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Information Technology: Threat or Opportunity?

On April 10, the Valdai Discussion Club hosted an expert discussion on international information security, in which both Russian and foreign experts took part. The moderator was Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club. The topic of international information security has acquired particular relevance in the context of rapid scientific and technological progress. It contains both a wide…

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What Business Leaders Really Think About Generative AI

With its potential to transform life as we know it, generative AI (GenAI) has taken the world by storm. Beneath the hype, knowing how people are using the technology and their attitude towards it could help us anticipate its trajectory. A new INSEAD survey of managers and executives across industries and continents may offer some clues.The survey of some 1,200 INSEAD alumni illustrates that corporate decision-makers and employees alike are embracing…

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Meal delivery shouldn’t be a luxury

McKinsey: Delivery Hero is a pioneer in the meal delivery space. What factors, capabilities, and strategic decisions have contributed to its success? What were the turning points, if any?Niklas Östberg: One of the key strengths of Delivery Hero was always our willingness to take risks and innovate. Many of our brands were part of the first wave of online marketplaces that digitalized the phone-based meal ordering process, enabled by an…

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Ways To Evaluate Large Language Models for Cybersecurity Applications

Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute(opens in new window) (SEI) and OpenAI published a white paper(opens in new window) that found that large language models (LLMs) could be an asset for cybersecurity professionals, but should be evaluated using real and complex scenarios to better understand the technology’s capabilities and risks. LLMs underlie today’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, such as Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Bing AI, and ChatGPT, released in November 2022 by…

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NCAA Athletes as Employees Could Raise Immigration Concerns for International Students

Quick Hits Momentum to classify NCAA athletes as employees may impact international athletes’ immigration status and jeopardize their participation in NCAA sports. Most student visas limit holders’ ability to work while studying in the United States. Changes to U.S. immigration law may be necessary to allow international athletes to continue to participate in NCAA sports moving forward. In the Dartmouth College case, an NLRB regional director found that the players…

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Microsoft partners redefine healthcare with AI solutions

After the excitement of HIMSS24, healthcare organizations are harnessing AI momentum leveraging our partner network to bring transformative healthcare solutions to market. Our presence at the event revolved around the theme ‘shaping a healthier future.’ With that goal in mind, we focused on our partners’ innovative use of data and AI solutions in three key areas: solving care continuum challenges, modernizing data estates to unlock powerful insights, and accelerating essential…

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When Climate Goals, Housing Policy, and Corporate R&D Collide, Social Good Can Emerge

For almost four years, Omar Asensio and his colleagues have been studying the impact of federal energy programs on low-income neighborhoods.The intersection of technology—artificial intelligence, in particular—and public policy has long been an area of focus for Asensio, a visiting fellow with the Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS) at Harvard Business School. When the team’s research was published in Nature Sustainability in March, one organization watching closely was…

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Unlocking autonomous vehicle development: TIER IV’s open source blueprint

Shinpei Kato, CEO of TIER IV, envisions a future of transportation in which open source revolutionizes the autonomous-vehicle industry. Such a disruption would parallel Android’s rise to dominate the mobile software market, which is a testament to the power of open source. It has been a cornerstone not only in mobile software but also in web browsing with Mozilla Firefox, in cryptocurrency through Ethereum, and in the realm of code…

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Embracing the race: How to win in the subscription economy 

In the first article in our series on subscription business models, we spoke about the need to change your business and operating model to drive growth and loyalty in your subscription offerings. This requires much more collaboration across functions and more cohesive communications to be successful, much like a race day Formula One team.In this article, we explore in more detail what this means for your business functions and how…

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Proving bad faith: it takes a tough cookie?

