Despite its significantly lower weight in the global economy compared to the United States, London is trying to secure its role as one of the leaders in the application of sanctions. This is facilitated by the continued position of the UK as one of the world’s financial hubs, a major source of FDI, a leader in the insurance market, consulting and legal services, as well as a supplier of industrial…
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in a Report to Congress, has adopted new standards for determining when internet services are fast enough to qualify as broadband services. The report sets the speed threshold at 100 megabits per second (Mbps) for downstream traffic and 20 Mbps for upstream traffic for fixed services; 35 Mbps downstream and three Mbps upstream for mobile service; and one gigabit per second (Gbps) downstream per 1,000…
In the first quarter of 2024, consumers in Europe once again reported having mixed feelings about the economy, but their concerns didn’t stop them from spending on discretionary items. Travel and self-care were two categories that these consumers expressed interest in. Even so, cautious consumers continued to trade down. The following charts highlight findings from our latest ConsumerWise research in five European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.…
In this short video, two experts share insights on how AI is reshaping work, workers, and talent ecosystems. MIT Sloan Management Review March 28, 2024 Reading Time: 1 min subscribe-icon Subscribe Share [embedded content] Today’s leaders must grapple with big expectations for the impact of AI on the workforce — and an even larger amount of hype. Will AI automate away a huge number of jobs? How do companies use…
Quick Hits Mexico’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social) (SLSW) recently enabled a module on the REPSE website in order to renew licenses for providers of outsourced specialized services. REPSE license holders have three months to complete the renewal process, with the start date depending on the year and month that a holder started the prior REPSE enrollment. The SLSW has published a chart…
The source of pollutants in rivers and freshwater lakes can now be identified using a comprehensive new water quality analysis, according to scientists at the University of Cambridge and Trent University, Canada.Microparticles from car tyres, pesticides from farmers’ fields, and toxins from harmful algal blooms are just some of the organic chemicals that can be detected using the new approach, which also indicates the impact these chemicals are likely to…
The research, led by the University of Cambridge and Penn State University, improves prospects for the elimination and control of bovine tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease of cattle that results in large economic costs and health impacts across the world. This is the first study to show that BCG-vaccinated cattle infected with TB are substantially less infectious to other cattle. This remarkable indirect effect of the vaccine beyond its direct…
Nobody puts Baby in a corner — especially if Baby happens to be fragmented financial services data. Historically, the key to building a successful financial services data company has been to extricate and analyze valuable but difficult-to-access resources like public filings, diligence materials, research reports, conference call notes, and news. Now, with the advent of large language models, such previously shackled information might soon be easily and widely available to…
Howie and Harlan are joined by Margo Harrison, an OB-GYN and femtech entrepreneur, to discuss how innovative solutions to women’s health problems offer deeper understanding and expanded choices. Harlan and Howie each offer a caveat emptor for lightly regulated, unproven supplements and treatments such as Prevagen and hydration spas. Links: “Prevagen Review: A Word of Caution” “Prevagen®: Analysis of Clinical Evidence and Its Designation as a ‘#1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand’”…
In this episode of Knowing Not for Profits, host Ruth Wilkinson sits down with Aleema Shivji to discuss the importance of stakeholder engagement, the complexities of corporate partnerships, and the evolving landscape of the not-for-profit sector. With a focus on measuring impact and the power of authentic storytelling, this conversation sheds light on the transformative work of Oxfam and the future of humanitarian efforts.Listen here or read on for an…
Quick Hits The Minnesota Legislature is considering competing bills that would amend the statewide earned sick and safe time law. The legislature has also introduced bills that would hike punitive damages for violations of the Minnesota Human Rights Act and require employers with thirty or more employees to include salary ranges in job postings. Additional legislation would bar staffing agencies from restricting their employees from working directly for their customers,…
Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, but mutations in these genes - which can be inherited - increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.The study found that the immune cells in breast tissue of healthy women carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations show signs of malfunction known as ‘exhaustion’. This suggests that the immune cells can’t clear out damaged breast cells, which can eventually develop into breast cancer. This…
The workforce is the heart of any thriving company. However, without proper training, employees may find themselves ill-equipped to meet the demands of their roles effectively. Millennials think learning and growing are important reasons for joining a new company. Additionally, individuals from Generation X and subsequent generations require chances to enhance their skills and adapt to changes in technology and market trends. Investing in employee training and development is key…
