FBLA Region 4 Conference

Tennessee’s Region 4 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) held its annual conference at MTSU on February 8, 2011. The Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship (BCEN) hosted a reception for the participants and teachers and served as judges and proctors for the competitive events.

The events involved over 300 students from local high schools and middle schools in numerous business disciplines. Region 4 consists of Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Perry, Rutherford, Wayne, and Williamson counties.

Update: Tennessee's Economic Recovery

http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/ppts/recoveryfeb11.ppt

David Penn's presentation "Update: Tennessee's Economic Recovery" (.ppt) to TACIR (Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations)

Jones College Research Cited by Atlanta Fed

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's blog Southpoint cited research by MTSU's Office of Consumer Research and Business and Economic Research Center in its post "Confidence Improving in the Region": 

• In their December publication, Dr. Timothy Graeff writes that: "On the positive side, consumers feel slightly better about the current economy. The current situation index rose modestly to -90 from -93. The percent who said that business conditions in the country as a whole are 'good' gained only slightly to 7 from 5, but the percent who said that business conditions are 'bad' dropped to 34 from 41."
• As an aside and a plug for our friends at MTSU's Business & Economic Research Center, see their heat maps of Tennessee's employment picture. They also provide similar maps for major state metro areas, including Nashville."

Census City Population Widget

On the Business and Economic Research Center site:
http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/citypopulation.html

Poll: Consumers More Optimistic about Future

Consumer confidence in Middle Tennessee rose significantly this week, with consumers polled by telephone expressing more optimism about the economy, the job market and their stocks.... "Even though consumers are more confident and more hopeful about the future, the future economy and future jobs, they don't see it right now," said Timothy Graeff, director of MTSU's Office of Consumer Research, which conducts the consumer poll periodically. [Daily News Journal article]

Wall Street Journal Writer Slated to Speak at MTSU

Stephen Moore to Discuss Government, Taxes, State of National Economy

Stephen Moore, senior economic writer for the Wall Street Journal and a member of the WSJ’s editorial board, will lecture on current events Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building.

Moore is the author of five books, most recently Bullish on Bush: How the Ownership Society is Making America Richer. He also is the former president of the Free Enterprise Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group for limited government and tax relief, and the founder and former president of the Club for Growth, a political action committee committed to less government and lower taxation.

             

A former consultant to the National Economic Commission and ex-research director for the Commission on Privatization under President Regan, Moore’s resume also includes stints at two Washington-based think tanks, the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute.

             

A question-and-answer session will follow the lecture. This event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, the Wright Travel Chair in Entrepreneurship, and the Young America’s Foundation. For more information, contact Doug Tatum at 615-898-2785 or dtatum@mtsu.edu.

Obituary: Dr. Anna Burford

Dr. Anna M. Burford, 83, died on Jan. 5, 2011. Dr. Burford was employed by MTSU from August 1981 until her retirement in July 2000. She was a professor in the Department of Business Education, Marketing Education and Office Management [BCEN, from the Record].

Would You Pay $170,000 for a Consultant?

Doug Tatum, associate professor [Business Communication and Entrepreneurship], who holds the Wright Travel Chair in Entrepreneurship, was quoted in a New York Times blog post on running a small business.

Job Growth and Decline by Industry

For Tennessee and 10 MSAs:

http://tinyurl.com/4mbwfaz
http://tinyurl.com/48ocbwl

New heat tables

• for Tennessee
• for 10 MSAs

Better Living through Economics

John Siegfried from Vanderbilt University will present “Better Living through Economics” in an Economics and Finance seminar this Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, in the Business and Aerospace Building, room S128, from 12:45 - 2:15 p.m. The presentation is related to his book with the same title and it is meant to appeal to a general audience. [more information, pdf]

Alumna Wright Recognized

MTSU alumna and Nashville businesswoman Pamela J. Wright has been recognized by the Tennessee Board of Regents with its Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. The award, presented by TBR Chancellor John Morgan, recognizes Wright, who made a $1.25 million commitment in 2007 to establish an endowed chair in entrepreneurship, for her outstanding support of MTSU. [more at mtsunews.com]

[Wright Travel Chair of Entrepreneurship]

MTSU-TSBDC Sponsors TNCPE Performance Excellence Conference

Middle Tennessee State University’s Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) in partnership with the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) is sponsoring the 2011 Excellence in Tennessee Conference to be held in Franklin on February 22-23. TNCPE offers in-depth organizational assessments and feedback, coupled with high-level training in improvement methods based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.

