Released, 21 December 1999

The McCannics isurvey, December 1999

Millennium to Bug Business?

Sales and Prices

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The most recent McCannics isurvey (formerly known as the e-survey) reveals that only 16 per cent of internet-connected businesses in the UK are expecting the Millennium Bug to have an effect on their business.

Some of the businesses taking part, all of which use computers, say that they have already taken the steps necessary to ensure their Y2K compliance. Others believe that the issue has been over-hyped.

For some of those which are expecting problems, these are expected to be indirect. Some are suppliers of technology equipment and software who have found clients need extra reassurance or are reluctant to invest in the run-up to the Millennium. The threat of the Bug has therefore had an effect on these businesses, even if they don't actually expect their own equipment to fail.

Comments from respondents ...

In the first survey of the new Millennium, McCannics intends to ask these same firms whether their predictions were correct, and whether they did indeed suffer any effects of the Millennium Bug.

This survey reveals mixed news on the economic performance of UK businesses over the past few months. The proportion of respondents reporting their sales were higher in October 1999 than October 1998 was 46%. The proportion saying that their sales fell over the year to October was 34%, giving a balance (proportion reporting an increase minus proportion reporting a fall) of +12%. This was down compared with the +29% which had reported in the previous survey that their sales were up in the year to September 1999. However, there was some improvement in November. This survey asked the same firms about their sales in November 1999 compared with November 1998 and found that a balance of +22 per cent reported an increase over this period (see chart, right).

The balance of firms reporting that their selling prices were higher than one year ago fell from +24% in the previous survey (asking about September 1999) to +18% for October 1999 and +16% for November 1999.

The twenty-eighth survey questionnaire was e-mailed on 8th December 1999. By 15th December, responses had been received from 50 businesses across the UK.

The isurvey has been operating on a pilot scale for the past two years and is now ready to show its full potential. Organisations which would like to collaborate should contact McCannics. Individual UK-based businesses which would like to take part in the survey should send a blank e-mail to volunteer@isurvey.co.uk.

All individual replies will be kept strictly confidential. Only anonymised results will be published, and your e-mail address will not be passed on to any third party.

E-mail us with comments, queries or suggestions for future topical questions at: isurvey@mccannics.co.uk