Today’s wellness industry generates trillions of dollars in revenue, but in a new book, Dr James Riley (Faculty of English & Girton College), shows that 1970s wellness pioneers imagined something radically different to today’s culture of celebrity endorsements and exclusive health retreats. “Wellness was never about elite experiences and glossy, high-value products,” says Riley, noting that “When we think of wellness today, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and other lifestyle brands might come…
The study analyzed more than 60,000 wind turbines and 300 million home sales from 1997 to 2020,
Current global challenges are daunting. We’re not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In fact, the United Nations warns that we’ve entered an age of “polycrisis” in which increased conflicts, the climate emergency and widening economic and social disparities threaten our collective future. The public sector can’t address this sobering reality on its own. When well-planned and well-executed, public-private partnerships (PPPs) – where firms collaborate with public-sector entities such as government…
Building advanced AI is like launching a rocket. The first challenge is to maximize acceleration, but once it starts picking up speed, you also need to focus on steering.Jaan TallinnFor AI/ML to make a sizable contribution to a company’s bottom line, organizations must scale the technology across the organization, infusing it in core business processes, workflows, and customer journeys to optimize decision making and operations in real time. This is…
Topics AI in Action This column series looks at the biggest data and analytics challenges facing modern companies and dives deep into successful use cases that can help other organizations accelerate their AI progress. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Alice Mollon / Ikon Images In 2022, we argued in the MIT Sloan Management Review AI in Action series that Mayo Clinic was probably the most aggressive adopter of…
As we bring Microsoft Copilot to more customers around the world, people are already unlocking its value and learning the power of generative AI at work. Our recent Copilot customer research shows that 11 minutes of time savings is all it takes for most people to feel like AI is useful, and that after 11 weeks—about one business quarter—most users say it improves their work across key areas like productivity…
Jiwoong Shin, professor of marketing at Yale SOM, likes to keep in touch with his former students. They tell him about what’s going on in the world and give him ideas for new research. In December 2019, one of those former students, now a restaurateur in New York and San Francisco, came back to New Haven and met up with Shin for dinner. Shin asked how things were going. There…
Pick battles big enough to matter and small enough to win.Jonathan Kozol Many companies set their digital and AI transformations up to struggle from the start by getting the scope of the change wrong. Some companies start too small, believing an incremental approach will lower risk. This is a mistake. Successful transformations need to change something meaningful in the business, where there is a noticeable amount of value at stake…
Discover the transformative trends in B2B buying as digital self-service experiences gain prominence. In this episode of CX Talks, hosts and customer experience experts Simon Blosse and Tom Carpenter delve into the changing dynamics between B2B and B2C, the impact of generational shifts on buyer behaviour, and strategies for engaging modern customers, in this episode of CX talks. Listen here or read on for an edited transcript. Tom Carpenter: I’m Tom…
Brian Kenny: If you've listened to Cold Call before, you may have heard our discussions about cases that focus on individual acts of courage and leadership, like the case about Muhammad Ali risking his boxing career as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, or the one about Madame Curie, whose tenacity led to discoveries that forever changed the world of medical science, netting her two Nobel Prizes. We discussed…
At a glance The past quarter century has been a success story for global productivity. Median economy productivity has jumped sixfold. Thirty emerging economies, with 3.6 billion people, are in the “fast lane” of improvement; if they maintained this pace, they would converge to advanced-economy productivity levels within roughly the next quarter century. Yet amid this global revolution, many economies have experienced productivity stagnation. Advanced-economy productivity growth has slowed by…
NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia for international politics was that it was a collective attack, perpetrated by a large group of Western countries, against a sovereign state, and marked the watershed between a time when a peaceful world order could still be expected, and the resumption of the Cold War in a new form, Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev writes. This month, the whole world remembers the unprovoked attack which…
The business case for marketplace sustainability is now well established: sustainability leaders decarbonize faster, enjoy higher multiples, and see stronger growth in their sustainable product lines. But how can marketplaces effectively attract customers to their sustainable offerings? McKinsey research shows that some features are more powerful than others in driving outcomes. For example, sustainability-conscious customers are more likely to buy if marketplaces offer bundled delivery or less packaging. However, they…
