Accounting figures for joint stock companies in the information sector, 2001

Operating income for the ICT sector was reduced from NOK 182.2 billion in 2000 to NOK 179.4 billion in 2001, a decrease of 1.6 per cent. In the same period operating expenses increased by 3.1 per cent to NOK 189.7 billion. Operating profit for the ICT sector for 2000 and 2001 are imprinted by accounting charges taken by some major joint-stock companies. Operating profit would have shown a less dramatic reversal if it had been corrected for these circumstances. Especially ICT wholesale are concerned in 2000. In 2001 also telecommunications are affected.

Only ICT manufacturing had operating profit

Among the industries in the ICT sector only ICT manufacturing had an operating profit in 2001:NOK 0.2 billion in 2001. Within telecommunications operating profit fell from NOK 5.8 billion in 2000 to an operating loss of NOK 5.1 billion in 2001. In the period 1995-1999 ICT wholesale and ICT consultancy services had operating profits of NOK 1.3 and 0.7 billion in average. The operating loss within ICT wholesale was NOK 3.2 billion in 2001 and 1.2 billion in 2001. In ICT consultancy services an operating profit in 1999 was changed to an operating loss of NOK 4.4 billion in 2000 and 4.1 billion in 2001.

Negative operating profit margin for ICT sector

Operating profit margin was lower for the ICT sector than all non-financial joint-stock companies in the period 1995-1999. In 1999 the ICT sector had an operating profit margin of 5.1 per cent, and this was 2 percentage points lower than all non-financial joint-stock companies and 0.3 percentage points lower than in the joint-stock companies in mainland Norway. In 2000 and 2001 the ICT sector had negative operating profit margins of 0.9 and 5.7 per cent respectively. In the same years the operating profit margins for all non-financial joint-stock companies were 10 and 8.8 per cent. Joint-stock companies in mainland Norway had an operating profit margin of 4.8 and 3.7 per cent in 2000 and 2001.

Negative return on equity capital

The return on equity capital was higher in the ICT sector than the average for all non-financial joint-stock companies in the period 1997-1999. In this period the ICT sector had a return on equity capital of 12.1 per cent in average. In 2000 return on equity capital dropped to minus 0.6 per cent, and in 2001 to minus 9.2 per cent. For all non-financial joint-stock companies and joint-stock companies in mainland Norway return on equity capital were 6.7 and 4.7 per cent in 2001. ICT consultancy services and ICT wholesale were most affected by bad profitability. Return on equity capital for these industries were 34.8 and 21.4 per cent respectively in 2001.

Tables:

• Table 1 Number of joint-stock companies
• Table 2 Operating income in million NOK
• Table 3 Operating expenses in million NOK
• Table 4 Operating profit in million NOK
• Table 5 Operating profit margin in per cent
• Table 6 Operating margin in per cent
• Table 7 Return on total assets in per cent
• Table 8 Return on equity in per cent
• Table 9 Circulation rate on total assets
• Table 10 Equity ratio in per cent
• Table 11 Current ratio