Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services

C. Time of recording 
4.26. Following BPM5 and the 1993 SNA, FATS 
variables should, in principle, be measured and recorded on 
an accrual basis. Flow variables, such as output and value 
added, should be for the reference year. Stock variables, 
such as assets and net worth, should be as of the end of the 
reference year. Reference years should be defined on a 
calendar year basis, if possible. Countries that can collect 
and compile data only on a fiscal year or accounting year 
basis should provide explanatory notes indicating this 
practice, as well as information on the extent to which 
fiscal and calendar years deviate in their FATS universe. 
D. Statistical 
units 
4.27. In principle, FATS statistics could be collected at 
either the enterprise (company) level or the level of 
individual business locations or establishments. Neither basis 
of collection is unequivocally superior to the other; rather, 
each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, 
some financial indicators, such as total assets, are more 
naturally collected from enterprises than from 
establishments. However, because enterprises are more 
likely than establishments to have activities in multiple 
industries, data that are classified on the basis of primary 
activity can sometimes be more difficult to interpret for 
enterprises than for establishments. Although there may thus 
be advantages and disadvantages associated with each basis 
of collection, the present 
Manual
makes no recommendation 
as to statistical units. As discussed in paragraphs 4.69-4.75 
below, FATS statistics often will be developed in the context 
of existing statistical systems, in which the statistical units 
are already defined, and in these cases there may be little 
choice in the units that are to be used for FATS. 
4.28. Because the statistical units used can have an 
important bearing on how the statistics should be interpreted, 
the present 
Manual
recommends that information on 
statistical units be disclosed in explanatory notes.