2017 Survey of Innovation and Business Strategy – Reporting Guide

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2017 Survey of Innovation and Business Strategy. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.

Your answers are confidential.

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act.

Statistics Canada will use information from this survey for statistical purposes.

Help Line: 1-877-949-9492

Table of contents

Business or organization and contact information

This section verifies or requests basic identifying information of the business or organization such as legal name, operating name (if applicable), contact information of the designated contact person, current operational status, and main activity(ies).

1. Legal name and Operating name

Legal Name

The legal name is one recognized by law, thus it is the name liable for pursuit or for debts incurred by the business or organization. In the case of a corporation, it is the legal name as fixed by its charter or the statute by which the corporation was created.

Modifications to the legal name should only be done to correct a spelling error or typo.

To indicate a legal name of another legal entity you should instead indicate it in question 3 by selecting 'Not currently operational' and then choosing the applicable reason and providing the legal name of this other entity along with any other requested information.

Operating Name

The operating name is a name the business or organization is commonly known as if different from its legal name. The operating name is synonymous with trade name.

2. Designated contact person

Verify or provide the requested contact information of the designated business or organization contact person. The designated contact person is the person who should receive this questionnaire. The designated contact person may not always be the one who actually completes the questionnaire. If different than the designated contact person, the contact information of the person completing the questionnaire can be indicated later in the questionnaire.

3. Current operational status

Verify or provide the current operational status of the business or organization identified by the legal and operating name in question 1. If indicating the operational status of the business or organization is 'Not currently operational' then indicate an applicable reason and provide the requested information.

4. Main activity

This question verifies the business or organization's current main activity as classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. NAICS is based on supply-side or production-oriented principles, to ensure that industrial data, classified to NAICS, are suitable for the analysis of production-related issues such as industrial performance.

The target entity for which NAICS is designed are businesses and other organizations engaged in the production of goods and services. They include farms, incorporated and unincorporated businesses and government business enterprises. They also include government institutions and agencies engaged in the production of marketed and non-marketed services, as well as organizations such as professional associations and unions and charitable or non-profit organizations and the employees of households.

The associated NAICS should reflect those activities conducted by the business or organizational unit(s) targeted by this questionnaire only, as identified in the 'Answering this questionnaire' section and which can be identified by the specified legal and operating name. The main activity is the activity which most defines the targeted business or organization's main purpose or reason for existence. For a business or organization that is for-profit, it is normally the activity that generates the majority of the revenue for the entity.

The NAICS classification contains a limited number of activity classifications; the associated classification might be applicable for this business or organization even if it is not exactly how you would describe this business or organization's main activity.

Please note that any modifications to the main activity through your response to this question might not necessarily be reflected prior to the transmitting of subsequent questionnaires and as a result they may not contain this updated information.

If the current NAICS associated with this business or organizations is not correct, please provide a brief description of the main activity and provide any additional information as requested.

Reporting instructions

Please print in ink.

Report all dollar amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars ('000).

Report all dollar amounts rounded to the nearest thousands of dollars.

Report all personnel numbers in full-time equivalent (FTE).

Report all FTE numbers rounded to the nearest whole number.

Report all percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

When exact figures are not available, please provide your best estimates.

If value is null please indicate "0".

Business strategy

Fiscal year end dates

For this survey, this business's fiscal year end date should fall after January 1, 2017 and on or before December 31, 2017.

Here are some examples of fiscal year end dates that fall within the targeted dates:

  • December 31, 2017
  • January 16, 2017
  • January 31, 2017
  • March 31, 2017
  • June 30, 2017
  • September 30, 2017

Good or service innovation

Good or service innovation is the market introduction of a new or significantly improved good or service with respect to its capabilities, user friendliness, components or sub-systems.

  • Good or service innovations (new or improved) must be new to your enterprise, but they do not need to be new to your market
  • Good or service innovations could have been originally developed by your enterprise or by other enterprises.

a. New or significantly improved goods

Include:

  • new or significantly improved goods to this business and not necessarily new to the industry or market
  • new or significantly improved goods developed by this business or by other organizations.

