The pandemic has changed the way we think about our time and how we use it. We have become more selective in our commitments and are more likely to attend events that offer a clear benefit or return on investment. In this blog post, we will explore how attitudes towards time and event attendance have changed, and provide tips for improving event registrations. The pandemic changed our culture, in business…
Barcelona, renowned for its exceptional football club, stunning architecture, and exquisite tapas, is also the proud owner of Lenovo technology. In 2014 this technology transformed Barcelona into a smart city – a city that uses advanced technologies and data analytics to improve the quality of life for its citizens, by enhancing sustainability and urban services. Since then, Barcelona has become one of the world’s most efficient cities, enabling it to…
When have you been your most productive, creative, or innovative? Think back to a time when you really made yourself proud, and try to remember the environment you were working in. Maybe it’s your current job, if you have challenging work and supportive, engaged colleagues. Maybe it was at university, when you ate your meals in a dining hall and had an adviser to help figure out your course schedule.…
Since the beginning of 2023, stories of mass layoffs at companies like Twitter, Salesforce, Google, and Facebook have been overwhelming. Pundits argue that 2023 could be the year we fall into a recession and see a significant rise in unemployment. However, the labor market continued to show signs of resilience in June as employers added 209,000 jobs according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate in June was 3.6%,…
In a post-pandemic business world of hybrid work and quiet quitting, companies must rethink how they motivate employees. Good incentive plans and reward structures require a careful analysis of a company’s objectives, culture, and pressure points, says Brian Hall, the Albert H. Gordon Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. In May, Hall convened what he hopes will be a yearly conference of scholars now working in the burgeoning…
Stanford Medicine expert discusses the risks of cannabis addiction and how it impacts health, especially in young people. As a longtime psychiatric clinician specializing in substance use disorders and addiction, Stanford Medicine's Smita Das, MD, PhD, has had a front-row seat to the aftershocks of America's cultural about-face on cannabis. She has watched the unintended consequences of marijuana use, ranging from dependency issues to psychosis, sneak up on people. The…
At the end of June, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare...
Starting a new business is very time-consuming, especially if the UK is new to you, with different rules and regulations. Dixcart UK can assist with your accounting, tax, legal and immigration requirements as one offering so that you can focus your time on building your business and not having the same conversations twice with different professional advisors. In this note, we consider the tax considerations when setting up a business…
It is no secret that Samsung Electronics — the global leader in TV manufacturing for 17 consecutive years — also has a strong presence in the soundbar market, boasting an impressive nine-year reign since 2013. The secret to Samsung’s success lies within a dynamic team of innovative engineers who are pioneering the way people consume content. At the heart of this change is Samsung’s advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) technology…
This research was accepted by and received a Best Paper Award during ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) 2023, which is dedicated to advancing the field of user-centered system design. Headphones are traditionally used to provide and manage audio experiences through physical controls and a range of sensors. Nonetheless, these controls and sensors have remained confined to audio input and output functionality, such as adjusting the volume or muting the microphone.…
Cybersecurity is a significant challenge for organizations of all kinds and sizes, including small organizations with limited resources for a cybersecurity program. Each of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), the United States Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) have issued recent guidance to help small organizations implement foundational cybersecurity measures to begin building cybersecurity resilience. The cybersecurity challenge Cybersecurity is important…
In both the commit and reject path, the value of information can depend on when in the process insights are developed. Early in the process, sponsors have much greater ability to avoid future costs and preserve resources and team bandwidth in the reject case and are much more likely to build an edge in a competitive process in the commit case. Later in the process, the value of information is…
Canadian securities regulators recently published a staff notice that sets out their views and expectations regarding the operations of public investment funds that invest in novel forms of digital (cryptographic) assets such as bitcoin and ether. The first public crypto asset fund (PCAF) was approved in Canada by prospectus receipt issued in 2020.This led to the establishment of the world's first exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that invest directly in crypto assets. …
In January, our retail experts made a number of predictions about the apparel industry outlook for 2023. As we move into the second half of the year, let’s see how well our predictions held up for the five trends discussed in our 2023 Apparel Industry Trends report. Trend Review Trend #1: Conscientious customers are forcing brands to rethink sustainable apparel. When predicting conscientious customers forcing brands to rethink sustainable apparel, our…
Forests across the United States are major contributors to the fight against climate change, annually removing damaging excess carbon from the atmosphere equivalent to approximately 13 percent of overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. According to a new report published today by Stanford Law School’s (SLS) Law and Policy Lab and the Bezos Earth Fund, implementing “climate-smart” forestry practices—such as expanding urban forests, integrating trees into pasture lands, and accelerating reforestation…
Last week, the British Standards Institution (BSI) celebrated the launch of its new guidance aimed at supporting employers to better retain experienced employees by enabling them to prioritise the needs of those experiencing menstruation or menopause. ‘Understanding the Menopause and Menstrual Health’ sets out recommendations and guidance for creating a more inclusive workplace, an important facet of which is the implementation of effective workplace policies. The Menopause and Menstrual Health…
Today’s uncertain environment requires leaders to rehumanize work.
