The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is excited to announce some favorite books in the "10th Annual Top-10 Summer Reading List for Business Leaders" for 2013, as recommended by members of its faculty and staff.

College Park, Md. April 17, 2006 For anyone who uses just half the buttons on their cell phone, or has spent hours poring over a new users manual only to give up in frustration, recent research from the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business explains why too many product features result in a phenomenon called feature fatigue.

Roland Rust, Holder of the David Bruce Smith Chair of Marketing, was interviewed by National Public Radio′s Weekend Edition (March 11) about his research -- co-authored by Rebecca Hamilton, assistant professor, and Debora Viana Thompson, doctoral student -- on feature fatigue. Rust gives examples of products suffering from feature fatigue and explains to listeners what they can do to avoid getting caught in the feature fatigue trap. Listen Now!

On March 8, 2006, WUSA-TV, Channel 9 in Washington, D.C., showcased research by Roland Rust, Holder of the David Bruce Smith Chair of Marketing; Rebecca Hamilton, assistant professor; and Debora Viana Thompson, doctoral student; on feature fatigue, or the phenomena of too many product features turning consumers off. Television news anchor Bruce Leshan interviewed Rust at his office in Van Munching Hall where Rust showed examples of products suffering from feature overload as well as those that offer a better experience for users because of their simplicity.

The University of Maryland chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) used to have just 15 members. Today, thanks to the efforts of Professors Mary Harms and Steve Vargo, and the 15 carryover members from last year, that number has multiplied 10 fold, and the chapter now boasts 150 active, national members! This dramatic increase, along with an overnight trip to New York City and increased philanthropic efforts, was enough to catch the attention of the national AMA.

By Henry P. Sims, Jr.From the Spring '05 issue of SMITHbusiness OK, I confess I'm addicted to The Apprentice. And judging by conversations in my MBA class, so are my students. I'm no TV critic, but I would give the program, and executive Donald Trump, an A for entertainment. From week to week, we tune in and wonder which of the aspiring executives will survive, and we wait for the next twist from The Trumpster.

College Park - February 14, 2005 - The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business marketing department continues to be distinguished for its role in setting leading marketing theory and practices with the announcement of two awards from the American Marketing Association. Roland T. Rust, holder of the David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and Stephen L. Vargo, visiting professor of marketing, were both honored with awards at the American Marketing Association 2005 Winter Marketing Educators Conference, on February 1114, in San Antonio, Tex.

Roland T. Rust, chair of the marketing department at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, was recently named editor of the prestigious Journal of Marketing. This journal has been ranked number one in two of the last three surveys of major marketing journals. It is the oldest and most frequently cited journal in the marketing field and enjoys unique impact and visibility with the international marketing community. The journals broad audience ranges from academic members to the business community in the marketing field.

Last month five Smith MBAs -- Jayaraman Anantharam, Ryan Fleming, Lea Kleinschmidt, Catherine Philbin, and Estella Y.J. Rong -- participated in the Fifth Annual Kenan-Flagler Marketing Case Competition at the University of North Carolina.

On Wednesday, February 18, 2004, the American Marketing Association presented an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the challenges facing the retail industry firsthand from Frank Guzzetta, CEO and president of Hecht's.