Business tendency surveys are carried out to obtain qualitative information for use in monitoring the current business situation and forecasting short-tem developments. This publication is a practical manual on the design and implementation of such surveys, as well as on how the results can be interpreted and used for economic analysis and forecasting. It includes a system of harmonised business tendancy surveys, developed by the European Commission and the OECD Secretariat, to collect qualitative data from business managers in the manufacturing, construction, trade and service sectors.