Business Activity Survey 2009
Samoa, 2009
Samoa Bureau of Statistics
Identification
IDNO
SPC_WSM_2009_BAS_v01_M
Title
Business Activity Survey 2009
Translated Title
Su'esu'ega o Pisinisi 2009
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Samoa | WSM |
Abstract
The intention is to collect data for the calendar year 2009 (or the nearest year for which each business keeps its accounts. The survey is considered a one-off survey, although for accurate NAs, such a survey should be conducted at least every five years to enable regular updating of the ratios, etc., needed to adjust the ongoing indicator data (mainly VAGST) to NA concepts.
The questionnaire will be drafted by FSD, largely following the previous BAS, updated to current accounting terminology where necessary. The questionnaire will be pilot tested, using some accountants who are likely to complete a number of the forms on behalf of their business clients, and a small sample of businesses. Consultations will also include Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour, Central Bank of Samoa (CBS), Samoa Tourism Authority, Chamber of Commerce, and other business associations (hotels, retail, etc.).
The questionnaire will collect a number of items of information about the business ownership, locations at which it operates and each establishment for which detailed data can be provided (in the case of complex businesses), contact information, and other general information needed to clearly identify each unique business. The main body of the questionnaire will collect data on income and expenses, to enable value added to be derived accurately. The questionnaire will also collect data on capital formation, and will contain supplementary pages for relevant industries to collect volume of production data for selected commodities and to collect information to enable an estimate of value added generated by key tourism activities.
The principal user of the data will be FSD which will incorporate the survey data into benchmarks for the NA, mainly on the current published production measure of GDP. The information on capital formation and other relevant data will also be incorporated into the experimental estimates of expenditure on GDP. The supplementary data on volumes of production will be used by FSD to redevelop the industrial production index which has recently been transferred under the SBS from the CBS. The general information about the business ownership, etc., will be used to update the Business Register.
Outputs will be produced in a number of formats, including a printed report containing descriptive information of the survey design, data tables, and analysis of the results. The report will also be made available on the SBS website in “.pdf” format, and the tables will be available on the SBS website in excel tables. Data by region may also be produced, although at a higher level of aggregation than the national data. All data will be fully confidentialised, to protect the anonymity of all respondents. Consideration may also be made to provide, for selected analytical users, confidentialised unit record files (CURFs).
A high level of accuracy is needed because the principal purpose of the survey is to develop revised benchmarks for the NA. The initial plan was that the survey will be conducted as a stratified sample survey, with full enumeration of large establishments and a sample of the remainder.
The questionnaire will be drafted by FSD, largely following the previous BAS, updated to current accounting terminology where necessary. The questionnaire will be pilot tested, using some accountants who are likely to complete a number of the forms on behalf of their business clients, and a small sample of businesses. Consultations will also include Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour, Central Bank of Samoa (CBS), Samoa Tourism Authority, Chamber of Commerce, and other business associations (hotels, retail, etc.).
The questionnaire will collect a number of items of information about the business ownership, locations at which it operates and each establishment for which detailed data can be provided (in the case of complex businesses), contact information, and other general information needed to clearly identify each unique business. The main body of the questionnaire will collect data on income and expenses, to enable value added to be derived accurately. The questionnaire will also collect data on capital formation, and will contain supplementary pages for relevant industries to collect volume of production data for selected commodities and to collect information to enable an estimate of value added generated by key tourism activities.
The principal user of the data will be FSD which will incorporate the survey data into benchmarks for the NA, mainly on the current published production measure of GDP. The information on capital formation and other relevant data will also be incorporated into the experimental estimates of expenditure on GDP. The supplementary data on volumes of production will be used by FSD to redevelop the industrial production index which has recently been transferred under the SBS from the CBS. The general information about the business ownership, etc., will be used to update the Business Register.
