This survey collects information on the activities of U.S. affiliates of foreign multinational enterprises, which offer details on the finances and operations of these affiliates, including their employment and compensation, sales, value added, capital expenditures, trade in goods, and expenditures for research and development. This survey is conducted on a sample of U.S. affiliates. In order to reduce the reporting burden, the sample does not include small affiliates. Instead, BEA imputes data for these affiliates by extrapolating forward their data from the most recent benchmark survey on the basis of the movement of the sample data. Thus, coverage of the survey universe is complete in nonbenchmark, as well as benchmark, periods.
