As anyone who is planning to move to a new city or neighborhood with a school-aged child knows, not all public schools are created equal. Some have shinier athletic facilities or bigger classrooms or newer equipment in the science and computer labs, all indications to anxious parents that their children will receive a superior education, which will better equip them to prosper and succeed in life. New athletic fields and…
Workplace harassment is a type of discrimination that harms not just the victim but also the whole workplace vibe. It can come in many forms, like hurtful words, physical harm, or unwelcome advances, and it makes the work environment feel hostile. Yet, despite increased awareness of the issue, it remains a prevalent concern in many organizations, impacting employees at all levels. So, what needs to change, and how can we…
We’ve known for a while that relationships that have fallen into a state of inactivity — or become dormant ties — can be resurrected. As people venture back into professional social settings after having experienced pandemic-induced disconnection, they are particularly keen to revive these inactive ties. Such connections have the potential to be incredibly valuable: During the period of dormancy, former contacts have been learning new things and developing…
The prospect of a wealth tax in the United Kingdom has been discussed for some time now. Tough economic times inevitably spark debates around inequality and whether the wealthy should contribute more to the public purse. So in a country suffering with a cost of living crisis, the possibility of increasing taxes for the better off is getting a hearing. And introducing a wealth tax is one of the more…
Administrative fines may have been the headline when GDPR became effective in May 2018, however, recent focus has shifted to who is imposing the fines. Lead supervisory authorities (“LSAs”) are responsible for supervising the cross border processing of entities that have their “main establishment” in the supervisory authority’s jurisdiction and ultimately taking enforcement actions against those entities for infringements. Financial impacts of enforcement under the GDPR are becoming significant, with…
My journey into the realm of scientific communication began by pure chance. I had been focusing on video creation for my YouTube channel for several years prior and sharing gaming-related content. As much as I enjoyed playing video games, I was eager to explore my passion for science and enrolled in a chemistry class at Università degli Studi di Milano. I grew more and more fascinated in the subject with…
The case of Tyerman v NHS Digital is another recent case, which demonstrates the onus on employers to consider reasonable adjustments for job applicants. Mr Tyerman, who had been diagnosed with autism, received £20,000 from NHS Digital for their failure to make reasonable adjustments for him during the interview process, after he applied for a role in their cyber security department. NHS Digital argued that they should treat all applicants…
For kids, it’s back to school season. For software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, it’s time to start planning for the next fiscal year—including figuring out the details around all-important sales territories for sales reps. Right now, many companies are putting together draft annual sales plans complete with people, quotas, costs, and more detailed items like ramp times and attrition all factored in. Because hiring takes time, sales and finance teams are also…
Driven by surging interest rates, the European banking sector has rebounded. In the first six months of the year it achieved its best result since the financial crisis and even surpassed the pre-crisis peak of 2007, at least in nominal terms. The biggest driver at the 22 major institutions, a proxy for the whole industry, was the 20% yoy jump in net interest income. This came despite interest margin headwinds…
Over half a century ago, in 1972, we established the three-pillar system of retirement provision in our constitution. In 2025, we’ll celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Federal Act on Occupational Retirement, Survivors’ and Disability Pension Plans, the BVG/LPP. When it was introduced, the Swiss pension model received a lot of attention and was presented as a role model by the World Bank. But has the concept proven its worth…
Insurance strategic asset allocation, a tool to navigate the investment labyrinth Investment markets are a labyrinth We have explored some interesting themes in our journey through Greek mythology (multi-faceted risk, active vs passive for insurance, duration vs convexity for insurers). In this next instalment we introduce another Greek hero, Theseus, who attempts to solve the puzzle of the Labyrinth – something that can be likened to insurance companies trying to…
Expanding your business into new markets is a strategic move that can unlock global growth opportunities. In this comprehensive guide, we explore the strategies and tactics for successful market entry and business expansion. Whether you’re eyeing international markets or seeking to broaden your domestic reach, our insights will help you navigate this transformative journey. Introduction Expanding your business into new markets is a strategic move that can unlock global…
Going public is not the same as being a public company. When you go public, your company’s performance suddenly has a real-time scoreboard: your stock price. It’s easy to think that high growth can make up for a low stock price, especially for founders at fast-growing late-stage startups that are still burning cash. But as a public company, the reality is that a low or volatile stock price sucks and…
Welcome to the latest episode of Gowling WLG's global Intellectual Property podcast where we discuss a range of topics to help you protect your brands, creations and inventions. Khemi Salhan: Welcome to this podcast on copyright law. Lots of people have heard of copyright before but many do not know what it actually is, how it works and what protection you get. My name is Khemi Salhan and I work…
Leaders can’t identify and manage data monetization opportunities if they can’t productively discuss the topic. Try this practical matrix approach. Barbara H. Wixom, Cynthia M. Beath, and Leslie Owens Companies can’t manage what they don’t measure. They also can’t manage what they can’t discuss. Take the term data monetization: Definitions range from the narrowly focused “selling data sets” to the overly broad “creating benefits from data.” Too little consistency among…
The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, presented an approach to identify therapeutic targets for human diseases associated with a phenomenon known as protein phase separation, a recently discovered phenomenon widely present in cells that drives a variety of important biological functions. Protein phase separation at the wrong place or time could disrupt key cellular functions or create aggregates of molecules linked to neurodegenerative diseases. It is believed…
An analysis of 515 companies in 35 countries reveals a troubling trend.