Seyfarth Synopsis: The COVID-19 pandemic and wildfire smoke shrouding the skies over the East Coast this summer have drawn more attention to indoor air quality, leading the New York City Council to propose indoor air quality resolutions. Indoor air quality has long been a source of employee health complaints. While the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) offers industry consensus standards on ventilation rates and federal OSHA…
The UK government has announced its intention to limit the duration of noncompete post-termination restrictions in employment contracts to a maximum of three months. Noncompete covenants are designed to provide business protection to an employer by seeking to restrict a former employee from undertaking employment with a rival competitor for a defined period following the termination of their employment. Noncompetition covenants are common in employment contracts with senior or key…
More than half a year since the public launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, AI and generative AI remains a hot topic all around the globe. Companies and businesses of all sizes and from all regions are still looking for ways AI can help them deliver better products and services, but many are facing the same question – what are my regulatory compliance obligations? The answer at this stage really…
Cash savings are a simple way to hold your wealth and you can easily access the funds whenever you need them. You may also generate interest over time, and you typically don’t assume the same level of risk that you do when investing. As such, you may think that cash savings are a “safe” and low-risk option. However, that is not necessarily the case, particularly during a period of high…
Given artificial intelligence’s ability to mimic humans’ problem-solving ability, it’s not surprising that many people are turning to AI-powered wellness coaches to help them plan exercise routines, track their nutrition, and set goals for losing weight. However, in one important aspect, these apps may not be able to match their sentient counterparts. New research finds that a mobile weight loss application that uses artificial intelligence to mine personal data and…
Is there a shortcut? Dr Danica Vukadinovic Greetham Flexibility and predictability in electric grids – multi-scale challenges and future directions through meso-level aggregation. Needed: Intelligent Local Grids. When: Immediately The push to NetZero places most of its bets on electrification[1]. While, on average, total UK electricity demand has been decreasing since 2005[2], massive changes are brewing. Increases in distributed generation and demand due to the electrification of heat and…
To optimize the customer experience, businesses must first gain a deep understanding of their customers’ needs and preferences. In today’s competitive business landscape, optimizing the customer experience has become paramount. With consumers having more choices than ever before, providing a seamless and delightful experience has become a key differentiator for businesses across industries. From e-commerce websites to brick-and-mortar stores, companies are increasingly focusing on understanding their customers’ needs and preferences…
Employers often go to great lengths to protect company documents and communications concerning and discussing confidential trade secret information. But what happens when employees leave, bring a whistleblower claim, and the employer learns they have sent themselves numerous confidential communications containing trade secret information? What about when an employee later attempts to introduce those documents as evidence in a subsequent whistleblower lawsuit? Unfortunately, employers often have limited options in…
The world is amidst an AI-driven industrial revolution. As a16z cofounder Marc Andreessen recently wrote, AI will save the world. The United Kingdom just staked its claim on the AI frontier, challenging US policymakers to reaffirm America’s role as the powerhouse of tech innovation. Whether we let it improve the health of Americans is up to how we regulate it. There is no sector where AI can drive more immediate, life-saving impact than in…
If you were on vacation last week, buckle up: Instagram Threads is the hot topic right now. The text-based app has taken social media by storm, with over 100 million new users joining in the first week. But what exactly is Threads, and does it replace existing apps like Instagram or Twitter? In this post, we’re sharing everything we know about Instagram Threads so far. Whether you have a strategy…
How to be a more gracious leader.
