For 45 years, the BE 100s—the nation’s largest black businesses—have demonstrated enduring qualities of fortitude, dexterity, ingenuity, and, yes, swagger. Throughout it all, one word best describes their predisposition to forward momentum: Evolution. That’s evident with the composition of today’s BE 100s. The first Top 100 had total revenues of $473.4 million. The 2017 Top 100 produced total revenues of $27. 5 billion. List leaders: Privately-held IT powerhouse World Wide Technology, with an electrifying $9.3 billion in revenues, and workforce solutions juggernaut The Act-1 Group, which generated a whopping $2.8 billion in revenues. (Black Enterprise)

On both sides of the desk, women and minorities are hard to find in the financial advisory field. A new crop of firms have focused their efforts on introducing a diverse clientele to financial services, and ensuring that women and minorities working within the industry have an opportunity to advance. (Pacific Standard)

While the actions of many leaders remain a subject to spirited debate, many out of the most prestigious business schools are credited with extenuating the damage and saving the economy from an even worse catastrophe. Given the large number of business grads in high-ranking executive positions from some of the most prestigious business school, it’s inevitable that many would be ensnared in some sort of global catastrophe. This raises the question: Do we need our business schools to play a part in helping more people who think about business rediscover a purpose rather than profit? (Industry Leaders)

You hate your job and can’t wait to be anywhere else—except twist, you have to stay for at least a little while longer. Maybe the hours allow you to care for a sick loved one, that promotion you’re in line for will set you up to qualify for different roles, or that quarter-end bonus is going to help you finally get out of credit card debt. (The Muse)

Polling more than 10,000 men and women in the technology industry, job website Comparably uncovered the top stressors for people at work. Above having a long commute, difficult co-workers, a bad manager or long hours, the majority of workers said "unclear goals" was the most stressful aspect of their careers. (Entrepreneur)

The world of work is changing pretty rapidly, but one thing has been pretty consistent over the past few years: Workers are feeling optimistic about their prospects. The US economy keeps adding jobs at a healthy clip, and unemployment remains at pre-Recession lows, making this a jobseekers’ market. Here’s a look at the current state of the American workplace: (The Muse)

First, the good news. Diversity in the workplace is increasing, which gives organizations greater access to talent. It also generates a more inclusive corporate culture that mirrors the society in which we live. The not-so-good news? Diverse workplaces are not always easy to achieve, for many reasons. Some geographical areas are more conducive to diversity recruitment than others, and a commitment to diversity can often be overlooked the higher up the corporate ladder you go. (Entrepreneur)

Scientists and programmers have been investigating the possibilities of virtual reality (VR) since the 1960s, but it's only in the last few years that the technology started to gain mainstream traction, with VR applications spanning industries such as education, healthcare, and real estate. Two-year-old Australian startup Diversifly VR is betting on VR's potential to deliver workplace training programs to greater effect than traditional modes of delivery, particularly when it comes to soft skills. (ZDNet)

The most successful businesses in the world have strong commitments to diversity and inclusion, and it’s easy to see why. People who are comfortable and free to be themselves at work are more productive and will deliver better results. Businesses that fully embrace diversity can also become more innovative by harnessing a culture of idea-sharing and openness. This results in higher rates of employee satisfaction and can help to attract new talent. (The C Suite)

As Detroit reflects on the city's unrest 50 years ago, some business leaders are calling on companies and communities to focus on diversity, inclusion and opportunities to remedy the city's racial legacy to move forward. (Crain's Detroit Business)

The British government has announced plans to raise the state pension age to 68 seven years earlier than expected. The country's pension age will be hiked to 68 over a two years starting in 2037, affecting the retirement plans of roughly 7 million people. The proposed change, which will help to ease an intense strain on pension finances, means an extra year on the job for workers born between April 1970 and April 1978. (CNN Money)

There is a deafening silence over race in Britain's boardrooms. So say the professional bodies that represent UK management in a report on ethnic diversity. Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME), it says, are hugely under-represented in key management roles.Only 6% of management jobs in the UK are held by minorities - yet they make up 12.5% of the working population. And businesses doesn't want to talk about it, the report says. (BBC)

oyce Watkins is not one to mince words, so while some of the things that come out of his mouth may sound shocking, those familiar with his message of Black financial empowerment are not surprised when he says things like this: "People are used to looking at Black people as sort of their political and economic side chicks," Watkins said. "The side chick is somebody you expect loyalty from but you don’t owe her no loyalty back. And Black people accept that role. We never say, ‘you should be doing something for us. You owe the community.’" (The Philadelphia Tribune)

More graduate students are pursuing online business degrees than ever before. According to GMAC, demand for online MBA programs is outstripping that for classroom-based part-time and executive courses. In 2015, the Online Learning Consortium reported that one in four higher education students in the US takes at least one of their university modules online. The number of distance-learning students is also increasing by almost 5% each year. (Business Because)

Online MBA programs are providing aspiring students with a flexible, more affordable alternative to traditional classroom-based courses. Taking it a step further, Strayer University is now offering a Digital Entrepreneurship MBA in collaboration with Cheddar, a new video media company, that can be completed entirely on your smartphone using Facebook as a virtual classroom. The program is geared towards digital leaders, decision makers and trendsetters. (Benzinga)

The 2017 Annual Conference and Exposition, presented by NBMBAA and Prospanica is coming up quickly. Now is the time to register to secure your sessions and housing. Visit our Conference page to learn about this year’s events, speakers and exhibitors. Register Now