On September 14, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Employee Retention Credit (ERC) guidance placing a moratorium on processing new ERC claims due to a surge in questionable claim submissions. Claims already submitted will continue to be processed, but at a slower rate due to detailed compliance reviews. The guidance included a caution about using entities that aggressively market and promote the submission of ineligible ERC claims, explained the…
Asia’s business leaders should prepare themselves for potential turbulence as global dynamics shift and challenges escalate. Over the past three decades, Asia has reaped more benefits from a globalizing world than any other region, but that landscape is becoming more contested, and risks are rising. The region’s rise to prominence could mean that it finds itself in the eye of the storm. This article was developed by McKinsey, in collaboration…
In the past decade, manufacturing in Vietnam has been at the epicenter of the country’s high growth. This sector contributed more than 20 percent to the country’s GDP and has been an anchor in Vietnam’s trade balance, helping to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). It played a significant role in the remarkable resilience that Vietnam’s economy demonstrated in the face of global upheaval, which maintained a positive GDP growth rate…
In recognition of World Gratitude Day, organizations around the globe are seizing the opportunity to appreciate and recognize their employees. But how many pause to consider the psychological underpinnings of their recognition strategies? Last year, during a casual conversation with a Perceptyx customer, a revealing question emerged: Are "A" students always the best hires? This inquiry led to a deeper examination of employee recognition methods, and how a growth mindset…
In a classic manufacturing organisation, spotting a bottleneck is as clear as daylight. Just glance at the production line, and you’ll see materials accumulating in one area – and viola! Right there sits your bottleneck! But these make-or-break points aren’t always so visible in today’s digital workspace. In an environment where digital assets take the place of physical stock, identifying bottlenecks can become a perplexing task. Tackling Real-world Bottlenecks I’ve…
The ability to successfully deliver a profitable development project depends on getting the right funding arrangements in place. The decision on how to fund your project is one of the most significant challenges facing developers particularly in recent years as the market has reacted to the impact of the pandemic, Brexit, resource issues and rising costs and materials shortages. As always however, the underlying fundamentals of the UK housing market…
Climate change and the actions taken to tackle it will profoundly change economic activity in the coming decades. Eliminating carbon emissions requires changes to how people consume and how businesses produce. Without sufficient progress in reducing emissions, average temperatures will increase, sea levels will rise, and climate extremes will become more frequent and more powerful.[1] One common approach to estimating the economic impact of climate change uses scenarios with consistent…
One notable recent development in the euro area labour market has been a strong rebound in the labour force. In particular, over the last year and a half, the main source of employment growth has been the strong inflow of people joining the labour force rather than a sharp decline in the number of unemployed. This box provides an overview of recent euro area labour force developments using data from…
In January, Shopify deleted 12,000 recurring meetings from its staff’s calendars. The e-commerce firm also reinstated a no-meeting Wednesday policy. The idea wasn’t to prevent meetings from happening, but for staff to be intentional about them. In addition, it sent a clear message that it was OK to protect one’s time. When I ask managers what their biggest operational frustration in their job is, they typically say: “We have too…
Across several jurisdictions, eco-advertising and green marketing campaigns have become commonplace among businesses of all sizes and in all sectors. Understandably, advertising the environmentally-friendly attributes of a product or service – through slogans, trademarks, performance claims or various other marketing practices – appeals to consumers' growing concerns for the environment and calls for companies to 'go green'. However, positioning products and services as having environmental benefits that don't actually exist…
To advance the conversation, we recently facilitated a future-storming session to reimagine the future of work and talent strategy. Future-storming is the process of identifying risks and trends that might affect your business or industry vertical, combining them in new ways, and thinking of solutions to mitigate these risks. The ambition? To break the chains of traditional thought, sparking insights into the evolving domain of talent strategy. Here are five…
