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Partners in Research
Numerous organizations sponsor or conduct research helpful to the Missouri
business community. Following are several of these groups with examples
of the types of research available and their use.
 National
Commission on Entrepreneurship (NCOE)
NCOE, an initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation,
promotes an agenda that focuses public policy on the role
of entrepreneurship in the national economy and advocates
policies that will foster its continued growth. Provides research
that analyzes and summarizes best practices in the field of
entrepreneurship. |
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Examples of research reports:
Entrepreneurship A Candidate's
Guide: offers candidates for elected positions some answers
and best practices in the field of entrepreneurship on how
to go about promoting entrepreneurship in their town, region,
district, or state. (36 pgs.)
Understanding Entrepreneurship Promotion as an Economic
Development Strategy: A Three-State Survey: discusses
the results of a survey of entrepreneurial development programs
in three states: Maine, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Findings
indicated several trends in the areas of investment in entrepreneurship,
program offerings and evaluation of entrepreneurial/economic
development. (25 pgs.) |
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National
Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
NFIB is the nation's largest small business lobbying group.
Its members include independent professionals, as well as
retailers, service providers, manufacturers, farmers and wholesalers.
Provides research on policy-related small business issues. |
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Examples of research reports:
The NFIB Small Business
Policy Guide: this publication is a reference and policy
guide to small business for policy-makers. It answers many
basic questions about small business and provides the user
with access to simple statistics, demographic information,
surveys, small-business owner' issues, and small firm-specific
information. (193 pgs.)
The National Small Business Poll: a series of regularly
published survey reports based on data collected from national
samples of small business employers. Each report addresses
separate small business-oriented topics about which little
is known but interest is high. Eight reports are produced
annually. |
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ACCRA
A nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in research
for economic and community development. Provides the latest
information on trends and issues affecting community and economic
development to include covering the latest resources and studies
in the field, legislation and public policy, professional
development tips, emerging technologies, and research methods.
(Note: To obtain information from this web site, please contact
Dr. Gwen Richtermeyer for assistance at (816) 235-6343 or
via e-mail at richtermeyerg@umkc.edu. Fees are required for
membership and publications.) |
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Examples of research reports:
The Local Economic Development
Handbook: A Guide for Practitioners & Communities - a
source of trends, case studies, how-to's, innovative programs,
and insightful thinking about critical issues in community
economic development.
Cost of Living Index: Measures relative price levels
of consumer goods and services in 300 urban areas. For each
area, the report includes a composite index and separate indexes
for housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health
care, and miscellaneous goods and services. |
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Missouri
Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC)
Part of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Regularly
updates several basic economic indicators of Missouri's economy,
studies Missouri industries and occupations, compiles detailed
demographic and economic data for thirteen regions in Missouri,
and monitors community issues. |
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Examples of research reports:
A Report on Missouri's Economic
Condition: yearly report compares Missouri's economy to
the national economy. Reviews gross domestic product, employment,
personal income, manufacturing and industrial vitality, purchasing
managers' index, and retail trade and taxable sales. (23 pages) |
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Office
of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA)
Part of University of Missouri Extension. Provides Missourians with
up-to-date social, economic and demographic information about their
state and localities. |
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Examples of research reports:
Regional Profiles: many
demographic factors vary by region within the state of Missouri.
Regional Profiles include graphs, maps and analytical text
designed to make the data more informative and useful. Tables
are prepared using three different regional groupings of counties:
Extension, Economic Development and Transportation. For each
of these groupings, one table summarizes the indicators by
regional total and a second table shows values for each county
grouped by region. Users may select the county grouping most
helpful for their application and understanding. |
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Internal
Revenue Service - Small Business/Self-Employed Operating Division
Part of the Internal Revenue Service's web site. Provides
links to federal agencies and related resources, forms, laws
and regulations, publications, small business statistics,
tax research, tax library, and other services offered by the
IRS that are helpful to small businesses/self-employed. |
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Examples of research reports:
Tax Laws and Regulations
- All Businesses: provides links to recent revenue rulings
and court cases, legal determination of business use of the
home and other regulations affecting small business.
