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.

Sean Cao, director of the Smith AI Initiative, has researched blockchain’s role in financial auditing for six years. His study, published in Management Science (2024), explores how permissioned blockchains enhance reporting integrity, reduce costs by 70%, and improve data privacy.

Smith finance professor Serhiy Kozak and co-authors Stefano Giglio and Bryan Kelly developed a new asset pricing model to evaluate risky investments by predicting term structures of discount rates. Their model, validated with 45 years of data, excludes reliance on dividend strip data while accurately pricing S&P 500 and equity portfolios.

Russ Wermers, Smith professor and director of Smith’s Center for Financial Policy, introduces the Holding Horizon (H-H) measure, linking mutual fund managers' long-term stock holdings to superior risk-adjusted returns. The research highlights that skilled long-horizon managers outperform, offering insights for individual investors and retirement plans.

Pretrial detention often imposes severe financial burdens on defendants and their households, increasing bankruptcy, foreclosure and insolvency rates, especially during housing downturns. Research by Pablo Slutzky, assistant professor of finance at the University of Maryland’s Smith School, highlights the systemic link between monetary bail, poverty cycles and criminal justice reform.

New research from Sean Cao at the University of Maryland’s Smith School shows that AI and human stock analysts complement each other. AI excels in processing large data, while humans outperform in complex, intangible contexts. Combining both reduces errors and improves predictions.

Smith professors Raghu Raghavan and Bruce Golden's research on Urban Air Mobility (UAM) explores routing and scheduling challenges for electric flying taxis. Their study addresses passenger demand, battery management, and real-world logistics, aiming to maximize transport efficiency in future smart cities.

New research by Hui Liao at the Smith School reveals that obsessive passion in teams can stifle innovation by hindering reflection and flexibility. In contrast, harmonious passion promotes team reflexivity and fosters greater innovation.

Self-preferencing by large tech companies, like Amazon, faces scrutiny, with Congress considering the AICOA and OAMA bills to restrict the practice. Research by Smith professor Bobby Zhou suggests these regulations could unintentionally raise consumer prices by reducing competition between sellers.

The Smith School's Reuben Hurst finds that flatter hierarchies, though promoting collaboration, may reduce gender diversity in job applicants. His study shows such structures lead to fewer women applying for jobs.