Research
Tracking the Pulse
Decision-level business leaders and the news media consider the WIB as the preferred source of market trends and projections. Local Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Organizations use the WIB as an extension of their outreach for business attraction and expansion efforts. The WIB’s handle on market intelligence and its technical assistance role are vital for development strategies that boost the economic well-being of the region.
The WIB’s research products come in four useful categories of Market Profiles, Forecasting (our most popular), Impact Analysis, and Specialized Projects. The WIB’s award-winning team of research and development professionals stand ready to assist with powerful tools to aid in successful decision-making.
Market Research for Advanced Decision-Making
Market Profiles:
- Consumer Expenditures
- Local Employment Dynamics
- Occupational & Skill Trends
- Workforce Salary/Wage Trends
- Location Quotient
- Basic Demographics
- Community/Economic Development Profiles and LocationOne® Integration
Forecasting:
- Industry Sector Growth
- Occupational Earnings
- Workforce Staffing Patterns
- Demographic Shift Forecasting
- Projections through 2019
Impact Analysis:
- Input-Output Modeling
- Virtual simulations of gains or losses caused by shifts in specific industry sectors
- Gap Analysis of Economic Clusters
- Optimization of Industry Sector Targets
Specialized Projects:
- Psychographic Labor Availability Analysis
- Employer and Consumer Surveys
- Supply-Demand Workforce Skill Analysis
- Collaborative Technologies to Facilitate Focus Groups and Strategy Development
- Social/Organizational Network Analysis
- Asset Mapping and Strategic Planning for
Regional Economic Transformation
Capabilities
- Transform data to strategy with detailed mapping, visual analytics, and compelling narratives
- Geographic Analysis based on county-level and central mileage radius
- Technical Assistance for Chambers/Economic Development Organizations
- Third-party data analysis to validate business attraction and expansion prospects
- Staff qualifications in economic development, business retention, and research
- Grant research and proposal development
- Web-based collection, collaboration, and dissemination of data resources
- WIB best practices featured in numerous awards, case studies, and articles
The WIB leverages a vast array of technical innovations, specialized vendor brokerages, and staff expertise to offer the region’s most dynamic package of market data analysis. Most of the services are provided at no cost to business and community leaders through grants and sponsorships secured by the WIB. Services are available in the WIB regions of Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas, Northeast Oklahoma, and Northwest Arkansas. Contact the WIB to learn more about our resources to increase the region’s economic health and competitiveness.
Asset Mapping Provides Research for Strategic Planning
Competing in the global economy requires the creation of regional innovation eco-systems that drive growth and prosperity. The challenge is to optimize the assets of human, capital (institutional and intangible) around innovation for the future of the region.
Asset mapping is the premiere resource to help regional business and community leaders support innovation-based growth. The initiative helps our region fully understand the competitive value of our asset base. Using the Illuminate approach from the U.S. Council and Competitiveness, the tools provide a systematic process to identify our innovation assets and develop strategies to ensure that these assets are sufficiently linked and leveraged.
Asset Mapping is part of a larger framework known as WIRED, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development. Easily described as an “extreme makeover” for regional development, WIRED is a recipe to steer our region’s future toward global competiveness and economic prosperity. Learn more online at www.qsrt.org.