Content
About the statistics
Definitions
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Name and topic
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Name: Wholesale earnings survey (discontinued)
Topic: Wholesale and retail trade and service activities
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Responsible division
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Division for Construction and Service
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Definitions of the main concepts and variables
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Definition of the main concepts
Data on most characteristics (variables) are collected based on local kind-of-activity units (equivalent to local kind- of-activity unit as defined by EU Council Regulation No 696/93).
Definition of the main variables
Merchandise sold is defined as goods bought and resold with no added value. Only merchandise sold under own name and for own account is included. Wholesale on a fee or contract bases and commission sale is not included. By sales income is meant turnover from merchandise sold. Cost of goods and freight charges are not deducted. Special duties, discounts and goods returned are not included, while public subsidies are. Cost of goods is defined as the purchase cost and includes wastage. Freight charges and duty is included. Purchased merchandise in stock is not included. Gross earnings means the difference between sales income reduced and the cost of goods for merchandise sold. Special duties are not included in gross earnings, while public subsidies are.
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Standard classifications
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SN94. (explained above)
Administrative information
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Regional level
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Regular publication of data at the national level only.
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Frequency and timeliness
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Eurostat requires a breakdown of turnover by product type every 5th year.
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International reporting
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Not relevant
Background
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Background and purpose
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The Wholesale earnings survey gives a view of the sales income and gross earnings on merchandise sold for different wholesale trade subclasses and groups of commodities. The statistics conform with the EU Council regulation on structural statistics. It requires a breakdown of turnover by product type every 5 th year, but the Wholesale earnings statistics also gives the gross earnings by product type. The statistics was first published in 1985.
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Users and applications
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Users include public and private sector agencies, organizations and individuals. Other users include the National accounts statistics and the Research department of Statistics Norway.
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Coherence with other statistics
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The statistics conform with other statistics of Statistics Norway in terms of definitions and industrial classifications, including the Wholesale and Retail Trade Statistics.
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Legal authority
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The Statistics Act, paragraphs 2-2 and 2-3.
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EEA reference
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EU Council Regulation No 58/97 of 20th December 1996.
Production
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Population
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The population comprises 17 818 local kind-of-activity units wholesalers. All units belong to one of these NACE Rev1 subclasses: 50.101, 50.301, 50.401 or between 51.210 and 51.700. The subclasses are according to the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises.
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Data sources and sampling
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Data were obtained from a questionnaire. Turnover is also obtained from the General Trading Statements, the Register of Annual Company Accounts and the Census of Entrepreneurs liable to Value Added Tax (the VAT-register).
From the entire population a sample of 3 590 local kind-of-activity units is selected. From these local kind-of-activity units, turnover, sales income and gross earnings on merchandise sold total and sales income and gross earnings on merchandise sold by product type. For the remaining local kind-of-activity units, turnover is obtained from the Wholesale and Retail Trade Statistics.
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Collection of data, editing and estimations
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Data are extracted from questionnaires or from electronic files. Local kind-of-activity units included in the sampling survey for the statistics of 1998 received the questionnaire in June 1999, with return of forms due by July 2, 1999. Failure to respond is subject to fines.
Reporting and record keeping burden
Reporting and record keeping burden are estimated to 30 minutes for each respondent, equivalent to a total of 1 795 hours, or 240 man-labour year for the sample.
Arithmetic and logical operators check for errors and internal consistency of questionnaires in the sample. The particularly critical items are industry code, turnover, sales income and gross earnings on merchandise sold. It is also very important that the sum of sales income and gross earnings by product equals the total sales income and gross earnings. The turnover is compared with the turnover of the Wholesale and Retail Trade Statistics, and different registers (the Register of Annual Company Accounts and the VAT-register). If necessary, the respondents are consulted.
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Confidentiality
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For local kind-of activity units of the sample, we have used the obtained figures, but some very few local kind-of-activity-units have only given figures for sales income by product and gross earnings total. For these local kind-of-activity units, we have estimated the gross earnings by product. For the rest of the population (i. e. local kind-of-activity units which are not part of the sample), we have estimated the figures. Local kind-of-activity units from the sample with a very irregular gross earnings by product are not used in the estimation.
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Comparability over time and space
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The Wholesale earnings survey was first published in 1985. It is possible to compare the results of the survey of 1998 with the results of the survey of 1985 for some subclasses and product groups. But it is somewhat difficult to compare the two results, because the survey of 1985 used a different industrial standard (ISIC). The product groups can also be somewhat different for the two surveys. The definition of sales income is also different in the two surveys. In 1985 special duties were included in the sales income, whereas they are deducted in 1998. Similarly, special public subsidies were not included in the sales income in 1985, whereas they are included in 1998. The definition of gross earnings is not different in the two surveys. Gross earnings means the difference between sales income and the product cost of sold merchandise. Special duties are not included in gross earnings, while public subsidies are.
Accuracy and reliability
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Sources of error and uncertainty
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The sample is very carefully revised. The results of a statistically survey will, as a rule, contain some collection and processing errors. Collection errors occurs when the provider of the data gives incorrect answers due to forgetfulness, misunderstanding of the question etc. Processing errors are the errors form coding or errors that occur during the transferring of information from the questionnaire to the machine-readable medium or during revision. registered by optic-electronic reading devices and revised with a set of machine controls.
Imbalance: Imbalance in the sample (e.g. misleading stratification) can cause errors for the variable for which information has not been obtained for all units in the population. Statistics Norway assumes explicitly by the imputation that the local kind-of-activity units outside the sample have the same cost and income structure as local kind-of-activity units in the sample. Sample variance may also exist. The sample variance is not estimated.
Not answered: Non-response will always be a factor in form-based surveys. This is because some respondents either do not return their forms or return then incompletely filled out. The local kind-of-activity units which do not return their forms are treated like the local-kind-of-activity units that are not in the sample. 30 per cent of the sample did not answer or we could not use their forms. Of the 3 590 local kind-of-activity units in the sample, 620 local kind-of-activity units changed subclasses. Out of these, 340 local kind-of-activity units got a new subclass which did belong to wholesale trade. 170 local kind-of-activity units were closed down and could not answer the forms.
Register errors
Errors in the administrative registers are difficult to evaluate. They are unlikely, however, to represent a significant source of statistical uncertainty or bias.