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/en/teknologi-og-innovasjon/statistikker/regnikt/aar
13757_om
statistikk
2006-11-09T10:00:00.000Z
Technology and innovation
en
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Accounting figures for joint stock companies in the information sector2005

Content

About the statistics

Definitions

Name and topic

Name: Accounting figures for joint stock companies in the information sector
Topic: Technology and innovation

Responsible division

Transport, Tourism and ICT Statistics

Definitions of the main concepts and variables

Operating income and operating expenditure are ordinary non-financial revenues and expenses. Operating income is broken down into sales revenues and other operating revenues. Operating expenditures cover costs of goods, changes in stocks, compensation of employees, depreciation of fixed tangible assets and intangible assets, write-down of fixed tangible assets and intangible assets and other operating expenditures. Operating profit/loss emerges as the difference between operating income and operating expenditure.

The key figures provide summarized information about a company's profitability, capital strength and liquidity:

  • The operating profit margin shows the ratio between operating profit and operating income.
  • The operating margin shows the ratio between result before taxes and operating income.
  • Return on total assets measures the yield on invested total capital.
  • Return on equity shows the yield on equity.
  • Circulation rate on total asset expresses the annual ratio of turnover to total assets. This can measure how well the capital tied up in an enterprise is utilized or how capital intensive the business.
  • The equity ratio expresses the capital strength of the enterprise, i.e. the ability to withstand setbacks and losses.
  • The current ratio is the proportion of current assets to short-term liabilities. This figure expresses a company's ability to meet its financial obligations.

Standard classifications

The Information sector contain of the ICT sector and the content sector. The ICT sector is delimited on the basis of a definition recommended by the OECD. An international delimitation of the content sector is no existence, so the content sector is delimitated on the basis of a national definitions. The foundation of these definitions has been copied from notes that are published of UN and OECD. Viewpoints from national users are considered. The delimitation of the content sector is preliminary. An international delimitation is probably ready in connection with revision of the industrial classification standard in 2007.

The statistics for the information sector covers all joint-stock companies in the following industrial groups in the Standard Industrial Classification (SN02).

ICT sector

ICT manufacturing industry

  • 3001 Manufacture of office machinery
  • 3002 Manufacture of computers and other information processing equipment
  • 3130 Manufacture of insulated wire and cable
  • 3210 Manufacture of electronic valves and tubes and other electronic components
  • 3220 Manufacture of television and radio transmitters etc.
  • 3230 Manufacture of television and radio receivers etc.
  • 3320 Manufacture of instruments and appliances for measuring, checking, testing, navigating and other purposes, except industrial process control equipment
  • 3330 Manufacture of industrial process control equipment

ICT wholesale and retail sales

  • 51433 Wholesale of radio and television goods
  • 51434 Wholesale of gramophone records, tapes, CDs, DVDs and videos
  • 51840 Wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software.
  • 51860 Wholesale of other electronic parts and equipment.
  • 52485 Retail sale of computers, office equipment and telecommunications equipment

Telecommunications

  • 6420 Telecommunications

Computer and related activities

  • 7210 Hardware consultancy
  • 7221 Publishing of software
  • 7222 Other software consultancy and supply
  • 7220 Software consultancy and supply
  • 7230 Data processing
  • 7240 Database activities
  • 7250 Maintenance and repair of office, accounting and computing machinery
  • 7260 Other computer-related activities
  • 7133 Renting of office machinery etc is also included in the ICT industry. This (small) group is counted here under Data processing.

Content sector

Publishing

  • 22.11 Publishing of books
  • 22.12 Publishing of newspapers
  • 22.13 Publishing of journals and periodicals
  • 22.14 Publishing of sound recordings
  • 22.15 Other publishing

Information services

  • 74.40 Advertising
  • 92.40 News agency activities

Radio and television

  • 92.20 Radio and television activities

Motion picture and video activities

  • 92.11 Motion Pictures and Video Production
  • 92.12 Motion Pictures and Video Distribution
  • 92.13 Motion picture projection

Delimitation of the ICT sector in OECD and Norway
In certain areas the Norwegian definition is somewhat more precise than the international definition. This has a bearing on wholesale and retail trade in ICT. The entire industrial class 5143 Wholesale of electrical household appliances, radio and television goods, gramophone records and cassettes is included in the OECD definition. In the Norwegian definition we have chosen to exclude the following industrial subclasses:

  • 51431 Wholesale of lighting equipment
  • 51432 Wholesale of electrical household appliances

However, the subclass 52485 Retail sales of computers, office equipment and telecommunications equipment is included. This subclass is not included in the OECD definition. The OECD definition is followed directly for the other industries. The OECD's definition is linked to the international industrial classification, which is co-ordinated only down to four digits. However, Norway (and most other countries) uses a more detailed fifth digit in their national industrial classifications. This is the basis for the more detailed national definitions. The other Nordic countries also use a more precise definition of the ICT sector for national purposes. The Norwegian definition is co-ordinated as far as possible with the other Nordic countries.

Delimitation of the content sector
Content can be understood as a text, sound, image or any combination/series of these, intended for human beings. In order to be able to distribute the content, it must be combined with a communication medium. The medium can be paper-based or electronic-based (such as books, newspapers, radio, television, the Internet etc.) The combination of content and communication medium creates a content product available to the public. A content product can formally be defined as follows:

  • A content product is content which is open to the public and is published by a communication medium. The content has an organised message intended for human beings

This definition of a content product can be used to define a content industry.

