The following information applies to all values in the table.
Number of types/stages: Total innovation rate, Measure: Total innovation rate, Innovation types/stages: Total
Innovation: It includes the development or introduction of any new or significantly improved activity for this business. This includes products, processes and methods that this business was the first to develop and those that have been adopted from other organisations.
Innovation rate: The innovation rate is the proportion of businesses that innovate. A business would be counted as 'innovative' if they answered Yes to at least one of the four questions listed below.
1. During the last 2 financial years, did this business introduce onto the market any new or significantly improved goods or services?
2. During the last 2 financial years, did this business implement any new or significantly improved operational processes?
3. During the last 2 financial years, did this business implement any new or significantly improved organisational or managerial processes?
4. During the last 2 financial years, did this business implement any new or significantly improved sales or marketing methods which were intended:
- to increase the appeal of goods or services for specific market segments
- to gain entry to new markets
The Business Operations Survey results are subject to measurement errors, including both non-sample and sample errors. These errors should be considered when analysing the results from the survey.
Inclusions
The target population for the Business Operations Survey was live enterprise units on Statistics NZ’s Business Frame that were economically significant enterprises, had six or more employees and had been operating for one year or more.
For New Zealand's economic performance to be measured against initiatives aimed at increasing economic growth, we need to collect data on a variety of measures.
Because of the large range of data needed, Statistics NZ developed an integrated, modular survey – the Business Operations Survey – to collect the required information and minimise the reporting load for New Zealand businesses. The survey was designed to include a range of ‘modules’ and has been run annually by Statistics NZ since 2005.
The Business Operations Survey is a postal survey. We made initial contact with key and/or complex businesses in the survey by telephone, before the mail-out, to determine who to direct the survey to. For all other businesses, we addressed the survey form to the managing director. The survey is posted out in August and collects information for the last financial year for which the business has data available at that point.