What’s the single biggest obstacle a company needs to overcome to achieve a successful turnaround or restructuring? Is it financial or cultural?

Michigan’s big three research universities grew their combined economic impact to more than $15.5 billion annually by 2011, while maintaining their standing among peers as one of the top research clusters in the nation.

All the talk surrounding the need for more investment into Michigan’s higher education institutions is starting to pay off — at least a little bit.

CALEDONIA — The new dean at Davenport University’s Donald W. Maine College of Business wants to put more emphasis on supporting entrepreneurism and better connecting students and faculty with businesses.

GRAND RAPIDS — Sam Hogg got a master’s in business administration degree at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, where he worked with MSU’s Technology and Innovation Center to create a company, GiftZip.com, that he sold in 2011 to gift card industry leader SVM LP.

GRAND RAPIDS — When Jeff Reuschel, global design director at Holland-based office furniture manufacturer Haworth Inc., looks to hire new members of his design team, he says he notices many of the candidates make a common mistake.

An annual survey by Dykema suggests 2013 will bring a slight uptick in mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. compared to the past few years, although plenty of uncertainty remains that will keep a damper on deal volume.

A couple of deals this month typify the kind of mergers and acquisitions activity occurring these days.

Following up a successful launch earlier this year, Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women expects to receive additional federal funding next spring to continue providing microloans to small business owners across a nine-county region.

Even without an option that boosted volumes the prior two years, lending backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration remained strong during the first two months of the 2013 fiscal year.

The geeks are in demand.

The staffing industry in West Michigan seems to be stuck on repeat lately.

Steve Hawks, senior vice president and investment advisors manager at Fifth Third Bank in Grand Rapids, expects a “short period of optimism” now that some uncertainty has been removed with the election, “but the big thing looming on the horizon is the fiscal cliff.”

The housing market is getting back on its feet, consumer spending is up and the auto industry should remain in good shape. That’s the good news about the economy.

If you’re thinking about selling your business and retiring — and plan to do the deal now, rather than in 2013 — you can save on the federal taxes you’ll have to pay on the transaction.