  • A content industry is industry, which is primarily engaged in the publishing and/or the distribution of content products.

The content sector includes industries in the present standard for industrial classification (SN94) that satisfy the definition of a content industry. The users of the statistics wish that the statistics should distinguish between publishing through "new" and "old" media. Unfortunately the division of the present standard for industrial classification is not adjusted to satisfy these wishes.

Weaknesses of the definition
A definition of the ICT sector and the content sector on the basis of entire industrial categories rather than on individual enterprises is bound to be rough. On the one hand, a number of enterprises falling within the definition are not really involved in related business. On the other hand a number of related enterprises may fall outside the definition. For the present, however, it is difficult to employ other more precise definition principles in the official statistics. In addition there are activities within the ICT sector that should be placed in the content sector regard to the definitions of the content sector. This concerns especially the industry 72.4 (Data base activities) and 72.2 (Software consultancy and supply). Since these industries contents a mix of ICT activities and content activities, we have decided that they should stay in the ICT sector in regard to continuity and comparability to international statistics for the ICT sector.

Industrial classification
Industrial classification of enterprises and establishments in the ICT sector and the content sector can be difficult. Many new enterprises are established in this area. Many existing enterprises are becoming more ICT-oriented. At the same time some ICT enterprises has changed their activity in the direction of the content sector (described as convergence). Businesses can change quickly and often and the Industrial Classification is not well suited for precise grouping in some of the newer areas of business. It can therefore be particularly difficult to obtain and maintain correct industrial codes for enterprises in the ICT sector and the content sector. Statistics Norway works continuously to ensure the quality of industrial coding and is particularly attentive to this area.

Administrative information

Regional level

National level.

Frequency and timeliness

Annual

International reporting

Not relevant

Microdata

Final statistical files are stored.

Background

Background and purpose

The purpose of these statistics is to present selected accounting figures and computed key figures for the businesses in the Information sector. Corresponding figures are presented for all non-financial joint-stock companies in the aggregate. The figures can provide a basis for assessing profitability, financing and liquidity of the joint-stock companies belonging to the Information sector.

Users and applications

Public authorities, the business sector, industry organizations and the media.

Coherence with other statistics

Structural statistics for the ICT sector are published annually. For the first time corresponding statistics are published for the content sector in 2003. Structural statistics are based on the trading statements collected by Statistics Norway and use the enterprise and establishment as statistical units. Accounts statistics are based on the annual accounts submitted to the Register of Company Accounts in Brønnøysund and use enterprises organized as joint-stock companies as the statistical units. There are different statistical bases for the accounts statistics and structural statistics. At the same time, only enterprises organized as joint-stock companies are covered by the accounts statistics. The performance of the ICT sector and the content sector will be described differently in these statistics.

Legal authority

Statistics Act Section 2-1, 3-2.

EEA reference

Not relevant

Production

Population

Accounts statistics for the information sector cover all filing-subject enterprises that have submitted annual accounts at the time Statistics Norway collects the data. The accounts statistics are compiled for non-financial joint-stock companies. Accounts in which serious errors or shortcomings have been discovered in either the profit and loss or balance sheet items are not included in the statistics. Accounts for companies in the process of closing are excluded because these are accounts that have not been prepared under the going concern assumption and are thus not comparable. In this statistics figures from 1998 are used.

Data sources and sampling

Accounts statistics are based on the enterprises' official annual accounts submitted to the Register of Company Accounts in Brønnøysund. The individual annual accounts include information from the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities in Brønnøysund and from Statistics Norway's Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises.

Total census.

Collection of data, editing and estimations

The Register of Company Accounts in Brønnøysund records the annual accounts electronically and delivers them to Statistics Norway. Statistics Norway annually receives three deliveries of annual accounts in electronic form from the Register of Company Accounts in Brønnøysund.

The Register of Company Accounts in Brønnøysund and Statistics Norway carry out mechanical and manual controls to ensure that the accounting information is correctly recorded. Further checks are done to determine whether the individual items in the profit and loss account and balance sheet correspond and whether they correspond to other available statistics. Accounts statistics

All level number are calculated by aggregation. Key figures are calculated as a ratio between the respectively aggregated figures.

Confidentiality

According to Statistics Act Section 2-6, figures shall not be published in such a way that they may be traced to a particular respondent. If data from less than three statistical units are represented in a table Statistics Norway will withold from publishing the actual number.

Comparability over time and space

The industry classification standard that is the foundation of production of this statistics was undergoing a slight revision in 2002. This has lead to changes in the delimitation of ICT wholesale and some activities that are not ICT-relevant have been removed from the definition. These changes concern on and after 2003 and have importance for ICT wholesale in addition to the aggregated figures for the ICT sector and the information sector

Accuracy and reliability

Sources of error and uncertainty

See About the statistics for Accounts statistics

Accounts in which serious errors or shortcomings have been discovered in either the profit and loss or balance sheet items are not included in the statistics. The last volume published are preliminary, since not all obliged enterprises have reported their annual report of accounts when Statistics Norway collect the data.

The statistics are based on a total census and thus avoid the uncertainty associated with sample variance and non-response associated with sample surveys.

See About the statistics for Accounts statistics