Pennsylvania New Firm Survey, 1979-1984

This study is a survey of new firms in Pennsylvania. The objective of the study was to provide descriptions of these firms, with equivalent representation of all eight industry sectors within Pennsylvania's ten local development districts. Respondents chosen from the firms were people who had helped start the firms and who were still active in the management of the firms at the time of the survey. Respondents were asked to measure their satisfaction with labor costs, access to customers and suppliers, energy costs, and reliability of the energy source by rating these issues on an importance scale. Other items addressed the firms' products and markets, financial situations, management and organizational structures, and locations. These topics were assessed for the individual company both in terms of initial status and current status. Respondents were asked to comment on the current management focus, and to gauge the importance of lower prices, better service, quality of products or services, advertising, and location. Respondents also provided sales, export, and asset histories, some going back to before 1977.