In a case centred around the iconic Dutch biscuit  – the stroopwafel – the highest trademark court of the Benelux recently gave some welcome guidance on the burden of proof for showing bad faith. Bad faith EU and Benelux trademark law protect against the filing of trademarks in bad faith. Although a broad term that is meant to encompass a variety of different factual situations, the concept of bad faith…

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Sustaining a Legacy of Giving in Turkey

Brian Kenny: On February 6, 2023 a 7.8 Magnitude earthquake shattered the pre-dawn calm in southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria. Tremors could be felt as far away as Israel and Cyprus. A few hours later as the sun appeared on the horizon, another powerful quake struck 60 miles to the north. In the days that followed the death toll would exceed 45,000 making these the deadliest earthquakes in 1500 years.…

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Building the future: Focusing on digitalization and sustainability

This year will be challenging. We expect the increase in costs to outgrow the increase in revenues.Lionel Souque, CEO, Rewe GroupMcKinsey: What was 2023 like for Rewe? What are the things that stand out? Lionel Souque: It was quite a good year, especially from a sales perspective, although that was partly driven by inflation, not necessarily by volume growth. Penny, our discount business, did especially well in 2023—even better than…

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Strikes From Underwater: The Impact of Submarines on Security in Northeast Asia

All countries in Northeast Asia (except Mongolia) are aiming to create the most combat-ready submarine fleets. It is worth noting the clear emphasis on the task of striking ground targets by the South Koreans and, in the future, also the Japanese. Their focus is also on improving stealth and autonomy for long-term operations in more remote sea areas. Taiwan stands apart, as their independent construction of submarines seems more like…

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State of Grocery Europe 2024: Signs of Hope

For the European grocery industry, 2023 was a challenging year. Inflation led consumers to tighten their belts, leading to a drop in volume and significant downtrading. As a result, industry growth was significantly below food price inflation. Food price inflation in Europe was 12.8 percent in 2023, while grocery sales grew at a rate of only 8.6 percent. Discounters and private labels benefited from this market environment and were yet…

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When AI Investments Pay Off in Marketing

Research Highlight Marketing leaders are realizing gains from AI in three key areas, new research shows: increasing sales productivity, increasing customer satisfaction, and reducing marketing overhead costs. Christine Moorman and Colleen Hickey April 09, 2024 Reading Time: 5 min  Patrick George / Ikon Images From content creation to software coding and customer segmentation, artificial intelligence deployment fever is real. But amid a great deal of media, analyst, and executive speculation…

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Why Work Rituals Bring Teams Together and Create More Meaning

Think about all the routines you follow on a regular basis: When you’re getting ready for work, you brush your teeth, go for a 20-minute walk, then take a shower. Before giving a big presentation in the office, you might repeat a mantra to mentally prepare. And at the end of a long workweek, you gather with your spouse and kids to enjoy pizza and a movie on Friday nights.These…

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Tradespeople wanted: The need for critical trade skills in the US

The US skilled labor market is facing record-high pressure, particularly for companies with manufacturing and construction operations. Increasing labor scarcity, amplified by the COVID-19 disruptions, has intensified competition for talent, raising the sectors’ average wages by more than 20 percent since the first quarter of 2020. Since money wages have rarely, if ever, fallen in the United States, this cost reset is effectively permanent, threatening margins and long-term growth. And…

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How Ecosystem-Led Growth Unlocks the Next Generation of GTM

In this conversation, a16z Growth general partner Sarah Wang speaks with Crossbeam CEO Bob Moore about his new book, Ecosystem-Led Growth: A Blueprint for Sales and Marketing Success Using the Power of Partnerships. They dive into how this approach can improve customer acquisition, account expansion, and access to new markets by leveraging partners and partner data. Sharing examples from Crossbeam, as well as his previous companies RJMetrics and Stitch, Bob explains…

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Collections-based research and innovation receives vital investment from Research England

The University cares for the country’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside London, with more than five million works of art, artefacts and specimens. Together, these collections play a fundamental role in delivering the University mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence and encompasses collaboration with and support of world-renowned researchers, game-changing research-led exhibitions and wide-ranging…

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£9.2m boost for next generation of Cambridge cancer experts

The charity is to award the funding over the next five years to train early-career clinician scientists – doctors who also carry out medical research - as part of its Clinical Academic Training Programme. The Clinical Academic Training Programme will invest £58.7m at nine research centres including the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre in partnership with the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Addenbrooke’s Hospital.…

