Assessing Student Entrepreneurial Capacity: Implications For Rural Communities and Higher Education

During the 1990s, the U.S. experienced a shift in job creation: large U.S. businesses laid off approximately 10 million workers, while entrepreneurs and small businesses created 20 million jobs during the same decade. Given this shift in job creation, it is clear that entrepreneurship is the new foundation of the U.S. economy. Rural communities, in particular, should be concerned about stimulating entrepreneurship given current challenges, such as declining and aging populations, loss of traditional industry, and declining wages. Entrepreneurial development is vital to the future success and growth of rural economies. The purpose of this study is to report the results of a survey which measured the entrepreneurial capacity of students at a university in rural Kansas. We then draw conclusions about the role universities can play in developing students to become entrepreneurs and creating innovative communities

Interstate Banking: A review of Research Literature

The Institute for Public Policy and Business Research initiated a literature review of research on the effects of the removal of geographic banking restrictions in order to investigate the possible impact of interstate banking legislation on the Kansas economy. A search for current and relevant research literature was undertaken and determined the major issues and findings outlined in empirical studies. This executive summary provides an overview of the key conclusions reached from available evidence. The structure of the paper focuses on the present banking structure in Kansas, national interstate banking activity, arguments made against interstate banking, and benefits derived from interstate banking. Because the majority of research has explored opposition to interstate banking, the greater part of the paper offers the results of research which addresses those concerns

Ford County Citizen Survey: Survey Analysis

The Kansas Center for Community Economic Development, in conjunction with the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation and High Plains Publishers, conducted a community attitude survey of the citizens of Ford county. The purpose of the survey was to provide supplemental data for the strategic planning process underway in Ford county. Survey participants were randomly selected from an area-wide telephone directory. The number of names selected in the county was balanced between small towns and rural areas. Of the 700 individuals chosen to participate in the survey, 545 (or 77.9%) responded

Evaluation of General Promotional Programs: Division of Travel and Tourism, Kansas Department of Commerce

The Institute for Public Policy and Business Research at the University of Kansas, in conjunction with Kansas Inc., conducted an evaluation of General Promotion programs within the Division of Travel and Tourism, (Division) of the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDOC). The objectives of this study were to: a) evaluate the effectiveness of programs in achieving their objectives; and b) propose a tracking system for evaluating General Promotion programs.Kansas Inc

Local Government Fiscal and Economic Impact Model: Cost-Benefit Analysis of New and Expanding Firms Requesting Property Tax Abatements, Draft Copy

The Fiscal and Economic Impact Model is an assessment tool which is used to analyze the fiscal and economic consequences of a new development such as a new firm's location or an existing firm's expansion within a community. The Model is based on a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to examine the fiscal and economic impact that a firm has on a community in terms of measurable tangible costs and benefits. In particular, the purpose of the Model is to estimate the costs and benefits associated with the granting of a property tax abatement to a new or expanding firm. Employing over 240 input variables, the Model differs from a simple financial accounting framework because a much broader range of impacts -- both direct and indirect -­are taken into account. The Fiscal and Economic Impact Model of the Institute for Public Policy and Business Research at the University of Kansas is an extension and refinement of a cost-benefit model originally developed by Dr. David Darling of Kansas State University's Extension. For a detailed description of the Institute's conceptual and technical improvements and refinements, and for a proposed further development, refer to Appendix 1

Strategic Planning Analysis: Bourbon County

In the following sections, data will first be presented and analyzed in overview fashion for regional and national trends. Following this, data will be reviewed at a more local scale in the following eight areas: population and housing, employment/labor force, education, income and earnings, sectoral performance, tourism, business/financial environment, and quality of life. Throughout the report, local-level materials will be presented relating Bourbon County's economic performance through the past decade with the State of Kansas and the counties neighboring Bourbon County. To facilitate comparisons, a "trade area" designation has been used to identify a nine-county grouping surrounding Bourbon County. These counties are Crawford, Neosho, Allen, Anderson, and Linn within Kansas, and Bates, Vernon, Cedar, and Barton within Missouri. Data for these counties is presented in detail in tables. Aggregate totals or averages are labelled "Trade Area" for presentation in graphs. In several cases, incompatibility or unavailability of comparable Kansas and Missouri county ­level data has made presentation of complete trade area data impossible. Where complete trade area data is not presented, the authors have attempted to label the data as "Trade-Area (Kansas)" to indicate that data from only the Kansas counties are being presented.U. S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administratio

