Maryland Smith Students Help Produce Digital Sophistication Index

A team of Global Consulting Fellows at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has collaborated with market intelligence and consulting firm DuckerFrontier to produce a Global Digital Sophistication Index.

The index is marketed to multinational companies to help executives assess which markets may be more ready for heavy investment in digital marketing and e-commerce infrastructure and where growth in digital sophistication is high, indicating a large digital opportunity.

“Our collaboration with DuckerFrontier gave students a great opportunity to work with a real-world client,” said Maryland Smith professor Mark Wellman, who advised the capstone project in his Global Consulting Fellows course – part of a program open to all business majors. “As we have interacted with other firms the index has been received positively with a focus on how it can drive growth.”

Wellman’s students worked closely with DuckerFrontier on the semester-long project, gathering the data and identifying sources and indicators for the index. “Their research was invaluable, and it was such a hands-on way for them to gain experience working on a topic that is a growing priority for multinational companies,” said Martina Bozadzhieva, managing director and head of research at DuckerFrontier, who led the project.

Smith team members included Ariana Saunders, Daniel Sullivan, Alexander Leipold and Lorna Wilson.

Read more: DuckerFrontier and the University of Maryland Collaborate to Produce the Digital Sophistication Index.