Smith Newslink MBA - An eNewsletter for MBA Students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business

Smith School Hosts First Global Serious Gaming Competition

Teams from top business schools throughout the United States, Europe and Asia competed March 27 in the first-ever Global Supply Chain Competition, a revolutionary real-time simulation developed by researchers at the Smith School and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Competition sponsor Sun Microsystems, Inc., donated prizes and powerful servers to host the Web-based game, in which players competed virtually from their home campuses to manage the most efficient supply chain. While currently the game is used as a classroom tool within the Smith School and its global academic affiliates, among its possible industry applications is as a cutting-edge corporate education model and platform for globally distributed organizations.
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Smith School to Host "The Disney Keys to Excellence" Conference on Leadership, Management, Service, & Loyalty in June
The Smith School is honored to host and be a Gold Sponsor of the Disney Institute's renowned professional development program, “The Disney Keys to Excellence.” The full-day event -- on June 6, 2007 in Van Munching Hall -- will give area business professionals a chance to discover, “the business behind the magic.” The program sessions will introduce participants to innovative Disney business strategies that they can implement in their own organizations. As the host of this event, the Smith School is able to offer the Disney program to members of the Smith community for $349 per person. Be sure to use discount code UMCPDISNEY07 when you register.
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Smith MBA's SHOP DC Shopping and Fashion Guide Acquired by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
SHOP DC, a Washington, D.C. shopping and fashion guide founded by Zoey Rawlins, MBA '06, was recently acquired by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI) and has been relaunched as DC Scout. Rawlins announced she will use some of the proceeds to benefit student entrepreneurs at the Smith School. She created SHOP DC two years ago while working toward her MBA at the Smith School and with $7,000 in startup funding from the school’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. The Dingman Center assisted SHOP DC as part of $50,000 in seed stage funding the center annually makes available to student-run, start-up companies.
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Students Organize Community Entrepreneurship Conference at Shady Grove
Students at the Smith School will host a community-wide entrepreneurship conference, “Turning your Passion into Profit,” Saturday, April 14 at the Universities at Shady Grove (9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, Md.) The Smith School’s chapter of CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization) organized the daylong conference, which begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m., engaging prospective and future business owners, entrepreneurs, and students throughout the Washington region.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Skip Yowell, co-founder of JanSport Inc. He’ll talk about his experience starting and growing JanSport and sign copies of his book, The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder and Other Mountains.
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Seventh Annual Netcentricity Conference on April 27
Smith School MBA students are cordially invited to a daylong exploration of one of the most important developments in the networked era - the Transformation of Financial Markets. Join distinguished members of the finance community -- including Richard Schaeffer, chairman of NYMEX Holdings, Inc. and the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc., speakers, panelists, and renowned scholars from the Smith School’s finance and decision and information technology faculty when they gather to assess the forces driving change in this critical industry.

Thanks to a generous grant we are offering this conference to you at the special rate of $25 (normally $95), if you register before April 15! Use discount code: NETC07STU. For complete program information and to register online, please visit the registration Web site. Seats are limited so don't delay!
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/netconference

