Smith School In the News

December 2022

FIND MBA – Dec. 30 – Assistant Dean of MBA Programs Rosellina Ferraro and Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Office of Career Services Neta Moye comment in “Online MBAs Refreshed for Digital Age”: Covid-19 accelerated what was already underway — a shift to a “digital-first” world, [says Moye]. “Organizations adopt digital strategies and operations to fuel growth and profit. To get there, they need employees with digital skills. Students see that digital skills will set you apart today; and they know that soon, they will be table stakes just to get in the door,” she explains. While it may be tempting to think this only applies to technology companies who build and sell digital solutions, Moyes says that surveys suggest more and more organizations will see a substantial percentage of their growth coming from digital products and services or improvements in operations fueled by digital tools and technologies. In response, the Smith Online MBA program offers a wide variety of course offerings that are foundational to building digital skills, such as social media and web analytics, and customer equity management. “MBA programs continually strive to update their course offerings to meet the skills required for success in today’s marketplace,” [says Ferraro].

Maryland Daily Record – Dec. 28 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang comments in “Retail Strong in Holiday Shopping Season Despite Inflation”: [Zhang notes] inflation is definitely playing a role in retail spending. “It is putting so much pressure on so many households, limiting their ability (to spend),” she said. “A lot of shoppers go into this holiday season with a strict budget and, if we look at overall spending, we can be fairly optimistic that we are going to see total spending is going to be higher than last year.” However, she cautions, we need to factor in the 8% inflation rate into these numbers. “Personally, I think (spending) is probably going to be slightly lower than last year if we subtract by the 8% inflation rate.” Zhang notes the retail industry is seeing a bipolarization trend which is certainly a reflection of the purchasing power across the income spectrum. People in the lower to middle incomes are feeling the brunt of the pressure of inflation as well as rising interest rates. “That would certainly limit people’s willingness to open up their wallet especially if they have to carry balances on their credit cards,” she said.

Analytics Insight – Dec. 28 – Smith’s Professional Certificate in Data Science and Business Analytics is profiled as part of “Top 10 Harvard Approved Business Analytics Courses to Do in 2023.”

Motley Fool – Dec. 23 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass contributes to “Top 10 Financial New Year's Resolutions for 2023” including: …In fact, Dr. David Kass, Professor of Finance at University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, says, "Interest rates on credit card balances have soared to as high as 19% during 2022, far exceeding the 7% rate of inflation." With interest rates that high, even a small amount of debt has the potential to skyrocket. Kass says that to pay off debt successfully, it's a good idea to set up a monthly budget. That could help you reduce your spending in different categories to free up cash for debt payoff purposes.

Psychology Today – Dec. 23 – “Thrill of Going to Holiday Parties Alone” cites Dean’s Professor of Marketing Rebecca Ratner’s research: Another worry is that being out in public on your own just won’t be much fun. But that doesn’t hold up, either. In one of a series of studies conducted by Rebecca Ratner and Rebecca Hamilton, students who were either alone or with a friend were asked to predict how much they would enjoy going to an art gallery. The students who were on their own thought they would enjoy it less. But then, after they, and the students who were with a friend, actually did go to the gallery, it turned out that the students on their own enjoyed the experience just as much as the students who were with a friend. Other research by the same team showed that there are some experiences in public places that are more enjoyable on your own than with other people. Related: Ratner discusses the same research for Germany-based Süddeutsche Zeitung Sz in Bist du alleine hier? (Are You Alone?).

Seeking Alpha – Dec. 23 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives “10 Stocks For 2023.”

Fox Business – Dec. 23 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender joins Independent Institute senior fellow Judy Shelton to discuss “President Biden Touting his Economic Plan.”

LexBlog – Dec. 22 – Professor and Chair of Accounting and Information Assurance Michael Kimbrough, based on his research, co-authors “Can Corporate ESG Reports Clear Up ESG Ratings Confusion?”

Federal News Radio – Dec. 22 – MBA student and Space Force Captain Jared Bogdan discusses applying his technology management study at Smith to support the national defense strategy in “Why a Space Force Captain Went Back to School.” Summary: The Air Force and the business school at the University of Maryland have teamed up. Their program helps Air Force and Space Force officers get their MBAs, specializing in technology management. The officers return as faculty members of the Air Force Academy. Ultimately, they hope to speed up technology adoption by the armed services.

New York Post Editorial Board – Dec. 19 – “Terrible Toll of COVID ‘McCarthyism’, Chief Twit’s Improv Management and Other Commentary” excerpts a recent Washington Times op-ed by Deans’ Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: Far from her “bleak picture,” in January 2021 it “was eight months into rapidly falling unemployment, strong GDP growth, and low, stable inflation.” “No further economic rescue was needed,” but Democrats’ American Rescue Plan brought “more government spending, advancing a vision where people’s livelihoods are separated from the virtues of work and where domestic energy production is vilified.” The result: “Consumer prices rising 13.8% since Mr. Biden, Ms. Yellen and their team took office, a historic labor shortage, and now the most rapid rise in interest rates in decades, coinciding with minimal economic growth.” Americans “need a return to pro-growth policies that encourage work, encourage investment, and boost energy production, with the private sector once again leading the way in generating abundant prosperity for all.”

USA Today – Dec. 18 – Nicole Coomber, assistant dean and associate clinical professor of management and organization, writes “What's Downshifting Your Career – And is it Right for You?” – including: For my latest research project, my co-authors and I interviewed working moms about their experiences during COVID. What we found: After an initial hustle that saw people committing extra time to ensure their organization succeeded, people started to realize the increased workload wasn’t going away. We interviewed women in spring and summer 2021, right when that weariness started to set in. They told us the situation forced a reassessment. What is truly important? What values do they want their lives to reflect? You can only run at top speed for so long.

USA Today – Dec. 18 – In the career advice column “Will Your Remote Job Stay That Way?”, Assistant Dean of Doctoral Programs and Dean’s Professor of Accounting Rebecca Hann writes, in part: Trying to find a new job where you can work from home? The pandemic prompted many jobseekers to look for remote or hybrid work, but how do you know whether the job you're applying for now will stay remote in the coming years? Some of the biggest clues can come from a company’s competitor.

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) – Dec. 16 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes, as his latest CRO Outlook column, “FTX Fiasco: Risk Management Lessons Learned.”  Intro: The failure of the crypto giant has shined a spotlight on the crucial role of CEOs, who must lead the development of comprehensive, engaging risk cultures.

Voice of America – Dec. 15 – “Biden Counters China Africa Strategy” (Beginning at 5:35) includes William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet discussing the just-concluded U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit that included a new agreement with the African Continental Free Trade Area to give American companies access to 1.3 billion people and a market valued at $3.4 trillion, along with a U.S. pledge to support the African Union's admission as a permanent member of the G20. Senbet, involved in consultative processes leading up to the summit including meetings in Congress for input to related bipartisan legislation under development, said, in part: “There are tremendous opportunities for growth. The question is how we get to the next level. One of the things Africa did was establish a large free trade area, basically trying to integrate the markets and labor, and service and trade and commodities. And this [has] incredible potential for building a vast market for the benefit of the world. And Africa partnering with the U.S. will help speed up the implementation of the trade agreement.”

Wiley’s Online Library – Dec. 10 – “Beliefs Aggregation and Return Predictability,” previews research forthcoming in the Journal of Finance co-authored by Albert “Pete” Kyle, the Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance: We study return predictability using a model of speculative trading among competitive traders who agree to disagree about the precision of private information…

PolitiFact – Dec. 9 - “Corporate Profits do Not Drive Inflation, but Inflation Boosts Company Profit” references Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: Also, wages have not kept pace with rising prices for consumer goods and services, partly because salaries for the workforce’s middle tier tend not to be adjusted for sudden changes. That means for companies, revenue has risen but labor costs have increased by less, or not at all — and companies have captured that differential as profit, said Michael Faulkender, a University of Maryland finance professor who was the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for economic policy from 2019 to 2021. Related: Faulkender co-authors op-eds at Fox News and the Daily Caller.

ESG News – Dec. 9 – “Six Ways Companies Can Drive Environmental, Social Change” summarizes a new report, The State of Environmental and Social Value Creation,” produced by Smith’s Center for Social Value Creation that “sets out a framework for understanding how companies across industries can generate meaningful, measurable improvement in environmental and social performance.” Related coverage at Investor’s Hub, Science Newsnet, others.

Cloudwords.net – Dec. 8 – “The Future of Streaming: How to Cut Costs & Save Money on Streaming Services in 2022” includes an ‘Ad-Based Revenue vs Higher Subscription Rates’ section by Dean’s Professor of Marketing Wendy Moe, including: “When these streaming services were just providing access to content created by others, the subscription model made sense… The original Netflix product offered a limited number of movies per month for a fixed subscription rate. Of course, there was also an unlimited option, but that was more expensive, and Netflix had to carefully weigh the price of the subscription against the likely cost of providing the licensed content. Now, the industry is moving toward a model where these platforms are creating their own content and providing that to their subscribers. As a result, the cost of serving these subscribers is increasing while the subscription fees they are getting remains relatively fixed. … The alternative is raising subscription rates, which consumers may not tolerate as well. This change would take the industry full circle and the streaming services will have the same business model as the ‘old school’ broadcast networks where they invest in content (e.g., producing series, licensing movies, paying for broadcast rights to sporting events) and pay for it with advertising revenue.”

Money Control – Dec. 6 – “Don’t Write Off Twitter Just Yet” references Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: With business innovation, and prudent financial management, Musk could smooth over the costs and expect more. David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H Smith School of Business, believes Musk could well attract investments from large funds with the prospect of an initial public offering in three to five years.

Finance Videos Network – Dec. 5 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger gives a podcast discussion on “Business Financial Fraud.”

Fox Business – Dec. 1 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender discusses America's economy and the job market in a segment, “US is in a ‘Continuous Loop’.”

CPG Specialist (Financial Times-produced) – Dec. 1 – “Tyson CFO Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Criminal Trespass, Public Intoxication” quotes Assistant Dean and Associate Clinical Professor of Management Nicole Coomber: “It’s a huge responsibility to give the financial management of the firm to someone who has been accused of a criminal offense, and even a trial could be a huge distraction for a CFO,” Coomber said via email. “f I were a shareholder, I’d like to see a leave of absence from John Tyson while he focuses on his trial.”

Bankrate – Dec. 1 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in “Mortgage rate forecast for December 2022: A celebratory pause?,” including: While the Fed has some impact on mortgage rates, specifically variable-rate products, fixed mortgage rates are primarily influenced by the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield. The spread between the two has widened, but the yield has also dropped recently. “Consequently, I see some moderation in mortgage rates by the end of the year,” [says Rossi], who for December expects the 30-year rate to average 6.8 percent to 7 percent and the 15-year rate to average 6.1 percent to 6.3 percent. ... A recession in 2023, however, could switch things up again, especially if the job market suffers. “If inflation remains well above 6 percent or 7 percent in the first quarter of 2023, I could see additional smaller rate hikes in the 25 – to 50-basis point range, assuming the labor market holds up,” says Rossi. “A noticeable rise in the unemployment rate could, however, make the Fed think twice about even modest rate hikes early next year…and a wildcard that could severely affect the supply chain and add to inflationary pressures is a potential rail strike. If that were to occur, I could see mortgage rates loitering around the 7 percent level for some time.”

Legal Theory Blog – Dec. 1 – “Anenson & Gershberg on Stare Decisis and California Pension Precedent” previews research forthcoming in Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review by Smith professors T. Leigh Anenson and Jennifer Gershberg.

November 2022

CQ Roll Call – Nov. 30 – “Public Companies with Global Chains Fared Worse During Pandemic, Study Says” summarizes research co-authored by Lemma Senbet, The William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance, including: “Internationalization is not always a positive driver of firm value,” the authors wrote. “In certain cases, such as a global pandemic, where governments are forced to restrict the flow of people and goods to contain the virus, real factor exposures of [multinational companies] can become liabilities relative to those of [domestic companies].” Relying on international supply chains was a liability for many multinational companies, the authors concluded.

Forbes – Nov. 30 – Mojo Rawley is Thriving After WWE With a Powerful Business That Helps Wrestlers” includes: Dean Muhtadi (MBA ’11), formerly known as the highly energetic Mojo Rawley, was prepared for life after wrestling before even signing a WWE contract. Starting in the seventh grade, Muhtadi worked as an intern for Morgan Stanley at the age of 11. Despite going on to become a decorated collegiate athlete, who later turned pro, Muhtadi continued to build a solid foundation off the field by earning his MBA from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.

Yahoo Finance – Nov. 30 – “Study Shows What Soccer Can Teach Managers About Hiring Top Talent” summarizes research co-authored by management professor Gilad Chen revealing how and when teams can make the most of new talent they pick up after the tournament. The findings also translate to the corporate world, where companies looking to win the war for talent often pay a premium to attract superstar employees. … Article also featured at Groundbreak Carolinas and related coverage via Maryland Today’s “Study Finds Hiring Stars on the Field or at the Office Can Pay Off.”

WalletHub ‘Ask the Experts’ – Nov. 29 – Distinguished University Professor Roland Rust answers “Why is Allstate so Philanthropic?”: Rust: “Insurance is often a lifetime relationship, but the initial brand choices are made by the young. The younger generation has demonstrated a greater interest in the social good, which means that a company that is seen as philanthropic may have higher appeal to the group they target the most for initial sales.”

Sinclair Broadcasting Group – Nov. 28 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in “Housing Market Winter Outlook: Still a Seller's Market, Just a Softer One,” including: Is there a danger of a housing market crash, like we saw in 2008? “No. Not at all,” said Rossi, who has held senior executive roles in risk management at multiple large financial services companies, including Citigroup, Countrywide Bank and Freddie Mac. “This is so totally different than a 2008.” Borrowers are more insulated from a downturn than they were in 2008, Rossi said. Mortgage products are also fairly pristine from a credit quality standpoint now, he said. … Rossi said both buyers and sellers are probably better off waiting until the spring or summer to see what happens with rates and the economy. He’s not expecting the market to deteriorate, but he thinks rates could edge lower and prices might soften. Rossi said a potential buyer should get their down payment ready and get prequalified for a loan. Be ready to act if rates come down a bit and the right home hits the market, but don’t be hasty, he said.

Washington Post – Nov. 25 – “Black Friday Isn’t What it Used to Be. Here’s Why.” Quotes Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: “We are in unique economic situations — inflation has been at a 40-year high and a lot of families’ budgets are being squeezed from all fronts,” [said Zhang]. “So there isn’t as much enthusiasm to open up wallets coming into this holiday shopping season.”

Vulcan Post – Nov. 25 – ‘Will Twitter be the Next MySpace?’ quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Instead of losing his investment, Musk can buy back Twitter’s debt from lenders at a steep discount to reduce the company’s debt load and interest costs, as well as its valuation… This will end up being beneficial for the company in the long run. Besides that, according to finance professor David Kass, Twitter could also replace some of its debt with equity and if successful, Twitter can generate positive free cash flow in two or three years… Kass also gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 5 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization,” via TalkMarkets, for Nov. 27.

WUSA-9 - Nov. 23 - Smith senior Ronit Tuladhar discusses his research in “Did Social Media Influencers Pump Up Cryptocurrencies?”:  People like Ronit have grown up following online influencers since they were kids. But this was the first time he saw them promoting cryptocurrencies… Ronit found it wasn’t just gamers. All different social media influencers in 2021 were somehow involved in talking about cryptocurrencies on their platforms… One gaming YouTube influencer he focused on had millions of followers across several platforms. In June of 2021, this influencer promoted a coin called “Milf Token” for a few weeks. Ronit saw that after it was promoted on the influencer’s platforms the number of people buying it rose. At its peak, $20 million a day was invested into it. But then, not long after the peak, the influencer stopped promoting the coin. “It just completely plummets over the course of the entire month,” Ronit explained. As of this report, online exchanges show that "Milf Token" today only has about $30 traded on it daily. In the meantime, the influencer has removed all his posts about "Milf Token." The people who bought the coin are out of luck. “There needs to be some sort of legal consequence for what these influencers are doing,” Ronit said.

NPR – Nov. 23 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in “How Silicon Valley Fervor Explains Elizabeth Holmes' 11-Year Prison Sentence”: Holmes' punishment does come amid signs of a tech sector becoming less frothy. Both Big Tech companies and startups are laying off staff, new $1 billion companies are becoming harder to spot and venture capital firms are warning of a tough road ahead. Has the tech bubble burst, or is it about to burst? That determination, experts say, is easier made in hindsight. “Tech bubbles don't pop in the way a bubble pops from chewing gum," [said Kirsch], who wrote a book about bubbles and crashes. “Investment bubbles tend to deflate slowly.” ... Kirsch, who studies tech entrepreneurs, was similarly skeptical about a major shakeup in the venture capital-backed tech startup world. “The venture community is vulnerable to a shiny new story. They have been. They always will be,” he said. “We're kidding ourselves if we think the recipe is going to change because Elizabeth Holmes goes to prison.”

Skift – Nov. 22 – “Hilton Uncovers a Lot More About Blended Travelers After Student Competition” reviews the Adobe Analytics Challenge 2022, including the pitch by Smith MS in Marketing Analytics classmates I-Ju Lin, Chu-Hsuan Tsao and Yiling Kang, who captured the $35,000 top prize: They examined the cross-device customer journey of those booking travel with Hilton and used anonymized data from a portfolio of 18 brands and 7,000 properties worldwide to understand how consumers are making purchase decisions digitally across devices.

Maryland Today – Nov. 22 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang explains that after two years of robust holiday spending during the pandemic, inflation will dampen consumers’ plans this season, in Holiday Shopping Forecast: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like … Listless.

Wall Street Journal – Nov. 21 – How Elon Musk’s Twitter Faces Mountain of Debt, Falling Revenue and Surging Costs quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: The company could also replace some of the debt with equity, both from Mr. Musk and from outside investors, said David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. For that, Mr. Musk would need to persuade potential investors that he has a viable long-term business plan, he said. Replacing debt could enable the company to generate cash. Mr. Musk has said some of his latest Tesla Inc. stock sale, yielding almost $4 billion in cash, was because of Twitter. If successful, the company could generate positive free cash flow in two or three years, which it could use to pay down the residual debt and eventually go public again, Mr. Kass said. “The prospect of an eventual IPO within three to five years would be a very attractive enticement for large funds,” he said.

Maryland Today – Nov. 21 – Smith professors Martin Dresner (logistics) and Roland Rust give preemptive strategies for travelers in “These Post-COVID Air Travel Strategies Might Just Save Your Holiday.”

FIND MBA – Nov. 21 – Assistant Dean of MBA and MS Admissions Shelbi Brookshire contributes to How to Survive and Thrive on an Online MBA, including: At the Smith School in the US, each MBA candidate is paired with a personal specialist who ensures end-to-end support from admission through to graduation. These specialists proactively reach out to students during critical points in the Online MBA. “This regular and systematic activity keeps the student progressing toward graduation, uncovers challenges the student might be facing, and allows the support specialist to take action to assist at-risk students,” Brookshire says.

Forbes – Nov. 20 – “With Holiday Travel Here, Reviewing A Report On Best Airlines Of 2022” Distinguished University Professor Roland Rust: What measures can airlines undertake to diminish their pilot shortage? “With the military no longer being the source that it once was, airlines now may need to take on their own training. For example, United Airlines now runs a school that promises a job to all graduates, at one of United's regional carriers (which also are the primary source of pilots for the top jobs at the legacy carriers).”

TalkMarkets – Nov. 19 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 5 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization.”

Jornal Económico (Portugal) – Nov. 18 – Assistant Professor of Finance Bruno Pellegrino is awarded the Portuguese Competition Authority’s AdC Prize for Best Paper on Competition Policy for his paper “Product Differentiation and Oligopoly: a Network Approach.”

BusinessBecause – Nov. 18 – “5 of the Best Masters in Finance in the US” features the Smith’s Master of Finance program.

Poets & Quants – Nov. 16 – “Is The Online MBA Now For Career Changers?” highlights the Smith School: For the past two years, we’ve asked 2022 graduates if their online MBA degrees directly led to them changing industries and job functions. Those using the degree to switch job functions climbed from 44.44% last year to 45.42% this year. Graduates of the University of Maryland Smith School of Business reported the highest rate of job function changes at a frothy 81.82%.

Maryland Today – Nov. 15 – “Multinational Firms Suffered Disproportionately During Pandemic, UMD Study Finds” covers research by William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet.

Investing.com – Nov. 15 – “Taiwan Semiconductor Among Warren Buffett's Latest Buys” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: In the first nine months of 2022, Berkshire poured $66 billion into stocks, 13 times more than what it invested during the same period in 2021. “This is classic Buffett,” said David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. “He is being greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy.” … Related: Economy Watch references Kass in “Occidental Petroleum: Warren Buffett Ups Stake While David Tepper Exits”: David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business believes that Berkshire would eventually acquire Occidental. The last major acquisition by Berkshire was way back in 2015 when it acquired Precision Castparts. In 2022, the company announced the acquisition of Alleghany for over $11 billion.

Wall Street Journal – Nov. 14 – “Berkshire Hathaway Bought $9 Billion in Stock in Third Quarter” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Overall, Berkshire spent $66 billion buying stocks in the first nine months of the year. That is more than 13 times its spending over the same period in 2021. “This is classic Buffett,” said David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. “He is being greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy.” … Related: Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization for Nov. 12," via TalkMarkets.

Maryland Today – Nov. 11 – “A Three-Decade QUEST (Multidisciplinary Honors Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Solving Problems with Corporate, Government Partners)” quotes Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Joseph Bailey: One of QUEST’s trademarks is a semester-long capstone course in which students consult on a problem that one of the program’s corporate or governmental partners is experiencing. “It was always a customer-centric program—that has continued on through the many years, but what customers are worried about and thinking about, that’s changed,” [said Bailey].

Science Newsnet – Nov. 10 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger writes “Will ERC Equal PPP in Terms of Fraud?”: With the IRS warning about “ERC mills” – third parties improperly advising businesses to claim the employee retention credit, Handwerger explains Congress’ shifting guidelines, the “less-than-scrupulous consultants” and a newly bolstered IRS as “a perfect storm” for ERC fraud exposure.

Maryland Today – Nov. 10 – “$1M Award to Support Data-Driven Fight Against Pandemics” quotes and cites Dean’s Professor of Management Systems Louiqa Raschid as principal investigator for a new NSF-funded project: “We think the benefits of PandEval will be twofold: increasing trust and confidence in our public health infrastructure and giving decision makers epidemiological models that are customized to specific population segments,” said Raschid. “This can be invaluable for things like vaccine rollouts and health-related mandates.”

CFO Magazine – Nov. 8 – “Tyson CFO Arrested, Reviving Critics’ Concerns Over Inexperience, Conflict of Interest” quotes Assistant Dean and Associate Clinical Professor of Management Nicole Coomber: “We can have blind spots when it comes to our loved ones… Typically, any family-run business where a family member is appointed to leadership needs to make sure they have a transparent governance model, and a family charter that specifically addresses how they will manage any conflicts of interest,” [said Coomber]. Related: Food Dive’s Nov. 8 report “New Tyson CFO Arrested on Trespassing, Public Intoxication Charges” quotes Coomber extensively.

California Management Review – Nov. 7 – Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship Anil K. Gupta co-authors “Harnessing Alternative Data for Competitive Advantage.” Summary: Companies now have access to a tsunami of non-traditional data for creating and capturing value.

CFO Dive – Nov. 7 – Assistant Dean and Associate Clinical Professor of Management Nicole Coomber comments in “New Tyson CFO Arrested for Trespassing, Public Intoxication”: Among the major concerns was how or whether the board would go about removing the younger Tyson from his post should circumstances indicate a termination might be in order. Tyson’s arrest now puts the board in a difficult position, [according to Coomber]. “If a family member is in crisis, you want to support that person. However, if an executive has committed an illegal act, you must return to your written policies. It is crucial for the company at this point to make sure that they are adhering to whatever they have written down in their code of ethics.” … Coomber commented separately for Financial Times newsletter CPG Specialist in “Tyson's Newly Minted CFO Arrested for Public Intoxication, Criminal Trespassing” (not online): The arrest should be a wake-up call for Tyson, one corporate management expert said. “The company needs to take a hard look at their own decision-making and not just scapegoat him for the problem,”[Coomber said.] “I can't imagine that this is the first sign of any issues with this executive, and if they ignored the signs that he had substance abuse issues they need to examine their own blind spots.”

TalkMarkets – Nov. 5  – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives “5 Highlights of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2022 Third Quarter Report.

The Hill – Nov. 4 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender writes op-ed, “America First Policies will Revitalize our Economy.”

GARP CRO Outlook  – Nov. 4  – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes “How to Avoid the Risk Mechanic Syndrome in Machine Learning.” Summary: Complex, ML-driven risk models are trending at financial institutions, sometimes at the lamentable expense of critical-thinking skills. Consequently, there’s also now a greater demand for risk managers with technology backgrounds – but firms that adopt the latest modeling marvels would be wise to adopt a hybrid approach where cross-trained data scientists, economists and statisticians work side-by-side.

WalletHub – Nov. 2 – Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani addresses ‘Car Insurers Using Celebrity Endorsers,’ in a brief “Ask the Experts” Q&A.

American Banker – Nov. 1 – “Pushback From U.S. Banks Softens GFANZ Climate Rules” quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: [Rossi said] that GFANZ “got a little ahead of its skis” and was “overly aggressive” on how decarbonization plans should proceed. “I think they got an earful from bankers when they started to see that these restrictions came in a little bit harsher than they thought they were going to be,” said Rossi... He added that pushback from conservative lawmakers on climate commitments “has had a ‘stop and let's think long and hard’ effect on these institutions." Economic developments this year, including the war in Ukraine's impact on energy prices, are “resetting people's expectations on how fast initiatives transitioning to a green economy can actually happen.”

Phys.org – Nov. 1  – Do IPO Firms Become Myopic? summarizes research co-authored by finance professors Vojislav (Max) Maksimovic and Liu Yang, including: “After firms go public, or have their Initial Public Offering (IPO), [they, compared to private firms] respond more to investment opportunities and have higher productivity in their early public years.”

HuffPost – Nov. 1 (Originally published Oct. 27)  – Undermining You At Work, According To Science And 'The (Netflix series) Mole' quotes Associate Professor of Management and Organization Trevor Foulk and references his research: “If someone is paranoid, they might interpret a simple benign interaction as an insult,” [said Foulk]. “For example, if someone walks by in the hall and doesn’t say ‘hi,’ under normal circumstances you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re just busy today.’ But when paranoid, you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re mad at me, why didn’t they say ‘hi?’ Oh, I hope they’re not talking about me behind my back.’” … And generally, the more powerless you feel in your organization, the more paranoid you are likely to be, Foulk and his colleagues say in a study they published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. [Foulk] found that supportive organizational environments can lessen powerless employees’ paranoia. “Since paranoia is a state of vigilance to potential threats, when we feel supported we are a little less worried about those threats,” Foulk said. “If you’re worried that people are talking behind your back, conspiring against you, etc., but you also feel that if it came to it, your manager would support you, the threat that those people represent –– again, whether real or not –– doesn’t seem as bad, since you know you’ll be able to protect yourself even if the threat became real.”

October 2022

Fox Business – Oct. 31 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender discusses with Larry Kudlow the Federal Reserve's monetary policy options under current regulatory and fiscal challenges… Related: Faulkender discusses the latest GDP report and what it signals about the US economy, via 77 WABC’s Kudlow Show (Oct. 29).

WMAL (via SoundCloud) – Oct. 31 – Dean’s Professor of Accounting Rebecca Hann discusses her recent research in “Remote Work Became Commonplace During the Height of the Pandemic but the Trend Began Before COVID Finds One University of Maryland Researcher (Parts one and two).”

TheBayNet.com – Oct. 30 – “Technology And Business Accelerators Provide Resources To Many New Maryland Businesses” references Smith’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship: The Robert H. Smith School of Business is another major catalyst in that space. Their relentless effort always brings some unique yet superb outcomes. Every year their Terp Startup Accelerator 2022 Cohort provides seed funds for a few out-of-the-box ideas selected from the students. Maryland is the place for new businesses, and that is for a reason.

TalkMarkets – Oct. 30 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization.”

GARP Risk Podcast – Oct. 28 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi discusses “Tail Risk: How to Incorporate Extreme Events into Financial Risk Modeling”: Summary: Risk modelers have recently been befuddled by rare and powerful non-financial events, including the pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, radical weather happenings, and a supply-chain crisis. What are the characteristics and impacts of these unpredictable incidents? In this podcast, [Rossi] will address these issues, and also share his views on how financial institutions can better understand these risks and link them properly to financial losses.

Clear Admit – Oct. 28 –“Real Humans of the UMD Smith MBA Class of 2024” comprises profiles and Q&As featuring Smith MBAs Abiola James, Anuja Balaji, Courtney McClammy, Jonathan Fogg, Christiaan Van Der Merwe and Tydearian Cocroft.

New York Times – Oct. 26 – “How Biden Uses His ‘Car Guy’ Persona to Burnish His Everyman Image” quotes Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: “It’s convenient for senior American politicians to have a favorite American muscle car,” said Kirsch, a professor at the University of Maryland’s business school and the author of “The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History.” “It is a type of affinity with the American worker, and I think it does connote an image of male virility and machismo that is important for a leader who wants to appear strong.”

Harvard Business Review – Oct. 26 – Dean’s Professor of Management Subra Tangirala explains his recent research in co-authoring “When Speaking Up, Timing is Everything.” Summary: Raising ideas or concerns to managers can raise your profile positively, but not if your busy manager doesn’t have the headspace for it. The authors present research suggesting that people who wait until their contribution is relevant to their unit’s agenda, fully researched, and likely to fall on receptive ears are not only more likely to get listened to, they are also more likely to get promotions and pay raises.

Fox Business – Oct. 25 – The Kudlow ‘Biden’s War on Fossil Fuels’ segment includes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender’s comments on energy policy and recession: Faulkender: “The most important thing we can do, Larry, is unleash American energy. At the end of the day, low-cost access to energy has a broad impact across the economy. And so, the most we can do to help economic ingenuity here in the United States is to bring down energy prices and to end the war on American energy.” Kudlow: “…A great answer – a concise, on-target, superb answer by a distinguished economist.”

Alpha Beta Stock – Oct. 25 – “Why Did Apple Stock Split?” references previous comments by Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: University of Maryland business professor David Kass argues that stock splitting was a practice used by companies to keep their stock prices in the mid-double-digit range. Moreover, companies did this as often as possible because broker commissions were fixed, and investors preferred trading in “round lots” of 100 shares. In contrast, if an investor purchased less than 100 shares, broker commissions were amplified, the reason behind holding “round lots.”

WalletHub Ask the Experts – Oct. 25 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger explains the ‘Age Algorithm in Car Insurance Premiums.’

Poets & Quants – Oct. 24 – “Maryland Smith Unveils New Military Scholarships for the Full-Time MBA Program” (scroll down) quotes Director of Federal and Veteran Affairs Frank Goertner: “At Maryland Smith, we see military and veteran professionals as more than just business students…They are strategic assets for our school, our communities, and our united economy. That’s why we lead the Initiative for Veteran Lifelong Leadership and continue to expand our investment in this diverse inspiring cadre of learners.”

Daily Caller – Oct. 22 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender co-authors op-ed “An Inflation Nation — The New Norm.”

TalkMarkets – Oct. 22 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization.”

Mortgage Banker Magazine – Oct. 19 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi describes, in a Q&A, “Where the Housing Market is Headed.”

FIND MBA – Oct. 18 – Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Office of Career Services Neta Moyeand Executive Director of MBA admissions Shelbi Brookshire comment in “Hot Job Market Boosts the Appeal of Online MBAs”: “The current hot job market has a unique underpinning of economic uncertainty creating volatility in overall demand. The schools with nimble and customizable delivery, whether it be entirely online or hybrid, are seeing steady demand while those with less flexible programs are trending back towards pre-pandemic levels,” says Brookshire]. In addition, [Moye] says there are strong arguments for pursuing an Online MBA now, as recessionary fears rise. “Working professionals are now more adept at navigating hybrid and online meetings and may, in fact, find they prefer an online option,” she says, pointing to the shift in working practices driven by the pandemic. “They have learned how to connect and build community in a virtual environment, work in teams, and manage deadlines effectively,” adds Moye. “All these skills will translate to an Online MBA program.” Furthermore, senior professionals that find themselves working from home may also have additional time previously dedicated to commuting, further boosting the appeal of Online MBA programs. “Depending on the commute, this could be a substantial chunk of time that could be invested in earning credentials valuable in a new position or new career,” says Moye, adding that such a move would be well worth the investment. “The additional credential offered by earning an MBA differentiates employees in industries that rely on strong communication, conceptual thinking, effective team dynamics, and analytical skills. As the job market tightens, these points of differentiation are necessary to ensure the most career options.” … In any case, Brookshire at the Smith School points out that there are plenty of other ways that students can fund Online MBA courses, including scholarships that the business school offers to admitted candidates and a payment plan that facilitates three or four installments per semester, to spread out the cost of the degree.

Journal of Accountancy – Oct. 2022 – Adjunct Professor of Accounting Stacey Ferris co-authors “What CPAs need to know about NFTs,” including: This article explores what CPAs need to know about NFTs today and why there is so much hype around them. What problems do they solve? What differentiates an NFT from other digital assets and gives it value? How are they created? And for accounting purposes, what are the types of NFTs?

DATAQUEST Magazine – Oct. 2022 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez comments in “The Great Resignation: Would the birds come back?” (Pages 8-13 in this digital copy), including: “The unimaginable future became a reality in a short period of time, requiring employers to react and iterate their strategic initiatives and navigate ambiguity and complexity while maintaining continuity of operations and empathic working conditions. These disruptions allowed employees to reconceptualize their purpose, reframe their values, seek new meaning in work, and calibrate their work expectations, hence the birth of ‘The Great Resignation.’ Employees removed the fears that blocked them from making different career choices, embraced the values that bolster them, and chose new options with courage and resolve.” Prof. Suarez’s reckoning, the implications of this shift will continue to ripple through and expand through time like a pebble hitting a calm pond. “Employers will find themselves catching up with unanticipated consequences, including the emerging mind-set where flexibility, good working conditions, mental health, engagement, and sense of belonging, and having a mission, not just a job, are paramount to employees.” As to employers, they must grapple with adopting automated and digital solutions and seeking ways to integrate people and technology synergistically. “Effectively embracing virtual and augmented reality will allow employers to leverage remote interactions without eliminating the human elements that shape the organization’s culture.”

MBA (Mortgage Bankers Association) Newslink – Oct. 17 – “FICO: Understanding the Risks of Multiple Credit Scores in Mortgage Lending” summarizes recent research by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi.

Cincy Chic – Oct. 17 – “How Have Dress Codes Changed, and Are They Similar for Men and Women?” references and links to extensive comments by Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: Dress codes as a whole have relaxed since the pandemic, and much of it has to do with re-accommodating staff that may have been working from home for the past two years. As stated [by Zhang], relaxed dress codes make the transition back to the office easier and serve as an incentive for those who may have become accustomed to the comfort of telecommuting.

TalkMarkets – Oct. 16 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization.”

Voice of America – Oct. 14 – William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet discusses economic challenges facing Africa, as part of coverage of the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings, in a VOA Africa Tonight (6:00-11:12) broadcast.

Wall Street Journal – Oct. 12 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender co-authors op-ed “Censorship Is a Consumer Harm.” Opening: The litmus test for government antitrust actions has traditionally been the consumer-welfare standard developed by Robert Bork: If consolidated market power doesn’t lead to higher prices, consumers haven’t been harmed, and there’s no justification for government to act. By this view, Big Tech is off the hook. Its prices are low, sometimes free. This view is too narrow. For one thing, digital networks with monopoly power can charge higher prices for advertisements, ultimately passed on to consumers.

HousingWire – Oct. 12 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes op-ed “ICE/Black Knight Merger Could Raise Mortgage Costs.” Opening: It’s no coincidence that the post-2008 crisis mortgage expansion happened to occur during a period marked by transformative technological change in the industry. However, a double whammy of building economic headwinds and a proposed merger between ICE Mortgage Technology and Black Knight threatens to upend much of the benefit from robust competition that fostered considerable innovation in mortgage technology over the last decade.

National Mortgage News – Oct. 11 – “The Strange Litigation Onslaught Against CrossCountry Mortgage” quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Mortgage industry experts say such actions, if they occurred, would have crossed the line ethically, if not legally. “Downloading, say, the entire customer database would in my opinion constitute a breach of confidentiality or a noncompete agreement an employee might have,” said Clifford Rossi, Citigroup's former chief risk officer for consumer lending and currently a professor at the University of Maryland.

USA Today – Oct. 10 – Career advice columns “How to Ask for What you Want Before Taking a Job” by Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin and “Avoiding a Bad Boss – and Joining the Right Team” by Associate Director of Executive MBA Career Coaching, Programming and Outreach Rachel Loock are republished.

Wall Street Journal – Oct. 8 – “September’s Stock-Market Woes May Bode Well for October” quotes Russell Wermers, the Paul J. Cinquegrana ’63 Endowed Chair in Finance, and cites his research, including: Seasonal affective disorder, known as SAD, is a depressive mood disorder related to the change of seasons that severely afflicts a small percentage of the population. According to [Wermers], who co-wrote a study correlating SAD with mutual-fund flows, it also is “associated with a greater level of risk-aversion by a much larger body of the population.” Though we tend to associate SAD with the winter months, Dr. Wermers says that what affects the stock market isn’t the absolute number of those suffering from SAD at any particular point, but changes in that number. And the biggest month-to-month change in those suffering from SAD—and the risk aversion with which it is associated—occurs in September, when daylight wanes faster than in any other month, he says. That, in turn, leads to a significant net outflow from mutual funds in the average September, the research found.

GARP – Oct. 7 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes “The Forecast for U.S. Housing Risk: Cracks in the Foundation?” as his latest CRO Outlook piece for the Global Association of Risk Professionals. Summary: The American housing market has fared well this year, but there have been some ominous signs lately – particularly in the non-banking sector. Should we be worried about housing risks across the short – and long-term or is the market now well-protected from systemic threats?

Maryland Today – Oct. 7 – “Gender Bias Plagues Online Doctor Reviews, Study Finds” summarizes recently published work at JMIR Formative Research by Associate Professor of Management Science and Statistics Margrét Bjarnadóttir.

Associated Press – Oct. 5 – “Twitter Under Musk? Most of the Plans are a Mystery” quotes David A. Kirsch, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship: “This is not a car manufacturer where, good enough, all you have to do is beat General Motors. Sorry, that isn’t really that hard,” said David Kirsch, a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland who’s studied Twitter bots’ effect on Tesla’s stock price. “You are dealing here with all of these other companies (that) also have very sophisticated AI programs, very sophisticated PhD programmers...everyone is trying to crack this nut.” Related: Best Gaming Pro quotes Kirsch in “What kind of Twitter will Elon Musk run?” (Oct. 7)

Washington Times – Oct. 4 – “Housing Market Needs Deregulation, not Whitewashed Credit Data” quotes and refers to research by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: [Rossi points out in a new research paper that the interest by policymakers to expand access to borrowers with little to no credit history could “disrupt” how the mortgage industry has traditionally used credit scores to allocate financing… VantageScore, a credit-score model development firm created by the credit reporting agencies, announced that starting in October they would “stop factoring all medical debts” into their scores. According to Dr. Rossi, “VantageScore’s approach to analyzing unscorable consumers is to relax the criteria FICO applies in generating a credit score.”

September 2022

CFO Dive – Sept. 30 – Assistant Dean and management and organization professor Nicole Coomber comments in “Tyson Heir CFO Pick Draws Ethical Fire,” including: “Research on cognitive biases demonstrates that we often think of decisions as ‘business decisions’ rather than ethical ones. One risk here is a ‘slippery slope,’ where the CFO might make small lapses (such sharing company documents that only the CFO might have access to with family members) that grow into larger ones,” [said Coomber]. Another concern around the appointment is Tyson’s age…The younger John Tyson will take the financial helm at just 32. “I think we will see more C-suite leaders in their 30s. Experience is a double-edged sword; it can lead us to think we know the right answer when we are faced with situations similar to what we have already experienced,” said Coomber. 

MIT Sloan Management Review – Sept. 29 – Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal weighs in on "Is Tesla’s Era of Dominance Coming to an End?" (From the “Table” menu button): “As is consistent with industry evolution research, the resurgence of EV technology (which lost out to the internal combustion engine around the turn of the 20th century) was led by Tesla, but the new wave of entrants includes startups — some of which are spinouts of Tesla — and established firms in the automobile industry. Thus, the EV segment will grow, and Tesla’s dominance will recede even if Tesla continues to grow.”

Accounting Today – Sept. 29 – “Deloitte Launches Artificial Intelligence Initiative (with UMD Smith)”  quotes Wedad Elmaghraby, dean’s professor of operations management: “The DIAL program enables Smith and Deloitte to continue their critical collaborations at the forefront of cutting-edge research and emerging technology," said, in a statement last week. "This includes partnering with local industry and federal partners to drive innovation for the public good, creatively pushing our students to embrace analytics challenges in new and unexplored areas of importance, and investing in our understanding of ethical, trustworthy artificial intelligence to further its potential promise.” Related coverage by The Evolving Enterprise, The Business Monthly, others.

European Pharmaceutical Review – Sept. 29 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi explains how the introduction of pharmaceutical manufacturing quality ratings by the FDA can reduce drug shortages and improve pharmaceutical company financial performance, in “Economics and Risks of FDA’s Quality Management Maturity Rating Programme.”

Noema Magazine – Sept. 29 – “Who Gave the Battery Such Power? ” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David A. Kirsch: Another chance came for the electric car, in 1996 when General Motors introduced the EV1, complete with a futuristic digital display and keyless entry. By 2006, a documentary asked in its title “Who Killed the Electric Car?” Again, GM had aced the marketing portion of the business, Turner writes, but fell short on providing a product that drivers could rely on. Or perhaps both stories are too simple. Men early last century were more interested in gas-powered cars because the sound gave them a chance to attract attention, and a faulty engine gave them a chance to show off their mechanics know-how. Men controlled wealth, so they were better customers. Historian David Kirsch concluded in his 2000 history of electric vehicles, which is cited in both books, that the problems with oil were not a result of gas-powered vehicles per se, but rather of the “massive expansion of the automobile transport system.”

Online Marketing Scoops – Sept. 29 – “Apple Removes a Trading App Linked to Crypto Scams from The App Store” quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Apple can promise trust in transactions, account protection, and ease of use by reducing cost and time for consumers when they need access to the financial banking system. This means more market penetration while maintaining privacy, security, and transparency. In addition, [Rossi said] that having a digital or crypto wallet and its own stable coin or a crypto pegged to the price of a fiat currency, could give Apple a competitive advantage over other retailers and will increase the competitive landscape of the personal banking and payment processing industry.

Poets & Quants – Sept. 28 – “Favorite Professors of The MBA Class Of 2022” include Associate Professor of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Rachelle Sampson — excerpted from Smith grad Daylin Russo’s profile in P&Q’s Class of 2022 Best & Brightest MBAs, including: “During my first semester in my first year of the program, our economics professor Dr. Rachelle Sampson had an incredibly positive and profound impact on me. For some, the prospect of waking up early to simply roll out of bed and get onto a Zoom lecture might not seem very enticing. But with Dr. Sampson, this was absolutely not the case. In fact, it was quite the opposite: learning about economics and public policy in her “Managerial Economics and Public Policy” class at 10 a.m. could not have been more exciting. The way she seamlessly linked topics together and connected concepts to current events helped me to effectively learn the course material and understand the enormity of their impacts. Her focus on long-term, sustainable profitability of firms and her passion for ESG integration into corporate strategy also helped me to conceptualize my short-term and long-term career goals.

WalletHub – Sept. 28 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C Boyd III gives insights into MasterCard and its backstory via an ‘Ask the Experts’ Q&A.

Poets & Quants – Sept. 28 – MS in Business Analytics Academic Director Suresh Acharya comments in “Maryland Smith to Relaunch Online Business Analytics Master’s — At Half The Price,” including: Among the faculty teaching in the new Smith OMSBA will be Michel Wedel, an expert in consumer science and among the top 2% of the most-cited scholars and scientists worldwide…“Michel Wedel is a renowned researcher,” Acharya says. “There are 15 faculty members in the Smith School that rank in the 2% of most published in the entire country. Michel Wedel teaches Advanced Marketing Analytics in our program — so that’s the kind of caliber we have in that one category. But we have a bunch of wonderful research faculty, and the students will have access to them. “Another featured teacher is Gisela [Bardossy]. She has been teaching for a long time, has won a number of awards. In my mind, what she does so well is she connects so well with the students. You can be a wonderful teacher and deliver, but you also need that human connection.”

SciDev.Net – Sept. 27 – Lemma Senbet, William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance, comments in “USAID Deepens ‘Localisation’ Efforts with Focus on Africa”: [Senbet] said the shift was “welcome but overdue.” “For years the dominant modality for donor engagement has been top down and disempowering. Localisation is bound to yield better development outcomes, including self-reliance,” he said in comments on Twitter.

Federal News Network – Sept. 26 – “New Course Would Teach Feds to Manage Latest IT” features Assistant Dean Joseph Bailey discussing Smith’s recently launched Tech Management MBA Specialty Elective Track and Graduate Certificate targeting managers in public and private sectors.

TalkMarkets – Sept. 24 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization.”

MarketWatch (via MSN Money) – Sept. 21 – “September's SAD Tale: Seasonal Affective Disorder Could Explain Why Stocks are Being Hit Hard this Month” references research co-authored by Russell Wermers, Paul J. Cinquegrana ’63 Endowed Chair in Finance: Researchers were able to connect these monthly SAD changes with the stock market by measuring flows of cash into and out of equity mutual funds. Perhaps the most prominent study establishing this connection appeared in [“Seasonal Asset Allocation: Evidence from Mutual Fund Flows.”] The researchers went to great lengths to eliminate the possibility that monthly changes in the incidence of SAD were a proxy for some other factor previously found to explain stock market changes. After controlling for those other factors, they found a high correlation between the data in the accompanying chart and flows into and out of equity mutual funds. The month experiencing the biggest net outflow is September. That’s strong circumstantial evidence. Even more compelling is what emerged when the researchers studied the correlation between SAD and mutual fund flows in Australia. Since that country is in the southern hemisphere, the incidence of SAD should be the mirror opposite of the U.S. pattern. Sure enough, mutual fund flows in Australia follow the same pattern as in the U.S., shifted six months forward.

Poets & Quants – Sept. 22 – “Busy Month For Deloitte: Consulting Giant Announces Major B-School Initiatives” highlights the newly announced Deloitte Initiative for AI and Learning (DIAL) that builds upon previous Deloitte and Smith collaborations, such as the Smith Analytics Consortium and quotes Dean’s Professor of Operations Management Wedad Elmaghraby: “The DIAL program enables Smith and Deloitte to continue their critical collaborations at the forefront of cutting-edge research and emerging technology,” [says Elmaghraby]. “This includes partnering with local industry and federal partners to drive innovation for the public good, creatively pushing our students to embrace analytics challenges in new and unexplored areas of importance and investing in our understanding of ethical, trustworthy artificial intelligence to further its potential promise.” … Related coverage via, The Business Monthly, Maryland Today, Maryland Daily Record, AiThority, others.

