Business Commons^™

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: September 26, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 1.00% during August of 2018. Solid growth in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that Nebraska economic growth will be solid during the first few months of 2019. Business expectations were a positive component of the leading indicator. Respondents to the August Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase both sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. There also was an improvement in manufacturing hours and airline passenger counts, while initial claims for unemployment insurance dropped.

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: August 22, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 was flat during July of 2018, rising by just 0.05%. A flat value for the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that Nebraska economic growth will slow significantly at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. Business expectations were a positive component of the leading indicator. Respondents to the July Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase both sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. However, a rising U.S. dollar and a drop in building permits for …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: July 25, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.40% during June of 2018. The decline in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the pace of Nebraska economic growth will slow significantly during the 4th quarter of 2018. The indicator fell due to another sharp increase in the value of the U.S. dollar. A rising dollar puts additional pressure on Nebraska businesses which export. A decline in manufacturing hours and an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance also contributed to the drop in the LEI-N. Business expectations were …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: June 20, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by just 0.26% during May of 2018. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the pace of economic growth will slow in Nebraska during the 4th quarter of 2018. The LEI-N rose due to strong business expectations. In particular, respondents to the May Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase both sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. There also was an increase in manufacturing hours and passenger enplanements during May and a drop …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: May 23, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 0.67% during April of 2018. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will continue to grow through the 4th quarter of 2018. The LEI-N rose due to strong business expectations, an increase in airline passenger counts, and a drop in initial claims for unemployment insurance. In particular, respondents to the April Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase both sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. However, there were also …

Nvidia Corporation: A Strategic Audit, Daric Teske

Honors Theses

NVIDIA is company that has been involved with the production of computer hardware known as a graphics processor units (GPUs) since the turn of the century. Over the past decade, NVIDIA has begun to explore other applications of its proprietary technology, including the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and accelerated computing. Looking from a business perspective, this strategic audit analyzes the history of the company and its current state, as well as industry outlooks to provide a strategic recommendation. Annual reports, market reports, and press releases were all utilized to provide the best perspective of the industry possible. Though NVIDIA …

A Strategic Audit Of Tesla, Abigail Hoelzlhammer

Honors Theses

This strategic audit will examine the problems Tesla is currently facing, do a Porter’s Five Forces analysis of the company, review environmental factors affecting Tesla, state Tesla’s current strategy, evaluate their distinguishing resources and competitive advantages, and end with a strategic recommendation along with implementation requirements.

One of Tesla’s vehicles crashed in March 2018 while on autopilot, which caused their stock to drop significantly. They’re also experiencing issues with the production of the new Model 3. The current political situation and growing demand for the parts Tesla needs are environmental factors that are having a negative effect. On the other …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: April 25, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 0.88% during March of 2018. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow steadily through the summer of 2018. Strong business expectations, rising manufacturing hours and rising air passenger enplanements were the reasons for the LEI-N increase. Respondents to the March Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase both sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. Initial claims for unemployment insurance changed little during March but there was a …

Strategic Business Audit Of Nelnet, Matthew Kachek

Honors Theses

This thesis serves as a strategic audit for the company Nelnet. This covers Nelnet’s background, structure, and financial situation. Changes in Nelnet’s core student loan business has created uncertainty in their future. Multiple analyses, both internal and external, are performed and examined to determine Nelnet’s position as a company and within the marketplace. A strategic recommendation to continue growth in new technologies is presented in response to these analyses along with implementation details and alternatives.

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 21, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 1.03% during February of 2018. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow steadily through the third quarter of 2018. Solid business expectations and a strong labor market were the primary reasons for the increase in the LEI-N. Respondents to the February Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. Further, there was a decline in initial claims for unemployment insurance during February, …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: February 21, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 1.18% during January of 2018. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow steadily through the summer of 2018. A falling U.S. dollar, which is positive for Nebraska exporters, was one primary reason for the improvement in the leading indicator. The other was business expectations. Respondents to the January Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. In terms of negative components, there …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: January 24, 2018, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 0.83% during December of 2017. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow steadily during the first half of 2018. The December increase primarily resulted from a rise in building permits for single-family homes and positive business expectations. In particular, respondents to the December Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase sales and employment in the coming months. In terms of negative components, there was a decline in airline passenger counts during December.

Strategic Audit Of Spreetail, Aryn Huck

Honors Theses

This report investigates the history and current situation of Spreetail, a local ecommerce company in Lincoln, Nebraska. The company faces several challenges going forward, including determining how to best compete with large companies in the same market such as Amazon. This report looks at Spreetail’s current standing using tools such as SWOT and PEST analyses and examines the company’s competitive analysis. Spreetail is recommended to speed up its rebranding process to maintain the benefits of the more fitting name and rebranding efforts already underway.