Nations around the globe are captivated with World Cup fever. For the first time, the tournament is in South Africa and having big impacts on the country. In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up, Smith marketing faculty member Hank Boyd discusses a recent MBA student trip he led to South Africa to learn about the marketing surrounding the World Cup.

The U.S. debt is ticking away past $14 trillion and threatens to hit the current federally imposed limit on how much we borrow to keep our economy afloat. What are the impacts if this limit is not raised in time as lawmakers squabble of the details of how to manage the country’s debt crisis?

Nations around the globe are captivated with World Cup fever. For the first time, the tournament is in South Africa and having big impacts on the country. In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up, Smith marketing faculty member Hank Boyd discusses a recent MBA student trip he led to South Africa to learn about the marketing surrounding the World Cup.

New York, NY (May 26, 2010) – Multiple factors including poor data, incomplete performance metrics, and, short-term focus and unrealistic optimism among senior business managers contributed to the collapse in the US housing and mortgage markets, according to a study released today by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

College Park, Md. – May 25, 2010 – The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business announced it has received a $1.5 million four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to operate its Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). Funds are awarded in a national competition held every four years and the current grant will fund the center until 2014.

With an unemployment rate of more than 9 percent and significant underemployment, some argue highly skilled foreign-born workers should be restricted from entering the United States on work visas. But do foreign workers really depress the wages of American workers as some reports claim?

Thursday, May 20, 2010, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 23, 2010, 7:30 a.m.; Monday, May 24, 2010, 4:30 a.m.

Each day, Google Maps transfers so much data it is measured in petabytes (that’s a digit with 15 zeros behind it). And that’s just the Maps platform of the Internet giant. With all of this data being transferred through cyberspace, security is a big issue. According to experts the focus should be on securing entire platforms, rather than individual servers with applications, to really secure the flow of data in the cyber supply chain. How to tackle this issue was the topic of discussion at the May 26 CyberMaryland Forum, held at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

College Park, Md. – March 12, 2010 – Curt Grimm, Dean’s Professor of Supply Chain and Strategy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, was named a 2010-2011 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher by the University of Maryland. Grimm is one of five faculty members recognized campus-wide in the prestigious program, which honors tenured faculty who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments as educators and notable achievements in their respective fields. Each scholar will present a lecture during the school year, and the award carries an honorarium to support professional activities.

Thursday, March 11, 2010, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 14, 2010, 7:30 a.m.; Monday, March 15, 2010, 4:30 a.m. Toyota: On the Road to Recovery?     Toyota, the automaker once revered for safety, has been reeling after recalling more than 8 million vehicles for mechanical issues that could pose safety threats. With congressional hearing, public apologies, and a roller coaster market response, can Toyota recover or will it be lapped by its competitors?