Baltimore Sun Education – Fall 2022 – Assistant Dean Joseph Bailey describes Smith’s Interdisciplinary Business Honors Program, as part of “Innovative Business Programs: Hands-on Work Critical to Today’s Marketplace” (Page 7), including: [Bailey says] the program was established in order to attract some of the brightest incoming freshmen and “celebrate a diversity of perspectives.” The students will enter what Bailey calls a “living program” and delve into subjects that shape the landscape of business. In this inaugural class, Bailey says the students will focus on what the future of the workplace will look like. He says they will explore ways in which businesses will likely organize themselves in the future, something that has already been sparked by reactions to COVID-19. “We’re reinventing organizations in real times these days and the pandemic has been a huge accelerator for that. Now we have to determine what this means for the future,” Bailey says.

Supply and Demand Chain Executive – Sept. 20 – (originally published Sept. 15) “Weather-Proofing Supply Chains Against Climate Risk” summarizes a study co-produced by Research Professor Emeritus Sandor Boyson and Smith's Supply Chain Management Center.

FIND MBA – Sept. 19 – Associate Clinical Professor of Marketing Mary Beth Furst helps explain how “How Online MBAs Improve Remote Leadership”: In [Furst’s] experience, the most sought-after skills focus on transformational leadership. “Virtual and flexible workspaces require a leader who can motivate teammates to enthusiastically contribute, communicate clearly and authentically, and empathize with team members juggling new challenges created by work-from-home arrangements,” she says. At Maryland Smith, many courses provide opportunities for students to work in teams to research, design, analyze, write, and present on various topics. These experiences provide real-world applications where students test and prove their ability to manage teams remotely. Demand for such content and experiences looks set to only grow in the coming years, as the pandemic drives what is likely to be a permanent shift in working practices. Furst says: “With more employers deciding to forego in-person work in favor of continuing more flexible work-from-home arrangements, leading and working in remote teams is here to stay for the foreseeable future.”

The Hill – Sept. 17 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger writes op-ed “Yeshiva v. YU Pride Alliance and its ‘tax-exempt status’ backstory.”

GARP – Sept. 16 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi, in his latest CRO Outlook column for the Global Association of Risk Professionals writes: “A Call to Arms: Incorporating Extreme Events into Financial Risk Models.” Summary: Recent nonfinancial incidents including geopolitical conflicts, the pandemic and a supply-chain crisis, have destabilized markets and sent risk managers scrambling for answers. What steps can we take to better understand these unpredictable risks, and how can we properly link them to financial losses?

Brookings – Sept. 15 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr co-authors: “Work-From-Anywhere as a Public Policy: 3 Findings from the Tulsa Remote Program.”

Inside Mortgage Finance – Sept. 15 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi discusses Ginnie Mae's new issuer eligibility requirements and how they might impact mortgage lenders and issuers in the government home loan space in “McCargo Sets Listening Tour on Ginnie IssuerEligibility Standards”: Clifford Rossi, a professor at University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said Ginnie, unlike Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, faces significant counterparty risk and would be on the hook for paying investors if a large servicer went out of business. Although Rossi supports Ginnie’s move to bolster the long-term viability of its issuers through the new standards, he said it’s possible some of them will re-calculate their participation in the program. One of the consequences of having fewer Ginnie issuers could be less access to capital for FHA and VA home loans, he noted, which would probably lead to higher interest rates for borrowers. Those are tradeoffs policymakers must make, he added.

Poets & Quants – Sept. 15 – “11 Lessons from The Best & Brightest Class of 2022” highlights Smith executive MBA graduate Aimee Smart: For Aimee Smart, the advantage of undertaking an MBA mid-career is that she could immediately apply the concepts she was learning in the classroom. “Throughout the program, I had several mini epiphanies. I gained a deeper understanding of the other interdependent factors, beyond the technical elements, that underlie business decisions when considering in-licensing new technology, enabling me to develop valuation models and build more complete business cases,” says Smart, Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Processes at Lung Biotechnology PBC. ... “One lesson that had a significant and lasting impact was thinking about my organization through Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of the Team Model. This led to my starting a change project with my leadership team that was focused on improving organizational health. To date, we have significantly improved the function and quality of our meetings and overall communication.”

Maryland Today – Sept. 14 – “How Creativity Conquers Rudeness” summarizes new research by Management and Organization professors Trevor Foulk and Vijaya Venkataramani.

Baltimore Sun – Sept. 13 – “A University of Maryland Professor Wants to Expose the Hidden Bias in AI, and Then Use it for Good” quotes and features research by Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue, with additional comments by Associate Professor of Information Systems Jui Ramaprasad. Republished by Government Technology among others. Coverage of Rhue’s study also in the ASEE First Bell newsletter (not online) and in an ABC Radio News segment – recently airing nationally and currently accessible for playback via SoundCloud.

G20 Insights – Sept. 13 (originally published Aug. 30) – William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet co-produces a policy brief “Resolving Debt Crises In Developing Countries: How Can The G20Contribute To Operationalising The Common Framework?”

Baltimore Sun Education – Fall 2022 – Assistant Dean for Specialty Undergraduate Programs Joseph Bailey describes Smith’s Interdisciplinary Business Honors Program, as part of “Innovative Business Programs: Hands-on Work Critical to Today’s Marketplace” (Page 7), including: [Bailey says] the program was established in order to attract some of the brightest incoming freshmen and “celebrate a diversity of perspectives.” The students will enter what Bailey calls a “living program” and delve into subjects that shape the landscape of business. In this inaugural class, Bailey says the students will focus on what the future of the workplace will look like. He says they will explore ways in which businesses will likely organize themselves in the future, something that has already been sparked by reactions to COVID-19. “We’re reinventing organizations in real times these days and the pandemic has been a huge accelerator for that. Now we have to determine what this means for the future,” Bailey says.

Maryland Today – Sept. 12 – “From Bugs to Bronze Age, Nearly 300 Courses Get Creative Boost” quotes Humberto Coronado, director of the MS in Supply Chain Management program: In the Robert H. Smith School of Business, [Coronado] is working with PepsiCo on a new virtual reality experience that will take students inside a real manufacturing plant to see how a product travels from creation to a customer’s hands. Companies such as DHL, Wal-Mart and Amazon are already using similar virtual reality technology in their day-to-day operations, he said, and giving students a technological “head start” at UMD is crucial. “My students are gonna be crazy about this,” Coronado said.

Inc. – Sept. 11 – Inc.: “Warren Buffett Just Turned 92. Here's the Best Birthday Gift He Says He Ever Got” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: The discussion came in the context of a talk Buffett did with 20 MBA students back in 2013. One of the students asked him how his understanding of markets contributed to his political views. Here's part of what Buffett said, according to the recollections of Professor David Kass of the University of Maryland, who took notes: Imagine that it is 24 hours before you are born. A genie comes and says to you in the womb ... "I am going to assign to you – determination of the political, economic and social system into which you are going to emerge. You set the rules ... What's the catch? One catch – just before you emerge you have to go through a huge bucket with 7 billion slips, one for each human. Dip your hand in and that is what you get. You could be born intelligent or not intelligent, born healthy or disabled, born black or white, born in the US or in Bangladesh, etc. You have no idea which slip you will get. Not knowing which slip you are going to get, how would you design the world? ... I call this the "Ovarian Lottery." My sisters didn't get the same ticket. Expectations for them were that they would marry well, or if they work, would work as a nurse, teacher, etc.”

WBAL TV – Sept. 11 – Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss recounts leading colleagues to safety during 9/11 in “UMd. Professor's Calm Leadership on 9/11 Helped to Save Lives.”

Fortune – Sept. 10 – “The Unconventional Timing of Warren Buffett’s BYD Stock Sale Reinforces His Famed Investment Philosophy” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: “Buffett generally holds his instruments for many years; he eventually exits most of them when he views them as fully valued, or their future prospects have become less attractive,” David Kass, professor of finance at the University of Maryland, told Fortune. … BYD’s Hong Kong shares have risen by over 2,700% since Berkshire bought its BYD stake back in 2008, climbing rapidly since early 2020. “The share price has recently reflected the improved performance and outlook for the company,” Kass says, and so Buffett may consider shares to be “fully valued.” … And Buffett may now be looking for his next big bet. “Perhaps Buffett has identified other investments that are currently more attractive,” says Kass. … Related: Kass guest pieces at TalkMarkets: “Warren Buffett Sells Shares In BYD” (Sept. 11) and “2022 Percentage Returns Of 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization” (Sept. 10)

Pharmaceutical Executive – Sept. 9 – “The Manufacturing Edge on Path to Market” quotes and cites research by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: In 2020, [Rossi] began to explore the financial aspects of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. “For decades, it’s been significantly cheaper to manufacture overseas, especially in China,” he says. “I assumed that pharma manufacturers were not investing in continuous manufacturing due to the financial risks and economics, and perhaps even due to tax rates.” To investigate further, Rossi developed a stochastic financial model that also showed him something different than expected. Continuous manufacturing in new facilities provided economic benefits and even an economic advantage for US manufacturers as compared to batch manufacturers abroad. He found the contribution of continuous manufacturing to the expected net present value over the life cycle of a drug to be nearly $500 million. “When comparing investments in continuous or batch strategies for a new US facility, the results clearly suggest that the lower costs associated with continuous manufacturing should lead to more investment in it—even for generic firms,” he says. “It seems that continuous manufacturing may not only be worth the investment, but its adoption could also help to reshape global pharmaceutical supply chains.”

The Business Monthly – Sept. 6 – “Maryland Smith Relaunches Online Master’s in Business Analytics” announces the program’s new iteration and quotes its academic director, Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya: “Live sessions allow students to interact with faculty and gain further clarification on the content, plus asynchronous coursework will facilitate networking among cohort members.” … The relaunch also is announced at AACSB Insights (scroll down) among other outlets.

DATAQUEST Magazine (India) – Sept. 2022 – Does AI Need Dog-Walkers? The ‘Human in the Loop’ Vacuum” (page 34) quotes Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing: The current AI revolution substitutes machines for people in accomplishing thinking tasks, points out [Rust]. “The result is that humans need to adjust. In my 2021 book, “The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy,” (with Ming-Hui Huang) we discuss the implications of this shift. Put simply, thinking AI will drive humans to emphasize “feeling intelligence” more than “thinking intelligence.” That is, as AI does more of the thinking, humans (both consumers and businesspeople) will focus more on feeling. For the near future, this means that work teams will involve both AI (for cutting edge thinking) and people (for personal interactions and feeling intelligence). The shift toward feeling may make women, who on average have a higher capacity for empathy, more important in the economy. This also calls for retraining thinking workers to be more effective with people.”

August 2022

USA Today Network (via Columbus Dispatch) – Sept. 4 – Associate Director of Executive MBA Career Coaching, Programming and Outreach Rachel Loock writes “How to Avoid a Bad Boss – And Join the Right Team.”

Retail Dive – Sept. 1 – “Retailers Take Expensive Measures to Clear Inventory Ahead of Peak Season” quotes Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: Businesses are employing a variety of tactics, including steep discounts, order cancellations and pack and hold strategies, in an attempt to clear their shelves of stagnant products and make room for holiday inventory. “None of them is a perfect tool, but retailers have to resort to them for lack of better options,” Jie Zhang, a marketing professor at University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said in an email. … Markdowns and order cancellations, while effective in clearing excess stock, are “very hurtful” to retailers’ bottom lines, Zhang said. That is proving true for Nordstrom – the retailer estimates it will lose $200 million in gross profits in the second half of the year due to markdowns and clearance efforts.

Business Insider – Aug. 31 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass is quoted in “The 'Buffett Effect' Has Wiped About $35 Billion off BYD's Market Value – as Investors Fear Warren Buffett Will Sell More Shares of the Chinese EV Maker”: “Berkshire can sell up to an additional 5% of its shares, or almost 11 million shares, bringing its stake down to 19.0% without being required to report,” David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland, told Insider.

Breakbulk – Aug. 31 – “US Trucking’s Wild Ride: Topsy-Turvy of Pandemic-Era Trucking Not Over Yet” quotes Professor of Logistics Thomas Corsi: Supply chains of every type have been stressed nearly to breaking point. U.S. trucking has seen record-high rates and demand, with capacity shortages in some markets. Motor carriers and their partners continue to try to expand capacity, but efforts are being hampered… [Corsi] said, when asked if record rates could spark a capacity glut, that he has seen some softening in rates, but: “I wouldn’t think this environment will lead companies to make an over-investment in capacity.” In fact, he anticipates slower growth in the market going forward, and for the driver shortage to continue for some time. ... Corsi also said that as we look to the future, the diversification of equipment with driverless trucks, EVs and other innovations may have a more extensive impact on capacity and rates.

Maryland Daily Record – Aug. 31 ‘Smith School Relaunching Online Master of Science in Business Analytics’ announces a new iteration of the program with “both asynchronous learning and periodic live touchpoints with the faculty” and a first cohort starting in January 2023.

Wall Street Journal – Aug. 30 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender produces op-ed “Biden’s Outrageous Attack on PPP Loan Recipients: The Covid-era program provided for forgiveness because it mostly aided the borrowers’ employees” and further discusses the article and related issues via Fox Business and on 77 WABC New York’s Larry Kudlow Show.

CNBC – Aug. 30 – “Warren Buffett’s 91st Year Marked by a Huge Focus on Berkshire Hathaway’s Energy Empire” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: If Buffett pulls off an even bigger deal on Occidental, the Benjamin Graham acolyte will have come “full circle,” according to David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. In 1942 at the age of 11, Buffett bought his first stock — three shares of Cities Service’s preferred. Cities Service was bought by Occidental 40 years later, and Vicki Holub, now Occidental CEO, had worked with Cities Service at the time.

Bureaubiz (Denmark) – Aug. 30 – ‘Entrepreneurs as Crucial for Growth in the Danish Agency Industry’ extensively cites research by Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Director of the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets (Danish-to-English translation): American professor Rajshree Agarwal from the University of Maryland can help understand the annoyances of agencies. She researches the development of industries and where new actors come from. New actors can come from three places. It can be from educational institutions. Think Mark Zuckerberg and Harvard. In a Danish context, it could be Mads Paaskesen and Kristian Larsen, who started PL & Partners while attending Køge Business School. It can also be what she calls 'able founders'. Some who have prior knowledge of the agency industry. And those who believe that it can be done in a better way… Professor Rajshree Agarwal has also found that new players emerge as a result of a technological innovation that the existing players are unsure of how to handle business-wise. The agency industry is hit every 18 months by a new marketing technological innovation. One of the bigger ones was when Google launched AdWords almost 20 years ago. It changed marketing in all categories. Or when Facebook gave us a new language in social media 15 years ago. All new agencies are born on the basis of an unmet customer need. A need which is a consequence of a recent marketing technological innovation.

GARP – Aug. 26 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi summarizes his recent white paper in his latest CRO Outlook column for the Global Association of Risk Professionals: “Multiple Credit Scores in Mortgage Lending: Understanding the Risks.” Summary: As policymakers consider allowing the use of multiple credit scores in mortgage underwriting, banks need to be alert to risks to lenders and consumers.

The Social Media Monthly – Aug. 26 – Dean’s Professor of Marketing P.K. Kannan examines Peloton’s rise and fall and how the company can get back to where it was, in “Getting Peloton Into Shape.”

Forbes – Aug. 25 – “Consumer Confidence Rises But Most Americans Are Spending Less” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: There’s a slight uptick in people saving more than usual: 12% compared to 10% a month ago. And 13% of respondents report putting more than usual toward their loans and credit card debt. These are two smart money moves during a recession, says David Kass, a clinical professor of finance at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. “Consumers under these conditions should consider paying down consumer debt and holding off on large purchases,” he adds… Most experts anticipate the Fed to deliver their fifth consecutive rate hike. While peak inflation may be close, the Fed is still wrestling with stubbornly high prices. Kass expects three more outsize rate increases in September, November and December, amounting to somewhere between 100 and 125 basis points in total. The current fed funds rate is 2.25% to 2.5% and the Fed predicts it will reach 3.1% to 3.6% by year’s end. “These rate hikes will raise consumer borrowing costs, for example, on home mortgage and automobile loans,” Kass says. “In addition, the fear of losing their jobs as the economy slows down will result in consumers saving more and spending less.”

U.S. News & World Report – Aug. 25 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez contributes to a “The 10 Best Times to Switch Jobs” slideshow, including “You’re feeling burned out,” “You no longer feel challenged” and “You’ve just finished a big project.” The full article, ‘Best Times to Switch Jobs,’ is at WTOP.

Forbes – Aug. 23 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in “A Year After Confirming New Director, How Has The CFPB Fared?”: Even those used to the chaotic nature of politics have been surprised by the stark pendulum shifts at the CFPB from one administration to the next. “For most financial industry folks, I think they’d characterize it more as regulatory whiplash,” [says Rossi] … In July, the major credit reporting bureaus announced this debt would no longer be included in credit score calculations. The CFPB’s announcements on this topic helped bring about this change, says Rossi. Expect more from the CFPB in the next year on all these core issues, especially on emerging technology issues that have not been addressed. “There will be a big focus on nonbanks, and I think there should be. You’ll even hear the banks say this,” says Rossi, referring to the fintech companies that offer banking services like deposit accounts and mortgages but are not fully chartered banks by the FDIC … For cryptocurrency, the agency will stick to the consumer impacts as it plays catch-up on regulations, predicts Rossi. “They’re trying to help consumers have better transparency,” he says. The government has to sort out what it can do and which agency should take the lead in areas like crypto and artificial intelligence applications to financial services. “Regulators are always behind the eight ball where financial innovation takes place,” adds Rossi.

Wall Street Journal – Aug. 21 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “Warren Buffett Not Expected to Bid for Control of Occidental Following Approval for Bigger Stake”: “There are other reasons to doubt a Berkshire takeover of Occidental is imminent. One of them is price, said David Kass, a professor of finance at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. … So far, Berkshire has bought virtually all of its Occidental shares at a price in the range of $50 to $60, Mr. Kass said. The highest price Berkshire paid was $60.37 in July, according to filings. Mr. Buffett is a well-known bargain-hunter, so it is difficult to imagine Berkshire rushing to buy more Occidental shares at the current price, Mr. Kass said. … At age 11 in 1942, Mr. Buffett made his first investment: three shares of Cities Service’s preferred stock. Forty years later, Occidental went on to acquire the oil company, which Ms. Hollub had just joined the year before. Mr. Buffett’s investment in Occidental this year shows his first stock purchases “coming full circle 80 years later,” Mr. Kass said.”

Fox Business – Aug. 19 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender analyzes ‘Federal Reserve Policies and Their Effects on the U.S. Economy,’ including: “While we’re seeing an increase in retail sales, we still have consumer sentiment at its lowest level in 50 years, and the housing market saw significant declines last quarter – such that were about 20 percent off from where we were a year ago. So, overall, I think GDP for third quarter is going to be pretty flat, even with the jobs growth we’ve seen recently. Consumers are going to pull back because of the price increases, particularly in food… I think we’re going to be pretty mild in terms of growth for the rest of the year.” … Faulkender continued his analysis of Fed policy and the economy on 77 WABC Radio’s Larry Kudlow Show (Aug. 20).

CNBC – Aug. 19 – “Warren Buffett Gets Permission to Buy Up to Half of Occidental Petroleum, Boosting the Shares” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said an acquisition down the road is likely. “I think it is likely that Buffett will buy the whole thing eventually. The 50% limit may have been set to receive FERC approval for a non-controlling stake,” Kass said. “He clearly plans to purchase additional shares. So far his maximum purchase price has been $60.37 per share.” … Seeking Alpha quotes Kass from CNBC in “Could Warren Buffett Really Buy Occidental Petroleum?” (Aug. 21).

HousingWire – Aug. 19 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes “Ginnie Mae’s Revised Requirements Reduce Risk.”

Clear Admit – Aug. 18 – “Admissions Director Q&A” features Senior Director of Admissions for MBA and Specialty Masters Programs Maria Pineda.

GARP – Aug. 17 – “Understanding the Risks of Multiple Credit Scores in Mortgage Lending” highlights and links to a new white paper by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi. Summary: Competition among credit score providers is heating up, with increased focus by regulators on expanding equitable access to credit for consumers with little or no credit experience. Dr. Clifford Rossi presents an empirical analysis of how to assess alternative credit scores and understand their impact on credit risk, profitability and efforts to expand credit to previously unscorable consumers.

Wall Street Journal – Aug. 15 – “Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Keeps Spending Through Volatile Markets” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Filings have shown some of that money went toward Occidental Petroleum Corp., another top holding. It is likely that the company’s 13F will show some of the remaining investment went toward buying more shares of Chevron, as well as Apple, said David Kass, finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Note: Article subsequently was updated minus, but confirming the accuracy of, Kass’ 13F prediction.

TalkMarkets – Aug. 14 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of the 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization” and “6 Highlights of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2022 Second Quarter Earnings Report” (Aug. 9).

The Hill – Aug. 12 – Research Professor and Academic Director of the Center for Global Business Kislaya Prasad writes op-ed “When it Comes to Green Energy, ‘Friend-Shoring’ Shouldn’t Cut Out China.”

Washington Post – Aug. 12 – “How Can Bad Weather Ruin Your Flight? Let us Count the Ways.” quotes Martin Dresner, professor and chair of the Logistics, Business and Public Policy Department: “It’s really frustrating when you go to the airport, and it’s beautiful there, but your plane’s coming from some place where it’s not so great,” said Martin Dresner, a professor at the University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith School of Business who studies air transport policy… Dresner, chair of the Air Transport Research Society, said it can take a few days to reposition planes and crew back to where they’re supposed to be in cases of serious disruption. And then there are the desperate travelers to consider. “Because the airlines are operating at fairly close to capacity, you have to fit in the passengers somewhere,” he said. “It’s difficult to reschedule the passengers if you don’t have available seats.”

B2B News Network – Aug. 11 – ‘B2B News for Thursday, August 11’ includes Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin’s insight for effective negotiating – for professionals at any level: With lay-offs and labour shortages happening in tandem, it’s a good time for all workers to re-visit the fundamentals of negotiations. Practical advice comes from [Derfler-Rozin]. “The goal is to learn how to get to a place where you are happy with the negotiation outcome, and your partner is also happy with the outcome and wants to negotiate with you further in the future,” said Derfler-Rozin. “This is an invaluable skill in the dynamic business environment, in which reputation builds very quickly and is very important to maintain.”

Washington Times – Aug. 11 – Dean's Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender writes op-ed “The Latest Big Government Socialism Bill is the Wrong Answer for our Nation’s Problems.”

Finbold – Aug. 8 – “Dot-Com Bubble Explained | The True Story of 1995-2000 Stock Market” cites Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David A. Kirsch as founder the Dot Com Archive: Contrary to public opinion (that most dot-com companies failed), according to David Kirsch, director of the Dot Com Archive, 48% of dot-com businesses were still around in late 2004 (though at lower valuations). He adds that the dot-com survival rate is as good as or better than that for other technologies (e.g., automobiles, TVs) in their formative years.

Al Araby TV (via Twitter) – Aug. 7 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in coverage of an Arabic-language report on the U.S. Congress debate on recession (via Twitter).

Fortune – Aug. 5 – “U.S. Companies are Hoarding More and More Cash Overseas” cites research co-authored by Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender.

Fox Business – Aug. 5 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender explains why the Inflation Reduction Act would ‘have the opposite effect’ in a segment titled “Senate to Vote on Dems' Inflation Reduction Act Tomorrow.” Related: Faulkender co-authors op-ed in the Washington Times: “The Biden Administration’s Recession Has Arrived. Just Don’t Call It That.” (Aug. 5).

One Vision (via Irish Tech News) – Aug. 4 – Nima Farshchi, executive director of alumni and corporate engagement and director of the Center for Social Value Creation, discusses multiple Maryland Smith initiatives to ‘Create a Better World Through Business Principles.”

Bethesda Magazine – Aug. 2 – “Female Candidates Say Greater Representation on County Council Would Benefit County Other Candidates” references Jacqueline Manger, managing director of the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets: …[I]ncreasing the number of female voices could force the legislative and executive branches of county government to engage in more difficult, but productive conversations on issues facing the county. Jacqueline Manger, currently trailing Luedtke in the District 7 race, said she’s conducted research that shows that diversity in companies — both in terms of gender and ethnicity — can often lead to better outcomes.

July 2022

Poets & Quants – July 30 – The Best & Brightest Executive MBAs Of 2022 profiles Maryland Smith’s Aimee Smart and Sira Duson, includes: The best business schools attract the top talent. Make no mistake, the 2022 Best & Brightest EMBAs are as accomplished and decorated as they come… Sira Duson founded the Society of Black Vascular Surgeons after entering the EMBA program at the University of Maryland’s Smith School… The publication further quotes Clinical Professor of Marketing Judy Frels (“Sira is a surgeon and a medical school faculty member, yet she doesn’t wield her credentials as a reason people should listen to her or follow her. People follow her because she’s done the quiet, relentless, hard work of earning every single person’s respect.”) and Research Professor Kislaya Prasad (“I recall expressing amazement at how [Smart] managed to juggle so much so well in both her professional and personal life. Over the course of the semester, I had the chance to personally witness her focus, hard work, and determination to learn an initially unfamiliar subject.”)

Just the News – July 28 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender discusses current U.S. economic policy, including whether we are in the midst of recession and stagflation, in “Just the News, Not the Noise” (begins at 52:10): “Traditionally we would consider two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth to be a recession, and the Commerce Department came out this morning and gave us that report – we lost 1.6 percent on an annualized basis in the first quarter of 2022 and we lost another 0.9 percent, annualized, this most recent quarter. Historically, that’s how we’d define a recession... We have high inflation – the highest we have seen in 40 years – 9.1 percent, year over year, was reported last month. And we’re now at two quarters in a row of negative growth. So, stagflation generally is thought of as low to negative growth with high increases in prices. It’s stagnant inflation, and that’s exactly what we’ve got.”

Boca Raton Observer – July 25 – “Mind Your Manners: The Rise of Rudeness” quotes management professor Trevor Foulk and references his research: Unfortunately, research has found that rudeness can spread like wildfire and is as contagious as the common cold. According to a study conducted [by Foulk], someone who is treated with disrespect is either more likely to behave rudely towards others or is more sensitive to others’ comments. The study found that our mindset is incredibly affected by exposure to rude behavior. “When rudeness is on our minds, it tends to color our interpretation of others’ behaviors and not give them the benefit of the doubt,” Foulk wrote in a piece published by Psychology Today. “We tend to see the world through ‘rude-colored glasses,’ interpreting even benign interactions with others as potentially harmful or threatening.”

FIND MBA – July 25 – “Top 10 Online MBAs for Switching Careers” highlights Maryland Smith as among such programs: Online MBA students looking for a more expansive and comprehensive experience can select the General Track at Maryland: Smith, which provides a look at the key concepts across various disciplines. There are ample opportunities for online participants to gain the skills and expertise they need for a wide variety of careers, from finance and accounting to marketing and sales, operations and production.

Newswise – July 18 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi explains why “The Fed Stress’ Non-Transparency Hampers Banks.”

Baltimore Banner – July 18 – G. “Anand” Anandalingam, Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Management Science, comments in “What Maryland’s Governor Can do About Gas, Inflation and the Economy,” including: States can give corporate tax breaks, or tax holidays, for years at a time, and give away land or ease the building costs of related infrastructure, like roads, sidewalks and utilities, Anandalingam said. Enriching the state’s secondary education system can also encourage corporate investment. “Companies like to locate themselves in places where they can hire well-educated and really talented young people,” he said.

Marketplace Radio – July 15 – Albert “Pete” Kyle, Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance, helps answer “Where did the stock market’s $7 trillion loss in value go?”: When headlines proclaim that these markets have declined by a certain amount, what they’re basically saying is that if you sold shares today, you would receive less in payment than if you had sold it at some point in the past when the price was higher, [explained Kyle] “It’s what historically people have called ‘paper losses,’” Kyle said. “But it’s real money for someone who actually is going to sell now as opposed to having sold out several months ago.”

GARP – July 15 – In a CRO Outlook column for the Global Association of Risk Professionals, Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes: “Avoiding the Model Myopia Trap.” Summary: We're witnessing an analytics revolution these days where machine learning and data science are coming to the forefront of many areas of business and risk management analytics. These techniques offer tremendous opportunities to improve our insights into risk management, but we also need to avoid the "calculator syndrome." When handheld calculators became a commonplace sight (including apps on virtually every mobile phone) the joke is that it allowed our basic math skills to atrophy. We need to be on guard, particularly new modelers so that they don't fall into the trap of becoming so overly enamored with the technique that they lose their ability to develop models based on business and economic relationships and not be dependent on what a black box algorithm spits out. The art and science of modeling holds as much as it does for risk management.

B2B News Network – July 15 – ‘What’s Up With Elon’ quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David A. Kirsch: “Musk’s general argument – that somehow he was surprised by the extent of bots on Twitter – doesn’t pass the laugh test because even if Musk didn’t order the fanbots that we observed, he’s known they were there – in many cases for seven or more years – or longer than we’ve had computational corporate propaganda,” Kirsch said. “We date the public debate about computational propaganda to its political manifestations in the 2016 elections here and in the U.K., but we found corporate activity predated political propaganda by several years.” … Related: Kirsch draws from his research on pro-Tesla Twitter bots to explain “Elon Musk’s Irony: Bots, the Impetus to Abandon His Twitter Deal, Have Propelled Tesla, via Science Newsnet (July 13).

Marketplace Radio – July 14 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “JPMorgan Pauses Stock Buybacks as Profits Slump”: “We don’t know if this’ll be a Category 1 hurricane or a Category 5 hurricane,” [said Kass]. “An appropriate defensive strategy by large corporations would be, ‘Hey, maybe we should start conserving our cash now.’”

Al Araby TV (via Twitter) – July 14 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “A Judicial Confrontation Between Twitter and Elon Musk” … Kass gives related analysis via “Musk’s Buyer’s Remorse and Potential Deal Outcomes” at Science Newsnet (July 12).

Wall Street Journal – July 13 – “Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Adds to Big Oil Bet” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Generally accepted accounting principles recommend that investors include a proportionate share of a company’s earnings in their own results once they own at least 20% of the company’s common stock. With analysts expecting Occidental to report about $10 billion in earnings this year, Berkshire could increase its reported profit by about $2 billion if it winds up acquiring 20% of Occidental’s shares, according to David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. That would be a significant lift for Berkshire. At the moment, the company only includes Occidental’s dividend payments—less than $100 million annually—in its earnings, Mr. Kass said. Last year, Berkshire posted a record profit of about $90 billion.

Los Angeles Business Journal – July 13 – “Women Managers Competitively Advocate for Subordinates” overviews research by Cristian Dezsö, Associate Professor in the Logistics, Business and Public Policy department.

WalletHub – July 11 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust contributes to the Ask the Experts segment of “Best Capital One Credit Cards.”

Maryland Daily Record – July 7 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “Business Leaders Struggle to Have Confidence in the US Economy, Survey Says”: Despite the lack of optimism in the current economy, [Kass] does not expect the economy to remain at this state for too long. “Even if we go into a recession, the Federal Reserve and Congress can act to offset it. Within a year we’ll be out of it. It’s not going to be a recession like the Great Depression that lasted many years.” Kass also mentioned that the unemployment rate was at 25% during the Great Depression, whereas right now it is at 3.7%. Kass said the concerns of business leaders are legitimate, but that the business climate overall remains stable. “Right now, we haven’t faced this inflation problem in 40 years, so maybe we aren’t as used to it as we would be,” Kass said. “A lot of the concern is certainly justified. We need to get through this period, but in my opinion, the pessimism is a bit extreme.”

WRAL – July 4 – “Fact Check: Biden Says 'Inflation is Higher' in Other Developed Nations” quotes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: “The Biden administration and its allies in Congress provided entirely too much stimulus into an economy that was already dealing with supply shortages,[" said Faulkender]. "This is necessarily inflationary and was totally predictable.”

TalkMarkets – July 2 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of the 6 Largest U.S. Stocks By Market Capitalization – Half-Year.”

June 2022

ABC News – June 30 – Are record corporate profits driving inflation? Here's what experts think” quotes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: [Faulkender] compared companies charging high prices to an individual who puts his or her home on the market at a favorable time. “Let’s say I bought a house five years ago, and I’m looking to sell it for whatever reason. Do I price it at what the market will bear or what I bought it for plus a politically correct predetermined markup?” he said. “I’m going to price it at what the market can bear.” The high prices at the grocery store or the pump are the expected outcome of a market in which individuals have ample money to spend but few products to buy, Faulkender said. “The limited supply available goes to those with the highest value,” he said. “The profits then generated are a consequence but not the cause.”

Yahoo News – June 30 – A “Liquidity and Capital Risk Webinar Set for July 20” will be led by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi, with experts from Deloitte and Ginnie Mae.

Maryland Daily Record – June 29 – “UMD Business School Filling Second Cohort of Blockchain Business Imperative” previews the session starting July 11, including: Over its six weeks the program covers economic inefficiencies that blockchain will impact, an overview of foundational blockchain technologies, a conceptual understanding of blockchain, implementation details for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger, exploration of various blockchain business applications including NFTs, DeFi, CBDC and potential opportunities and challenges stemming from blockchain.

USA Today – June 28 – Rachel Loock, associate director of executive MBA career coaching, programming and outreach, gives career advice in a “How to Approach In-Person Networking Again” guest column.

American Banker – June 28 – “Red States' Pushback on Guns, Abortion, Climate Puts Banks in Bind” quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: The partisan back-and-forth on climate change is placing banks between “a rock and a hard place,” [said Rossi]. “They know they have to comply with regulatory requirements that are coming,” said Rossi, a former chief risk officer at Citigroup and the founder of the consulting firm Chesapeake Risk Advisors. “At the same time, if states were to pull or divert their funding, that’s real financial hardship that they have to deal with today.”

CityWire Selector – June 28 – Russell Wermers – “How we Identify the Best Ideas From the World's Best Investors” cites research by Russell Wermers, the Paul J. Cinquegrana '63 Endowed Chair in Finance and Director of the Center for Financial Policy: In 2012, academics Russ Wermers and Tong Yao, along with investor Jane Zhao, found (here) that stocks that were held in greater weight on aggregate by previously successful managers tended to outperform.

NBC News – June 27 – “Microsoft is Removing Emotion Recognition Features from its Facial Recognition Tech,” cites Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue’s research: In addition to critiquing the scientific basis of emotion AI, the human rights groups also asserted that emotion AI is manipulative and discriminatory. A study [by Rhue] found that across two different facial recognition softwares (including Microsoft’s), emotion AI consistently interpreted Black subjects as having more negative emotions than white subjects. One AI read Black subjects as angrier than white subjects, while Microsoft’s AI read Black subjects as portraying more contempt.

WalletHub – June 27 – Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani gives credit card advice in an “Ask the Experts Q&A.”

GARP – June 24 – “Getting Schooled on Risk: Graduate Programs Cultivate Talent for the Times” describes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi’s production and leadership of experiential learning projects for Smith graduate students, including: This spring semester, two teams of University of Maryland students participated in seven-week, experiential learning projects involving extensive data analysis – assignments the academic said he arranged along with sponsors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. …The Fannie cohort built a comprehensive housing market risk index, while the Freddie team developed a financial flood risk vulnerability score for the 283 U.S. counties most at risk according to the First Street Foundation Flood Model. [Rossi] explained that students learned how to collaborate as colleagues; put together and preside over a project from start to finish; and communicate technically-complicated information to senior managers – including a CRO and regulators in attendance. … As to the significance of this for students and potential employers, Rossi remarked, “Almost to a person, I hear students say that when they go for job interviews, this is all their prospective employers want to talk about.” ... “It’s a high-class vocational program,” he said.

Kiplinger – June 24 – “Could Buffett Buy Out Occidental Petroleum (OXY)?” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: “Buffett has been consistently adding to his stake in Occidental this year when its price dropped,” says David Kass, a professor of finance at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and noted Buffett expert. “He has at least a five-to-10-year time horizon,” Kass adds, “and will take advantage of market volatility to add to his stake when the opportunity drops into his lap.”

Wall Street Journal – June 23 – “Congress Unlikely to Heed Biden’s Call for Three-Month Suspension of Gas Tax” quotes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: Michael Faulkender, who was assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department during the Trump administration, said some of the benefits of a potential holiday would likely be offset without a corresponding increase in gas supplies. That is because the holiday would likely boost Americans’ demand for gas, putting upward pressure on underlying prices, he said... “The fundamental problem is that there is insufficient supply,” said Mr. Faulkender. “A gas tax holiday solves a political problem, not an economic problem.” … WSJ’s What Is a Federal Gas Tax Holiday? And How Much Would You Save at the Pump?” requotes Faulkender.

PolitiFact – June 22 – “Fact-Checking Joe Biden on Inflation Rates Among US’s Economic Peers” quotes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: “The Biden administration and its allies in Congress provided entirely too much stimulus into an economy that was already dealing with supply shortages… This is necessarily inflationary and was totally predictable.”

Forbes – June 21 - Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal writes “Why The AICO Act Will Threaten Consumers And Merchants’ Ability To Choose And Stifle Innovation.”

Seeking Alpha – June 21 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives “14 Stocks for Midyear 2022.”

FIND MBA – June 21 – “One Degree, Two Formats: Distinction Blurs Between Online and In-Person MBAs” quotes Clinical Professor of Management Paulo Prochno: At Maryland University’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Online MBAs participate in virtual job fairs and mock interviews facilitated by the Office of Career Services. In addition, live sessions via Zoom are part of every course, with students encouraged to keep their cameras turned on so everyone can see one another’s reactions during discussions. “These sessions typically include virtual breakout rooms for small group discussions. Collectively, this format works to increase self-awareness and aptitude for collaborating and exchanging knowledge with peers,” [says Prochno]. He insists that the online program provides exactly the same MBA degree, but with changes in the sequence of courses and format of delivery. A key, supporting factor at Maryland Smith is that Online MBA students collaborate with the same faculty who deliver the school’s on-campus programs.

USA Today Network (via The Columbus Dispatch) – June 19 – Associate Director of Executive MBA Career Coaching, Programming and Outreach Rachel Loock gives career advice in “No Summer Vacation for Job Searches.”

Grid – June 19 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III explains how Juneteenth has gained new prominence and how it can evolve into a national recognition of the past, in “How Companies Can Avoid a ‘Juneteenth Ice Cream’ Mess.”

Seeking Alpha – June 18 – Berkshire Hathaway: “Berkshire Hathaway: Hit to Book Value Could be Drastic But a Buying Opportunity Comes With it” references prior related analysis by Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass. Related: Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization for June 18,” via TalkMarkets.

GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) – June 17 – For his latest CRO Outlook column, Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes “Can Your ERM Framework Accommodate Risk Entanglement?”

Wired – June 16 – “After Layoffs, Crypto Startups Face a ‘Crucible Moment’” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch, including: “It could be that crypto is the canary in the coal mine,” [says Kirsch]. He describes the contractions in crypto startups as one potential signal of “a great unraveling,” where more startups are evaluated for how well they can deliver on their promises. If history is any indication, those that can’t are fated for “the death spiral.”

Baltimore Sun – June 16 – Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan comments in “How Baltimore-Area Consumers are Handling ‘Sticker Shock’ at the Grocery Store,” including: Consumers have come to expect to pay certain amounts for food products, giving them price reference points in the grocery store and elsewhere, and during inflationary times, sticker shock inevitably sets in, [said Kannan]. “That gets ‘encoded’ as a loss, and sometimes these losses that you feel can really play a big role in how you will react,” Kannan said. Consumers are likely to feel the “loss” of a price hike more acutely than the “gain” of a discount, behavioral economists say. And, Kannan said, they tend to respond by changing habits, limiting impulse buying, comparing prices among multiple stores, buying vegetables at one place and packaged goods at another, or buying in bulk. “They are trying to reduce the total amount of spending on food and other things,” he said. But “given that prices are rising all over, they may not be able to do that very well.” … Manufacturers that explain price increases as a result of factors such as higher shipping and raw materials costs might be better at retaining customers and market share, Kannan said… “Being transparent about the reasons for the price increase may get them some Brownie points from consumers,” he said. “They don’t want to be seen as a manufacturer who is price gouging.”

DIG (Digital Innovation for Growth) – June 16 – In “Reflections from Maryland,” Norwegian School of Economics PhD student Oskar Bolin describes his six-month study under Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, including: As part of my PhD at NHH, a six-month research stay at the University of Maryland has been included. Consequently, I had the opportunity to audit a PhD-level course on Strategic Marketing by Professor Roland Rust at Smith school of Business. Rust is the co-author of the book “Feeling Economy: How artificial intelligence is creating the new era of empathy” (2021). In the book, Rust and Ming-Hui Huang of National Taiwan University argue that manufacturing technology (e.g., industrial robots) is the pillar of the physical economy, information technology (e.g., mechanical AI) is the driving force of the thinking economy, and AI (cognitive technology) is the backbone of the feeling economy… Related: Rust’s and Huang’s research is the focus of “Don’t Want AI To Steal Your Job? Prepare Yourself With ‘Feeling Tasks’” (June 15) at EdTimes.

USA Today – June 15 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez gives career advice in “Career Burnout? Here's How to Fix it.”

DATAQUEST Magazine – June 14 – In his guest column on cybersecurity, “The Invisible Thread in Our Digital World,” EY Alumni Professor of Managerial Accounting and Information Assurance Lawrence A. Gordon explains why “having a well-mapped approach, clear frameworks and investment models can equip organizations for surviving confidently in a world punctuated with attacks, breaches, and bad actors.”

Observer – June 13 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender explains CEO compensation in “CEO Pay Jumped 16 Percent Last Year, the Biggest Increase in Seven Years”: Much of CEO compensation is received in stocks or stock-option awards. And that explains the big jump in their pay, said Faulkender]. “When the market performs as well as it did in 2021—the S&P 500 rose 26.9 percent—and considering that CEO pay is incentive based, it’s not surprising,” Faulkender said. “This year, if the S&P 500 continues to fall, you would expect to see CEO compensation come down.” Perhaps we shouldn’t be so scandalized by the high CEO salaries, Faulkender said. Many of the big companies have grown and are no longer regional but are now global, he added. CEO pay has grown with the size of the business. “As a percentage of the value of the company, CEO compensation hasn’t risen all that much although the absolute dollar amount has,” Faulkender said. “If you look at people at the tip top of their professions—athletes and lawyers for example—you see massive increases in compensation.”

Poets & Quants – June 12 – Maryland Smith’s Anthony Duellman and Lynze Hagan are profiled among the “Best & Brightest Online MBAs: Class Of 2022.”

Observer – June 9 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang comments in “Target’s Inventory Problem Won’t be Easy to Fix,” including: Retail companies like Target make decisions way ahead of time, [said Zhang], “For some it’s about a year ahead of time when they decide what to order and how much to buy from vendors,” Zhang said. “They made their predictions around this time last year when there was surging demand. They thought that demand would stick. Unfortunately for them, it didn’t.” Back in the spring of 2021 people had quite a bit of cash on hand, Zhang said. “They spent it on home improvements,” she added. “Demand was high for home office furnishings and for items needed for kids attending school virtually.” … So Target and others have opted to sell unpopular items at deep discounts and to cancel orders from suppliers, Zhang said. “They’d rather pay a penalty fee to suppliers for cancellation than have more products shipped and add to the already excessive inventory.”

WalletHub Ask the Experts – June 9 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger answers “What should drivers consider when determining their liability coverage levels?,” including: “Conclusion: While state laws might limit the dollar amount of a compensatory liability award, these are always significantly above the minimum coverage amount. As a result, minimum state liability coverage for auto insurance is not feasible for most of us. Generally, the $250,000/$500,000 choice will be the most prudent.”

Truck Transport News – June 8 – “Coercion Claims by Drivers At Record Breaking Levels” quotes Michelle L. Smith Professor of Logistics Thomas Corsi: But coercion and its effect on exacerbating fatigue “is definitely still a problem,” [said Corsi] “I serve as an expert witness on accident cases that overwhelmingly occur when drivers are working on not enough sleep and end up plowing into a car because they’re working way too many hours,’’ Corsi said. “They’re on very strict time commitments that a broker or a carrier made to a client, but there are huge safety implications. These guys clearly are really stretched.”

Observer – June 8 – "Biden’s Easing of Tariffs on Solar Panels Won’t Erase All the Obstacles to Solar Expansion in the U.S.” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Biden’s plan “should lead to a greater supply of solar panels being imported and a greater output of electricity produced by solar,” said Kass]. “But the other side of the coin is that we also are trying to increase our own capacity to manufacture solar panels and this will actually slow down our path to self-sufficiency.”

Maryland Today – June 8 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C Boyd III discusses companies’ mistakes in commercializing Juneteenth in “Why Companies Can’t Treat Every Holiday as a ‘Holiday.’”

Protocol – June 6 – “Musk Can't Blame Bots to Get Out of the Twitter Deal” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: “Musk does not have any ground to stand on to void the agreement that he signed,” [Kass] told Protocol. Kass said Musk has two ways out of the acquisition: One would be a regulatory holdup, which doesn’t look likely now that the FTC’s window to intervene has closed. The other would be if Musk doesn’t gather enough debt funding for the deal to happen, in which case he’d pay Twitter $1 billion and break up with the company once and for all. … Also from Kass: He gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization,” (for June 4) via TalkMarkets.

New York Times – June 3 – “‘Greedflation’ Rewriting Economics, or Do Old Rules Still Apply?” quotes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: “With a price adjustment, people who have substitutes or maybe can do with less of it will choose to consume less of it, and you have the allocation of goods for which there is a shortage go to the highest-value usage,” Dr. Faulkender said. “Every good in our society is based on pricing. People who make more money are able to consume more.”

Observer – June 3 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C Boyd III comments in “All Shook Up: Elvis-Themed Weddings in Las Vegas Are Canceled in a Trademark Crackdown,” including: In general, “once you file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office it’s your job to look over the landscape and if someone is using your trademark without your permission, it’s trademark infringement,” says [Boyd]. “You have to be your own watchdog.” Trademarked names can be worth a lot and company trademarks can be worth billions. Companies that don’t keep an eye out for infringers could lose control of their trademarks, Boyd says. “You don’t want your mark to become generic, or to engage in full or partial abandonment of the mark.” Just ask Kimberly-Clark, owner of Kleenex. Boyd was surprised that ABG just now decided to go after trademark infringers. “ABG acquired Elvis around 2013,” he says. “So we’re talking almost a 10-year window. There have always been Elvis wedding chapels and themed parties in Vegas. Why exercise that right now?” The trademark laws don’t apply to Elvis live shows or tributes, Boyd says. That’s because there is a right of publicity statute, he says. Still, the publicity exception doesn’t cover everything. “If I use Elvis to draw people into a store, by having everyone dressed as Elvis, so customers can say they bought their iPhone from Elvis—that’s not going to fly,” Boyd says. This might be a case where the trademark owners are shooting themselves in the foot…

TAdvisor – June 2 – “How Robotics and Automation will Inform Supply Chains” quotes Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya: Most companies spend less than $10 million on cloud technology The cloud is at an important transition point, [said Acharya]. He compared it to how drivers moved from using paper maps to apps like Google Maps and Waze. “They all take drivers from point A to point B, but apps constantly use new information about things like accidents, construction and weather to tell drivers where to go to save time and nerves. We're really comfortable getting real-time information that they can use to make real-time decisions. Supply chains are undergoing such transformation,” Acharya said.

