SMITH BRAIN TRUST – Amazon's Prime Day summer sale, now in its third year, is becoming something the e-commerce giant might not have intended. It's becoming a big day for its rivals. The midsummer hype about deals online is having an impact beyond Amazon's seemingly endless website, says P.K. Kannan, professor of marketing at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – It looks like Facebook has been sending friend requests to Hollywood.

The 2017 Frontiers in Service conference was held at the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University, in New York, June 22-25, 2017. Frontiers in Service is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, as well as the American Marketing Association, IBM, Informs, and the Journal of Creating Value.

The Journal of Service Research (JSR) has been ranked No. 4 of 121 journals for its impact on business research published in 2016. JSR is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Service (CES) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, in conjunction with Sage Publications. JSR’s founding editor is Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – For Blue Apron, Amazon's blockbuster deal to acquire Whole Foods couldn't have come at a worse time, says Jie Zhang, marketing professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – The U.S. grocery industry is bracing for a shakeup – and a potential price war – as one German supermarket chain seeks to make its debut and another looks to expand its reach. German grocery chain Aldi says it will invest $3.4 billion to broaden its U.S. footprint, adding 900 new stores by 2022 and remodeling 1,300 others. German rival Lidl, meanwhile, is opening its first U.S. stores this month, with plans to open 100 by next summer.

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is excited to announce some favorite books in the 14th Annual Top-10 Summer Reading List for Business Leaders for 2017, as recommended by faculty members. (1) The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds By Michael Lewis (2016)

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – Groupon was once the fastest-growing company in the history of the web. Its stock reached a $28 initial public offering high mark in 2011, but now trades at about $4 per share. And despite diversifying its business, introducing discounted stuff to buy via Groupon Goods, the company has seen its revenue steadily decline.

The Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) has named as an Honorary Doctor Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Undergraduate students in the Hospitality Business Fellows program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business were treated to a “hard hat” tour of The Hotel at the University of Maryland on April 28, 2017. Dressed in hard hats and reflective vests, the students were honored to be the first group to tour the new hotel.