A startup spends so much energy on acquiring and retaining its customers that voluntarily severing its relationship with any of them feels like self-inflicted harm. Yet, when necessary, acting decisively to “fire” a customer can mean the difference between survival and failure for a young company. By far the most important time to act is when customer relationships entered into in good faith reveal themselves to be strategically misaligned. Here’s…
Satisfaction with online dating app depends on what you’re looking for A new study shows that some Tinder users access the the app to cope with negative emotions, but they may not find what they’re looking for. Author Nina BaiPublished on July 6, 2023July 6, 2023 With an estimated 75 million active users each month, Tinder is the most popular dating app in the world. But a new study by…
3 tips to budget like nobody's watching vbois July 12, 2023
Neuroscientist Kalanit Grill-Spector studies the physiology of human vision and says that the ways computers and people see are in some ways similar, but in other ways quite different. In fact, she says, rapid advances in computational modeling, such as deep neural networks, applied to brain data and new imaging technologies, like quantitative MRI and diffusion MRI, are revolutionizing our understanding of how the human brain sees. We’re unraveling how…
When social and music platforms started taking off in the 2000s, many musicians saw the huge potential of global distribution networks to showcase their artistic talent and connect with fans. Unfortunately, as they consolidated more power and leverage, the platforms acted more as gatekeepers – ceding little control and extracting large take rates from artists’ revenue. Thankfully, a new movement has emerged in web3 music, led by platforms such as…
Q: Are there key questions that have guided your career? All my research looks at judgment and decision making. I’ve done work on couples’ financial behavior. I’ve looked at how emotion influences our perception of risk. I’m quite interested in our moral intuitions and how they align with our actual behavior. Right now, I’m doing research on how people evaluate moral transgressions. But, over the course of my career, the…
Board members must ask the right questions to achieve assurance when it comes to health and safety. Campbell Tickell has produced a briefing for Board members which aims to equip them with an overall understanding of some key issues and a good set of questions for them to pursue. Find out more. ‘Health and safety gone mad’ is a familiar trope from certain newspapers – narratives of mollycoddling, bureaucracy and…
After decades of being both hero and villain, globalisation is said to be on the retreat. There is a common perception that companies are diversifying supply chains and relocating business closer to home. So, are we heading towards deglobalisation? We dig deeper and find that the data tell a different story. By Martina Di Sano, Vanessa Gunnella, Laura Lebastard The increasing integration of more and more economies into international trade…
In the summer of 2015, a woman named Dawn Dorland donated a kidney to a stranger. She set up a private Facebook group to update her friends about the surgery and her recovery. Unbeknownst to Dorland, some group members decided that sharing the news of her generosity was a form of virtue signaling and began mocking her behind her back. One of those so-called friends eventually incorporated an earnest letter…
While you are probably aware that you can use patents and copyright to protect your software, websites and apps, you might not be aware of another valuable form of intellectual property protection: industrial designs. Industrial designs can be a cost-effective way to protect user interfaces and icons. Industrial designs protect the visual features of an article, such as the shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation. Industrial designs only protect features that…
Post-Covid, leaders are encouraging their teams to head back to the office, aiming to create an inclusive work environment. But have employees been as eager to return? Clarasys consultant Ana Sukhishvili looks at hybrid workplace best practices. Pre-pandemic, employees were already showing a desire for flexibility at work. Fast forward a few years, and with enforced lockdowns in our rear view mirror, hybrid ways of working seem to be here…
The impact of great management on workplace outcomes and employee health and well-being cannot be overstated. A good boss can make your work life feel a lot like a walk in the park, even on days when it's more of a hike. You feel heard, encouraged, and inspired, resulting in increased productivity and loyalty towards the organization. Employees who are currently working for their stated “best boss ever” report many…