SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Say you're a hotel manager trying to decide whether to build a pool: Will the additional reservations you bring in from that amenity offset the cost of construction and maintenance? Or say you offer free bottled water to all guests. If you stopped doing so, would you save money in the long run?

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Venture capitalists are stars in Silicon Valley, picking and choosing among potential tech giants and riding startups to riches (if they're lucky). But venture capital isn't for every startup, and the pursuit of VC can be a trap, points out

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Since the global financial crisis, “active” fund managers — stock pickers looking to beat the market — have lost ground to their “passive“ counterparts, as investors “shun stock pickers amid concerns over bad performance and high fees,” the Financia

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Apple CEO Tim Cook is back from a weeklong visit to India, which the company hopes will be its next major growth center, now that China is cooling. But the company, which has only about 2 percent of the Indian smartphone market today, faces a host of challenges, explains Gary A. Cohen, associate dean for executive programs at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, at the University of Maryland.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Video gaming, as eSports, is drawing a marketing bonanza thanks to Millennials, who also make any ‘Is it a legit sport?’ debate moot, says marketing professor Hank Boyd at the University of Maryland’s Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Lines at some airports have gotten nightmarish as travelers head into the summer's first holiday weekend. As a result, a top Transportation Security Administration official has lost his job, airlines are pleading that Congress spend more money on the TSA, and two U.S.

The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business awarded two PhD candidates with $4,000 each to support their research. CIBER Director Kislaya Prasad presented Yang Pan and Lanfei Shi, both PhD candidates in information systems, with the awards at a ceremony on May 11, 2016.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Bayer announced plans in May 2016 for a buyout of Monsanto, and critics did not wait long before blasting the proposed megadeal. MarketWatch called it bad news for anyone who grows or eats food.

Congratulations to Professor Sally Simpson, director of C-BERC and professor in the department of criminology and criminal justice, on being appointed a member in the Committee on Law and Justice, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (2016-2019)!

The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is pleased to announce that Mark Wellman, clinical professor of management and organization, is the recipient of the inaugural CIBER Award for Teaching Innovation in Global Learning. The award aims to recognize a Smith faculty member who has demonstrated a commitment to teaching for a global mindset, meaning an openness to and awareness of diversity across cultures and markets.