Volume 2 - Number 3

Breaking Into the Big Box – and Staying There

Over the past 10 years, big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot have grown tremendously, dominating the market for many products and establishing themselves as the crucial link between manufacturers and consumers. As such, they are increasingly powerful and important to manufacturers. A new decision support tool promises to help manufacturers design new products that will ensure they satisfy their first-line customers — those big-box retailers.

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/newsletter/leading/archives/july07/bigbox.html

ARTICLE    AUDIO PODCAST 

A New Way to Get Inside Consumer Minds to Predict Buying Behavior

Marketers have long believed that consumers make product buying decisions in two stages, selecting first from a large set and second from a smaller set. Now, thanks to Internet commerce – and the rich data collected through online transactions – new light can be shed on exactly what happens in each of those decision stages. A new study identifies ways in which managers can use this new data to devise better targeting strategies.

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/research/ras/may2007/onlineonly.moe.html

ARTICLE    AUDIO PODCAST 

Revealing the Performance of Small Investors

What would happen if you compared stock trades made by small retail investors to those made by large institutional investors over a 20-year period? Researchers who made the comparison found a surprisingly persistent pattern that has one group outperforming the other. The research is also adding insight into one of the most important debates in finance.

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/research/ras/may2007/onlineonly.hvidkajaer.html

  ARTICLE    AUDIO PODCAST 

Smith Video Views

A Revolution in the Securities Industry

It is estimated that 25 percent of stock trades are now entered online by individual investors, making retail brokerage one of the most successful examples of e-commerce. In this Smith Business Video View, Hank Lucas, professor information systems at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and a recognized expert on information technology, discusses how IT continues to transform the securities industry.

AUDIO/VIDEO PODCAST 

Starbucks, P&G and China’s Emerging Middle Class

The emerging middle class in China will be expanding by millions of people over the next decade and with it comes a huge increase in per capita purchasing power. Who stands to gain the most as China’s economy grows? This Smith Business Video View presents insight from Tien Wong, CEO of Opus8, a Washington, D.C.-area private investment firm specializing in middle market buyouts, private equity and venture capital investments.

AUDIO/VIDEO PODCAST 

Books

From an account of the corporate philanthropic rise of former chairman and CEO of Citigroup Sandy Weill, to an examination of highly improbable events that have massive impact, there is fascinating summer reading from which to choose. Find out what’s recommended for the summer of 2007 by thought leaders at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

ARTICLE

Entrepreneurship in China

Interested in what's happing in business in the world's fastest growing economy? Check out news and articles from China Entrepreneur, a media sponsor for the 2007 Robert H. Smith School of Business China Business Plan Competition at http://www.cnemag.com/en.

Other Resources from the Robert H. Smith School of Business

■ Leading the Digital Economy Archives

■ Smith Video and Audio Podcasts

■ Smith Video and Audio Podcasts (Mandarin Chinese)

■ Research@Smith Newsletter

■ Smith Business Magazine

■ Executive Education Programs

Leading the Digital Economy is your source for business intelligence from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. No time to read? Log on to Smith Podcasts to download video and audio directly to your iPod or other MP3 player. Read it here, or get Smith business intelligence when and where you want it! If you have questions or feedback, send e-mail to leading@rhsmith.umd.edu. 

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