Business Commons^™

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: August 23, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 0.56% during July 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 through the first month of 2018. Four components of the indicator improved during July. Business expectations were solid and manufacturing hours grew. The value of the U.S. dollar continued its recent decline, a positive sign for Nebraska’s export-oriented businesses. Further, in a positive sign for the labor market, there also was a drop in initial claims for unemployment insurance. In terms …

A Model For Innovation: Project Will Bring Makerspace To Sidney [Nebraska], Brad Barker

Nebraska Innovation Studio

A model for innovation: Project will bring makerspace to Sidney, Nebraska.

A new project led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will establish an Innovation Makerspace Co-Laboratory in Sidney, with the goal of building a network of makerspaces around the state in small towns and places they wouldn't normally exist.

The space will help advance an experimental model of interdisciplinary learning, educational connectedness and social innovation focused on rapid prototyping and making. A makerspace is a site that provides hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they engage in science and engineering.

The project is …

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: August 4, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer and business confidence remained strong in Nebraska during July but fell from June levels. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 102.5 in July after a reading of 104.7 during June. Despite the decline of 2.2, the CCI-N remained above the neutral value of 100.0, indicating strong consumer confidence. The outlook of Nebraska businesses also was strong. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) fell to 105.1 in July from 109.2 in June. The BCI-N remained well above the neutral value in July, despite the 4.1 point decline, which indicates that business confidence is also strong in …

Shopping For Food In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2017 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L.J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Vanessa Wielenga

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Rural Nebraskans purchase their food from a variety of stores. Almost four in ten buy most of their food from a supercenter (like Wal-Mart or Costco). Just over three in ten typically shop at a supermarket and just under three in ten buy most of their food at a small grocery store. Differences in the type of store most utilized occur by community size. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to purchase the majority of their food from either a supermarket or supercenter.

Persons living in or …

Strategic Responses To Taxation And Welfare Effects Of Tax Policies, Sylvia Mwamba

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on firms’ strategic responses to taxation and the welfare implications of changes in tax structure. The dissertation is comprised of three essays. In the first essay, I use the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to investigate how firms adjust their tax strategies in response to the tax incentives induced by the reform. The results in essay one suggest that the 1986 reform created incentives for firms following a sustainable tax strategy to engage in more tax avoidance behavior. In essay two, I test for the presence of strategic cost shifting behavior by examining the distribution of taxable …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: July 26, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 2.75% during June of 2017. The rapid increase in the LEI-N indicates that the Nebraska economy will grow quickly at the end of 2017. All components of the indicator rose during June. Business expectations were strong while the value of the U.S. dollar fell, a positive sign for Nebraska’s export-oriented businesses. There also was a sharp increase in building permits for single-family homes during the month.

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: July 7, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence rose sharply in Nebraska during June 2017 while business confidence remained very strong. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 100.4 in May but rose to 104.7 during June, which is well above the neutral value of 100.0. The outlook of Nebraska businesses remained very strong. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) fell to 109.2 in June, well above the neutral value and just below its May value of 110.2. Business confidence has been very strong in Nebraska throughout the first half of 2017. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer …

Measurement Of Commodity Price Risk: An Overview Of Brazilian Agricultural Markets, Daniel Henrique Dario Capitani, Fabio Mattos

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

This study explores different procedures to estimate price risk in commodity markets. Focusing on Brazilian agricultural markets, the paper proposes to assess both dispersion and downside risk measures using five different approaches (volatility, coefficient of variation, lower partial moments, value at risk and conditional value at risk). Results suggest that some commodities have large price variability but small downside risk, while other commodities show small price variability and large downside risk. Thus, there is no single answer to the question of which commodity exhibits more price risk, but rather distinct answers depending on how risk is perceived by different individuals. …

Perceptions Of Agriculture And The Economy In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2017 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L.J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Most rural Nebraskans view their economic well-being as being dependent on agriculture. Over three-fourths feel their economic well-being is at least somewhat tied to agriculture. Economic dependence on agriculture has changed very little over the past seven years. The proportions reported in 2017 are almost identical to those from 2010.

Similarly, most rural Nebraskans believe the economic well-being of their community is very much dependent on agriculture. Overall, over nine in ten rural Nebraskans feel their community’s economic well-being is at least somewhat tied to agriculture.

Most rural Nebraskans say their job/income security is about the same as it …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: June 21, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.51% during May of 2017. This is the second consecutive monthly decline in the LEI-N. The declines followed three months of rapid increase from January through March of 2017. Taken together, the LEI-N values imply a moderation in economic growth in Nebraska in late 2017 after strong growth midyear. Among the components of the indicator, business expectations were strong during May while the value of the U.S. dollar fell, which is a positive sign for Nebraska’s export-oriented businesses. However, manufacturing hours, building permits and airline passen

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: June 2, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence fell in Nebraska during May 2017 while business confidence remained very strong. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) fell to roughly neutral during May. The CCI-N stood at 102.5 in April but fell to 100.4 during May, which is only slightly above the neutral value of 100.0. The outlook of Nebraska businesses remained very strong. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) rose to 110.2 in May, above its April value of 109.1 and well above the neutral value. Business confidence has been very strong in Nebraska during the first five months of 2017. When asked about …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: May 24, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.88% during April of 2017. The decline followed three months of rapid increase in January through March, implying a moderation in the outlook for the Nebraska economy in late 2017. Among the components of the indicator, business expectations were strong during April while the value of the U.S. dollar fell, which is a positive sign for Nebraska’s export-oriented businesses. However, manufacturing hours, building permits and airline passenger counts all declined during April, while initial claims for unemployment insurance rose.

