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.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Amazon may be synonymous with online shopping and fast shipping, but Walmart isn't ceding the e-commerce field to its hipper rival. Walmart announced last week that it was ramping up its efforts to counter Amazon's very successful Amazon Prime program — for $99 a year, Amazon offers free two-day shipping and a host of other benefits, i

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Saudi Arabia has announced a plan to spin off about 5 percent of its state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco — which, at $2 trillion (some estimates are even higher), may be the most valuable company on Earth.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Berkshire Hathaway’s small but much-discussed bite of Apple suggests a vote of confidence for a tech giant that had been sliding in the stock market.