Handbook on design and implementation of business surveys

This handbook provides general guidelines on how to make statistics. It does not contain a comprehensive description of the contents of business statistics, nor is it a cookery book, providing an enumeration of recipes. Rather, it deals with cooking principles and methods, thus supporting survey statisticians in preparing their own recipes for making statistics, each from his own specific objective and infra structure.

The handbook applies for the setting up of new surveys as well as for the redesign of existing surveys. It is meant to serve several parties of interest. It supports survey managers of EU member states as well as transition countries that are moving towards the EU statistical system. And it provides training material for statistical courses, both at the EU and at the national level. Finally, it offers the professional users of business statistics a look behind the scenes, so as to enhance their understanding of what they read.