ICT usage in enterprises

Information and communication Technology (ICT)

is a concept which describes the technology for collection, storing, processing and presentation of information, as well as use of technolgy for communication and sharing the information.

Digital signature

A digital signature is some kind of electronic information attached to or associated with a contract or another message used as the legal equivalent to a written signature.

Homepage

A homepage is a presentation on the Internet. This type of presentation often contains information about a person or an establishment. A homepage can be constructed in many different ways, from a simple page with text to many pages with text, pictures, sound and video.

DSL

DSL is an abbreviation for Digital Subscriber Line, and is a collection of different technologies designed to increase bandwidth over standard copper telephone wires.

Mobile broadband

Mobile connection to the Internet over telephone networks

Intranet

Homepages which only are accessible within the enterprise.

Broadband telephony

Broadband telephony is a technology for having telephone conversations over the Internet with speech transferred as data packets.

Electronic commerce

Electronic commerce includes orders via electronic networks, both Internet and other connections between computers in different enterprises. Payment and delivery must not necessarily be arranged via electronic networks. Electronic commerce may be done via homepages or automated data exchange between enterprises, but it excludes normal e-mail messages that are written individually by hand.

Automated data exchange

Automated data exchange between the enterprise and other ICT systems outside the enterprise means exchange of messages (e.g. orders, invoices, payment transactions or description of goods) via the Internet or other computer networks in an agreed format which allows its automatic processing (e.g. XML, EDIFACT, etc.) without the individual message being manually typed.

Social media

is the social interaction among people/enterprises in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and Networks.

Cloud computing services

refers to ICT services that are used over the Internet to access software, computing power, storage capacity.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC2007)

Name: ICT usage in enterprises
Topic: Technology and innovation

Division for Business Dynamics Statistics

National.

Annual. The statistics is published in the second half of the year with information about access to various technologies in January the same year and dimension/volume of electronic commerce for the previous year. From the year 2014 the survey period is the first quarter.

Eurostat, OECD and UN.

Data at a micro level, information about the sample and population are stored temporary in the programme language SAS. Data are long-term stored as text files on UNIX.

The purpose of the survey is to chart the use of ICT and electronic commerce in enterprises. The survey is based on international cooperation and gives resultats that can be internationally comparable. The survey was started in 1999. The survey has received funding from the Union.

Eurostat is an important user of the statistics. Ministries, Innovation Norway, business organisations, research institutes, the media and international organisations such as Eurostat are also main users of the statistics.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar.

The organisation of the survey was prepared as a joint Nordic project. The content of the survey has consequently been co-ordinated with the other Nordic countries. In response to an initiative by Eurostat, several other European countries started publishing statistics on the use of ICT in enterprises in and after 2001. This survey is adapted to the content of the surveys that are a result of Eurostat’s initiative. Starting in 2001, statistics will be published that compare the use of ICT in Norwegian enterprises with the situation in the business life of other European countries.

Parts of the survey are also used in EU's "Digital Agenda Scoreboard" for comparison.

Statistics Act § 10, 20

Regulation (EC) No. 0808/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 concerning Community statistics on the Information Society.

The population for the survey includes all enterprises with at least ten employees in the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises in the following industries (SN2007):

C Manufacturing(10-33); D Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (35); E Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (36-39); F Construction (41-43); G Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (45-47); H Transportation and storage (49-53); I Accommodation and food service activities (55-56); J Information and communication (58-63); K Financial and insurance activities (64.19+64.92, 65.1+65.2, 66.12+66.19); L Real estate activities (68); M Professional, scientific and technical activities (69-74); N Administrative and support service activities (77-82); S Other service activities (95.1).

From 2014, industry K, Financial and insurance activities (64.19+64.92, 65.1+65.2, 66.12+66.19), is not included in the survey.

From 2021, industry Veterinary activities (75) is included in the survey. 

Web questionnaire submitted by the selected enterprises. The survey population was taken from Statistics Norway's Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises.

The sample was drawn from all enterprises with at least ten employees in the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises. It was stratified by industry and size of the enterprise measured by employment. Among enterprises with 10-19 employees the sample was 7,5%, among enterprises with 20-49 employees the sample was 15%, among enterprises with 50-99 employees the sample was 50%, among enterprises with 100-249 employees the sample was 75% and among enterprises with at least 250 employees all were sampled. 

There will be an overall assessment of various criteria, which will also form the basis for the selection of the sample. Furthermore, the consideration of having a certain degree of coverage within a particular industry can also be decisive for our composition of the sample, other probability of drawing is used for certain industries.

There are about 5000 enterprises in the sample.

Web questionnaries are used in data collecting. The questionnaires are transferred directly to a database. Data collection carries out during the first quarter.

The data were checked for addition errors and logical inconsistencies.

The survey is based on a breakdown of enterprises by employment groups, areas of industries and the sizes of turn-over. The figures represent both the overall use of ICT in enterprises and within the individual industries, employment groups and counties. The data material was therefore grossed up (weighted). The objective of the weighting is to gross up the units in the sample so that the characteristics of the sample after non-response correspond as closely as possible to the population. The weights are based on the relation between the sample population and the sample in each separate group or stratum and take imbalances in the non-response into consideration.

Turnover from E-commerce sales

In the survey, the enterprises are asked to indicate an estimate of the percentage of the total turnover resulting from web sales to private consumers, web sales to other enterprises and public authorities and EDI-sales. To find an estimate in NOK, we use total turnover from the previous year.

Not relevant

It is impossible to identify sensitive information from the statistics. The use of collected data from respondents will be in accordance with the demands in the Statistics Act provisions. The information will be stored properly and kept confidential.

Before 2009 enterprises with at least 5 employees was part of the population. From 2009 enterprises with at least 10 employees was part of the population.

From 2014, industry K, Financial and insurance activities (64.19+64.92, 65.1+65.2, 66.12+66.19), is not included in the survey.

Errors might be caused by not correctly answered questionnaires. The respondents can state the same price even though there has been a price change from previous quarter. If something suggests a measurement error, the respondent is contacted. Data are also controlled when the questionnaires are optically read. In general, the production system ensures that the data is controlled on both detailed and aggregated level.

Non-response will always be a factor in questionnaire-based surveys. Some respondents do not return the questionnaires, or the questionnaires are rejected because they are incompletely filled out. Response rate of the survey is normally around 95 per cent.

The sampling error describes the uncertainty created by production of figures based on a sample of units and not the whole population. Thus, the sampling error shows the expected deviation between the sample result and a potential result from a survey of the whole population.

The information in the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises is not always completely up to date. This causes misclassification of some enterprises.

Turnover from e-commerce sales

In the survey, the enterprises are asked to indicate an estimate of the percentage of the total turnover resulting from web sales and from EDI-sales. Most of the enterprises rounds off to the nearest 10 percent. Based on this, and that we use total turnover from the previous year, the figures may be inaccurate.

Not relevant