80 FR 57570 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 185 (September 24, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 185 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57570-57571]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24233]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: 2015 Management and Organizational Practices Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0963.
    Form Number(s): MP-10002.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of an expired 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 45 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 37,500.
    Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau is requesting clearance for the 
2015 Management and Organizational Practices Survey (MOPS). This survey 
will utilize the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) survey panel 
collecting information on management and organizational practices at 
the establishment level. Data obtained from the survey will allow us to 
estimate a firm's stock of management and organizational assets, 
specifically the use of establishment performance data, such as 
production targets in decision-making and the prevalence of 
decentralized decision rights. The results will provide information on 
investments in management and organizational practices thus providing a 
better understanding of the benefits from these investments when 
measured in terms of firm productivity or firm market value.
    The MOPS was first collected in 2010, and no subsequent MOPS have 
been collected. The 2010 MOPS results had the significant benefit of 
being linked to the Census Bureau's data sets on plant level outcomes. 
Since every establishment in the MOPS sample is also in the ASM, the 
results of MOPS 2010 were linked with certainty to annual performance 
data at the plant level, including outcomes on sales, shipments, 
payroll, employment, inventories, capital expenditure, and more for the 
period 2009-2013. Furthermore, the existence of the Longitudinal 
Business Dataset (LBD) enables future longitudinal research on 
establishment-level management practices and allows researchers to link 
MOPS data to the Manufacturing component of the quinquennial Economic 
Census (sent to all manufacturers with paid employees for years ending 
in `2' or `7').
    Understanding the determinants of productivity growth is essential 
to understanding the dynamics of the U.S. economy. The MOPS provides 
information on whether the large and persistent differences in 
productivity across establishments (even within the same industry) are 
partly driven by differences in management and organizational 
practices. In addition to increasing our understanding of the dynamics 
of the economy, MOPS data provides policymakers with some guidance 
while they attempt to raise aggregate productivity levels. 
Policymakers, such as the Federal Reserve Board and the Department of 
Commerce can use MOPS data to gain a greater understanding of the 
current state and evolution of management and organizational practices, 
which can in turn aid the policymakers in forecasting future 
productivity growth.
    The MOPS provides information on differences in manufacturing 
management and organizational practices by region, industry, and firm 
size. Since the MOPS data are also connected with annual performance 
data, the MOPS results directly aid policy discussion about the 
potential impact of programs. As a result, the MOPS data are also 
particularly important for understanding what policymakers can do to 
assist U.S. manufacturing companies as they react to a changing 
economy.
    Further, the 2015 MOPS include two new modules that were not 
included in the 2010 MOPS. Reflecting the increasing use of data to 
make production decisions, the MOPS expanded the information collected 
on this subject (relative to 2010) into a module on ``Data and 
Decisions Making''. Understanding the characteristics of businesses 
that rely upon data in making decisions helps businesses and 
policymakers understand the decision-making process

[[Page 57571]]

of businesses. In addition, if the Census Bureau better understands how 
businesses retain and analyze their own data, the Census Bureau can 
better plan future collections and reduce respondent burden.
    Policymakers and businesses are also increasingly aware of the 
impact of uncertainty on decisions such as hiring and investing in 
capital. The 2015 MOPS also has a new module on ``Uncertainty'' that 
will help researchers better understand the effects of uncertainty on 
management decisions.
    A notice published in the Federal Register on April 21, 2015, 
announcing our intention to submit this request did not mention the 
inclusion of these two new modules. The decision to include the modules 
was made subsequent to the publication of that notice.
    From the 2010 MOPS, the Census Bureau created a press release, 
``Census Bureau Offers First-Ever Large Scale Look at American 
Management Practices''. Pending an Internal Revenue Service review of 
the file, the Census Bureau intends to release a Public Use Microdata 
File from the 2010 collected responses.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

    Legal Authority:  The 2015 MOPS will be conducted under 
authority of title 13, United States Code, sections 131, and 182. 
The collection is mandatory under the provisions of title 13, United 
Sates Code, sections 224, and 225.

    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Lead,Office of the Chief Information Officer.BILLING CODE: 3510-07-
P.
[FR Doc. 2015-24233 Filed 9-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P