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Week of August 22 - August 26, 2005Welcome to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news. |
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UC-San Diego tabbed as nation’s “hottest” school for science
The latest issue of Newsweek
takes a look at a number of colleges that are generating a buzz among
students, school officials and outside observers alike. In the
unscientific survey, the University of California, San Diego was
recently recognized for being the “hottest” school when it comes to
studying science. The school boasts eight Nobel laureates on its faculty
while 24 percent of its undergraduate population majors in science –
including new majors like molecular synthesis and bioinformatics.
Another contributing factor to the designation is the school’s ability
to move innovations into the marketplace. The article highlights the
fact that one-quarter of the school’s $1.8 billion budget comes from
federal research grants and that faculty and alumni have spun off close
to 200 companies, including about one-third of the region’s biotech
firms. UCSD science programs have been ranked among the best in the
nation by the National Research Council, including neurosciences and
oceanography (ranked 1st), biomedical engineering (ranked 2nd), and
physiology and pharmacology (ranked 3rd). |
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New study examines cost of employee benefits While it seems common knowledge that big firms are able to offer more attractive benefit packages than their smaller counterparts, a new study funded by the SBA Office of Advocacy quantifies the difference in cost to the employers. According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Statistics, 29 percent of civilian workers’ compensation comes from benefits – at an average of $7.40 per hour. Of that, a majority comes from the most typical “voluntary” benefits – health insurance, private pension plans, and paid leave (vacation and sick days). The study, Cost of Employee Benefits in Small and Large Businesses, confirms that costs associated with these benefits vary dramatically in relation to firm size, resulting in fewer benefits for employees in smaller firms. Some of the highlights from the study include:
Download the study from the SBA Office of Advocacy site at http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs262tot.pdf |
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If you think it is hard to finance a start-up these days, try building a publishing empire on $500. A true bootstrap entrepreneur, John H. Johnson began his publishing business in 1942 with a loan using his mother’s furniture as collateral. At his funeral last week in Chicago, the founder of Ebony and Jet magazines was remembered by a number of dignitaries – including former President Bill Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Governor Rod Blagojevich and Mayor Richard M. Daley – as an innovator who offered hope through a persistently positive portrayal of black culture. Johnson was struck by the lack of positive black role models in mainstream media and sought to inspire black families across America with a sense of the possible. He convinced distributors of the growing demand for his first publication, Negro Digest, by having friends request it at local newsstands. Once it was stocked, he would reimburse friends and family for the copies they purchased – and later resell them. What worked in Chicago also worked in Detroit, Philadelphia and New York and Johnson Publishing was well on its way. Today, Ebony and Jet, his two most visible and longest-lasting successes, enjoy a combined circulation of more than 2.5 million subscribers.
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As school begins anew for many in the academic research community, we thought we’d take a moment to highlight some of the conferences and events related to entrepreneurship research and policy that are coming up in the next year. Many of these are in the winter and spring, but deadlines for paper submissions are quickly approaching. Some of the highlighted events include:
The Kauffman Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Research Portal (www.kauffman.org/research) has a repository for conferences, seminars, calls for papers, and other calendar items of note for researchers and policymakers. Events or deadlines can be submitted online or by e-mailing research@kauffman.org. |
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Babson tops again for undergraduate entrepreneurship
In what is becoming an
expected annual occurrence, Babson College was recognized by U.S. News
and World Report for having the best undergraduate program for
entrepreneurship in the U.S. It was the ninth straight top ranking for
the Massachusetts school. Rounding out the top five were: University of
Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, and Ball State University. |
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