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Washington State: 2024 Spring Legislative Roundup

Quick Hits Washington’s legislature recently concluded a productive 2024 legislative session with approximately 340 bills receiving passage by both houses and moving on to the governor’s desk. Notable newly enacted pieces of legislation include a measure that restricts employers’ ability to speak to employees on political or religious matters, a statutory expansion of the classes protected by Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, and amendments to the state’s paid sick…

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A look at the 2024 Washington state legislature

A symbiotic relationship In Microsoft’s nearly five decades of innovation and invention, our company’s products and services have fundamentally changed the way people around the globe work, learn, manage their finances, obtain health care, entertain themselves, and conduct other elements of daily life. Now, as the company enters its 50th year, our ability to bring forth these innovations depends more profoundly on the decisions made by elected leaders in Olympia…

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Why strategists should embrace imperfection

Conventional approaches to strategy have had to adapt in recent years, with rapid technological change and buffeting from external forces. In this episode of Inside the Strategy Room, the authors of the new book, The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times, talk about how companies can benefit from acting quickly to take many smaller yet still bold steps. Charles Conn is an investor, environmentalist, entrepreneur, and McKinsey alumnus. Rob McLean…

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BRICS Financial Settlements

The background to the recent discussions between the BRICS countries on international monetary and financial matters and, in particular, on possible joint initiatives is well-known in general. There is, first and foremost, an increasingly widespread perception that the current US dollar-centred international monetary system is becoming dysfunctional. Second, the increasing multipolarisation of the world in economic and political terms seems inconsistent with the indefinite continuation of a basically unipolar world…

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The AI revolution will be ‘virtualized’

Right now, we’re inside a computer program?—Neo (The Matrix, 1999) The 1999 science fiction film The Matrix blurred the lines between the real and the virtual. Less than a quarter of a century later, dramatic advances in AI and digital simulation are disrupting how technology itself is created and used. Today, companies can and do achieve The Matrix–like simulation realism. It’s now possible to create digital representations of components, products,…

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A Tale of Two Hot Sauces: Spicing Up Diversification

The contrasting paths of two hot sauce manufacturers show that managing exposure on multiple fronts is essential. Achal Bassamboo and James G. Conley April 08, 2024 Reading Time: 5 min  Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The divergent fates of two rival condiment businesses — the best of times for McIlhenny Company, maker of well-known Tabasco-brand hot sauces,…

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Explore AI security innovations at RSA Conference May 6-9

The security of your organization directly correlates with your ability to transform and achieve your business objectives. Microsoft can help you make that happen, with our powerful combination of large-scale data and threat intelligence, end-to-end protection, and responsible AI. ​ Recently at Microsoft Secure, we shared our latest innovations for securing and governing AI and announced the generative AI solution for cyberdefenders: Microsoft Copilot for Security. We’re excited to talk with…

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A Whole-Person Approach to Mental Health

Q: What is the scale of the mental health need in the U.S.? It’s estimated that more than one in five adults live with a mental illness. And if you add addiction—substance use disorder—that number gets much larger. It’s also pretty alarming that 55% of adults with mental illness go untreated. That’s devastating for those individuals and their families and friends. There are impacts on productivity, employment, even lifespan, and…

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The Right Criteria for the Right Investor

For an established company, the process of raising capital is usually a straightforward exercise in corporate finance. For a startup, however, every round of venture financing is fraught with dramatic decisions and symbolism. When a startup is struggling, or merely unproven, survival itself is at stake. In the early days at Guidewire*, my co-founders and I quickly realized that beggars can’t be choosers and that any capital meant keeping the…

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The generative AI opportunity in airline maintenance

Operating behind the scenes, aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) is one of the airline industry’s most essential functions. Without it, airlines couldn’t achieve the remarkable feat of safely moving nearly ten million people some 13 billion air miles around the world each day.Today, this indispensable industry is facing unprecedented headwinds. The recent double-digit growth of commercial air travel, a global shortage of aircraft, and a backlog of deferred maintenance…

