Online survey of business leaders shows
mixed views about economy
MURFREESBORO — Tennessee business leaders’ pessimism about the current economy appear
to be stabilizing, though their outlook for the future isn’t strong, according to the latest online survey by
MTSU’s Jones College of Business.
The statewide Tennessee Business Barometer index remained stable in April,
registering 144 compared to 146 in January and 325 for the inaugural survey
last July. The quarterly index is a collaboration between Middle Tennessee
State University and the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry to
capture the mood and outlook of business leaders through online surveys.
While business leaders showed more optimism about their current situations
in the latest survey, that was offset by a drop in confidence in the future
economy as well as the ability for their own business to prosper and grow, according to Dr.
Tim Graeff, MTSU professor of marketing and coordinator of the index through the
MTSU Office of Consumer Research.
“Business leaders are more upbeat about the Tennessee economy than they
are about the overall national economy,” Graeff noted.
The survey showed concerns about rising health care costs, political and
economic uncertainty, difficulties with finding qualified employees, and the
potential for increasing regulation remain foremost on the minds of business
leaders.
The index is computed by adding the percentage of positive responses to
each question and subtracting the percentage of negative responses. The overall
index score is totaled from four sub-indices: current economic situation,
future economic expectations, business/firm performance and employment outlook.
A pdf copy of the full report is available at http://bit.ly/tbbapr16. Previous reports are available through the MTSU Office of Consumer
Research’s website at www.mtsu.edu/consumer.
The current online survey of 83 business leaders from across Tennessee
was conducted between April 1 and April 16. The margin of
error is 10.7 percent. Respondents
include business owners, vice presidents, senior managers, and managers at
firms of various sizes. The next Tennessee Business Barometer survey is planned
for July 2016.
For more
information, contact Graeff at 615-898-5124 or tim.graeff@mtsu.edu. For more information about the Tennessee
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, visit www.tnchamber.org.
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