Outputs will be produced in a number of formats, including a printed report containing descriptive information of the survey design, data tables, and analysis of the results. The report will also be made available on the SBS website in “.pdf” format, and the tables will be available on the SBS website in excel tables. Data by region may also be produced, although at a higher level of aggregation than the national data. All data will be fully confidentialised, to protect the anonymity of all respondents. Consideration may also be made to provide, for selected analytical users, confidentialised unit record files (CURFs).
A high level of accuracy is needed because the principal purpose of the survey is to develop revised benchmarks for the NA. The initial plan was that the survey will be conducted as a stratified sample survey, with full enumeration of large establishments and a sample of the remainder.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Version
Version number
v01: This is the first version of the documentation. Basic raw data, obtained from data entry.
Version Date
2014-04-28
Version Notes
THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER DATASETS DUE TO ITS CURRENT STATUS....will update later!!
OSO LE MEA E LE FAASA...AEA :-)
OSO LE MEA E LE FAASA...AEA :-)
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National Coverage
Unit of Analysis
The main statistical unit to be used for the survey is the establishment. For simple businesses that undertake a single activity at a single location there is a one-to-one relationship between the establishment and the enterprise. For large and complex enterprises, however, it is desirable to separate each activity of an enterprise into establishments to provide the most detailed information possible for industrial analysis. The business register will need to be developed in such a way that records the links between establishments and their parent enterprises. The business register will be created from administrative records and may not have enough information to recognize all establishments of complex enterprises. Large businesses will be contacted prior to the survey post-out to determine if they have separate establishments. If so, the extended structure of the enterprise will be recorded on the business register and a questionnaire will be sent to the enterprise to be completed for each establishment.
SBS has decided to follow the New Zealand simplified version of its statistical units model for the 2009 BAS. Future surveys may consider location units and enterprise groups if they are found to be useful for statistical collections.
It should be noted that while establishment data may enable the derivation of detailed benchmark accounts, it may be necessary to aggregate up to enterprise level data for the benchmarks if the ongoing data used to extrapolate the benchmark forward (mainly VAGST) are only available at the enterprise level.
SBS has decided to follow the New Zealand simplified version of its statistical units model for the 2009 BAS. Future surveys may consider location units and enterprise groups if they are found to be useful for statistical collections.
It should be noted that while establishment data may enable the derivation of detailed benchmark accounts, it may be necessary to aggregate up to enterprise level data for the benchmarks if the ongoing data used to extrapolate the benchmark forward (mainly VAGST) are only available at the enterprise level.
Universe
The BAS's covered all employing units, and excluded small non-employing units such as the market sellers. The surveys also excluded central government agencies engaged in public administration (ministries, public education and health, etc.). It only covers businesses that pay the VAGST. (Threshold SAT$75,000 and upwards).
Producers and sponsors
Authoring entity/Primary investigators
| Agency Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Samoa Bureau of Statistics | Government of Samoa |
Producers
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry for Revenue | Government Ministry | Provision of Business License Register |
| Samoa National Provident Fund | Government Ministry | Provision of Register by Employer |
| Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour | Government Ministry | Provision of Register by Employer |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Government of Samoa | GoS | Funding (Budget) |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
-Total Sample Size was 1240
-Out of the 1240, 902 successfully completed the questionnaire.
-The other remaining 338 either never responded or were omitted (some businesses were ommitted from the sample as they do not meet the requirement to be surveyed)
-Selection was all employing units paying VAGST (Threshold SAT $75,000 upwards)
WILL CONFIRM LATER!!
OSO LE MEA E LE FAASA...AEA :-)
-Out of the 1240, 902 successfully completed the questionnaire.
-The other remaining 338 either never responded or were omitted (some businesses were ommitted from the sample as they do not meet the requirement to be surveyed)
-Selection was all employing units paying VAGST (Threshold SAT $75,000 upwards)
WILL CONFIRM LATER!!
OSO LE MEA E LE FAASA...AEA :-)
Weighting
Not Applicable!!
