The State Of Our Business : A Perspective from Indiana Executives

A Perspective From Indiana Executives

What does it take to start, grow and sustain a business in Indiana? How important is foreign competition? What’s the state’s role in economic development and what initiatives offer the greatest growth opportunities?

For scholars, executives, elected officials and reporters covering the business community, these questions create a dialogue and a foundation on which we can help build a strategic plan to drive our state’s economy. It is also an opportunity to hear directly from Indiana executives about their challenges and the issues that impact their businesses, from health care costs and corporate reputation to customer loyalty and retention.

To that end, Butler University’s College of Business Administration, Inside INdiana Business and Ice Miller LLP collaborated to develop, implement and conduct a survey of Indiana’s business executives. The 18-month project allowed MBA students at Butler to incorporate relevant, real business experience into their curriculum, part of the college’s on-going emphasis on experiential learning. It was also an opportunity for Ice Miller to better understand what drives business decisions and what issues are of greatest importance to decision makers. The outcome culminated, among all the project partners, in a better understanding of the overall business climate in Indiana.