Kansas Department of Commerce: An Evaluation of Programs

Kansas Inc. and the Institute for Public Policy and Business Research (IPPBR) at the University of Kansas conducted an evaluation of programs within the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDOC). This report is an executive summary of the full reports prepared by Kansas Inc. and IPPBR. The purpose of this evaluation has been to examine the effectiveness of KDOC and its pro­grams in enhancing the overall economic develop­ment of the State of Kansas.Kansas Inc

Adult Basic Skills and the Kansas Workforce

This study was undertaken to determine whether or not the state's adult education system is positioned to meet the needs of Kansas' workforce.Kansas Inc. and the Kansas Department of Educatio

The Local Government Fiscal and Economic Impact Model: Cost-Benefit Analysis of New and Expanding Firms Requesting Property Tax Abatements

The Fiscal and Economic Impact Model is a sophisticated approach to estimate local government revenues and expenditures associated with a new development such as a new firm's location or an existing firm's expansion. Conceptually, the Model is based on a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis (CBA) which evaluates the fiscal and economic consequences of a new development on a community in terms of measurable tangible costs and benefits. In particular, the Model is equipped to estimate the costs and benefits associated with the granting of a property tax abatement to a new or expanding firm. By employing a set of approximately 200 inputs, the Model differs from a simple financial accounting framework because a much broader and complete range of impacts -- both direct and indirect -- are taken into account. Also, the Model adheres to standard practice of economic analysis such as discounting for future costs and revenues. The Fiscal and Economic Impact Model of the Institute for Public Policy and Business Research at the University of Kansas is an extension and refinement of a cost-benefit model originally developed by Dr. David Darling of Kansas State University's Extension. For a detailed description of the Institute's new concepts and technical improvements, and for a proposed further development, refer to Appendix 1

Adult Basic Skills and the Kansas Workforce

The wide array of challenges facing business go beyond competitive and economic changes. Two-thirds of U.S. employers stated that they had difficulty in finding entry-level applicants with sufficient academic skills.12 This further compli­cates businesses' ability to remain competitive by instituting new processes or meeting customer product demands. While the impact of low basic skills is felt by society and business, it is difficult to assess the basic skills abilities of the Kansas population because there are no definitive skill measures. The evolution of the concept of adult basic skills has gone through several stages: Traditional Definition of Literacy. Early approaches of measuring literacy seemed straight­forward; the early U.S. Census simply asked adults whether they could read or write. 13 Literacy has traditionally been treated as a fixed inventory of skills-reading and writing-that can be defined and measured by a single test. The fact that it bas been difficult to establish accurate, universal, and lasting literacy measures has been based on the reality that there is no specific point on a scale which separates the "literate" from the "illit­erate. Functional Literacy. Functional literacy be­came widely used after WWII and referred to individuals who were unable to understand written instructions necessary to accomplish specific tasks; in other words, they did not have the reading skills to "function" in society. Because definitions of functional literacy depend on the requirements which are thought to be necessary to comprehend a task, the definition has become more complex along with societal demands. Basic Workplace Skills. Traditional definitions of literacy do not have the scope to cover the skill requirements of the workplace. Therefore, seven distinct skill groups have been identified as those which are necessary to function effectively in the workplace: 1) the ability to understand new infor­mation and skills; 2) reading, writing, and compu­tation competence; 3) listening and oral communi­cation; 4) creative thinking and problem solving; 5) self-esteem, goal setting/motivation, and per­sonal development; 6) interpersonal skills and teamwork; and 7) organizational effectiveness and leadership.Kansas Inc. and the Kansas Department of Educatio