High school students from the National Black MBA Association – St. Louis Chapter won third place in the 2017 National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Leaders of Tomorrow National Business Case Competition. The NBMBAA-St. Louis Chapter’s Leaders of Tomorrow case team of Prince Azoro, Hazelwood West High School; Kristina Edwards, McCluer North High School; Kamya Moore, Hazelwood Central High School; and Darius White, Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School travelled to Chicago, Illinois for the Leadership Summit and Business Case Competition held June 21 – 25. (St. Louis American)

Business is under assault from cybercriminals like never before, and the cost to companies is exploding. Here's what you need to know about safeguarding your digital assets. (Fortune)

Google's goal for the next update to its Search app for Android and iOS: Make it more personal. The company outlined a major update to the app, which rolled out Wednesday in the U.S. and internationally over the next couple weeks. At the core is a feed Google says will be smarter. Not only will it feature stories and other content based on your searches, but also considers what's trending near your location. The outcome sounds familiar to another, widely popular news feed on competitor Facebook. (USA TODAY)

With headlines about sexual harassment sweeping Silicon Valley, the former CEO of Xerox has a message for women: Don't avoid the tech industry. . . Burns, the first black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, said that tech companies know they can't just keep hiring and promoting men. That means for women, it's a "time of power" that could help affect real change within the industry. (St. Louis American)

Don’t get me wrong, you have to work hard, but "hustle-mode" can be a quicksand if you’re not careful. What I mean is with "hustle" you’re basing your business on luck, instead of proven systems for success. And yes, you will get "more lucky" by working harder, but you can only work so hard before getting burnt out. (Entrepreneur)

If you're looking for ways you can earn a few extra bucks with a side hustle, you'd likely encounter hundreds of strategies for make some money. However, depending on your unique needs and your skills, earning a respectable amount of cash, and doing it quickly, might be well within your reach. (Entrepreneur)

Think back to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when markets tanked overnight as Donald Trump's victory shocked investors.. . . The market's roller-coaster ride that day is instructive in how investors should behave when markets are in tumult. Most often, the best thing is to do nothing. Don't bail on stocks, don't panic, and don't believe the world is coming to an end. (U.S. News & World Report)

Research shows piles of money won’t increase your happiness, but being financially comfortable certainly might. Most people have their own definition of financial comfort, but generally speaking, it helps to stay out of high-interest debt, maintain at least a small pot of emergency cash, and feel like you’re making progress toward meeting your retirement goals. (USA TODAY)

If you save enough, the thinking goes, the stock market’s inexorable path upward will make you rich. And if you save in a tax-sheltered retirement savings account, you may get there faster. One of the best tools to get there over the past three decades has been the 401(k) — and the corporate match — free money! — that came with it. In many places, one of the first casualties of the financial crisis was the company match.Now it seems, the match is roaring back. Many companies are boosting their matches in employee 401(k) plans, according to a report by Vanguard Group, the investment firm with $4.4 trillion under management. (The Washington Post)

Goldman Sachs wants to become the Google of Wall Street, and now it is staffing up the unit that could help it achieve that goal. The New York-based financial services giant is hiring for Marquee, a platform that provides clients access to the bank's analytics, data, content and execution capabilities via a browser or an API. The bank is looking for talent to fill positions in its New York office, spanning from associate developer to vice president. (Business Insider)

Any industry can have only one top dog at a time, of course. But what does it take for a No. 2 company to establish itself as a viable rival for the long-term—or even as a future No. 1? Corporate history offers some clues . (For a present-day story of a second-place company gaining ground on the front-runner, read the new Fortune feature "How Lyft Could Defeat Uber," by my colleague Michal Lev-Ram.) ()

Learn More...

As the White House champions a "hire American" agenda, the administration wants to slash funding for a small government office that many U.S. companies say they rely on to stay ahead of foreign rivals, underscoring how competing political interests are complicating President Trump’s pledge to restore the manufacturing industry. The Trump administration is seeking to nearly gut funding for a Labor Department bureau that monitors the treatment of foreign workers, a program that U.S. businesses and labor groups alike say helps American workers compete fairly in the global economy. The program is unpopular among some conservatives, who criticize its backing for groups that support labor unions. (The Washington Post)

Trump's trade team published a list of objectives Monday that outline the administration's goals for renegotiating NAFTA, the three-nation trade pact that went into effect in 1994. A new NAFTA will probably take more than a year to enact, and possibly longer, depending on negotiations and political forces in the three countries. (CNN Money)

When Tim Sloan became CEO of Wells Fargo last year, the bank's image was in tatters. While Wells Fargo came out of the financial crisis looking like the model child, news that its employees had created some 2.1 million phony credit and debit card accounts for customers over a five-year period turned the bank into a pariah. Making the problem even worse: Then-CEO John Stumpf played down the scandal and even appeared to siphon all the blame to "a couple bad apples"—coming off as tone deaf in the process. Stumpf eventually resigned, and saw a portion of his pay clawed back by Wells Fargo's board. (Fortune)

If you’re a manager, maybe you can remember a time when you promoted someone to a position that they really didn’t deserve. And if you can, then you already know that undeserved promotions are time-wasters, morale-killers, and frustration-inducers–not just for you, but for the company as a whole. What you might not know, even in retrospect, is why you went ahead and promoted that person in the first place. (Fast Company)