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A better understanding of the core drivers that help great leaders innovate — and avoid failure — is key to advancing global enterprise. The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder is now better equipped to advance this understanding, thanks to a new $2.25 million gift from the Thomas Stix Guggenheim family to establish an endowed faculty chair aimed at educating new generations of entrepreneurs on the core drivers of successful business design and innovation.

The confidence of Colorado business leaders has surged going into the second quarter of 2013, according to the most recent Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

Colorado business leaders’ optimism is modest going into the first quarter of 2013 with uncertainty surrounding the country’s political and economic environments, 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.

A new partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Science, spurred by a gift, will have positive implications for the construction and real estate industries.

Colorado will continue on the road to recovery and add a variety of jobs in 2013 across almost all business sectors following a positive year in 2012, according to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. Wobbekind’s announcement is part of the 48th annual Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum presented Dec. 3 by the Business Research Division of the Leeds School.

Consumers should take the time to prepare themselves by researching prices and quality before they hit the stores or Internet this holiday shopping season, according to University of Colorado Boulder Professor Donald Lichtenstein. Being prepared can save consumers money, steer them away from overspending and even change their way of thinking about purchasing gifts during the holidays, said Lichtenstein, chair of the marketing department at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder's Leeds School of Business.

The University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business will present its 48th annual Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum on Monday, Dec. 3, at 1 p.m. at the Denver Marriott City Center. The event at 1701 California St. is free and open to the public but reservations are required for those planning to attend. To make reservations visit http://leeds.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_01GMWmGLHZolUrz .

Households with plug-in hybrid vehicles, or PHVs, and smart meters actively managed how, when and where they charged their cars based on electricity rates but rarely took advantage of online feedback, a University of Colorado Boulder study found. ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, or RASEI, today presented findings from the two-year study -- one of the only of its kind, combining both household and vehicle data in a smart-grid context.

Consumer demand is making aluminum cans more relevant than ever, according to a report from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. More than 92 billion aluminum beverage cans were sold in the U.S. in 2011 reflecting a decline in annual sales -- particularly among standard 12-ounce cans -- since the industry’s peak five years prior.

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.