The Investment Survey is an instrument for the early recording of planned investment trends.
All questions relate to your operations in Switzerland. The questionnaire specifies the segment/sector allocation. The questionnaire may also focus on a specific area of the business. In this case, the answers should relate exclusively to this area of operations. For businesses that complete only one questionnaire on the other hand, answers should reflect the business tendency of the company as a whole.
Your data will be treated strictly confidential.
The "investment" addressed by this question means inflows minus outflows of fixed capital assets. These should be recorded before depreciation on the basis of their purchase price, i.e. this constitutes gross investment. It is irrelevant whether the equipment which is being used for the first time is new or second-hand, and whether this has been bought, hired or created in-house:
| • | Investments in construction: Investments in new buildings, conversions and renovations of business and commercial buildings. |
| • | Investments in machinery and equipment: Investments in machinery, mechanical equipment, conveying and storage equipment, office machines incl. IT (hardware and software), movables and equipment, vehicles used for business purposes and (only) such services as are necessary for the maintenance, improvement or renewal of business premises. |
| • | Investments in research and development: Investments in research and development refer to all the expenditure for research and development projects for the benefit of one's own company. Research and development services for third party companies are not considered as being investments of one's own company. Expenditure for resesarch and development includes the costs for in-house projects, such as personnel costs, as well as materials and equipment to support research and development, in addition to costs for all the research and development services that have been purchased, or costs for the purchase of patents. The sale of patents is a negative investment. |
This consequently means that fixed capital formation does not constitute: Financial investment (e.g. participations, securities); investment in residential property; real estate costs; buildings and plants which are intended for hire by the lessor, where the lessor acts merely as a (third-party) financier; inventory investment (boosting inventories).
Aspects such as capacity utilisation, expected changes in sales and prices must be taken into account.
Foundation of new companies or subsidiaries abroad as well as direct and indirect participations in non-domestic companies with at least a 10% stake in the voting capital of the company. This investment must be made with the intention of exerting long-term influence over the business activity of this company.
These include the availability of financial resources, the cost of credit, the return on investment or the relative attractiveness of capital investments in comparison to financial investments.
The question measures the level of irreversibility of existing and recently acquired devices, equipment and production plant. The degree of irreversibility is taken to mean how easy or difficult it is to reverse investments that have been made by selling the assets.
This includes all incentives which technical development brings to bear on investment activity.