Job Trends in 2006 (Part 2)
December 2006 |
| Investors, consumers and businesses have had a number of concerns in 2006:
high fuel prices, less-than-stellar job growth and volatile swings in the stock
market. What are top employers looking for in an employee? Recruiters, students
and Smith's career management team give an assessment of current job trends. |
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Carly Fiorina Talks about Revitalizing HP and Experiences
in Corporate America (Part 1)
December 2006 |
| Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina talks about her
tenure at HP, her leadership style and her rise to the top. Fiorina is the
author of the recently published book, Tough Choices: A Memoir. She
received her MBA from the Smith School in 1980. This is the first part of a
three-part series with Fiorina. |
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Entrepreneurs
Attempt to Break up the Big Game Monopoly
December 2006 |
| Hasbro is the 800-pound gorilla of the $5-billion board game industry,
owning Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley and dozens of smaller companies. Under
these conditions, the challenges of successfully marketing a new board game to
the mass market are enormous. Entrepreneurs and Smith MBAs Dominic
Crapuchettes and Satish Pillalmarri, co-owners of
North Star Games, discuss the
challenges of starting their own business, their award-winning games Cluzzle and
Wits & Wagers, and how new start-ups can stay ahead of the pack in an
increasingly competitive marketplace. |
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Online “Pop-up” Ads: Are They Really Working?
November 2006 |
| As online advertising becomes more and more prevalent, these trends provide
continued optimism for online marketers. A common practice among online
advertisers is the “pop-up” ad – an online ad that immediately appears when an
online visitor arrives at a particular home page. Online consumers often find
this practice to be annoying. As a result, these ads can be ineffective when it
comes to attracting new customers, and, worse yet, may even cause visitors to
exit the site and possibly never return.
Wendy Moe discusses “pop-up”
ads and consumers’ perceptions of them. |
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Special Edition: AOL's Ted Leonsis Shares IT Strategy
Tips
November 2006 |
| Ted Leonsis, vice chairman of AOL, spoke at the Smith
School's 7th Annual CIO Forum about strategically
managing information technology and how the recent shift in consumer needs is
changing business. |
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China's Emergence Transforms the Business World
November 2006 |
| The emergence of China in the global economy has created exceptional
opportunities for American businesses. Asher Epstein, managing
director of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at
the Smith School, discusses China's emergence and how it has impacted
entrepreneurship in the U.S. |
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Job Trends in 2006 (Part 1)
October 2006 |
| Investors, consumers and businesses have had a number of concerns in 2006:
high fuel prices, less-than-stellar job growth and volatile swings in the stock
market. What are top employers looking for in an employee? Recruiters, students
and Smith's career management team give an assessment of current job trends. |
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RFID Technology is Transforming Business
October 2006 |
| RFID (radio frequency identification) employs small tags with microchips
that allow items to be identified and tracked by scanners in real time. As a
result, the technology enables such efficiencies as instantaneously tracking how
rapidly goods are moved to shelves, monitoring inventory levels and even
automatic checkout. RFID has been embraced as the next generation of bar coding
by retailers seeking to streamline cost efficiency. But RFID's potential goes
much further – with researchers and early-adopters such as the faculty at the
supply chain management center at the Smith School exploring RFID applications
in industries from healthcare to agriculture. Sandor Boyson,
professor and co-director of the Supply Chain Management Center,
leads Maryland Public Television reporter Charles Robinson through an
introduction to RFID and demonstration of the Smith School's netcentric supply
chain laboratory. |
| Sun Microsystems has donated advanced RFID (radio frequency
identification) equipment and software, making the University of Maryland's
Robert H. Smith School of Business the only business school in the world with
such equipment and research/educational capabilities on its campus. This gift
has enabled the Smith School to create a unique, end-to-end model of the RFID
supply chain – including tags, readers, and networking hardware and software
that link the scanners to computer databases. The gift represents a Smith School
initiative supporting leading, world-class academic, government and corporate
exchanges and advancements to supply chain research. |
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Increasing Your Bottom Line with the Just-in-Time Supply
Chain
October 2006 |
| Dell and Wal-Mart have brought supply chain management onto the radar screen
of all top executives as a key priority.
Phil Evers describes the supply
chain as a network of organizations involved in making a product available to
the customer. Supply chains have been around forever, Evers says, but now they
are becoming more powerful because we are better able to control and monitor the
flow of the product and the information through advances in information
technology. |
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Globalization & Localization
October 2006 |
| As a global superpower, the U.S. has the world’s best universities and a
strong financial system. With less than five percent of the world’s population,
the U.S. economy accounts for almost a third of the global economy (GDP). What
does this mean in terms of international competition and the globalization and
localization of American products? Vinod Jain -- director of
Smith's Center for International Business Education and
Research (CIBER) and a recognized expert in corporate strategy and
international business -- will discuss globalization and localization and their
importance in an American company's success. |
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Feature Fatigue: Overloaded on Bells and Whistles?
