There has always been an elemental symmetry to M&A: A seller concludes that a business or asset does not fit its enterprise portfolio, and a natural buyer recognizes that the same target is a strategic match. Put simply, there’s a buyer for every seller, or so the logic goes. However, the ideal does not always meet the reality. Despite a recent increase in M&A activity across many sectors during 2024…
Topics Culture Champions Building a healthy culture is one of the most important — and hardest — leadership jobs. These articles, based on a webinar series and research by Donald Sull and CultureX, share actionable advice from leaders whose cultures produced exceptional business results and a world-class employee experience. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Aleksandar Savic Most companies espouse an official corporate culture. We studied nearly 700 large…
Today Microsoft released Muse, a first-of-its-kind generative AI model that we are applying to gaming. But it’s so much more than that. What we’re sharing today is a huge step forward for gameplay ideation. And what’s even more exciting is what this breakthrough represents in our journey of building and using generative AI, and what industries, developers and creators of all interests will be enabled to do next. The impressive abilities…
This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. The views expressed are the authors’ own. With reports of widespread business uncertainty and confusion leading to an unanticipated 10-year record plunge in January dealmaking, air is rushing out of business’s balloon of early euphoria for the Trump agenda. President Trump’s language of schoolyard bullying and vindictiveness toward our closest allies undermines those moves where his lieutenants at the Treasury and Commerce Departments may…
The industry overview M &A in the financial-services industry is recovering from the global slowdown of 2023. Monthly deal value in 2024 returned to the average monthly value of the prior five years, and total deal value for 2024 was 30 percent higher than that seen in 2023. Nine out of ten financial-service deals in 2024 were made within national borders—up from six out of ten in 2021—reflecting global economic…
Lord Hague of Richmond has been officially admitted as Oxford’s 160th Chancellor in a ceremony that took place at the Sheldonian Theatre today after winning the election for the Chancellor of the University of Oxford role in November 2024.Õrātor Publice, ita exordīrī velim ut grātiās tibi ex animō agam, ut quī tali benignitāte sīs locūtus, adeōque familiāriter salūtātiōnibus, adeō cūrātē officiīs decōrīs operam dederīs, quae laudem quandam peperērunt huīc Ūniversitātī. Vice-Cancellāriae quoque…
Stanford faculty members Jennifer Cochran and Christopher Manning have been newly elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). This honor is among the highest professional distinctions accorded engineers and recognizes accomplished experts from business, academia, and government.“As a member of the National Academy of Engineering, these professionals belong to a select group of national and international peers who advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent…
Topics Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy The Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy initiative explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in the business landscape. The exploration looks specifically at how AI is affecting the development and execution of strategy in organizations. In collaboration with More in this series Get updates by email Please enter a valid email address Thank you for signing up Privacy Policy Barbara (Barb) Wixom, principal research…
Quick Hits Expanded Risk Evaluation: Public employers will have to include “abusive conduct and bullying” in their workplace risk evaluations. Enhanced Reporting Systems: Existing reporting systems for incidents of aggressive behavior will have to be amended to include reporting “abusive conduct and bullying.” Broader Training Requirements: Existing training requirements will be expanded to require training on how to identify, prevent and report workplace “abusive conduct and bullying.” Lack of Definitions:…
In his speech, Lord Hague said: ‘I thank all of you, the Convocation, for electing me as your chancellor and for your enthusiastic welcome in recent weeks. Every visit I have made so far and every conversation, has intensified my excitement about the years to come. I happily dedicate myself today to working with you and for you.’What happens here is more fundamental to British prosperity than it has ever…
Did you know that seven in ten U.S. workers say they would leave a job if they had a bad manager? That’s according to the latest findings of LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence survey. Leaders who exhibit challenging behaviors don’t just cost their organizations talented employees, they also impact the bottom line and discourage future leaders from stepping into management roles. Working under a leader whose behavior is perceived as toxic feels…
Over the past six years, the Russian Federation has significantly intensified its cooperation with African countries and the African Union as a whole. Africa is becoming one of the top priorities in Russian foreign policy. In 2019, the first Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi. It established a permanent Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. In 2023, a second summit was held in St. Petersburg. It adopted a detailed and comprehensive action plan…
While China achieving its growth target is nothing new, the slowdown in a number of sectors (e.g. real estate and consumer goods) and the deflationary trend in the economy suggest that the reported growth number may be overstated. Worries over the strength and, above all, the sustainability of China’s economic model have not faded. There is also growing doubt about the transparency and credibility of China’s statistical machinery. Lastly, 2025…
