Napoleon Is Contemplating Four Institutions of Higher Learning as Options

question 11

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.
$$\begin{array} { | l | c | c | c | } \hline \text { School } & \text { Scenario 1 } & \text { Scenario 2 } & \text { Scenario 3 } \\\hline \text { Vanderbilt } & 95 & 20 & - 10 \\\hline \text { Texas Tech } & 55 & 60 & 60 \\\hline \text { Seattle } & 90 & 10 & 80 \\\hline \text { Northeastern State } & 65 & 50 & 60 \\\hline\end{array}$$
-Napoleon doesn't know what to think, since he has no idea which scenario will happen. Which criterion is he well-suited for and what is his decision?

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Definitions:

Purchase Frequency

The number of times a consumer buys a product or service within a given timeframe.

Market Segmentation

The practice of dividing a broad target market into subsets of consumers who have common needs and priorities, to design and implement strategies tailored to them.

Psychographically

An adverb relating to psychographics, the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles of individuals or groups for marketing and other purposes.

Create Needs

The marketing strategy of generating new desires or needs among consumers for products or services they may not have previously considered.