Net Impact Organizes Trip to IMF and IFC
The MBA student club Net Impact organized a tremendously successful field trip to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington, D.C. this semester. While the IMF part of the trip included a self-guided tour of a permanent exhibition at the IMF, the IFC event was a hosted visit. The two visits were followed by a happy hour in D,C. Net Impact had organized this happy hour for Smith School alumni at the World Bank, IFC and the IMF.
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Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship Portfolio Company Joins Silver Spring Incubator
Destination Information Systems software maker Geocentric — a Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship portfolio company — recently accepted a spot in the Silver Spring Innovation Center, a Montgomery County, Md. incubator for early-stage and startup information technology companies. “The Dingman Center’s support and advice have been extremely helpful,” said Geocentric President and Founder Jim Blakeslee, MBA '06. He launched the company in 2005.
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Smith School Heads to Finals in VCIC
A team of third-year part-time MBA students won second place and received a check for $2000 in the Southeast Regional Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC). Moshe Cohen, Nat Forgotson, Shad Imam, Skye Manders, and Tom Whelan represented the Smith School of Business at the competition held at Georgia Tech in Atlanta the weekend of March 9, 2007. Their second-place win guarantees the team a spot at the International Finals, which will be held at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in April. This marks the first time a team from Smith has advanced to the finals since 2001.
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Bestselling Author and Distinguished Deloitte Researcher to Speak on The Strategy Paradox in Executive Speaker Series
Dr. Michael Raynor, a Distinguished Fellow with Deloitte Research, continues the Executive Speakers Series with his presentation on Friday, April 6. The event is open to all students and will be held in Frank Auditorium. From 1-2 p.m., Raynor will present his theories on strategy. From 2-2:30 p.m. there will be a book signing in Frank Auditorium (VMH 1524) of his book The Strategy Paradox.
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University of Maryland’s Spring Career Fair
On March 6-7 the University of Maryland’s University Career Center hosted its annual Spring Career Fair at the Stamp Student Union. The event played host to over 140 employers each day and offered every student at the University the opportunity to talk to recruiters about internships and full-time positions. There was something there for everyone as the industries represented ranged from retail to engineering to finance.

The event filled five rooms, including two ballrooms, offering students the chance to talk to different employers each day, some of which included Unilever, HSBC, IBM, and Johnson and Johnson. First-year MBA student Lacy Kridler said, “I enjoyed having opportunity to meet face to face with a couple of the finance companies I have had my eye on.” Fellow first-year Reid Tokarz commented, “It was a great chance to meet with recruiters from a diverse range of firms.”

The University Career Center is a resource that is available to aid all university students in their search for employment. Two of their major annual events are career fairs, one that is held in the fall and one in the spring. If you would like to learn more about the services they offer visit http://www.careercenter.umd.edu/.

Smith Alumni Mentor Program
Amplify your Smith experience by joining the MBA Alumni Mentor Program. This thriving program has more than 330 alumni mentors and current MBA students. You will gain access to exclusive events with alumni within your target industry, and become part of an ever-growing network of Smith MBA students and friends. Get an early start on academic year 2007-2008 and make plans to attend an upcoming information session in Baltimore, D.C., or Shady Grove.

RSVP to MentorPro@rhsmith.umd.edu and please share your full name, expected graduation date, major/ concentration area, and telephone number when you RSVP.

Information Sessions
D.C.: March 31, 1-2 p.m.; April 2, 6-6:30 p.m.;
April 3 6-6:30 p.m.
Shady Grove: March 29, 6:15 - 6:25 p.m., 6:50 - 7:00 p.m.
Baltimore: April 9, 6-6:30 p.m.

Smith to Launch Global Consortium MBA Program
The Smith School announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with the Management Development Institute (MDI) in India and the University of International Business and Economics in China to jointly deliver a Global Consortium MBA program that will simultaneously draw students from the United States, China and India.

The two-year, full-time program, to launch in fall 2008, will be focused on global entrepreneurship and designed to offer global insight and entrepreneurial experience from within the world’s key markets. Students will complete the first year of the program at their respective home institutions. During the second year they will come together to participate in three modules; the first held in the United States, the second in China and the third in India.
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Got Crayons?
Smith Students Team Up to Benefit Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
Five Smith School MBA students are raising funds to procure basic school supplies for Ludlow-Taylor Elementary, a public pre-kindergarten through sixth grade school in Washington, D.C. In the nation’s capital, education is highly valued and considered a key to success. More than 46 percent of people 25 and older in Washington, D.C., have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Four Washington, D.C., suburbs (Arlington, VA; Towson, MD; Bethesda, MD; and Alexandria, VA) were in MONEY magazine’s the top 10 list of cities with the highest number of graduate degrees.

While Washington, D.C., seems to be a mecca for higher education, many of our D.C. public elementary schools struggle to obtain the most basic classroom needs, say student organizers. The staff members at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School were recently asked to compose a school supply “wish list” and the results were shocking. The staff “wish list” included basic needs like chalk, paper, pencils, scissors, and calculators. Now imagine going to school to learn without having anything to write with or write on. Imagine trying to teach students basic skills without chalk, or correcting assignments without pens.