September 2006 |
| Do you use only half the buttons on your cell phone? Did you purchase your
coffee maker because it had so many interesting options but now don’t know how
to use it? If so, you are not alone. Products crowded with features may be more
attractive to consumers in the store, but too many features ultimately make a
product overwhelming and hard to use, which leads to dissatisfaction with the
product and perhaps even with the company that manufactured it. Smith marketing
professors explain why too many product features result in a phenomenon called
“feature fatigue.” |
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Consumer Demand for Digital Products
September 2006 |
| Magazines, newspapers, music, videos, books, TV shows, and even movies can
be viewed online and downloaded nowadays. What does this mean for consumers and
retailers? What kinds of digital products are more convenient and cost-effective
in a digital format and which aren't robust enough in the virtual world? Gain
insight into digital product development with
P.K. Kannan. |
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Trade-in Tips: Getting Top Price for Your Used Car
August 2006 |
| In July 2005, new car sales hit a record of 1.8 million in sales; 60 percent
of these auto sales involved trade-ins and getting the best overall deal
involves some planning. Focus on the price of the new car first, says
Joydeep Srivastava.
Only after you have negotiated the new car price reveal that you are planning to
do a trade-in, and come armed with information on the value of the new car and
the trade-in, treating both as separate transactions. Srivastava will discuss
consumer sensitivity and negotiation tactics in this unique trade-in transaction
where the buyer is also the seller. |
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Moving from Regulated to Supply & Demand-Based Utilities
August 2006 |
| There is growing concern about rising utility prices as many states in the
U.S. move from regulated utility rates, to allowing demand-based rates. In
Maryland customers are expected to see a cost increase of almost 75 percent as a
result of the move there. Charles E.
Olson says deregulation of utilities in Maryland was a mistake and
"the legislature owes the public an apology." |
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Managing a Natural Disaster - Technology is Mission
Critical
August 2006 |
| In the wake of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2004
Asian tsunami, the efficient access and exchange of information is crucial in
relief and recovery efforts. Historically, though, computer software companies
haven't addressed the development of costly disaster management software, says
Louiqa Raschid.
Raschid discusses how technology can make the difference between success and
failure when it comes to disaster management. |
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The Biodiesel Phenomenon
August 2006 |
| Because of rising gasoline prices and environmental concerns, Americans are
constantly searching for alternative energy sources. "Biodiesel" is an
agricultural replacement for traditional petroleum diesel fuels, explains
Dan Goodman, Technology Commercialization Fellow at the Smith
School. Approximately 700 bus fleets are already using biodiesel, which contains
no sulfur and is carbon neutral. The Smith School's Dingman
Center for Entrepreneurship has partnered with Silverthorn BioFuels and the
Maryland Soybean Board to create a mobile biodiesel education and production lab
to promote awareness of this renewable fuel. Goodman discusses why biodiesel is
becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. |
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What's Wrong with the Airline Industry?
July 2006 |
| Legacy airlines are suffering and start-ups are able to grab away business
with their overall lower cost of doing business - lower labor costs and
simplified operations and pricing.
Martin Dresner discusses how mature airlines can improve their
business and how start-ups can gain ground. |
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What Matters Most in Advertising - Message or Delivery?
July 2006 |
| Is what you say more important than how you say it? Message content vs.
creative execution has been a longstanding debate in advertising circles.
Hank Boyd says both
message and delivery matter. The ad's dialog can influence a change in attitude
or behavior, and the delivery style can garner an emotional response, says Boyd.
He discusses how and why certain components of ads trigger different responses
from consumers. |
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When is the Right Time to Go Global?
July 2006 |
| Many young entrepreneurs want to jump on the globalization bandwagon right
away, but Chris Bingham
says that companies with limited resources should place strategic bets very
carefully. Should you develop your competencies domestically and possibly miss
the global window of opportunity? Or take the international plunge with your
fingers crossed? Bingham discusses the strategic processes required for
successful internationalization. |
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Managing Fear in the Workplace to Create a Culture of
Trust
July 2006 |
| Managers applaud innovation, but many supervise poised to slap wrists.
Motivating employees through fear may generate greater short-term gain, but
research shows that the long-term results are detrimental to the company, says
Gerald Suarez, Smith School senior fellow and former White
House Director of Presidential Quality. Suarez discusses how managers can help
employees address workplace fears and remain competitive. |
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Carly Fiorina … on
Tenure at HP, Leadership and Change
June 2006 |
| As the CEO and chairman of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina
successfully completed the largest integration in the history of the technology
industry. Although she would later be fired from HP, it’s now clear the course
Fiorina set during her tenure there was the right medicine for the
then-faltering company, no matter how bitter it tasted at the time. Fiorina, MBA
'80, whose memoir will be published in the fall, speaks to business school
graduates – about HP, leadership and change. |
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Disruptive Innovations: How Taking the Low Road Can
Actually Help Spur Growth
June 2006 |
| Is your company being lead by the desires of its top consumers? Your best
intentions could be pointing toward missed opportunities in a whole new market.