“Technology has the potential to provide powerful strategies to address a number of societal issues. However, advanced technology also has the ability to divide,” said UC Berkeley civil and environmental engineering professor Susan Shaheen,
The discussion around remote work — which has dominated news headlines, Slack conversations and water-cooler chats since countries relaxed their Covid-19 guidelines — is only getting more contentious. Many workers wish to continue working remotely in some capacity, while insisting that leaders’ productivity concerns are unfounded. However, some high-profile executives have been vocal about their opposition. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman declared that working remotely “is not an employee choice”.…
Intervening rights - Intervening rights stem from the inequities of a person obtaining a patent — and thus putting the public on notice as to a claimed invention — and then later changing the scope of the claimed invention through a reissue application. Whether the scope of the reissue patent is broader than the original patent, or narrower to avoid prior art, so long as the scope of the claims…
You met a great candidate, and you are really excited to possibly bring them on the team, so you make them an offer. But... They turned down your offer. You are wondering what went wrong and eventually, you might even tell yourself: “ It wasn’t meant to be”. The recruitment process has a lot of moving parts and a good chunk of those are not in our control: such as…
Neither Washington nor Beijing are ready for sharp escalation at the moment. The Americans are looking forward to the presidential election in 2024, and China continues to experience economic problems. Nevertheless, the desire of the United States to prove its readiness to support Taiwan continues to increase the level of hard tension in this part of the planet, where, as it seemed earlier, a relatively stable status quo had developed, writes Roman Romanov. US President Joe Biden signed an executive order to launch the first phase of the…
Codey Lyon is our newly appointed Technical Director, Health Sector Lead for our Buildings + Places business line in Victoria and South Australia. She brings a wealth of salutogenic health experience in designing supportive health environments and her design-focused approach, integrating her clinical and architectural backgrounds to embed engineering, is critical to achieving wellness outcomes in health projects. We sat down with Codey to get an insight into her passion…
Generative AI could drive a wave of potential opportunities for the technology value stack, according to researchers from the Oxford Martin School. Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the Oxford Martin School and report co-author, said, ‘Generative AI is a dual-edged sword that offers enormous potential to accelerate solutions to a number of the world’s greatest challenges, with new health cures, energy and innovation. But it also…
As sustainability becomes an increasingly important consideration in all industries, it’s inevitable that luxury retail will also continue to experience increasing demand for more sustainable products and practices – particularly as a new market segment of younger and eco-conscious consumers, such as Gen Z and Millennials, begin to fuel the luxury retail market as they move into careers with more flexible income. In fact, last year Millennials and Gen Z…
Global awareness of the risks and liabilities associated with the use and persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been growing over the past two decades. In response, governments in Canada and elsewhere have been grappling with how to regulate these “forever chemicals.” As discussed in our prior article, Understanding PFAS in Canada: An emerging risk, PFAS are a group of over 4,700 synthetic chemicals characterized by a fluorinated…
Compound interesting vbois September 21, 2023
Towards the end of the summer, the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive published a call for evidence outlining the case for transitioning to fixed price ROCs (also known as Renewables Obligation Certificates) in 2027. This is the first government policy document regarding fixed price ROCs since before the Energy Act 2013, over ten years ago. The topics raised by the call for evidence have the…
If you’ve ever been promoted from the ranks of the worker bees to the lofty position of a manager, you know it’s like jumping into the deep end of the corporate swimming pool without knowing how to swim. It’s a thrilling, yet terrifying experience that can often leave you feeling like a fish out of water. And, to be honest, it’s not entirely your fault if you feel that way…