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: May 5, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence improved in Nebraska during April 2017 while business confidence remained very strong. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 102.5 during April, 2.0 points higher than in March. The index value, which is above the neutral value of 100, indicates that consumer confidence was strong in Nebraska. The outlook of Nebraska businesses is even stronger. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) rose to 109.1 in April, well above the neutral value. The business confidence index rose by 0.9% from March. Business confidence has been very strong in Nebraska during the first four months of 2017. …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: April 21, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 1.00% during March of 2017. This increase followed rapid increases in both January and February. Taken together, the three increases suggest that economic growth will be strong in Nebraska during the second half of 2017. Among the components of the indicator, business expectations were strong during March. The value of the U.S. dollar also fell during March, which is a positive sign for Nebraska’s export-oriented businesses, particularly in agriculture and manufacturing. In addition, manufacturing hours increased during March.

The Demographic Profile For Female Textile-Design Bloggers, Khadijah Baaqil

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A review of existing literature demonstrates the need for additional research on female home-based business owners. This study aimed to partially fill the literature gap by exploring the demographic profile of female home-based textile-design bloggers, a unique segment of the female home-based business world.

The findings of the qualitative content analysis of the 30 designers’ blogs and 138 blog posts included the findings of their age, nationality and ethnic identity, current place of residence, family status, educational background, occupation, and socioeconomic status. These findings were then reduced into numbers and percentages. Findings of the analysis show that designers vary from …

Local View: Partnerships A Proven Model, Tonn Ostergard, Dana Bradford, Tom Hennung, Joann Martin, Larry Miller

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Four years ago, we turned the first shovel of dirt at Nebraska Innovation Campus. Leaders in Nebraska education, business and government had outlined a bold vision for this public-private venture adjacent to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. We wanted to combine the expertise of UNL faculty with the resources of the private sector to bring research breakthroughs to market, attract talent to our state and grow Nebraska’s workforce and economy. Almost 20 private partners, tens of thousands of visitors, and hundreds of jobs and student internships later, our only regret is that we didn’t start down this path decades earlier. …

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: April 7, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence was strong in Nebraska in March 2017 while business confidence remained very strong. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 100.5 during March, 5.9 points higher than in February. The index value, which is just above the neutral value of 100, indicates that consumer confidence was strong in Nebraska. The outlook of Nebraska businesses is more firmly positive. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) stood at 108.2 in February, well above the neutral value. The business confidence index fell slightly, by 0.9% from February, but remains at a high level. When asked about the most …

Crop Choice And Proximity To Ethanol Plants, Junpyo Park, Eric Thompson

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Taking into account local crop processors and livestock, we show transport costs have a substantial influence on land use decisions by farmers.

We utilize detailed GIS data sources which are commonly available rather than a special survey of agricultural producers.

Estimate how the proximity to local agricultural processors impacts crop choice.

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 17, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 2.08% during February of 2017. The indicator also rose rapidly in January. The two increases indicate that economic growth will be strong in Nebraska during the second half of 2017. Among the components of the indicator, business expectations were very strong during February. Further, initial claims for unemployment insurance declined during the month, a sign of a strengthening labor market. The value of the U.S. dollar also fell during February, which is a positive sign for Nebraska’s export-oriented businesses.

The Mill Coffee & Bistro To Open At Nebraska Innovation Campus

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

NIC's first restaurant has deep roots in Lincoln. Daniel and Tamara Sloan, owners of The Mill Coffee & Tea, announced their plans to open athird Lincoln location at Nebraska Innovation Campus this summer. The new shop, to be called The Mill Coffee & Bistro, will feature The Mill’s signature coffeesand teas as well as an expanded food menu of breakfast items, lunch items, small plates,snacks, wine and beer. The Mill Coffee & Tea (http://millcoffee.com/) is a small-batch craft coffee roaster, espresso bar andtea house that was started in Lincoln in 1975. The original store is now located at 800 P …

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: March 3, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence improved in Nebraska in February 2017 while business confidence remained strong. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 94.6 during February, 5.4 points higher than in January. While consumer confidence improved, it remained below the neutral value of 100. The outlook of Nebraska businesses, by contrast, was positive. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) stood at 109.1 in February, well above the neutral value. The business confidence index rose slightly, by 1.3%, between January and February. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned by 34 percent of business …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: February 17, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 rose by 1.97% during January of 2017. The rapid increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic activity six months in the future, reversed a drop in the indicator during November and December of 2016. The increase during January suggests that growth will improve in Nebraska in the second half of 2017. Business expectations, building permits and manufacturing hours all improved during January. There also an a decline in initial claims for unemployment insurance in January following a sharp increase during December. The value of the U.S. dollar was steady during January, a …

Blue The Bee Learns To Be Happy, Connie Reimers-Hild, Deborah J. Weitzenkamp, Connie Reimers-Hild, Kim Wellsandt

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Do you sometimes feel sad or blue and don't know what to do? If so, this book was written just for you!

