COB’s BBR Leads in Regional Transformation

Photo courtesy of NCMEP

Submitted by Dr. Jason Rowe, director, COB’s Bureau of Business Research

State public and private decision-makers need relevant information and data about the business and economic environment across North Carolina. Housed in the College of Business, the Bureau of Business Research (BBR) at East Carolina University is addressing this need. With sights set on regional transformation, faculty serving in the BBR provide business leaders and policymakers with insightful research aimed at evidence-based decision making.

As part of its regional transformation efforts, the BBR has an ongoing partnership with the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) at NC State University. NCMEP helps manufacturers across North Carolina by providing services to support manufacturing production and innovation. To date, researchers at ECU and the BBR have completed dozens of projects with manufacturers across the region. In addition, undergraduate and graduate students are integrated into industry projects with manufacturers throughout the year, thereby contributing to experiential learning and student success. Specifically, in the spring of 2022, 28 MBA students in a graduate business-to-business marketing course partnered with Carolina Classics Catfish (CCC), a regional seafood processor and supplier, to conduct research and deliver insights to support CCC’s Sizzlefish brand. Topics included digital and social media marketing, sales forecasting, and inventory management, among other areas.

In addition, each spring semester, Dr. Jon Kirchoff runs a Special Topics in Operations course.  The purpose of the course is to partner top supply chain management students with industry partners to work on critical projects and issues facing companies.  At the end of the semester, the students present their work to company leadership and submit a written report with recommendations. The Special Topics course completed its fifth year in spring 2022 with a student cohort working with industry leaders Hyster-Yale Group, Moen, and ECU Health. Topics included inventory entitlement and reduction; quality assurance, obsolete item location solution, and retail building space analysis; and new warehouse layout design recommendations.

Examples of additional work in the BBR include:

• The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Air Quality (DAQ) partnered with researchers in the BBR to conduct a staffing and operational needs analysis. In the face of labor challenges and an evolving natural environment, the DAQ is confronting unprecedented staffing challenges. The research conducted through the BBR is helping DAQ forecast future staffing needs necessary to maintain effective operations. North Carolina consistently scores highly in clean air rankings, and work in the BBR is contributing to this important measure of healthy living.
• In partnership with two regional economic development offices, in the spring of 2022, 23 employers across five counties in Eastern North Carolina participated in a compensation survey provided by the BBR. Employers provided input about compensation practices from the past two years for 46 unique jobs. Insights from this research were incorporated into a report and provided to employers across the region. Among other things, the survey information will help employers provide more competitive job offers in a challenging labor market.
• Researchers in the BBR are assisting the North Carolina Pandemic Recovery Office with ongoing survey research; specifically, the NC Community Engagement Survey (NC CES). The purpose of the NC CES is to survey community leaders monthly to measure and track trends in pandemic recovery across all 100 North Carolina counties. Each month, the NC CES is sent to community leaders throughout the state via email. The survey solicits timely information about how NC communities are recovering from the pandemic and preparing for the future. Researchers in the BBR use the data to monitor, evaluate, and compare the economic and social impact of the pandemic on communities across North Carolina. Government leaders use these insights to allocate resources across the state based on immediate needs. Regarding this work, Governor Roy Cooper stated, “The impacts of the pandemic have been felt deeply and unevenly across our state, and this survey will help us to see the problems so we can tackle them more clearly,” and he added, “This effort is an important step to give state and local leaders actionable data to make evidence-based decisions about how to use our recovery resources and plan for the future.” (Source: NC Pandemic Recovery Office)
• The U.S. Government has awarded the BBR an aerospace-related grant. Extending the current work in this area, researchers in the BBR are working with leadership in the ECU Office of National Security and Industry Initiatives to secure Phase I funding for a long-term project focused on the aerospace industry in North Carolina. Phase I will involve an industry analysis culminating in the development of a research agenda aimed at strengthening aerospace in NC, an industry that is a vital part of our region. Phase II will include a funding request to support specific needs identified and prioritized based on the research agenda developed in Phase 1.

Additional projects are at various stages of development around advanced manufacturing, energy, and other industries that are vital to the state. The BBR seeks to transform Eastern North Carolina into a stronger, sustainable, and more resilient region through its ongoing efforts.

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• Bureau of Business Research