Studies & Articles

Cornhusker Economics Articles, UNL

EDGE Small Business Articles, UNL.

Jan '05:  Contracts Essential to Business

Nov '04: Consult Experts To Manage Possible Business Risks

Oct '04: Ethics Play Big Part in Business Success

Sep '04: Selecting Business Entities Requires Careful Planning

Jul '04: Exiting a Business Requires Planning

Jun '04: Business Plans Help Owners Develop Tactics For Future

May '04: Continuous Planning Helps E's. Avoid Business Problems

Apr '04: Exporting, Importing Provide Business Options For Global E's.

Feb '04:  Use Communication To Manage Family Businesses

Jan '04:  E's Need To Research Franchises Before Signing An Agreement.

Dec '03:  Buying Existing Businesses May Put E's In Market Faster.

Nov '03: Use Alternative Entry Strategies When Starting a Business.

Oct '03:  E's Must Realize All Business Types Have Challenges.

Sep '03: Small Bus. Owners Use Quality Customer Service To Compete.

Aug '03:  Lifestyle Preferences Help Determine Successful E'ships.

Jul '03:  Thinking Like An Entrepreneur Will Benefit Businesses.

Jun '03:  Entrepreneurial Skills Essential In Today's Business World.

Feb '03:  Consider Home-Based Businesses For Additional Income.

Business Case Studies

The Art of Creating a Goat Cheese Business - Raising goats and manufacturing goat cheese are viable ways to create a value-added product from farming. Profitability from the sale of farmstead goat cheese can be limited by how the operation is equipped and staffed, and what the current local or regional market will bear

At Home with the Claytons: An On-Farm Bed & Breakfast Experience -Clayton Farms Bed & Breakfast is located northeast of Grinnell, Iowa in the middle of prime farming country, (about 50 miles east of Des Moines, the capital city of Iowa.) Ron and Judie Clayton have lived on their farm since 1968 and built their present, modern house in 1979. They started their licensed and state-inspected bed and breakfast operation in 1990. The B&B has steadily grown to more than a $20,000 gross profit in 1999.

Libby Creek Farm An Organic Alternative to Traditional Farming  - Using organic,eco-friendly practices, Libby Creek Farm raises a variety of vegetables for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription service, and sell the rest of their produce at several farmers markets in southeast Nebraska.

Straight Arrow Bison Ranch: Nutritional Meat Raised on a Family Farm - In the case of Marty and Karen Bredthauer of Broken Bow, Nebraska, their herd of bison isn’t just used to save the family farm; it is able to recreate the family’s farm life that was nearly lost during the 1980s farm crisis.

Other Useful Articles

Community Development Journal:  "Locality based entrepreneurship: A strategy for community economic vitality."  A study conducted by Drs. Peter Korsching and John Allen on the EDGE community development coalition structure.

1996-2003 NebraskaEDGE Program Evaluation.  Executive Summary and open comments. Results Brochure