annual
Research use of the unit record data is high.
Analysis both by Stats NZ staff and also by researchers using the Data Laboratory takes place on an annual basis. Data has also been incorporated into the LBD (Longitudinal Business Database). In addition, sponsors of the survey receive anonymised and confidentialised unit record datasets each year which are held off-site (as per the annual MOUs) and they use these for various programmes of micro-research.
The survey gets many customised data requests which use the final datasets- usually around 4 a year.
Internally, one variable from the data set is used to help identify the population for the Research and Development (R&D) survey, as Business Operations Survey asks businesses if they perform Research and Development. The Research and development survey runs every two years, but uses all years of the Research and Development indicator from the Business Operations Survey.
Designed to produce results at an overall New Zealand level, and at 2 digit ANZSIC (industry) level. Results can be produced at levels other than this, but the quality is significantly lower, so it is not recommended.
Central Government, stakeholders of Module C, i.e. a wide range of users due in part to the variety provided by Module C. The Business Operations Survey contributes to a range of wider OECD and international statistics by providing New Zealand data on innovation and business use of ICT measures for inclusion in international scorecards.
Questionnaire changes from previous years in Module A and Module B. Changes have been mapped for easy use.
Other
Business Operations Survey Information releases en-NZ |
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Business Operations Survey information page en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2005 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2006 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2008 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2009 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2010 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2011 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2012 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2013 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2014 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2015 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2016 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2017 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2018 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2019 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2020 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2021 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2022 Questionnaire en-NZ |
Questionnaire
Business Operations Survey 2023 Questionnaire en-NZ |