The medtech sector continues to face challenges in achieving profitable growth, causing some companies to embark on bold transformations to unlock value. Value creation and potential efficiencies are difficult to capture because they are often deeply interconnected across functions, requiring an evolved operating model and cross-functional collaboration to unlock. Executing a successful transformation in medtech can catalyze change by helping companies refocus on sustainable growth, reigniting a cycle of efficiency…
Topics Workplace, Teams, & Culture Performance Management Dan Bejar/theispot.com Since managers started managing, they have questioned how to motivate employees to be productive and do good work — and, for most, their answers are still shaped by assumptions formed long ago. While modern leaders understand that the best performance comes from intrinsically motivated, highly engaged employees, many still use traditional management practices that assume people won’t work hard unless they…
This essay was originally published in Newsweek. The views expressed are the authors’ own. MAGA pillars such as Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer have been raising alarms over Elon Musk's blurring of public and personal business interests, with Bannon going so far as to call Musk "a truly evil person." They appear to be channeling deeper-rooted concerns within the Republican base: according to a new poll out from The…
This commentary was adapted from episode 161 of the Health & Veritas podcast. The views expressed are the author’s own. Subscribe to Health & Veritas for weekly doses of expert insight on health and the healthcare industry. Congress is in the midst of considering massive tax and spending changes, and many of these may codify some of the changes recently made by executive order, including those related to USAID, the…
A new study published in Nature outlines for the first time how advances in AI can accelerate breakthroughs in infectious disease research and outbreak response.The study, which is published following last week’s AI Action Summit and amidst increasing global debate on AI investment and regulation, puts particular emphasis on safety, accountability and ethics in the deployment and use of AI in infectious disease research.Calling for a collaborative and transparent environment…
The team, led by the University of Cambridge, developed printed fabric sensors that can monitor breathing by detecting tiny movements in the skin, even when the pyjamas are worn loosely around the neck and chest.The sensors embedded in the smart pyjamas were trained using a ‘lightweight’ AI algorithm and can identify six different sleep states with 98.6% accuracy, while ignoring regular sleep movements such as tossing and turning. The energy-efficient…
Meeting our climate targets requires rapidly reducing fossil fuel use. But we're far off track, and the science is clear: to reach net zero by 2050, we will also need to permanently store vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) underground. This is especially crucial for some industries, such as cement manufacturing, where there is currently no scalable way to eliminate emissions entirely without carbon capture and storage (CCS) - a…
The evolving global order has placed Europe and Asia at a crossroads, where mutual perceptions significantly influence bilateral and multilateral relations. Europe, as one of Asia's largest trading partners and a key player in global diplomacy, plays a crucial role in shaping the region’s geopolitical and economic dynamics. Historically seen as a bastion of progress, human rights, and multilateralism, Europe is undergoing profound internal changes. For Pakistan, a key Asian…
Zolang we niets doen aan verdere digitalisering van de zorg, stevent de Nederlandse samenleving af op een mogelijk onwerkbare situatie: De zorgkosten stijgen ieder jaar sneller en de personeelstekorten lopen in snel tempo op. Digitale zorg kan niet alleen de zorgkosten omlaag brengen en de personeelstekorten verminderen, maar ook de kwaliteit en toegankelijkheid van de zorg verhogen. Daarbij gaat het niet om “nieuwe” innovatie: er is internationaal reeds een brede…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Technical debt is an anchor, dragging down business leaders’ efforts to run a tight ship. The accumulated costs and effort from IT development shortcuts, outdated applications, and aging infrastructure sap a company’s ability to innovate, compete, and grow. A degree of technical debt is inevitable. To remain agile, businesses often choose to deploy new technologies as quickly as possible, knowing that they may have…
Quick Hits The U.S. State Department has revised drop box eligibility criteria, limiting it to applicants renewing a visa in the same class that is either still valid or expired within the last twelve months (a departure from the previous forty-eight-month policy for any visa class). Despite efforts to streamline processing, visa appointments for certain nonimmigrant categories remain backlogged by more than a year. U.S. Mission India broke records in…
Using a series of more than 1,000 X-ray snapshots of the shapeshifting of enzymes in action, researchers at Stanford University have illuminated one of the great mysteries of life – how enzymes are able speed up life-sustaining biochemical reactions so dramatically. Their findings could impact fields ranging from basic science to drug discovery, and provoke a rethinking of how science is taught in the classroom.“When I say enzymes speed up…
A nail-biting penalty shootout. A sprint title decided by mere milliseconds. A championship that comes down to the wire. From baseball to badminton, sport has a remarkable ability to unite millions of people around the world and leave them on the edge of their seats, whether they’re watching the action unfold in person or tuning in from afar.Behind the scenes, the business of sports is much more intricate than many…
In response to the changing geopolitical environment, European NATO countries have increased defense budgets, a significant share of which are expected to go to new equipment. As munition stocks grow and existing equipment ages, mission readiness—the ability to deploy military assets for their intended use—is an increasingly important priority for countries. This, in turn, is likely to boost demand for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. But it will be…