Exclude the simple resale of new goods purchased from other businesses and changes of a solely aesthetic nature.

b. New or significantly improved services

Include:

  • new or significantly improved services to this business and not necessarily new to the industry or market
  • new or significantly improved services developed by this business or by other organizations.

Process innovation

A process innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved production process, distribution method, or support activity for your goods or services.

  • Process innovations must be new to your enterprise, but they do not need to be new to your market
  • The innovation could have been originally developed by your enterprise or by other enterprises.

c. New or significantly improved methods of manufacturing or producing goods or services

Include:

  • methods of manufacturing or producing products developed by this business or other organizations
  • methods of manufacturing or producing products new to this business and not necessarily new to the industry.

Exclude purely organizational innovations.

d. New or significantly improved logistics, delivery or distribution methods for inputs, goods or services

Include:

  • logistics, delivery or distribution methods developed by this business or other organizations
  • logistics, delivery or distribution methods new to this business and not necessarily new to the industry.

Exclude purely organizational innovations.

e. New or significantly improved supporting activities for processes

For example: maintenance systems or operations for purchasing, accounting, or computing.

Include:

  • supporting activities developed by this business or other organizations
  • supporting activities new to this business and not necessarily new to the industry.

Exclude purely organizational innovations.

Organizational innovation

An organizational innovation is a new organizational method in your enterprise's business practices (including knowledge management), workplace organization or external relations that has not been previously used by your enterprise.

Organizational innovations must be the result of strategic decisions taken by management.

Exclude mergers or acquisitions, even if for the first time.

f. New business practices for organizing procedure

For example: supply chain management, business reengineering, knowledge management, lean production, quality management or other.

Exclude mergers or acquisitions, even if for the first time.

g. New methods of organizing work responsibilities and decision making

For example: first use of a new system of employee responsibilities, team work, decentralization, co-ideation, integration or de-integration of departments, education or training systems or other.

Exclude mergers or acquisitions, even if for the first time.

h. New methods of organizing external relations with other unrelated businesses or organizations

For example: first use of alliances, partnerships, outsourcing or sub-contracting or other.

Exclude mergers or acquisitions, even if for the first time.

Marketing innovation

A marketing innovation is the implementation of a new marketing concept or strategy that differs significantly from your enterprise's existing marketing methods and which has not been used before.

Marketing innovations require significant changes in product design or packaging, product placement, product promotion or pricing.

Exclude seasonal, regular and other routine changes in marketing methods.

i. New media or techniques for good or service promotion

For example: the first time use of a new advertising media, a new brand image, social media, introduction of loyalty cards or other.

Exclude seasonal, regular and other routine changes in marketing methods.

j. New methods for good or service placement or sales channels

For example: first time use of franchising or distribution licenses, direct selling, exclusive retailing, new concepts for product presentation or other.

Exclude seasonal, regular and other routine changes in marketing methods.

k. New methods of pricing goods or services

For example: first time use of variable pricing by demand, discount systems or other.

Exclude seasonal, regular and other routine changes in marketing methods.

l. Significant changes to the aesthetic design or packaging of a good or service

Exclude:

  • changes that alter the product function or user characteristics as these are product innovations
  • seasonal, regular and other routine changes in marketing methods.

Advanced technology

Advanced technology is new technology that performs a new function or improves some function significantly better than other commonly used technology.

a. Material handling, supply chain OR logistics technologies

Include customer relationship management (CRM) software, software for demand forecasting or demand planning, transportation management system, warehouse management system (WMS), supply chain collaboration and visibility systems, automated storage (AS) and retrieval system (RS), part identification for automation (e.g., bar or QR coding) or radio frequency identification (RFID).

b. Design and information control technologies

Include virtual product development or modelling software including computer-aided design (CAD), computer aided engineering (CAE), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), virtual manufacturing, enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing execution system (MES), software integration of quality results with planning and control softwares, manufacturing resource planning (MRP II), inter-company computer networks including extranet and electronic data interchange (EDI), wireless communications for production, sensor network and integration, computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), automated systems for inspection (e.g., vision-based, laser-based, X-ray, high-definition (HD) camera or sensor-based) or unmanned aerial system (e.g., drone).