The five Smith MBAs are soliciting donations in three ways:
• A three-hour open bar event at McFadden’s from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on April 14; $10 from each $25 cover charge will be donated to the project;
• Raffle tickets will be sold at the open bar event for a chance at donated prizes from local merchants;
• Private donations, in any amount, may be given to one of the five student coordinators. Checks should be made payable to “Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School.” Please include the note “School Supply Fundraiser.” (Fed ID#: 53-600-1131 DC: 9199-0046164-006) We kindly ask that all donations are delivered to Mariela Garcia Guevara, Cytena Hubbard, Emily Martin, Tracy Poy, or Kevin Tyldesley, or faculty sponsor Dr. Rhonda Reger by Friday, April 13th.

Ethics Lecture Series April 18 – B. Gary Dando
The spring 2007 Business Ethics Lecture Series at the Smith School is pleased to welcome B. Gary Dando ’64 on April 18 to speak on “The Cheating Culture.” Dando is a retired partner of Ernst & Young where he worked for 37 years. His expertise covers a wide variety of industries including high technology, government contracting and regional banking institutions. This event will take place in Frank Auditorium, 1524 Van Munching Hall from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

All Hands on Deck!
Part-time Students Need Your Help Supporting Disabled and At-risk Youth Programs at Baltimore Sailing Center
MBA students in Dr. Rhonda Reger's class on Strategic Project Management: A Service Learning Course (BUMO 758P) encourage you to come to All Hands on Deck, a sailing and fundraising event benefiting the outreach programs offered by the Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore, MD. The event will be held Sunday, April 29; 12–5 p.m. Folks interested in contributing to the center can do so through donations or by buying a $25 ticket. Tickets are good for an open sail, free food and drink, and free admission to a charity auction.
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More Latest News

♦ Spring 2007 Smith Business Magazine

♦ Research@Smith January 2007

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University Update (NEW SECTION!)

Duncan Appointed University of Maryland Vice President
Douglas M. Duncan, former Montgomery County Executive, was appointed last week as the University of Maryland, College Park's Vice President for Administrative Affairs. He fills the position vacated in January by John D. Porcari, who joined Gov. Martin O'Malley's cabinet as Maryland Secretary of the Department of Transportation. Duncan's appointment is effective April 4.
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Recyclemania at UM
The University of Maryland is part of a nationwide 10-week recycling contest among colleges and universities. The challenge is on now until April 7. UM reached an all-time high recycling 92,900 pounds from March 4 through March 10, 2007. The Facilities Management staff collected 46,450 tons of cardboard, paper, bottles, and cans. Recycling bins are located throughout buildings on campus. For more information, visit:
http://www.environment.umd.edu/recycle.html

UM President Mote Among Three From UM Selected as State's Most Influential
University of Maryland President C.D. Mote, Jr., Martha Connolly, director of the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program at the A. James Clark School of Engineering, and Deborah Yow, director of athletics, were named to an inaugural class of influential Marylanders by The Daily Record newspaper in Baltimore.
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Negotiations Underway for East Campus Redevelopment
The University of Maryland and FP-Argo of Rockville, Maryland (a joint venture of the Foulger-Pratt Companies and Argo Investment Company) announced on March 15 that they will commence discussions immediately toward the goal of redeveloping the East Campus site; a 38-acre university-owned property located immediately opposite the campus on the east side of Baltimore Ave. (US Route 1) in College Park.
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Spotlight: Brett Weinrieb, Vice-President of Finance, MBAA

He loves to meet different people. Around campus, there is many a tale among fellow MBAers of Brett walking straight up to them and asking these deceptively simple questions which engaged them. This desire led him to run for the MBAA VP of Finance position. During his campaigning, it is wildly believed that Brett spoke to possibly every member of the Full-time MBA student body, but he refuses to confirm or deny this tidbit.
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Spotlight: Chris LaCola, Executive Director, Career Management and Recruitment

