Business Intelligence
The Northwest Development Agency collects business intelligence to inform agency staff and our partners about the views and performance of businesses in the region.
The National Business Survey
The National Business Survey (NBS) is carried out by Ipsos MORI and managed by Yorkshire Forward on behalf of England’s nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Invest Northern Ireland.
It is an essential source of business intelligence for RDAs because it provides timely and relevant information on the latest issues and challenges facing businesses in the regions. It has been an especially useful source of business experiences and expectations during the recession.
The National Business Survey is one of the largest surveys of its kind, canvassing the opinions of over 5,300 companies of all sizes across the whole economy twice a year, in spring and autumn. Respondents are senior business leaders within their organisation.
It covers key economic measures such as business optimism, output, orders, capacity, employment, profitability, prices, costs and investment intentions.
It also provides business-facing teams with information on issues such as staffing, vacancies, training, skills needs, marketing, domestic and export markets, technology, investment and development of new products and processes, and environmental performance.
Outputs:-
Latest National NBS Report
Latest Northwest NBS Report
All data from the past three surveys will be available from the National Business Survey Web Portal.
The past three surveys are available below:-
Autumn 2009 Survey
Spring 2009 Survey
Autumn 2008 Survey
Business Snapshot Survey
In September 2009 around 400 businesses across the Northwest region were surveyed to understand how the recession is affecting business confidence, order books, investments and operations. The survey also sought to understand if businesses were currently having any difficulties accessing finance.
This Snapshot Survey compliments the more substantial six-monthly National Business Survey.
Outputs:-
September 2009 Report
Purchasing Managers Index
This is a monthly indicator of conditions facing private sector businesses, such as activity, sales, orders, prices, costs and unemployment. Data is available nationally and a report is produced for the Northwest.
Outputs:
Februry 2010 PMI Summary
January 2010 PMI Summary
For more information about any of this content please contact Doug Watts at the Northwest Development Agency on 01925 400 566.