Thought Leadership
The lifeblood of a business school is its faculty, and at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business our faculty members are inspiring, supportive and world-class. We are attuned to a marketplace that values innovation, entrepreneurialism, analytical thinking and hard work. Our teaching and research equips students with the wisdom of business scholarship rooted in the experiential lessons of the marketplace.
December 12, 2025
UMD Research Details the Causal Impact of Delivery Integration on Retailer Sales Performance
Target’s 2017 $550M acquisition of Shipt enabled nationwide same-day delivery. Research by UMD’s Dresner, Park and Pan shows that directing customers to Shipt boosts platform sales, while integrating same-day and standard delivery on Target’s site increases Target’s own online sales.
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UMD Research Details the Causal Impact of Delivery Integration on Retailer Sales Performance
July 15, 2025
A Way to Minimize the Pension Problem
Public pensions face mounting pressure amid economic uncertainty and legal battles. The Smith School’s T. Leigh Anenson offers a legal framework for reform, advocating “contract minimalism” to balance state budget constraints with fair protections for employee retirement benefits.
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A Way to Minimize the Pension Problem
May 9, 2024
Supply Chain Mapping, Not Climate Prediction, is Key to Mitigating Risk for Corporate Boards
The Financial Times recently tapped a UMD research team led by Smith’s Sandor Boyson to describe supply chain mapping as critical to corporate boards for mitigating climate risk.
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Supply Chain Mapping, Not Climate Prediction, is Key to Mitigating Risk for Corporate Boards
February 23, 2023
Are C-Suites Any More Diverse Than When a Racial Reckoning Began Three Years Ago?
When asked if she would issue the same call to action to corporations she gave them in 2020, Professor Rachelle Sampson said “I would.”
November 17, 2022
Airlines Failing in Customer Service: Smith Experts Explain its Roots and Strategies for Passengers
AAA’s prediction for 54.6 million Thanksgiving weekend travelers would push travel in the United States to 98 percent of pre-pandemic volume. But it may not be enough to reserve airport parking spaces beforehand or allocate extra time for TSA lines.
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Airlines Failing in Customer Service: Smith Experts Explain its Roots and Strategies for Passengers
November 3, 2022
What Today’s Retailers Can Learn from the H.H.Gregg Bankruptcy
Location, location, location. It’s the #1 rule in real estate and very important in the retail landscape we’ve been dealing with since 2010, when the retail apocalypse began. H.H. Gregg’s story is a cautionary tale that can teach us much about how stores can survive if they are in a mall that…
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What Today’s Retailers Can Learn from the H.H.Gregg Bankruptcy
May 25, 2022
Summer Reading List 2022
Check out the 19th annual Summer Reading List for Business Leaders, with recommendations from faculty members at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. This year’s list includes new and older books on the Fed, problem-solving, entrepreneurism, memory, vaccines, and human…
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Summer Reading List 2022
May 25, 2022
Playbook for a Climate-Ready Supply Chain
Extreme weather that has increasingly hammered factories, rail lines, ports and highways is expected to intensify as the globe continues to warm. Across industries, leadership teams have awakened to the high degree of financial risk posed by this climate change.
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Playbook for a Climate-Ready Supply Chain
April 21, 2022
The Benefits of a Multi-Stakeholder Strategy
When companies make decisions, it’s not just shareholders they must consider – employees, suppliers, communities and governments are affected too. And new research is showing that firms that don’t factor all stakeholders into the equation are missing out.
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The Benefits of a Multi-Stakeholder Strategy
February 16, 2022
Gender, Competitiveness and How We Advocate for Others
In the workplace, success sometimes comes down to how competitive you are. And sometimes it comes down to how competitive the people are who are advocating on your behalf.
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Gender, Competitiveness and How We Advocate for Others