Simplification and instrumentalisation of history has devastating effects as once unifying symbols become subjects of discord. We are warned of the dangers ahead and alerted to our responsibility toward the younger and future generations to lead this struggle for History with a capital ‘H’, Jean-Pierre Page writes. “THAT men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history…
Businesses increasingly want to buy clean electricity—especially as the fast expansion of data centers powering artificial intelligence pushes technology companies’ power demands to new heights. Unchecked, these increased power demands further threaten the world’s ability to meet climate targets. Whether to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets, cut costs, or hedge volatility, more companies are seeking to fully address their energy-related emissions. Companies’ voluntary purchases of clean energy have helped…
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is projected to play a significant role in the world’s energy transition, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. Based on McKinsey Energy Solutions’ analysis, future CCS demand is anticipated to be driven by sectors such as power, hydrogen, iron and steel, cement, and refining. The conditions in these sectors that could increase demand for CCS include stranded coal assets, the need for a continuous flow of gas…
Quick Hits NLRB Acting General Counsel William B. Cowen rescinded numerous memoranda from his predecessor, Jennifer Abruzzo. The rescinded memos included key guidance on various labor issues, such as the employee status of college athletes, remedies, and the legality of noncompete agreements and other restrictive covenants. In Memorandum GC 25-05, the newly installed acting general counsel rescinded at least eighteen prior general counsel memos and named more that are “rescinded…
The Protection of Public Participation Act, S.B.C. 2019, c. 3 (the PPPA) creates a pre-trial procedure that allows a defendant to apply to the court for an order dismissing a proceeding that arises out of an expression on matters of public interest. But what happens when the proceeding deals with matters that not only involve expression on a matter of public interest but also separate, non-expressive acts and causes of…
Breakthroughs in scientific research and increased public and private investments have yet to negate the long timelines and rising costs of clinical trials. Such challenges continue to drag down biopharma R&D productivity and hold back innovative therapies from making it to market. Although clinical development speed increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of pharma candidates in the pipeline, coupled with a decreasing success rate of clinical trials, has…
It’s been a year and a half since McKinsey published Empty spaces and hybrid places: The pandemic’s lasting impact on real estate. The comprehensive report examined the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on behaviors, including office attendance, residential moves from urban centers to the suburbs, and in-person versus online shopping. It then modeled what the demand for office, retail, and residential space could be by 2030 in nine major global…
How not to get seduced by foreign spies: China’s spy agencyby Qian Langvia Radio Free Asia on February 7, 2025 Bail denied for Hong Kong woman arrested by nat. security police for allegedly helping fugitive protestersby James Leevia Hong Kong Free Press on February 8, 2025 Hong Kong police arrest man in connection with helping 4 2019 protesters hide from authoritiesby Hillary Leungvia Hong Kong Free Press on February 10,…
Quick Hits On February 14, 2025, NLRB Acting GC William B. Cowen rescinded memoranda that deemed as violations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) two categories of restrictive covenant agreements with non-supervisory/non-management employees: (1) non-compete agreements in employment contracts and severance agreements and (2) stay-or-pay agreements whereby employees are required to remain employees for a certain period of time or reimburse an employer certain moneys. This action reverses the…
The recent prorogation of Parliament is unfortunate on many levels, most notably for extending by some months the period of time that many government initiatives remain in limbo. The business community is used to managing risks, but some are more avoidable than others. In these particularly trying times, the last thing people making important economic decisions need to be dealing with is a lengthening of the period (entirely for political…
New research by my colleagues at the McKinsey Global Institute shows that as the world becomes youth-scarce, the number of people of working age per senior in advanced economies and China will halve, from about four today to just two by 2050. The fact that people are living longer is good news. Economically, though, there are consequences. People 65 years and older typically consume more than they earn from their…
The Trump Administration’s decision surrounding the potential imposition of new tariffs in the near future has introduced significant uncertainty for Canadian businesses, employees and trade unions alike. While much of the focus has been on trade and economic policy, these measures also have critical implications for employment and labour law issues. For many employers, particularly in manufacturing, steel, aluminum and other export-dependent industries, it can be expected that tariffs will…
2025 is a notable year in the world’s continued efforts toward a more sustainable future. It marks the five-year countdown to 2030, the end of the timeline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2025 will also be the 30th convening of the UN Climate Change Conference—also known as COP30—and it is taking place in Brazil, both a symbolically and strategically important nation in the world’s fight against climate change and…