As executive director of career management and recruitment, Christine LaCola takes on the responsibility of ensuring the Smith School is working together to create a cohesive cycle for all graduate students that attend the program. In order to accomplish this task, part of her responsibility is breaking down the walls that have existed between departments, to make sure that everyone is working towards the same goals. It is a never ending process that is in constant transformation as the management education marketplace adjusts and evolves. However, LaCola believes continuous improvement is both necessary and possible. The final result is programming that offers its students an interconnected experience from recruitment, admissions and career services to post graduation with the Office of External Relations.
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Smith School in the News

►ComputerWorld – March 26, 2007 – David Kirsch, assistant professor of management and organization, is quoted in a story about Web 2.0 and lessons learned from the previous dot-com bubble burst. ►Read more

►Reuters – March 25, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici is quoted in a story about U.S. automakers invited to the White House and Toyota’s exclusion. ►Read more

►NPR: Morning Edition – March 21, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici is interviewed for a story about plans to build the largest steel mill in the U.S. ►Listen online

►Christian Science Monitor – March 19, 2007 – David Kirsch, assistant professor of management and organization, is quoted in a story about the electric car. ►Read more

►Washington Post – March 18, 2007 – Associate Dean Scott Koerwer is quoted in a column about the importance of persuasion and soft skills in an MBA curriculum. ►Read more

►CNN: Lou Dobbs This Week – March 18, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici is interviewed about U.S. trade with China. ►Read the transcript

►The Daily Record – March 14, 2007 – Finance teaching fellow Elinda Kiss is quoted in a story about subprime mortgages. ►Read more

►Baltimore Examiner – March 12, 2007 – Pat Cleveland, associate dean for undergraduate programs, is quoted in a story about community colleges and how they prepare students to enter a four-year program. ►Read more

►New York Times – March 11, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici is quoted in a story about American exports and trade. ►Read more

►Wall Street Journal – March 9, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici adds a quote to the Economists React column on the February jobs report.

More Smith School in the News

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Thursday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 6, 6:00 a.m.

How does information technology impact the securities business today?
Retail brokerage is one of the most successful examples of e-commerce, it is estimated that about 25 percent of stock trades are entered online by investors, more at brokers like Schwab, and close to 100 percent at brokers like eTrade.

In the next edition of Smith Business Close-Up Hank Lucas, professor and chair of information systems at the Smith School and a recognized expert on information technology, discusses how IT is impacting the securities business today. Professor Lucas also discusses the upcoming 7th Annual Netcentricity Conference (to take place April 27th) hosted by the Smith School. Richard Schaeffer, chairman of NYMEX Holdings, Inc. and the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc., is the conference’s keynote speaker.

Smith Business Close-Up can be seen bi-weekly on Maryland Public Television's Business Connection. Watch Hank Lucas on Thursday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, April 6, 6:00 a.m. on public television stations throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, including:

   ■ WMPB-TV (Ch. 67), Baltimore
    ■ WMPT-TV (Ch. 22), D.C. metro/Annapolis
    ■ WCPB-TV (Ch. 28), Salisbury
    ■ WFPT-TV (Ch. 62), Frederick
    ■ WWPB-TV (Ch. 31), Hagerstown
    ■ WGPT-TV (Ch. 36), Oakland

Previous episodes of Smith Business Close-Up on Maryland Public Television's Business Connection can be seen online.