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection (YYYY/MM/DD)
| Start date | End date | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-01-01 | 2009-12-31 | Calendar Year 2009 |
Mode of data collection
Mail Questionnaire [mail]
Supervision
Processes were in place to record and keep track of progress as the survey progresses. It was essential to record:
1. Each questionnaire that is posted out;
2. Receipt of each questionnaire, and thereby a continuous measurement of response rates from post-out until the final closing off of the survey;
3. Queries received from respondents and the answers or information provided by FSD staff;
4. Data capture as questionnaires are received from respondents;
5. Editing progress;
6. Costs incurred against the survey budget and any other survey related costs charged to other budgets (FSD, IT, etc.)
Follow-up Procedures
It was necessary to make direct contact with some respondents in the event of partial or complete non-response, queries from respondents, etc. To facilitate this contact it was necessary for FSD to have sufficient access to phones, vehicles for visiting businesses when needed, and internet and email facilities (a shared FSD email address was created with access for all FSD staff, for the duration of the survey - all contact with respondents were via that email address rather than personal email addresses).
The main business register contained sufficient contact information for all businesses that enabled easy contact with the respondents, i.e., phone numbers, physical addresses, etc.
1. Each questionnaire that is posted out;
2. Receipt of each questionnaire, and thereby a continuous measurement of response rates from post-out until the final closing off of the survey;
3. Queries received from respondents and the answers or information provided by FSD staff;
4. Data capture as questionnaires are received from respondents;
5. Editing progress;
6. Costs incurred against the survey budget and any other survey related costs charged to other budgets (FSD, IT, etc.)
Follow-up Procedures
It was necessary to make direct contact with some respondents in the event of partial or complete non-response, queries from respondents, etc. To facilitate this contact it was necessary for FSD to have sufficient access to phones, vehicles for visiting businesses when needed, and internet and email facilities (a shared FSD email address was created with access for all FSD staff, for the duration of the survey - all contact with respondents were via that email address rather than personal email addresses).
The main business register contained sufficient contact information for all businesses that enabled easy contact with the respondents, i.e., phone numbers, physical addresses, etc.
Type of Research Instrument
1. General instructions, authority for the survey, etc;
2. Business demography information on ownership, contact details, structure, etc.;
3. Employment;
4. Income;
5. Expenses;
6. Inventories;
7. Profit or loss and reconciliation to business accounts' profit and loss;
8. Fixed assets - purchases, disposals, book values
9. Thank you and signature of respondent.
Supplementary Pages
Additional pages have been prepared to collect data for a limited range of industries.
1.Production data. To rebase and redevelop the Industrial Production Index (IPI), it is intended to collect volume of production information from a selection of large manufacturing businesses. The selection of businesses and products is critical to the usefulness of the IPI. The products must be homogeneous, and be of enough importance to the economy to justify collecting the data. Significance criteria should be established for the selection of products to include in the IPI, and the 2009 BAS provides an opportunity to collect benchmark data for a range of products known to be significant (based on information in the existing IPI, CPI weights, export data, etc.) as well as open questions for respondents to provide information on other significant products.
2.Tourism. There is a strong demand for estimates of tourism value added. To estimate tourism value added using the international standard Tourism Satellite Account methodology requires the use of an input-output table, which is beyond the capacity of SBS at present. However, some indicative estimates of the main parts of the economy influenced by tourism can be derived if the necessary data are collected. Tourism is a demand concept, based on defining tourists (the international standard includes both international and domestic tourists), what products are characteristically purchased by tourists, and which industries supply those products. Some questions targeted at those industries that have significant involvement with tourists (hotels, restaurants, transport and tour operators, vehicle hire, etc.), on how much of their income is sourced from tourism would provide valuable indicators of the size of the direct impact of tourism.
