Business Commons^™

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: December 16, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.32% during November of 2016. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic activity six months in the future, suggests that economic growth will be modest in Nebraska during the first half of 2017. Four of six components of the LEI-N were negative during November. Airline passenger counts and manufacturing hours both declined during the month. There also was another increase in the value of the U.S. dollar during November, a negative for export-oriented businesses in Nebraska. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose during the month. Two components of the indicator …

University Of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries Archives And Special Collections Organizational Analysis, Carol Pitts Diedrichs

UNL Libraries: White Papers

Libraries everywhere are undergoing tremendous transformation in staffing, services, and collections. Archives and special collections are growing in importance and are moving quickly from the perimeter to the center of library activities and services. The University of Nebraska Lincoln Libraries invited me to conduct and facilitate a 1.5 day workshop/retreat on trends and strategic goals/initiatives for archives and special collections including review of the current organizational structure, staffing and services. The workshop/retreat focused on the following goals:

To hone strategic goals for UNL Archives and Special Collections over the next 3-5 years including evaluation of related staffing needs;

To identify …

Has The Usage Of Precision Agriculture Technologies Actually Led To Increased Profits For Nebraska Producers?, Michael H. Castle

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An ever-increasing global demand for food, coupled with increasingly volatile commodity prices have charged producers with the task of becoming more efficient. As such, technologies aimed at producing more with less are continually being developed and marketed to producers. However, whether or not these expensive new technologies have resulted in improved profitability is still unknown, as the vast majority of studies showing their impact on profitability have been performed using hypothetical farms and simulations. These studies have shown the potential for increases in profitability from use, but their impact in the real world is still uncertain.

This project uses various …

How Female Online Businesses And Brands Are Using Instagram Stories, Hannah N. Vanderslice

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Instagram is one of the newest forms of social media that impacts its audience on a visual level, since the content is centered on photos and videos. Their newest feature, Instagram stories, is temporary videos and/or photos strung together to form a gallery, which has been compared to Snapchat’s version of live stories. Instagram stories offer a unique opportunity for businesses to take advantage of the temporary, 24-hour platform that shows specific frame-by-frame analytics that help create efficient and compelling content to repost permanently that helps organic search engine optimization. As a cost-effective means of advertising, early adopter large and …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: November 18, 2016, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell by 0.14% during October of 2016. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic activity six months in the future, suggests that economic growth will be modest in Nebraska during the first half of 2017. Two of the six components of the LEI-N were negative during October. Airline passenger counts declined during the month, falling back after a sharp increase in September. There also was another increase in the value of the U.S. dollar during October, a negative for export-oriented businesses in Nebraska. Three components of the indicator rose during October, but …

Housing In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of Supply And Condition: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Most rural Nebraskans own their home. And, when asked about housing programs or priorities they would support in their community, most rural Nebraskans support programs that help seniors age in their homes, programs that would help upgrade the condition of existing homes and providing affordable rental housing. They are less likely to support organizing volunteer efforts to maintain existing housing stock, but still one-half support this option as well.

Support for one of the programs differs by community size. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to support …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: November 4, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The gap between business and consumer confidence closed in Nebraska during October. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 94.0 during October, from a value of 87.9 in September. A reading of 94.0 is still below the neutral value of 100. The outlook of Nebraska businesses was also closer to neutral than in the previous months. Businesses were only slightly optimistic in October, with respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business neutral on sales and only slightly optimistic regarding employment. Twenty-four percent of businesses expect sales to rise over the next 6 months, while the same percent expect …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: October 21, 2016, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) rose by 1.14% during September of 2016. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic activity six months in the future, suggests moderate economic growth in Nebraska in the first quarter of 2017. Four of the six components of the LEI-N were positive during September. There was a strong increase in airline passenger counts and an increase manufacturing hours during the month. There also was an decline in initial claims for unemployment insurance. Business also optimistic. Respondents to the September Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase sales and employment over the …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: October 7, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

During September, a gap re-emerged between business and consumer confidence in Nebraska. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) fell to 87.9 during September, from a value of 97.4 in August. A value of 87.9 is well below the neutral value of 100, and indicates weak consumer confidence in Nebraska. By contrast, Nebraska businesses were optimistic, with respondents to the September 2016 Survey of Nebraska Business reporting plans to expand sales and employment. Thirty-one percent of businesses expect sales to rise over the next 6 months, while just 19 percent expect sales to fall. Thirteen percent of businesses expect to …

Community Satisfaction And Marketing In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions: as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans say it would be difficult to leave their community. And, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Across all years of this study, rural Nebraskans’ views about the change in their community have generally been positive. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better during the past year has usually been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the …

U.S. Mushroom Import Demand Estimation With Source Differentiated Aids And Rotterdam Models, Jun Li

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While technically considered as fungi, mushrooms are often classified as vegetables because they provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce as well as meat, beans, and grains. The U.S. is the largest consumer of mushrooms and the share of imports in total consumption of mushrooms has been rising and will likely continue to rise as U.S. consumers increasingly adopt healthier diets. While most of U.S. fresh mushroom imports are from Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea, most of U.S. canned mushroom imports are from China, India, Indonesia, and the Netherlands.