Join Blue the Bee as she travels through Happy Orchard meeting her friends (Flutter, Buzz, Bonita and Ernie) to learn the 7 Happiness Habits. When happiness is a habit, it comes without thinking. You can choose how to spend your day and use your time. You choose how to live your life and what is on your mind.

Each page was designed to enjoy at any age. People can become pollinators of happiness in any life stage!

This …

Nebraska Business And Consumer Confidence Indexes: February 3, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Both business and consumer confidence improved in Nebraska in January 2017, but the gap between the two measures remained. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 89.2 during January, well below the neutral value of 100. The outlook of Nebraska businesses, by contrast, was positive. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 107.8 in January, well above the neutral value. Both values were somewhat higher than in December 2016. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned by 30 percent of business respondents, labor availability and quality by 22 percent …

Brewing Equipment Added To Food Innovationcenter

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

New services are brewing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Food Innovation Center (http://innovate.unl.edu/food-innovation-center) . Partnering with American Beer Equipment in Lincoln, the university’s Department of Food Science and Technology is bringing a 3.5 barrel, semi-automated brew house online in theFood Innovation Center pilot plants. The equipment, which will be available in the spring, will be used for research into craft beer and other fermented products, developing/testing related products with industry partners, and student instruction. “This brew house will open new doors for the university to expand research and extension work into, essentially, any fermented product,” said Steve Weier, general manager …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: January 20, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.50% during December of 2016. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic activity six months in the future, follows a drop of 0.39% during November. The two consecutive declines suggest that economic growth will be weak in Nebraska during the second quarter of 2017. Business expectations were strong in December but other components of the LEI-N were negative. In particular, there was a sharp jump in initial claims for unemployment insurance during the month, suggesting a softening in labor market conditions. There also was another increase in the value …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: January 6, 2017, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The gap between business and consumer confidence persisted in Nebraska through December of 2016. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 88.2 during December, well below the neutral value of 100. The outlook of Nebraska businesses, by contrast, was positive with respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business expecting to increase both sales and employment over the next 6 months. In particular, 31 percent of businesses expect sales to increase over the next 6 months while just 18 percent expect sales to fall. Fifteen percent of businesses expect to expand employment while 3 percent expect to reduce it. …

Sentiment And Stock Returns: Anticipating A Major Sporting Event, Brian C. Payne, Jiri Tresl, Geoffrey C. Friesen

Department of Finance: Faculty Publications

This study documents the effect of the Super Bowl on the stock returns of firms that are geographically associated with the competing teams. We find significant upward return drift in the 9 trading days leading up to the Super Bowl, a pattern consistent with investors trading in anticipation of the game itself. The ‘‘anticipatory behavior’’ among investors leads to widespread pregame returns, which is not documented in prior studies. These pre-event abnormal returns are positive and statistically and economically significant for all firms, and the size of pre-event returns varies according to each team’s favored status. In addition, firms associated …

Pulling In Different Directions? Exploring The Relationship Between Vertical Pay Dispersion And High-Performance Work Systems, Jake G. Messersmith, Kyoung Yong Kim, Pankaj C. Patel

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Vertical pay dispersion (VPD), a hierarchical pay structure used to motivate employees, has traditionally been studied separately from high-performance work systems (HPWSs). As a component of HPWSs, incentive-based compensation schemes focus on employee- or team-level incentives. However, the influence of the simultaneous utilization of VPD and HPWS on performance remains understudied. This study addresses the question of whether these approaches to managing human capital serve as complements or substitutes to one another. VPD and HPWS are argued to substitute for one another with respect to motivation- and skill-enhancing practices. The opposite notion is true in regard to opportunity-enhancing HPWSs, which …

Positive Projections And Health: An Initial Validation Of The Implicit Psychological Capital Health Measure, P. D. Harms, Adam J. Vanhove, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

In this set of studies, we conduct an initial validation of the Implicit Psychological Capital Questionnaire-Health (IPCQ-H), a short, easy to administer and score measure of psychological capital designed to reflect implicit schemas or cognitions surrounding one’s health. The results of two studies demonstrate that the implicit measure of IPCQ-H is correlated with an explicit PsyCap-Health measure (PCQ-H), but has very little construct overlap with measures of personality. Moreover, scores of the IPCQ-H were stable over time. Study 2 documents the predictive validity of the IPCQ-H with a number of physical and mental health outcomes. Implications for theory and practice …