Note: Earlier surveys include late responses and so differ from figures published elsewhere
| Exactly 60 per cent of the firms taking part in this survey said that their sales were higher in September 1997 than in September 1996. Only 17 per cent said that they were lower. The resulting balance (the proportion saying higher minus the proportion saying lower) of +43 per cent is practically unchanged on last month (+46 per cent). |
"Was your sales turnover
in the month just ended higher, about the
same, or lower than in the same month last year?"
Note: Earlier surveys include late responses and so differ from figures published elsewhere
|
Balance of firms reporting increased sales over year - by sector
Note: Based on 113 firms which have responded to all three surveys
| This overall balance, however, conceals an important sectoral split. The chart, left, shows the balances just for the firms which have taken part in all three surveys so far, and so avoids the problem of changing sample composition. While the business services firms have seen fewer increases in sales, the other firms (principally manufacturers) report a big improvement in September. A balance of +47 per cent reported sales up in September, compared with only +27 per cent in July and August. Whether this improvement for on-line firms is translated into improved manufacturing output for the whole UK will only be known when the official statistics are released, in early November. |
|
Almost 6,000 people travel to work at the workplaces where respondents to
this survey are based. At almost half (47 per cent) of these workplaces free off-street parking is provided for all employees. At a further 11 per cent, free parking is provided for some employees. This is a considerable tax-free subsidy to employees which encourages them to drive to work alone rather than walking, cycling, taking public transport or sharing a car to work. At only 5 per cent of workplaces is there a charge for parking, although a further 12 per cent do not provide any parking for employees at all. In the remaining 25 per cent of workplaces, no-one travels to work and so no parking is necessary. Larger firms are much more likely than the smaller ones to provide free parking for all employees. Over 88 per cent of those with 50 or more employees provide parking for all, compared with 55 per cent of those with between 5 and 49 employees. These firms are more likely than the large ones to only provide parking for some employees, to charge for parking or not to provide any parking at all. For many of the smallest firms no-one travels to work and so free parking is unnecessary. |
"Does your firm provide free off-street parking for people travelling
to work at the place where you work?"
Proportion of firms offering free off-street parking to all employees,
by firm size
|
|
Number of people working from home - frequency distribution 
Proportion of firms reporting that all, some, or none of the people
working from home use e-mail to keep in touch with the office
|
One potential way to reduce the number of people driving to work, and the associated environmental problems, is for people to work from home. In 70 per cent of the firms taking part in this survey, at least one person works from home for some of the time. A total of 763 people employed by firms taking part in this survey work from home for at least some of the time. The internet, and separate company e-mail systems, can help people to work at home. Some 86 per cent of the people who work from home use e-mail to keep in touch with the office. Over half of the firms with employees who work from home use e-mail to keep in touch with all of them and a further 16 per cent say that some of the home-workers use e-mail to keep in touch. Many firms taking part in the survey had positive comments to make about employees working from home, as well as the need to reduce car use, typified by the respondent who said, "We are developing a decentralised, work from home, structure to all of the business because it is both greener and more cost effective". More comments... |
Questionnaires are sent out and returned by e-mail each month. If you would like an e-mail to notify you each month when the lastest e-survey is published, then please send an e-mail to e-survey@mccannics.co.uk with the subject SUBSCRIBE.
This third survey questionnaire was sent out on 1st October 1997 and by 12th October responses had been received from 150 businesses across the UK.
Participation in this survey is open to all UK-based businesses. If you own or manage a business in the UK and would like to take part in the survey then send a blank e-mail to: volunteer@mccannics.demon.co.uk.
Details of the sample were included in the first survey.
E-mail us with comments, queries or suggestions for future topical questions at: e-survey@mccannics.co.uk.
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