When established companies keep improving their existing products and services
to meet their best customers' needs they create opportunities for competitors to
offer similar, more affordable products and services to previous non-consumers.
But, by adding a disruptive innovation - or lower-end product - to the mix, a
company can better recognize all consumers' needs and continue to grow. (Think
digital cameras and budget airlines.)
Cheryl Druehl discusses
disruptive innovations and what they mean to businesses and consumers. |
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Why Are Consumer Product Returns on the Rise?
June 2006 |
| Consumer product returns reached $100 billion annually for the United States
alone. These returns affect retailers, manufacturers and consumers. One reason
product returns are increasing is because manufacturers are making products more
complex with many features, says
Gil Souza. Souza discusses
business strategies to decrease the number of consumer returns. |
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The Winner's Curse: Has It Gotten You?
May 2006 |
| The balloons and big signs lured you to the car dealership as you were
driving by, just to take a look. You ended up taking your dream car for a test
drive and became excited that the prospect of owning it was within reach. You
couldn't resist the temptation of making it yours. Driving it home you started
having doubts, "Did I pay too much?" Escalate this phenomenon to a business
scale and the consequences could be disastrous. It's the Winner's Curse -
overvaluing a good or service because of emotions, or market incentives to do
the wrong thing. Anand
Anandalingam and Hank
Lucas co-authors of the recently published book,
Beware The Winner’s
Curse: Victories That Can Sink You and Your Company, discuss approaches
to decision making that can reduce the chances of encountering the Winner’s
Curse. |
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Making Your Innovative Idea Reality
May 2006 |
| Innovation can mark the difference between success and failure for a
company. Susan Taylor -- director of the Smith School’s
Center for Human Capital, Innovation, and Technology --
explains how you can use innovation to achieve market success in today's
competitive global economy. |
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Does an Increased Gas Tax Make Sense?
May 2006 |
| Gas prices are taking a bite out of consumer spending, and businesses are
feeling it. Gasoline prices are setting new records, but costs were already
rising fast before the storms collided with the Gulf Coast. The future price of
oil, which hinges on everything from OPEC policies to Chinese energy demands,
could easily keep going up. Charles
Olson discusses rising gas prices and whether or not an increased
gas tax could have surprising benefits. |
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Tracking Consumer Habits in Real Time. How Scorecards
Boost Your Bottom Line
May 2006 |
| Information technology has accelerated the growth of large firms in the U.S.
and around the world – and changed the way many companies do business.
Joseph Bailey, Director of the Smith School’s Center
for Electronic Markets and Enterprise, discuss why some companies use “score
cards” and how these “score cards” can help businesses maintain their existing
customers and attract new ones. |
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Become a Transformational Leader with Executive Coaching
May 2006 |
| Businesses today are turning to executive coaching more and more frequently.
For years Fortune 500 companies and other industry leaders have groomed future
executives for senior roles within their organization. Recently, companies are
turning to executive coaching to fine-tune the leadership and communication
style of an elite group.
Joyce Russell discusses executive coaching. |
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Dot-Com Bust Survivors: Not So Unusual After All
April 2006 |
| The mid-1990s brought the Internet to the public’s attention. Many young
entrepreneurs realized that new business models could be created based on the
Internet’s enormous potential. This frenzy of investment is often chronicled as
ending with a “crash.” But is this analysis correct? Was the dot.com era more
successful than was originally believed?
Brent Goldfarb
discusses how dot.com era business strategies spread even though they were
inappropriate for most businesses that tried them. The adoption of these
strategies, surprisingly, may have led to too little entry in the dot.com era. |
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How Is Political Advertising Influencing the Way
Businesses Market Consumer Products?
April 2006 |
| Political advertising has changed the way many businesses market their
products. What do consumers think of "bashing" the competition and what types of
products will be most impacted by this relatively new practice? Mark
Walsh discusses what business leaders need to know in order to prepare
for this new type of marketing strategy. |
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Rethinking Cybersecurity Spending to Better Protect Your
Data and Your Job
March 2006 |
| Though cybersecurity has improved since September 11, threats of terrorism,
the war in Iraq, and an increasing number of computer hackers make computer
networks vulnerable. Larry
Gordon discusses ways businesses can determine the optimum level of
funding to adequately secure computer network systems and data. |
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How the New Supply Chain Puts Custom-Made in Your Hands
January 2006 |
| Customers demand ever-shorter lead times, on-time deliveries, greater
flexibility in delivery terms, and variability in product mix. To meet those
requirements, businesses need a demand fulfillment system that can provide
enterprise-wide visibility and tight integration with other supply chain
systems. Michael Ball
discusses order promise and fulfillment—how companies estimate consumer demand
and how the consumers’ orders are produced. |
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