College Park, Md. – April 6, 2009 — A business plan has zero value as a fundraising tool according to new research from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Entrepreneurs should be perfecting their business, not spending hours refining how their plan looks on paper, say researchers.

Broadcast Dates: Feb. 5, 2009, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 8, 2009, 7:30 a.m.; Feb. 9, 2009, 4:30 a.m.   Big news for entrepreneurs: Don’t waste your time on a business plan.

Many global companies have entered China and India, but only a few have gotten it right. Frequently they miss growth opportunities while focusing on offshoring and cost reduction. They tap the wealthy urban market but don’t know how to profit from the masses in second and third tier cities. And few have a clear plan for addressing competition from players from within China and India such as Lenovo, Chery Automobile, Haier, Infosys and Tata.

mith School faculty are doing more than leading the way with their research, they are also making an impact on corporate best practices. Case in point -- business intelligence and quotes from Smith faculty were recently highlighted in publications from McKinsey & Company, a leading source of business management consulting services and insight.

Andrew J. Sherman has been an adjunct professor of business management, strategy and planning at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business for over 20 years now. Sherman has been a keynote speaker on business growth topics in over 35 countries at thousands of conferences around the globe. Whether a professor, speaker, advisor or a senior partner in Jones Day in Washington, D.C., he has spent his entire career helping companies grow.  

The months after terrorists used planes to attack the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 marked a low point for the nation’s airlines industry. Most suffered deep losses in profits and had to lay off large numbers of employees. But Southwest Airlines rose above the rest, without reducing its workforce or cutting pay. The company’s success lies in its organizational culture, said former CEO James Parker, in his keynote talk for the daylong Executive Conference on Leading Organizational Change.

College Park, Md. – October 10, 2008 – University of Maryland students and their parents selected Mark Wellman, Tyser Teaching Fellow at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, with the 2008 Outstanding Faculty Educator Award. The award is presented each year by the Maryland Parents Association to honor a faculty member who demonstrates a deep commitment to providing an exemplary education experience for students.

Students in management and organization lecturer Paulo Prochno’s Global Strategy class received a special guest lecture from Israeli professor and former Philips Israel CEO Dr. Uzi de Haan, on Thursday, October 2, 2008. De Haan discussed his experiences at Philips and provided an overview of the current business climate in Israel.

In the final days of the campaign battle, U.S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, the respective Republican and Democratic nominees, have established their distinctive leadership styles. What leadership traits will the country’s next chief executive need to lead the U.S. in these troubled economic times?

With a turbulent economy, the volatile financial industry, escalating energy prices, and a presidential election in the balance, uncertainty looms large. How do you formulate strategy when you don’t know what will happen next? In the midst of a changing economy, most executives continue to use a strategy toolkit designed for yesterday’s more stable marketplace. As a result, strategies emerge that neither manage the risks nor take advantage of the opportunities that arise in highly uncertain times.