COLLEGE PARK, Md. – With the cardinals in Vatican City electing the successor to retired Benedict XVI, Gilad Chen, an organizational behavior expert in the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, describes leadership fundamentals the new Pope should follow: "Like their counterparts in business, religious leaders critically set and execute the vision and direction of their organization – in this case a 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church.

March 7 & 10, 2013 Maryland was the first state in the country to pass legislation allowing the formation of Benefit Corporations and LLCs, which provide companies with legal protection in pursuing “general public good” in addition to profits. Since its introduction in 2010, 10 other states and the District of Columbia have passed similar legislation, and Maryland remains the only state allowing for LLCs in addition to Corporations. But despite its status as a first mover, Maryland is falling behind other state programs in implementing the legislation.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Finance experts at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business are available to comment on the looming budget sequestration. They can help explain the implications for both the regional and national economy, and they can provide perspective on the associated political wrangling in Washington.

The Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business has helped create a new resource to improve the quality and safety of healthcare for children.

The Top 15% Teaching Awards are to be given out once a year, in the fall semester, based on faculty performance during the previous academic year. For this award, the academic year is defined as consisting of the fall semester, the winter semester, the spring semester and summer semester sessions I and II, in that order. There are three categories of awards.

Feb. 21, 2013; Feb. 24, 2013 American Airlines and US Airways are said to be ironing out the details of a merger that would create the world’s largest carrier. What could a deal mean for the industry, airports and passengers? In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Mike Ball talks about the impacts of a mega merger in the airlines industry.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Improved customer service driven by robust competition lies ahead of the new U.S. Airways-American Airlines merger, says Michael Ball, a University of Maryland expert on transportation systems and airport operations. (Ball co-directs NEXTOR, the National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research. He oversees the Collaborative Decision Making research project for the center, which is funded by the FAA, NASA and other airline industry members.)

College Park, Md. – The announced resignations of Pope Benedict XVI and Small Business Administration Head Karen Mills have drawn reaction from experts at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The Smith School has an in-house facility for live or recorded video or multimedia content. Opportunities, Pitfalls for Benedict’s Successor Gilad Chen, Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Organizational Behavior and Department Chair: giladchen@rhsmith.umd.edu, 301-405-0923

 January 28, 2013 The Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) Research Fellow Chad Konchak is part of the first place winning team for the 2013 Healthcare Informatics Innovator Awards for the Electronic Surveillance System that Flags Undiagnosed Hypertensive Patients. Konchak is currently Director of Clinical Analytics at Northshore University Health System.

A Smith professor’s research proposal on how to improve quality transparency in healthcare and inform consumer choice has won a prestigious award from the National Science Foundation.