A Guide For Using VR, AR Technology in Foreign Markets

Global businesses use AR and VR to engage consumers, but cultural differences impact success. Smith professor P.K. Kannan’s research finds foreign brands face challenges in South Korea’s XR market. Companies must tailor strategies, choose technology wisely, and build local brand communities.

The Impact of App Crashes on Consumer Engagement

The authors develop and test a theoretical framework to examine the impact of app crashes on app engagement. The framework predicts that consumers increase engagement after encountering a single crash due to their need-for-closure and curiosity, yet reduce engagement after experiencing repeated and concentrated crashes, primarily because of frustration and perceived task unattainability; the recency of crashes moderates these effects. Field data analysis reveals that while a crash truncates a session and reduces content consumption, it increases page views in the following session.

Transforming Products into Platforms: Unearthing New Avenues for Business Innovation

It is impossible for brands to ignore digital platform opportunities. Network effects are one of the strongest sources of power and defensibility ever invented and underlie some of the most valuable businesses in the world. Managers and entrepreneurs can leverage the power of platforms by adding some platform elements to their existing products or services, by distributing their brands via existing platforms or by developing their own new platforms.

Liability of Foreignness in Immersive Technologies: Evidence from Extended Reality Innovations

This study investigates the persistence of the Liability of Foreignness (LOF) in the realm of immersive technologies like Extended Reality (XR), which includes Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Challenging the assumption that digitalization eliminates traditional barriers for foreign firms, we argue that LOF in XR stems from foreign companies' difficulties in providing a "mentally fluent" experience to consumers in foreign markets. Cultural mismatches can disrupt smooth information processing and diminish the effectiveness of XR innovations.

Smith Undergrads Honored as Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars

Three Smith seniors were honored as Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars, recognizing mentorship’s impact. At a Nov. 1 ceremony, Abigail Manga, Adelina Seck, and Grayson Vintz celebrated their achievements alongside K-12 and Smith mentors, highlighting the program’s legacy of excellence.

Dual Smith Degrees Help Alumnus Pursue Passion And Talent

Ed-Lamar Petion ’24, a digital artist and Smith School graduate in supply chain management and marketing, joined Microsoft's SCORE program. Balancing his career and art business, Petion draws inspiration from his upbringing and UMD resources to fuel his entrepreneurial journey.

Thinkers50 Hall of Fame Inducts Smith’s Anil Gupta, Haiyan Wang

Anil K. Gupta and Haiyan Wang, MBA ’95, have been inducted into the 2024 Thinkers50 Hall of Fame for their leadership in analyzing globalization trends. Their combined 60 years of research and consulting includes co-founding the China India Institute and authoring several influential books.

Bradley Polkowitz ’23 on How He Turned a Smith Degree into an NFL Dream

Bradley Polkowitz ’23, a double major in operations management and marketing at UMD's Robert H. Smith School of Business, now works as an international rotational analyst for the NFL. He co-founded the Maryland Sports Business Conference and helped launch the Smith School's Sports Management Program.

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