Observer – June 2 – Dean’s Professor of Entrepreneurship Brent Goldfarb comments in “Seattle’s New Law Makes Gig Work Pay More Like Regular Employment”: Right now it’s not possible to know exactly how things will shake out after such laws go into effect, [said Goldfarb]. “Two things could happen if you increase wages for the gig worker in Uber or Lyft: The company eats the difference or they raise the cost of rides,” Goldfarb said. “If the company raises the cost of rides, then fewer people may take rides at the higher prices and then there would be less work to go around,” Goldfarb said. … When a single company raises the price, then consumers may turn to a competitor, Goldfarb said. But if a new law forces all companies to raise their prices then the outcome will depend on the elasticity of demand. “I’m guessing the companies themselves may not know the answer to this,” he added.

Destination CRM – June 1 – Associate Professor of Marketing Bobby Zhou contributes to “Putting Your Business to the Text”: [According to Zhou], the cost of acquiring new customers is also lower with messaging, given that these platforms already have a vast user base. “Also, the ease of use and convenience has made these platforms a great channel to interact with customers,” Zhou says. “Customers do not need to visit a brand’s main webpage to engage with it. And from the brand’s perspective, the costs of developing and maintaining the presence on third-party messaging platforms can be lower than operating their own online stores, giving brands extra incentives to rely on these messaging platforms.” …Zhou further cautions that reliance on third-party messaging can also lead to loss of full control over the interaction environment with consumers (compared to, for example, interaction on your company’s own website), a potential loss of rich behavioral data depending on the agreement with the platform, and increased consumer expectation regarding the speed of response.

Observer – June 1 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in “Biden’s Housing Plan Sounds Good in Theory But Needs Lots of Help If It’s Going to Work,” including: Standing in the way are the folks who think there should be more affordable housing, just not in their backyards, [said Rossi]. On the financial side of things, the administration is pushing for Fannie Mae and its sister company, Freddie Mac, to make changes in what they’re willing to buy from banks. Fannie Mae could change its rules so that it could purchase loans made to builders before a multifamily dwelling is constructed, for example. And Freddie Mac could write new rules for “chattel loans,” which are made for mobile homes, but not the land they will sit on, Rossi said. The problem with these chattel loans is that they tend to be shorter term and more costly than typical mortgages, Rossi said. If Freddie Mac could come up with a way to solve that problem, “that would be a game changer for the market that needs it to be on board,” he added. The administration also would like to promote modular housing like mobile homes, which are cheaper than the standard on-site construction. The cost savings are “the reason why the administration wants to promote scaling up of those homes,” Rossi said. But there’s been some pushback from builders who don’t like the competition.

May 2022

The Hill – May 30 – “SEC Looms Over Musk-Twitter Deal” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: By filing that disclosure after the 10-day deadline, Musk may have netted $156 million according to University of Maryland business school professor David Kass. “Either he’s underpaid by $156 million by withholding this information, or he had $156 million profit as a result of holding this information,” he explained. “And of course shareholders who sold their shares during this time period… were in effect shortchanged.” … More from David Kass: He gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization” (for May 21), via TalkMarkets.

Observer – May 28 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr comments in “As Apple Store Workers Organize, the Company Pushes an Anti-Union Message”: Research shows that unions tend to be good on average for workers, [said Starr]. Studies show that “there is roughly between 10 and 20 percent wage bump,” Starr said. “Union workers are also more likely to have health insurance, pensions and retirement savings vehicles.” While it’s clear the average worker benefits from being part of a union, some individual workers might be hurt by unionization, Starr said. “If you’re somebody with a potential for high income, someone who would shoot up the ranks and gets lots of outside offers, it can be negative,” he added. “This type of person might not want to be encumbered by having a union negotiate for them.” Also, because many unionized companies value seniority, someone who is new to the company might not fare as well as they would in a non-union company, Starr said. Similarly, if the company needs to lay off workers, the rule is often last-hired, first-fired, regardless of how productive the worker is.

SHRM – May 27 – “AI Adoption Will Cause Workforce Reorganization” summarizes Assistant Professor of Finance Alex Xi He’s research and includes his comments, including: A junior-level worker entering the workforce will know more about how to use AI data to make predictions, [said He]. "We found that AI is making the firm less top-heavy and flatter. It's not surprising, because AI has the ability to make predictions and that makes the entry-level workers more capable to make decisions. They can do more, and there is less need for middle managers.”

Observer – May 26 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “Long Covid Will Have a Massive Impact on the U.S. Economy”: Based on the new numbers, long Covid is likely to have a major impact both on the healthcare system because many of these patients will need years of care, and to the general economy because of the loss to the workforce of people with severe symptoms having to quit work. “The 18 to 64 year old group is the working age population,” [said Kass]. With people withdrawing from the workforce, that increases wage pressure during a time when there is already a shortage of workers.” One good thing for these workers is the greater acceptance of work from home, Kass said. “Those with long Covid may still be able to work from home to some extent, but probably not as effectively as they would have if not for long Covid,” he added.

FIND MBA – May 25 – Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Career Services Neta Moye comments in “Online MBA Degrees Come of Age”: “This stigma is lessening, and a strong factor is the reputation of the institution which grants the degree and its accreditation,” says Neta Moye, assistant dean and executive director of career services for the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in the US. The Smith School is accredited by AACSB International, a leading accrediting agency for master’s degree programs in business administration. And like Loades, Moye says that students receive the same MBA degree and diploma from the institution regardless of the format. Moreover, in the current red-hot job market, employers are reaching out to career centers at business schools not just for traditional full-time MBA hiring intakes, but for all openings where MBA skills are sought. “If an employer is posting a ‘just in time’ job with us, they want access to students in all our programs and do not differentiate,” says Moye. “We consider this a great thing. Our talent bench is deep, and employers appreciate that right now.”

Washington Center for Equitable Growth – May 25 – Assistant Professor of Finance Bruno Pellegrino co-authors “Common Ownership in the U.S. Economy,” summarizing his ‘Tale of Two Networks’ research. … Related: Pellegrino co-authors “A Tale of Two Networks: Common Ownership and Product Market Rivalry” (May 20) via Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.

New York Times – May 24 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya comments in “Help! The Airline Changed My Flight Itinerary (for the Worse),” including: The six airlines (American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue) I asked would not provide specific data. To be fair, such figures would be very complicated, since many airlines schedule flights 330 days in advance that are “essentially placeholders,” [said Acharya], who has worked on airline optimization systems for two decades. The schedules solidify 90 to 180 days in advance, he said, and many changes — like a switch to a larger aircraft — are barely noticeable to customers. That matters because, according to Professor Acharya, airline algorithms rank passengers in order of importance, based on variables that might include fare class, loyalty status, whether you paid in miles or dollars, how big your group is and whether you’re an airline employee.

MoneyWeek – May 23 – “JD Sports Will Get Back on Track – Here's How to Play it” (Sportswear retailer JD Sports was a profitable trade in 2019 and is worth watching again) cites research by Dean’s Professor of Finance Jeffrey Tate: Similarly, a 2009 study by Ulrike Malmendier of the Haas School of Business and Geoffrey Tate of the University of Maryland found that the US firms whose CEOs won a major award lagged the market by as much as 26% over the next three years.

CNN Business – May 20 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin comments in “Prices Are Rising. How Much Should Your Salary Increase?”: If you have an offer and the salary falls short of what you were hoping to make, don't be shy about negotiating -- just be sure to do your homework first. "There is more leverage, there is a shortage of labor, companies need good employees, and, with inflation, it is justified to ask for more," [said Derfler-Rozin]. "There is room to negotiate. The key part is the preparation." …"I encourage people to go beyond what you find on the web," said Derfler-Rozin. "If you know people that have worked there or worked in a similar place, try to have a conversation with them informally and get their advice. People are usually more willing to help and mentor... than we actually anticipate." … While inflation can be part of your reason for negotiating a higher salary, Derfler-Rozin said it shouldn't be the central argument. Instead, she said to put most of the focus on your unique skills and values. After showing excitement for the offer, she recommended saying something like: "I would hope we can discuss something that appropriately reflects the value I am bringing to the company based on my past performance, skills and education. Also, naturally taking into account factors such as the location cost of living and the rising inflation."

American Banker – May 20 – “Banks’ Hidden Role in the Carbon Footprints of Large Corporations” quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Banks have pushed back on the “tricky business” of reporting the financed emissions of corporate cash holdings because they are cautious about passing information to their clients that’s dependent on measurements collected at the portfolio company level, [said Rossi]. “I can’t imagine having to wrap my arms around the types of information for all the levers we need at a company level to do that on a reliable basis.”

Forbes – May 20 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments extensively in “The Great Retail Reset Hits the Bullseye: Getting Back On Target,” including: [Kass also noted the tightrope that the Federal Reserve Chairman Powell is walking regarding a “soft landing” as they tighten monetary policy in tandem with consumers already beginning to change their spending patterns… Like a doctor making a prognosis, Dr. Kass noted that we have learned to expect a recession about every 10-years, and it is particularly true when we experience the parallel effects of both monetary and fiscal policy tightening, combined with high inflation. On a positive note, he stated that the economy is still strong with only a 3.6% unemployment rate, closing on the lowest unemployment in 15 years. He believes that there is less than a 50% chance of a full-blown recession. He further postulated that inflation should be down to between 4-5% by year’s end.

Observer – May 19 – Research Professor and Center for Global Business Academic Director Kislaya Prasad comments in “New Sanctions on Russia Could Trigger a Default That Will Be Felt Across the Global Economy”: A default’s “direct effect would be on Russia itself and to some extent also on those holding the debt—a good amount of which is held by western banks,” [said Prasad]. Bond holders most likely wouldn’t lose everything, Prasad said. “It’s likely there would be some attempt to renegotiate and pay at a later date,” he added. “In other cases (of default), such as Argentina, there have always been people to buy up debt at a discount who have the ability to wait longer or the ability to press their case to get repaid at a higher rate.” ... The other side of the coin is that Russians are not able to buy technology and luxury goods, Prasad said. “That’s a big problem for the Russians,” he added. Still, Prasad thinks the future for Russia and Russians might not be so dire – as long as the economy continues to receive support from China. “Russian foreign debt is small,” he said. “They are getting enough money from oil sales, and they don’t need to borrow much in international markets right now.”

Medical News Today – May 19 – “How has the Pandemic Changed Our Behavior?” cites recent comments on consumer behavior by Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: Moving forward, these and other pandemic-fueled spending habits may have changed consumer behavior long-term. For instance, according to Prof. Jie Zhang, professor of marketing, and Harvey Sanders Fellow of Retail Management at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, people are now shopping online more. They are also buying more staple items in bulk, and investing in at-home entertainment options, she notes in an interview.

Observer – May 19 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender contributes to “In Tech, the Rich Get Richer as Big Companies Raise Pay While Struggling Startups Lay Off Workers”: Another important data point: Quit rates are the highest on record, [said Faulkender]. If you want to retain talent in an inflationary period, you need to raise salaries, he added. Some tech companies may be cutting back staff hired to facilitate work from home during the pandemic, Faulkender said. “Some tech firms that supported larger scale activity don’t need that many workers anymore,” he added. Moreover, even though overall there is strong demand for tech workers, that doesn’t apply to all companies, Faulkender said. “Startups are inherently more risky especially if they have models that are not proven,” he added. “There’s less capital out there funding new ventures now and that will hit startups more acutely. When the economy is tightening you look for them to fail more quickly than established entities.”

CNBC – May 17 – “The 2022 Disruptor 50: How We Chose the List of Companies” cites Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship Anil K. Gupta as among the 2022 CNBC Disruptor 50 Advisory Council members “who again offered us their time and insights.”

Observer – May 17 – Orkand Corporation Professor of Management Science Zhi-Long Chen comments in “The US Food and Drug Administration Shares the Blame in the Baby Formula Shortage”: Back in early 2020, during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, “a lot of people were going to the grocery store and buying a lot of basic items, including baby formula,” said [Chen]. “So, at that time there was a lot of demand,” Chen said. “As the virus situation improved, that led to lower demand. The baby formula manufacturers saw there was much lower demand and they cut production.” … Normally the demand for baby formula is very stable, Chen said. And because manufacturers were responding to a short term “demand distortion,” rather than looking at what might happen long term, there’s a shortfall now. Fixing the problem will take time because companies ordered smaller amounts of the ingredients necessary to the formula and now, they can’t easily scale up, Chen said.

NTD Business – May 17 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in a ‘Warren Buffett Spends Big on Stocks’ segment, starting at 8:21. … Related: Kass, via TalkMarkets, gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization” (for May 21).

WMAR ABC-2 – May 17 – Clinical Professor Oliver Schlake is noted as part of the June 13 “B’More BOLD Conference for Entrepreneurs & Innovators”: [T]he conference will feature a special scenario planning workshop with world-expert Oliver Schlake, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, as we seek to create a strategic roadmap for Ukrainian entrepreneurs.

Wall Street Journal – May 16 – “Warren Buffett Spends Big as Stock Market Sells Off” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: This year has changed that. With tightening monetary policy, slowing economic growth and sustained supply-chain disruptions putting markets on edge, Mr. Buffett is in his element, [said Kass]. “This is what I’d consider to be Warren Buffett’s sweet spot,” Mr. Kass said. “The almost wholesale selling in the market has provided Berkshire an opportunity to buy securities at bargain prices.” … Related: Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest Companies by Market Capitalization,” via TalkMarkets (May 14).

MoneyControl – May 13 – Associate Professor of Management David Kirsch and co-researcher Mohsen Chowdhury discuss their findings in a Q&A, “Are Bots Propping up Tesla’s Stock? Two Researchers Share Why There is Reason to Investigate.” Related coverage of the study, via The Edge Markets: “Tech: Will Twitter make Elon Musk a better pied piper?” (May 11).

Global Association of Risk Professionals – May 13 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes a Risk Intelligence column, “Building a Unified Theory of Risk Management: How and Why.” Summary: To improve enterprise risk management, move further away from risk silos, and gain a better understanding of both obvious and hidden risks, the financial services industry needs to create a new risk paradigm. This can only be achieved by developing a framework that unites the four forces of risk management: culture, psychology, governance, and environmental risk.

TheWrap (via Yahoo News) – May 12 – “Did Zack Snyder Stans Rig the Oscar ‘Fan Favorite’ Vote With Online Bots?” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: David Kirsch, a University of Maryland professor who has studied fanbots, agreed that the pro-Snyder accounts “certainly do not look like they were generated by a human user” — though they were on the border of his research team’s cutoff point to definitively declare them bots. Extended coverage quotes Kirsch, by Vanity Fair (“Zack Snyder’s Fan-Voted Oscar Wins May Have Been Rigged by Bots”), others.

The Business Monthly – May 10 – ‘Maryland Business Adapts Set for June 3’ previews the forthcoming event organized by Smith’s Center for Global Business to showcase companies that have demonstrated resilience through global economic shocks and connect companies to resources to compete globally.

WalletHub Ask the Experts – May 10 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Hank Boyd explains metal credit cards’ pros and cons and increasing popularity in “Best Metal Credit Cards.”

Washington Post – May 8 – “Musk Says He Will Ban Twitter Spam Bots, But He Has Been a Beneficiary” quotes and references research by Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch, including: But it is reasonable to wonder whether a Tesla contractor or subcontractor is responsible for some of the pro-Musk tweets, [says Kirsch], who this month will present the first of three papers examining bot influence on Tesla’s fans and share prices. The main other class of suspects would be “individual shareholders or pro-Tesla individuals who have the tech skills to do this,” Kirsch said. … The presence of some bots became obvious not long after the carmaker’s stock was being hurt by reports of Model S cars catching on fire. In one span of 75 minutes in November 2013, eight new accounts appeared on Twitter and began posting about the stock. … In the ensuing years, just those eight accounts went on to post 30,000 times using the stock symbol TSLA — at such regular intervals and at such volume that the odds of them representing eight real people are infinitesimally small, Kirsch said. One account, @danrocks4, issued bursts of posts on average every third hour around-the-clock for more than six years, according to Kirsch and co-author Mohsen Chowdhury.

TalkMarkets – May 7 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

Kiplinger – May 4 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments extensively in “Warren Buffett's Inflation Plan: Buy, Buy, Buy” When prices are rising at the fastest pace in four decades, cash is trash. That helps explain Buffett’s biggest Q1 binge, [says Kass] …In addition to a number of other attractive attributes, Warren Buffett also sees an inflation hedge in Chevron, Kass says. And even if oil prices level off or reverse trend, a stake in CVX is better than sitting in cash and equivalents. “Chevron has a large stock buyback program and pays a cash dividend of 3.5%,” Kass says. “That makes it a relatively safe cash alternative. Instead of earning essentially zero on Treasury bills, why not earn a dividend yield and a buyback yield that combined probably come in somewhere in the high single digits?”… “Oil, I believe, is a good hedge against inflation.” This stocks-down-inflation-up dynamic helps explain the sudden and stark reversal in Berkshire’s balance sheet. Related: Kass’ commentary on Buffett’s spending activity is referenced in the following day in Kiplinger’s ‘ Stocks Suffer Worst Losses of 2022 .’

Charles Koch Foundation – May 4 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Director of the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets, describes the Snider Center’s Intentional Life Lab in “How to Empower Students to Live Intentional Lives.”

Futurism – May 3 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch discusses his research in “Twitter Bots Love Tesla. Elon Musk Is Pledging to Destroy Them.”

The Observer – May 3 – Nicole Coomber contributes to “As U.S. Workers Head Back to the Office, One Million Women Are Left at Home,” including: Offering flex time, an option to work from home, could help many women return to work, experts say. “There’s been a lot of buzz about the recently announced Airbnb policy of ‘work from anywhere,’” [said Coomber]. “That’s definitely a trend we see.” Coomber and colleagues have been interviewing women to find out what the most important barriers are to staying on the job. Along with flexibility, the moms also say they need to have some structure to their jobs. In other words, they want to know in advance when they will be working and when they will be off, Coomber said.

Washington Post – May 2 – “The Flawed Math Behind Elon Musk’s Twitter Deal” references a working paper by Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch and Mohsen Chowdhury exploring whether tweets from fanbots are related to changes in the price of Tesla’s stock.

Harvard Business Review – May 2 – Research Professor Emeritus Sandor Boyson co-authors “How Exposed Is Your Supply Chain to Climate Risks?”

Maryland Daily Record – May 1 – Clinical Professor of Management Oliver Schlake describes how entrepreneurs can benefit from a farmers market setting in “Farmers market alumni are making it big in Baltimore,” including: The model guarantees a steady stream of potential customers for each vendor and has a low barrier to entry — just the fee for setting up a booth, plus the cost of any materials. It’s not unlike selling a product on Amazon or Etsy, [according to Schlake].

Poets & Quants – May 1 – “100 Best & Brightest MBAs: Class of 2022 includes and features Maryland Smith’s Daylin Russo.

April 2022

Bloomberg – April 30 – “Buffett Speaks at Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting” includes: CNBC reporter Becky Quick identifies [Clinical Professor of Finance] David Kass as the source for (he’s an avid Buffett watcher and a finance professor). He’s asking about Biden’s tax plans… Buffett says that he has no point of view that he’d want attributed to him. Munger says he pays whatever taxes they pass, and he doesn’t want to engage in any lobbying about policies. Related: Kass gives “10 Highlights of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2022 Annual Meeting,” via TalkMarkets (May 1).

Kellogg Insight – April 30 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender’s research ("Understanding the Rise in Corporate Cash: Precautionary Savings or Foreign Taxes”) is the basis for “Why Are U.S. Companies Hoarding So Much Cash?.”

CNN Business – April 29 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in “Electric Car Startups Want to Avoid Same Fate as Britain's 1890s Bike Bubble”: [Kirsch said] he expects some electric vehicles startups to survive but many to fail. "The stories are unraveling," Kirsch told CNN Business. … US electric vehicle companies aren't the only ones to see their valuations reduced. Chinese electric vehicles startups have taken a hit, too. Nio's stock has fallen 49% this year, while X-Peng is down 52% and BYD's has dropped 17%. Even the world's most valuable automaker, Tesla, hasn't been immune; its stock is down 27% this year. Kirsch views the falling stock prices of companies that wish to rival Tesla as evident of how difficult it is to turn startups that inspire investors with a story into businesses that prove themselves on paper with revenue and profits. "Some of these companies are being exposed in a way," Kirsch said. "There's a saying, when the tide goes out, you see who isn't wearing a bathing suit."

CNBC – April 29 – "Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Meeting is Here: What to Expect from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger": “One might expect buybacks to slow down simply because the price of Berkshire has gone up,” [said Kass]. “Buffett will only buy back shares if he considers them to be at a sufficient discount from intrinsic value.” Berkshire’s investments lately only made a small dent in his $140 billion-plus war chest, leaving Buffett watchers wondering if a major investment is on the horizon. “The recent declines in the stock market resulting from the anticipated tightening of monetary policy by the Federal Reserve may provide additional attractive opportunities for Buffett in the near future,” Kass said. The story expands on Kass’ comments from an April 23 CNBC Pro column “Warren Buffett is on a Roll. Here is What’s Behind his Big Moves and What Could Come Next.” …Related: Kass gives a Q&A with National Business Daily (China) in “Buffett's Shareholders Meeting is About to be Held, Business School Professors Explain the Investment Logic of ‘Stock Gods’” (April 28).

Observer – April 29 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang comments extensively in “As the Pandemic Ebbs, Americans are Shifting Their Spending from Goods to Services and Travel," including: “People have just been locked up at home too long and now there’s a pent up demand for restaurants, outdoor entertainment, leisure activities and travel,” Zhang said. “And they’ve learned over the past two years that the pandemic isn’t just going to be suddenly over. Covid cases will come in waves. But right now, a wave has ended, and case numbers are low in the U.S. and many parts of the world.” So, people see the current situation with the virus as a window of opportunity, she said.

San Francisco Examiner – April 29 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization David Kirsch comments extensively in ‘We Know Bad Things are Going to Happen,’ with Musk and Twitter, including: “Musk’s Twitter activity constitutes a novel tool for corporate engagement mobilization and polarization,” Kirsch writes in a working copy of the research being presented at a conference in June. “While Musk’s deft use of Twitter delighted and engaged the fanboys, the techniques employed also mobilized a subset of Twitter users to challenge and oppose Musk, leading to polarization.” … “A policy unit inside of Twitter over the last couple of years was sort of focused on trying to tamp down some of the extremism, reduce some of the really harmful trolling and create more healthy conversations,” Kirsch says, referring to Twitter’s Healthy Conversations program.

Investor’s Podcast Network – April 28 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives an in-depth “Buffett’s Biggest Blunders” interview for the network's “We Study Billionaires” series.

European Pharmaceutical Review – April 28 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes “Can Continuous Manufacturing add Shareholder Value for Pharmaceutical Companies?.”

Delicious Food – April 28 – “McDonald’s Ice Cream Woes Have Inspired Memes, Mockery and Now, a Federal Lawsuit” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass says] the agency gets involved when there are both numerous complaints about a product and “sufficient substance” to the complaints. Kass said he was perplexed that McDonald’s had gone so long without finding a permanent fix for its ice cream machines. “Customers, if they’re disappointed frequently enough, will go elsewhere,” he said.

The Diamondback – April 28 – Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss comments in “UMD Students, Faculty Discuss Importance of Student Debt Cancellation”: “Much of the inflation is due to supply chain issues as the country is coping with reallocation of resources after the pandemic,” Kiss said in an email. “Pausing student loan debt repayments puts dollars in the pockets of the graduates that they can use to spend to buy the higher priced goods and services.” …The average student takes out $8,474 a year to attend this university, according to the college ranking site Niche. The issue goes beyond just this university, according to Kiss. “One of the major problems with student loan debt is not the impact on University of Maryland graduates, most of whom are able to get good jobs after graduation, but with students who attend for-profit predatory schools … whose students were misled and defrauded,” Kiss said.

New York Times – April 27 – “Will Elon Musk Save Twitter or Destroy It?” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: Whatever Musk’s public statements, it bears noting that “no one has profited more from the existence of Twitter than Elon Musk,” as [Kirsch] told The Los Angeles Times. “Donald Trump used Twitter to win the presidency, but Elon Musk used it to sustain the Tesla narrative and support the stock when the company was in danger of collapse.”

USA Today – April 27 – Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender comments in “Critics Say Corporate Greed is Making Inflation Worse, Citing Record Profits Despite Rising Costs”: [Faulkender] disagreed that executives' comments to analysts amount to evidence of price gouging. "The fact that CEOs get on earnings calls (and talk about) making money isn't a shock," he says. …Faulkender says criticism of corporate profit margins fails to account for the laws of supply and demand. Consumer demand was turbocharged by federal stimulus payments at the same time that global supply kinks created product shortages, he says. “Prices are not set” to cover costs plus a profit margin, says Faulkender. “They are set to bring quantity demanded into equilibrium with quantity supplied. When there is excess demand, prices rise and those selling the product receive higher revenue as a result. Faulkender also notes that wholesale costs have risen more rapidly than retail prices, underscoring that businesses haven’t passed all their increased expenses to consumers.

Reuters – April 27 – “Musk’s Criticism of Twitter Staff Triggers Backlash” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: "If he proves incapable of tamping down the polarization, Twitter will slowly start to become less relevant because certain types of conversations will no longer be able to take place on it," [said Kirsch].

Business Insider – April 27 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass contributes to “Warren Buffett is on a Buying Spree. 7 Experts Analyze the Investor's Recent Trio of Purchases, and Break Down Why he Spent $23 Billion on Them”: "The confluence of these three large investments in a short period of time might be coincidental. Buffett waits patiently for opportunities to develop and pounces on them when they occur… Occidental may have become more attractive to Buffett because he expects high oil prices to continue. In the current inflationary environment, oil prices would be expected to remain high and oil companies would appear to be attractive investments… The HP investment might have resulted from a very attractive price, which Buffett considered to undervalue the company. It also possesses a highly regarded and respected brand name with a 'moat' protecting its market share in its laptop computer and printer businesses.”

Style and Polity – April 27 – “Social Capital is a Key Driver of Small Business” summarizes research by William A. Longbrake Chair in Finance Vojislav Maksimovic, Associate Professor of Finance Liu Yang and PhD finance student Sophia Xue: A community’s social capital – the level of trust and cooperation among residents – is conventionally associated with the likes of higher SAT scores and less youth violence. But a new study drawn from Payment Protection Program (PPP) and U.S. Census data shows that the same metric also correlates positively with business development…

Morning Brew – April 25 – “One-Way Video Interviews are Impersonal, Candidates Say, and Raise Privacy Concerns” cites research by Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue: Studies have indicated that algorithmic bias is most prevalent in the facial scans of non-white people: For example, a 2018 study [by Rhue] found that two different facial-analysis programs determined that images of Black NBA players were respectively interpreted to be more angry or contemptuous than those of white players.

Rolling Stone (via Rolling Stone India) – April 25 – “The World’s Richest Man Just Bought the World’s Most Influential Social Media Platform — What Could Go Wrong?” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: The potential sale comes amid speculation that Musk has been gaming the Securities and Exchange Commission. He was 11 days later in declaring that he’d bought more than five percent of the company earlier this month, a move that allowed him to net over $150 million as he continued to buy stock before disclosing his stake, which prompted the price to rise. “I really don’t know what’s going through his mind. Was he ignorant or knowledgeable that he was violating securities law?” University of Maryland finance professor David Kass told The Washington Post.

The Economist – April 23 – “Elon Musk’s Twitter Saga is Capitalism Gone Rogue” cites research by Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: Tesla, which on April 20 reported record sales in the first quarter, goes from strength to strength. Twitter helped fuel its rise. It may not be just his Twitter “fanboys” who have bolstered the Tesla narrative. According to David Kirsch of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, tweets generated by “fanbots,” or what he claims are pro-Tesla algorithms, accounted for 23% of all messages on Twitter containing the hashtag #tsla between 2010 and 2020, or 36,000 tweets.

Washington Business Journal – April 22 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes op-ed, “Greater Washington Must Incentivize Domestic Drug Manufacturing” (via investing in advanced manufacturing technologies, such as continuous manufacturing, or CM), including: This transformation is overdue. This dynamic — along with corporate tax rates, differential labor and manufacturing expenses, supply chain management and environmental costs — feeds into a U.S. pharmaceutical sector dependent on both foreign manufacturing and decades-old batch processing practice, which is a sequence of steps that can be inefficient and prone to more manual errors with its labor-intensive approach.

Observer – April 22 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust comments in “Verizon Raised its Minimum Wage to $20 an Hour As the U.S.’s Lowest Paid Workers Make Unprecedented Gains,” including: As wages rise, companies will most likely reach a limit on what they are willing to spend on labor costs, Rust said. “Companies will seek a way to not use labor,” Rust said. “Artificial intelligence is becoming big and you’re going to see it more and more. Rising wages are going to bring more pressure to apply AI to various tasks.”

The Street – April 22 – “Elon Musk Wants to Get Rid Of One of the Worst Parts of Twitter” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: “Kirsch said "looking at tweets from Tesla IPO to 2020, we found a set of accounts that did not exhibit human-like behavior ... Using Botometer ... we identified these accounts as programmed users generating pro-Tesla content." … "The #fanbots were active in the pro-Tesla movement using #TSLA and $TSLA, whereas accounts active in the counter-movement around #TSLAQ and $TSLAQ were human users," Kirsch said. "This imbalance suggests that the fanbots were a strategic resource supporting the Tesla narrative."

Inside Mortgage Finance – April 22 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi elaborates on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac discussing ways to proactively deal with risks of climate change, via “Risk Expert Says GSEs are Assessing Their Exposure to Climate Risk,” including: “[GSEs are] gearing up, along with FHFA, for building the infrastructure to assess the risk and be able to manage it. They’re coming up with what we call a ‘climate risk taxonomy’ so they can define all the various risks they’re exposed to.” Perhaps most important, they’re trying to understand the nature of the exposure in their portfolios to these risks. “The companies will be engaged with climate model vendors. Just like a reinsurance company that has a climate model, they’ll say, ‘Run all our properties through the model and tell us what our exposure is from the dollar standpoint.’”

Al Araby TV (via Twitter) – April 19 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez helps explain the trend toward a four-day workweek.

Baltimore Sun Education – April 19 – In separate, continued articles on Page 7, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs Victor Mullins describes Smith’s Business Leadership Fellows Program and Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi previews plans for climate finance and risk management education programs for professionals.

WalletHub (Ask the Experts) – April 19 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust shares insights via a “2022’s Best Airlines” Q&A.

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) – April 15 – ‘Risk Executives on the Move’ highlights Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: [Rossi] is on the 16-member FDA Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology Advisory Committee… His previous research effort “underscores the importance of more focus on drug safety, efficacy and making sure that we have adequate manufacturing quality and technology to do that. Looking especially at how we finance and invest in that area is something that I’m thrilled to have a voice in now,” said Rossi.

The (New York) Observer – April 13 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments for "Americans Want to Fly Again, and Delta Airlines is Benefiting," including: It’s very likely the other airlines will show similar trends when they release their first quarter reports, [said Kass], a clinical professor of finance at the University of Maryland. Kass attributes the recovery to Americans’ urge to hit the road… Things may be a little more up in the air come 2023, Kass said. “Many economists are predicting that with the Federal Reserve likely to raise interest rates sharply over the next year, year-and-a-half, to bring down inflation, that could lead to a recession in 2023,” Kass said. “And that would probably have a negative impact on the airlines next year.” Ideally, the reserve will manage to achieve the delicate balance that would lead to a “soft landing,” Kass said. “But that is extremely difficult to achieve and hard to predict.”

Los Angeles Times – April `12 – “Elon Musk’s not-so-secret weapon: An army of Twitter bots touting Tesla” references new research by Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch that “concludes that 500-plus million Tweets/day has played a significant part in the “stock of the future” narrative that has propelled Tesla’s market value… Reporting on reaction to the LA Times piece and Kirsch’s study, the Wall Street Journal’s “Meet the Twitter Army of Elon Musk Superfans” includes: David Kirsch, the University of Maryland professor who conducted the research, said he has never had a position in or against Tesla stock… Further related coverage: Kirsch discusses (at 44:00) his research connecting fanbots and Tesla stock movement, via BBC Business Matters.

FIND MBA – April 12 – Interim Associate Dean of Master’s Programs Paulo Prochno comments in “Why Global Study Trips are a Must for Online MBAs,” including: “During some periods of the pandemic we had to change the residencies to virtual,” says [Prochno]. “For the global programs, we offered a virtual alternative, too — students worked on a project with a foreign company and attended multiple virtual company visits, virtually meeting senior executives of companies in the chosen countries.” Still, he says the trips were “very valuable”, in the sense that they let students learn more about the opportunities and challenges of doing business overseas. “There was also the opportunity to apply knowledge from multiple courses in a real project that will help a company abroad,” says Prochno. “That experiential learning is essential to understand in more depth how the multiple business areas relate to each other.”

Forbes – April 11 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in “Apple And Crypto—Here’s What You Should Know”: In addition, [Rossi] said that having a digital or crypto wallet and its own stable coin or a crypto pegged to the price of a fiat currency, could give Apple a competitive advantage over other retailers and will increase the competitive landscape of the personal banking and payment processing industry.

FreightWaves – April 11 – “Truckers are Filing Coercion Complaints with the Feds at a Record Pace” quotes Academic Director of the MS Supply Chain Program Thomas Corsi: But coercion and its effect on exacerbating fatigue “is definitely still a problem,” Thomas Corsi, academic director for supply chain management at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, told FreightWaves. “I serve as an expert witness on accident cases which overwhelmingly occur when drivers are working on not enough sleep and end up plowing into a car because they’re working way too many hours. They’re on very strict time commitments that a broker or a carrier made to a client, but there are huge safety implications. These guys clearly are really stretched.”

USA Today Network (via The Arizona Republic) – April 8 – In separate career-advice columns, Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez writes “Learn How to Connect with New Colleagues in a Remote Work Setting” and Senior Director of Employer Relations Cynthia O’Brien writes “Got Job Offers? Here's How to Decide on the Right One.”

Global Health NewsWire – April 8 – Ritu Agarwal, Distinguished University Professor and Robert H. Smith Dean’s Chair of Information Systems, explains “3 Keys to Addressing Bias in Health Data and Algorithms and Why it Matters.”

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) – April 8 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes “Credit Access and Risk: A Balancing Act.” Summary: GSEs have in the past have relied on a singular credit score to evaluate borrower credit risk, but the FHFA is now considering whether Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be allowed to use a multi-score approach. The question is whether this would expand access to credit or simply create greater risk for GSEs and for capital markets.

Internal Auditor – April 8 – James Lager, adjunct professor and chief ethics adviser for the U.S Government Accountability Office, co-authors “Toward a More Perfect Objectivity.” Summary: Rather than treating objectivity as a best intention or ignoring the objectivity problem as unsolvable, internal auditors can best honor their professional obligations by using behavioral science insights to reach for objectivity.

Denver Business Journal – April 7 – “Colorado Legislators Look to Limit Noncompete Agreements” quotes Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr: [Starr] said that between one-third and two-thirds of all employees under such agreements are required to sign them after they have accepted a job, when they have little to no negotiating leverage to push back. And 30% of firms that use noncompete agreements do so indiscriminately for all workers, regardless of salary or managerial level.

Business Insider – April 7 – “Warren Buffett Just Revealed a Huge Stake in HP — After Ruling Out Ever Owning the Computing Stock in 1998” quotes a Tweet by Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: It's also possible that one of Buffett's two investment managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, oversaw the HP purchases. However, the sheer size of Berkshire's position suggests their boss was the mastermind, [Kass] tweeted on Thursday. … Kass, via Talkmarkets, gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest US Companies by Market Capitalization” (April 9).

WRAL TechWire – April 7 – “Survival of the Fittest Entrepreneurs: It’s Becoming Harder to be Successful, Study Finds” includes a summary of a working paper (‘Are Entrepreneurs Penalized during Job Searches?’) by Associate Professor of Management and Organization Waverly Ding, Clarice Smith Professor of Management and Organization Debra Shapiro and postdoctoral researcher Hyeun Lee, including: The study revealed that former entrepreneurs were 23% to 29% less likely to be selected [when applying for jobs] than those with no entrepreneurial experience… Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that large firms develop anti-bias training programs to mitigate the penalty on former entrepreneurs during the recruiting process. They also point out that picking the right person for recruiting can help. For example, the entrepreneurial penalty can be reduced by using recruiters who have entrepreneurial aspirations themselves.

Maryland Today – April 7 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger gives “Tips for Last-Minute Tax Filers.”

Washington Post – April 6 – “Elon Musk Delayed Filing a Form and Made $156 Million” (and quoted from here in a separate report by The Daily Beast among others): The late filing netted Musk $156 million, [said Kass]. “I really don’t know what’s going through his mind. Was he ignorant or knowledgeable that he was violating securities law?” he said. Whoever was handling the trades for Musk should have known, Kass said… Separate coverage quoting Kass: Mercury News/Bay Area News Group’s “Elon Musk’s Missed Twitter Deadline Made Him Millions, Experts Say”: “The rest of the world was ignorant that he was purchasing the shares,” [said Kass]. “Once it became known that he was purchasing those shares, you got that spike.” Kass estimated that the delayed disclosure delivered an extra $156 million in stock value to Musk. … Sinclair Broadcast Group’s “Elon Musk's Long-Standing Battle Against SEC Takes Center Stage after Twitter Buy”: “Certainly the people around him who filled out the forms for him, whether it be his attorneys or financial consultants, should have informed him of that deadline once it was crossed," [Kass told] The National Desk.”

Law360 – April 5 – ‘Windfall Tax On Profits Would Help Consumers’ quotes Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender from his testimony before the Senate Budget Committee: Michael Faulkender, an assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy under former President Donald Trump, said imposing a 95% windfall profits tax on corporations would lead to disaster. "Any company that created new products, successfully entered new markets, or shifted their offerings in response to changes in consumer preferences following the pandemic would be punished," said Faulkender, now a finance professor at University of Maryland. Additional coverage of the hearing and Faulkender’s testimony includes “The Big Plan to Shied Biden from Inflation Attacks” at Liberty Nation “Corporate Media Ignore Hearing on Corporate Greed," via the Albany Herald.

Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo News) – April 5 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in “Twitter Names Elon Musk to Board, Further Lifting Shares”: But others said Musk's motivation behind the Twitter investment probably has little to do with national politics. "Twitter is a key resource for him," [said Kirsch], who has written extensively on electric vehicles and modern technology. Musk currently has more than 80 million followers on the platform, which Kirsch said has likely saved him hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising. "He is the master of the platform, at a certain point he couldn't afford not to have a say in how it's managed," said Kirsch. "All the politics are secondary."

Forbes – April 4 – “Two Years Later, Was The PPP Worth It?” references Dean’s Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender related to his 2019-2021 role of Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the US Treasury through which he led the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Los Angeles Times – April 4 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in “What Would Free Speech Look Like on Elon Musk’s Twitter?”: “No one has profited more from the existence of Twitter than Elon Musk,” said David Kirsch, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and coauthor of the recent book “Bubbles and Crashes.” “Donald Trump used Twitter to win the presidency, but Elon Musk used it to sustain the Tesla narrative and support the stock when the company was in danger of collapse.” … “No one has been more adept at using Twitter to control public narrative” than Musk, said Kirsch, who’s currently researching the effect of Twitter bots on Tesla’s stock price and reputation. (Bots are automated Twitter accounts created to resemble real people and are often used to flood the app with programmed messages.) Musk may be investing “if he believes that Twitter is adopting policies that limit his ability to use the platform,” Kirsch added.

TechTarget – April 1 – “New Study Reveals How AI will Change Future Workplaces” overviews Assistant Professor of Finance Alex Xi He’s working paper.

March 2022

Expansion Solutions Magazine – March 31 – Clinical Professor Oliver Schlake comments as the primary expert source for “Selecting a Headquarters: A Nuanced Affair,” including: Another need to consider is what kind of human resources are required to grow the business, as well as the level of education and/or a trade skill. “Then if the company has enough workers, you have to see what the competition is like to hire more,” [Schlake said]. “If the labor force is shallow, employees will cost more to hire.” So, such moves require taking a long view. “You have to take a few years to think about where to move to, then work within a five-year horizon and know how you want to grow your business,” said Schlake. “Will that be organically or by buying other companies?”

Forbes – March 30 – Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal writes “Exercising Freedom In Your World To Uphold Freedom In The World.”

MIT Sloan Management Review – March 30 – “Is Blockchain a Disruptive or a Sustaining Innovation? What Experts Say” quotes Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal: “The effect of blockchain on ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ of financial transactions is radical and disruptive. In line with industry evolution studies, this opens up the competitive realm for both new entrants and incumbents.”

The Diamondback – March 30 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass explains the causes and implications of high gas prices in “UMD Commuter Students Express Worry for Their Wallets as Gas Prices Stay High.” Also from David Kass, via TalkMarkets: “2022 Percentage Returns of the Largest Market Capitalization” (for April 1).

Fortune – March 29 – Assistant Professor of Finance Alex Xi He comments on his NBER working paper on the effects of managers’ business education on wages and labor share, including: “It used to be the case that when a firm grew, it shared part of its growing profits with its workers,” [said He]. “For [firms with] managers with a business education, we do not find a wage increase after firms grow in profits.” … “A smaller portion of the economic surplus is going to workers and a larger portion is going to either capital or profits.” Also reporting on the study: Axios, Bloomberg, Brookings, Forbes and Quartz.

Lexington Park Leader – March 29 – “CTSi Earns Honors for Innovative Work During Pandemic” previews the June 3 Maryland Business Adapts event and highlights CTSi as one of the companies to be featured in the Center for Global Business-organized program to take place in Baltimore.

Making the Rounds (American Medical Association podcast) – March 25 – “Ritu Agarwal on Shaping Health IT Research, Education and Outreach” features Agarwal, Distinguished University Professor, Robert H. Smith Dean's Chair of Information Systems and co-director of the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) discussing her paper, “Socioeconomic Privilege and Political Ideology are Associated with Racial Disparity in COVID-19 Vaccination,” co-authored with CHIDS colleagues, as well as the center’s focus areas of EHRs, Health IT from the patient-side, and the current A.I. revolution and resurgence.

WUSA-9 – March 23 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch explains “What NFTs Have in Common with Tulip Bulbs from the 1600s.”

Scripps National News – March 22 – Associate Professor of Management Evan Starr draws from his research stream to weigh in for a report on “More Evidence Worker Noncompete Contracts Hurt Wages.”

Bloomberg – March 21 – “Buffett’s Deal Drought Ends With $11.6 Billion Alleghany Buy” (republished minus paywall at Yahoo Finance) quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: “Buffett, in part, may be sending a signal to the world, to investors, to financial markets, that even in this current environment of great uncertainty, that he still thinks there are wonderful opportunities to invest in at least U.S. companies going forward,” [said Kass]. Related: Kass, via TalkMarkets, gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of the Largest Market Capitalization” for March 19 and March 26.

WDVM News – March 16 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass ‘Explains Inflation and the Possible Solutions.”

Retail TouchPoints – March 15 – “Retailers Can Cushion Price Increases’ Impact With Greater Transparency” extensively quotes Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan, including: But what’s most effective is for retailers to be transparent with customers about why they’re raising prices. “A retailer may have loyal customers who love what you’re selling, and if you indicate to them what your cost structure is and how it’s gone up, it may help consumers understand that they’re not being taken advantage of,” said Kannan.

Financial Times – March 13 – “Do online MBAs broaden access to business education?” quotes Interim Assistant Dean Paulo Prochno: Although, in principle, online learning could be a global playing field, online MBAs appeal largely to local learners. This is partly because some countries — notably China and the US — either do not recognise online degrees from overseas institutions, or restrict access to post-graduation work visas for online, as opposed to on-campus, foreign students. Furthermore, coordinating live lectures across multiple time zones poses a challenge for course administrators, and relatively few business schools have a globally recognised name. “You would have to spend a lot of money to get the brand off the ground overseas,” says Paulo Prochno, assistant dean of online programmes at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.

New York Times – March 11 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “McDonald’s Ice Cream Woes Have Inspired Memes, Mockery and Now, a Federal Lawsuit” (also in the Times' Sunday print edition): David Kass [a former economist with the commission], says the [FTC] gets involved when there are both numerous complaints about a product and “sufficient substance” to the complaints. Professor Kass said he was perplexed that McDonald’s had gone so long without finding a permanent fix for its ice cream machines. “Customers, if they’re disappointed frequently enough, will go elsewhere,” he said.

Scripps National News – March 11 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization comments in “More Evidence Worker Noncompete Contracts Hurt Wages” (following a US Treasury release of “The State of Labor Market Competition” extensively citing Starr’s research.

Maryland Today – March 11 – “Giving Day Smashes Fundraising Record With $3.75M Total” quotes Dean Prabhudev Konana, after Maryland Smith fundraised the second-highest total among UMD units: “This Giving Day was a testament to Smith's very strong community,” [said Konana]. “The funds raised to promote entrepreneurship, provide scholarships and enhance student experiences will have such a powerful impact on the school's mission, and I'm truly thankful to each of our donors for their confidence in us.”

GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) – March 11 – In his guest column – “Is Standard Scenario Analysis Outdated?” – with Russia-Ukraine as a backdrop, Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi examines the viability of game theory and simulation-based approaches for projecting and assessing highly volatile risk events with uncertain outcomes.

The Hill – March 11 – Director of Federal and Veteran Affairs Frank Goertner writes “A No-Fly Zone in Ukraine Could Work.”

ASBMB Today (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) – March 10 – “Underpaid: Women Scientists in the Academy” cites research by Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal and Associate Professor of Management and Organization Waverly Ding, including: It may not be surprising to many of us women scientists who work at universities and colleges that we are underpaid compared with our colleagues who are men. Yet an analysis in the journal Nature Biotechnology n fall 2021 revealed that the gender pay gap is smaller for women who work in biotechnology and pharma. This remarkable finding has negative implications for retaining the next generation of women in academic science — and for reaching diversity, equity and inclusion goals at our universities and colleges.

Maryland Today – March 9 – In “A Fluid Situation,” Research Professor and Center for Global Business Academic Director Kislaya Prasad and Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani explain why banking bans are more likely than oil and vodka boycotts to influence Russian policy.