2. Business demography information on ownership, contact details, structure, etc.;
3. Employment;
4. Income;
5. Expenses;
6. Inventories;
7. Profit or loss and reconciliation to business accounts' profit and loss;
8. Fixed assets - purchases, disposals, book values
9. Thank you and signature of respondent.
Supplementary Pages
Additional pages have been prepared to collect data for a limited range of industries.
1.Production data. To rebase and redevelop the Industrial Production Index (IPI), it is intended to collect volume of production information from a selection of large manufacturing businesses. The selection of businesses and products is critical to the usefulness of the IPI. The products must be homogeneous, and be of enough importance to the economy to justify collecting the data. Significance criteria should be established for the selection of products to include in the IPI, and the 2009 BAS provides an opportunity to collect benchmark data for a range of products known to be significant (based on information in the existing IPI, CPI weights, export data, etc.) as well as open questions for respondents to provide information on other significant products.
2.Tourism. There is a strong demand for estimates of tourism value added. To estimate tourism value added using the international standard Tourism Satellite Account methodology requires the use of an input-output table, which is beyond the capacity of SBS at present. However, some indicative estimates of the main parts of the economy influenced by tourism can be derived if the necessary data are collected. Tourism is a demand concept, based on defining tourists (the international standard includes both international and domestic tourists), what products are characteristically purchased by tourists, and which industries supply those products. Some questions targeted at those industries that have significant involvement with tourists (hotels, restaurants, transport and tour operators, vehicle hire, etc.), on how much of their income is sourced from tourism would provide valuable indicators of the size of the direct impact of tourism.
Data Collectors
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Finance Statistics Division | FSD | Samoa Bureau of Statistics |
Data Processing
Cleaning Operations
Partial imputation was done at the time of receipt of questionnaires, after follow-up procedures to obtain fully completed questionnaires have been followed. Imputation followed a process, i.e., apply ratios from responding units in the imputation cell to the partial data that was supplied. Procedures were established during the editing stage (a) to preserve the integrity of the questionnaires as supplied by respondents, and (b) to record all changes made to the questionnaires during editing. If SBS staff writes on the form, for example, this should only be done in red pen, to distinguish the alterations from the original information.
Additional edit checks were developed, including checking against external data at enterprise/establishment level. External data to be checked against include VAGST and SNPF for turnover and purchases, and salaries and wages and employment data respectively. Editing and imputation processes were undertaken by FSD using Excel.
Additional edit checks were developed, including checking against external data at enterprise/establishment level. External data to be checked against include VAGST and SNPF for turnover and purchases, and salaries and wages and employment data respectively. Editing and imputation processes were undertaken by FSD using Excel.
Other Processing
FSD used its own resources to capture and edit the survey responses. It was planned that FSD will develop a simple Access database and forms for data entry, including basic consistency edits. Another possibility was to use existing survey software used in other divisions of SBS, e.g., CSPro, if it could be easily adapted for the 2009 BAS.
Data Appraisal
Estimates of Sampling Error
NOT APPLICABLE!!
Data access
Contact
| Name | Affiliation | URI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government Statistician | Samoa Bureau of Statistics | [email protected] | http://www.sbs.gov.ws |
Confidentiality Declaration
All information supplied remain strictly CONFIDENTIAL. This information will not be released in any form that will identify any individual establishments. All information are guided under the Statistics Act 1971.
Conditions
The Business Activity Survey microdata is available for distribution as licensed-use files. Please contact the identified contact persons to request for the dataset.
Conditions for use of licensed datasets are:
1.The data and other materials provided by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics (SBS) will not be redistributed or sold to other individuals, institutions, or organizations without the written agreement of the SBS.
2.The data will be used for statistical and scientific research purposes only. They will be used solely for reporting of aggregated information or the development of statistical models, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
3.No attempt will be made to re-identify respondents, and no use will be made of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently. Any such discovery would immediately be reported to the SBS.
4.No attempt, without prior approval, will be made to produce links among datasets provided by the SBS, or among data from the SBS and other datasets that could identify individuals or organizations, nor for destroying the business operations of individuals or organizations.
