Business & Entrepreneurship

Colorado business leaders’ attitudes remained almost unchanged going into the fourth quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the Leeds School of Business . The LBCI’s reading remained positive, above the critical mark of 50, but fell from 53.6 in the third quarter to 51.6 in the fourth. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while one lower than 50 indicates negative expectations.

Colorado business leaders’ attitudes remained almost unchanged going into the fourth quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. The LBCI’s reading remained positive, above the critical mark of 50, but fell from 53.6 in the third quarter to 51.6 in the fourth. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while one lower than 50 indicates negative expectations.

The depth of explanation about novel products influences consumer preferences and willingness to pay, according to a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder and Brown University. When it comes to descriptions about the functions of new and unusual goods -- such as a self-watering plant system, special gloves for touchscreens or an eraser for wall scratches -- some people prefer minimal details. Dubbed “explanation foes” in the study, they gain a strong sense of understanding and desire for products through shallow explanations.

The Anschutz Foundation has committed $2 million to launch two new initiatives designed to make the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder a more powerful economic contributor to Colorado and beyond. The contribution from The Anschutz Foundation will be divided evenly between two undergraduate programs.

The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder is trying out a whole new way of introducing its freshmen to college. First-year Leeds students will plunge into an intensive full-day program of action learning called “CoLab: Essentials of Collaboration and Innovation” on Aug. 25. CoLab is designed to orient the Class of 2016 to what it takes to be a successful business school student, as well as what it means to be a successful business leader.

The Colorado economy continues to grow at a modest pace in 2012, positioning the state among the healthier in growth nationally, according to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. Midway through the year, Colorado’s job growth rate is up to about 1.6 percent -- a gain of about 35,000 jobs in 2012 if the pace holds steady.

Colorado business leaders are less optimistic going into the third quarter than last quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. The LBCI’s reading slid from 62.2 in the second quarter to 53.6 in the third, but remained higher than the 10-year average for the index and above the critical neutral mark of 50. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while one lower than 50 indicates negative expectations.

Companies paying celebrities big money to endorse their products may not realize that negative perceptions about a celebrity are more likely to transfer to an endorsed brand than are positive ones, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study. Celebrity endorsements are widely used to increase brand visibility and connect brands with celebrities’ personality traits, but do not always work in the positive manner marketers envision, according to Margaret C. Campbell of CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, who led the study.

Leeds School of Business news release A graduate team from the University of Colorado Boulder has won the 15th International Venture Capital Investment Competition, or VCIC, the premiere educational event for venture capital and entrepreneurship.

Startup company Gogy Inc. and the University of Colorado have executed an exclusive licensing agreement that will enable the company to commercialize the Pedago.gy interactive teaching platform developed at CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. Pedago.gy is a Web application that creates a space for educators and students to engage in additional interaction and dialogue beyond the classroom. It provides a means whereby students and instructors can approach a topic in a collaborative fashion, rather than the typical expert-learner model found in most classrooms.