c. Processing or fabrication technologies

Include flexible manufacturing cells (FMC) or flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), lasers used in materials processing (including surface modification), robots with sensing or vision systems, robots without sensing or vision systems, 4-9 axis computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery, additive manufacturing including rapid prototyping for plastics and 3D printing for plastics, additive manufacturing including rapid prototyping for metals and 3D printing for metals, additive manufacturing including rapid prototyping for materials other than plastics and metals and 3D printing other than plastics and metals, automated machinery for sorting, transporting or assembling parts, plasma sputtering, micro-manufacturing (e.g., micro-machining or micro-molding) or micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).

d. Clean technologies

Clean technology is defined as any process, product, or service that reduces environmental impacts through environmental protection activities, through the sustainable use of natural resources, or through the use of goods that have been specifically modified or adapted to be significantly less energy - or resource-intensive than the industry standard.

e. Security or advanced authentication systems

For example: software tokens, hardware tokens, smartphone tokens, cryptographic keys, biometrics (fingerprints, or other), multifactor authentication.

f. Business intelligence technologies

Include executive dashboards for analytics or decision-making, advanced technologies that are owned, leased or licensed, used as a service (e.g., cloud computing) or acquired through partnership. Executive dashboards for analytics or decision-making, software for large-scale data processing (e.g., Hadoop), live stream processing technology or real-time monitoring, software as a service (SaaS) (e.g., cloud computing - software) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS) (e.g., cloud computing - hardware).

Emerging technologies

h. Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the manufacturing of devices and products from molecular or nano-scale components with extraordinary properties. One nanometer (1 nm) is one billionth of a metre (.000000001 m), three to four atoms wide. Examples of nanotechnology: nanoparticles, nanomaterials, nanocoatings, nanostructures, nanosystems, nanophotonics, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, nanobiotechnology.

i. Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the application of science and engineering in the direct or indirect use of living organisms in their natural or modified forms, in an innovative manner, when producing goods and services or improving existing processes. For the purpose of this survey, exclude fermentation for the production of beer, bread, cheese or yogurt.

j. Geomatics or geospatial technologies

Geomatics is the science and technology of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, distributing and using geographic information. Geomatics encompasses a broad range of disciplines that can come together to create a detailed but comprehensible picture of the physical world and where each individual fits. The disciplines include surveying, mapping, remote sensing, geographic information systems, and global positioning systems.

Geospatial technologies refer to hardware and software systems that relate and display data of geographic, spatial or location nature. The technology helps to increase the speed of data interpretation and analysis for geomatics research.

k. Artificial intelligence

Computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence or able to learn without being explicitly programmed; for example: systems that can learn tasks through repetition (machine learning), identify patterns in big sets of data, recognize visuals and speech, and make decisions.

m. Blockchain technologies

Include distributed ledgers, secure value exchange protocols, smart contracts.

Air and environment protection or remediation

Air and environment protection and remediation: control/management of harmful emissions, leak detection, physical/chemical/biological treatment of emissions.

Waste management, reduction or recycling

Waste management, reduction and recycling: collection, separation/sorting, biological reprocessing, landfill leachate/gas management, thermal treatment, waste-to-value.

Water or wastewater treatment

Water and wastewater treatment: physical/chemical treatment of industrial wastewater or sewage, wastewater management systems.

Alternative fuels

Biofuel (grain ethanol, biodiesel, biofuel oil, biogas, hydrogen (from non-fossil sources), renewable diesel, or other), and Bioenergy (black pellets, biomass, biochar, or other).

Bio-products

Bio-products are commercial or industrial products other than food, feed and medicines made with biomass (living and recently dead biological or renewable materials from agricultural (plant or animal), marine or forestry resources including those from industrial or municipal wastes), Biochemicals (lubricants, resins, bioplastics, bio-pesticides, biorubber), and biomaterials (biocomposites, biofibres, wood composite, agri-based composite, bio-textiles).

Smart grid

Smart meters, microgrids, district heating, ICT equipment.