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Sensitive interventions: China’s net-zero transition in energy and transport

The global energy transition could happen sooner than anticipated if sensitive intervention points are used to deliver China’s carbon neutrality policy at the city-level, researchers from the University of Oxford and The Chinese University of Hong Kong have outlined today. China, the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases accounting for 27% of global emissions, made a surprise pledge at the 75th UN General Assembly to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, boosting…

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Erin Price-Wright

Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of technology, from how we code to how we sell to how we build companies. But perhaps more than any other sector, artificial intelligence is transforming the physical world in ways that were recently unimaginable. From supply chains and robotics to advanced factories and industrial autonomy, LLMs and other AI models are powering the next wave of transformation in the physical domain in ways…

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New York LLC Transparency Act: What You Need to Know

On December 22, 2023 the State of New York adopted the New York LLC Transparency Act (as amended to date, the “NY LLCTA”). The NY LLCTA in many respects follows the federal Corporate Transparency Act (together with any regulations promulgated thereunder, the “CTA”). However, one material difference is that unlike the CTA which applies to many different types of entities, including corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies and statutory trusts…

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USCIS Announces H-1B Cap Lottery Results for Fiscal Year 2025

The release of selections occurred less than a week after the conclusion of the H-1B cap registration period. This year’s H-1B lottery selections were conducted over a span of five days and concluded on April 1, 2024, when USCIS announced that it had received enough electronic registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period. Quick Hits USCIS has yet to disclose the total number of H-1B registrations received for…

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China Brief: Consumers Are Spending Again (Outside of China)

Now that we’ve concluded the first quarter of 2024, we thought it would be a good opportunity to take stock of the state of consumption in China. In this edition of “China Brief”, we’ll do a quick scan of key macroeconomic indicators and zoom in on some of the core drivers of recent consumption growth.While the Chinese economy faces continued headwinds and consumer companies are encountering increasingly fierce competition, one…

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The Struggle for the Interpretation of the Crocus City Hall Tragedy

The United States is trying to seize the initiative in the media interpretation of the tragic terrorist attack that occurred in Russia. In the Western media space, Washington is forming the opinion that should, by all means, remove their protégé, Ukraine, from the focus of attention. At certain points in time, ISIS (banned in Russia) has been a convenient tool for the United States in Syria. Data have been published…

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How Utopian Thinking Can Inspire Business Leaders

Business leaders aren’t blind to the environmental scars etched by their industries, nor to the communities left behind in the pursuit of profit. They feel the unease, the gnawing guilt, but the harsh reality often seems easier to ignore. Executives are trapped in a cycle of reaction, their minds clouded by denial, rationalisation and a sense of powerlessness. They build walls against discomfort, isolating themselves from impending problems. But what if this…

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Breaking news: Your reviews mean our advisers are Top Rated

We’re proud to announce that VouchedFor has included five of our advisers in their 2024 guide, distributed today in The Times. The guide identifies and celebrates the UK’s best financial advisers, all based on feedback from their clients. Inclusion in the guide is a tremendous honour. What is VouchedFor? If you’re not familiar with VouchedFor, it’s a platform that allows consumers to leave reviews for their financial adviser or planner.…

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Directors liability for nature related risks

The Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative issued an interesting opinion on 11 March 2024 that analyses the relevance of nature related risks to directors duties under English law. The opinion is well thought through. It stretches to 115 pages long and comes at a time when there is increased focus on the role and responsibilities of directors for the negative impact that their companies may have on nature. The opinion…

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Webinar Part 1: Trying Cases in a Polarized Environment – On  Apr. 30, 2024

Seyfarth Synopsis: A series from our seasoned and successful Boston L&E Trial Team will explore the latest trends in jury trials in a time of explosive verdicts, Reptile tactics, polarization, and an election year. We’ll offer practical strategies on how to maximize your chance of a total defense verdict, despite these headwinds, based on our experience navigating trials in this environment. We will cover specific strategies for a range of claims,…

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