Capital News Service TV – March 8 – In a “Russia Sanctions” segment (2:10) Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss explains SWIFT and the implications of blocking Russia access to the network.

MBA Crystal Ball – March 7 – Senior Director of Admissions for MBA and Specialty Masters Programs Maria Pineda gives five essay tips as part of “How Important are MBA Essays, and Why?”

TalkMarkets – March 5 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization.”

Washington Post – March 3 – Associate Professor in Decision, Operations and Information Technologies Jui Ramaprasad comments extensively in “How to Avoid Falling for a Tinder Swindler or a Fake German Heiress” including: The first of Hayut’s victims that viewers meet in “The Tinder Swindler” is cast as a believer in the Disney fairy tale, exactly the kind of person primed to trust that grand romantic gestures — like whisking someone away on a private jet on a first date — are genuine. Confirmation bias, or the tendency to interpret information in ways that align with a person’s existing beliefs, is a powerful force. “If you want to see something as true, you’ll see it as true,” says [Ramaprasad]. “These people wanted to find love, and this guy played into that.” Often, Ramaprasad continues, scammers are able to identify someone’s vulnerabilities. In the case of the Tinder Swindler, that was women seeking love. With “Inventing Anna,” Sorokin’s friends wanted to be part of the glamorous life she led — the dinners, the parties, the clothes. They wanted to believe it was real.

Connecticut Examiner – March 2 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr is a source for “Legislators Consider Bill to Restrict Non-compete Agreements, Disagree on Workplace Impacts”: Starr, who submitted testimony on the bill last year, told CT Examiner that non-competes have been around since the time of trade guilds, when master craftsmen wanted to prevent apprentices from taking the skills they had learned and setting up competing shops. …Sorenson and Starr also say that there needs to be better data collection around how frequently non-competes are used and the contents of the agreements. Starr said he has asked the Federal Trade Commission several times to investigate the contents of employee contracts. … Starr acknowledged that it can be difficult to police what employers put in their contracts. However, Starr, Sorensen and McKernan all said they believed that having legislation would make a difference.

Maryland Today – March 2 – “MPower Partnership Announces $3M in Seed Grants for Collaborative Research” spotlights 17 studies selected for the funding, including “Precision Therapy for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS)” co-led by Distinguished University Professor and Robert H. Smith Dean's Chair of Information Systems Ritu Agarwal.

February 2022

CNBC – Feb. 28 – Dean's Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender discusses why removing Russian banks from S.W.I.F.T. could harm the global economy and how much Russia will be impacted by the allies’ sanctions in ‘I Do Fear Russia Will Get Around a Fair Number of These Sanctions.’

Maryland Today – Feb. 28 – "Eye-Opening’ Traveling Exhibit Reveals Atrocities of Tulsa Race Massacre" quotes Associate Dean for Culture and Community Zeinab Karake, who brought the exhibit to UMD: “As Winston Churchill said, ‘Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.’ And this is one part of history we definitely do not want to repeat, [said Karake]. “Students told us in their feedback that it was an eye-opener and that they were glad to be exposed to it.”

India Education Diary – Feb. 28 – Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and the David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and Clinical Professor of Marketing Hank Boyd explain how the “Olympics Can Defeat Threats Of Pandemic Protocols, Ballooning Costs And Diplomatic Clashes.”

TalkMarkets – Feb. 26 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass writes “5 Highlights Of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2021 Annual Report.”

American Banker – Feb. 25 – “CFPB Proposal Aims to Curb Bias in Automated Appraisals” quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Some experts are concerned that regulators have limited resources to evaluate algorithmic computer models. “More concerning is the CFPB does not have the technical resources to properly evaluate these models,” [said Rossi].

Institutional Investor – Feb. 25 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Brent Goldfarb contributes to “ESG and Alpha: Sales or Substance?”: There is little reason to doubt that money flowing into investments can increase prices for a time, thereby allowing early investors to accrue higher returns. Sometimes the rising prices can in turn give a veneer of authenticity to the investment strategy. Stock bubbles are formed in this way, and one could easily see this happening with ESG investing. According [to Goldfarb] market bubbles often continue until some contrary evidence reverses the feedback process. Then, fear of losses causes more selling and drives prices lower. At the same time, research has shown that increasing the supply of capital to sustainable companies will push up their stock prices and lower their future returns, not the opposite.

Louisville Courier-Journal – Feb. 25 – “Guaranteed Income Programs are Expanding Across the Nation. What can Louisville Expect?” quotes Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: But critics argue free money can be misused or disincentivize work, and some question its need in the wake of pandemic stimulus and an economy facing inflation and more job openings than people to fill them. “The last thing we need to be doing is paying people to not work,” [said Faulkender]. “If people would like money, there are 11 million job openings.”

Maryland Today – Feb. 25 – Associate Director of Executive MBA Career Coaching, Programming and Outreach Rachel Loock is the source for “A Post-Zoom Guide to Meeting Etiquette.”

WNYC – Feb. 24 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin discusses her ‘Motivation Purity Bias’ research as part of a Brian Lehrer Show segment titled “Managers Are Less Likely to Hire People Who Ask About Salary. Will NYC’s New Wage Law Help?”

WalletHub – Feb. 23 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang answers “How Have Consumer Spending Habits Changed During this Last Year?”

Capital.com – Feb. 22 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “$100+ oil futures expected as Russia enters Ukraine”: [Kass said] if three Middle East countries increased their output it would help the markets. According to the Joint Organisation Data Initiative (JODI), a database of energy statistics, Saudi Arabia’s oil production in January 2022 was 10.02 million barrels per day. JODI believes that Saudi Arabia has the capacity to produce 12 million barrels per day. OPEC data shows UAE oil production was 2.92 million barrels a day last month and has the capacity to produce 4.2 million barrels per day. The cartel also said Kuwait’s oil production in January 2022 was 2.58 million barrels per day but has the capacity to produce 3.15 million barrels per day.

TheStreet – Feb. 22 – “Financial and Economic Thought Leaders Join Amberwave Partners' Economic Advisory Board” includes Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender’s appointment to an Amberwave Economic Advisory Board of “leading economists with wide-ranging experience in financial markets and policymaking at the highest levels” and focused on values-based investing in “companies that are most supportive of JSG (American jobs, security and growth).”

FIND MBA – Feb. 22 – “The Best Online MBA Programs Facilitate High-Touch Interaction Between Participants and Instructors” extensively quotes Interim Associate Dean of Master’s Programs Paulo Prochno: At [Maryland Smith], every Online MBA course has synchronous live sessions on Zoom. “The experience is smooth, and it allows for different forms of interactions such as breakout rooms and chat,” [says Prochno]. “We ask students to have their cameras on all the time, so it’s even better than being in a classroom, as everyone can see everyone’s reactions during the live sessions.” For the asynchronous elements, the business school uses Canvas, a course management system that supports online learning and teaching. It allows professors to post grades, information, and assignments online. “Enhancements in technology for virtual classes have improved the overall experience, so the interactions are even more meaningful now compared to a few years ago,” Prochno says. He says that learning from other participants and teaching staff is essential to the overall MBA experience. “An Online MBA is a professional degree focused on developing skills that are essential for senior management positions. There is a lot of tacit knowledge that needs to be developed during the program; exchanging experiences and working in groups to solve practical problems is an essential element,” says Prochno.

Maryland Today – Feb. 22 – ‘Women Managers Go to Bat for Subordinates’ features research by Logistics, Business and Public Policy associate professor Cristian Deszö.

TalkMarkets – Feb. 19 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

Harvard Business Review – Feb. 18 – Dean’s Professor of Management Subra Tangirala co-authors “The Unintended Consequences of Asking for Employee Input” based on his research forthcoming in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

WUSA-9 – Feb. 17 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch explains how NFTs play into the new digital economy, in “Financial Investment or Fad? A Closer Look at the NFT Craze”: [Kirsch] explained an NFT starts as a digital file: an image, a sound, or video. The creator then adds another layer of code on it. That code then registers that file on the ledger of the internet, what is called the Blockchain. It’s that authentication that makes it unique. “I can take a picture of this wall and share it with you or-I can take a picture of this wall and make it into an NFT,” Kirsch said. “Then it is a certified, singular version of that picture of that wall.” … Kirsch is a little more blunt about the future of NFTs. “If you want my honest answer, I’m going like 99% fad, 1% business development on the NFTS” he approximated.

The Diamondback – Feb. 17 – “UMD Business School Hosts Discussion on Predicted Global Trends” recaps Research Professor and Center for Global Business Academic Director Kislaya Prasad’s discussion with Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council Managing Director Erik Peterson on Kearney’s recent “Promise and Perils: Global Trends 2021-2026” report, as part of CGB’s Distinguished Speakers in International Business Series.

Yahoo Finance – Feb. 16 – The livestream interview, “Charlie Munger Speaks at the Daily Journal’s Annual Shareholder’s Meeting” includes CNBC’s Becky Quick identifying Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass and relaying a pair of his questions to Munger (starting 37:37), which yielded the Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman’s views on the movement against stock trading in Congress and the antitrust scrutiny (here) on big tech.

Pensions & Investments – Feb. 16 – ‘3 win Markowitz Award’ includes Russ Wermers, Paul J. Cinquegrana ’63 Endowed Chair in Finance and Center for Financial Policy director, receiving Special Distinction honors for his paper “Active Investing and the Efficiency of Security Markets” as part of the 2021 Harry M. Markowitz Awards from the Journal of Investment Management and New Frontier Advisors.

Maryland Today – Feb. 15 – Marketing professors Amna Kirmani, Hank Boyd and Judy Frels critique the Super Bowl 56 commercials in “Super Bowl Ads: Celebrities, Cars and Crypto.” Kirmani, in addition, commented extensively on Super Bowl advertising in Katie Couric Media’s “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Super Bowl Commercials Are Really Made” and Boyd previewed the ads via WTOP radio just prior to the Super Bowl kickoff.

Healthline Magazine – Feb. 15 – Associate Professor of Marketing Yogesh Joshi contributes research findings and related comments to “Local Lockdowns and COVID-19: How Effective Were They?,” including: In Joshi’s study, he and his colleagues found that stay-at-home orders reduced mobility in most countries they looked at. But after a while, people began moving around more in the community, even though the stay-at-home order continued. One of their analyses showed that on average, by 7 or 8 weeks after the start of the lockdown, mobility was essentially back where it started. “When lockdowns extend for long periods of time, then the past data shows us that mobility levels start rebounding,” said Joshi. While they didn’t look specifically at the effectiveness of shorter stay-at-home orders — sometimes called “circuit breakers” — Joshi “speculates that shorter lockdowns should yield higher compliance, in terms of [people] staying at home.”

The Business Monthly – Feb. 14 – “Maryland Smith targets startups with Blockchain Accelerator” (an initiative of the Supply Chain Management Center and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship) includes: Participants will showcase their progress and business models to the Dingman Center Angel Group and other attending venture capitalists during the virtual Demo Day. “The Dingman Center Angels is one of the region’s most active investor networks,” said [Dingman Center Managing Director] Holly DeArmond. “Partnering on this blockchain accelerator will allow us to build a pipeline of strong, investment-ready companies for our investors, while also providing the accelerator participants with connections to active angels at the Demo Day.”

TalkMarkets – Feb. 12 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

Bloomberg Law – Feb. 9 – “Red State Lawmakers Look at Noncompete Bans for Low-Wage Workers” includes: Research into Oregon’s ban on noncompetes for low-wage workers—published by [Maryland Smith Associate Professor of Management and Organization] Evan Starr and FTC Economist Michael Lipsitz—found the law might have helped produce a small boost to wage growth and job mobility.

KCM (Katie Couric Media) – Feb. 11 – Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing Amna Kirma comments extensively in “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Super Bowl Commercials Are Really Made,” including: This year, some companies shelled out over $7 million just for the rights to air a commercial during the big game. That’s up from a rate of about $6.5 million for a 30-second spot last year, [Kirmani told us]. “That’s just a ridiculous amount of money,” Kirmani says. But the research continues to show that for emerging businesses like the handful of cryptocurrency companies advertising during this year’s game and even for big, legacy brands like Anheuser Busch, Frito-Lay, and Coca-Cola “the return on investment is very high,” she says. A splashy commercial creates brand awareness and signals to consumers that these companies are thriving with money to burn.

AI TechPark – Feb. 11 – “CHITA 2022 Set for March 4-5 in D.C.” previews the 12th Annual Conference on Health IT and Analytics, hosted by the Maryland Smith’s Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS), and quotes conference chair and CHIDS co-director Ritu Agarwal, Distinguished University Professor and Robert H. Smith Dean’s Chair of Information Systems: The conference is designed to “deepen our understanding of strategy, policy and systems fostering health IT and analytics’ effective use, and to stimulate new ideas with both policy and business implications… This forum provides a vibrant venue to facilitate collaboration among academia, government and industry.”

Bloomberg – Feb. 10 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass contributes to “Warren Buffett’s Top Stock Last Year Was the Bank He’s Been Bailing On”: That progress came too slowly for Buffett. His pullback from the bank started in 2017, a year after the scandals began erupting, and then accelerated during the pandemic. The reduction probably reflects Berkshire rethinking its bank exposure amid Covid-19’s fallout, and a shift toward Bank of America, in part because of frustration with the pace of Wells Fargo’s cleanup, [said Kass]. Buffett has “very high ethical standards” when it comes to stock picks, Kass said. ... Generally, Buffett “likes financials, he likes banking, he understands it well,” Kass said. “And he switched his allegiance, in terms of an investment perspective, to Bank of America.”

Global Association of Risk Professionals – Feb. 10 – “Managing People Is Risky Business” (Amid the pandemic and the Great Resignation) quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: “Companies are trying to fumble their way through this new world,” [observed Rossi]. Rossi recommended employers pay attention to what people say they want. “It’s a competitive labor market out there,” he cautioned. “It’s about relationships and trust.” … Do employers get it – that business as usual may very well be a thing of the past? “COVID has completely blown up the standard business model,” Rossi cautioned. “I’m not sure how many companies have come to that realization.”

Analytics Insights – Feb. 9 – “Top 10 Online Business Data Science and Analytics Courses” includes: Maryland Smith’s “Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics (homepage)” as “one of the best online business data science and analytics courses to take in 2022.”

Small Business CEO – Feb. 8 – “4 Reasons Going for a Post Grad is Worth it” cites Maryland Smith’s Online MBA Program: Moreover, COVID-19 has helped everyone realize that you no longer have to be physically present in school. Still, rather you can pursue your higher education in your field of interest through an online MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. The prospects of getting a postgraduate degree are numerous, and you do not want to miss out on the opportunities that can come your way if you proceed with specializing in your field.

Technical.ly – Feb. 7 – “UMD is Launching a Blockchain Accelerator” announces Maryland Smith’s 45-day virtual program – at the intersection of venture capital and blockchain and created by the Supply Chain Management Center and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship.

Baltimore Sun Education – Feb. 6 – “STEM Programs: Advancing Education for All Students” (Page 3) features Maryland Smith’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Business Leaders certificate program and quotes its academic director, Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya: “What business leaders need to understand is that the world of AI and ML is moving fast, and the technology is sweeping us away unless the leaders are grounded… This is what the program helps them do. It’s not a coding class or one where we prove mathematical theorems. What you need to understand are the parameters, what it can do, what kind of data makes sense and to understand where this can take you.”

TalkMarkets – Feb. 5 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

Global Association of Risk Professionals – Feb. 4 – In “Model Risk Challenges and Opportunities in 2022,” Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi explains why “rapidly-changing economic, regulatory and environmental conditions this year should heighten risk model teams’ focus on data, technology and climate change.”

Forbes – Feb 2 – Rudolph Lamone Chair and Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal writes “Lessons From The Road To Super Bowl LVI For Enterprise And Markets,” which references research co-authored with Smith professors Gilad Chen and Brent Goldfarb and includes: “Success accrues to entrepreneurial teams formed with precision–when founders pay attention to who best fills the gaps and who best fits in–as tightly knit pieces of an intricate puzzle.”

Forbes – Feb. 2 – Associate Professor Jui Ramaprasad in the Decision, Operations and Information Technologies department comments in “Social Media Influencers, Beware What You Post”: Influencers shouldn't be overly political even if they are trying to take a stand on important issues of the day. If there are two very vocal sides of that issue, perhaps it is best not to get involved. Otherwise, an influencer can become part of the story – and not in a good way. "In terms of being conscious of social media posts (generally): it is critical for all of us to realize that the posts we make on social platforms become our story," [said Ramaprasad]. "They form the public personas in the eyes of those who read the posts. Readers cannot observe what happens offline, or if someone's views have evolved unless these views are publicly posted," added Ramaprasad… “Authenticity in social media posts has been shown to be valued by consumers," continued Ramaprasad. "At the same time, society is evolving and finally recognizing important issues around bias, discrimination, racism, etc. – so indeed, when one's authentic perspective includes such views as expressed by these reality stars, there will be some repercussions. This often results in being 'cancelled' by the public or – as these stars experience – cancelled by their employer.”

Tasting Table – Feb. 1 – “Why Boycotting KFC And Other Big Companies Doesn't Work The Way You Think” quotes Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani: "Boycotts generate typically negative publicity, brands want to avoid it, and as a result they may reach out to organizers of the boycott to discuss what they should be doing," [Amna Kirmani tells Refinery29].

January 2022

Poets & Quants – Jan. 30 – Maryland Smith Launches ‘Blockchain Business Imperative’ Certificate Program (scroll down) includes: Topics that the program will cover over its six weeks include an in-depth understanding of the economic inefficiencies that blockchain will impact, an overview of foundational blockchain technologies; a conceptual understanding of blockchain; implementation details for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger; exploration of various blockchain business applications including NFTs, DeFi, CBDC; and a final discussion on potential opportunities and challenges stemming from blockchain.

TalkMarkets – Jan. 29 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

Maryland Daily Record – Jan. 28 – “UMD Smith School Launching Tech Management MBA and Graduate Certificate Program” describes the forthcoming collaboration (including the Feb. 25 free information session) with the “A. James Clark School of Engineering and School of Public Policy to deliver multi-disciplinary skills modern leaders need to successfully identify and implement technology across their organizations and markets.”

Harvard Business Review – Jan. 27 – Associate Professor of Management Science and Statistics Margret Bjarnadottir co-authors “Using People Analytics to Build an Equitable Workplace.”

AACSB Insights – Jan. 25 – New Programs (scroll down) announces: Maryland Smith’s Blockchain Business Imperative certificate: During the six-week synchronous program, students will get an overview of foundational blockchain technologies, learn about cryptocurrencies, and explore blockchain business applications.

MSN Money – Jan. 24 – “U.S. News Ranks 2022 Best Online Programs” includes: Tied at No. 12 among all online MBA programs, the University of Maryland—College Park's Robert H. Smith School of Business was ranked best for marketing.

Washington Post – Jan. 23 – Professor of Business Law T. Leigh Anenson comments in “Federal Prosecutors Have Been Investigating D.C.’s Pension Board, Responsible for $10 Billion Retirement Fund”: Experts on public pensions say best practices recommend reporting all fees so that credit rating agencies can evaluate whether the funds are making unwise investments — as can the tens of thousands of retirees who depend on the fund for their retirement income. An opaque listing of fees could hide an unwise investment or even an improper one, such as a conflict of interest or a bribe. “Do you have to disclose these fees, and should you be having these super-high fees? I think it’s a huge problem when they’re doing that,” [said Anenson], who has published papers on states’ varying rules for public pension funds and advocated stricter state laws mandating transparency measures such as listing all fees.

TalkMarkets – Jan. 22 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

TalkMarkets – Jan. 21 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives regulatory insights via “The Microsoft/Activision Blizzard Merger And Antitrust.” Also at TalkMarkets: Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns of the Largest US Companies by Market Capitalization for Jan. 15.”

Business Insider – Jan. 20 – “Warren Buffett is Ready to Deploy $80 Billion if the Market Crashes This Year” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: “If the Federal Reserve's projected interest-rate increases result in the stock market declining by at least 10% in the coming months, that may provide a fertile background for Berkshire to invest some of its $150 billion in cash. Berkshire's recent, $1 billion yen-bond issue may indicate future investments in Japan. On the other hand, more aggressive US antitrust policies may discourage Berkshire from acquiring companies.”

USA Today – Jan. 20 – Career-advice guest columns feature insights from Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Offices of Career Services Neta Moye, Associate Director of Executive MBA Career Coaching Rachel Loock and Director of MBA Career Coaching Dori Jamison: “This is the Most Important Question You'll Get Asked in a Job Interview” (Moye), “How to Prepare for Your Zoom Interview” (Loock) and “A Simple Guide for Writing the Perfect Cover Letter” (Jamison).

TheStreet – Jan. 18 – “I Don't Trust Bitcoin, But Should I Give Up on Crypto?” quotes Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III: “Bitcoin is very volatile. It's very risky,” [said Boyd]. He explains that it is for this reason that he has not yet personally invested a penny in the crypto space.

Institutional Investor – Jan. 18 – “Here’s What Companies Can Return When They Don’t Just Focus on Shareholders” covers research co-authored by Associate Professor of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Rachelle Sampson. Smith PhD candidate Nathan Barrymore also contributed to the work jointly released by FCLT Global and The Wharton School and also covered by IR Magazine and others.

The Business Monthly – Jan. 18 – “Maryland Smith Launches Blockchain Certificate Program” announces a six-week synchronous online certificate program on blockchain technology and its potential economic impact across industries.

SHRM – Jan. 18 – Associate Director of Executive MBA Career Coaching Rachel Loock contributes to “Jargon: It Creates a Wall Between Managers and Employees”: Jargon can even damage your credibility by skipping over issues that deserve more thought. … And chances are, that "one-off situation" isn't, [said Loock]. When you work in the same industry for years, "jargon falls out of your mouth without [your] thinking," Loock said. But consider how daunting this jargon may be for a new or early-career employee, Loock continued. She suggests that HR provide a glossary of common terms and acronyms in their onboarding packet to familiarize new employees with the organization's lingo.

Security Boulevard – Jan. 18 – “Protecting VFX Production Studios from Content Loss and Exposure” references research by Associate Professor of Marketing Liye Ma: As far back as 2014, [Ma] found that pre-release piracy reduces box office revenues by close to 20% more than when piracy occurred following release. According to Ma, pre-release piracy is particularly harmful because the impact “comes disproportionately from individuals most passionate about and most interested in watching the movie.”

Southern Maryland Chronicle – Jan. 18 – “University of Maryland Predictions for the Mattress Industry, Revisited” assesses a 2015 analysis of the mattress industry by Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan.

Salon – Jan. 15 – “How Better Airline Technology Could Minimize Flight Disruptions” includes input from Professor and Chair of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Martin Dresner: Southwest has different vulnerabilities, [said Dresner]. The airline lacks strong hubs with spare crews and planes that other airlines use to pick up the slack when something goes awry (unless, as in the American example, the hub is affected).

Scienmag – Jan. 13 – “Researchers Develop New Metrics to Better Decipher how Companies Exploit Investment Opportunities” covers research co-authored by William A. Longbrake Chair in Finance Vojislav (Max) Maksimovic: In applying the new metrics to predict firm disclosures, Maksimovic and Hoberg show that firms with early life cycle products disclose less in order to hide from rivals. But mature firms disclose more in order to attract synergistic partners – for strategic alliances. And other mature companies are usually the targets… Related coverage via Phys.org.

The Fashion Law – Jan. 13 – Center for Financial Policy Senior Consultant Kristen Fanarakis writes guest column “As New York Lawmakers Unveil the Fashion Act, is Larger Reform on The Way?”

UnDark Magazine – Jan. 12 – Professor and Chair of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Martin Dresner comments in “How Better Airline Technology Could Minimize Flight Disruptions”: Southwest has different vulnerabilities, [said Dresner]. The airline lacks strong hubs with spare crews and planes that other airlines use to pick up the slack when something goes awry (unless, as in the American example, the hub is affected). When bad weather grounded flights in Florida, a big area for Southwest, those planes and crews were then out of position for the next flights scheduled across the country — and so on. “It’s a bit of a cascading effect,” said Dresner, who also heads the Air Transport Research Society, a nonprofit dedicated to transportation research. “Unless you have some surplus crew and surplus aircraft available, then you’re going to be in a very tight situation.”

AACSB Insights – Jan. 11 – “People and Places” (scroll down) announces Maryland Smith’s new Tech Management MBA Specialty Elective Track and Graduate Certificate, including: The 10-month graduate certificate program, which begins in August, is a collaboration with the university’s School of Engineering and School of Public Policy. Students will learn how to identify and implement technology across their organizations, how to quantify the lifespan value and risk of investments in new technology, and how to explore legal and ethical implications of new technology.

EFMA Magazine – Jan. 11 – In a Q&A, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust discusses “The Growing Importance of the Interpersonal in an AI-Driven World,” including: “The Feeling Economy is what emerges as AI takes over more of the thinking tasks. With physical tasks and thinking tasks both automated, humans will need to focus on the area in which they have a differential advantage over AI. For a while, humans will still have an advantage in common sense, creativity, and holistic reasoning, but soon those advantages will dissipate. At that point, focusing on feeling tasks, such as interpersonal relationships, will be what people need to do.”

Poets & Quants – Jan. 11 – “Maryland Smith Unveils Tech Management MBA & Graduate Certificate Program” (scroll down) includes: Students also will gain a broader strategic understanding of the new economics of innovation and data, how to quantify the lifespan value and risk of investments in new technology and explore both the legal and ethical implications of technology development or adoption.

TalkMarkets – Jan. 8 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2022 Percentage Returns Of Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) CRO Outlook – Jan. 7 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi produces guest column “Risk Management Predictions for 2022: Seeking Alternatives in Times of Uncertainty.” Summary: Interest rate risk, regulatory changes, supply chain disruptions, credit risk and human-capital risk are among the threats that will likely be top of mind for risk professionals over the next 12 months, as they attempt to navigate unpredictable, pandemic-altered markets.

Barron’s – Jan. 7 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments on Graham Holdings stock buybacks, via Letters to the Editor. Kass writes: Andrew Bary presents an excellent case for the undervaluation of Graham Holdings (“This Mini Berkshire Hathaway Flies Under the Radar. And Its Stock Is Cheap,” Dec. 30). However, I disagree with his suggestion that stock buybacks should be given a higher priority than purchasing additional businesses. Presumably, Graham’s recent acquisitions of a consumer internet company and a Virginia Ford dealership represent opportunities for the company to earn an expected rate of return on invested capital that exceeds its cost of capital. These acquisitions would then be expected to add to shareholder value. A company should buy back its shares only when value-enhancing investments are unavailable, and its shares are trading below intrinsic value. This is the same approach being followed by its role model, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) – Jan. 7- Professor Emeritus Dilip Madan is recognized as financial engineer of the year by the International Association for Quantitative Finance and Northfield Information Services, via “University of Maryland Professor Wins Annual Quantitative Finance Award.”

Yahoo Finance – Jan. 6 – “The SCORE Foundation Welcomes Liz Sara as President” introduces adjunct marketing professor Liz Sara as the leader of the nation’s largest network of volunteer business mentors.

Forbes – Jan. 4 – Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal writes “Six Pillars For Building An Intentional Life In This New Year.”

Women’s Wear Daily – Jan. 4 – “What to Watch: The Mass Channel” quotes Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: At the same time, both Walmart and Target have been able to flex their expansive store fleets – something Amazon and other e-commerce players are not able to do online – so shoppers could touch and feel products in person. In addition, both Walmart and Target have experimented with small-format stores in urban areas. (In Walmart's case internationally.) "Walmart's widespread store locations not only continued to serve a large number of American shoppers in the offline space, but also allowed the retailer to utilize stores as fulfillment centers to meet online demand and to shorten delivery times," [said Zhang]. This explains why both Target and Walmart continued to make gains in recent quarters.

ProMarket – Jan. 3 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr writes “The Ties that Bind Workers to Firms: No-Poach Agreements, Noncompetes, and Other Ways Firms Create and Exercise Labor Market Power.”

BusinessBecause – Jan. 3 – “19 Books To Read Before Your MBA” includes Assistant Dean and Executive Director of of Career Services Neta Moye’s selection and review of Amy Admondson’s “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Leading, Innovation, and Growth.”

WalletHub – Jan. 3 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi gives consumer advice about the new “Discover it” secured credit card, via an “Ask the Experts” Q&A.

TalkMarkets – Jan. 1 – Clinical Professor of the Practice David Kass gives the “2021 Percentage Returns of 8 Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization.” Previous iterations published on December 24 and December 18.

December 2021

U.S. News & World Report – Dec. 27 – “How Long Do Lockdowns Keep People at Home?” summarizes Associate Professor of Marketing Yogesh Joshi’s Nature Scientific Reports-published paper “Lockdowns lose one third of their impact on mobility in a month.” Related coverage at Insurance Journal (Dec. 28).

Seeking Alpha – Dec. 22 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass guest authors “12 Stocks for 2022.”

Washington Business Journal – Dec. 21 – “University of Maryland has a New Tech Education Program for Grad Students” announces Maryland Smith’s Tech Management MBA Specialty Elective Track and Graduate Certificate program and quotes co-directors Joseph Bailey and Frank Goertner, including: Bailey, Smith School’s assistant dean for specialty undergraduate programs who will also be academic director of the new program, said the impetus for the program came from discussions with the university's talent-seeking corporate partners, like Amazon Web Services, Google and Facebook, as well as what students and alumni shared about their career path needs… “We weren’t just following the market outside. We were also following what we were noticing in the internal market,” said Goertner, who is also the Smith School’s director of federal and veteran affairs. “An increasing number of our MBA students, in particular our working professional MBA students, if they were either in the tech field or going into the tech field, they were hungry for a curriculum that goes deeper than the sort of standard introductory material.”

AACSB Insights – Dec. 21 – “People and Places” announces “Robert H. Smith School of Business launching a nine-month Data Science and Business Analytics certificate program” (scroll down).

MxM India – Dec. 20 – Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan’s previously published analysis of the impact of increased Amazon’s presence in digital advertising is referenced in “Digital Duopoly changes to Triopoly” (Google and Facebook duopoly in digital advertising has been converted to a triopoly by Amazon).

Accounting Today – Dec. 17 – “On the Move” announces (scroll down) Accounting Lecturer Patrick McNamee’s reappointed to the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (full announcement).

Financial Times – Dec. 12 (Previously omitted) – “New Basic Income Schemes Divide the Midwest” quotes Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender: Faulkender, who was the senior US treasury official responsible for implementing the Paycheck Protection Program in the Trump administration, is among those who oppose cash payouts without work requirements. “Our economy today has plenty of jobs that require minimal skills,” he told the FT, noting that many employers still struggle to fill job openings. “You don’t fix poverty by creating dependency,” he says.

Capital.com – Dec. 17 - “JP Morgan Fined $200m for Unapproved Firm Communications” quotes finance professors David Kass and Clifford Rossi: “What’s going on here is the upholding of the market’s integrity and maintaining investors’ confidence,” [Kass] told Capital.com, adding the hefty fine “isn’t a slap on the wrist” for the bank. …The bank’s admission of guilt is notable, [said Rossi]. Companies normally try to avoid admitting they violated laws in order to protect themselves against litigation and reputational reason… “There is a risk of JP Morgan’s reputation being tarnished,” he said. Rossi said traders' and bankers’ technology have changed the way traders, salespeople and bankers communicate… “It can be difficult with all the technology available to have that close of a handle on what traders are doing,” Rossi said.” Even the best risk management, compliance systems aren’t 100%.” He added since following employees’ communications became more difficult during the pandemic when employees started working from home. However, SEC documents state the record-keeping issue began before the start of Covid-19 in March 2020. The breakdown started in January 2018. In the high-stake game of banking, Rossi said, traders tend to be more risk takers and it is the job of risk management to “reel them back from the edge.”

TechTarget – Dec. 17 – Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan contributes to “Predictive Analytics in Marketing: Achieving Success,” including: Having your own data is important. "You can buy third-party data for identification purposes mostly, or for whom to target," [Kannan said]. "But if you want to do predictive modeling, you're taking all the variables you have about the customer and linking them to their actions. So you want data on your own variables. That's what lets you do the predictive analysis that then lets you know the actions customers are going to take with you."

Psychology Today – Dec. 15 – Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Trevor Foulk writes “How Rudeness Changes Our Brains.”

WBFF (Baltimore FOX 45) News – Dec. 15 - Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan comments extensively in “Addicted Maryland: Online Shopping and Taking Control of Your Spending,” including: “This whole industry here really depends on you being online,” said Kannan. “The display ads that you see are a highly sophisticated targeting algorithm that is working behind in order to make sure that you get the right piece of information in front of you, which is relevant for you, and this targeting has become more precise.”

The Motley Fool (The Ascent) – Dec. 15 - Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi gives advice for borrowers in an ‘Ask the Experts’ Q&A as part of “Today's Mortgage Rates: Still Near Historic Lows” (scroll down).

The Business Monthly - Dec. 13 – “upGrad, UMD Partner on Business Analytics Program” quotes Research Professor Kislaya Prasad, academic director of Maryland Smith’s new Data Science and Business Analytics program: “We live in the age of data. The storied companies of our times – such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix – are all powered by data science. It’s not just tech. All industries are realizing the value in data-driven decision making, so it is not surprising that data skills have become critical for advancement in corporate careers.”

WalletHub - Dec. 13 – Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani gives auto insurance consumer advice, as part of “Best Car Insurance in Maryland: Ask the Experts.”

TalkMarkets – Dec. 11 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2021 Percentage Returns of 8 Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization.”

WTOP – Dec. 10 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments on inflation via “Top News at WTOP” (beginning at 7:10). Kass’ WTOP contribution is related to his same-day Newswise commentary ‘Inflation Surge: Fed Policy Implications,’ including: “I expect the Federal Reserve to raise short term rates four times, by 1/4% each time, during 2022, raising the Federal Funds rate from 0-to-1/4% to 1-to-to-1 1/4%. With the unemployment rate down to 4.2% in November 2021 from 14.8% in April 2020, the Federal Reserve can satisfy its joint mandate of maximizing employment and price stability by beginning to raise interest rates in 2022. Since much of the inflation in the economy is a result of short-term supply chain bottlenecks, I would expect inflation in 2022 to gradually return to its historical average of about 3%. The stock market should continue to do well in 2022, with the economy continuing to recover from the pandemic.”

Academy of Management Perspectives – Dec. 10 – “When Helping Hurts the Helper” summarizes workplace research by Assistant Professor of Management Jennifer Carson Marr showing why anticipatory help from higher-status coworkers can be threatening with the helper subsequently viewed negatively. Related coverage via Maryland Today (Dec. 6).

Maryland Today – Dec. 9 – “Banking on Happiness” features research by marketing Assistant Professor Ali Faraji-Rad examining “banking happiness” as a phenomenon through which consumers hang on to happy moments to cope with future sadness.

Technical.ly – Dec. 7 – “Student Entrepreneurship org Innov8MD Heading Into 2022 With a New Leadership Team” identifies new directors of the organization including Maryland Smith Center for Social Value Creation Director Nima Farshchi and Jasmine Snead-Ferguson (joint MBA and MPP ’21) and quotes Farshchi: “As the director of the Center for Social Value Creation, I have had the pleasure of seeing how University of Maryland students at the Smith School have been able to create a better world through business… Innov8MD takes a similar mindset in a different landscape. Being on the Board allows us to collaborate with other phenomenal resources across the region and give our student entrepreneurs additional opportunities to tackle our grand challenges. I am excited to see all the great things our community will achieve… We’re currently getting input from student entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship centers, alumni, faculty, investors and other stakeholders in our ecosystem to see what their needs are and then we will be putting together programming and resources to address those needs.”

HRTech Series – Dec. 6 – Research Professor Kislaya Prasad, academic director of Maryland Smith’s forthcoming Data Science and Business Analytics Program, describes the significance of the certificate program: “We live in the age of data. The storied companies of our times – such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix – are all powered by data science. … “It’s not just Tech,” says Prasad … who also is academic director of Maryland Smith’s Center for Global Business. “All industries are realizing the value in data-driven decision making. So, it is not surprising that data skills have become critical for advancement in corporate careers.”

TalkMarkets – Dec. 4 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2021 Percentage Returns of 8 Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization.”

Carrier Management – Dec. 3 – “‘Prohibitive Voices’: How Moral Coworkers Drive Others to ‘Do the Right Thing’” features research by Clarice Smith Professor of Management and Organization Debra Shapiro. … Related: “Study Shows How Your Coworkers’ Morals Can Help You Do the Right Thing” via Lab Manager Magazine (Nov. 30).

Destination CRM – Dec. 2 – Associate Professor of Marketing Bobby Zhou comments extensively through “Is Your Company Ready for Shoppable TV?” … Related: “Can’t Wait for the Ads? Tune in to Shoppable TV” via Maryland Today (Nov. 29).

US News & World Report – Dec. 1 – “How Joe Biden Plans to Save Christmas” quotes Professor and Chair of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Martin Dresner: …Dresner notes that supply problems are not remotely as drastic as they were early in the pandemic, when people hoarded toilet paper. "We haven't seen whole product categories wiped out," he says. But Dresner cautions that shortages are still happening, not only because of supply chain disruption but because of the closure of factories in places like Vietnam because of the pandemic – things Biden cannot change. "With politicians, they make the mistake of claiming credit for stuff they have nothing to do with. And then they get blamed for stuff they have nothing to do with," Dresner says.

Associations Now – Dec. 1 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez comments throughout “What to Consider When Planning 2021 Staff Holiday Parties,” including: “Customize to the culture of the company,” [said Suarez]. “Do things that reinforce the values of the company, that reinforce the vibe you want to create.” … Whatever an association plans for an in-person event, be mindful that this is a fluid situation. I spoke to Suarez prior to Thanksgiving and news of the omicron variant, and he said, presciently, “I would maintain a sense of flexibility because, frankly, we may be a variant away from having to make dramatic changes to whatever plans we had.”

Poets & Quants – Dec. 1 – “Maryland Launches 9-month Data Science and Business Analytics Certificate Program” (scroll down) announces Maryland Smith’s Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics to help both technical and non-technical professors understand and make data-driven business decisions, beginning January 2022.

November 2021

Israel Hayom – Nov. 30 – “Study Sniffs Out Surprising Secret to Startup Success” covers research co-authored by management professors Rajshree Agarwal, Gilad Chen and Brent Goldfarb and recently published as “Forming Entrepreneurial Teams: Mixing Business and Friendship to Create Transactive Memory Systems for Enhanced Success” in the Academy of Management Journal. … Related: Teknovation’s “Research Confirms Importance of Two Factors in a Successful Startup” (Nov. 30), “A Hybrid Approach To Building A Startup” at LIFE&Health Advisor (Nov. 30), “U Maryland Study Finds Startups That Mix Business and Friendship Are More Successful” at Tech Transfer eNews Blog (Dec. 1) and “The Most Successful Startups Mix Business and Friendship to Build Teams, Study Shows” via SalesTech Star (Nov. 30).

TalkMarkets – Nov. 27 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2021 Percentage Returns of 8 Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization.”

Forbes – Nov. 25 – Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan contributes to “Retailers Turning to Social Media to Promote Black Friday and Small Business Saturday,” including: “Social media is being used increasingly by businesses, especially by those focusing on millennial and Gen-Z customers, who use these types of media more than anything else,” [said Kannan]. “So, gift items, electronics, apparel, video games, etc., are product categories that are likely to be heavily featured in social media and that makes it an ideal medium to search for #blackfridaydeals,” added Kannan. “Any product category targeted at these demographics should be featured prominently in these channels.” … (Regarding Small Business Saturday) “Small businesses have been very successful in targeting customers and effecting conversions on social media,” said Kannan. “This is especially true if the products are targeted at millennial and Gen-Z customers. Social media is an ideal channel to precisely target customers based on their behavioral and psychographic profiles. This leads to very efficient targeting and so the display and video ads lead to conversions with relatively low acquisition costs.” ... The other positive of social media is the serendipity of becoming a viral hit, suggested Kannan. “Gen-Z's especially trust word of mouth of their peers and do not trust advertisement pitches. So, if an item from the small business becomes a viral sensation, it can lead to a windfall in sales. So, I would strongly recommend small businesses use social media on a regular basis and for Small Business Saturday.”

USA Today via Yahoo News – Nov. 24 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III comments in “The Riddle of the Red Cup: How Starbucks Made a Reusable Container a Holiday Tradition”: …And this year, [Boyd] said the red cup represents something almost “encouraging” that we’re close to being back together after what’s been a terrible nearly two years. “Anything that feels like a mark of normalcy, we’re just like ‘welcome, please come in.’” he said. “So I think they’re the beneficiaries of this.” …The Starbucks holiday cup celebrates its 25th anniversary next year, and it shows no sign of slowing down. So will we be talking about Starbucks holiday cups on an annual basis forever? “It’s hard to tell. It seems like it resonates with people, establishes good will that you’re a good corporate citizen. I love that they’re incorporating that 50 percent of the cup is recycled material so we can be green and a good corporate citizen.” Boyd said. “So yeah, as long as folks are resonating with it and happy with it, you just keep on going.” After all, he said, as a marketer, finding something that cuts through the clutter, has a consistent message, builds the brand and just catches on is so difficult. “Once it’s there, you don’t want to tinker with it or mess with it,” he said. “If it’s doing you well, you just keep it intact and keep on marching.”

TechRegister – Nov. 24 – Column “Artificial Intelligence vs. the People Person” references Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing and his research: … Not so, [says Rust] who recently analyzed (yes, the irony is thick) U.S. labor market data in a report he entitled The Feeling Economy. Thinking jobs are now also on the AI chopping block…

TalkMarkets – Nov. 20 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the 2021 Percentage Returns of 8 Largest U.S. Companies by Market Capitalization.

Harvard Business Review – Nov. 19 – Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk co-authors “When Your Authority Fluctuates Throughout the Day.”

WYPR – Nov. 18 – Professor and Chair of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Martin Dresner discusses “What Will it Take to Ease Supply Chain Snags?” (starting at 14:45).

Maryland Today – Nov. 18 – “How Your Coworkers’ Morals Can Help You Do the Right Thing” summarizes Clarice Smith Professor of Management and Organization Debra Shapiro’s ‘Prohibitive Voice as a Moral Act’ findings in the Journal of Business Ethics for Research.

WalletHub – Nov. 18 – Clinical Professor of Management Oliver Schlake gives personal finance advice in a “Compare Credit Cards” Q&A.

CNBC – Nov. 16 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “Why More Iconic Companies Like GE and J&J May be About to Get Smaller”: “Decision making, including allocation of capital, is quicker without the need to receive approvals from additional levels of management at the parent corporation,” [said Kass]. He has followed spinoffs for many years and said the data going back decades is clear on the outperformance of companies that were spun off relative to the overall market… “Consolidation (acquisitions) may be more likely to occur during a bull market that is not yet perceived to be fully valued. However, in later stages of bull markets, divestiture may be a very effective approach to maximizing shareholder value,” Kass said. The “conglomerate discount,” he added, is removed when individual businesses can trade on their own and be more easily valued by the market. Related: Kass discusses the General Electric breakup, via Busan English Broadcasting (South Korea).

Forbes – Nov. 16 – Rudolph Lamone Chair in Entrepreneurship and Strategy Rajshree Agarwal writes “How To Reframe (Unfair) Negative Performance Reviews Of Team-Based Activities For Long-Term Gains.”

HousingWire – Nov. 15 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in “A Zillow Problem…or an iBuying Problem? (The company’s pricing forecast volatility may be an issue inherent to iBuying)”: Rossi recalls working at risk management in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when, after connecting to Netscape on a dial-up modem, employees could access a proprietary data storage system of county property records. That storage of those records begat one of the first home pricing algorithms, initially used in the late 1990s as guideposts for bundling mortgages. By 2004, Rossi said, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac greatly expanded the application of AVMs via the “property inspection waiver” by which mortgage lenders could “streamline operations” by using an AVM appraisal output, instead of a human appraisal, to issue a loan. When the housing bubble burst, pricing model use was rolled back. “But since about 2012,” Rossi said. “There has been a little bit more relaxation in how the AVMs get applied.” … AVMs can also fall short in evaluating a home’s condition or the surrounding neighborhood. “There could be shag carpeting that has been around since the 1970s,” Rossi, the Maryland professor, said. “There could be a run-down, abandoned home on the block.” These issues can generally be addressed after in-person inspection, which Opendoor, Offerpad and power buyers conduct.

TalkMarkets – Nov. 13 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “2021 Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization.”

USA Today – Nov. 12 – Can Travel Make you Happy? Many Americans Plan to Find out as They Plan Trips for 2022 quotes Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust: [Rust] sums up the [2022 travel] outlook in a few words: “High prices and fewer options. So book now if you see a rate you can live with because it's not getting any cheaper.”

Poets & Quants – Nov. 12 – “2021 Brought Historic Gains For Women At The Top Business Schools” identifies Maryland Smith as among “a record eight Forté schools [that] enrolled 45% women in their cohorts in 2020.”

ValueWalk – Nov. 12 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass guest blogs “Did Berkshire Hathaway Sell Its Shares In StoneCo Ltd. During The Third Quarter?.” Related: Kass gives “Year-to-Date (Nov. 6) Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks” via TalkMarkets.

Diamondback – Nov. 12 – Professor and Academic Director of the MS in Supply Chain Management Program Thomas Corsi explains supply chain disruption in the context holiday retail in “Are People Getting Too Jolly Before Turkey Day?”: …“Now we have 30 percent more containers and 30 percent more goods being purchased, most of them coming from Asia. And that means a lot more traffic,” Corsi said. With such a high surge in demand, the ability to handle the increased traffic of products cannot be generated instantly, Corsi explained. In normal circumstances, this would be difficult to handle. However, the impact of COVID-19 and health restrictions have affected other important players in the process, Corsi said. This includes the longshoreman who loads and unloads the containers, the trucks and truck drivers who carry the containers to the warehouses and the warehouses themselves, where there is limited space.”

Pharma Manufacturing – Nov. 11 – In “Continuous Versus Batch: Weighing the Choices,” Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes about his research comparing risks and rewards of “batch” versus “continuing” manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry.

Supply Chain Dive – Nov. 10 – Professor of Practice and the Academic Director for the MS in Business Analytics programs Suresh Acharya comments extensively in “Cloud Technology, Now Within Reach, Helps Supply Chains Scale,” including: Cloud is at a major transition point, [said Acharya]. He likens it to how drivers went from using paper maps and AAA TripTiks to apps like Google Maps and Waze. They all get drivers from point A to point B, but apps are constantly using new information about things like accidents, construction and weather to tell drivers which way to go to save time, and frustration. "We are really comfortable with real time information that they’re able to ingest to make a real time decision," he said. “That’s the kind of transformation that supply chain is going through.”

