Enterprise

Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on February 21, 2018.

Definition

Enterprise refers to the highest level of the Business Register statistical hierarchy. In alignment with the System of National Accounts, it is defined as an institutional unit that directs and controls the allocation of resources relating to its operations, and for which financial statements are maintained from which international transactions, an international investment position and a financial position for the unit can be derived. Enterprises can be corporations, quasi-corporations, institutions, or unincorporated businesses such as sole proprietors or partnerships. For incorporated enterprises, financial statements can be consolidated.

Usage

All statistical companies (see definition) are simultaneously statistical enterprises on the Business Register, except for those companies that are participants in a financial consolidation. Only the controlling company in a consolidation is also categorized as an enterprise.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard is compatible with the definition of Enterprise presented in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) "Guidelines on Statistical Business Registers", 2015. The UNECE definition is primarily concerned with ownership structure and does not provide the same level of detail concerning the financial data the unit can provide. The "Guidelines on Statistical Business Registers" provides the following definition for enterprise:

Enterprise - a legal unit (or the smallest set of legal units) that produces goods or services and that has autonomy with respect to financial and investment decision-making. An enterprise may be a corporation (or quasi-corporation), a non-profit institution, or an unincorporated enterprise. An unincorporated enterprise is a household or government unit in its capacity as a producer of goods or services. (Source: Guidelines on Statistical Business Registers, 2015. Page 7)

The "System of National Accounts 2008", 2009, ISIC Rev. 4 and UNSD "Statistical Units", 2007, all use a similar definition that provides more detail on the information that is gathered from the enterprise as a statistical unit. In those publications, the enterprise is further defined as "the level of statistical unit at which all information relating to transactions, including financial and balance-sheet accounts, are maintained, and from which international transactions, an international investment position (when applicable), consolidated financial position and net worth can be derived" (Source: Statistical Units, 2007. Page 11).

Relation to previous version

• Enterprise February 21, 2018 to current

  This standard replaces the previous standard for enterprise. The previous standard did not situate enterprise within the Business Register statistical hierarchy. The current standard changes this, and defines enterprise within the Business Register statistical hierarchy. The current standard provides additional clarity to the type of information gathered from enterprise units in the Business Register System.

• Enterprise July 15, 1998 to February 20, 2018

  This was the departmental standard from July 15, 1998 to February 20, 2018.