Participants in Smiths the Smith-GSBA Global Executive MBA Program recently had an opportunity to bring classroom lessons on global business and cross cultural management to life with a module in Beijing, China, December 11-22, 2006. The business managers from Europe were in Beijing to participate in a living case study presented by Otis Elevator executives. For the majority, it was their first trip to China.

Peter C. Fusaro, one of the world's leading experts on energy and environmental markets, spoke at the Smith School of Business on December 5, 2006. Fusaro is the founder of Global Change Associates and the CEO of Energy & Environment Capital Management, LLC. He is also a frequent consultant to governments and the author of What Went Wrong at Enron. Fusaro spoke on the latest trends in energy and environmental markets, including recent policy and technological developments. Fusaro's talk was organized by the Smith chapter of Net Impact and by the Smith MBA Finance Association.

The posters were set out, the props were in place, the students were in suits, and the atmosphere was electric. The first QUEST & GE Innovation and Consulting Conference, held on December 13, 2006, was the highlight of the year for seniors in the Smith Schools Quality Enhancement and Teams (QUEST) Program. More than 200 people gathered to view the storyboards and hear student teams describe their consulting projects on a night that capped off months of hard work and preparation.

College Park, Md. November 7, 2006 With the opening bell of the markets today, 10 undergraduate students majoring in finance at the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School continued their yearlong challenge of managing the recently launched $50,000 Lemma Senbet Fund.

  Dr. William Frey, Global Business Director, DuPont Biofuels, addresses Smith School students as Dennis Magyar, North America Industry Manager, DuPont Biofuels, looks on.

Japanese and American business people met at the Robert H. Smith School of Business on November 20 to discuss IT trends and investment opportunities in Japan. The luncheon was part of the State of Maryland's sister state program with the Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Kanagawa is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Honshū, Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. Officials from both governments attended the luncheon.

Smith students had the opportunity to hear from an expert in the field of ethics in advertising Wednesday, November 08, 2006. Lesley Fair, senior attorney at the Federal Trade Commissions Bureau of Consumer Protection, gave a talk titled, The Truth About False Advertising: Why Ethical Marketing Isn't an Oxymoron. Fair introduced her discussion by giving examples of consumer behavior in response to false advertising. When a company receives a complaint letter there are an average of nine people who know about that complaint, according to some studies, she said.

A three-man team from the Smith School wowed portfolio managers and stock analysts at Cornell Universitys Johnson School of Managements fifth annual MBA Stock Pitch Challenge. The event was held November 3, 2006 at the Parker Center for Investment Research in Ithaca, NY.

The Supply Chain Management Lab at the Smith School was buzzing by 8 a.m. on Oct. 24 as four teams of Smith students logged onto computers to compete against teams from around the world in the first global competition of the Supply Chain Game. Developed by researchers at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the game is the first real-time simulation that pits players against each other in an online interactive environment.

Robert Colson, partner at Grant Thornton LLP, spoke to an auditorium of accounting students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business on Thursday, October 24 about the business of ethics and morality. He was the second speaker in the Business Ethics Lecture Series held at Smith. An accountant by day, Colsons interests range from ecology to fly fishing. His work experience spans several decades and includes stints in academia, the nonprofit world, and multinational corporations.