Trends and Statistics - All Businesses: the Statistics
of Income (SOI) program produces data files compiled from
tax and information returns filed with the IRS. Find statistics
on collections by type of return, examination activities,
number of returns, refunds, and taxpayer assistance. |
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Mid-America
Regional Council (MARC)
Serves as the association of city and county governments and
the metropolitan planning organization for the bi-state Kansas
City region. Provides information on the region's population,
economy, and social characteristics to include employment,
education, income, crime, housing, births and deaths. |
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Examples of research reports:
Metro Dataline: provides
information on the metropolitan Kansas City region's population,
economy, social characteristics, and other data areas, as
well as maps of the region. Puts the data into formats that
facilitate comparisons and pushes it down to neighborhood
levels where it can be most easily understood and acted upon.
Fringe Benefit and Salary Survey of Local Governments:
report lists salary and benefit information for more than
120 government jobs, as well as comparable private sector
jobs. This annual publication serves as a valuable planning
tool for local governments. (Note: Survey must be purchased.)
Metro Outlook: report analyzes more than 100 indicators
of how the Kansas City metropolitan area is faring on a wide
variety of issues, and incorporates the results of a survey
of 1,700 area households. It investigates the relationships
between three primary sets of data - economic, social and
environmental and is intended to initiate regional discussion
on key issues. |
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SBA:
Office of Advocacy
The Office of Advocacy is charged with producing economic
reports on a variety of topics of importance to U.S. small
businesses. Each year it analyzes data from the Bureau of
the Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve
Board, the General Services Administration's Federal Procurement
Data Center, and the Statistics of Income Division of the
Internal Revenue Service and disseminates professional and
credible research to internal, academic, and public policy
audiences. |
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Examples of research reports:
The State of Small Business:
A Report of the President: this annual publication provides
a reference source to business owners, policymakers, and researchers
when they need information on small business' performance
in the economy.
Small Business Economic Indicators: this annual publication
serves as a quick reference guide to current data on small
business activity (new firms, employment, income and failures)
by state. Tables listing indicators for about the last ten
years by state are included.
Research Publications: a collection of economic reports
on a variety of topics of importance to U.S. Small businesses.
A number of studies explore the characteristics of small business
owners- including women and minorities; the general scope
of small business in the American economy by wealth, economic
growth, and industry; and the lending patterns of banks to
small businesses. In addition, several research reports focus
on more specific topics. Highlights include studies focusing
on the effect of tax rule changes, the impact of contract
bundling on small businesses, the influence of university
research and development on new firm formation, the opportunities
created by electronic commerce, and the value of government
worker training programs. |
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Rural
Policy Research Institute (RUPRI)
RUPRI conducts policy-relevant research and facilitates public
dialogue to assist policymakers in understanding the rural
impacts of public policies and programs. Many policies, which
are not explicitly "rural policies," have substantial implications
for rural areas, and RUPRI is dedicated to understanding and
articulating these implications. |
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Examples of research reports:
RUPRI Rural Equity Capital
Initiative: Fund for Rural America Study of Nontraditional
Venture Capital Institutions, Final Report - examines innovative
institutions that are making venture capital investments in
rural places across the country and develop lessons learned
from these institutions that might be applied in other areas. |
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Center
for Rural Entrepreneurship
The primary goal of the Center is to be the focal point for
efforts to stimulate and support private and public entrepreneurship
development in communities throughout Rural America. The Center
works with The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), the
Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (KCEL) and
other researchers to conduct practice-driven research that
can serve as the basis for developing best practice and other
learning. This research provides the basis for outreach to
engage the practitioner communities on both the public and
private sector sides in creating new approaches to rural economic
development. |
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Examples of research reports:
This Center provides a number
of helpful tools to assess community support for entrepreneurs,
and to identify and understand entrepreneurial potential among
residents. It also offers tools to help a community evaluate
its readiness for building an entrepreneurship-based economic
development strategy, measure outcomes, and understand the
support needs of different types of entrepreneurs. |
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Ewing
Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Kauffman Foundation's work is focused on two areas: entrepreneurship
and education. It does research to identify unfulfilled needs
of society in these two areas and develops, implements and/or
funds entrepreneur education and training programs. It disseminates
findings, results and lessons learned through printed materials
and the web. |
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Examples of research reports:
Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor (GEM): This is a multi-year, global research initiative
that looks at the levels of entrepreneurial activity, the
link between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth
and the factors contributing to an entrepreneurial climate
in developed countries around the world.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor United States Entrepreneurship
Assessment: This multi-year study looks at the state of
the entrepreneurial environment in the United States including
start-up activity, venture capital investments, entrepreneurship
education and weaknesses in the entrepreneurial sector that
could affect the country's economic growth.
