Multinational Enterprise ProjectMultinational Enterprise Project

Roundtable on Business Survey FramesBeijing, October 17-22, 2004

Background

STC presentation at CES session on globalization in June 2003

Identify areas where more standardized and co‑ordinated approaches to measuring the activities of multinational enterprises could contribute to improved national and international economic statistics

Explore the concept of having MNEs reporting in an integrated fashion to several NSOs

Project Structure

The NSOs of 5 countries are participating in the first phase (Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands and UK)

Other stakeholders– UNECE, EUROSTAT, OECD & UNCTAD

Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians

Roundtable on Business Frames

Objectives of first phase

Determine coherence of the national measurement of MNE’s activities (as currently done by NSOs) compared to the national segment provided by the MNE?

Determine accuracy of the global measurements of MNEs?

Methodology

A few MNEs selected in each country MNEs are asked to report

– a selected number of variables by country and– the legal entities participating in the values reported for each

country

All information will be sent to the collecting NSO, then the data will be shared once waiver obtained from MNE

Variables

Sales Inter-geographic segment sales Net sales (as per annual report) Net operating profit (AR) Capitalized expenditures (AR) Number of employees (AR)

Confidentiality

Waiver to be signed by participating MNE

General rules

“Common Declaration” from National Statistics Offices

Data exchange procedure

Project communication

Meeting in Luxembourg

One videoconference held in July

E-mail and telephone

Progress to date

Several MNEs were contacted and agreed to participate in the project and share their data

Some MNEs have already sent their data and signed the waiver

National coherence analysis has started Data sharing is about to start

Next steps

Complete Phase 1 data collection

Complete internal coherence analysis

Process to consolidate results among participating countries