Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — A new initiative from the Kansas State University College of Business Administration's Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship aims to answer this simple question: What will the economic climate in the state of Kansas look like next month?

That question is at the core of the new Kansas Business Climate Index, or KBCI, a forecast of the next month's business climate based on a survey of Kansas business leaders. This is not a scientific sampling, but a quick indicator of select business leaders' expectations for the Kansas economy.

"The Kansas Business Climate Index is an initiative designed to provide business leaders with a forecast of the business climate based on input from their peers," said Chad Jackson, director of the Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. "We are happy to work with the business community to provide this index, which can be one of the factors firm leaders consider when making business decisions."

Released at the beginning of each month at http://www.cba.ksu.edu/KBCI and in a monthly email, the index will forecast the overall outlook of the next month's statewide economy as either better, worse, or about the same.

"Measuring the ebb and flow of the business climate through the KBCI is a great tool that can help Kansas businesses and businesses around the region see a snapshot of what regional business leaders are thinking," said Ali Malekzadeh, Edgerley family dean of the College of Business Administration. "The Climate Index provides the College of Business Administration's business partners a leading edge on regional trends not found anywhere else. This index has the potential to create a significant market impact as it correlates to the economic conditions in the region."

Business leaders and media members interested in receiving a monthly email detailing the results of the Kansas Business Climate Index can sign up at https://jfe.qualtrics.com/form/SV_06YsiBCnuFrekAt.