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What Investors Are Missing about Pfizer and Merck

This essay originally appeared in Fortune. With relevance to current life science companies, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often labelled “the father of modern medicine,” advised almost 3,000 years ago “healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” That counsel rings especially true for a pair of ostensibly beleaguered drugmakers, Pfizer and Merck, both of whose stocks have been battered this week despite…

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Beyond Tickets: How Plain is Transforming B2B Customer Support

B2B customer support today is fragmented and inefficient. Sending an email about a technical issue often feels like tossing a message into the void. Chatbots promise real-time responses but force users out of their workflows, while support teams are overloaded by their inflexible ticketing systems, making it difficult for them to provide a seamless, high-quality customer experience. At the same time, over the last decade, workplace communication has undergone a…

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Procuring AI Technology: Vendor Contracts

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an essential tool for businesses, offering automation, improved decision-making, and efficiency gains. However, acquiring AI solutions is different from purchasing traditional software. AI systems evolve, require vast amounts of data, and introduce unique risks, including regulatory compliance, liability concerns, and data protection challenges. Businesses in Europe and Switzerland must carefully assess vendor contracts to ensure they are not exposed to unnecessary legal and operational risks.…

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New York’s Paid Prenatal Leave: What NYC Employers Need to Know About the DCWP’s Proposed Amendments to the ESSTA Rules

Quick Hits New York State’s paid prenatal leave law, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, requires that employers provide employees twenty hours of paid leave per year to receive prenatal care. The NYSDOL recently released new guidance in the form of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) to assist employers in understanding and implementing the new requirements under the Paid Prenatal Leave Law. In part, the DCWP’s proposed…

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Staying comfortable and current: CIRO continuing education rule proposals

Late in December, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) proposed the first set of changes to its continuing education (CE) programs. In Phase 1 of the changes, CIRO has focused on proposed rule amendments determined to have minimal impact on firms and their approved persons. These changes are proposed for the CE cycle starting Jan. 1, 2026. Phase 2 will involve rule amendments expected to have significant operational and IT…

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Government of Canada announces deferral in implementing increase to capital gains inclusion rate to Jan. 1, 2026

In response to increasing criticism in connection with capital gains tax increases announced in Federal Budget 2024 (effective Jun. 25, 2024), but never enacted into law, the Federal Government announced today that it is deferring the date on which the capital gains inclusion rate would increase to Jan. 1, 2026 (the Deferral Announcement). As a result of the Deferral Announcement, the date on which the capital gains inclusion rate would…

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Study suggests physicians make better decisions with help of AI chatbots

Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are getting pretty good at diagnosing some diseases, but how do chatbots do when the questions are less black-and-white? For example, how long before surgery should a patient stop taking prescribed blood thinners? Should a patient’s treatment protocol change if they’ve had adverse reactions to similar drugs in the past? These sorts of questions don’t have a textbook right or wrong answer – it’s up to physicians…

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Countdown to Chaos? The 540-Day EAD Extension in Legislative Crosshairs

If you have been following immigration news and are wondering how changes in Washington might affect your workforce, you are not alone. Senate Joint Resolution 8 (S.J. Res. 8) in the 119th Congress aims to undo a USCIS regulation that grants certain eligible applicants a 540-day automatic extension of their Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The 540- day EAD extension will continue to be in effect until the resolution is finalized…

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California Civil Rights Department Releases 2025 Pay Data Reporting Guidance—Adding New Race/Ethnicity Category

Quick Hits California’s updated guidance adds a new racial/ethnicity category for the 2024 reports—”Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA). The deadline for filing the 2024 California pay reports is May 14, 2025, and the platform opened for new filings on February 3, 2025. California requires covered employers to file payroll employee reports for their own employees and requires covered employers to file labor contractor employee reports for their labor contractor…

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ASC grants novel exemptive relief to permit a family office to act as dealer, adviser and investment fund manager

The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) has granted exemptive relief to permit a family office to act as a dealer, adviser and investment fund manager for the family office and family members in an order granted to Paragon Capital Corp. Inc. (Paragon) in September 2024. Prior to the decision, an affiliate of the family office, ROQ Capital Partners Ltd. (ROQ), was registered to provide those services to the family office clients.…

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out-of-gas-how-the-conifer-razor-dispute-became-moot

