The Management and Organizational Practices Survey (MOPS): An Overview

54 Pages Posted: 13 Jun 2016

See all articles by Catherine Buffington

Catherine Buffington

US Census Bureau

Lucia Foster

U.S. Census Bureau - Center for Economic Studies

Ron S. Jarmin

U.S. Census Bureau

Scott Ohlmacher

University of Maryland

Date Written: June 1, 2016

Abstract

Understanding productivity and business dynamics requires measuring production outputs and inputs. Through its surveys and use of administrative data, the Census Bureau collects information on production outputs and inputs including labor, capital, energy, and materials. With the introduction of the Management and Organizational Practices Survey (MOPS), the Census Bureau added information on another component of production: management. It has long been hypothesized that management is an important component of firm success, but until recently the study of management was confined to hypotheses, anecdotes, and case studies. Building upon the work of Bloom and Van Reenen (2007), the first-ever large scale survey of management practices in the United States, the MOPS, was conducted by the Census Bureau for 2010. A second, enhanced version of the MOPS is being conducted for 2015. The enhancement includes two new topics related to management: data and decision making (DDD) and uncertainty. As information technology has expanded plants are increasingly able to utilize data in their decision making. Structured management practices have been found to be complementary to DDD in earlier studies. Uncertainty has policy implications because uncertainty is found to be associated with reduced investment and employment. Uncertainty also plays a role in the targeting component of management.

Suggested Citation

Buffington, Catherine and Foster, Lucia and Jarmin, Ron S. and Ohlmacher, Scott, The Management and Organizational Practices Survey (MOPS): An Overview (June 1, 2016). US Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies Paper No. CES-WP-16-28, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2793858 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2793858

Catherine Buffington (Contact Author)

US Census Bureau ( email )

4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
United States

Lucia Foster

U.S. Census Bureau - Center for Economic Studies ( email )

4700 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
United States

Ron S. Jarmin

U.S. Census Bureau ( email )

4700 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
United States

Scott Ohlmacher

University of Maryland

College Park
College Park, MD 20742
United States

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