SMITH BRAIN TRUST – Adweek's list of the 10 best ads from 2016 runs the emotional gamut. There is comedy. There's drama. There's even a bit of spy intrigue. If that mix sounds a little like the box office for any given year, that's no surprise, says Henry C. Boyd III, marketing professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "More and more we are seeing spots that are more than a commercial," he says.

Editor’s Note: Liz Sara, chair of the Board of Advisors for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, is looking ahead to 2017. She offers these insights on the technology sector. By LIZ SARA

On Nov. 28, 2016, students in the Smith Hospitality Business Fellows (HBF) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business were honored to host Kimo Kippen, vice president of Global Workforce Initiatives at Hilton. Kimo, as he is known, gave a lively and engaging strategic overview of Hilton's business. Topics included Hilton's vision, mission and values; the company's diverse brand portfolio; and its pipeline of new hotels, which is the largest in the world.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Why do we want the things we can't have? In the toy market, especially in the holiday season, it's sometimes because demand just takes off like a flying reindeer, surprising Santa, and toy makers and everyone in between. We're referring, of course, to the Hatchimal, the small, furry, motorized creature that pecks its way out of its colorful plastic egg and sings "Happy Birthday." Store shelves and online retail sites have been widely cleared of the little coveted creatures, leaving

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – Last week, Domino's Pizza delivered a pizza by reindeer in Japan.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Standard coach class might soon feel downright luxurious. United Airlines is the latest major U.S.

Launched this fall, the University of Maryland Research Data Center (UMDRDC) is the newest facility of the national Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDC) network. A Grand Opening Ceremony will be held on Nov. 18, 2016, at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Black Friday is old hat. Cyber Monday is passe. The most interesting shopping day of the year is the one you haven't even heard of: It's Green Monday. It's the Monday after the final shopping weekend before Christmas, when frazzled consumers hit the web to snap up the final few gifts on their list before the window closes on the all-important free-shipping offers.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Donald Trump has a problem that the opinion polls aren't capturing. It's his brand. If the polls hold and Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election on Nov. 8, the New York mogul will be surrounded not just by the tatters of a failed political campaign, but also by a business brand that's been tarnished beyond recognition. Restoring that brand to its former luster could be his toughest challenge yet.

Professors at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business placed No. 1 in the world for "faculty quality" in The Economist's 2016 full-time MBA rankings, marking the third consecutive year atop the category. Prior to the current run, the school finished No. 2 for faculty quality in 2013. Overall, the Smith School finished No. 47 globally and No. 32 in the United States in the latest rankings, released Oct. 13.