MONTANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY

Volume 42, Number 3, Autumn  2004

Franchising in Montana

More Profit for Less Risk?

by

Amy Joyner

Today, entrepreneurs continue to change the face of Montana marketplaces, with franchised businesses joining - and oftentimes, replacing - the traditional mom-and-pop shops. Montana Business Quarterly has watched this evolution and has talked with a number of entrepreneurs who invested in franchised businesses. How did they decide to contract with a particular franchisor? Are they succeeding? Is franchising worth the loss of managerial independence?

Obesity and Poverty

Major Concerns for Montana's Children

by

Steve Seninger and Daphne Herling

Today, 15 percent of American children are overweight, and another 15 percent are headed that way. Montana is no exception. Statewide, across all age groups, obesity increased from 9 percent of the population in 1990 to 19 percent in 2001. According to a national study released in January 2004, Montanans spent about $175 million last year on medical care related to obesity. Montana also shows distressingly high rates of children living in poverty. The lack of full-time employment for parents has far-reaching implications for children living in these households.

Montana's Changing Mix of Taxes

by

Douglas J. Young

In Montana, taxes declined as a percentage of income, the mix of taxes shifted from property to income, and the largest class of property is now residential and commercial. A changing mix of taxes has occurred; in 1982, property taxes were 47 percent of total taxes, but their share declined to 40 percent by 2002. What made up the difference? Income taxes increased from 20 percent to 27 percent; all other taxes remained constant at about 33 percent.

Rural Development An Oxymoron?

by

James T. Sylvester

Conventional wisdom holds that if rural America simply had more jobs to offer, the population and economic declines of the past 40 years would be reversed. However, will throwing large sums of money at rural areas really help turn around the decline of rural communities? First, the underlying foundation of rural communities and economies needs to be understood. Next, recent survey results question the advisability of continuing to spend so much effort and money trying to reverse what may be an inevitable change.