Dr. Michael Peasley, assistant marketing professor, director of the Office of Consumer Research
Tennessee business leaders have a much more favorable view of economic conditions heading into fall and winter, according to results from the latest Tennessee Business Barometer Survey by the Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University.
The latest statewide index, which measures business leaders' perceptions of the current and future economy, produced a score of 476, up 33 points from the spring survey. The inaugural survey in July 2015 registered an index of 325.
“Business sentiment continues to improve, now at a three-year high of 42%. That’s in contrast to Tennessee consumers, whose positive sentiment is only at 17%,” noted Michael Peasley, assistant professor of marketing and director of the university’s Office of Consumer Research, which oversees the index. “Tennessee business leaders appear to be more positive and more optimistic about the current and future health of the economy.”
Conducted in partnership with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Tennessee Business Barometer is an online opinion survey that now tracks an overall index and three sub-indices: current outlook, future outlook, and business/firm performance.
Index scores are calculated from the percentages of positive and negative responses to more than a dozen questions about perceptions of the economy.
Other survey highlights include:
• 43% of business leaders expect economic conditions to improve over the next 12 months.
• 49% of business leaders believe economic conditions in their industry are good and 46% expect conditions to improve over the next 12 months.
Peasley also noted that business leader concerns have diminished.
“Tennessee business leaders provided feedback on many challenges and key indicators for predicting economic growth related to inflation, staffing, etc. While the fear of a recession has increased slightly and is now over 50%, concerns about inflation, taxes, and staffing have all decreased over the last year,” he noted.
Survey results show:
• Almost 60% of business leaders said they expect their firm sales to increase this year (8.7% expect a decrease).
• 43.5% of business leaders said they expect their firm’s inventories to increase this year (9% expect a decrease).
• 44.6% of business leaders said their number of employees will increase this year, while roughly 10% said their employee count will decrease and 42% said it will stay the same.
Find the full Tennessee Business Barometer survey report and previous reports at https://bit.ly/2GZvO7U.
Public Health students poll people to gauge stigma of drug addiction
From left, Kahler Stone, associate professor of public health at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., poses with MTSU public health students, Anakarina Lorenzana-DeWitt, Xaviera Gladden and .Pragya at the Wilson County Fair-Tennessee State Fair in Lebanon, Tenn., in August during a project that collected data from the public about their thoughts and perceptions regarding individuals who struggle with addiction.
MTSU Public Health program students, in partnership with the MTSU Center for Health and Human Services, recently completed a three-year analysis of drug use stigma among people in rural communities.
The data collection project was federally funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, as part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, which funds a variety of grant programs each year to help with prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder for people in rural areas.
For the third year in a row, student volunteers were tasked with asking a random selection of visitors at the Wilson County Fair-Tennessee State Fair, held each August, about their thoughts and perceptions regarding individuals who struggle with addiction.
Student volunteers who collected data during this year’s fair include Augustine Afriyie, Tess Swastek, .Pragya, Xaviera Gladden, Anakarina Lorenzana-DeWitt and Benjamin Antwi.
“Our focus has been on Wilson County, where we’ve been working closely with community partners such as the Drug-Free WilCo Coalition and Cedar Recovery addiction treatment provider, which is based in Mt. Juliet,” said Kahler Stone, associate professor of public health.
The comprehensive report on the stigma of drug addiction, which will be completed in early 2025, has given MTSU students hands-on opportunities to put their public health educations into action over the past few years.
Reports aim to measure stigma toward people who use drugs, with the goal of tracking changes over time and developing education that destigmatizes those who may struggle with addiction. While there has been progress made in addressing stigma, it still is a challenge within the community at large and within law enforcement.
“Stigma can impact how and if others seek support for themselves or someone they know. It can also impact what resources are made available from the government side based on elections and constituent interests,” said Swastek, who is pursuing a master’s in public health with a concentration in community health.
The perceived negative stigma can also deter those struggling with addiction from seeking much-needed medical care, said Afriyie, who’s pursuing a doctorate in human performance.
In addition to collecting valuable data, the annual project gives students the opportunity to gain field experience through community engagement.
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