“TNCPE delivers training across the state throughout the year, but its biggest educational event is the annual Excellence in Tennessee Conference. I encourage Jones College of Business faculty members to attend this conference,” said Patrick Geho, Associate Professor BCEN and State Director of the TSBDC.

At the conference, national and regional experts and leaders from world-class organizations will provide training on best practices and improvement tools.

To learn more about TNCPE, or the Excellence in Tennessee Conference, please visit www.tncpe.org or call (800) 453-6474.

Conference details are available at www.TNCPE.org/Innovate2011.

A sampling of sessions at the 2011 Excellence in Tennessee Conference:

• Is Baldrige Your Answer to Healthcare Reform?
• Work Systems That Work: Your guide to successful process management
• Six Thinking Hats: An innovation tool for group discussion and parallel thinking
• Vision, Engagement and Strategy: The executive leader's role in continuous improvement
•  Achieving 8 Dimensions of Excellence: A pragmatic approach that will strengthen your ability to achieve strategic outcomes 

Organizing for Efficiency

MTSU professor Jackie Gilbert, Management and Marketing, has launched a blog: "Organizing for Efficiency."

[article from the Record]

Tracking Tennessee's Economic Recovery

MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center partners with Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to provide up-to-date information tracking Tennessee's economic recovery including key indicators for the state and 10 MSAs as well as current business headlines. [Tracking Tennessee's Economic Recovery site]

Rapidly Changing Job Market Brings Hopes, Fears

From the Tennessean: Murat Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said some manufacturing jobs soon will be created in Tennessee as Volkswagen starts up in Chattanooga and Hemlock Semiconductor Group gets under way in Clarksville. [more]

2010 Census Map

http://tinyurl.com/2de79dd

The Census Bureau has provided this interactive map of the newly released 2010 population change results (by state).

[full-screen option and tables offered on Census site here]

Global Commerce

http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/globalcommerce.html

Tennessee and Free Trade Agreements

The United States recently announced a free trade agreement with South Korea, the largest such agreement since the NAFTA. In this issue, we look at the "early returns" on the impact of FTAs on Tennessee's trade. [newsletter]

Chair of Insurance Golf Tournament

An invitation to participate:

The next Richard L. Hendrick Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee Golf Tournament will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2011, at the Champions Run Golf Course in Rockvale, TN. We usually recruit about 150-160 players and solicit prizes for each. We also solicit hole sponsorships from individuals, agents, and companies.

I invite your participation in the 2011 tournament as a player, hole sponsor, or both. The cost is only $150 for each. As a hole sponsor, your name will be printed on a placard posted at one of the holes on the golf course, where it will be viewed by every golfer. There are also sponsorship opportunities at higher levels detailed in the registration form. Other sponsorships such as a meal, beverage cart, or prize donations are available. Your contribution as a player or hole sponsor also entitles you to free noon and evening meals. Your contribution will benefit the Chair of Insurance, which receives the proceeds after expenses are met.

I hope you will be willing to play in and/or sponsor a hole in the 2011 tournament. You may indicate your commitment to play or sponsor a hole on the registration form and return it with your payment to Dr. Hollman (Chair of Insurance, P.O. Box 165, MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; khollman@mtsu.edu). We can provide an invoice by e-mail or mail at your request. Your support of collegiate insurance education at MTSU will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Jim Cavendish

Jim Cavendish serves as chair of the Insurance Liaison Committee (ILC) of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance at Middle Tennessee State University. The ILC includes 25 professionals from every facet of the insurance industry in Tennessee who meet quarterly with Dr. Ken Hollman, Holder of the Chair, and university officials. The ILC is an important adjunct to the Chair of Insurance and a key element in defining its future direction. One of the most important tasks of the ILC is planning and executing the Richard L. Hendrick Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee Golf Tournament each year. 

The State of the Economy and Prospects for Tax Revenue in Tennessee

Presentation by Dr. Albert DePrince Jr.
to the State Funding Board

Tennessee Housing Price Index

Updated through 3rd Quarter 2010 for the state, 10 MSAs, non-metro areas, and U.S.

• Housing Price Index
• Other Indicators