The recent Court of Appeal decision in Conifer Energy Inc v Razor Energy Corp., 2025 ABCA 14, has brought to light important issues surrounding contractual obligations, insolvency law, and the operational complexities of the oil and gas industry. Here’s a breakdown of certain key developments and the legal ramifications that follow. Background Conifer Energy Inc. (Conifer) and Razor Energy Corp. (Razor) entered into an ownership and operating agreement, whereby Conifer…

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A new operating model for people management: More personal, more tech, more human

The way organizations manage their most important assets—their people—is ready for a fundamental transformation. New technologies, hybrid working practices, multigenerational workforces, heightened geopolitical risks, and other major disruptions are prompting leaders to rethink their methods for attracting, developing, and retaining employees. In the past year alone, for instance, we have seen more and more companies adopt, innovate, and invest in technology—particularly in gen AI—in ways that have spurred more changes…

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How College Presidents Respond to Critiques of Higher Ed

This commentary originally appeared in Time. New survey data shows that Notre Dame’s legendary president Father Theodore Hesburgh’s wisdom for college presidents from 55 years ago is still relevant today.‌ “My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right,” he advised.‌ Our fresh polling data…

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New study could lead to development of more drought-resistant corn

A corn plant knows how to find water in soil with the very tips of its roots, but some varieties, including many used for breeding high-yielding corn in the U.S., appear to have lost a portion of that ability, according to a Stanford-led study. With climate change increasing droughts, the findings hold potential for developing more resilient varieties of corn.The study, published in the journal Science, uncovers genetic mechanisms behind…

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Sharp Turns and Continuity in Donald Trump’s Policy

The first steps of US President Donald Trump have provoked a wave of comments, assumptions and guesses. However, according to Konstantin Khudoley, professor at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University, Trump’s policy, which undoubtedly differs from those of his predecessors, is not as unpredictable as it may seem and contains significant elements of continuity. The decisiveness of Trump’s actions is quite understandable. Three presidential elections have…

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FY 2026 H-1B Cap Lottery Alert: Registration Period and Important Changes to USCIS Online System

Quick Hits The fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap registration period will open at noon ET on Friday, March 7, 2025, and will remain open until noon ET on Monday, March 24, 2025. Prospective cap-subject H-1B petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS organizational account online to register beneficiaries and pay required fees. USCIS’s new H-1B registration fee of $215 per registration will be in effect for this year’s H-1B…

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Return-to-office mandates and pregnancy: Employers have the right to propose alternative measures

On July 18, 2024, grievance arbitrator Mtre Francine Lamy rendered a decision in Syndicat des employés et des employées de la Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (SECDPDJ-CSN) et Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) regarding the employer’s duty to accommodate in relation to return-to-office policies. The arbitrator emphasized the employer’s right to propose reasonable accommodations to…

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Rewiring maintenance with gen AI

Modern machines are getting harder to maintain. Extra features, multiple sensors, advanced control systems, and sophisticated software all add cost and complexity to maintenance tasks. In industrial environments, that complexity is often compounded by the coexistence of equipment from different eras, different manufacturers, and different technology types.As the work involved in maintenance becomes more demanding, maintenance functions are wrestling with other challenges. Workforce demographics are one, as older, more experienced…

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The Outlines of a ‘Post-Spring’ Middle East

It is likely that Syria will again become a field of rivalry between the Arabian monarchies. Thus, in the Persian Gulf zone, there is a tendency to establish ties on the internal contour, but at the same time, competition on the external borders is intensifying. This trend is likely to intensify in the future, writes Dmitry Polyakov, researcher at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental…

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How to get return to office right

Return to office (RTO) is on the rise. But in the words of talent expert and McKinsey Partner Bryan Hancock, “It doesn’t matter where you ask someone to be. What matters is what you do with them once they’re there.” On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Hancock and McKinsey Senior Partner Brooke Weddle speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about surprising soon-to-be-published research on the opportunities and challenges of RTO—and…

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Consumers Are Gaining the Right to Repair — Are You Ready?

