Thought Leadership

The lifeblood of a business school is its faculty, and at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business our faculty members are inspiring, supportive and world-class. We are attuned to a marketplace that values innovation, entrepreneurialism, analytical thinking and hard work. Our teaching and research equips students with the wisdom of business scholarship rooted in the experiential lessons of the marketplace.

January 16, 2018

How to Optimize Executive Incentives

Leaders can lose their jobs for simply having the right skills at the wrong time, which can complicate negotiations for executive incentive packages.

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January 16, 2018

Digital Strategies in Bond Markets

Bond markets value IT investments differently than stock markets according to the strategic roles of IT in industries and the types of risks they create.

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January 11, 2018

Can Blockchain Save Kodak?

Can cryptocurrency save the struggling Eastman Kodak? "Kodak is clearly trying to ride this wave," the Smith School's Brent Goldfarb says. "But I am at a loss as to the problem this solves." He thinks the effort will slowly disappear.

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January 9, 2018

Is It Time To Rethink 2 Percent Inflation?

What happens when the two key pieces of economic data suggest different paths for U.S. interest rates? That's the situation playing out now as the Federal Reserve maps its course. The Smith School's Robert J. Windle explains.

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January 4, 2018

Decoding Hotel Management Structure

Does it make good economic sense for hotel owners to hold the deeds and manage operations at their properties? Professor Hui Liao believes it does.

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January 3, 2018

Why the Budgeting Process Matters

Numbers, like sales goals, drive action in organizations. But it's the goal-setting process that actually motivates individuals to hit those numbers.

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January 2, 2018

Top Five Stocks To Watch in 2018

2017 was a pretty happy year for stock investors, and the Smith School's David Kass says he expects 2018 to be rosy as well. He shares his top five picks: Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Kraft Heinz.

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December 20, 2017

Detours Ahead, Keynote Speaker Tells Grads

Aspiring leaders who want to unlock their potential should anticipate detours in their nonlinear rise to the top, commencement keynotes speaker Connie K. Weaver told graduates on Dec. 20, 2017. She drew lessons from her own career.

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December 19, 2017

Bitcoin 101: A Primer for Digital Currency

Many Bitcoin buyers can't explain their investment because they don't understand how cryptocurrency works. Smith School finance professor Joe Rinaldi and two students provide this primer to help reduce the confusion.

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December 15, 2017

The Rise of the Oft-Misunderstood CRO

When the Smith School's Cliff Rossi was chief risk officer for Citigroup's Consumer Lending Division, few people understood the role. Things have changed since then. Rossi explains the evolution and what's next.

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