Napoleon Is Contemplating Four Institutions of Higher Learning as Options

question 26

Essay

Napoleon is contemplating four institutions of higher learning as options for a Masters in Business Administration. Each university has strong and weak points and the demand for MBA graduates is uncertain. The availability of jobs, student loans, and financial support will have a significant impact on Napoleon's ultimate decision. Vanderbilt and Seattle University have comparatively high tuition, which would necessitate Napoleon take out student loans resulting in possibly substantial student loan debt. In a tight market, degrees with that cachet might spell the difference between a hefty paycheck and a piddling unemployment check. Northeastern State University and Texas Tech University hold the advantage of comparatively low tuition but a more regional appeal in a tight job market. Napoleon gathers his advisory council of Kip and Pedro to assist with the decision. Together they forecast three possible scenarios for the job market and institutional success and predict annual cash flows associated with an MBA from each institution. All cash flows in the table are in thousands of dollars.
$$\begin{array} { | l | c | c | c | } \hline \text { School } & \text { Scenario 1 } & \text { Scenario 2 } & \text { Scenario 3 } \\\hline \text { Vanderbilt } & 95 & 20 & - 10 \\\hline \text { Texas Tech } & 55 & 60 & 60 \\\hline \text { Seattle } & 90 & 10 & 80 \\\hline \text { Northeastern State } & 65 & 50 & 60 \\\hline\end{array}$$
-Kip tends to be extremely optimistic. Which decision making criterion would he naturally select and what conclusion would he recommend to Napoleon? Why?

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Definitions:

Disposable Income

Income available to households for the strategies of saving and spending after tax deductions.

Billion

A Billion is a numerical value equivalent to one thousand million (1,000,000,000) in the American short scale, commonly used in financial and demographic contexts.

Saving

The portion of income that is not spent on consumption or taxes, often set aside for future use or investment.

Disposable Income

Resources that become available for households for expenditure and saving activities following income tax deductions.