Bloomberg – Nov. 9 – In “GE Breakup Raises Questions About Future of Conglomerate Model,” Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass explains how the development reflects on Berkshire Hathaway: Part of the key to Berkshire’s ability to remain a conglomerate has been its decentralized management style, [said Kass]. “The managers at Berkshire have almost complete independence in running their businesses. They don’t have to go through the red tape of corporate headquarters as GE has and most companies do,” [said Kass]. “As long as Buffett is there, the structure will stay the same. And after Warren Buffett is no longer there, it will probably be Greg Abel running the company, they’ve already pledged to maintain the culture.”

ProMarket – Nov. 8 – Associate Professor of Management Evan Starr and his research are cited in “Antitrust’s Labor Market Problem”: …Starr and various coauthors showed that anticompetitive covenants not to be compete were far more common than people had realized…

Science Newsnet – Nov. 8 – ‘A Scientist’s Take on Climate Models and Risk Management Applications’ previews a Nov. 17 online discussion by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi and Tim Canty, associate professor in UMD’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science.

San Antonio Express News – Nov. 5 – ‘The Keys to Black Rifle's Fast Growth: Great Coffee and Political Polarization ’ quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: “With a SPAC, you can get to the market sooner,” [says Kass]. “The downside, from the investors’ point of view, is that there’s less due-diligence that would be done.”

FIND MBA – Nov. 3 – Executive Director of Career Services Neta Moye comments in “They Don’t Come Cheap, but Online MBA Degrees Can Lead to Lucrative Career Paths Across a Diverse Range of Industries”: Online MBAs are often taken by older students who already have substantial work experience and are reluctant to study full-time because of professional commitments. They are starting from a higher base salary, so the increase is less steep than for full-time graduates who will earn less overall. “But an Online MBA can lead to fulfillment of career goals even if the percentage increase in salary is not huge,” [says Moye]. Indeed, 61 percent of Smith’s Online MBA graduates, with support from the career services team and alumni, have used their degree to change roles or companies, or have been promoted. In addition, 67 percent have received a compensation increase. Of those, 50 percent increased the salary by 20 percent or more. “The highest-paying career paths are not dramatically different from what you would see in a full-time MBA program,” says Moye. The most lucrative jobs are in professional services, which includes accounting and consulting firms, along with the technology sector, healthcare, government, aerospace and consumer products. The highest paying roles within these sectors are in general management, consulting, marketing or sales and operations.

Scientific American – Nov. 3 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch and his electric vehicle history expertise are referenced in “The New Deal Came Too Late for Electric Vehicles: Lack of Energy Infrastructure Explains the Rise of the Gasoline Cars”: What if electricity had been available at a broader scale? To bring out the oomph of our models, we imagine a counterfactual world where electricity grids had diffused at a similar pace but 15 or 20 years earlier. The simulations suggest this would have sufficed to tip the balance in favor of electric vehicles, especially in metropolitan areas. The most plausible counterfactual scenario is a dual transportation system—also suggested by technology historian David Kirsch —with electric vehicles servicing metropolitan areas, and gasoline cars having a stronger position in touring and the countryside.

HousingWire – Nov 3 – “5 Takeaways from Zillow’s Nightmare” (The company's future is uncertain after the stunning collapse of its iBuying division) quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Automated valuation models for homes have been around since at least 1996 when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac developed the “automated underwriting score card,” [said Rossi]. Unclear, Rossi said, is if technology has developed much beyond putting county property records into a database and developing a formula from those numbers. “I’m a very pro-automated valuation model person, they are an extraordinarily important part of risk management,” Rossi said. But Rossi added that automated models cannot control how valuation decisions are made – or be a silver bullet for fast-scaling iBuyers.

WashingtonExec – Nov. 3 – Decision, Operations and IT lecturer Kenyon Crowley is “Named Accenture Federal Services Analytics Leader.”

The Ritz Herald – Nov. 2 – “U.S. Immigration System Can be Win-Win for United States and Foreign Workers” features research and related policy recommendations from Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal.

October 2021

Poets & Quants – Oct. 30 – Assistant Dean for Specialty Undergraduate Programs Joseph Bailey and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Victor Mullins explain “Why Maryland Smith Is Launching 2 Programs Focused on The Future Of Work.” Related: An AACSB Insights “New Programs” roundup (Nov. 2) announces the Interdisciplinary Business Honors Living-Learning Program and Smith Business Leadership Fellows Program.

TalkMarkets – Oct. 30 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks.”

NBC News – Oct. 29 – Professor of Practice and Academic Director for the MS in Business Analytics Program Suresh Acharya comments in “Shipping Companies are Having a Bumper Year, Racking up Profits While They Can”: “It’s not just that demand has picked up, but demand has picked up in a very different way,” [said Acharya]. “Increasingly, stores are glorified showrooms,” he said. “It’s quite possible that this will continue to be our shopping behavior going forward.” The sudden shift to e-commerce impacted the availability of containers in addition to the amount of available space on vessels, Acharya added. “What goes into a container, rather than being uniform things, is a hodgepodge of things, which means you need more containers,” he said. … “We’re still in a period where we don’t fully understand if this is a ‘coming out of a pandemic’ thing or a long-term norm. I think it’s anyone’s guess,” Acharya said. “What the container companies are gauging is, is this near-term pain or is this here to stay?”

Forbes – Oct. 28 – Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal writes “Four Steps To Ensure America And Immigrants Benefit From A Win-Win” based on her research forthcoming in Organization Science. Related: “UMD Research Finds Visa Policies Stifle Immigrant Entrepreneurship” at Maryland Today and “Complex U.S. Immigration System Limits Entrepreneurship, Innovation” via Science Newsnet.

Quality Digest – Oct. 28 – “How Employees Can Become Better Organizational Citizens” features research co-authored by Dean's Professor of Management Subrahmaniam Tangirala.

Behavioral Grooves – Oct. 27 – Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk discusses “Why Does Rude Behavior Really Us So Much” in a podcast series that features the world’s top behavioral experts.

WMAR-2 (ABC Baltimore) – Oct. 26 – “Supply Chain Shortages and Your Holiday Shopping Season” includes comments from Martin Dresner, professor and chair of logistics, business and public policy: [Dresner] tells WMAR-2 News that the changes in our spending behavior is a big part of the cause. "We've had a decrease in supply and increase in demand," he says. "And that's caused the bottlenecks in our supply chain." With manufacturing plants shutting down and/or implementing health and safety protocols, there's been a decrease in production. "Every holiday season, there are products that are in high demand and ones that are going to be stocked out," says Dresner. "So, I mean, I think the demand is always variable." … Another gift idea that may be in shorter supply – travel. "I think there could be pent up travel demand," says Dresner. "And so, next year we can have a shortage of travel space, you know, the airlines... at current prices there may be insufficient seats to accommodate travel demand."

Slate – Oct. 25 – Research by Associate Professor of Management Evan Starr is referenced in “The Ridiculous Practice That Stopped Some Nurses From Working in a Pandemic”: This is roughly consistent with earlier research; a 2014 online survey found 18 percent of workers said they were bound by noncompete agreements. Evan Starr, the lead author of that 2014 survey, believes the new results are significant. “This is the first government-collected data on noncompete agreements,” he told me recently. The fact that it’s a large, random, government-sponsored survey gives it extra credibility. … A study published last year looked at the results of a 2007 Oregon law that banned the enforcement of noncompete agreements against lower-paid and hourly workers. The economists Michael Lipsitz and Evan Starr crunched the numbers and estimated that the law raised the wages of hourly workers by 2 to 3 percent.

Washington Post – Oct. 25 – Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender comments in “Chicago Poised to Create One of the Nation’s Largest ‘Guaranteed Basic Income’ Programs”: Critics worry that guaranteed income programs will discourage people from finding jobs and drain the labor force, a particular concern amid the record job openings in the country this year, said Michael Faulkender, who served as an assistant treasury secretary for economic policy during the Trump administration… “There are still millions of low-skilled jobs out there, and you have small business owners who can’t find workers to join their companies,” [said Faulkender]. Proposals like the one in Chicago feed the “process of reducing the willingness of people to participate in the workforce,” he said. Related: Faulkender comments in WUSA9’s “Montgomery County Launches Plan to Give $800 a Month to Hundreds of Residents."

Forbes – Oct. 23 – Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan comments extensively in “A ‘Metaverse’ Of Questions: What’s Behind Facebook's Rebranding?”

TalkMarkets – Oct. 23 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks.”

The Economist – Oct. 22 – Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender comments on using new data sources related to his helping craft the Paycheck Protection Program as Assistant Treasury Secretary in “Enter Third-Wave Economics: How the Pandemic Reshaped the Dismal Science”: Second-wave economics nonetheless remained constrained by data. Most national statistics are published with lags of months or years. “The traditional government statistics weren’t really all that helpful—by the time they came out, the data were stale,” [says Faulkender]. The quality of official local economic data is mixed, at best; they do a poor job of covering the housing market and consumer spending. ... Many studies using real-time data suggested that the Paycheck Protection Programme, an effort to channel money to American small firms, was doing less good than hoped. Yet small-business lobbyists ensured that politicians did not get rid of it for months. … Still, Mr. Faulkender says that the special support for restaurants that was included in America’s stimulus was influenced by a weak recovery in the industry seen in the OpenTable data.

The Street – Oct. 22 – “What's Behind Charlie Munger's Big Bet on Alibaba?” quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass] suggested his conviction may be solidified by the input of a few trusted advisors that are very attuned to the tech space in China specifically. "He relies heavily on the advice of his friend, [Himalaya Capital Management founder] Li Lu, who is very knowledgeable about the best investments in China," he told Real Money. "Munger would not have made this investment without the approval of Li Lu." ... Kass added that while Munger is nearing a century on this Earth, his investment style has always favored a long-term approach. Indeed, among his many golden nuggets of investing advice, patience is a recurring theme. "Waiting helps you as an investor and a lot of people just can't stand to wait," Munger is famously quoted as saying. "If you didn't get the deferred-gratification gene, you've got to work very hard to overcome that."

Brookings – Oct. 21 – William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet coauthors “Sub-Saharan Africa’s debt problem: Mapping the pandemic’s effect and the way forward.”

Capital News Service via WTOP – Oct. 21 – Professor of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Martin Dresner comments in “With Holidays Ahead, Small Businesses Struggle with Supply Chain Disruptions: The pandemic forced many factories overseas to shut down, dramatically reducing production. There are also shortages of ships, containers and truck drivers. The lack of coordination among transportation and logistics industries is at the root of the disruptions, said Dr. Martin Dresner, professor of logistics and public policy at University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business. “Just saying let’s have more throughput at the port probably will not solve the problem if there’s not enough truck drivers to take those containers away from the port,” Dresner said.

Science Newsnet – Oct. 21 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi gives “Finance Themes to Watch for During COP26.”

Maryland Today – Oct. 19 – “A Meeting to Plan Fun with Friends? Setting Expectations Can Benefit Even Casual Get-togethers” covers research by Dean’s Professor of Marketing Rebecca Ratner.

Forbes – Oct. 18 – : “Founding Teams Need The Right Mix Of Skills And Personality To Succeed” covers research in the Academy of Management Journal by management professors Gilad Chen, Rajshree Agarwal and Brent Goldfarb.

CBS News (online) – Oct. 18 – “Supply Chain Issues: ‘There Really Are Problems Everywhere,’ Even For Small Companies” includes Professor of Logistics, Business and Public Policy Martin Dresner as the lone source in a ‘What is the supply chain’ section.

Business Insider – Oct. 17 – P.K. Kannan “The Supply Chain Crisis is Partly Your Fault, and You Can Help Fix It” quotes Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan: Still, shoppers buying up products as quickly as they see them — and in large quantities — can result in a shock on the supply chain that's known as the "bull-whip effect." "When you crack a whip, a small action at the hand propagates into a big effect at the end of the whip," [said Kannan]. “It is the same with supply chain — a small shock in demand upstream can create a big shock downstream.”

TalkMarkets – Oct. 16 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks.”

Phys.org – Oct. 14 – “How Your Firm's Tweets Affect its Value—Both Temporarily and Permanently” overviews new research co-authored by Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan in the Journal of Marketing… Related: Kannan co-authors a summary of the same study -- “Measuring the Real-Time Stock Market Impact of Firm-Generated Content -- via the American Marketing Association.

Maryland Today – Oct. 12 – “Pressing Play: Esports Have Become an International Phenomenon” quotes Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III: Overall, esports is capitalizing on younger millennial and Generation Z consumers whose childhoods were filled with these types of games, [says Boyd]. Competition organizers, he says, have also had the foresight to combine gaming with other forms of entertainment to hold attention spans—for example, a Lil Nas X performance hosted last November by the Roblox platform garnered 33 million views and, a few months earlier, several Fortnite shows by rapper Travis Scott collected 45.8 million views… “It’s a game, but it’s really more than a game,” Boyd says. “This is something that’s defining a generation.”

The Diamondback – Oct. 12 –Thomas Corsi, academic director of the MS Supply Chain Program, comments in “UMD Dining Services Experiences Some Food Shortages”: Corsi said the shortages the Dining Services have experienced are linked to labor shortages in factories, farms and trucking, which existed before the pandemic but were also exacerbated by it. “The explanation [for food shortages in the dining halls] is labor shortages and any kind of productivity impact from COVID restrictions,” Corsi said.

Higher Ed Dive – Oct. 11 – Rebecca Bellinger, executive director of the Center for Global Business, discusses Maryland Smith’s virtual digital marketing internship, as part of “Virtual Work is Here to Stay. Here's How Colleges Can Help Students Land Remote Internships.”: However, some colleges are also tapping their local networks to create remote internship opportunities for students. When the pandemic first hit, the University of Maryland launched a virtual digital marketing internship in a matter of weeks. At the time, numerous students saw their internship opportunities vanish. Meanwhile, the exporting industry was facing a crisis as the pandemic disrupted the supply chain. The university saw an opportunity to link college students with local exporters who needed interns to work on things like social media marketing and website analytics. It also got the program approved to be eligible for a grant from the state's commerce department to help partially fund the cost for employers. The first summer, the university drew more than 100 applications and had about two-dozen students participate in the program. This summer, that number increased to about 30 students. Despite the return to some normalcy, programs like this have sticking power. "There's going to be more demand for this kind of flexibility in the workforce, especially among students," [said Bellinger]. "We're going to see more remote opportunities for companies and for students.

Maryland Today – Oct. 11 – Professors Jie Zhang (marketing), Martin Dresner and Jon Crocker (both supply chain and logistics) explain why a “Supply Chain Slowdown [is] Expected to Snag Holiday Shopping Season.”

Business Insider (via MSN Money) – Oct. 10 – “Burned Out Frontline Workers are Seeking out the Lesser Evil in Their Job Searches” quotes Dean’s Professor of Marketing Science P.K. Kannan: It's not just employees. The ongoing labor crunch has even prompted a few employers to reach across industry lines in order to attract new applicants… But the ongoing exodus is likely going to hurt some sectors more than others. [Kannan] told Insider that restaurant workers in particular "found other options" after eateries shut down.

TalkMarkets – Oct. 10 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks.”

Bloomberg Quicktake – Oct. 8 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr explains noncompete employment agreements including consequences and courses of action for workers, in a “Take the Lead” segment (11:48-17:30). … Related: Starr comments extensively about implications of noncompetes for physicians in Chicago Medicine Magazine’s Sept. 2021 cover story “Where Can I Go?” (Pages 19-24).

About Manchester (UK) – Oct. 8 – Comments from Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Brent Goldfarb are referenced in “Make Money Trading Futures with Bitcoin”: If bitcoin is really a bubble, then no one can say when it bursts. All the signs of an extremely overheated market are now being observed – high volatility and excitement, [says Goldfarb]. He expects new success stories of people who have made a fortune on cryptocurrency to emerge in the coming months, and this will attract even more newcomers to this market.

Wealth Professional – Oct. 7 – “Academics Reveal New Insights into Momentum Investing” covers research co-authored by Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance Albert “Pete” Kyle, including: It’s an age-old question for investors: when to buy stocks and when to sell them. While picking the sweet spot may be elusive for many, new research shows how markets gain momentum and how investors can make better decisions based on it. The study [co-authored by Kyle] highlights that if every investor had the same information and thought the same way, they would believe that there was no way to predict the market because stock prices would react to information in the knowledge that all investors will make the same decisions. … The paper, “Beliefs Aggregation and Return Predictability,” also is overviewed at Phys.org and ValueWalk.

Washington Post – Oct. 4 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr co-authors an op-ed, “What Happens When States Limit Nondisclosure Agreements? Employees Start to Dish,” drawn from his paper Non-Disclosure Agreements and Externalities from Silence.

Knowledge@Wharton – Oct. 4 – “How Employees Can Become Better Organizational Citizens” explains research (‘Creating organizational citizens’) co-authored in the Journal of Organizational Psychology by Dean's Professor of Management Subra Tangirala.

INFORMS – Oct. 4 – The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, the largest association for decision and data sciences, names Distinguished University Professor and Special Advisor to the Dean Ritu Agarwal as a 2021 Honorary Fellow for “pioneering contributions to information systems research in the application of digital technologies and analytics to healthcare, and for dedicated service and leadership in the information systems community.”

TalkMarkets – Oct. 2 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks.”

Psychology Today – Oct 1 – “Why Some Things Are More Fun to do Alone” features research co-authored by Dean's Professor of Marketing Rebecca Ratner. The study, Navigating shared consumption experiences, is newly published in the Journal of Marketing Research.

September 2021

New York Times – Sept. 30 – Associate Professor of Management Evan Starr contributes to “Why Are Fast Food Workers Signing Noncompete Agreements?”: You would think that noncompete agreements would not exist in states where they are unenforceable. Wrong. Some employers in California, for instance, get workers to sign them anyway in hopes that they won’t realize they’re unenforceable, [says Starr], who has become the go-to source for data on noncompete agreements… Employers are actually more likely to mention noncompete agreements to departing employees in states where they’re unenforceable than in states where they’re enforceable, Starr’s research found. Starr was an adviser to the Uniform Law Commission . ... Related: “The Contract You Didn't Realize Some Fast Food Workers Sign” at Mashed quotes Starr: "The key idea is that it's going to [get] workers to stay longer, stunt their mobility, prohibit them from taking better jobs in their chosen field, and reduce entrepreneurship.”

Medical Xpress – Sept. 30 – “New Study Shows Path to Uninterrupted Supply of Safe, Effective Drugs for U.S. Consumers” explains findings by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi in FDA-funded research.

Destination CRM – Sept. 29 – Marketing professors Michel Wedel and Jie Zhang draw from their recent research to comment extensively through “Are Paid Mobile Apps Still A Thing … And Should They Be?”

Maryland Daily Record – Sept. 29 – “UMD Smith School Launches Risk Management Program” announces the Center for Financial Policy’s joint offering with Deloitte for government financial professionals beginning on January 11, 2022.

Motley Fool’s The Ascent – Sept. 29 – Professor of the Practice Clifford gives personal finance advice in a pair of Q&As: “Best Refinance Lenders of October 2021” and “Best Mortgage Lenders of October 2021.”

Forbes – Sept. 28 – Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal describes her recent research, co-authored with Maryland Smith faculty colleagues Gilad Chen and Brent Goldfarb, in “We Can Work It Out!: How To Build Entrepreneurial Teams For Enhanced Success.”

CNN Business – Sept. 26 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in “Rivian is not Tesla. That’s Exactly What Buyers Want”: [Kirsch said] Rivian's team, product and investors all look promising, but there are no guarantees it will meet expectations. Rivian is the first to market with a modern electric pick-up, but it remains to be seen exactly how much demand there are for electric pick-ups… "Rivian is being priced as if it's already crossed the production hell chasm," Kirsch said of reports Rivian is being valued as much as Ford or GM. "It might take a lot more time or money, or they might run out of time and money." … Related coverage: “What sets Rivian apart from Tesla” at Luxuo.

TalkMarkets – Sept. 25 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks.”

Agence France-Presse via Yahoo News – Sept. 24 – “Iceland's Trailblazing Wage Law Narrows Gender Pay Gap” quotes Associate Professor of Management Science and Statistics Margrét Bjarnadóttir: “It really proves that, by putting the burden on employers and forcing them to take a look at the data, then we start making progress.”

New York Times – Sept. 23 – Guest column “You Deserve a Bigger Paycheck. Here’s How You Might Get It.” references Associate Professor of Management Evan Starr and his recently published research in the Journal of Law and Economics and Management Science: The work on labor market concentration has been supplemented by growing evidence that employers collude with one another and engage in other anticompetitive practices. Evan Starr and his co-authors have found that agreements not to compete — where employers block workers from moving to competitors — are extremely common (as many as nearly 40 percent of workers have been subject to one) and are associated with lower wages.

Business Insider – Sept. 23 – “Holiday Hiring Wars: Amazon, Walmart, UPS, and FedEx face Off in a Race to Staff More Than 335,000 workers in a Brutally Tight Labor Market” quotes Dean’s Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan: The current tight labor market within the supply chain is a challenge for all businesses. But it will weigh more heavily on certain employers than others. "Small businesses cannot afford to pay what Walmart or Amazon would be able to pay," Dr. P.K. Kannan, the Dean's Chair in marketing science at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, told Insider. "They will try to pay and hang onto the workers they have, but that workforce would come under tremendous pressure."

Maryland Today – Sept. 22 – “Diagnosis Rude” overviews research by Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk’s Journal of Applied Psychology-published study, “Trapped by A First Hypothesis: How Rudeness Leads to Anchoring.”

Maryland Daily Record – Sept. 21 – ‘Maryland Business Adapts’ Event Announces Call for Nominations” announces the nominating process to recognize Maryland-based exporting companies for resilience in the pandemic, in a forthcoming, second annual event organized by Maryland Smith’s Center for Global Business.

Phys.org – Sept. 20 – ‘The Most Successful Startups Mix Friendships and Business to Build Teams’ features research in the Academy of Management Journal co-authored by Maryland Smith professors Rajshree Agarwal, Gilad Chen and Brent Goldfarb. Republished by UK’s BusinessFast, TechCodex, others.

GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) – Sept. 20 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments extensively in “The Risk Management Renaissance: What it Means for Aspiring FRMs and Early-Career Professionals,” including: “Even without a crisis, risk management talent is always in demand… In the last 20 years, though, we’ve had 9/11, the financial crisis, and the pandemic, which all increased the need for risk management.” … Rossi says fintechs — which have prospered since the pandemic’s onset — offer great opportunities for early-career risk managers. “Most of these companies haven’t experienced heavy regulation,” he observes. “So, their risk management capabilities aren’t nearly as well-developed as commercial banks with federal oversight.” Also from GARP: “Boardroom Diversity Directives: Window Dressing, or Potentially World-Changing?” quotes Rossi: “If you have a highly diverse and well-skilled board, it’s the best of both worlds,” claimed Clifford Rossi]. But he cautioned: “You have to have the right people on board to protect shareholders.”

TalkMarkets – Sept. 18 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks.”

USA Today – Sept. 17 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez (Thinking About a Career Switch? Here's What You Should Keep in Mind.) and Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin (Follow this Advice When Negotiating for Your Next Job) are featured as career-advice guest contributors. … Related coverage at Localiq.

Maryland Today – Sept. 17 – “Spotlight on Faculty and Staff for Convocation” includes Distinguished University Professor and Special Advisor to the Dean Ritu Agarwal receiving the President’s Medal for “extraordinary contributions to the intellectual, social and cultural life of Maryland.”

Clear Admit – Sept. 16 – Senior Director of Admissions for MBA and Specialty Masters Programs Maria Pineda highlights Nicole Coomber and Vijaya Venkataramani as faculty of interest to prospective MBAs, as part of the “Admissions Director Q&A” series.

Bizwomen (The Business Journals) – Sept. 15 – “Gender Pay, Promotion Gaps Wider in Academia Than in Industry, Research Shows” overviews Nature-published research ‘Trends in gender pay gaps’ by Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal and Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation Waverly Ding.

Science Newsnet – Sept. 15 – Logistics, Business and Public Policy Professor and Chair Martin Dresner describes ‘Aviation’s (post-pandemic) Unprecedented Opportunity.’

Bloomberg Law – Sept. 14 – Associate Professor of Management Evan Starr contributes to “Gaming Industry Nondisclosures Become Key Test of #MeToo Laws ”: Broad nondisclosure agreements tend to be concentrated in the tech industry, but it is by no means the only industry where they are widely used, [said Starr] who has studied the impact of restrictive agreements. Starr said employees in states with laws restricting the reach of nondisclosure agreements are more willing to share information about their work experiences online. That willingness to speak can help end problematic employment practices perpetuated by NDAs, Starr said.

Salon – Sept. 12 – “The Psychological Toll of Wanting Your Kid to be ‘Perfect’” quotes Assistant Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program Nicole Coomber: "Autonomy is an important piece of this where you have to actually buy into whatever the goal is," [Coomber notes]. Requiring that a child practice piano for hours each day when they'd rather be playing soccer "can really backfire," she added. Kids can end up feeling like their parent's project or product — and push back by quitting. No matter how much bravado accompanies that move, there's often also a sense of having let themselves and their parents down.

CoinDesk – Sept. 12 – Professor of the Practice in Finance Clifford Rossi helps explain “DeFi (Decentralized Finance) and the 3 Cs”: There is a reason banks ask mortgage applicants for pay stubs and bank statements, and it’s not some twisted desire to make borrowers reveal their innermost secrets. “The foundation for determining the credit quality of secured consumer loans such as mortgages ... has been well-established over the years by the three Cs of underwriting,” [said Rossi]. In Rossi’s formulation, the Cs stand for “Creditworthiness or willingness-to-pay, Capacity to repay the obligation and Collateral (equity stake).” Other versions of this old banker’s saying also include a fourth C, for Capital (savings), and sometimes a fifth, for Conditions (reasons for taking out the loan). “Reliance on any one of the Cs might miss other important aspects of the borrower’s risk profile that could ultimately pose greater or lesser collective risk to the owner of that risk,” said Rossi, a former banking executive and regulator…

TalkMarkets – Sept. 11 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks.”

WJLA ABC-7 – Sept. 11 – Commemorating the 20-year anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks, Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss is the subject of ‘Professor Recalls Arduous Journey out of NYC on 9/11, Shares Lessons Learned.’

U.S. News & World Report – Sept. 9 – Executive Director of MBA and M.S. Admissions Shelbi Brookshire contributes to “10 Ways to Nail Your MBA Interview: During group or team challenge interviews, an overbearing presentation is a deal-breaker, so it's essential to listen and collaborate well with others. During video calls, it's crucial to appear professional throughout, [says Brookshire]. "Test your technology, ensure you have good lighting and join the virtual interview on time… Brand and presence are still as important in digital formats.

SCIENMAG – Sept. 9 “What AI Analysis of 100 Million Social Media Interactions Can Teach Product Managers” overviews just-published research in the Journal of Marketing by Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Science Kunpeng Zhang and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives P.K. Kannan.

AdvisorSmith – Sept. 9 – Professor of the Practice in Finance Clifford Rossi gives insights through a “Cyber Liability Insurance” Q&A.

WBAL TV (NBC-Baltimore) – Sept. 9 – Station President and General Manager Dan Joerres makes a recently aired segment featuring Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss the focus of his “Remembering 9-11” editorial: University of Maryland Professor Elinda Kiss was in the World Trade Center complex on 9/11. Twenty years later, she chooses to remember the spirit of America, not the attack on America. "I don't want to ever see a situation like Sept. 11. I don't want to ever see us attacked. But I wish we could all be a little friendlier like we were in September many years ago," Kiss said. … Related: Maryland Today’s “9/11: 20 Years Later” includes Kiss recounting her ground zero experience of the 9-11 terror attacks.

Knowledge@Wharton – Sept. 7 – How Companies Can Benefit from Employees’ Emotions cites Myeong-Gu Seo as co-author of new research (‘Creative and Cross-Functional Benefits of Wearing Hearts on Sleeves’) in Organization Science.

Communication Intelligence – Sept. 5 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez comments extensively through “Why Specifically Compassion Is a Core Need and Helpful Leadership Asset.”

USA Today Network via The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Sept. 5 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin’s op-ed gives “Tips to Getting, and Being Happy with, Your Next Job.”

USA Today Network via The Arizona Republic – Sept. 5 – Op-ed by Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez covers ‘Tips for the Process of Changing Jobs.’

Poets & Quants – Sept. 4 – “Best & Brightest Executive MBAs Of 2021” includes testimonials for Maryland Smith profiled honorees by Executive MBA Program Academic Director Rob Sheehan for Jessica Zeiser and Associate Research Professor Joseph Bailey for Kabir Mulchandani.

TalkMarkets – Sept. 4 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks.”

Psychology Today – Sept./Oct. 2021 – “A Table for One” (print-only, but adapted from the magazine’s blogpost How It Feels to Be Alone in Public) is based on Dean’s Professor of Marketing Rebecca Ratner’s “Inhibited from Bowling Alone” study. … Related: “How to Enjoy Being Single,” via Psyche, includes: In one memorable study, [Rebecca Ratner] recruited 86 participants from a university campus and invited them to attend an exhibition at an art gallery. Some were alone, others were in pairs with an existing acquaintance. Before they saw the exhibition, they were asked to estimate how much they would enjoy the experience – and, after they’d had a look around, they had to rate their actual enjoyment. ... The lone participants tended to envision a dim view of the experience without a partner. Yet Ratner and [co-author Rebecca] Hamilton found that the presence of a companion made no difference to their overall enjoyment. Importantly, the experience seemed to reduce their feelings of self-consciousness. After visiting the exhibition by themselves, the lone participants were less likely to assume that others had formed a negative judgment, as compared with their fears before the experience.

Tech Xplore – Sept. 4 – Associate Professor of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Cynthia Kay Stevens explains “Employer Pitfalls of the TikTok Resume Trend.”

Inside Higher Ed – Sept. 2 – “The Grass May Be Greener for Women in Industry” quotes Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal and overviews her Nature-published research, ‘Trends in gender pay gaps,’ co-authored with Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation Waverly Ding.

FIND MBA – Sept. 2 – Assistant Dean for Part-time MBA and Online Programs Paulo Prochno comments in “Competition for a Place in the Next Academic Year is Heating up for Prospective Students”: “The online mode of delivery reduces some of the opportunity costs of pursuing an MBA,” [says Prochno]. “The year of the pandemic was an exception, as many people thought it was a good moment to pursue an MBA, given the uncertainties in the work environment. But now that most companies are hiring again, the need to get an MBA is still there.” So he expects the boost in applications to continue on into the next academic year. “With the forced move to online work brought [about] by the pandemic, many people who didn’t think that they could perform well in an online setting changed their minds,” says Prochno. At the same time, after more than a year fully online work, many professionals are feeling the need for in-person interactions. “With that, programs that offer more flexibility in shifting from online to in-person [teaching] as needed will be increasingly more attractive,” he adds. … Of course, with an increase in attractiveness comes heightened competition for an Online MBA place. What is his advice for standing out in the application process? “Highlight your skills and professional achievements,” Prochno advises prospective students. “A crucial element in a good MBA program is the exchange among students, so applicants need to show they will bring interesting perspectives to the classroom discussions.”

Fortune – Sept. 1 – Maryland Smith is ranked No. 20 in Fortune Education’s “Best Executive MBA Programs in 2021” and alums Dawn Walton, Alex Attumalil and Sylvia Bugg are featured in “Executive MBAs Helped Launch the Careers of These 10 C-Level Executives.”

WalletHub – Sept. 1 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang previews Labor Day weekend automobile retail in an “Ask the Experts” segment.

August 2021

Associated Press – Aug. 31 – Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani comments in “Millennial Money: Be ready to work for Labor Day bargains”: Some people padded their savings accounts by staying home during the pandemic. And some set aside the advance payments of the child tax credit they received, [points out Kirmani]. As a result, Labor Day staples like car sales, appliance deals and mattress markdowns might not be a given in 2021 — or, not as impressive. Products in low supply aren’t expected to be discounted much, if at all. That’s the case with some cars, Kirmani predicts. … Comparison shopping on the internet is the best option for finding the lowest price, according to Kirmani. Seek out deal comparison sites and sales roundups that do the homework for you or start monitoring prices yourself before Labor Day so you can judge the value of a sale. … If you want it but could go without for a few months, try holding off until some of the supply chain issues are under control. Black Friday sales — which Kirmani says are historically better than Labor Day — will be coming in November. But it’s difficult to predict what those sales will look like this year.

Minneapolis Star Tribune – Aug. 30 – “Maybe These NDAs Really Protect Only the Bad Employers” references a working paper, Non-Disclosure Agreements and Externalities from Silence, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education – Aug. 26 – Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal expands on her recent study co-authored with faculty colleague Waverly Ding in “Gender Pay Gap Greater in Academia Than Industry Among Non-Tenured Faculty.”

The Economic Times – Aug. 26 – Distinguished University Professor and Special Advisor to the Dean Ritu Agarwal is named to the Advisory Council on Responsible Digital Transformation for the new Centre for Digital Transformation: The centre is an initiative of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Bank of America “to become a vibrant knowledge hub for academia, policymaking and the private sector by facilitating cutting-edge research on digital transformation and innovation.” … Coverage also by FinTech and Finance News.

Capital.com – Aug. 25 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in “Thoughtworks Ready for IPO, but Still Searching for a Price”: [Kass] said it’s not uncommon for companies to delay such information prior to an IPO. Examples include Facebook in 2012, and more recently, Robinhood Markets and Snowflake. Kass said the company and its underwriters might not have a grasp on the market prices yet, along the lines of Snowflake’s experience. The night before its IPO, the company estimated its value at $90 per share. The morning before the market opened Wall Street predicted $120 a share. In fact, the price was $240 per share. That price held up, Kass said. Snowflake “had no idea what the market was like,” Kass said. “The underwriters had no feel for it.” … Kass noted that Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan are experts at walking through IPOs. But something did catch his eye about the offering. “Apparently this offering isn’t just raising cash for the company but is an opportunity for early investors to cash out.”

LiveHelpNow – Aug. 24 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang comments in “Shopping Cart Abandonment: Prevent It, Manage It, Reduce It.”

Christian Science Monitor – Aug. 23 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in “Dawn of the Electric Vehicle Age? One Car Shopper’s Experience”: In many ways, today is reminiscent of the early days of automobiles, when cars powered by steam, gasoline, and electricity were all vying for supremacy. Vehicles were expensive, so mostly wealthy people were buying them. Back then, the widespread opinion was that gasoline, steam, and electric vehicles would all find their place in the 20th century, [says Kirsch]. “The big surprise was ... only internal combustion really survived past World War I.” … If successful, the incentives could jump-start EV sales. If not, U.S. automakers could be stuck with a big backlog of unsold electric cars. “I’m of two minds. The sort of policy wonk in me says this is just about a managed transition,” But “as a professor of entrepreneurship and someone who thinks a lot about capitalism, our history with managed transformations is pretty poor.”

Lab Manager Magazine – Aug. 23 – “To Be More Creative, Teams Must Feel Free to Show Emotions” overviews research at Organization Science by Associate Professor of Management and Organization Myeong-Gu Seo… Related coverage in B2B News Network’s (Aug. 25) Daily News Roundup (scroll down).

Forbes – Aug. 22 – Associate Professor of Information Systems Jui Ramaprasad comments in “Taliban Takeover Presents New Challenges for Social Media Companies”: “It is still unclear what role platforms like Twitter and Facebook want to take in managing the information that they facilitate the spread of,” [said Ramaprasad] “Though Facebook has instituted the Oversight Board – “The Facebook Supreme Court” – and Twitter has become more active in suspending and even banning accounts, e.g. Donald Trump, a clear policy on what constitutes the criteria for suspension or account locking,” said Ramaprasad. “If Donald Trump was banned for potential for further inciting violence, one would think that the Taliban would be as well. But this is the result of shying away from clear, uniform and consistent policies and implementation of these policies.” … Given those facts, the social media companies may now have to be far more straightforward about what is allowed to be posted on the platforms, and what should be subject to removal. “Indeed, concisely outlining what constitutes a violation of platform policy – e.g., the spreading of ‘conspiracy theories, disinformation, and hate speech’ – is not always straightforward in implementation, it is not sustainable to continue to evaluate these on a case-by-case basis.”

BombBomb Customer Experience Podcast – Aug. 22 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust discusses “How Artificial Intelligence is Driving the Feeling Economy.”

Insurance.com – Aug. 19 – Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss comments in “How Do You Get a Life Insurance Policy for Seniors”: When looking for the best term life insurance make sure to consider whether you would prefer level term or yearly renewable. "Term insurance is useful primarily for income replacement if the insured dies while he or she is working and has a surviving spouse or children who are dependent on that income," [says Kiss]. "This policy is best when there is a specific need, such as retirement debt that needs to be paid off. But it will not pay out if the policyholder dies after the term expires." … Whole life insurance policies are usually easier to get for seniors than term life insurance. "Whole life insurance is primarily useful for avoiding taxes. The ability to accrue and borrow against the cash value has a drawback: The insurance company will deduct the amount outstanding from the death benefit," notes Kiss. … However, final expense life insurance is often no medical exam required life policies. Instead, you may have to answer a few health-related questions to get covered. "Be aware that the cost per $1,000 for this type of policy is very high because there are no medical questions required; therefore, healthier people may pay the same high rates as those who are not as healthy," cautions Kiss.

Nature – Aug. 18 – “Academia, a Promised Land?” by Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal and Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation Waverly Ding is a “Behind the Paper” series interpretation of their research that reveals a wider gender pay and promotion gap in academia relative to industry among science and engineering doctorate holders.

Daily Maverick (South Africa) – Aug. 18 – Research – “The Feeling Economy: Managing in the Next Generation of AI” -- by Maryland Smith professors Roland Rust and Vojislav Maksimovic is central to “Women Prepare for Their Time to Shine,” a guest piece produced by the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business to promote its annual Women in Business Conference.

The Times (of London) – Aug. 17 – “Breakthrough Innovation Study Wins $75,000 Prize” announces Associate Professor of Business and Public Policy Rachelle Sampson winning one of the UK’s largest academic prizes – the Panmure House Prize for: …Her proposed research (with a team including Maryland Smith colleague Brent Goldfarb) that looks at U.S. patents between 1980 and 2017. The project aims to demonstrate that long-term-oriented firms – supported by government-funded R&D, stronger scientific orientation, a more centralised organisation and greater investment– are more likely to produce breakthrough innovations such as Dupont’s nylon or AT&T Bell Labs’ transistor.

Nasdaq – Aug 17 – Maryland Smith is cited among seven U.S. schools reporting women comprising 45 percent of incoming MBA enrollment in “Women Enrollees Top Men for First Time at This Elite MBA Program.”

BusinessBecause – Aug. 17 – Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Career Services Neta Moye recommends Amy Edmondson’s “The Fearless Organization” as essential reading in “MBA Reading List: 19 Books To Read Before Your MBA.”

Seeking Alpha – Aug. 16 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass writes “Berkshire Hathaway is Undervalued by 17%.”

The Hill – Aug. 16 – Professor of Finance and former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy Michael Faulkender writes op-ed “Biden is Dead Wrong About the Trump Tax Cuts, Spending and Debt.”

TalkMarkets – Aug. 15 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass reports “Major Changes To Berkshire Hathaway’s Portfolio During The Second Quarter Of 2021,” plus “Companies That Have Reverse Stock Splits Underperform” (Aug. 14) and “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks” (Aug. 14).

Baltimore Sun Education – August 2021 – Maryland Smith’s AI Leadership for Healthcare certificate program is featured among “Degree and Certificate Programs [that] Drive Health Care.”

Global Association of Risk Professionals – Aug. 13 – A Risk Intelligence column, “What a Difference a Pandemic Makes: Risk Management Is Having Another Moment,” highlights work by Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi to promote governmental risk management: Consider [Rossi], who was Citigroup’s consumer lending division CRO during the 2008 crisis. These days, Rossi is collaborating with faculty colleagues on projects that he characterized as being “at the nexus of climate science and financial risk analytics,” with “applicability” for corporations, official entities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and local governments. Additionally, Rossi revealed that he has lately had the chance to flex his risk muscles assisting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of an Office of Management and Budget mandate to federal agencies to incorporate enterprise risk management (ERM) into their decision-making.

01net (Italy) – Aug. 13 – “How Brands can Use Facebook Data for Popularity Tests” overviews research by Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Science Kunpeng Zhang and Associate Dean of Master’s Programs Wendy Moe, whose work yielded a new machine learning algorithm that can scroll through social media posts to understand how consumers perceive specific brands.

Slate – Aug. 12 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments extensively in “The Stock Market is Still Weird from GameStop,” including this quote: “GameStop without a billion dollars is just kind of a flailing, languishing mall stock. With [$1B], maybe it’s a total relaunch. Right? A billion dollars is a hundred series A rounds. That’s a lot of pivots, a lot of new bets, a lot of R&D...”

SciTechDaily – Aug. 12 – “Privilege and Politics Influence Vaccine’s Racial Disparity – ‘Structural Inequities Pose a Serious Threat To Progress’” covers Center for Health Information Decision and Systems research co-authored by professors Ritu Agarwal and Gordon Gao… Related coverage at News-Medical.Net: “Socioeconomic Privilege and Political Ideology Correlate to Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination” and Medical Xpress: “Study Shows Privilege, Politics Influence Vaccine's Racial Disparity.”

Financial Times – Aug. 10 – “The NDA Boom is Bad for Both Employers and Workers” references Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr and his research: [‘Bundling Postemployment Restrictive Covenants’] published recently by Natarajan Balasubramanian, Evan Starr and Shotaro Yamaguchi suggests that roughly 57 percent of US workers are covered by NDAs, ranging from 44 per cent in accommodation and food services to 69 per cent in professional services. Tech companies often make visitors sign them at the front desk.

Maryland Today – Aug. 9 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang discusses retail trends indicating “’Relaxed’ as the New ‘Business Casual.’”

China Daily – Aug. 9 – “West's Vaccine Hoarding Harms Poor Countries” references and quotes Research Professor Kislaya Prasad from his recent op-ed at Fortune.

Newswise – Aug. 9 – In a “Myth of the Scholar-Athlete” essay, Robert H. Smith Professor of Information Systems Emeritus Henry C. Lucas discusses implications of SCOTUS earlier this summer siding with college athletes against the NCAA, allowing an increase in education-related compensation.

TalkMarkets – Aug. 7 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives “6 Highlights of Berkshire Hathaway’s Second Quarter Report.” … Also at TalkMarkets, Kass reported the “Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks for Aug. 7.”

July 2021

Morningstar – Aug. 5 – “Who Dares Loses: Buffett on Luck, Taxes and a Challenge” revisits Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass’ insights, initially via CNBC, on Warren Buffett’s views on luck and the ‘ovarian lottery’: [Kass] was the first to publish Warren Buffett’s views on luck and the ‘ovarian lottery’ based on notes Kass took when Buffett was speaking at a 2013 graduate student event. Kass recalls: “Warren Buffett has stressed the importance of luck in his life, focusing not only on where he was born but also when. His primary skill of allocation of capital has worked well for him in the United States and in his lifetime. Having the good luck to win the ‘ovarian lottery’ is a major determinant in success in life in general and in business in particular.”

Maryland Today – Aug. 4 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III describes how the pandemic has forced marketers to be nimble and adjust their promotional campaigns, in “A Fraught Summer Olympics Keeps Marketers on Their Toes.”

The Social Media Monthly – Aug. 3 – Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan writes an op-ed titled “How Digital Marketing Can Drive Traffic to Stores.”

ValuePenguin – July 31 – “When Can I Deduct Health Insurance Premiums on My Taxes?” includes Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger giving financial and tax planning advice in a Q&A (scroll down).

TalkMarkets – July 31 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the “Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks.”

Maryland Today – July 30 – "Privilege, Politics Influence Vaccine's Racial Disparity" reveals how social determinants of health—from home internet access to accessibility of health-care facilities—correlate to racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination among white and Black populations, according to new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Maryland Smith professors Ritu Agarwal, Gordon Gao, Jui Ramaprasad, Smith senior research scientist Michelle Dugas, and Smith doctoral students Gujie Li and Junjie Luo.

InvestorPlace – July 30 – "3 Auto Stocks to Buy as They Transition to Tech-Stock Status" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Legacy automobile companies such as Ford and General Motors can be valued more like technology companies when they are able to demonstrate that their forthcoming electric vehicles are perceived to be competitive technologically with industry leaders such as Tesla and Nio. Although Ford and General Motors do not have cult-like figures such as Elon Musk running their firms, there is still an opportunity to increase their valuations above current levels."

HousingWire – July 29 – Professor of the Practice in Finance Clifford Rossi writes "Risks of Nonbank Mortgage Sellers and Servicers Revisited" to expand on his previous (July 28) HousingWire op-ed on "Why Ginnie Mae's Proposed Liquidity Standards are Sorely Needed."

TechTarget – July 29 – Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez comments in "U.S. Lawmaker Seeks National Four-Day Workweek": The four-day workweek was not gaining much traction in the U.S. until the COVID-19 pandemic "sort of revitalized the conversation," [said Suarez], The pandemic began "to trigger some questions that were suppressed, like, 'Why am I working so hard?'" Suarez said. Many businesses discovered, for example, that they could maintain connectedness, human contact and efficiencies even by working remotely. "We began to look for meaning and fulfillment, and not just jobs," he said... The four-day workweek was a natural extension of the remote work conversation. "In a culture that values overcommitments and overwork, and saturation of emails and business as a badge of honor, we're beginning to say when we detach, when we let go, we experience something more fulfilling," Suarez said. The tension with the four-day workweek is that firms must maintain the same pay with reduced hours and retain the same level of performance, Suarez said. If you're going to reduce hours, you need to maintain continuity of operations, and that will force you to streamline business processes, he said. Some firms that have tried a four-day workweek have seen a spike in productivity, "at least initially," Suarez said.

B2B News Network – July 28 – 'Psychological Safety at Work' cites research by Dean's Professor of Management Subra Tangirala: Most organizations cannot provide that level of psychological safety. Partly that's because people don't enjoy hurting each other's feelings or taking away the opportunity to save face. Those are the findings of new research by an international team of management academics [composed of Tangirala, Elad N. Sherf, Sofya Isaakyan and Hannes Guenter] "When employees speak up publicly, we see that managers are often threatened by it. Managers have this tendency to react negatively to public voice because they feel that they lose control of the conversation and look inept in front of everyone," said Tangirala. "This can have a very bad effect on organizations because employees who are not part of in-groups of the managers usually only have opportunities to reach the managers in public meetings."

Maryland Today – July 28 – 'Don't Put Your Emotions in a Box at Work' features research newly published in Organization Science by management professor Myeong-Gu Seo.

Barron's – July 24 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass' "Exception to the Rule" commentary is published as part of "Barron's Roundtable: Sizing up the Stocks": To the Editor: The suggestion that stocks are overvalued based on the "Rule of 20," which posits that the sum of inflation and the stock market's price/earnings ratio should add up to 20, and is based on data going back to 1957, omits an examination of interest rates ("By This Key Measure, the Stock Market Is Trading at Dot-Com-Era Levels," Up & Down Wall Street, July 16). The 10-year U.S. Treasury rate averaged 5.75% from 1957 through 2021, and 6.65% through 2007, prior to the Great Recession. However, it currently equals only 1.31%, its lowest level over this 65-year time period. Since interest rates are to asset prices what gravity is to matter, the Rule of 20 cannot be applied to determine if current stock market valuations are excessive.