Faculty Up Front

Joydeep Srivastava: Culture & Bargaining
Because of globalization, business people around the world increasingly find themselves negotiating with people from other countries and cultures. Scholars have been divided on the effects of a person’s culture on the negotiation process. One school of thought suggests that culture is always important and always influences bargaining outcomes. The second school takes the other extreme—that culture never matters and is irrelevant. Recent research by Joydeep Srivastava, associate professor of marketing, shows that neither view is quite correct. “Culture matters, but it interacts with bargaining outcomes in a dynamic way. Some bargaining situations will evoke universal human reactions, whereas some may evoke culture-based responses,” says Srivastava.
►Full Story & Podcast in January's Research@Smith

A Conversation with Dr. Anil Gupta
In the second episode of the new Podcast series “Conversations,” second-year MBA candidate Sachin Agarwal speaks with Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Strategy and Organization, Dr. Anil Gupta. Gupta specializes in the field of strategy, globalization, and organization design. He is the coauthor of three books on global strategy and has been recognized by Business Week as an Outstanding Faculty member in its Guide to the Best B-Schools. In this audio podcast, he talks about his career, research interests, China, India, and whether strategy is an art or a science.
►Download Podcast

Technology@Smith

Want to Purchase a Computer or Peripheral Device?
You can shop from any vendor you prefer, but here are a couple of commonly used Web sites that give you UM pricing:

Dell and Apple computers and peripherals (as well as some peripherals from other vendors):
Go to http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/purchasing/. Log in with your University Directory ID (the same login you use for Blackboard or eSmith portal).

The prices for personal use are different than those when using university funds, so if you plan to use a university account make sure you select “personal purchases.”

Update Your Virus Protection
Our installations of McAfee are set to automatically update virus definitions, however, when security exploits are announced, this needs to be done more frequently. To protect your computer please manually update your McAfee virus definitions as soon as possible. To do this,
1. Right click on the red "V" in the taskbar at the bottom right of your computer screen.
2. Choose "update now" and it will update to the latest version of "dat."
Of course, new viruses or "exploits" are most likely being created, so you should manually run McAfee updates daily.

Update Your Windows Critical Patches
If you have a computer with our software image (such as your office computer), that PC is set to automatically update critical Windows patches overnight. We recommend that you remain logged into Novell overnight, and THEN RE-BOOT YOUR COMPUTER IN THE MORNING. This will download the latest critical patches available for Windows, and when you re-boot your computer in the morning they will be installed. As always, the Office of Smith IT recommends that you distrust all communication (attachments, files, links, etc.) that comes unannounced to best protect yourself from malicious attacks.
►More information on the latest Microsoft Advisories

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Bulletin Board

Happy Hour Fundraiser to Support Breast Cancer Awareness and Research
Come to Tommy Joe's in Bethesda on March 31, 6-9 p.m., where your $5 cover will help support breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment! The goal is to raise $1,000 for a team of survivors who will be walking in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. You can make a donation to the team at
http://www.buddiesforbreasts.com/mba.htm.

* $3.50 rail drinks, house wine, draft beer, domestic bottles
* 25% off wings, quesadillas, chicken fingers
* Final Four on big screen TVs
* Specials last until 9 PM
* Cover charge includes one free raffle ticket

Brought to you by MBAs4aCure, please contact Leslie
Pankowski at lpankows2007@rhsmith.umd.edu with any questions.

First MBA Basketball Tournament
Interested in networking with Smith MBA students (full-time, part-time and executive programs) and business faculty? Come to the first 3-on-3 B2B (Business to Basketball) Tournament on Sunday, April 22, 1 - 5 p.m. at the Reckford Armory Gymnasium (College Park Campus). Prizes and trophies will be awarded and refreshments will be provided! Check all of information (including 3-on-3 rules) at: http://iliveindc.com/rhsmithbball
►Register via e-mail at rhsmithbball@gmail.com.

Spring Break Photos

Second-years Christina Schoen and Nathan Groce in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Both are headed to Campbell’s Soup Company in
New Jersey post-graduation. Christina will be joining for Finance, and Nathan for Brand Management.

Second-year Mark Slusser asked his girlfriend Christi Cook to marry him in the Dominican Republic. She said yes!

Second-years Pablo Ortega, Christina Cook, Sophie Shuklin, Nathan Groce, Lisette Gonzalez and Eda Alada in Puerto Rico.

Terps in the Dominican Republic, including Steven Schifferle, Christi Cook, Mark Slusser, Christopher Mandozzi, Chris Van Horn, Tray Spilker and Joe Kearney. Camerawoman is Anne Engebretsen.

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