Business And The Euro 1999 - Methodology

• Business And The Euro 1999

Methodology

A total of 1,001 interviews have been conducted among chief executives, managing directors, chairmen, and other designated main board members of businesses in the UK between 29 September and 20 October 1999. All interviews were conducted by specialist telephone interviewers at MORI On-Line Telephone Surveys.

The sample has been structured to ensure that reliable results can be obtained for companies of different sizes: those with fewer than 11 employees, those with 11-49 employees, those with 50-199 employees and those with 200 or more members of staff.

The sample was drawn randomly from the Dun & Bradstreet database, a source offering comprehensive coverage of businesses in the UK.

Before being contacted by telephone, respondents received a letter form MORI, informing them that they had been selected to take part, and outlining the aims of the study. Respondents were asked to answer the questions from a corporate, rather than a personal viewpoint.

Weighting

The following weighting schemes were used for the two surveys.

11+ employees

The sample of respondents from businesses with 11 or more employees was broken down by three categories of businesses; those with 11-49 employees, those with 50-199 employees and those with more than 200. It was then further divided into three broad sectors -- agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and transportation, wholesale and retail and financial / services.

The Dun and Bradstreet database was used to calculate the total number of businesses within each size and sector cell (from which the proportion of the total within each cell was derived). Data were then duly weighted so that the proportion within each cell in the sample matches that of UK business as a whole.

The following table shows the weighting targets for each cell;

The highest weight applied in this scheme is 4.090 and the lowest is 0.174. The effective base size is 347.68.

This approach was designed to enable direct comparison with the MORI / FT survey conducted in 1998, where the same approach was used.

10 or fewer employees

For this survey data has been weighted by broad sector to match the profile of the Dun and Bradstreet database.

The highest weight applied in this scheme is 1.745 and the lowest is 1.443. The effective base size is 238.179.

Combined Weighting

In addition to presenting the two surveys individually, the surveys have also been combined in order to show the findings for all UK businesses.

In doing this three different weighting schemes are used in order to look at the different ways in which 'UK businesses' could be considered.

Number of businesses

The first combined weighting approach uses the same basic method as for 11+ employees (see above), though adding the 250 interviews conducted with small businesses.

The profile of UK businesses used in this approach has been taken from 'Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Statistics for the United Kingdom, 1998' (DTI 1999).

The following shows the proportion of the weighted sample within each cell;

The maximum weight applied when weighting by number of businesses is 5.331 the minimum is 0.017. The effective base size is 279.596.

Employment

This approach takes into account the level of employment within each size band and sector. The total number of UK employees is found for each cell and then calculated as a proportion of total employment by UK business.

The following shows the proportion of the weighted sample within each cell;

The maximum weight applied when weighting by employment is 3.030 the minimum is 0.309. The effective base size is 669.728

Turnover

To weight by turnover the same approach as for employment is used, though with turnover statistics rather than employment or number of businesses.

The following shows the proportion of the weighted sample within each cell;

The maximum weight applied when weighting by turnover is 3.297, the minimum is 0.321. The effective base size is 525.754

Sample Profile

• Business And The Euro 1999