WalletHub – July 24 – Professor of the Practice in Finance Clifford Rossi and Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani give consumer advice on credit-building (Rossi) and auto insurance reviews (Kirmani).

Associated Press via ABC News – July 22 – Associate Professor of Logistics Management Philip Evers helps explain Amazon's "key for business" initiative in "Amazon's Mission: Getting a 'Key' to Your Apartment Building," : [Evers said] Amazon's desire to get the device into as many buildings as possible may be a way to keep competitors out. "The landlord may say, 'You know, I'll do this for one company, but maybe we don't want it for every delivery company that's out there'," he said. He added that Amazon could find other uses for the service, like having delivery people pick up returns left in the lobby instead of making shoppers schlep to the post office. Amazon declined to share any future plans.

International Business Times – July 22 – Op-ed co-authored by management and entrepreneurship professors David Kirsch and Brent Goldfarb addresses "What Bitcoin's Link With Tesla Means For Public Trust In Our Financial Markets."

Wall Street Journal – July 21 – Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr comments in "The Noncompete Clause gets a Closer Look": Around 32% of U.S. companies include the clauses in all of their employment contracts regardless of position or pay, according to a survey… Use of noncompete clauses surged partly because templates can be found easily online and pasted into contracts, [said Starr, one of the authors of the survey]. … Even in states where the clauses would be voided by courts, companies still add them because they expect few employees to challenge, Mr. Starr said. He added that he has seen a noncompete clause for a volunteer role at a nonprofit organization in California. "If you ban noncompetes for some or all workers, there needs to be some way to incentivize firms to comply," he said. … Mr. Starr sees places for compromise. "The uncontroversial parts are that low-wage workers should by and large not be bound by noncompete agreements, and that you shouldn't be able to surprise a worker with a noncompete on day one of a new job," he said. The FTC could also look at limiting the duration of noncompete clauses, many of which require former employees to sit out of the labor market in their field for two years or more, or at limiting their geographic scope, he and other experts said. … The increase in remote work complicates the question even further. "Setting a federal benchmark can go a long way toward mitigating some uncertainty for firms and workers," Mr. Starr said.

Lab Manager Magazine – July 20 – "Have Something to say? Your Boss Wants You to do it in Private" overviews research by Dean's Professor of Management Subra Tangirala.

Bloomberg Radio – July 17 – Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr discusses President Biden's call the FTC to ban or limit employee noncompetes (starting at 6:57) in the second part of a Bloomberg Law podcast titled "Elon Musk Stars in His Own Courtroom Drama."

Fair Play Talks – July 17 – "Empathetic Leadership Crucial for Employee Wellbeing, Say Experts" extensively quotes Professor of the Practice Gerald Suarez.

Washington Post – July 14 – 'Fact Checker: Biden Bungles Story About Low-Wage Noncompete Agreements' quotes Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr: In the EPI survey, of the 65 construction firms that replied, 30.7% said all employees were subject to noncompete agreements. "With the widespread use of noncompetes we found in construction, Biden's example seems quite plausible to me," Colvin said. [Starr at the Robert H. Smith School of Business] also said the asphalt example did not seem surprising: "Certainly noncompete clauses can and do include geographic restrictions broader than the state." The White House official did not provide a specific example to back up Biden's statement but noted that the EPI study found noncompete agreements remain prevalent in a host of blue-collar jobs.

Journal of Accountancy – July 13 – EY Alumni Professor of Managerial Accounting and Information Assurance Lawrence Gordon contributes to "Fit Cybersecurity Into Your Accounting Courses": Tell students why cybersecurity matters. Some accounting students may wonder why they need to learn about cybersecurity, viewing it as solely a matter for IT. So discuss the "why and how" with students. "The most important tip would be to get your students to understand how, as an information system, accounting relies on cybersecurity, as do all information systems," [said Gordon]. Explain how cybersecurity is a vital component of internal controls, and how disclosure issues and decisions must be addressed. "What's the cost of a cybersecurity breach? That's an accounting issue," he said, as an example. ... Vary the assignments. Accounting faculty can offer a mix of assignments for students around the topic of cybersecurity. Gordon provides students with "problems and little scenarios" and asks them probing questions, such as "How much should a firm invest in cybersecurity?" and "What's the impact of COVID-19 on cybersecurity?" He also asks students to read articles online that explain topics such as how to do a penetration test, a way of testing a computer network or application to find security holes.

The Swaddle – July 12 – "Experiencing Rude Behavior Reduces Our Critical Thinking Skills, Study Shows" quotes Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk and cites his research: The application of anchoring bias is most commonly observed in medical cases — a theory researchers were able to prove in the present study. "If you go into the doctor and say 'I think I'm having a heart attack,' that can become an anchor and the doctor may get fixated on that diagnosis, even if you're just having indigestion," [Foulk explained]. "If doctors don't move off anchors enough, they'll start treating the wrong thing." In the present study … residents at a hospital were given an incorrect suggestion before they had to diagnose a patient, and before the simulation, they had one doctor behave rudely towards the residents. The result was that the residents kept treating the "anchor" suggestion despite new discoveries. "Basically, what we're observing is a narrowing effect. Rudeness narrows your perspective, and that narrowed perspective makes anchoring more likely." … The culture of rude and uncivil behavior is rampant in any job setting, and the present findings aim to take stock of the damage negative attitudes can cause. "In important domains, where people are making critical decisions, we really need to rethink the way we treat people," Foulk said. "We hear 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.' It's almost like being able to tolerate people's treatment of you is like a badge of honor. But the reality is that this bad treatment is having really deleterious effects on performance in domains that we care about — like medicine. It matters."

Agility PR Solutions – July 12 – "Social Media Science: How Brands Can Use Facebook to Figure out if People Like Them" overviews research by Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Science Kunpeng Zhang and Associate Dean of Master's Programs Wendy Moe.

Idaho Statesman via Yahoo News – July 11 – "Albertsons Ignored Safety Issues Before Fiery I-84 Crash that Killed Airmen, Families Say" quotes Thomas Corsi, academic director of the MS Supply Chain Program: "Albertsons did not come close to meeting the industry standard of care applicable to it and violated its own policies in both selecting Krujex Freight Transport Co. and the continued use of that carrier's services to deliver product to Albertsons stores through the date of the fatal crash on June 16, 2018, and thereafter," [Corsi] wrote in a court document. … Corsi, who has served as a professor at the Maryland university since 1976, wrote that Albertsons should have never hired Krujex, which had a poor safety record. And the trucking company should have passed on hiring Tsar. … "I have concluded, based on my background and experience, that a cause of the subject crash was the KFTC driver's failure to respond to the slow-moving traffic queue ahead, most likely due to performance decrements associated with fatigue," Corsi wrote. … Corsi said Krujex and Albertsons, which operates its own fleet of 250 trucks, bore "direct responsibility" for the crash. The grocer, he said, had an "unquestioned responsibility" to assess Krujex's ability to safely transport its products.

Maryland Daily Record – July 10 – Associate Professor of Marketing Yogesh Joshi comments in "A New McCormick Product Sold Out in Under an Hour – Again": [Joshi] said that partnerships between influencers and brands can be powerful marketing tools for two reasons. Not only are the influencers able to drum up excitement around the product, but they are also able to help companies develop products that they know will be popular among their colleagues and fans. "Finding the right person is quite important because when you have the right person, the input you get for the product you're trying to make is very relevant," he said. "Not only have you engaged the influencer, but you've also created a product that's of a higher quality. It kind of works hand in hand." … Even if it wasn't the company's plan, limited runs of items can be strong marketing tools, Joshi said. Common with products like Nike sneakers, a limited-edition product (especially one that sells out as quickly as this seasoning did) can lead to a lot of buzz and conversation that will still benefit the company even when the product is no longer limited. "Scarcity is a fairly popular tactic that brands sometimes use to launch and promote new products," he said. "If there are many people who are interested, it creates demand and conversation around it, and a lot of that stays around."

NPR – July 9 – 'Biden Moves to Restrict Noncompete Agreements' quotes Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr: Even in states that ban noncompetes, companies have continued to include them in employment contracts, an issue that [Starr] hopes the FTC will address. … "I think the focus should be on trying to deter their use in the first place," says Starr, instead of just making them unenforceable. … In his research, Starr has found that many workers are unaware of state laws prohibiting noncompetes, so when faced with threatening letters from their employers they are unlikely to put up a challenge. Unlike Beck, Starr anticipates the FTC will issue a ban on noncompetes covering most workers. He says banning them for low-wage workers is largely uncontroversial, and there is growing evidence that a ban would benefit high-skilled workers as well.

NPR – July 9 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd discusses "Name, Image, Likeness and College Athlete" in a panel discussion hosted by Louisville affiliate WFPL (at 11:15-13:55, 25:15-26:57,45:50-5:10 in the embedded audio file).

TechTarget – July 9 – "Biden Noncompete Agreement Order a Warning for Businesses" quotes Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr: Biden's executive order "signals a broad federal interest in reforming noncompete policies, which is something that we have never seen before," said [Starr], who recently testified on Connecticut's noncompete legislation. … "Noncompetes clearly fall under the purview of the FTC per the Sherman Act, because they are restraints of trade," Starr said. "But for whatever reason, the federal government has not generally regulated noncompetes, leaving it mostly to states. So it will be interesting to see where the FTC goes from here."

Naturopathic News and Review – July 5 – "Being Rude Can Lead to 'Anchoring' in Medical Scenarios" overviews research co-authored by Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk.

Investing.com – July 5 – "Dollar Weakens as Payrolls Result Eases Rate Hike Concerns" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: However, while Friday's jobs report said that nonfarm payrolls grew by a higher-than-expected 850,000 in June, the unemployment rate was also higher than expected and the pace of hourly earnings growth slowed, easing concerns that the central bank would raise interest rates sooner than expected. This report "would probably not convince the Federal Reserve to change its current policy [said Kass]. ... Republished by Yahoo Finance.

Poets & Quants – July 3 – Poets & Quants MBAs to Watch – Class of 2021 features, among new full-time MBA grads worldwide, profiles of Maryland Smith's Maria Herold and Rachel Loya.

TalkMarkets – July 3 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks."

Quartz – July 2 – "A Shipping Container Shortage is Snarling Global Trade" quotes Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya: The shortage of shipping containers is yet another symptom of the havoc the pandemic has wrought on international supply chains. As a result, freight costs are rising, which in turn leads to higher prices for consumer goods."This matters in the near term because the supply issues will have a direct impact on inflation,"[said Acharya].

VentureBeat – July 2 – Findings by information systems professor Kenpung Zhang and Associate Dean of Masters Programs Wendy Moe are reviewed in "Researchers Develop Algorithm to Identify Well-Liked Brands."

The Social Media Monthly – July 2 – Associate Professor of Information Systems Jui Ramaprasad's op-ed addresses "How Do We Stop Social Media Ads That Target Teens and Minors."

ValueWalk via FinTechZoom – July 2 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass' blogpost "Charlie Munger Loves Zoom" is republished.

E&E News – July 1 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "Condo Collapse Could Stoke Miami Climate Fear in Homebuyers": So how might the Champlain Towers South disaster shake things up even more? [Rossi said] there are several short- and long-term possibilities. He said the collapse — regardless of its cause — could "dampen interest" in South Florida properties similar to the 12-story Champlain Towers South… The condominium disaster in Surfside, Fla., "will certainly have buyers [who are] interested in buying into the condo market down there — and other Florida cities, for that matter, that are located close to the shore — to think twice about purchasing a property," said Rossi, who also previously worked as Citigroup Inc.'s chief risk officer."And that could have somewhat of a chilling effect even in a pretty hot market like it is [in Florida] today and in many places around the country," Rossi added. … (Growing awareness of sea-level rise, in addition to"hyper-salient events" such as major hurricanes or the Surfside collapse… can lead to a diminishing of the premium that people are willing to pay for coastal living) … Rossi echoed that point. If the investigation shows the building collapsed solely due to construction or maintenance errors, there may not be any long-term implications for the local market. But it would be different if the investigation provides"incontrovertible evidence" of contributing environmental factors common to the entire region, Rossi said."That could be a catalyst for more people rethinking retiring down in areas like that and saying it's not worth the potential risk out there that we face — to be situated that close to the shore."

June 2021

OZY – June 30 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd comments in "The Ground Shifts Under College Sports": (The University Athletic Association of the Philippines is an international facsimile of the NCAA — boasting a strong college sports system yet without any rules governing payments or compensation.) Shouldn't the home of capitalism and the free market follow the Filipino way? The current model is"not in keeping with market forces," [Boyd tells OZY]."If you have the talent, you should be able to work with people to be compensated."

U.S. House Committee on Financial Services News – June 30 – "Hybrid Hearing – Addressing Climate as a Systemic Risk: The Need to Build Resilience within Our Banking and Financial System" includes testimony from Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi (beginning at 39:30 in embedded video).

Quartz – June 29 – Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr contributes to "An Airport Executive Warns its Concessionaires Not to Steal one Another's Employees": If both airport eateries were independent franchises under the same parent company, then"it's kind of a legal gray area,"[says Starr]. Quartz reached out to Star Concessions to clarify if the company owns both eateries but did not hear back at the time of publication.… A no-poach policy could hurt employee's mobility and hurt any wage gains. The workers are also not aware of no-poach agreements, says Starr. If you submit an application to the stall next door, and the application asks for your private employment—that information could get you kicked out of the applicant pool if a Sbarro had an agreement with Auntie Anne's not to hire from each other, he says.

Bloomberg Law – June 29 – Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr comments in "Employee Noncompete Clause Limits Adopted by Three More States": States also are beginning to enact provisions allowing for civil penalties against companies that use illegal or abusive noncompete contracts, and in some cases making it easier for workers to win attorney fees in court cases where employers seek to enforce noncompetes, [said Starr]. The new Illinois legislation allows the state attorney general to pursue enforcement action against employers related to noncompete contracts and potentially win civil penalties. Penalties are a less common feature of state noncompete laws, but the idea could catch on as a way to deter companies from using them in situations where they're illegal or unenforceable, Starr said. His research shows that even in California, where noncompetes are banned and unenforceable under state law, a significant portion of workers are asked to sign them anyway, he added. … "No court in California would sanction a noncompete agreement, and yet these agreements have chilling effects on workers," Starr said. "Workers don't want to fight out a lawsuit," and in many cases might not know state law makes the contracts unenforceable.

Supply Chain Brain – June 26 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya discusses implications of a U.S. oversupply of COVID vaccine in "What to do About the Vaccine Surplus."

TalkMarkets – June 26 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks."

ESPN's The Undefeated – June 25 – "The Low-Key Cool of 'Jake, From State Farm' Has Actor Kevin Miles Superstarring" quotes Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd: "Jake is like the guy next door, the boy next door that grew up," [said Boyd] "The perception is there that, man, you went out of your way, Jake. You gave me the inside deal." Insurance can be dull, and it can take antics and hyperbole to stand out. But Boyd calls Jake's charisma, charm and conventional good looks something that can win for State Farm. "He's become a franchise success," said Boyd. That success marks a universal, all-American appeal. But don't misunderstand. Without the slightest patina of performative ethnicity, he still feels authentically Black.

Maryland Today – June 25 – Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss gives consumer finance advice in "A Hot Housing Market Calls for Cleaning Out Your Closets or Your Bank Account."

InvestorPlace – June 24 – 'Overlooked Blue Chip Stocks for Eagle-Eye Investors' quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "So far in 2021, blue-chip stocks have outperformed high-risk high-return investments. As of June 5, 2021, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which consists of 30 large blue-chip companies, has increased by 13.6%, while the Nasdaq (made of more high-risk, high-return stocks) has risen by only 7.2%. The S&P 500, which is heavily weighted by the large blue-chip stocks, is up by 12.6%. This relative relationship is likely to persist throughout the balance of the year… Interest rates are likely to be stable or increase slightly in the second half of 2021. Any increase in interest rates should result in high-risk, high-return stocks further underperforming blue-chip stocks since future cash flows of high-risk companies will be discounted at a higher rate resulting in lower valuations relative to blue-chip companies that have more reliable income streams over the near term." … Also at Business Insider's Markets Insider.

Poets & Quants – June 23 – "5 Biggest Surprises Of Online MBA Programs" quotes Maryland Smith online MBA graduate Jose DeJesus: "In a traditional classroom, you have very little visibility into your classmates' lives," [adds DeJesus]. "With an online program, you see people taking class from hotel rooms, trains, at home, and in offices. There is something powerful in seeing how everyone "grinds" it out through the program. Everyone is facing different pressures but still looking to learn and better themselves. There is nothing more motivating than that."

Maryland Today – June 23 – "Returning a Favor via Social Media Could Drive Healthier Habits, UMD Research Shows" overviews research from the Center for Health Information and Decisions Systems by Senior Associate Dean Ritu Agarwal and Professor Gordon Gao.

Bloomberg – June 23 – "Warren Buffett Steps Away From Middleman Spot in Gates Divorce" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Buffett maybe wants to steer clear of the personal conflict between Bill and Melinda Gates and keep his own personal relationships with both of them separate from this decision," [said Kass]. Still, the investor's statement Wednesday signaled continued support for the foundation, and some Buffett family foundations, with $4.1 billion in donations. "He's sending the very positive signal that he's certainly maintaining his very generous contributions," Kass said.

Baltimore Sun – June 22 – Marketing professors Jie Zhang and P.K. Kannan comment on the post-pandemic business-attire market in "Baltimore-Area Women Come Face-to-Face with an Old Foe After a Year of Pandemic: The Underwire Bra."

The Mortgage Reports – June 21 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi weighs in to "Late-2021 Mortgage Rate Predictions: How High Will Rates Go?": 30-year mortgage rates by late 2021: 3.6% (and) 15-year mortgage rates by late 2021: 2.6%... "These projections are based largely on what happens to the yield curve between now and the end of the year," explains Rossi, "which is likely to steepen a bit more as fixed-income markets build inflationary expectations into their views. "The Fed has signaled a commitment, at least for the time being, to keep short-term rates very low, so we could see a steeper yield curve ahead — which will affect the direction and level of mortgage rates."

FocusTechnica – June 21 – "When Employees Lack Power at Work, They Get Paranoid – And Aggressive" overviews research by Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Trevor Foulk.

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) News – June 19 – "Swans, Rhinos and Elephants Are Animating Risk Debates" quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Risk awareness, informed by an integrated view of risks, "is incredibly important and is a function of the type of event that may have occurred at an earlier time (e.g., South Korean MERS epidemic of 2015), and also what I refer to as risk sensitivity," [says Rossi]. "Risk sensitivity is in turn dependent upon a set of management cognitive biases and the level of risk aversion of management – the point being that management teams that exhibit greater degrees of risk aversion and less bias (e.g., herd mentality, recency bias, etc.) wind up being more sensitive to risk events and risk-taking than other managers, which heightens their risk awareness to uncertain events. "We still tend to be far more siloed in assessing risk than we should be," Rossi continues, "and as we learned from the global financial crisis, we often find risks collide with one another. For example, subprime mortgage credit losses contributed to a liquidity crisis and to massive reputation risk, legal, regulatory and market risks during that period."

Maryland Daily Record – June 18 – Clinical Professor Oliver Schlake comments in "140 Years Later, Otterbein's Ovens Are Still Baking Away": The longevity of a family-owned business such as Otterbein's can be a rarity in the United States. … [Schlake said] there are several factors that could inhibit the growth of family-owned business in the U.S. … Schlake's family has owned a bakery in Germany for at least 75 years, but he said family businesses can struggle to survive in the U.S. He attributed this to a number of reasons, including the hesitancy among some business owners to be open to organic growth, which is growth by increasing output and enhancing sales from within. For a family-owned business to have success in the U.S., Schlake said it is important to uphold traditions and "have an active, symbiotic relationship with the community." "You expect people to pay a premium because you're selling them something that is more satisfying than just getting food," Schlake said. "It's not just calories … you're eating an experience, you're eating into a tradition." At the same time, Schlake said relying too much on tradition can be "a very dangerous trap" for family-owned businesses. It is important to strike the balance between upholding traditions and evolving.

The Big Think – June 18 – "Don't be Rude to Your Doctor" overviews research by Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk.

ValueWalk – June 17 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives insights in "21 for 2021: Midyear Stocks to Watch."

STAT News – June 17 – "Gender Bias Toward Men in Patent Awards Results in Less Biomedical Innovation for Women" quotes Associate Professor of Management Waverly Ding and references her research: Thinking more broadly this way about the implications of a lack of female patent holders may still be relatively new. Waverly Ding, who studies gender issues related to entrepreneurship and science and author of a 2006 Science study showing the gender gap in patenting, pointed out that people haven't really thought about the consequences of her findings on society at large. "If we have a more diverse innovation workforce, then we're going to have better results in terms of the quality and the type of patents we're getting," Ding said, adding, "But we have never really looked into this assumption, and no one had tried to quantify what it means to have women's representation." … None of the female researchers STAT spoke to were surprised at the study's findings. "Women bring their unique perspectives, their interests, their preferences," said Ding.

ABS News and Research – June 16 – "Apple Stock Split: History, Reasons & Brief Analysis," quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Kass argues that stock splitting was a practice used by companies to keep their stock prices in the mid-double-digit range. Moreover, companies did this as often as possible because broker commissions were fixed, and investors preferred trading in "round lots" of 100 shares. In contrast, if an investor purchased less than 100 shares, broker commissions were amplified, the reason behind holding "round lots."

US News & World Report – June 14 – "What Are Congress Members Trading?" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass says], "Since members of Congress do have access to inside information such as the outlook for the overall economy, specific industries, and individual companies, large transactions on either the buy side or the sell side might serve as a useful signal as to major changes that could be forthcoming that could affect the securities involved." … Related: Kass, via TalkMarkets, gives "The Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks" (June 12).

Poets & Quants – June 12 – "Best and Brightest Online MBAs: Class of 2021" profiles Maryland Smith's Yenny Andrade Castillo and Jose DeJesus, with the overview including: At the same time, the University of Maryland's& Yenny Andrade Castillo has spent nearly a decade at the World Bank. "Working for the World Bank has been a rewarding experience. I've traveled on missions to the Philippines, Malaysia and South Africa, and I've seen the developmental impact of the World Bank's work in helping poor people," she writes. "At the same time, I've progressed in my professional career, advancing from an assistant position to associate portfolio officer in the Private Equity Funds unit at IFC."

StudyFinds ("Research in a Nutshell") – June 11 – "Rudeness can Lead to Serious Mistakes in Life-or-Death Situations" covers "Trapped by A First Hypothesis: How Rudeness Leads to Anchoring," co-authored by management professor Trevor Foulk and forthcoming in the Journal of Applied Psychology… Related coverage includes posts at News-Medical.net, Scienmag, Medical Xpress and a recent at Hidden Brain: …Turns out, rude experiences can trigger the anchoring bias – our tendency to focus on one piece of information when making a decision, even if the information is irrelevant. After experiencing rudeness, doctors and medical residents were more likely to anchor to an incorrect diagnosis, for example. Rudeness made it harder to think clearly and make good decisions. "Rudeness narrows your perspective, and that narrowed perspective makes anchoring more likely," said Trevor Foulk, one of the study's authors. "We really need to rethink the way we treat people." It can't hurt to ask: What can I do to be a little bit kinder today?

Southern Maryland Chronicle – June 10 – "Cars are About to Cost a lot More in Maryland After the Pandemic" quotes Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya: Chip shortage, [according to Acharya], left most of the auto manufacturers hungry for even the basic components of their cars or trucks… Most cars nowadays have capabilities like artificial intelligence. They can parallel park the vehicle, keep you within the lane, protect your bumper to get harmed in case of a potential collision by avoiding the same and help you keep focused on the road by barring all sorts of distractions. With these cars, you also get some mind-blowing entertainment options, infotainment systems, and internet connectivity. According to the professor, we are nowadays driving "smart devices on wheels."

Supply Chain Masters (Belgium) – June 9 – "Research: Why Managers Ignore Employees' Ideas," co-authored by management professors Subra Tangirala and Vijaya Venkataramani, is republished from Harvard Business Review.

WalletHub – June 9 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang answers "What's the Deal with Credit Card Deals?"

Financial Post – June 8 – Management professor Trevor Foulk discusses his recent workplace behavior research in "Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Power."

Yahoo Finance – June 8 – "10 Best Stocks to Buy According to Warren Buffett" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Last year, Buffett sold huge stakes in bank stocks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) and Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) amid financial volatility caused by the coronavirus crisis. This move was the result of, in the words of a finance professor David Kass at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, "extreme caution" practiced by Buffett as bank stocks are prone to losses and vulnerability during difficult times such as the one heralded by the pandemic.

Science Newsnet – June 8 – "Eye Tracking Study Shows How Online Ads Help Consumers Shop Faster" covers a recent study co-authored by Distinguished University Professor and PepsiCo Chair in Consumer Science Michel Wedel.

TalkMarkets – June 5 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks."

Maryland Daily Record – June 3 – "UMD Honors Five Exporting Businesses for Resilience During COVID-19" reviews the same-day Maryland Business Adapts event organized by Center for Global Business and quotes CGB Executive Director Rebecca Bellinger: "While each company's pivots were assessed on their own merits against an award rubric, we were quite pleased that the five companies ultimately chosen were diverse in ownership, business model, industry and adaptive strategies."

dot.LA – June 2 – "Quincy Jones' New NFT Platform Wants to Take the Guilt Out of Artist NFTs" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: [Kirsch said] it's unclear if OneOf's platform can pull in enough users to make it work. "What's really going to matter is if people want these tokens or not," he said. "Are people interested? Are there superfans for whom access to an NFT of one of their artists whom they follow is worth paying money for? That's what's going to make or break this in my view."

Valor Economico (Brazil) – June 1 – "Giving Employees a Voice in Changing Scenarios Increases Resilience, Says Study" quotes Dean's Professor of Management Subra Tangirala and summarizes his research: In experiments they did with some teams, they asked managers to encourage people to express themselves; to create spaces where they were heard; to recognize or reward the speaker. When the three actions took place, the researchers stated that the performance was higher, compared to that obtained by the teams that did not undergo this intervention. "Not only to prevent productivity, after the shock of change, from falling even further, but also to recover more quickly," [said Tangirala].

May 2021

Wall Street Journal – May 29 – "Paycheck Protection Program Closes to New Applications" references Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender and his recent study: A December study by Michael Faulkender, who was assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department during the Trump administration and worked closely with the SBA to administer the PPP, said the program saved 18.6 million jobs. Mr. Faulkender and co-authors based their estimate on an analysis of county-level unemployment-insurance claims. Mr. Faulkender said that as the nation entered a sudden economic crisis last year, the SBA and Treasury had to balance getting money to businesses quickly with fraud-prevention measures…

GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) – May 29 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "The Archegos Collapse: Not Just a Family Office Affair: A nonbank fund's failure exposes a risk and regulatory blind spot": "Counterparty Risk Management 101 should have been happening," [said Rossi] Banks should have been able to answer the basic questions, he continued: "Who are your counterparties, and how do you ensure you have appropriately assessed their risks?" … Archegos was "regularly putting up $15 of collateral to borrow $85." That alone should have been a red flag, Rossi argued. He believes that anyone "borrowing from a regulated financial institution should have some oversight."

BusinessBecause – May 29 – BusinessBecause Online MBA Guide 2021 quotes Assistant Dean for Part-time MBA and Online Programs Paulo Prochno and Career Center assistant director Julie Neill: (Prochno): "An online program covers traditional MBA ground that prepares students to take more senior management roles, giving them a view on how the different functions contribute to the overall results of a company. This requires both hard and soft skills. The latter can be developed through lively synchronous sessions that include virtual breakout rooms for small group discussions through which students exercise such skills as emotional intelligence and collaborative problem-solving" (Page 20) … (Neill): " An online MBA has the added advantage of preparing leaders to collaborate with a diverse group of peers in a virtual environment, a skillset that will undoubtedly become increasingly important in the future of work." (Page 17).

InvestorPlace – May 28 – "Money Moves for Recent Grads: Top Finance Tips for Recent Graduates" quotes Clinical Associate Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss: If you're anything like me, figuring out your budget probably feels a bit like guessing how many jellybeans are in a jar. But as [Kiss told InvestorPlace], it might not be fun, but "it is important to start and stick to a budget." She went on to say: "You can download a personal finance app on your phone (e.g., Mint.com) to track your spending and account balances. You need to understand your living expenses from utilities to rent to transportation; you will face some monthly expenses that previously were negligible or nonexistent. This will be a large portion of your monthly budget." … Related: Wealth Creation Investing quotes Kiss in "Retirement Funds For Rookies: Everything New Grads Need To Know" (May 26).

Times of News – May 28 – Associate Professor of Management David Waguespack explains "Implications of Dwindling Oscars Viewership and Movie Audience Fragmentation."

American Marketing Association – May 27 – "When to Release Free and Paid Apps for Maximal Revenue" overviews research co-authored by marketing professors Jie Zhang and Michel Wedel and Maryland Smith PhD graduate Seoungwoo Lee.

Haptic – May 27 – "Feeling Intelligence will be Dominant in the Economy" by Europe-based Haptic R&D Consulting overviews the book, The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy, co-authored by Distinguished University Professor David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust.

Harvard Business Review – May 26 – Associate Professor of Management David Waguespack co-authors "Dispersed Teams Succeed Fast, Fail Slow."

Science Newsnet – May 26 – "Why Italy's Economy Stopped Growing" explores an NBR working paper co-authored by Assistant Professor of Finance Bruno Pellegrino. … Related coverage by NbaRevolution (Italy).

MarketScale – May 26 – Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan discusses 'store within a store' strategy for large retailers, via a video embedded in a reposting of "Walmart Closing Most In-Store McDonald's."

CNBC – May 25 – Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship Anil K. Gupta is cited for helping select the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.

Science Newsnet – May 25 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger explains "The 280E Tax Code as an Obstacle for Cannabis Firms and the SAFE Banking Act." … Related coverage at Financial Daily Newswire.

CBS News (online) – May 24 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments extensively through "Should You Invest in Dogecoin? Expert Suggests Keeping Away from Controversial Cryptocurrency Market."

Business Insider – May 24 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in 'Warren Buffett Built a $4 Billion Chevron Stake in 6 Months — Then Halved it Last Quarter': Berkshire may also have cut its Chevron position because it wanted to take some profits off the table, [Kass told Insider]. "Buffett may have decided to realize a 35% profit in a short period of time," Kass said, pointing out that Berkshire spent an average of $83 per Chevron share, and the company's stock price surged as high as $112 last quarter. The Berkshire chief may also have determined that oil prices were more likely to fall than rise in the coming months, weakening the near-term outlook for Chevron stock, Kass added… Berkshire slashed other bank holdings, and eliminated its JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs stakes entirely last year. Those disposals might indicate that Buffett is bracing for a wave of defaults, Kass said. The investor may have plowed over $2 billion into Bank of America stock over 12 days last fall because he considered the lender to be less risky than its peers, he added. "Buffett's exit from GS, JPM, and WFC is perhaps a reflection of his fear of very bad outcomes from the pandemic with numerous defaults on bank loans, especially commercial loans," Kass said. "Bank of America has less exposure to commercial loans than JPM and WFC." … Additional coverage of David Kass: 'Year-To-Date Percentage Returns of 8 Largest Stocks' (May 22), via TalkMarkets.

American University Law Review – May 22 – Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue co-authors "Tracing the Invisible: Information Fiduciaries and the Pandemic" as a call for "for more robust solutions to protect individuals' privacy—whether those individuals are currently visible or invisible to pandemic technology—if pandemic technology is to provide the universal coverage necessary for a public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic."

Maryland Matters – May 22 – "TikTok and Google Docs: Small Businesses Thrive After Adapting to the Pandemic" quotes Distinguished University Professor David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust: The pandemic sped up the online shopping trend that existed prior, [said Rust]. "We are in an environment where a substantial percentage of the buying is going to happen online and that is probably always going to be true," Rust said. … Ninety percent of consumers will buy products from a brand they follow on social media, found a 2020 study by software company, Sprout Social Inc. Any smart business goes where the people are and, during the pandemic, they weren't walking down the street, Rust said.

American Banker – May 21 – "What Could be in Store for Banks after Biden Climate Change Order" quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: But despite the executive order, regulators are likely to continue moving carefully on climate change until they get their arms around current climate models and how they can measure bank exposure, [said Rossi] "You can make some terrible economic decisions based on this," said Rossi, a former senior risk executive at Citigroup, who is studying the effects of climate change on housing. "We have to understand what's going on first with the climate models we use before making assessments."

ValueWalk – May 21 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass explains why 'SPACS Have Fallen from Favor.'

Baltimore Sun – May 18 – Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender writes "As the U.S. Returns to Normal, so Must the Federal Reserve."

Quirk's Media – May 18 – "How a Zero-Sum Mindset Can Undermine Workplace Negotiations" overviews Associate Professor of Management Rellie Derfler-Rozin research on the impact of zero-sum thinking in the employment negotiation process… Related coverage in Communications of the ACM's "Myths About Workplace Negotiations."

Bloomberg Opinion – May 16 – 'Meritocracy Is the Key to Boosting Economic Growth' highlights research by Assistant Professor of Finance Bruno Pellegrino: [Pellegrino shows] that countries with high meritocracy scores have enjoyed much more of a bonus from new technology than countries with low scores such as Italy. Italy's loyalty-based management style had no negative consequences for productivity growth in the decades before 1995. But when the IT revolution took off, loyalty-based management reduced Italy's productivity growth by between 13 and 16 percentage points. This result suggests that the meritocracy dividend is growing along with the IT revolution: Meritocracy is not just the secret sauce of economic growth in the long term, but also a secret sauce that is becoming ever more potent.

Salon – May 16 – A 'Quest for Perfect Parenting' piece sourced from multiple studies and PhDs quotes Associate Clinical Professor of Management Nicole Coomber: Lack of feedback is also an issue, [says Coomber]... "In terms of parenting, what kind of job has less clarity on deliverables and goals and less feedback, right?" she asks. "When you put people in a job that is completely amorphous, and they don't know if they're doing a good job or a bad job, that is a recipe for perfectionistic tendencies."

MarketScale – May 15 – "Walmart to Close Most In-Store McDonald's By End Of Summer" quotes Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan: "If you look at it from the viewpoint of McDonald's," Kannan said, "During the COVID pandemic, 70 percent of their sales came from drive-throughs, and even as they are looking forward when Walmart is changing their store formats … McDonald's is facing a challenge because they must also upgrade with these new stores."

TalkMarkets – May 15 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of the 8 Largest Stocks."

Phys.org – May 13 – "Research Reveals Negative Effects of Hotel App Adoption on Customer Spending" features a newly published findings by Dean's Chair in Marketing P.K. Kannan in the Journal of Marketing Research.

Science Newsnet – May 13 – "What it Means to Be Green (in the fund management industry)" previews an upcoming webinar co-hosted by Maryland Smith's Center for Financial Policy and Center for Social Value Creation… "Pitfalls of a Zero-Sum Mindset" (May 12) previews a Maryland Smith-hosted webinar delivered by management professor Rellie Derfler-Rozin on her recent research on the impact of zero-sum thinking in the employment negotiation process.

Washington Post – May 12 – "'Help Wanted' Signs Point to Big Summer Travel Problems" quotes Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust: But smaller companies didn't have that luxury (retaining employees by shifting them to other divisions), and now they are paying the price. "With fewer workers, the quality of service in hospitality is likely to be affected in the coming months," [says Rust]. "And there's not much that travelers can do about it."

FIND MBA – May 12 – Director of Online Programs Danielle Wang contributes to "In a Locked-Down World, Online MBAs Create a Sense of Community": [Wang] says that a significant and ongoing challenge for online students is accessing the breadth of resources that are typically available to their counterparts taking on-campus courses. This includes taking advantage of networking events and career-coaching services. Successful online students have common attributes, she says. "Drive to succeed and self-management are particularly important." Also critical are time management skills, given that students complete the majority of their coursework at their own pace. "They need to be constantly vigilant about setting and meeting weekly learning goals, including staying ahead of coursework deadlines," says Wang. She also notes the pandemic has crystalized some of the benefits of remote study, including the ability to adjust to unexpected work demands, job changes or relocations.

American Marketing Association – May 11 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust co-authors "How Social Media and AI Enable Companies to Track Brand Reputations in Real Time" as an overview of his newly published study in the Journal of Marketing.

Marketing Directo (Spain) – May 11 – "Advertising and Art Put Eyes on Each Other: Are Brands the Medici of the 21st Century?": quotes Assistant Professor of Marketing Yajin Wang: Still, "the younger generations seem more open when it comes to celebrating success. And they seem to understand that if you want to be a famous artist, you are not going to be famous solely because of your works."

Customer Talk (Netherlands) – May 11 – "Emotional Artificial Intelligence: Still a Long Way to Go" cites research by Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue: Analyzing and categorizing people based on their inner emotions is misguided according to a large group of people. A study [by Rhue] found that emotion recognition technology assigns more negative emotions to people of certain ethnic races and their faces as twice as angry. then stamps other faces. The problem with emotional recognition – aside from the inherent biases – is that human emotions are not limited to facial expressions or voice intonations. When an individual laughs, it does not always mean that he is actually happy.

Maryland Today – May 10 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya explains why a pandemic-driven shortage of computer chips means "Cars (are) About to Cost More."

Poets & Quants – May 9 – Associate Dean of Master's Programs Wendy Moe comments on Jasmine Snead and Virginia Pierrie – both selected and profiled (Snead here and Pierre here) for "100 Best & Brightest MBAs: Class of 2021": "…[Pierrie] was a key team member in communicating decisions to the students and providing the administration with feedback on how her classmates were handling the [COVID-prompted] transition [to virtual activities]. Early feedback helped both faculty and staff adjust and provide the best experience possible for our students. In addition, she worked with her fellow MBAA board members and each of the individual clubs to transition their programming online." … [Snead] designed and implemented the first ever "Winternship Challenge" in partnership with the Office of Career Services. This challenge helped motivate her fellow classmates over the winter break in their job search and was so successful that it was held again the following winter… [Snead as] VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has led the MBA Association to host events that educated her classmates as to the effects of systemic racism and what they could do as individuals to change it… She has inspired many in the Smith community to do more for our program and the college to make sure that our commitment to diversity goes beyond the surface and starts to influence how we think about curriculum and the culture of the full-time MBA program.

Sina Finance – May 8 – Clinical Professor of Finance David, in an interview, explains "Buffett's Rejection of the Climate Change Proposal is to Protect the Interests of Individual Shareholders": …Regarding the shareholders proposal for enhanced disclosure of climate change at this meeting, [Kass] believes that Buffett's approach is to protect the interests of shareholders, but such an approach may lose some customers in the long run…

Arirang Korea – May 8 – Research Professor and Center for Global Business Professor Kislaya Prasad discusses 'Global Imbalance in the COVID-19-Vaccine Rollout' (video, at 6:15) as part of the South Korea news channel's weekly Foreign Correspondents program.

TalkMarkets – May 8 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-to-Date Percentage of 8 Largest Stocks."

Fast Company – May 7 – "Welcome to the Post-Sellout Era" quotes Assistant Professor of Marketing Yajin Wang: It's almost quaint now to recall how Moby was pilloried by fans for selling out when his 1999 album Play became the most licensed of all time. All 18 tracks were featured in a TV show, movie, or commercial, and in some instances all three (nothing says upscale hotel lobby to me more than track three, "Porcelain"). When Honda licensed indie darling Vampire Weekend's "Holiday" for a Civic commercial a decade later, there appeared to be no blowback whatsoever. "Younger generations seem to openly celebrate being successful. There's an understanding that if you want to be a famous artist, it can't just be about your artwork," says [Wang].

eeDesignit – May 6 – "Harnessing AI for a More Equitable Workplace" overviews research by Associate Professor of Management and Statistics Margrét Bjarnadóttir… Related coverage at Tech HR Series.

Forbes – May 5 – Rajshree Agarwal writes op-ed: "Lessons From The 2009 American Recovery And Reinvestment Act For The American Jobs And Infrastructure Plan."

InvestorPlace – May 5 – Dean's Professor of Information Systems Anand Gopal gives insights from his research for 'Gun Stocks Amid Surging Firearm Sales': [Gopal], who recently published the study "Traders, guns, and money: The effects of mass shootings on stock prices of firearm manufacturers in the U.S.," wrote in an email to InvestorPlace, "Stock prices for U.S. firearm manufacturers appear to fluctuate based on two factors — an increase in the probability of firearm regulation and the short-term perception of danger to life and property."… As long as the fear of restrictions hangs over the sector, gun stocks will do well. As Gopal wrote, "This raises the question — are the current prices already factoring in the Biden Administration's intentions and the ongoing crises with the pandemic and unrest on the southern border? My sense is that no, these prices will continue to rise till we hit the next inflexion point — the 2022 midterm elections."

Bloomberg – May 3 – "Abel's 'Extreme Confidence' Seen as Ticket to Following Buffett" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "There's only one Warren Buffett," [Kass] said in a phone interview. "But he brings other strengths to the table," Kass said of Abel. "He exudes extreme competence."... Related coverage quoting Kass includes: Entrepreneur "Warren Buffett Reveals Who Will Be His Successor Once He Leaves" (May 3), (May 3) and Business Insider Meet Greg Abel, the 58-year-old Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman just tapped as Warren Buffett's successor (May 3).

NTD Business – May 3 – Clinical Professor of Business David Kass comments in "Buffett and Munger Talk Earnings, SPACS" (Video – 2-minute mark): Reporter: Berkshire Hathaway, reporting and operating income of $7 billion. That's 20 percent higher than the same period last year. Its assortment of insurance, manufacturing, transportation, retail and utility businesses are generally recovering as the economy reopens. Kass: "Their first-quarter earnings I thought were excellent. It looked like they were firing on all cylinders." … Related: Kass gives "6 Highlights of Berkshire Hathaway's 2021 First Quarter Report," via ValueWalk (May 3) and 'Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of 8 Largest Stocks,' via TalkMarkets (April 1).

Debtwire – May 1 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "FHFA gets an earful on climate risk; FHLB, GSE and CRT projected losses near USD 50bn": (newsletter-subscriber access only): Data firms, academics and investors have been busy enhancing and assessing models that in some cases show lenders are woefully underestimating costs associated with natural disaster risks and climate change. Risk officers at large mortgage companies are "scrambling" to understand what those costs will do to profits, some in anticipation of regulatory scrutiny, [said Rossi]. "This is a brave new world for anybody who is credit investing in the space," Rossi said. "Within the last six months, I've seen the interest (in climate risk modeling) shoot up in intensity," with that being closely correlated with the new presidential administration, he added. A common thread through his letter, as was also evident in a study published by Rossi in August 2020, is related to how investors and the government-sponsored enterprises aren't properly accounting for rising climate risks, in light of the storms that have walloped parts of the US in recent years and expectations around increasingly severe weather…

April 2021

Vox – April 30 – "How the US Won the Economic Recovery" (in response to COVID) cites Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender and his supporting data.

Salon – April 30 – Assistant Dean of the Full-time MBA Program Nicole Coomber contributes insight referencing management-faculty colleague Trevor Foulk to "What Women Know About the Science of Perfectionism": In a milder iteration, perfectionistic thinking can make you feel less fulfilled and inspired. [Coomber] pointed to the work of her colleague Trevor Foulk, Ph.D. on "maximizing" which he later explained, "basically means looking for the best, most optimal solution." On the other hand, "satisficing" entails establishing minimum criteria and being cool with anything that fits the bill. Foulk and a colleague found associations between a maximizing mindset and decreased motivation. As Coomber put it, "If you are always seeking the best, most optimal outcome then you actually enjoy work less." That helps explain why self-oriented perfectionism is a risk factor for burnout.

Maryland Today – April 30 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III explains the rise and collapse of a European soccer Super League in "Why European Soccer Fans Gave Super League a Red Card ."

Quartz – April 28 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "Banks Still Aren't Accounting for the Emissions They Finance": Picking winners in the low-carbon economy will not be easy, [said Rossi]. Eliminating obvious culprits like coal-fired power plants is only a first step. Assessing transition risk for a specific investment requires assumptions about the trajectory of the economy and the climate itself, said Rossi. … Conventional climate models are ill-suited to the task because they don't yield very accurate insights at the level of geographic granularity or time horizon most relevant to investment planners—what the climate will be like for a specific factory in 10 years, for example. Likewise, the economic models banks can use to translate those climate forecasts into market forecasts—and thus make decisions about transition risk—are loaded with uncertainty about the economic toll of climate impacts and the pace of the clean energy transition. In other words, many financial institutions won't know precisely what to do with the data on portfolio emissions even after they have it. "This is not something they're well-equipped to handle," said Rossi.

Maryland Today – April 28 – "The Ugly Side of Beauty AI" features research-related insights from Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue.

NPR – April 27 – Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender comments in "Did Emergency PPP Loans Work? Nearly $800 Billion Later, We Still Don't Know": Michael Faulkender, who as assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy in the Trump administration helped craft the loan program, argues that it played a much larger role, helping to save more than 18 million jobs during its early months. "I think relative to how devastating things could have been, PPP was extraordinarily successful." … Faulkender argues that without the loan program, even more people would have been dumped into the unemployment system, which was already overwhelmed by millions of laid-off workers seeking benefits... Faulkender stresses that the program was originally designed as a kind of economic lifeboat — to keep workers and businesses afloat and together for what was expected to be a brief shutdown, lasting perhaps two months.

CoinTelegraph – April 24 – Accounting lecturer Samuel Handwerger writes "NFTs and US taxes: What you should know." ... Also picked up by Investing.com, among other outlets.

TalkMarkets – April 24 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks."

Forbes – April 22 – "Understanding Social Media, The First Amendment And The Calls To Incite Violence" quotes information systems associate professor Jui Ramaprasad: "While banning users is one option, platforms are also starting to think – and should think – about how information/misinformation is spread, and which content should be privileged… When algorithms are behind this process of determining what we see on our feed – no matter what platform we are on – it is not clear that the "true" information is privileged over the false."

Science Newsnet – April 21 – "'Best White Paper' Shows Potential Way to Harness AI for a More Equitable Workplace" covers research by Associate Professor of Management Science and Statistics Margrét Bjarnadóttir… Clinical Professor of Marketing Hank Boyd gives 'Business Lessons from Europe's Soccer Turmoil' (April 22).

SiriusXM BYU Radio – April 20 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya explains the global semiconductor shortage including its supply chain implications, via "Chip Shortage."

WYPR (On the Record) – April 20 – Assistant Dean of the Full-time MBA Program Nicole Coomber discusses "Navigating the Return to the Office."

