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Introduction
Introduction
The Sensis® Business Index, formerly known as the Yellow Pages® Business Index, is an ongoing series of surveys tracking confidence and behaviour of Australia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The primary objectives of the Sensis® Business Index are to track small and medium business activity over the past three months; expectations over both the current three and 12 month periods; and, to measure overall confidence among SMEs. A second purpose is to provide an independent, objective assessment of proprietors’ experiences and attitudes on key issues.
The Sensis® Business Index enables broad scrutiny of the SME market, as well as an understanding of trends and issues relevant to this sector. It examines the differences in attitudes and experiences between regional and metropolitan SMEs, and between small and medium enterprises. The aim of the Sensis® Business Index is to reflect the attitudes and behaviour of approximately 99 per cent of the Australian business sector.
The Sensis ®Consumer Report is a survey designed to measure the confidence and behaviour of Australia’s consumer population. The primary objectives of the Sensis ®Consumer Report are to measure consumer confidence and expectations for the next 12 months. A second purpose is to provide an independent, objective assessment of consumers’ experiences and attitudes on key issues.
The Sensis® Business Index is based on a sample size of 1,800 SMEs from metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. It includes businesses within the accommodation, construction, communication, health, community services, cultural and recreational industries. The Sensis ®Consumer Report is based on a sample size of 1,500 Australians from metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. It includes people from all states and territories, of ages ranging from 14 years and older. Demographics such as gender, employment status, income ranges and family status are collected to enable cross-analysis of data collected.
Data for both of these reports is collected concurrently with many questions being asked of both businesses and consumers. This allows comparisons between these two groups to be made, to enable a better understanding of the interaction of supply and demand in the Australian economy.
The Sensis® Business Index and the Sensis ®Consumer Report are initiatives of Sensis Pty Ltd. Sensis is a wholly owned local advertising and search subsidiary of Telstra Corporation Ltd. Approximately 90 per cent of Sensis’ 420,000 paying Australian customers are SMEs. Sensis manages two of Australia’s leading brands, Yellow Pages® and White Pages®, along with a leading internet city guide brand CitySearch â, the location and navigation brand Whereis®, Australia’s leading publisher and distributor of mapping and travel-related products, Universal Publishers, and the Trading Post® brand in Australia.
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