Is an MBA Still Worth Pursuing With Today’s Tuition?

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In this edition, we're examining the value of pursuing an MBA in light of today's tuition costs. We'll also take a deep dive into whether small businesses should be concerned about the recent spike in shoplifting. Stay tuned for what's on the horizon as well—check out what’s upcoming. Let's dive right in and explore these pressing topics!

Is an MBA Still Worth Pursuing With Today’s Tuition?

In business you get to set your own prices , but going too high will scare customers away — and major universities are on the verge of doing just that. According to The New York Times, Americans are losing faith in the value of a college education as grads are saddled with decades of debt.

Even a graduate degree is no guarantee of success. Librarians are required to earn master’s degrees, but they average less than $60,000 per year in most states, according to ZipRecruiter . Same for nutritionists .

But what about a Master of Business Administration? Will it set you apart and give you a leg up on the skills needed to run a successful company?

Most top-performing CEOs hold either an MBA or an advanced engineering degree, according to Harvard Business Review . For many professionals, any hope of climbing into the C-suite begins with acceptance to business school.?

But the MBA degree isn’t as prestigious as it once was . A 2022 study of 1,441 grad schools found mixed results for alumni salaries. “[O]ver half of those degree programs do not show positive ROI,” researcher Preston Cooper told Inside Higher Ed . “So over half of students who are getting an MBA are going to be worse off for having gotten that degree.”

Professionals with advanced degrees carry double the student-loan debt of those with only bachelors’ degrees ; top business schools like Wharton and Booth can cost upwards of $70,000 per year.?

Do Small Businesses Need to Worry About the Shoplifting Spike??

The phrase “smash-and-grab” has appeared in headline after headline lately. In Los Angeles, a theft ring has cost stores including Macy’s, Nike , and Nordstrom up to $400,000 per location as flash mobs of dozens easily overwhelm security guards.?

It’s plenty enough to make small retailers ask, “What’s going on, and should I worry?”

While your small local business is unlikely to get hit by a 50-person theft ring — or tiny schoolchildren — the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has found that about half of small retailers are reporting increased theft.

But here’s a catch: the shrink might be coming from inside your business.?

“[B]ehind closed doors, retailers are facing other issues … including theft by their own employees, that are contributing to losses,” CNBC reports, adding that shrink can be “used as an excuse for generally bad performance” as it gets lumped in with figures such as customer returns and lost merchandise.

In the UK employee theft is up by 20% , likely as a reaction to the rising cost of living. To combat it, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners recommends that employers offer benefits such as lunch vouchers, subsidized childcare, and financial education.?

How to Identify a Solo Mission Vs. a Team Project

When a team works well, it achieves far more than any one of its members could have done on their own. And without high-performing teams , most businesses would likely struggle.

Yet teams aren’t always appropriate. The key idea here is what researchers call task interdependence .?

Read more to find out what the four basic levels of task interdependence are here .

Chipotle’s Avocado-Peeling Robot Will Guac You to the Core

It takes Chipotle workers about 50 minutes to make one batch of guacamole (no wonder it costs extra). But that might be a thing of the past, thanks to the fast-casual company’s new collab with robotics startup Vebu Labs. Together, they’re testing a guac-prep robot named Autocado that “cuts, cores, and peels avocados.”

Read more on Chipotle’s Avocado-Peeling Robot here.

The Matrix: Your Best Hires Might Not Be ‘The One’ Right Away

Sometimes you hire someone who looks great on paper — and sounds great in the interview — but when you give them a few tasks to start off with, they strike out. Did you make a mistake? Possibly, but maybe you should trust your gut like Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) after recruiting Neo (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix.?

Read more on this article here.

?We Meme Business

What’s Upcoming?: Why Awkwardness Can Be a Good Thing in the Workplace

In Good Awkward: How to Embrace the Embarrassing and Celebrate the Cringe to Become the Bravest You, executive coach Henna Pryor makes the case for discomfort. She spoke with b. about why we shouldn’t run from our inner weirdo at the office.

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