Advanced data analytics is now a table-stakes tool for inventory planning. Some estimates show that applying AI-driven forecasting can reduce errors by between 20 and 50 percent, reducing lost sales and product unavailability by up to 65 percent. Sharper demand forecasting also reduces waste and unsold products that need to be marked down or liquidated. Although the complex array of variables and multiple sources of uncertainty ensure demand forecasting will always…
The problem of personal debt is as old as the existence of money. In ancient Rome, people who were unable to pay their debts became temporary slaves to their creditors, ordered to toil on their land until the overdue sum was paid back. In 19th-century-England, broke Britons were sent to debtors’ prisons, miserable dungeon-like edifices, until their family or friends bailed them out. Associate Professor Felipe Severino teaches Corporate Finance…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Andrew Baker / Ikon Images I’ve been thinking about technology and trust for much of my career. Here’s one example: Back in 2011, my research focused on the intersection of human trust, robots, and highly critical, time-sensitive scenarios. The research team I was on centered on…
You’ve probably never thought about all the split-second adjustments you make in a single day to perform different tasks. Wake up in a hotel room, walk into a library, sit behind the wheel of a car, or swipe up to access your phone apps. Each time, you automatically “self-orient” before you even begin a task, pivoting your perspective of where you are and what you can do as your environment…
On 19 January 2024, André Terrail, owner and CEO of the legendary restaurant La Tour d’Argent in Paris, was a happy man. The sale of part of the tableware and elements of the historic décor of his establishment raised over €720,000 in just a few hours. What motivated people to obtain parts of a restaurant? Buyers aimed to acquire a piece of the magic the brand built over time through etiquette. Defined…
“Pivot” isn’t the bad word some people make it out to be. Many of the greatest companies in YC’s history pivoted along the way. One example: Clipboard Health. Today Clipboard is built around the idea of connecting independent healthcare professionals — think nurses, medical assistants, or phlebotomists — with healthcare facilities to let them pick up shifts that work with their schedule. It means more flexibility for the nurses, and…
On 6 March 2024, the US Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury and Department of Justice issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (compliance note) advising foreign-based companies and individuals to assess their obligations with respect to US export control and sanctions laws and regulations (trade controls) and implement appropriate measures designed to achieve compliance. This compliance note follows a prior publication issued by the same three agencies in July 2023…
Both customers and regulators have signaled a strong desire for logistics providers to reduce their emissions. The market for green logistics, while still nascent, could expand quickly. Based on the Scope 3 reduction targets and logistics needs of about 2,800 of the world’s largest companies across industries, we estimate the demand for green logistics in 2025 will be approximately $50 billion, comprising roughly 2 percent of overall logistics spend. We…
As Disney’s closely watched proxy fight barrels toward the finish line with shareholders casting their votes on April 3, critics of CEO Bob Iger have launched a fuselage of attacks, criticizing Iger’s track record and his plans for turning around Disney. But amidst widespread interest from non-business audiences, these criticisms often drown out the facts and fail to see the whole story before them. Here are five persistent but false…
The high profile dispute between supermarket retailers Lidl and Tesco has now come to a head at the Court of Appeal, with Lidl emerging as the winner. The dispute related to Tesco’s adoption in 2020 and subsequent use of its Clubcard Prices logo for its discount price scheme, which Lidl claimed infringed a number of its IP rights in the well known Lidl logo. Lidl’s logo was protected as a…
Daniele Petecchi didn’t realize how complex the process of producing tires was until he joined Pirelli, a company that’s been in the business of manufacturing tires for more than 150 years. But now, as head of data management and AI, he’s focused on leveraging the company’s wealth of data to meet the stringent technical, quality, and performance requirements of the Formula One racers and luxury vehicle makers — like Ferrari,…
Recently, you read about how five Black Swan advisers had been included in this year’s VouchedFor Top Rated guide. Our talented advisers achieved this accreditation thanks to all the brilliant feedback we receive from clients. Now, we’ve won another prestigious award based on the verdict of the Black Swan team – and we’ve also been named one of the best advice firms in London. One of the Best Financial Advisers…
Concerns about family wealth during times of market turbulence are completely understandable. The disruptive economic conditions of the past few years, which have brought inflation and rocketing interest rates in some markets, can be unnerving for those used to calmer times. Families work hard to build their wealth and the thought of it being threatened by economic disruption can be an unpleasant experience. Protecting family wealth during periods of extreme…
1. SwitchVanessa was a partner in an audit firm in Paris. At the age of 51, she decided to cease her professional activity. “I was getting old and realising it,” she says. She gave herself two years to organise her succession and slowed down, changing her occupation day by day. “Things had changed in my head; it had become difficult to stay at 100 percent,” she says, adding that she was…