Transportation Market-driven mechanisms like auctions may be a more effective way to allocate airport slots than administrative processes.  Supply Chain Management  An integrated model for scheduling production and distribution can result in cost savings and improved customer service for companies driven by direct orders. Strategic Games The Distributor Game uses web-enabled supports training and learning for today’s supply chains. New Center Opens at Smith Faculty Kudos Conferences and Symposia

Robert F. Engle III, co-recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Clive W. Granger, spoke at the Smith School on Friday, April 15 as part of the University of Maryland Statistics Consortiums Statistics Day 2005 program. Engle is the Michael Armellino Professor of Management of Financial Services at the Stern School of Business, New York University. He was honored for his work in developing methods for statistical modeling of time-varying volatility.

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.

In keeping with its distinguished record of professional leadership, Smiths finance department will host the biennial Maryland Finance Symposium. Titled Governance, Markets, and Financial Policy, the conference is scheduled to run from Thursday, March 31, to Saturday, April 2, 2005, at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center.

The Robert H. Smith School of Business welcomed thought leaders from top undergraduate business schools across the United States on March 18 & 19, 2005. Some 60 participants, primarily undergraduate program directors and faculty leaders, attended the National Undergraduate Business Symposium (NUBS), which aims to continually improve member schools undergraduate business programs through discussion of common issues and sharing of ideas in today's rapidly-changing global arena.

(l to r) Dean Howard Frank, Scott Koerwer, Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Herd Behavior in Voluntary Disclosure of Capital Expenditure Forecasts Highly reputable firms set the standard for voluntary disclosure; many other firms just follow the crowd Mid-life Transition Decision Processes and Career Successes Understanding the process of mid-life career transition may help employers keep their employees Foreign Investment: A Big Boost for Small Business Foreign portfolio investment gives a big boost to small businesses, both at home and abroad A Word From Dean Frank PhD Program at a Glance, Lawrence Gordon

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.

A new book released this month offers guidance on how firms can avoid the kind of corporate victories that end up as disasters, harming shareholders and placing the firms future in jeopardy. Beware the Winners Curse: Victories That Can Sink You and Your Company (Oxford University Press, 2004) expands the model of the Winners Curse to explain how companies like Tyco, MCI-WorldCom and Lucent overpaid for acquisitions, and how shareholders su