American Banker – April 19 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "AI Enables Banks to Spot Bias Claims in Customers' Complaints": Using AI technology to manage risk has been embedded in most financial institutions' compliance and risk management systems for years. "Risk managers identify and rank-order where hot spots are from a compliance standpoint.," said [Rossi]. Complaints that may appear unrelated to bias do not mean there is no reputational or business risk, Rossi said. Finding those specific complaints can be a challenge as well given that the CFPB received roughly 542,300 complaints last year and nearly 60% of them were about credit reporting, according to a recent CFPB report. "All this information comes in and just like in the old days, you get people looking over complaints — and some might gloss over some important contextual comments that would have been addressed if they had been elevated earlier.

TalkMarkets – April 17 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the 'Year-to-Date Percentage of the 8 Largest Stocks.'

CGTN America – April 16 – Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani discusses "How Corporations are Responding to Georgia's New Voter Laws."

Going Concern – April 14 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger writes op-ed "Where Does Janet Yellen Want to Be Taxed?"

WNHN/Pacifica Radio Network – April 14 – Associate Professor of Accounting Nick Seybert discusses his recent research ("Recruiting Dark Personalities for Earnings Management"), via "The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen (1:30-25:30)."

Sinclair/WJLA ABC-7 – April 14 – "Companies Defend Voting Rights as GOP Lashes out Against 'Woke Corporations'" quotes Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani: "It's much harder for mass-market companies like Coca-Cola or Delta to take a stand because they run higher risks of backlash from part of their consumer segment," said [Kirmani]. "Why would they do it? They do it because there's a big risk of backlash if they don't." … "There are many consumers, particularly millennials and younger consumers, who care deeply… They have been saying for several years they want corporations to represent values, presumably values with which they agree."

Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine – April 13 – Dean Prabhudev Konana describes, in a Q&A, "How Tech is Shifting the Educational Landscape."

SupplyChainBrain – April 13 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya explains 'The Global Semiconductor Shortage.'

MarketWatch – April 12 – Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance Albert "Pete" Kyle comments in "'Optimism has Huge Risks': Why New Investors, Excited by GameStop's Rollercoaster Ride, Should Rethink Their Rose-Colored Glasses": …Woo cut his rating to sell after being at hold since June 2019. He also lowered his stock price target to $10 — far below Monday's closing price of $145 — from $12, which makes him the most bearish of the seven analysts surveyed by FactSet. But this does show one thing. "Optimism has huge risks to it," said [Kyle]. "Because the last person who becomes optimistic and jumps in the stock market is the one who gets clobbered by the inevitable decline that will occur when people become pessimistic again." … Kyle said it's hard to glean the full takeaway from the Schwab survey because the poll participants might already be inclined to trade in the market, and therefore have a rosy view of it. The "more naïve a trader" is more likely their expectations informed by the market's latest activity, he said…

Capital Monitor – April 12 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "Climate Stress Tests are Flawed, but Here to Stay": ...As well as making clear that the first round of climate stress tests should not dictate capital buffers, banks, lobby groups and others have also raised concerns about the accuracy of a test that looks 30 years into the future, when bank balance sheets tend to be much shorter term. [Rossi], is concerned that supervisors will consider the job done and "take their eyes off the ball of the next crisis… My concern is that regulators will feel comfortable once they've ticked this off their list, but they're using scenarios that are only as good as our last crisis… Covid provided the perfect example – our adverse scenario modelling was based on a 2008-style crisis, which was nothing like what we saw in 2020. And none of our scenarios worked."

DOMESTIKA Curious Minds Podcast – April 12 – Distinguished University Professor and PepsiCo Chair in Consumer Science Michel Wedel explains the social media marketing effectiveness of Knolling (flat lay photography), via "Always be Knolling."

Science Newsnet – April 12 – Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender describes "A U.S. Corporate Tax Hike's Potential Cost on Global Competitiveness."

TalkMarkets – April 10 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "2021 Year-To-Date Percentage Returns Of 8 Largest Stocks."

Associated Press via Washington Post – April 8 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust comments in "Cash-rich Restaurateurs Take Advantage of Pandemic to Expand": When "desperation sets in for everyone," a kind of creative destruction may result, said [Rust]. Companies then look to dismantle established processes to make way for more sustainable methods of service. Before the pandemic, said Rust, many restaurants had little reason to put away cash. They often operated on models that required revenues to circulate back into the business, a feedback loop that is rock-solid if income is guaranteed... Overall, "forces are pushing for concentration… Chains are pushing out moms and pops," many of which don't have enough capital saved to weather the pandemic storm.

Maryland Today – April 8 – "Alexa, What Time Should I Take My Meds?" covers research into enhancing telehealth for patients' self-care, by Associate Professor of Management Science and Statistics Margrét Bjarnadóttir, France-Merrick Chair in Management Science Bruce Golden and doctoral student Lida Apergi.

Baltimore Sun – April 6 – 'Award-winning Luxury Men's Clothier J.S. Edwards Closing' quotes Assistant Professor of Marketing Yajin Wang: Without weddings and large events canceled and with indoor dining limited for much of the last year, there wasn't a need for luxury clothing, [Wang] said. Instead, casual wear became the attire of choice for many who have been working from home... "I do think that trend is likely to stay at least to some extent" as businesses choose to cut costs by closing office buildings after a year of working remotely has proved to be more efficient, Wang said.

Search Engine Land – April 6 – "Should You Still Advertise at the Point of Purchase? Data Says 'Yes'" assesses new research by Distinguished University Professor and PepsiCo Chair in Consumer Science Michel Wedel: These results show that advertising at the point of purchase (like on Google Shopping or Amazon) can help shoppers find the advertised product more quickly, in part by helping them eliminate products that didn't have the features they were looking for. The researchers concluded that the ads, rather than convincing shoppers to buy a certain product, helped guide them to find and buy a product they'd already decided to purchase.

Fast Company – April 5 – "Jaw-dropping Study: Executives Who Manipulate Earnings are Hired for Their Lack of Ethics" covers research by Associate Professor of Accounting Nick Seybert… Related coverage at

Ladders: "Companies are hiring bosses with these qualities for a terrible reason" (April 6).

CBC Radio – April 5 – Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani discusses strategy behind "Big Brands [Taking] Aim at the State of Georgia's New Voting Laws."

Fortune – April 4 – Research Professor and Academic Director of the Center for Global Business Kislaya Prasad writes op-ed "Unless the U.S. Changes its Vaccine Policy, the World will Look at us Like Hoarders." … Also featured by Maryland Today: "U.S. Should Share Vaccines to Cover the Globe" (April 6).

TalkMarkets – April 3 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives "2021 Year-to-Date Percentage Returns of 7 Largest Stocks."

Associated Press via ABC News – April 1 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in "Biden Aims to Juice EV Sales, but Would his Plan Work?": [Kirsch] said the Biden plan isn't really a tipping point that will turn consumers from combustion to electric vehicles. "There will be some good changes that will happen because of the scale of this investment, and those should not be minimized," Kirsch said. "I think electrification was coming anyway." … Yet Kirsch says that no matter how effective Biden's plan is or isn't in fighting climate change, the spending on modernizing the transportation fleet and infrastructure is long overdue. "What we're doing is playing catch-up on some long-delayed investment," he said.

MIT Technology Review – April 1 – Assistant Professor of Information Systems Lauren Rhue discusses the popularity and implications of beauty filter software, via the podcast segment "In the AI of the Beholder."

March 2021

ScienceDaily – March 31 – "Firms Recruit Dark Personalities for Earnings Management" features new research in the Journal of Business Ethics co-authored by Associate Professor of Accounting and Information Assurance Nick Seybert. … Also covered at Phys.org, World News Monitor, others.

Philanthropy News Digest – March 28 – "Citizen-Donors of the World" examines a study by marketing professors Yajin Wang and Amna Kirmani that explores "residential mobility" as correlating with higher levels of donations to people and causes outside their local community.

Enterprise Radio – March 27 – Maryland Smith Distinguished Research Fellow and National Taiwan University professor Ming-Hui Huang discusses 'The Feeling Economy' book co-authored with Distinguished University Professor Roland Rust, via "How People Can Effectively Partner with Advanced AI in the Coming Feeling Economy."

Politico – March 26 – Professor of Finance Michael Faulkender comments in " Congress's Trillion-Dollar Question: How Many Jobs did Small-Business Rescue Save?" : One estimate by [Faulkender] put the number of jobs saved in May at 18 million. Faulkender led the Treasury Department team that implemented the program with the SBA… PPP funds relieved pressure on state unemployment insurance systems, which faced huge operational challenges, Faulkender said. He also points to the fact that the U.S. avoided losing jobs at all last May when some economists were expecting 20 percent unemployment. "We did not see the depths of what we could have seen and we recovered faster than we otherwise would have," he said.

Technical.ly – March 26 – " 8 Digital Health Trends Emerging from the Pandemic " quotes CHIDS Managing Director Kenyon Crowley: Alongside telemedicine, tools that can screen a patient at home or diagnose a symptom remotely are also showing promise, said [Crowley]. The pandemic showed "the ability to move more care services to the home environment, where appropriate," he said. "If Amazon is getting to the point where it can send a package in two to three hours, the ability of a clinical service provider to have a test at your door in a day or two is not far off."

B2B News Network – March 26 – ' Intentionally Bad Bosses ' highlights, as part of a broader roundup story, new research co-authored by Associate Professor of Accounting and Information Assurance Nick Seybert: Recruiters and human resource professionals are tasked with weeding out potentially bad bosses…except when that is exactly what higher management want. Questionable ethical standards? Narcissistic tendencies? Those qualities define a person willing to participate in manipulating earnings which can get them the job. "Dark personality traits are often framed as an accidental byproduct of selecting managers who fit the stereotype of a strong leader," says [Seybert]. "However, our research found that this is often no accident." The research found that dark personalities "can fulfill a specific nefarious purpose." If a company feels they need to inflate their earnings, then people with dark personalities are hired to do exactly that.

Medical Bag – March 25 – Senior Associate Dean Ritu Agarwal and Professor Gordon Gao comment extensively in " Provider Confusion Often the Cause of Patient Access Rights Violations " (Republished).

CNN Business – March 24 – Clinical Professor of Management and Assistant Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program Nicole Coomber shares insights into teaching her own classes remotely while managing her childrens' virtual schooling in " How Four Working Mothers are Doing a Year into the Pandemic ."

CityBizList – March 24 – " Global Opportunities for Businesses in Maryland " describes a pair of collaborative initiatives between the Maryland Department of Commerce and Maryland Smith's Center for Global Business: the Maryland Global Consulting Program and the Global Marketing Virtual Internship Program.

Financial Times – March 23 – " Change of Menu: Kraft Heinz Bets on Old Brands to Win New Consumers " quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass] said: "Everyone is looking at this. This is [3G's] largest investment, and they have a great reputation for cutting costs, but the question is how successful will they be in growing a company's top line and bottom line?" … European rivals Nestlé and Unilever "have both been innovating to some extent in the food product area", said Kass. Unlike them, Kraft Heinz has not moved into plant-based substitute meats, though Patricio points out it does make bean burgers and "protein pots."

TalkMarkets – March 20 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the " One Year Percentage Return of 7 Largest Stocks ."

Ladders – March 18 – "Got a Powerful Boss? They Probably Have This Problem" quotes Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Trevor Foulk and summarizes his research forthcoming in the Journal of Applied Psychology: "Power is generally considered a desirable thing, as leaders often seek power, and it's very rare for leaders to turn powerful roles down," says [Foulk]. "However, this view is qualified by the fact that many leaders feel exhausted and overburdened by their work. Our work helps shed light on this paradox, as it helps us understand why leaders might want powerful positions (they achieve more goal progress and feel that their work is more meaningful), but also face substantial consequences (their jobs feel more demanding in a way that causes anxiety and physical pain)."

FIND MBA – March 17 – Assistant Dean for Part-Time MBA and Online Programs Paulo Prochno contributes to "How to Secure a Competitive Online MBA Place": Another school enjoying a bump in applications is the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business. "Some people lost jobs or were furloughed, so they decided it was a good time to start an MBA," says [Prochno]. "Others were looking at the future and thinking that two years from now, companies will be in growth mode. Also, working online has cancelled commuting, so people have more time available to do an MBA."In 2020, Smith launched a new Flex MBA program, enabling students to switch back and forth between online and on campus learning. "Those changes do make the program more attractive to new students, so the idea is to grow the whole pie," says Prochno. … Also at FIND MBA: Maryland Smith is among "Top 10 Online MBA Programs for Employer Funding" (March 17).

Women's Wear Daily (via Yahoo News) – March 16 – "Walmart and Target Push Essential Advantage" quotes Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: "Walmart well utilized its logistic and technological strengths to expand its market position during the pandemic," said [Zhang]. "The surge in demand for online shopping, including purchases of essential products, created a great opportunity to broaden the reach of its e-commerce business to many new customers… Walmart's widespread store locations not only continued to serve a large number of American shoppers in the offline space, but also allowed the retailer to utilize stores as fulfillment centers to meet online demand and to shorten delivery times."

The Daily Beast (via Reader Supported News) – March 15 – Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan comments in "Newsmax Ratings are Collapsing but Insiders Claim Victory": While some Newsmax insiders feel that the plummeting viewership is much ado about nothing, as other cable news networks also experience a post-inaugural erosion, others suggest that the fledgling network's days of hoping to compete head-to-head with Fox are all but over, and that Newsmax will inevitably return to the fringes. "I would look at it from the viewpoint of consumer marketing," said [Kannan], who has studied the dynamics of the cable industry. "Let's say you have Post and Kellogg cereals and each has a brand of raisin bran, and then a new, healthier version comes out with no sugar and some raisin bran eaters might like the healthier option even though it's bland. So they're going to focus on the consumers who want the healthier version and take them away from Post and Kellogg." … "After a while, you see that it starts dissipating. I don't think it's going to go back to the level of, say, August 2020"—when "Newsmax was not a player" and drawing a total viewership in the barely measurable 30,000 range. "But over time it will slowly erode. They will have to fight for their survival, like they were doing before."

Poets & Quants – March 15 – "Meet the Masters of Supply Chain Management" includes a profile of Maryland Smith's Angela Murca.

MBA Crystal Ball (India) – March 15 – "Best Entrepreneurship Ideas after MBA" features a Q&A with Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship Managing Director Holly DeArmond.

TalkMarkets – March 13 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "One-Year Percentage Return Of 7 Largest Stocks."

Wall Street Journal – March 11 – "What came before the $9 billion bet on flying taxis," references research by- Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch on New York City's 1987-1912 electric taxi industry: In New York, the electric-taxi business boomed. In June 1898 alone, nearly 1,600 customers traveled a total of 4,400 miles, according to [Kirsch]. They paid 30 cents a mile, more than $9.75 in today's money. (Horse-drawn cabs charged 50 cents a mile.)

Tadias Magazine – March 11 – Lemma Senbet, William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance, explains the new African Continental Free Trade Area designed to help member states overcome chronic burdens on commerce and their economies.

Renal and Urology News – March 10 – Senior Associate Dean Ritu Agarwal and Professor Gordon Gao comment extensively through "Provider Confusion Often the Cause of Patient Access Rights Violations," including: ..Agarwal said there are numerous examples of adverse outcomes associated with lapses in health information privacy, including discrimination and denial of employment. "Unfortunately, the rules and regulations have not evolved with the rest of the healthcare industry, which has increasingly focused on patient empowerment and engagement as a key element of health and wellness." … The use of AI poses significant challenges that will need to be addressed. "Patient health data is like a gold mine," Dr. Gao said. "There needs to be more changes to HIPAA for a "fair use" of the data so the algorithms can learn from it. This can lead to better decision support for doctors, which will benefit all of us. "By no means," he continued, "are we suggesting to weaken privacy protection. Rather, by leveraging technology, we can achieve the dual goal of enhancing privacy protection and improving information sharing for better care."

Scientific American – March 9 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments in "Big U.S. Banks May Curb Lending to Fossil Fuel Companies": "It's good for regulatory oversight, from their standpoint," said [Rossi]. "By getting ahead of this and making these declarations about these commitments, it puts them in a positive light with regard to the regulator," he added. "[They're] demonstrating that they're being proactive as opposed to waiting until it's foisted onto them." … That left observers wondering how the banks intend to make good on their commitments—or if they themselves know. "I'm not at all surprised that the description of their commitments are fairly hazy and will remain that way for some time," said Rossi, the risk management expert. "It's more of a strategic vision, maybe aspirational in some sense. The board and the CEO are saying, 'That's the direction we need to go; we want that as our target.' And now they'll circle the troops and get them marching down a path."

Business Insider – March 9 – Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Trevor Foulk's research and comments contribute to "How to tell if your personality traits are a bad match for remote work- and what research says to do about it": Highly neurotic people often have trouble disconnecting from work and the remote environment exacerbates these tendencies, says [Foulk], who's published research in this area. "In an office, it's easy for neurotic employees to see all of their co-workers packing up for the day, and think, 'It's time for me to do the same.' But now, they're not getting those visual cues as much," he says. "When you combine that with the fact that basically anytime is now work time, it can create a scenario where any minute they're not working, they feel guilty about it." If this describes you, Foulk recommends creating a social system that signals when the workday is considered "over" by your group. Perhaps you and your team members can turn off your green Slack lights at the same time; or maybe you and your favorite colleagues develop your own ritual for signing off. … (Republished by FNTalk.com).

TalkMarkets – March 6 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "One-Year Percentage Return Of 7 Largest Stocks."

CBS New York – March 5 – Albert Pete Kyle, the Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance, comments throughout "Stimulus Check Update: Are Relief Payments Bad For The Economy?": "I would err on the side of moderation and conservatism in the sense of not make it too big… Because the dangers of doing too much are really catastrophic. The dangers of doing not enough are that you can do more…"

Nikkei (Japan) – March 5 – "Buffett, is it a shadow of mythical power? Pros and cons of deviation from reality" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Mr. Buffett, who has a very optimistic outlook for the future of the United States, may not have wanted to look away from his predictions by touching Corona," said David Kass…

LSE Business Review – March 4 – Associate Professor of Management and Organization Cynthia K. Stevens co-authors "Cross-understanding will help complex and diverse teams achieve mutually agreeable solutions" … Also at Qrius (formerly The Indian Economist).

TechTarget – March 4 – "Employee-Poaching Risk Increases with Remote-Work Hiring" quotes Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Evan Starr: Workers in Washington, D.C., may no longer have to worry about noncompete agreements. Its new law broadly prohibits noncompete agreements. "The D.C. bill is among the most expansive in the country," said [Starr]. D.C.'s law imposes financial penalties on employers that attempt to impose noncompete agreements in violation of the law. The law also requires employers notify employees about the noncompete law. But remote work will challenge state boundaries, over which state noncompete laws apply, Starr said.

Bollyinside – March 4 – "Maryland Smith Experts Assess Bitcoin's Viability As A Currency And An Asset" features insights from Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Brent Goldfarb and Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass.

The Connected Enterprise (podcast) – March 3 -Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust discusses his book, The Feeling Economy, via "The Feeling Economy: Roland Rust on AI and New Business Opportunities." … Related: Rust writes guest piece, "The Feeling Economy and Customer Empathy," for StrategyDriven (March 3), and his Feeling Economy co-author Ming-Hui Huang writes, via Ms. Career Girl, "The Female Advantage: Why women will be on top when AI Rules the Business World" (March 2).

Science Newsnet – March 3 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi gives insights on "Climate Risk Management for Financial Organizations."

February 2021

Washington Post – Feb. 26 – Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk's research and comments help explain "Homecomings used to feel special. But that was before we spent all our time at home": In a two-week study conducted [by Foulk] at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, subjects reported feeling like themselves again within the 14-day span of the research. [Foulk] said most stressors are episodic — they happen and are finished, like losing a job or going through a breakup. "Because we've generally thought of stressors that way, no one ever really asked, 'Do we start recovering even while the thing is happening?'" … The study suggests that people rebound more quickly than you might expect. Despite the continued presence of the stressor, "our psychological immune system was still working in a surprisingly efficient way," Foulk wrote. … But we adapted, after a fashion. As the pandemic dragged on, Foulk said, our days came to revolve around home as they once had around work. "That's what you miss now," he said.

Maryland Today – Feb. 26 – Senior Associate Dean Ritu Agarwal explains "How COVID-19 is changing healthcare."

Forbes – Feb. 25 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Professor of Entrepreneurship, writes "How and Why To Mentor In Your Chosen Village."

ERE.net – Feb. 24 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing

Roland Rust writes "The 'Feeling Economy' and Its Impact on Hiring" based on his book "The Feeling Economy.

Maryland Today – Feb. 24 – Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger gives "4 Reasons to File Your Taxes Early" headlining Maryland Today this morning.

Sciencenewsnet – Feb. 24 – "People who move give more to global causes" covers research co-authored by marketing professors Yajin Wang and Amna Kirmani.

Maryland Today – Feb. 23 – Robert H. Smith Professor of Information Systems Emeritus Henry C. Lucas explains how "How a Patchwork of Federal IT Is Slowing Vaccinations."

SmartBrief – Feb. 22 – "Community connections help independent restaurants stay afloat amid pandemic" reviews a Maryland Business: Rebooted webinar co-moderated by Clinical Professor of Marketing Judy Frels and Washington Post food writer Tim Carman.

HealthWorks Collective – Feb. 20 – "How Will the Supply Chain Support Vaccine Distribution?" quotes Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya: …However, many items that are regularly delivered to those vaccine destinations above also require cold storage, so proper delivery is more important than actually creating spaces to keep the vaccines cold. "if any point along the vaccine supply chain is not able to maintain the requirements of the cold chain, then we can have issues of spoilage and obsolescence," says Suresh Acharya, Professor of Practice at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

TalkMarkets – Feb. 19 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass updates "The One-Year Percentage Return of the 7 Largest Stocks."

The Social Media Monthly – Feb. 19 – Information systems professor Jui Ramaprasad writes "How McDonald's Found a New 'Authenticity' With McRib Memes."

The Future Raise – Feb. 19 – "How Tesla's Bitcoin Play Fits into Cryptocurrency Taxation" features insights from accounting lecturer Samuel Handwerger… Also published at OLT News, Bit-Smart and Crypto News BTC.

Luzerner Zeitung (Switzerland) – Feb. 19 – Marketing Professor Jie Zhang comments in "Ski slope, aquarium and a ferris wheel: is this what the future of the American shopping center looks like?": [Zhang] points out that in the future shopping centers will have to offer consumers much more than just a shopping experience. But Zhang also says it might be years before such a mall can operate at full speed. At the moment, many people would not want to be in an enclosed space for long periods of time – let alone on a roller coaster or in an indoor pool. Operators are therefore well advised to carefully consider investments.

CNN Business – Feb. 18 – "Here's What We Can Learn from The GameStop Craze" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: "The real fear is that the air may be coming out of this speculative bubble and will infect other stocks," said [Kirsch]. Kirsch added that the huge rally in Tesla and the current market infatuation with so-called "blank check special purpose acquisition company stocks, or SPACs, could eventually subside. … In other words, anyone who is looking to buy or sell a financial asset has to do their homework. "It's good to democratize the stock market, but look where it leads us, … There is a need for more market literacy"

Market Realist – Feb. 18 – "Bill Gates Once Helped Steve Jobs With a $150 Million Investment in Apple" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Apple's $2 trillion valuation represents about 10 percent of GDP for the U.S. and about 7 percent of the S&P 500," [Kass] told NBC News at the time. "Its iPhone is ubiquitous. It has transformed the way we live. Its ecosystem is self-sustaining."

ScienMag – Feb. 18 – "Social Tool Tracks Brand Reputation In Real Time And Over The Long Term" describes a Brand Reputation Tracker -- a framework for assessing brand reputation in real time and over time – developed by an international team of researchers including Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing.

The Business Monthly – Feb. 17 – "Forum on Strategic Retail Management" previews Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang moderating a Feb. 24 retail-strategy discussion with James Thomson of Buy Box Experts and Katherine Cullen and Adam Lukoskie of the National Retail Federation – as part of the Maryland Business: Rebooted webinar series.

OilPrice.com via Yahoo Finance – Feb. 17 – "Chevron Is Buffett's Latest Billion-Dollar 'Mystery' Investment" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "He is undoubtedly building a large position now and may reveal it in his next 13F," [Kass] told Business Insider in November. "Buffett has received confidentiality treatment several times in the past," Kass noted.

Business Creators Radio – Feb. 16 – "How Humans Can Effectively Partner with Advanced AI in the Coming "Feeling Economy" is an interview with Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, based on his book, "The Feeling Economy."

Business Insider – Feb. 13 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch comments in "Tesla's big bitcoin buy won't worry the SEC, experts say, and could legitimize crypto as a diversification strategy": "To me, it feels a little bit like coming up with a new story," [Kirsch] told Insider. "You don't have to buy bitcoin to accept it for payment." He also said that he saw some connections between Tesla's move and the recent battle over the stock price of GameStop, a struggling retailer whose shares were run up by a trading community on Reddit, forcing some Wall Street hedge funds that had shorted the stock to cover their positions. Kirsch expressed concern that Tesla was jumping into bitcoin soon after being included in the S&P 500 index, putting Tesla's shares into the retirement portfolios of everyday investors with retirement funds. "The risk is multiplied," he said. "It's not necessarily a legal concern, but it goes to trust in markets and stability." But a consensus does appear to have developed around Tesla's bitcoin play. "This legitimizes bitcoin for others," Kirsch said. "And it brings bitcoin into the mainstream."

TalkMarkets – Feb. 13 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the 'One-year percentage change to date of the 7 largest stocks.'

Washington Business Journal – Feb. 12 – "For University of Maryland's new business school dean, helping first-generation students is key" introduces and profiles Prabhudev Konana as Maryland Smith's Dean.

GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) – Feb. 12 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments extensively in "Risk Management Silicon Valley-Style," including: "At this point [big tech companies'] policies regarding use of their platforms seem much more like a visceral reaction to current events in terms of some of the actions being taken for whatever strategic objectives they may have, rather than a methodical exercise in risk management."

Clear Admit/Metro MBA – Feb. 11 – "New Flex MBA for Part-Time Students at Maryland Smith" reports on Maryland Smith's newly designed MBA program for part-time students taking courses through the school's Baltimore, Rockville, and Washington, D.C. locations. Also reported via Poets&Quants (Scroll down), Maryland Daily Record, others.

Forbes – Feb. 9 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Professor of Entrepreneurship, writes "Being Enterprising In Your Own World To Change The World."

The Guardian – Feb. 9 – I thought buying things would make me feel better. It didn't': The rise of emotional spending" quotes Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan: … It turns out that companies know when I am weak – and this is when they target me. "Companies will know what kind of content you engage with at different times during the day," says [Kannan]. Marketers even analyse the circadian rhythms of their users and schedule their content at times when they are particularly receptive to buying things online.

MultiBriefs – Feb. 9 – Drawing from their book "The Feeling Economy," Roland Rust and Ming-Hui Huang co-author 'Are Knowledge Workers Doomed?'

Maryland Today – Feb. 8 – Marketing professors Henry C. Boyd III, Judy Frels and Amna Kirmani review the Super Bowl 55 commercials in "Super Bowl Ads That Scored—Even When the Game Didn't."

Maryland Daily Record – Feb. 8 – "'It's the future': Canton salon now accepts bitcoin payments" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Brent Goldfarb: [Goldfarb] said bitcoin's volatility makes it ineffective as an actual currency. If it's expected to go up, consumers will want to hold it until it's at its most valuable; if it's expected to go down, they will get rid of it as quickly as possible. "That's bad if you're a currency, because you really want currency to lubricate trade, not get in the way of trade," he said… Despite not believing in the bright future for bitcoin, Goldfarb noted that there is little risk in using it as part of your business model unless you put all of your money into bitcoin, which will be next to impossible unless many more companies begin to accept it as payment. "Rent isn't in bitcoin and electricity isn't in bitcoin," he said.

AMEinfo (Business news for Middle East region) – Feb. 7 – 'Electric vehicles and batteries in the driver seat in 2021' quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: "EV entrepreneurs have figured out they can ride the Tesla wave," said [Kirsch] It's a phenomenon he thinks has all the hallmarks of a bubble, with Tesla's mind-blowing $800-billion valuation stoking imaginations.

TalkMarkets – Feb. 6 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass updates the "One-year percentage change of the seven largest stocks."

PR News – Feb. 5 – "Realigned CSR, Online BrandMarketing, Fun Shopping to Mark 2021" includes an outlook contributed by Michel Wedel, PepsiCo chair in consumer science:"The pandemic accelerated the shift toward online and mobile shopping. A large part of this shift will be permanent, as consumers have incorporated new behaviors into their altered lifestyles. The shift toward online is beneficial for branded products because of the trust and consistency they provide…"

WTOP – Feb. 4 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III previews Super Bowl 55 ads in "Super Bowl commercials: Expect a different tone this year."

School for Startups Radio – Feb. 4 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust and host Jim Beach discuss (31:20-53:30) Rust's book "The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy," including the assertion: "AI does the thinking tasks. People just pushed into things where they have a differentiation advantage over AI, things like emotional intelligence and empathy."

CNET – Feb. 1 – "Reddit's AMC, GameStop surge happened because of anger over Wall Street" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: "In one sense, this is 'Occupy Wall Street' via the trading desk rather than from Zuccotti Park."

Food Logistics Magazine – Feb. 1 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya writes guest column on "The Importance of End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility."

Diamondback – Feb. 1 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments in "UMD students profit off of GameStop gains during Wall Street frenzy": When investing in the stock market, an individual can either invest a long or a short, [Kass] said. The individual investors invested in a long, which is when a person buys shares of a company, expecting it to do well. If the prices of shares go up, the investor makes a profit. With a short, which is what hedge fund managers had been doing with GameStop's stocks, an investor borrows a share of a company from a stockbroker, expecting the stock to decrease in price. The short seller then sells the borrowed shares, planning to buy back the share at the lower price, making profit from the difference. However, Wall Street has claimed that since the individual investors coordinated together to drive the market up, it constitutes market manipulation, said Kass. But he does not consider that manipulation.

January 2021

Tom's Guide – Jan. 31 – "Comcast's Data Caps During a Pandemic are Unethical" quotes Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal: According to [Agarwal] this strategy goes back to AT&T's dominance in landlines throughout much of the 20th century. In an article for Forbes, Dr. Agarwal writes, "economic law dictates that consumer prices come down and quality goes up with competition. But AT&T executives successfully lobbied for the reverse."

CNET – Jan. 30 – "Reddit's AMC, GameStop stock surge is all about screwing over Wall Street"

quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: "In one sense, this is 'Occupy Wall Street' via the trading desk rather than from Zuccotti Park," said [Kirsch]. "We are seeing that 3 million small investors in a Reddit forum, when acting in a coordinated fashion, can seriously distort regular price movements." … Related: International Business Times' "Reddit's WallStreetBets Group Goes Rogue After Wild Week Of Trading" quotes Kirsch from CNET.

Barron's – Jan. 29 –Letters to the Editor includes "Borrowing for Growth" by Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Kudos to Matthew C. Klein for his persuasive argument that additional borrowing by the federal government to fund investments that boost growth, such as for infrastructure, public health, education, and scientific research, would effectively pay for itself while being unlikely to add to inflation and raise interest rates… Even though federal debt has increased by $15 trillion since the end of 2008, the current historically low interest rates have enabled the federal government's net interest payments relative to gross domestic product to equal only 2%. This is its lowest percentage since the 1950s and is one-half of the 4% paid in the 1980s and 1990s. With the interest rate of 1.84% on the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond, the return on the proposed investments by the federal government is very likely to exceed its very low cost of capital.

Slate – Jan. 28 – Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch contributes to "All the Ways the GameStop Roller-Coaster Could End": "It's sort of Occupy Wall Street by the trading desk instead of by Zuccotti Park," says [Kirsch]. "That's real. It's a social movement. It's organized market action." … "At least a company like Tesla has a story…I don't buy it, but they've got a narrative for why the company is worth something. Every time something threatens that narrative, they have a chief executive who's able to recast it. As soon as we come to some sort of denouement, he takes the ball and throws it down the field, so, gotta go chase it. It's very hard for me to see how the GameStop narrative gets you to $25 billion. If it's just literally these Reddit people buying and buying and buying, at some point they run out of money."

InvestorPlace – Jan. 28 – "7 Stock Predictions For Biden's First Year" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Although former Vice President Joe Biden is planning to raise taxes on high income earners and corporations, he is also planning to spend more to stimulate the economy by assisting those who were hurt by the lockdowns and overall reduction in economic activity induced in response to the coronavirus. Additional investment and spending on infrastructure should create many jobs. Professor Kass further suggests, "The stock market should do well over time as President Biden's economic policies will result in greater stability in both domestic issues and international relations." … Related: Kass gives the year-to-date 'Percentage Change Of 7 Largest Stocks,' via TalkMarkets (Jan. 30).

CBS New York – Jan. 27 – "Is GameStop's Soaring Stock An Indicator Of Possible Market Bubble?" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: … "Many millennials, younger investors, opened accounts, for example, through Robinhood and other brokerage firms, which, in turn, actually around the same time, stopped charging commissions or fees to trade in the stock market…So basically a frictionless system, encouraging investment. So, a lot of the money that couldn't be spent in the economy, because a lot of it was shut down, temporarily, would be reallocated to investment in the stock market." Related: Kass quoted the following day in Sinclair Broadcasting's "Internet prank or 'revolution'? Making sense of the GameStop stock surge" (Jan. 28): "There was this feeling of, 'Let's get even with these hedge funds, let's get back at them… The hedge funds are indeed hurting, and, unfortunately, it's not just the hedge funds that get hurt… This has a ripple effect… I think we need to see, are more guardrails needed, because is there potential for systemic risk here?... This could build up over time. Somehow or other, we need to figure out a way to calm things down."

ScienceNewsNet – Jan. 27 – Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III gives strategy via "A Pandemic Playbook for Super Bowl Advertisers."

Washington Business Journal – Jan. 26 – Maryland Smith's No. 10 ranking is spotlighted in "UMd. is among top online MBA programs, according to U.S. News & World Report." … Related at Maryland Today: "U.S. News Ranks Online Business, Engineering Programs Among Nation's Best."

TechRepublic – Jan. 25 – "Can the US solve its COVID-19 vaccination supply chain problems?" quotes professor emeritus Sandor Boyson: A survey of 1,800 medical suppliers recently exposed the fact that 360 different variations of needles are "capped," meaning that there are shortages. According to [Boyson], "850 million needles and syringes are required for successful delivery of the vaccine."

Talk Markets – Jan. 23 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass reports the "One Year Percentage Change of 7 Largest Stocks."

Los Angeles Times (via Yahoo Finance) – Jan. 22 – "Lucid Motors prepares to go public thanks to Saudi money and SPAC mania" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: "EV entrepreneurs have figured out they can ride the Tesla wave… When you combine [SPACs] with Robinhood investing, the gamification of finance, fractional share ownership, and novice investors, there's a lot of opportunity for opportunistic behavior." … Related: Silicon Valley Business Journal republishes Kirsch's comments in "Lucid Motors Suitor's Stock Soars on New Report" (Jan. 22).

Tadias Magazine – Jan. 22 – "Professor Lemma Senbet's Unchartered Journey" profiles the career of William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet.

Digiday – Jan. 21 – "Why ethical dilemmas are putting brands and their media buying in the spotlight" quotes Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan: "In coming up with the Kaepernick ad, Nike knew that the issue resonated with its core consumer segments — younger, more urban, and more progressive… While there was a backlash from conservative media and groups, it did not affect Nike as a brand much and sales remained steady or even increased."

InvestorPlace – Jan. 20 – "7 Stocks to Buy as the Biden Presidency Begins" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Additional investment and spending on infrastructure should create many jobs. An easing of tensions with our trade partners in Europe and with China, including the reduction or elimination of tariffs, should lead to a substantial increase in international trade and improved economic well-being for all countries involved."

The Street – Jan. 19 – Research Professor and Center for Global Business Academic Director Kislaya Prasad comments throughout "'A Return to Normal' – What the Economy Will Look Like Under Biden."

Minutehack (UK) – Jan. 19 – Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust and co-author Ming-Hui Huang write "Feeling Intelligence will Become Dominant in the Economy within 15 Years." … Related: TecHR Series' "The Feeling Economy: How AI is Creating the Era of Empathy" (Jan. 21) covers the release of the authors' "The Feeling Economy" book.

DataBird Business Journal – Jan. 13 – 'The Countries that are most Women-Friendly have Several Times the GDP of the Average Country' comprises a Q&A with Roland Rust, David Bruce Smith Chair, on his forthcoming "The Feeling Economy" book co-authored with Ming-Hui Huang of National Taiwan University… Related coverage: Real Leaders Magazine op-ed, "Why it's Time to Embrace AI and Prepare for the Feeling Economy" (Jan. 13); book review at The Magic Pen (Jan. 11); and "Profiles of Success" – a Q&A at Money for Lunch (Jan. 6).

Marketplace Radio – Jan. 12 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang comments in "Walmart Wants to be Your Bank": "The biggest benefit of getting into this venture is to strengthen its position in retailing," said [Zhang]... Zhang thinks the company might encourage spending through extra discounts, rebates and rewards. Plus, Walmart already has deep relationships with two core groups: its 2.2 million employees and its existing shoppers. "Walmart's core customer base primarily consists of low-to-middle-income households… Some of them don't own a regular bank account."

Forbes – Jan. 12 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, writes "The Meaning Of Work For A Happy Life (And New Year)."… Related: Agarwal's "Three Myths That Undercut The Antitrust Case Against Google" is one of five columns featured in Forbes Favorites 2020: The Year's Best Leadership Stories (Feb. 27).

CBS New York – Jan. 12 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass comments throughout "Surging Stock Market Reflects 'Very Bright Outlook' For Economy, Finance Prof Says."

Morning Consult – Jan. 12 – Professor Emeritus Mike Ball writes "Who's First for Vaccines, And What's Missed Along the Way." … Related coverage: 'Focus on Distribution Speed' in U.S. Supply Chain Management Council News (Jan. 13).

InvestorPlace via Business Insider – Jan. 8 – "NIO Stock Puts Delisting Scare in the Rearview Mirror" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: [Kirsch] recently wrote: "For decades, the electric vehicle has been seen as the car of tomorrow but never quite the car of today."

Memphis Commercial Appeal – Jan. 7 – 'How on-time FedEx, UPS and US Postal Service were for Holiday Shipping Season' quotes Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang:"Larger retailers invested in data analytics and selling products "with fairly consistent demand" are in a better position than others to provide accurate volume forecasts, said [Zhang]… Zhang is quoted by same outlet in "FedEx in 2021": "Consumers are being partly pushed by this pandemic to shifting their purchases online," she said. "Once they get more used to the convenience and the benefit of online shopping and figure out how to deal with some of the hassle, they're going to stay with it."

SME Horizon – Jan. 6 – "Crowdfunding Potentially Levels Entrepreneurs' Fundraising Playing Field" summarizes research co-authored by Professor of Information Systems Il-Horn Hann.

The Hill – Jan. 4 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes "Pulling Back the Curtain on Bank Climate Stress Tests."

Daily FT (Sri Lanka) – Jan. 4 – "Lankan-born Raschid makes Sri Lanka proud in computer science" profiles Professor of Information Systems Louiqa Raschid as part of announcing her being named an EEEI Fellow.

December 2020

HousingWire – Dec. 31 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes "Making Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a Single Utility."

Australian Financial Review – Dec. 31 – "How Free Money will Remake the Economy" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Most believe the support will hold until the pandemic is beaten, which optimists – and financial markets – are betting will be the story of 2021. "The accommodative monetary policy is being pursued by central banks to assist the world economy to recover from the pandemic until the vaccine is available to everyone… Even though there are likely to be moderate tax increases in a Biden administration, the President will be leading an effort to substantially increase spending in areas such as healthcare, education and the environment. The resulting expansionary fiscal policy along with the accommodative monetary policy of the Federal Reserve should result in rapid growth of GDP in 2021 and the following few years."

Bloomberg Opinion – Dec 30 – "How Texas Can Become the Next Silicon Valley" cites and quotes findings co-authored by Assistant Professor of Management Evan Starr and Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship: [The paper "Mobility Constraint" forthcoming at Organizational Science] finds that in states that enforce noncompetes, industries with more of these agreements "receive relatively fewer job offers, have reduced mobility and experience lower wages.

Forbes India – Dec. 27 – Shuye Lu, PhD Candidate in Organizational Behaviour, writes "Pitching Novel Ideas: A User's Guide to Success."

Strategic Management – Dec. 26 – "Meet the Scholar" podcast series features Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship.

Talk Markets – Dec. 25 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives the "Year-to-Date Performance of the 7 Largest Stocks." Also at ValueWalk (Jan. 4).

E-Campus News – Dec. 24 – Professor Emeritus Henry C. Lucas Jr.'s op-ed "Is Face-to-Face Learning Always Better than Online Learning?" is republished as among the publication's 'most popular in 2020.

Women's Wear Daily – Dec. 22 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang comments extensively in "The Walmart Formula and Its E-commerce Push."

Capital News Service via Delmarva Now – Dec. 22 – "Maryland Hopeful for Biden's Environmental Impact"quotes Research Professor Kislaya Prasad: "By most objective criteria, the economy did fairly well until the pandemic hit. Unemployment was low, growth was robust and wages had started to rise. The improvement even started to show up in traditionally depressed parts of the country (Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, parts of Ohio)," [Prasad] said… When green initiatives are instituted, some things will cost more and some industries will feel the economic effects more than others. At the same time, new jobs are created in making those renewable energy resources, Prasad said... According to Prasad, the cost of renewable energy has been falling — so there may be increased money that could be allocated toward the environment.

HuffPost – Dec. 21 – "Tesla Just Joined The S&P 500 Index ― Here's Why That's A Big Deal" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass:Tesla's market cap grew $500 billion this year to about $695 billion, equal to that of the nine largest car companies in the world. In fact, Tesla is now the sixth-largest company in the U.S., behind Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet (Google's parent company) and Facebook, according to [Kass]. Since Tesla will be given a weight of 1.69% in this index, he said, its swings will add to the overall volatility of the index.

U.S. News & World Report – Dec. 18 – "Are Stocks, Real Estate in Asset Bubbles?" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Though Kass acknowledges some "extraordinary" post-IPO rallies, he argues that "the companies in question are of much higher quality with much better future prospects in terms of both growth and profitability than the IPOs of the 1999 dot-com era." Kass says, "Interest rates in 1999 were considerably higher than they are today." … "Since rates of return on fixed-income investments are at historically low levels, investors have focused on other asset classes such as equities, real estate and cryptocurrencies in order to earn a non-zero rate of return," Kass says.

GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) Dec. 18 – "Doing the Right Thing: Diversity & Inclusion and the Risk Function" quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: [Rossi] reasons that such actions are likely being "driven by current events rather than the proactive and altruistic nature of banks." However, he added, "It's the right thing to do, the right moment in time to step up, and it's good for business."

Portent (Blog) – Dec. 17 – Associate Clinical Professor in Marketing Mary Harms contributes to "Digital Marketing Trends in Education for 2021."

Marketplace Radio – Dec. 16 – "Number of Americans Moving Homes hit Lowest Level in 73 Years" quotes Assistant Professor of Marketing Evan Starr: Another reason for low migration according [Starr] was that Americans just don't change jobs as much as they used to. "I think what it says is our labor markets at the moment are not vibrant. When workers move between jobs, they bring with them their knowledge, their expertise, their ideas, and this is important for innovation, it's also important for firm learning," said Starr. But current migration numbers could change, he continued, in a work-from- home-world. "It's much easier to change jobs if you're just sitting at your computer, so I think the growth in work-from-home the pandemic has spurred is going to reduce labor market frictions."

Kivo Daily – Dec. 16 – Roland Rust, David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and Ming-Hui Huang co-author "Feelings-Based Education: A New Curriculum for the Coming Economy" – drawing from their forthcoming The Feeling Economy book.

Washington Post – Dec. 15 – Video story "The coronavirus vaccine is here. Now the race is on for more glass and ice" features supply chain-expert insights from Research Professor Sandor Boyson… Related insights from Boyson in Maryland Today's "After COVID Vaccine Breakthroughs, Eyes Turn to Supply Chain (Nov. 19).

Forbes – Dec. 15 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, writes "Finding Good Profit from COVID-19 Vaccines." … Previous Agarwal-Forbes columns: "Trust the Science but Celebrate the Business of COVID-19 Vaccines (Nov. 24) and "Finding Joy When Chores And Pressures Pile Up At Work" (Nov. 16).

Seeking Alpha – Dec. 15 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass guest blogs "16 Stocks for 2021." Also published by ValueWalk and Corona Stocks.

BizEd Magazine – Dec. 14 – PepsiCo Chair in Consumer Science Michel Wedel, writes "Boosting Business With Webinars," which describes the creation and delivery of Maryland Business: Rebooted – a Maryland Smith initiative to support Maryland businesses and workers challenged by the COVID-10 pandemic.

FIND MBA – Dec. 12 – "Business Schools Explore a Future Beyond the GMAT" quotes Senior Director of the Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master's Programs Pasquale Quintero: Schools with waivers, however, report increases in applications. The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business has extended its test waiver policy to make it easier for qualified students to apply for an MBA place, says [Quintero]. "If we still required the GMAT or GRE as part of our application process, it's highly likely many of our applicants would have not applied to our MBA programs, putting their career objectives on hold."

Sinclair Broadcast Group (via ABC-30 St. Louis) – Dec. 11 – "As coronavirus relief debate drags on, some push for new round of stimulus checks" quotes David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing Roland Rust: Eviction moratoriums and rental assistance programs are also set to expire at the end of the month. Additional job losses and cuts to vital social welfare programs loom if further aid is not provided to state and local governments. "There's so much urgency among so many people in the population," said [Rust]. "They're really hurting. And the small retailers are really, really hurting." The Congressional Budget Office estimated the economic impact payments produced a 0.6% boost in gross domestic product, less than small business loans under the Paycheck Protect Program and only about half the effect of the enhanced unemployment benefits. If political considerations limit the scope of a new relief package, stimulus checks might not be the most efficient use of the money… Still, Rust expects there would be a significant stimulative effect from another round of direct payments… "If you're poor and you're living from paycheck to paycheck and you get a check, you're going to go out and spend it."

UNESCA – Dec. 10 – "Experts push for strong public-private partnerships to build resilient post-COVID-19 economies" references Lemma W. Senbet, William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance: [Senbet] emphasized the role of knowledge and innovation in building resilient economies. He noted that there are huge capacity and knowledge gaps in Africa that need to be closed as countries focus on working to recover from COVID-19.

LifeWire – Dec. 10 – "The Tech We Said Goodbye To In 2020" includes input on Quibi from PepsiCo Chair in Consumer Science Michel Wedel: "In general, the pandemic was one of the problems that they were having, but at the same time, I think they had a number of other problems during the launch that were not sufficiently thought through that essentially caused the low-interest levels" … Wedel says that the app put too much stake into targeting people on the go, which didn't register during a pandemic. Wedel said Quibi's mobile-only model should have shifted as a response. Another downfall of Quibi was the emphasis it put on its Turnstyle video technology. Subscribers could watch Quibi's content full screen in both portrait and landscape, depending on how they rotated their phones, but that feature wasn't as important to some. "People come for the content, not necessarily for the way you view it."