Survey of Innovative Practices: The motivations, styles,
perceptions and strategies of the world's most progressive
high-growth entrepreneurs are examined in this study.
entreworld.org: Provides more than 1,000 online resources
and tools for entrepreneurs. Features a monthly electronic
magazine "Entrepreneur's Byline" with articles written by
successful entrepreneurs; offers practical advice from leading
consultants in dealing with some of the toughest issues of
managing a business (see "Top Advisors"); and offers a comprehensive
calendar of business events throughout the country. |
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U.S.
Census Bureau
Supplies the nation's official measures of income, poverty,
and health insurance coverage, as well as economic indicators
that include housing starts, retail and wholesale trade sales,
international trade, manufacturers' shipments, orders, and
inventories, and quarterly estimates of corporate profits.
Conducts numerous surveys and censuses that provide a detailed
portrait of the nation's economy and the government sector. |
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Examples of research reports:
County Business Patterns:
an annual series that provides sub-national economic data
by industry. The series is useful for studying the economic
activity of small areas; analyzing economic changes over time;
and as a benchmark for statistical series, surveys, and databases
between economic censuses. Businesses use the data for analyzing
market potential, measuring the effectiveness of sales and
advertising programs, setting sales quotas, and developing
budgets. Government agencies use the data for administration
and planning.
Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) Survey: provides
owner and business characteristics by race, ethnicity, gender,
kind of business, size of business, and legal form of organization
for individual proprietorships, partnerships, and subchapter
S corporations. Also compares selected economic, demographic,
and sociological characteristics.
2000 Census Data by Street Address: allows you to "enter
a street address" on the Census
Bureau's website to: 1)identify the county, town, ZIP
code, census block/ tract, and legislative district that corresponds
to the address, 2) view Census 2000 demographics for the area
selected, and 3) map the area. |
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Center
for Women's Business Research
Provides research to document the economic and social contributions
of women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. |
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Examples of research reports:
Access to Markets: Landmark
Study Reveals Opportunities and Obstacles For Women Business
Owners Doing Business With Corporations (2003): This first-ever
study examines the track record of women's business enterprises
seeking entry to corporate markets. This study explores both
the opportunities and obstacles facing women business enterprises
entering the market. $90.00
A Compendium of National Statistics on Women-Owned Businesses
in the U.S. (2001): Prepared for the National Women's
Business Council, the Compendium is a single-source document
of the most up-to-date statistical information about women's
business ownership in the United States, including the number,
size and economic strength of women-owned businesses, recent
growth trends, and demographic characteristics of women business
owners. $90.00
Handy Brochure Key Facts About Women-Owned Businesses (2002):
A pocket-sized brochure with more than two-dozen of the most
important facts about women-owned businesses; includes four
helpful charts. Ideal as a handout at meetings and as a handy
reference. $50.00 per pack of 100. |
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The
Community Policy Analysis Center
Provides research, outreach, and training that supports improved policy
decisions in Missouri communities. |
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Examples of research reports:
The Economic Importance of Further
and Higher Education in Howell County: examines the role that
further and higher education has on the economy of Howell County.
Measures the financial flow into the county, the financial linkages
within the county, and ultimately how a portion of these funds leaves
the county. The aim of the analysis was to determine how specific
institutions contributed to the local economy and what may be at stake
if services are significantly enhanced, extended, or expanded.
Pettis County Retail Trade Analysis: analyzes the retail trade
sector of Pettis County, using several tools to quantify the current
level of retail sales and to identify areas of potential expansion.
Economic Contribution of Tyson Foods to Pettis County: this
report looks at the economic activities and linkages of the Tyson
Foods processing plant to the rest of the local economy, estimating
the number of jobs and level of income in the County that are indirectly
supported by Tyson Foods. |
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