The contribution of this thesis is to provide the …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: September 16, 2016, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell by 0.32% during August of 2016. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, followed an increase of similar magnitude during July. Taken together, the two months of results suggest slow economic growth in Nebraska in early 2017. Three of the six components of the LEI-N were negative during August. There was an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance, as well as a decline in manufacturing hours during the month. There also was a small decline in airline passenger counts. At the …

Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Perceptions Of Local Schools: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L.J. Mcelravy, Jeanne Lorraine Surface

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Most rural Nebraskans have elementary, middle and high schools in their community or nearest community. Most of the schools available are public but many rural Nebraskans report having both public and private schools of each grade level. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to have each level of school in their community. And, persons living in or near the larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to have both public and private schools available.

When asked about priorities for their local …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: September 2, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence and business expectations held near July levels during the month of August. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 97.4 during August, slightly below the neutral value of 100, and similar to its value of 97.5 in July. Further, Nebraska businesses maintained a positive outlook during August. In particular, respondents to the August 2016 Survey of Nebraska Business had a positive outlook for both sales and employment over the next six months. Twenty-nine percent of businesses expect sales to rise, while 24 percent expect sales to fall. For employment, 15 percent of businesses expect to increase …

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

Department of Finance: Faculty Publications

Table 3 (Appendix): Average Daily Raw Returns around NFL Super Bowl Events for Firms Headquartered in Losing, Winning, Favored, and Non-Favored States and the S&P 500

Table 5 (Appendix): Average Daily Abnormal Returns around NFL Super Bowl Events for Firms Headquartered in Losing, Winning, Favored, and Non-Favored States

Table 6 (Appendix): Average Daily Abnormal Returns around NFL Super Bowl Events for Firms Headquartered in Losing, Winning, Favored, and Non-Favored States Conditioned on whether the Firm is in a Losing or Winning State

Table 7 (Appendix) : Sample Split into Size Quintiles

Table 8 (Appendix) : Characteristics of the Matched Sample …

The Economic Impact Of New Technology Adoption On The U.S. Apple Industry, Nichole L. Busdieker-Jesse, Lia Nogueira, Hayri Onal, David S. Bullock

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

We develop a temporal and spatial partial equilibrium model to evaluate the welfare impact of new technology on the apple industry to control fire blight. We show significant benefits of GM technology relative to conventional methods and other new methods such as microencapsulation of biological agents. We also show that the cost-reduction benefits of the technology exceed the yield-increasing benefits.

Strategic Discussions For Nebraska: Growing Opportunities Through Public-Private Partnerships, Mary Garbacz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIPS ARE THE FUTURE — RONNIE GREEN, CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA–LINCOLN

PARTNERING FOR THE GREATER GOOD — RACHEL NOE

DIVERSIFYING FUNDS FOR WORLD-CHANGING RESEARCH — SARAH SCHELLPEPER

PARTNERSHIPS

A VERY PERSONAL PARTNERSHIP: — Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center a tribute to hard work, family. MARY GARBACZ

PARTNERSHIP PRODUCES HARVEST OF REWARDS: — Nebraska Wheat Growers Presidential Chair a partnership that buys time, results. MARY GARBACZ

UNL FOOD ALLERGY GROUP MAKES EATING SAFER FOR ALLERGIC CONSUMERS — PAIGE DIETRICH

NU RURAL FUTURES INSTITUTE: — a world-class center for building capacity and confidence, broadband, health care, education and jobs. …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: August 5, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence improved and business expectations remained positive during the month of July. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 97.5 during July, from a value of 92.4 in June. After the increase, consumer confidence is now only slightly below the neutral value of 100. Further, Nebraska businesses maintained a positive outlook for employment in July. In particular, respondents to the July 2016 Survey of Nebraska Business had a slightly negative outlook for sales but a positive outlook for employment over the next six months. Twenty-three percent of businesses expect sales to rise, while 24 percent expect sales …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: July 1, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Consumer confidence improved and business expectations remained positive during the month of June. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N), while below the value of 100 which signifies neutral confidence, rose to 92.4 during June, from a value of 89.3 in May. Further, businesses held a positive outlook in June. Respondents to the June 2016 Survey of Nebraska Business have a positive outlook for both sales and job growth at their businesses over the next six months. Twenty-two percent of businesses expect sales to rise, while just 18 percent expect sales to decline. Eighteen percent of businesses expect to increase …

Using Surveys To Learn The Opinions Of New Residents, Rebecca Vogt, Randolph Cantrell, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

No abstract provided.