CEO World -Dec. 7 – Roland Rust, David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and Ming-Hui Huang co-author "Management in the Feeling Economy: Tips for Fostering Human-Machine Collaboration," op-ed drawing from their forthcoming The Feeling Economy book.

Phys.org – Dec. 7 – "Research concluding noncompetes stifle workers forthcoming in multiple publications" summarizes a series of forthcoming publications co-authored by management professor Evan Starr.

BizEd Magazine – Dec. 2 – "Pivoting in a Panic" reports a Center for Social Value Creation initiative as one of three selections for the MBA Roundtable's 2020 Fast Track Curriculum Innovation Awards: [Maryland Smith] took home the prize for Other Innovation for its impact consulting fellowship. Twenty-three teams, each consisting of two master's students and three undergraduates, were placed with University of Maryland alumni to provide pro bono consulting for two months during the pandemic. The consulting opportunity was made available to nonprofit organizations, B Corporations, and for-profit impact-driven organizations. [The MBA Roundtable's] Award winners were evaluated on their levels of creativity, the uniqueness of their solutions, the speed at which they implemented their innovations, their resourcefulness in using existing tools or working within budgetary constraints, the innovation's impact on students, the level of engagement across the university, and the repeatability and scalability of the initiatives.

InvestorPlace – Dec. 2 – "Lordstown Motors Is Another Risky Bet" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden may further support the "increasing government initiatives for promotion of e-mobility" and the quick transition to electrification in private and public vehicles soon. After all, as [Kass] wrote … "Climate change will be a major focus of a Biden Administration."

24/7 Custom Broker News – Dec. 1 – In "How Will We Distribute the COVID-19 Vaccine?" Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya lays out the challenges of creating an end-to-end supply chain that can produce and distribute millions of doses of a vaccine for COVID-19.

U2b (Education for Careers) – Dec. 2 – "Top business schools in the US are going test-optional in 2021" quotes Senior Director of the Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master's Programs Pasquale Quintero: "The GMAT or GRE is an important assessment, but we review candidates holistically. We will take into consideration academic history, work experience, industry certifications, and other factors that will strengthen one's application."

November 2020

Politico – Nov. 30 – "How climate change could spark the next home mortgage disaster" quotes Professor of the PracticeClifford Rossi: It just has not reached that level of concern. And it never does, right?" [Rossi] told POLITICO. "It never reaches the point of people really kind of being forward-thinking about this until the crisis is upon you or about to hit you in the face." … The idea is to relieve taxpayers of the risk of having to cover for potential losses, putting it on private investors instead. But that solution can only work for so long, especially given the pressure investors have put on the mortgage giants to remove loans on properties at risk of climate change from those offerings, said Rossi, the former Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac risk officer… Rossi called the letter "a clarion call" that investors were skeptical of the risks the mortgage giants were taking on from climate-exposed properties — so Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took the loans out of the credit risk transfer pool, he said, letting climate-vulnerable mortgages pile up on their own books. "In a still relatively low-risk environment relative to the rest of their portfolio they can get by pulling those loans out and putting them aside," Rossi said. "But over time, that's going to pose challenges for them."

Maryland Today – Nov. 30 – Associate Professor of Management Vijaya Venkataramani gives advice in "Don't Skip the Holiday Office Party This Year."

TalkMarkets – Nov. 28 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass gives a "Year-To-Date Performance Of 7 Largest Stocks [for] Saturday, Nov. 28."

New York Magazine – Nov. 25 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang discusses "How Shopping Malls Can Survive the Pandemic" as part of the magazine's "What is Even Happening" video series.

Baltimore Sun – Nov. 25 – Editorial "Keep toilet paper off your shopping list this Black Friday (and beyond)" quotes Amna Kirmani, Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Marketing: People buy toilet paper to ease their anxiety, but then toilet paper sells out, and people get frustrated and emotional and worried about toilet paper running out — a problem they helped create. So an action that initially comforts us, ends up doing the exact opposite. "This is not a rational behavior," says [Kirmani]. "This is based on fear. It is emotional; it is a gut reaction."

TecHR Series – Nov. 25 – "Management Researcher Gives 4 Ways to Refocus on Remote Teams Amid Second COVID Wave" features insights from management professor and department chair Kathryn Bartol, drawn from her recent research… Related coverage via Maryland Today's "Four things we miss when working remotely" (Nov. 16).

CBS News (online) – Nov. 24 – Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang is the lone expert source in "How Will COVID Affect Black Friday Sales? Stores 'Significantly Scaling Back,' Says Expert." … Related video: "Jie Zhang talks about retail and the impact of COVID-19," via CGTN America (Nov. 24)

Science NewsNet – Nov 20 – "AI Leadership for Healthcare Certificate Program Forthcoming from Maryland Smith" previews an 18-week long, fully online certificate program requiring no IT programming experience and is designed to provide a full perspective of the business of healthcare: "In an intimate, cohort environment, participants will experience hands-on AI exercises guided by award-winning research experts," says Christine Thompson, executive director of Maryland Smith's Executive Education division, which is administering the new program. "Our hybrid learning model is ideal for working professionals. It blends live, virtual sessions and self-paced content."

BusinessBecause – Nov. 19 – "Female Representation In MBA Classrooms Better Than Ever In 2020" reports on a fall 2020 Forte Foundation study citing Maryland Smith among its member schools as "best business schools for women" – representing "top MBA programs in the US, Europe and Canada": A record eight of these schools reported 45% or more women were enrolled in their 2020 MBA programs."

Science NewsNet – Nov. 19 – "New Study: GAAP Earnings as Predictor of Job Gains, Layoffs" features research by accounting professor Rebecca Hann.

Baltimore Sun – Nov. 18 – 'Is there another toilet paper shortage?' quotes Clinical Professor of Marketing Henry C. Boyd III: Consumers tend to place higher values on items that are scarce or are perceived to be scarce, and are reacting to that, said [Boyd]. "There are a lot of folks out there who know an item is in high demand — paper towels, cleaning supplies, toilet paper — who think 'I have to stockpile, just in case." … To prevent panic buying, stores should assure consumers that supply lines are fine. But that won't be enough for some people, he said. Some will feel that, "I don't know if I trust authority figures, and I don't want to be left in the lurch, so I better stockpile," he said. Boyd added that he doesn't expect panic buying to rise to the levels it did in the spring. "I'd like to think that since we've been through this before, we'll be a little more calm. We might see a rise in panic buying, but not like before. Life will go on."

Maryland Daily Record – Nov. 18 – "As others struggle, home improvement industries soar" quotes Roland Rust, David Bruce Smith chair in marketing: This isn't the first time a national recession has boosted some industries despite damaging most others. During the Great Depression, "the companies that sold shoes weren't doing as well, (but) the shoe repair shops did great," said [Rust]… Rust notes that "artificial" boosts like this one rarely last long; he references the statistical concept of regression to the mean, which is the idea that things are more likely to return to normal than they are to continue being exceptional.

Business Insider – Nov. 17 – "Warren Buffett appears to be buying a secret stock that could be revealed within weeks" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "He is undoubtedly building a large position now and may reveal it in his next 13F," [Kass] told Business Insider. "Buffett has received confidentiality treatment several times in the past… I believe most recently around 2015 he was building a position in Phillips 66." … Related pieces quoting Kass: Seeking Alpha's "Berkshire Hathaway loads up on pharma, trims bank holdings: 13F" (Nov. 16), Benzinga's "Has Warren Buffett Invested In Tesla? Here's Why People Are Speculating" (Nov. 18) and Pinnacle Digest's "What Makes America Great?" (Nov. 16).

The Business Monthly – Nov. 17 – "[Maryland Smith] to spotlight COVID-persevering companies" describes the Center for Global Business' Maryland Business Adapts 20/21 initiative.

Civil Eats – Nov. 16 – "Happy Meals Could Get Healthier Under a Proposed Maryland Law" quotes Logistics, Business and Public Policy Chair Martin Dresner: Despite McDonald's success, not all food retail businesses are benefiting during the pandemic, according to [Dresner]. "There's certainly been winners and losers in the restaurant industry [during] the pandemic; I think a lot of these independent operations are really hurting." … While some national chains are "doing quite well," especially those with delivery services in-place, Dresner said local food establishments have been struggling to survive. Dresner considers this situation as "the 'McDonald's problem,'" in that national chains are not in favor of local mandates that create potential disruptions to their ongoing operations. "They are national chains, and they have national operations. They like to roll out products [on] at least a regional but [ideally] a national basis; so, if you have individual counties with different mandates, and I think that complicates their supply chain." … Dresner also mentioned that if McDonald's is required to offer more healthy meal options that end up not being popular, the company could find itself in a bind. "If they weren't creative enough to come up with some healthy options that people wanted, they would end up with probably excess inventory."

Poets & Quants – Nov. 15 – "Online MBA programs with the best salary outcomes" notes Maryland Smith as ranking third globally in terms of alumni reporting their degree positively impacting their professional career trajectories.

Authority Magazine – Nov. 14 – Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan describes 'The Future of Retail in The Post Pandemic World.'

Maryland Daily Record – Nov. 13 – Maryland Smith's Center for Global Business announces a 'Maryland Business Adapts' initiative' to highlight companies persevering through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business Insider – Nov. 11 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass is the lone-expert source in "Warren Buffett likely sold $4 billion of Apple shares and dumped more Wells Fargo stock last quarter, Berkshire Hathaway expert David Kass says." Related: Kass guest blogs "Five highlights of Berkshire Hathaway third quarter report," via TalkMarkets (Nov. 7).

Psychology Today – Nov. 10 – "We May Be More Adaptive Than We Think" features management professor Trevor Foulk's 'Getting Back to the 'New Normal' research that tracked a group of employees at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find MBA – Nov. 10 – Julie Neill, Office of Career Services assistant director, comments in "Employers Warm to Online MBAs in Coronavirus Pandemic": "The fact is that graduates receive the same MBA degree and diploma from the institution regardless of the format," [Neill] says. "What does matter greatly, though, is the reputation of the institution which grants the degree and of course, its accreditation."

Appraisal Buzz – Nov. 9 – "Compliance is the Cornerstone of a Sound Housing Finance System" previews a panel discussion featuring Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi.

Poets&Quants – Nov. 9 – Maryland Smith is ranked No. 13 among the Best Online MBA Programs in 2021.

InvestorPlace – Nov. 6 – "Alibaba stock temps ahead of likely Biden victory" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "It is clearly in China's interest, and that of the rest of the world, for a President Biden to restore U.S.-China relations to the less confrontational approach that preceded President Trump. President Biden is likely to form a coalition with our trading partners in Europe and then confront China in a less hostile fashion and be better able to negotiate our differences from a position of greater strength. The tariffs that President Trump introduced would likely be eliminated or substantially reduced. The level of international trade would then increase to the benefit of consumers in all countries that were impacted by the Trump tariffs..." … Related InvestorPlace piece quoting Kass: "7 Chinese Stocks To Buy Even If Trade Tension Persists" (Nov. 11).

Medical Xpress – Nov. 6 – "Here's how to improve packaged foods nutrition" overviews research, "Competitive Effects of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling Adoption on Nutritional Quality: Evidence from Facts Up Front Style Labels," co-authored by Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan.

SupplyChainBrain – Nov. 5 – Professor of the Practice Suresh Acharya answers "How will we distribute the COVID-19 Vaccine?" … Related: Acharya contributes to E-Commerce Times' "AI's Potential to Manage the Supply Chain" (Oct. 30).

The Maritime Executive – Nov. 4 – Director of Military and Veterans Affairs Frank Goertner writes 'The Navy needs to start building its future.' … Previous Goertner op-ed, via The Rainey Center: "National Security Strategy Must Include Diversity."

The Hill's Changing America – Nov. 3 – Assistant Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program and Associate Clinical Professor of Management and Organization Nicole Coomber writes "How we can Stop COVID-19's Diversity Brain Drain."

Legal Theory – Nov. 2 – Blog post previews a forthcoming paper on 'Constitutional limits on public pension reform' by business law professors Leigh Anenson and Jennifer Gershberg.

Business Insider – Nov. 2 – 'Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Swung from extreme caution to a flurry of deals' (Paywall) quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass.

Business Because – Nov. 2 – "MBA vs. (specialty) Master's" highlights Maryland Smith: [Maryland Smith] offers eight specialized masters programs, across topics like business and marketing analytics, as well as finance, accounting, and supply chain management. Five of those are STEM-designated, meaning international students can stay and find work in the US without an H-1B visa. On Smith's STEM-designated Master of Science in Business Analytics, students dive into the technical—going beyond what would be covered on a traditional MBA—learning programming languages like Python and SQL. Smith runs its business master's programs alongside a thriving full-time MBA, but the University of Leicester School of Business in the UK decided to shelve its full-time MBA program completely.

October 2020

Wall Street Journal – Oct. 29 – "Election Tests Companies' Policies on Social Media, Political Speech" quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi:Corporate codes of conduct and social media policies are hardly a cure-all for the challenges posed by the increasing polarization of political views among Americans, but with companies increasingly sensitive to reputational risks, experts say it would behoove [Rossi] said the consequences for not doing so are increasingly severe. "Awareness and sensitivity is really what this is about. "That's how you manage this risk: Make people more aware of their actions and the consequences."

Forbes – Oct. 29 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair and Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, writes "Three Myths that Undercut the Antitrust Case Against Google." … Previous Agarwal-Forbes column: "Fail Fast but use Scientific Method to Minimize Fallout' (Oct. 19).

The Business Monthly – Oct. 27 – An overview of Maryland Business: Rebooted is republished online in "University Retools to help Business Survive and Prosper."

US Supply Chain Management Council News – Oct. 25 – "Global Supply Chain Exposure and Vulnerability to Increasing Climate Extremes" previews a Center for Financial Policy Center-hosted panel discussion led by Research Professor Sandor Boyson and CFP Director Russell Wermers.

MarketWatch – October 23 – Logistics Business and Public Policy Associate Professor Cristian Dezsö comments extensively in "Here's why women fund managers regularly outperform men, based on newer research." … Republished by The Wealth Advisor.

Seeking Alpha – Oct. 23 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass guest blogs "SPACs – Why Investors Should Be Cautious."

Lifewire – Oct 22 – PepsiCo Chaired Professor of Consumer Science Michel Wedel is the primary expert source for "Where did Quibi go wrong?"

InvestorPlace – Oct. 22 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass contributes to "Presidential Debate Live Updates: Key Investing Takeaways": "Assuming Joe Biden is elected, and the Democrats have a majority in both houses of Congress, then investments in infrastructure stocks (or infrastructure ETFs) should receive a high priority. Climate related opportunities in solar and wind power, batteries for electric vehicles, and electric vehicle manufacturers should be explored." … Related pre-election InvestorPlace pieces quoting Kass: "Election stocks to buy with bipartisan strength" (Nov. 2), "4 REITs to Buy for A Post-Election Biden Victory Bump" (Nov.2), "5 Industries Biden Would Destroy as President" (Nov. 2), "3 Stocks to Buy no Matter the Election Results" (Nov. 3) and"Landcadia Holdings II Isn't Insulated from the Coronavirus" (Nov. 3)

HousingWire – Oct. 21 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes "The CFP Missed a Chance to Fix the QM Rule." … Related: Rossi contributes to The Mortgage Reports' "How to Make Lenders Compete for Your Mortgage Rate" (Oct. 21).

Phys.org – Oct. 19 – "Save it or spend it? Advertising decisions amid consumer word-of-mouth" overviews a Marketing Science-published study, 'When Consumers Learn, Money Burns,' co-authored by Associate Professor of Marketing Yogesh Joshi.

USA Today – Oct. 16 – "Trump, Biden shower ad money on Phoenix, Philadelphia, Florida's I-4 corridor in final stretch" quotes research ("The Air War versus the Ground Game: An Analysis of Multi-Channel Marketing in U.S. Presidential Elections") co-authored by Assistant Professor of Marketing Lingling Zhang.

Bloomberg – Oct. 16 – "Buffett Inches Toward Wells Fargo Exit as Scharf Sets Course" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Clearly Warren Buffett has less confidence in the future course at Wells Fargo, in the perhaps future expected performance of its stock," [Kass] said in an interview. "He may perceive that there's a lot more risk than he originally foresaw."

Barron's – Oct. 16 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass writes, "To the Editor: Taxing Capital Gains": Concerns about the potential impact on U.S. equity prices resulting from Joe Biden's proposal to tax capital gains at higher ordinary-income rates can be mitigated by noting that this would apply only to incomes above $1 million ("Nothing Worries This Stock Market—Not Even a Possible Tax Hike," Up & Down Wall Street, Oct. 9). Also, though tax-optimization strategies for high-income individuals could result in asset selling prior to the tax increase going into effect, the shares sold could be quickly repurchased while establishing a higher cost basis. The 30-day "wash sale" rule that applies to realized losses does not apply to capital gains.

Phys.org – Oct. 13 – "How consumers responded to COVID-19" overviews new research by Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani.

Forbes – Oct. 12 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi comments extensively in "Here's The No. 1 Reason People Don't Refinance Their Mortgages," includingThe No. 1 reason survey respondents said they have chosen not to refinance is that "they're not sure it's worth it." Some 34% of survey respondents gave that answer. There are many reasons why homeowners might feel refinancing isn't worth it. Among them is "borrower burnout," [says Rossi].

Science NewsNet – Oct. 12 – "The Pandemic is Pushing Women, People of Color out of their Careers" features analysis and commentary by Nicole Coomber, assistant dean of the Full-Time MBA program and an associate clinical professor of management.

FIND MBA – Oct. 9 – Assistant Dean for Part-time MBA and Online Programs Clinical Professor of Strategy Paulo Prochno contributes extensively to "The Ingredients that make a great online MBA," including: [Prochno] says that "synchronous" live sessions are essential to a good Online MBA. "An MBA program is about learning new skills, but it's also about increasing self-awareness, learning how to collaborate more effectively, exchanging knowledge with peers and building a professional network." His students meet virtually twice a week to attend lively synchronous sessions. Most faculty use breakout rooms for small-group discussions, "allowing students to have an experience similar to being in a face-to-face environment."

Maryland Today – Oct. 9 – Marketing professor Jie Zhang explains "Five Pandemic Lessons for Shoppers." . . . The Real Deal (NY real estate news) quotes Zhang in "The American mall: A survival guide."

Maryland Today – Oct. 7 – "Just Don't Call It 'Adulting'" describes a new course co-developed by Associate Professor of Management Cynthia Stevens, devoting 40-50% to financial literacy and the rest to helping students figure out their general goals and values…"

AlphaBetaStock – Oct. 5 – "Why Did Apple Stock Split?" references Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Kass argues that stock splitting was a practice used by companies to keep their stock prices in the mid double-digit range. Moreover, companies did this as often as possible because broker commissions were fixed, and investors preferred trading in "round lots" of 100 shares. In contrast, if an investor purchased less than 100 shares, broker commissions were amplified, the reason behind holding "round lots." . . . Related: Kass guest blogs "Year-To-Date Performance Of 5 Largest Stocks" at Talk Markets (Oct. 2)

Top MBA – Oct. 5 – "Business Schools Go Test-Optional for 2021 MBA Applications": quotes Pasquale Quintero, senior director of full-time MBA and specialized master's programs: "We decided to continue our test waiver policy to make it easier for qualified candidates to apply to our MBA programs. When we announced our temporary GMAT/GRE waiver in April, in response to the pandemic, we saw an increase in applications from very qualified individuals."It's highly likely many of our applicants would have not applied to our MBA programs, putting their career objectives on hold."

Science NewsNet – Oct. 5 – "Webinar Series: Investors and ESG" previews a Center for Financial Policy hosted series to explore the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) questions that are increasingly pressing for organizations and investors: "The Center for Financial Policy is uniquely positioned to tackle these issues because of our longstanding relationships with the regulatory community and proximity to Washington, D.C.," said [series moderator Russell Wermers]. "The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the connections between environmental, social and corporate governance factors, and a general unpreparedness to handle major disruptions, such as the ones that are expected to result from climate change. The timing for this series and these discussions."

Market Realist – Oct. 3 – 'What is Warren Buffett Buying?' quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "The number one lesson to be derived from Warren Buffett's investment career is to have a long-time horizon of at least 10 years and be patient." . . . Related: Kass contributes stock market-based insights to InvestorPlace "live blog" coverage of both the vice presidential debate (Oct. 7) and presidential debate (Sept. 29).

Maryland Today – Oct. 1– "Why Critics Don't Pan Blockbusters … At Least Not Right Away" overviews research by management professorDavid Waguespack.

September 2020

Washington Business Journal – Sept. 29 – "UMD Business School Names New Dean" covers the appointment, effective in January 2021, of Prabhudev Konana as Dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. . . . Related coverage via Poets & Quants, BizEd Magazine, others.

Maryland Daily Record – Sept. 29 "McCormick, with strong Q3 numbers, announces stock split" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Although the stock split, which takes effect Nov. 30, might send a positive signal to shareholders, it doesn't add any real value, [said Kass.] "It's really a cosmetic change. It doesn't create any value; you're just cutting the pie into two pieces and the pie is still the same size." The split could create excitement among customers and potentially attract new shareholders, but the customer effect is minor, although psychologically the shareholder may feel "richer." Kass pointed to recent examples of Apple and Tesla, where shares skyrocketed after a 4-for-1 and a 5-for-1 split, respectively.

TODAY (Singapore) – Sept. 26 – "Can SIA Fly High Again?" quotes Logistics, Business and Public Policy Chair Martin Dresner: [Dresner] noted that given the perceived dangers of air travel currently, "passengers may prefer direct flights to their destinations, rather than connecting routes through a hub such as Singapore." …But a full recovery for SIA, especially for its long-haul flights, will come slowly. Business travellers are less willing to be paying more for premium seats amid a global recession and may curtail business travel entirely, said Prof Dresner.

Maryland Daily Record – Sept. 25 – "UMD Smith School to host free digital marketing series" previews a three-part free webinar series led by Associate Clinical Professor of Marketing Mary Harms as part of Maryland Business: Rebooted.

The Hill – Sept. 25 – "On Tap Next Week" notes the September 29 Center for Financial Policy-hosted webinar "Financial Stability and Data: Minding the Gaps with Randal Quarles and Darrell Duffie."

Forbes – Sept. 22 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair and Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, writes "Why A Big Government Cure Would Be Worse Than Big Tech Control."

InvestorPlace – Sept. 22 – "How to Find Undervalued Companies" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "I would focus on the PEG ratio, or P/E ratio divided by the projected growth rate of earnings per share... "The lower the PEG ratio, the more attractive (or undervalued) a stock is."

American Banker – Sept. 21 – "Results-driven Fraser just the ticket for fixing Citi, associates say" quotes and references Clifford Rossi: Fraser's blend of experiences should serve her well atop a company that today operates in more than 90 countries. Clifford Rossi, who met Fraser when he was chief risk officer for Citi's consumer lending group, said she "has a strategic vision, she knows the business very well and she's able to execute." ...That knack for strategic thinking will be particularly important for Citi's CEO in the current economic environment, since low interest rates are crimping bank's profit margins, Rossi said.

BusinessBecause – Sept. 21 – Research Professor and Center for Global Business Academic Director Kislaya Prasad comments throughout "How TikTok's Turmoil Could Change the Course of Big Tech," Including: The issue is that tech giants have monopolized the market, but monopolization is often baked into the very premise of social media apps. "Facebook becomes more valuable if there are lots of people on it, as does TikTok. Big tech will want free movement of data with no constraints at all," which is at direct odds with increasing government concerns over data protection.

The Business Monthly – Sept. 20 – "Maryland Business Rebooted: University retools to help business survive and prosper" overviews the initiative and includes insights from various participants including Maryland Smith leaders Distinguished University Professor Michel Wedel and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Victor Mullins.

Credit Union Today – Sept. 20 – CUES to Host Directors & Dialogue December Seriespreviews a series to include"How Does an Agile Board Deal with Wellness, Mental Health, and Anxiety?" presented by Maryland Smith finance lecturer Joe Perfetti.

The Education Magazine – Sept. 17 – "Maryland Smith Offers Free Business Education Program to Maryland Residents, Businesses"overviews Maryland Business: Rebooted, the free webinar series developed and presented by Maryland Smith in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forbes – Sept. 15 – Rajshree Agarwal, Rudolph Lamone Chair and Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, writes "Why Amazon Outhustles Comcast: A Tale Of Two Monopolies And Implications For Their Customers." Previous Agarwal-Forbes column: "Maintaining Organizational Soul While Onboarding In A Remote World" (Sept. 8)

American Marketing Association News – Sept. 15 – Dean's Chair in Marketing Science P.K. Kannan co-authors "4 Reasons to Adopt Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels" based on his new research in the Journal of Marketing to help curb diet-related chronic diseases that burden the U.S. economy.

American Journal of Transportation – Sept. 14 – "The Redefining of 'Intermodal': quotes Associate Professor of Logistics Management Philip Evers: "Two or more modes being involved in the transportation [of goods] is becoming more and more the case," said [Evers]. "Because of the changes in distribution, because of the inherent efficiencies or services of the different modes of transportation." What's more, Evers believes, present-day intermodal traffic "blurs some of those traditional lines" between modes of transportation that better handle large shipments and those that emphasize smaller shipments, explained Evers. Today's "e-commerce phenomenon really puts the emphasis on small shipments," he said.

Baltimore Sun – Sept. 14 – "'Ghost kitchens' thrive in Baltimore area during coronavirus pandemic as customers avoid sit-down restaurants" quotes Anil K. Gupta, Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship: Operators may lease space in a centralized kitchen, allowing them to forego the many costs and risks associated with opening a sit-down restaurant. It's a model that's seen "crazy growth" since the beginning of the pandemic, with traditional restaurants closed and rapidly expanding appetites for delivery food, says [Gupta]… Gupta says that's not necessarily the case. He predicted continued growth in the delivery and ghost kitchen market into 2021, even after the pandemic is over... "In capitalism, whenever you have some winners, you end up having some losers."

GARP News – Sept. 11 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes: "Defaults, Delinquencies and Credit Losses: The Potential of Impact of Rising Hurricanes on Mortgage Risk."

900 CHML radio (Hamilton, Ontario) – Sept. 11 – "It's been 19 years since 9/11, Elinda Kiss is a survivor" features Clinical Associate Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss recounting the attacks of 9/11 at ground zero.

Bloomberg Radio – Sept. 10 – "Ritu Agarwal Discusses 'Two Pandemics'" gives insight to Maryland Smith's responses to Covid-19 and racial injustice.

Consumer Affairs – Sept. 10 – "Mall owners step In to purchase bankrupt JCPenney" quotes Professor of Marketing Jie Zhang: "Part of it is the public psyche," [said Zhang]. "This virus is likely not going to go away any time soon, and the one type of place where people will be much more vigilant about avoiding in the longer term will be those crowded, enclosed spaces. And that's exactly what traditional shopping malls are." … Related: Multibriefs' 'Retailer Survival' (Sep.t 10) extensively quotes Zhang.

Communications of the ACM – Sept. 10 – "Anticipating the Feeling Economy" overviews research by Distinguished University Professor Roland Rust that shows workers with emotional intelligence will be highly prized as artificial intelligence continues to proliferate.

Harvard Business Review – Sept. 10 – Assistant Professor of Management Trevor Foulk co-authors "Restore Your Sense of Control — Despite the Pandemic," based on recent research.

WalletHub – Sept. 9 – In "Ask the Experts," Associate Clinical Professor of Finance Elinda Kiss gives personal finance advice on credit card balance transfer offers.

Analytics – Sept. 8 – Smith Chair of Management Science Michael Fu co-authors "Virtual 2020 INFORMS Annual Meeting has something for everyone" as a preview for the Nov. 7-13 inaugural Virtual INFORMS Annual Meeting, which Fu is co-chairing.

Business Insider – Sept. 7 – "Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway cuts Wells Fargo stake to 17-year low" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Buffett may be cutting his exposure to Wells Fargo because of the reputational damage caused by its fake-accounts scandal and the lending limits imposed on it by federal regulators in 2018, [Kass] told Business Insider last month.

Washington Business Journal – Sept. 4 – "The MBA Reboot" quotes Interim Dean Ritu Agarwal: At [Maryland Smith], the number of students who reported being of color doubled from 2002 to 2018. I[Agarwal] said that stems from an active effort that includes partnerships with the Forté Foundation, National Black MBA Association, National Hispanic MBA Association and historically Black colleges and universities. It also runs summer high school programs tailored to students of color. "I don't think as a business school we are doing our job or executing on our mission if we are not training the type of workforce that organizations need," she said. "We've put in place practices that help us get the most diverse and talented student population." …Flexibility on how one goes back to school to get a business degree is a major market demand, said Agarwal. The College Park university already has a flexible online and part-time MBA program, which allows for in-person and online classes. For the 2021 school year, it will launch "flex" versions of its other specialty master's programs. These plans were always in the works, Agarwal said, but Covid-19 has accelerated them.

GARP News – Sept. 4 – "CROs Ponder Risk in Uncertain Times" quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: Indeed, CROs are expected to carry a certain stoicism, and to offer steady leadership during the worst of times, explained [Rossi]. "You rarely see them let their guard down," Rossi added.

The Hill-Changing America – Sept. 3 – Associate Professor of Business and Public Policy Rachelle Sampson and PhD student Nathan Barrymore co-author "If Black Lives Matter, Transfer Your Leadership Team."

International Business Times – Sept. 3 – "US Stocks Plunge, As High-Flying Nasdaq, S&P 500 Take Breather From Historic Six-Month Rally" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass] characterized Thursday's drop as "a periodic correction that generally occurs when equity markets have been rising rapidly." … Also at IBTimes, Kass explains implications for the U.S. economy in Brexit: As Britain And EU Trade Talks Stall, Chances Of No Deal Loom Larger" (Sept. 2).

August 2020

Bloomberg – Aug. 31 – "Buffett Hunts Abroad With $6 Billion Wager on Japanese Firms" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "I think this is a definite signal that Berkshire is more likely to examine and pursue potential investments internationally…This could be the beginning of the tip of an iceberg. There could be many more investments such as this" …While the bets are valued at more than $6 billion, they represent just a sliver, about 4%, of Berkshire's total cash pile. But the wagers underscore that Buffett sees value in Japanese stocks, according to Kass. Berkshire's investment comes as global investors have pulled $43 billion from Japanese stocks this year in favor of high-flying U.S. technology shares and other companies viewed as more resilient to economic turmoil.

International Business Times – Aug. 31 – "End Of Coal? More Banks Plan To Phase Out Financing Of Coal-Related Businesses": [Kass said that other large banks such as JP Morgan Chase (JPM) also plan to curb loans to coal firms. "The increasing focus by activists and elected officials on global warming and climate change has resulted in pressure being applied to banks to curtail their financial relationships with coal firms," he said. "As a result, more banks are likely to follow the example set by JPMorgan Chase. Coal emissions have contributed significantly to this environmental problem. The anticipated rapid growth in alternative energy sources that are renewable and environmentally friendly will likely hasten the decline of the coal industry." … Also at IBTimes, 'S&P riding high on Spring-Summer rally' (Aug. 30) extensively quotes Kass.

Wall Street Journal – Aug. 28 – "From 'Freezer Farms' to Jets, Logistics Operators Prepare for a Covid-19 Vaccine" quotes Research Professor Sandor Boyson: "There's going to be a real need to engage the collective capacity that exists out there," said [Boyson].

eCampus News – Aug. 28 – Henry C. Lucas, Robert H. Smith Professor of Information Systems Emeritus. writes "Is face-to-face learning better than online learning?"

DC Velocity – Aug. 28 – Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management Philip Evers discusses "What's Next for the USPS" in a Logistics Matters podcast.

US News & World Report – Aug. 28 – "What Happens to the Stock Market if Biden Wins?" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Lower drug prices, at least when it comes to Medicare, are a crystal clear priority for the Democratic nominee. Medicare is the federal health care insurance program for people aged 65 and older, and for those with certain disabilities. "The Biden plan will repeal the existing law explicitly barring Medicare from negotiating lower prices with drug corporations," the campaign site reads. "This in turn might lead to lower profits for pharmaceutical companies and lower share prices," Kass says. Related: Arkansas Business' "Trump vs. Biden, and What It All Means to Investors" (Sept. 14) quotes Kass.

Appraisal Buzz – Aug. 26 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi discusses Collateral Risk Education.

International Business Times – Aug. 26 – "Despite Incurring Huge Losses, Exxon, Chevron, BP, And Other Oil Giants Still Pay Dividends" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass said] large oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron are paying dividends in large part to provide support for their share prices. "The current 8.5% dividend being paid by Exxon Mobil indicates that the market is expecting a dividend reduction…Chevron's 6% dividend, likewise, supporting its stock price, appears to be less vulnerable to a reduction." ...

Science Newsnet – Aug. 26 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi explains why "A new flood risk database for homeowners lacks reliability."

Find MBA – Aug. 26 – Office of Career Services Assistant Director Erika Harrigan contributes to "Digital degrees can help students collaborate with and lead teams remotely, boosting their employability."

AARP the Magazine – Aug. 26 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass contributes to "Warren Buffett Is Still Making Money — and Giving It Away — at 90."

The Mortgage Reports – Aug. 25 – "More homeowners should be using this refinance strategy," extensively quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi.

Forbes – Aug. 24 Forbes, "Indian H-1B Visa Holders Again Show They Are Not 'Cheap Labor" cites research by Henry C. Lucas, Robert H. Smith Professor of Information Systems Emeritus: Economic research shows the legal requirement on salaries and the functioning of the U.S. labor market has resulted in H-1B visa holders overall being paid comparable to or higher than U.S. professionals with similar experience... [Lucas] examined the skills and compensation of over 50,000 IT professionals in the United States and found foreign-born professionals in information technology (IT) earned more than their native counterparts.

Seeking Alpha – Aug.23 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass writes: "Berkshire Hathaway Is Undervalued By 20%." Also published by Talk Markets, others.

Business Insider – Aug. 21 – 'Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has scored an $86 billion gain on Apple' quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Apple's surging valuation has made it a disproportionately large part of Berkshire's business. For example, Berkshire's Apple stake is worth more than four times as much the second-biggest holding in its stock portfolio, a $26 billion position in Bank of America. Apple now makes up about 50% of the portfolio's entire value, finance professor David Kass tweeted.

Fortune – Aug. 21 – Research Professor and Center for Global Business Academic Director Kislaya Prasad writes "The Chinese and U.S. Internets are drifting apart. Why that's bad for the whole world."

NBC News – Aug. 19 – 'Apple Now Worth $2 Trillion' quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Apple's $2 trillion valuation represents about 10 percent of GDP for the U.S. and about 7 percent of the S&P 500...Its iPhone is ubiquitous. It has transformed the way we live. Its ecosystem is self-sustaining." … Related: InvestorPlace (via Business insider) quotes Kass from the NBC report in "3 Tech Stocks Still Leading the Charge" (Aug. 25).

Housing Wire – Aug. 18 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi writes: "Why a credit reporting moratorium during COVID-19 will harm consumers."

Fast Company – Aug. 15 – "Asking this question during an interview can wreck your shot at getting the job" focuses on Associate Professor of Management and Organization Rellie Derfler-Rozin's "Motivation Purity Bias" paper.

U.S. News & World Report – Aug. 14 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass contributes to "What is Earnings Per Share?": A faster growth rate of EPS would justify a higher P/E," says [Kass]…The PEG is a better measure than just the P/E ratio to determine whether a stock is undervalued, fairly valued or overvalued, Kass says. "A lower relative PEG ratio may indicate a company is undervalued."

Bloomberg – Aug. 14 – "Berkshire Switches Bets on Banks, Adds Wager on Barrick Gold" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: The second-quarter stock moves are consistent with Buffett's "extremely cautious" outlook expressed at this year's shareholders meeting, [Kass said]. "He's showing extreme caution by basically lightening up on his major banking investments except for Bank of America." Kass called the Barrick investment "the biggest shock" from Friday's filing, and suggested that the size means it could be a stake made by Combs or Weschler. "Still, you would think they would share Warren Buffett's skeptical philosophy of investing in gold, which he's expressed at several annual meetings as well as his letters to shareholders…Yet this suddenly shows up in his portfolio, almost as a hedge against possible bad times."

The Real Deal – Aug. 12 – "Fear and loathing in a pandemic: Insurers battle business interruption claims" quotes Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi: "If you have a very business friendly court, it might look at a broader view of whether this should be covered," said [Rossi]. "This is no slam dunk for the insurance companies."

InvestorPlace – Aug. 12 – "5 Great Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: But, keep in mind that Buffett's plays work best as long-term investments rather than short-term trades. As [Kass] said in an email to InvestorPlace: "The number one lesson to be derived from Warren Buffett's investment career is to have a long-time horizon of at least 10 years and be patient." With this in mind, the names in Buffett's portfolio today may not shoot up in the next few weeks, quarters or even months. But, over the long haul, they could produce strong returns for your portfolio… Related: Kass guest blogs'Berkshire Portfolio Investment, StoneCo Ltd., Up 12% on Takeover Talks' at ValueWalk (Aug. 11)

Forbes – Aug. 10 – Rudolph Lamone Chair and Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship Rajshree Agarwal writes "Tired Of Covid-19 Chaos? Blame Too Much Regulation, Not Too Much Freedom" and, previously, "Instead Of Open Or Closed, Dial Your Mind To Active" (July 21).

InvestorPlace – Aug. 9 – "9 Top Robinhood Stocks You May Want to Avoid" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass] explained in an email to InvestorPlace, "Robinhood has introduced trading in stocks, ETFs, and options to a new generation of young investors in their 20's and 30's by providing these services without charging any commissions or fees. As a result of offering investors the opportunity to invest in fractional shares with as little as $1, the world of investing in equities has been democratized such that virtually everyone can participate."

Forbes – Aug. 7 – "Should I buy an electric car or hybrid now" quotes Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship David Kirsch: …Kirsch, author of the book The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History, says experts have predicted a breakthrough for EVs since the 1960s. "The success of Tesla's Model 3 may have finally broken the dam holding back final demand for EVs," he says. "Tesla's stock has been on a tear, quintupling since late 2019. As of mid-2020, the company's market capitalization exceeds that of the next three most valuable car companies combined. Regardless of its long-term performance, the Tesla narrative has clearly carried the day."

The Hill – Aug. 6 – Director of Military and Veteran Affairs Frank Goertner writes op-ed "What matters most in naming U.S. bases."

Science NewsNet – Aug. 6 – "How Technological, Socioeconomic and Geopolitical Forces are Altering Everything We Know about Marketing" overviews marketing professor Roland Rust's research, "The Future of Marketing," published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing.

Clear Admit – Aug. 6 – Senior Director of the Full-Time MBA and Specialty Master's Programs Pasquale Quintero discusses Maryland Smith graduate programs in an "Admissions Director Q&A."

Online MBA Report – Aug. 5 – Online MBA students Adetoun Olumide and Daniel Mazour are recognized and profiled in "Business Leaders of Tomorrow – 2020."

Ladders – Aug. 5 – 'People can adapt to the new normal very quickly' reviews research by management professor Trevor Foulk. Related coverage in Psych Central Sense of Normalcy Can Bounce Back Quickly, Even During Continued Stress (Aug. 6) and at Scienmag, others.

Brookings – Aug. 4 – William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance Lemma Senbet recommends Joshua Gans' "Economics in the Age of COVID-19" as part of "A social distancing reading list from the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative."

Business Because – Aug. 4 – "STEM-Designated Masters Bring New Hope For US Business Schools" references Maryland Smith's STEM-designated masters programs in marketing analytics, business analytics, information systems, and supply chain management... Related BusinessBecause: "MBA Vs Masters: Which Should You Choose?" (Aug. 3) notes and expands on Maryland Smith's "eight specialized masters programs, across topics like business and marketing analytics, as well as finance, accounting, and supply chain management. Five of those are STEM-designated, meaning international students can stay and find work in the US without an H-1B visa. On Smith's STEM-designated Master of Science in Business Analytics, students dive into the technical—going beyond what would be covered on a traditional MBA—learning programming languages like Python and SQL. Smith runs its business master's programs alongside a thriving full-time MBA…"

Refinery29 – Aug. 3 – "Boycotts Are More Popular Than Ever — But Do They Work?" quotes Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani: "If Amazon is your most convenient outlet in terms of shopping, it's hard to give it up," says [Kirmani]. Sometimes, depending on where you live, it might be the cheapest or the only option for certain goods. And its size can also deceive how much consensus there really is internationally. "Amazon has such a large clientele that even when you say a lot of people [boycott it], that may just be in your friend circle — nationally or internationally, it's not a lot of people."

Axios – Aug. 3 – "Virtual school is another setback for struggling retail industry" quotes marketing professor Jie Zhang: "It's not surprising to see who the biggest winners are," [Zhang] said in a research note. "Companies like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Apple," are best-positioned for the online learning shift, while traditional apparel stores will struggle… Related:"Is the future of malls outside?" at Retail Wire (Aug. 3) quotes Zhang as does "Retail and it's Future Through the 2020 Back-to-School Prism" at Yahoo News (July 31).

Carrier Management Magazine – Aug. 2 – "Mortgage Default Risk Set to Rise With Hurricane Risk" covers research by Professor of the Practice in Clifford Rossi under submission to the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty.

July 2020

Washington Post – July 31 – "What lies behind Apple's 4-for-1 stock split" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Few companies are as future-oriented as Apple, but its goal of attracting retail customers by having a relatively modest share price is a trip back to the past. [Kass says many companies used to split their stock as often as necessary to keep their share price in the mid-double digits. "Back then, people were paying fixed commissions to brokers and were trying to trade 'round lots' of at least 100 shares," Kass said. If you bought less than 100 shares — an "odd lot" — your commission per share would probably be considerably higher than if you bought a round lot… Related: Kass guest blogs "Year-to-date performance of five largest stocks" at Talk Markets (Aug. 1) and 'Berkshire Hathaway stock in Apple valued at $100 billion' at ValueWalk (July 31).

Newsy – July 31 -"Big Tech Earnings Surge While U.S. Sees Record-Worst Quarter" quotes Dean's Chair of Marketing P.K. Kannan:"Digital is done on a daily basis," said P.K. Kannan. Experts like [Kannan] tell Newsy this ad fallout was common for sellers during parts of Q2 because digital ad revenues can be turned off relatively quickly. "For search ads, you actually bid daily. And the same thing with display ads that you may buy on social media, those things are done on a daily billing scheme."

Forbes – July 30 – "On the Brighter Side Of The Pandemic: We Are More Adaptive Than We Think" overviews new research co-authored by management professor Trevor Foulk.

SME Magazine – July 30 – Research co-authored by Professor of Information Systems Il-Horn Hann is explained in 'Crowdfunding a democratizing force financing but benefits those with lower income, education less.'

Poets & Quants – July 26 – '2020 Best & Brightest EMBAs' includes: "The Class has certainly racked up its share of accolades. Take [Maryland Smith's] Kimberly Lumpkins. She was named one of Baltimore Magazine's Top Doctors in 2019. That year, the student council at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine also honored her with the Best Clinical Faculty Award." … Clinical Professor of Marketing Judy Frels and Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design Gerald Suarez also gave comments. Frels: "[Patricia Turner] is an executive of courage, values, and fortitude. Having her in the classroom raised the quality and honesty of the conversation for us all." Suarez:"[Lumpkins'] intellectual curiosity, passion for learning, and deep sense of duty and commitment to giving back to others were contagious and commendable. She quickly established herself as a leader among her peers."

US News & World Report – July 24 – "Are Too Big to Fail Banks Still a Problem?" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: [Kass]: "Unlike 2007 to 2009, the largest banks are very well-capitalized and recently passed an annual stress test. The major bank regulators have not expressed any concerns" about too big to fail to be a major problem. Kass notes that the Federal Reserve has suspended stock buybacks at big banks in the third quarter to deal with the unknown potential fallout from the pandemic. The Fed also capped dividends at a certain percentage of income. Still, some banks will always be more flimsily positioned than others, and some cracks have begun to emerge at major U.S. banks. "Wells Fargo did recently cut its cash dividend by 80% as a result of a quarterly loss resulting from adding to its reserves as it anticipates loan losses" from the pandemic, Kass says.

GARP – July 24 – Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi is quoted in "CROs Seek Pandemic Solutions," including: "This crisis will test all of the enterprise risk frameworks that have been set up since the last crisis," said Rossi.

Seeking Alpha – July 22 – Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass guest blogs "10 Stocks for Mid Year 2020."

OneZero – July 22 – "Remote Work Can Actually Flip the Power Dynamic With Your Boss" quotes management professor Trevor Foulk: [Foulk] says that further issues between management and employees can occur because bosses and other powerful people are better able to focus on others besides themselves when they feel needed, but that employee needs may get lost in the shuffle online. "There's a lot of research suggesting that powerful people tend to focus on their own goals and agendas, and tend to think of powerless people as just means to their own ends," he says. Foulk says that online conversations tend to be more transactional, and as a result, "leaders may miss subtle cues in their followers' voice and body language that indicate that they're really in need of something," leaving the manager to continue focusing on their own needs and desires, instead of the people whom they preside over.

AARP magazine – July 22 – "Where has all the Lysol Gone" quotes Martin Dresner: [Dresner] says it will likely take "a change in circumstances" to bring demand back down to a point where stores don't sell out of disinfectants right away. He expects that time will come when fears of future lockdowns ease and COVID-19 case counts start to decline.

Upgrade Magazine – July 16 – Career and leadership coach Rachel Loock and management professor Trevor Foulk give "Success tips for telework newcomers."

NHK (Japan) – July 15 – Professor of Marketing Amna Kirmani discusses the Black Lives Matter movement's implications for brands in "Businesses Rush to Support BLM."

Business Insider – July 13 – "Elon Musk is officially richer than Warren Buffett" cites previous comments by Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: Yet Berkshire's $94 billion Apple stake, $137 billion in cash as of March 31, and the rest of its stock portfolio are currently worth a combined $344 billion — more than 75% of its $443 billion market capitalization. [Kass] tweeted that fact last weekend, pointing out that it implies the rest of Berkshire is worth only $100 billion. Berkshire owns dozens of businesses including Geico, See's Candies, MidAmerican Energy, and the Burlington Northern railroad.

Innovation Origins – July 11 – Distinguished University Professor Roland Rust's 'Future of marketing' paper is cited in "Tomorrow is good: It's time for a moral transition": In his recently published article 'The Future of Marketing' Roland Rust maintains that avoiding short-term decision-making is one of the most important practical implications of technological, social, and geopolitical trends nowadays. He claims that in order to survive, companies need to shift their focus from short-term transactions to long-term relationships with their clients. Incidentally, this is not a newly espoused idea, but a very important one all the same. An important idea not only for the business community but also for the government.

Washington Post – July 10 – "Shares by the Slice: Fractional Investing Sparks Stock Market Stampede" quotes Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass: "Companies always wanted to target their stock price in the $40 range, so if the stock price rose to $80, they split it two-for-one to get back to $40," said [Kass] "Shares were more affordable." … "If you look at t