The analysis of firms' profitability: Why statisticians have to tackle globalisation issues

Issue title: Special issue on Globalistaion

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Depoutot, Raoul

Affiliations: Division Synthèse des Statistiques d'Entreprises INSEE -- timbre E220, 18 bd A.Pinard, 75675 Paris CEDEX 14, France. Tel.: +33 1 41 17 50 70; Fax: +33 1 41 17 65 20; E-mail: raoul.depoutot@insee.fr

Abstract: The author discusses why statisticians have to consider and measure the financial results, assets and liabilities of subsidiaries abroad in order to assess profitability within a national territory. This follows from participation in a committee of the French Planning Agency (“Commissariat Général du Plan”) which focused on profitability and risk at the beginning of the 2000's. The issue is related to the fast development of enterprise groups, whose intra flows and stocks of liabilities and assets considerably blur usual statistics. As many of these groups are multinational, statisticians have to overcome the territorial limitations of statistical information. The current statistical project on improving information about the activity of French companies abroad is presented.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2003-20208

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 135-143, 2003