Energy storage

Energy storage: mechanical storage (flywheels, pumped hydro, compressed air), electrochemical storage (batteries, fuel cells), electrical storage (ultra-capacitors, superconducting magnetic energy storage), thermal storage, hybrid storage.

Energy management and efficiency improvements

Energy management and efficiency improvements: combined heat and power, cogeneration, heat recovery, deep water cooling, demand management, industrial design.

Water management or recycling

Water management or recycling: rainwater collection, water desalination, measurement and control, gray water reuse.

Agriculture, aquaculture, forestry or biodiversity improvements

Agriculture, aquaculture, forestry or biodiversity improvements: precision agriculture, fish waste reduction, alternative feeds, ecosystem restoration, forest restoration/replenishment.

Sustainable mining

Substitutes for mineral-based materials, in-process modifications, enhanced solvent extraction, sustainable mineral processing.

Adapted goods

Goods that serve a primary function unrelated to environmental protection and sustainable resource management, but have been modified to be significantly less energy- or resource-intensive than the industry standard.

Energy efficient transportation

For example: fuel efficient components for vehicles, ridesharing technology, fleet management systems.

Energy efficient equipment or appliances

High efficiency industrial equipment (burners and boilers, pumps and motors, HVAC, or other), high efficiency tank-less water heaters, high-efficiency electric appliances, LED lighting, or other.

Advanced or lightweight materials

Advanced or lightweight materials: Additive manufacturing, nanotechnology, compound materials, advanced packaging.

Product development and control management practices

Cross-functional design teams

Cross-functional design teams: groups responsible for product/process design. These groups are made up of people from all relevant functional areas, for example; manufacturing, maintenance and finance, as well as users, each with authority to speak for their respective area. By simultaneously considering all aspects of development, production and use, such teams can increase quality, reduce the time from design to production, and minimize costs.

Electronic work order management

Electronic work order management: refers to the use of computers to process and analyze work orders. Work orders describe the work that must be completed and indicate the location, priority, department to be charged, originator, approvals, etc.

Distribution resource planning (DRP)

Distribution resource planning (DRP): also referred to as distribution requirements planning, applies to units with distribution warehouses. This procedure determines where, when and how much should be shipped. Demands on central shipping and/or the manufacturing plant are mathematically estimated for every item using national demand forecasts and data on safety stock, transit time and economical shipping quantities.

Quality management practices

Continuous improvement (including total quality management (TQM))

Continuous improvement (including total quality management (TQM)): the persistent search for quality improvement using small steps continuously, as applied to product and process development - including TQM.

Business certification or certification renewals

Business certification or certification renewals (for example: ISO 9000, ISO 14000): any program that includes quality certification by a third party. ISO 9000 is an internationally recognized series of quality system standards and guidelines used to certify the consistency with which an establishment produces and delivers its products and services. While these standards enumerate the basic rules governing quality systems, the manner in which the systems are implemented must be adapted to the actual production for which registration is sought.

Quality management system (QMS)

Quality Management System (QMS): the policies and procedures necessary to improve and control the various processes that will ultimately lead to improve and control the various processes, which will then improve business performance.

Other business practices

Competitive technological intelligence (CTI) or benchmarking

Competitive Technological Intelligence (CTI) and benchmarking refer to the process by which you measure your business against industry leaders. It includes qualitative aspects, though effective benchmarking requires a certain level of output and financial performance measurement with respect to products, services and practices. Benchmarking is process-oriented, as opposed to simple performance measurement, which is results-oriented.

Sustainable development strategy or environmental stewardship plan (ESP)

Sustainable development strategy or environmental stewardship plan (ESP) refers to a strategy or plan to produce goods, function, and grow, while working within the means of their environment and resources, and not deplete them to a point where they will sustain negative growth.

Product data management (PDM)

Product Data Management (PDM) or Life Cycle Management (PLM) refers to managing the life cycle and stage of a product, from conception to obsolescence.

Life cycle management (LCM)

Product Data Management (PDM) or Life Cycle Management (PLM) refers to managing the life cycle and stage of a product, from conception to obsolescence.

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