5.Any books, articles, conference papers, theses, dissertations, reports, or other publications that employ data obtained from the SBS will cite the source of data in accordance with the Citation Requirement provided with the dataset.
6.An electronic copy of all reports and publications based on the requested data will be sent to the SBS.
7.The original collector of the data, the SBS, and the relevant funding agencies bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
8.The primary and other researchers who will be involved in using the data must be identified.
9.The researchers' organization must be identified as must a suitable representative of the organization who must be a signatory to the license.
10.The intended use of the data including a list of expected outputs and the organization's dissemination policy must be identified.
11.A formal agreement must be signed that the files will not be shared beyond the boundaries of the organization. In the case of a blanket agreement where it is agreed that the data can be used broadly within the receiving organization in a secure manner, the receiving organization must demonstrate a capacity to manage the data files in a secure manner (with an identified individual assigned formal responsibility for doing so) and each additional new user be made aware of the terms and conditions that apply to the data files. This must be achieved by having the users sign an affidavit. Where a blanket agreement exists and data security procedures are in place, it will not be necessary for the users to destroy the data after use is complete.
Conditions for use of licensed datasets are:
1.The data and other materials provided by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics (SBS) will not be redistributed or sold to other individuals, institutions, or organizations without the written agreement of the SBS.
2.The data will be used for statistical and scientific research purposes only. They will be used solely for reporting of aggregated information or the development of statistical models, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
3.No attempt will be made to re-identify respondents, and no use will be made of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently. Any such discovery would immediately be reported to the SBS.
4.No attempt, without prior approval, will be made to produce links among datasets provided by the SBS, or among data from the SBS and other datasets that could identify individuals or organizations, nor for destroying the business operations of individuals or organizations.
5.Any books, articles, conference papers, theses, dissertations, reports, or other publications that employ data obtained from the SBS will cite the source of data in accordance with the Citation Requirement provided with the dataset.
6.An electronic copy of all reports and publications based on the requested data will be sent to the SBS.
7.The original collector of the data, the SBS, and the relevant funding agencies bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
8.The primary and other researchers who will be involved in using the data must be identified.
9.The researchers' organization must be identified as must a suitable representative of the organization who must be a signatory to the license.
10.The intended use of the data including a list of expected outputs and the organization's dissemination policy must be identified.
11.A formal agreement must be signed that the files will not be shared beyond the boundaries of the organization. In the case of a blanket agreement where it is agreed that the data can be used broadly within the receiving organization in a secure manner, the receiving organization must demonstrate a capacity to manage the data files in a secure manner (with an identified individual assigned formal responsibility for doing so) and each additional new user be made aware of the terms and conditions that apply to the data files. This must be achieved by having the users sign an affidavit. Where a blanket agreement exists and data security procedures are in place, it will not be necessary for the users to destroy the data after use is complete.
Citation requirement
"Samoa Bureau of Statistics, Business Activity Survey 2009 (BAS 2009), Version 01 of the public use dataset (April 2014) povided by the Finance Statistics Division (FSD). http://110.5.112.59/index.php/catalog/central"
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges the original collector of the data. The authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses. SBS bears no responsibilities as well for any issues that may arise from using these datasets or based upon any interpretations.
Copyright
(c) Samoa Bureau of Statistics 2014
Contacts
Contact
| Name | Affiliation | URI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Statistics Division | Samoa Bureau of Statistics | [email protected] | http://www.sbs.gov.ws |
Metadata production
Document ID
DDI_SPC_WSM_2009_BAS_v01_M
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Statistics Division | FSD | Samoa Bureau of Statistics | Documentation of BAS_2009 |
Date of Production
2014-04-28
Document version
Version 01 (April 2014). This is the original documentation of the BAS_2009, from raw data after data entry,not cleaned and not anonymized.