Innovation Campus Establishes Art Gallery Space, Taige Hale

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Art exhibitions and dedicated gallery space are helping enhance creative energies at Nebraska Innovation Campus. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln research campus, which is focused on developing partnerships between the university and private sector businesses, recently opened the Cooper Foundation Makers Gallery in its Nebraska Innovation Studio maker space. The current exhibition in the gallery is "Member Made" and showcases projects built by maker space members. Innovation Campus is also featuring an exhibition of student artwork, images of quilts on display at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, and a water droplet sculpture by Kansas City artist Matthew Dehaemers. Kate …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: June 3, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Continuing a pattern seen over the last three months, business expectations remained positive and consumer confidence stayed weak in Nebraska during May. These mixed findings are based on monthly surveys of both Nebraska households and businesses. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) fell back to 89.3 in May, after a reading of 92.2 in April. In both months, consumer confidence is well below the value of 100 which would signify neutral confidence. Households report a variety of financial concerns with 52 percent reporting that their primary financial concerns relate to the cost of living including health care costs, taxes, …

Crop Price Patterns, Jessica J. Groskopf

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

No abstract provided.

Broadband And Mobile Internet Services In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans use their cell phone to access the Internet. Certain groups are more likely than others to use mobile/cellular Internet service: rural Nebraskans with the highest household incomes, who are younger, married, with higher education levels and with management or professional occupations.

Overall, most rural Nebraskans using mobile/cellular Internet service are satisfied with their service. Furthermore, most rural Nebraskans are satisfied with the reliability, speed, customer service, and coverage of their mobile Internet service. However, most rural Nebraskans using mobile Internet service are dissatisfied with the price of their service.

Certain groups have issues with various aspects of …

Next Innovation Campus Building On Track, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

In two weeks, construction fences will go up on the site of the next Nebraska Innovation Campus building -- 80,000 square feet under development by Tetrad Property Group. At first, the fence will encircle an area set aside for activities related to this year’s Cattlemen’s Ball, which begins June 3 in Lincoln and has a dinner that night at Innovation Campus. Once the tents come down, the fences will remain for the next phase of the research park at the former State Fair Park. Based on the agreement between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and developer Nebraska Nova, Tetrad must begin …

Report: Nic Heating, Cooling System To Cut Environmental Impact In Half, Leslie Reed

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

By using wastewater to heat and cool its buildings, Nebraska Innovation Campus (http://innovate.unl.edu) will give off only about half as much greenhouse gas as comparable commercial buildings, a new study has found. The findings demonstrate NIC’s emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, said Dan Duncan, the campus’ executive director. “It’s part of the environment we’re trying to create, the culture we’re trying to create,” he said.“We want to show that this is a different place.” Instead of energy-gobbling boilers and cooling towers, the research campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses a stream of effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment …

Nsf Grant To Support Development Of New Phenotyping Instrument, Haley Steinkuhler

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

With support from a National Science Foundation grant, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are developing a new tool that will help them better identify plant characteristics that are critical to improving crop performance. The three-year, $534,194 grant will be used to develop an instrument that will improve capacity, sensitivity and throughput for plant phenotyping. Producing enough food and energy for a world population of more than 9 billion by the year2050 is the greatest challenge facing agriculture. To solve the looming global food security challenge, crop stress tolerance and yields must increase. Researchers around the world are studying plant characteristics, or …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: May 6, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Business expectations remained strong and consumer confidence stayed weak during April. These findings, based on monthly surveys of both Nebraska households and businesses, show a split assessment of the state economy. In particular, the Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 92.2 in April, little changed from its value of 91.0 in March. However, consumer confidence is well below the value of 100 which would signify neutral confidence. Households report a variety of financial concerns with three in five indicating that their primary financial concerns relate to the cost of living including health care costs, taxes, major expenses (furniture, …

Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska And Survey Of Nebraska Business: April 1, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Business expecations improved in Nebraska during March while consumer confidence was little changed. These findings, based on monthly surveys of both Nebraska households and businesses, show a split assessment of the state economy. In particular, the Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 91.0 in March, little changed from its value of 91.6 in February. However, consumer confidence was well below the value of 100 which would signify neutral confidence. Households report a variety of financial concerns with one-half indicating that their primary financial concerns relate to the cost of living including health care costs, taxes, major expenses (furniture, …

Ec 845 Nebraska Cash Soybean Prices And Basis Patterns, Jessica J. Groskopf, Cory Walters

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

No abstract provided.