Frontiers Research Highlight Manufacturers must begin to design for repairability and prepare for a more competitive services aftermarket. Jan Recker and Gerald C. Kane February 06, 2025 Reading Time: 5 min  Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series Adam Howling/Ikon Images Vendors of software-infused goods have increasingly used digital control over their products to capture additional post-sales value…

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USCIS Removes COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Adjustment of Status Applicants

By: Peace Ibe and Mia Batista In a significant policy update, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially waived the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for individuals applying for Adjustment of Status (AOS). Effective January 22, 2024, USCIS will no longer require applicants to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the medical examination process conducted by designated civil surgeons. This decision aligns with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s…

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Employer Reminder: Ontario Election 2025—Employees’ Right to Time Off to Vote Under the Election Act

Quick Hits Premier Doug Ford has called for an Ontario provincial election to be held on February 27, 2025, requiring employers to provide eligible employees with three consecutive hours of paid time off to vote if their work schedules do not already allow for it. Employees must be Canadian citizens, eighteen years of age or older, and residents of Ontario to be eligible for voting time off. An employer can…

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Top considerations for construction contracts in light of U.S. tariffs

Amid a flurry of activity over the past several days, the U.S. and Canada have tentatively reached an agreement to delay the implementation of tariffs for at least 30 days. The looming U.S. tariffs, and Canada’s intended retaliatory tariffs, telegraph a turbulent time ahead for the Canadian construction industry. The impact of the tariffs is uncertain, could be far-reaching, and will be complex (see our general thoughts on the matter…

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Why Do Museums Matter?‌

‌Q: Why do museums matter?‌ Art is elemental. Civilizations across the planet and across time have used art to tell stories, construct identity, and help us to understand our place in the world. Human beings have also created and stewarded collections of art, in various ways, going back to the very beginnings of the human condition. Caves had paintings in them before societies had language or agriculture.‌ In the 17th…

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Using generative AI to transform customer experience

At 112 years young, Holcim is proving that age and innovation can go hand in hand. With headquarters in Switzerland, a presence in 70 countries worldwide, and $27 billion in net sales, the construction building materials company is using cutting-edge technology to help the customer ordering process run more smoothly. To transform what was once a manual system into something speedier and easier to use, Holcim recently began experimenting with…

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The AI in the Doctor’s Office and Other News

Howie and Harlan discuss a breakthrough pain medication, studies on AI-assisted medicine, the explosion of sports gambling, and the health consequences of the shutdown of USAID. Links: A First-in-Class Painkiller “F.D.A. Approves Drug to Treat Pain Without Opioid Effects” “FDA Approves Novel Non-Opioid Treatment for Moderate to Severe Acute Pain” “Peripheral Sodium Channel Blocker Could Revolutionize Treatment for Nerve Pain” “Alabama to Beijing… and Back: The Search for a Pain…

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe receives University of Oxford’s highest recognition award for philanthropy

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, has been presented with the Sheldon Medal by the University of Oxford in recognition of the company’s exceptionally generous support for research into antimicrobial resistance. A £100 million donation from INEOS in 2021 enabled the University to establish the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI). The institute is a world-leading centre of research, training and education aimed at combatting the growing issue of…

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Stanford Medicine offers safer, faster way to diagnose invasive mold disease

For people with weakened immune systems, common molds lurking in the environment – in the soil, along damp walls, or on a forgotten apple – can cause dangerous infections deep inside the body. These invasive mold infections can quickly become fatal without treatment, yet they are difficult to diagnose without invasive procedures such as a tissue biopsy.Now, a blood test developed at Stanford Medicine offers a safer, faster way to…

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The Broader Shift Away from a Unipolar World: Cultivating ASEAN-BRICS Synergy

The contemporary global framework is becoming increasingly fragmented and multipolar - with changes in our geopolitical and economic landscapes expected to further reshape strategies and potentially, alliances. Nevertheless, it still remains deeply interdependent, especially from a socioeconomic perspective. As global dynamics continue to evolve, it is crucial for stakeholders – whether regional blocs, sub-regional players, or transregional, mini-lateral entities to take on the role of facilitators – to mediate conflicts,…

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Veterinary Professionals Act: Modernizing veterinary law

On June 6, 2024, Bill 171, the Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act, 2024, came into law in Ontario. This bill introduces the Veterinary Professionals Act, 2024, a law designed to replace and modernize Ontario’s existing Veterinarians Act. The new act includes several provisions impacting the veterinary community, and while it is specific to Ontario, it may serve as a model for other provinces as they look to modernize their…

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AI Data Drop: Handling risky business in half the time

This story is featured in the WorkLab newsletter. Sign up for it here. Every company needs to be able to assess where and how mistakes get made. Let’s say a banking customer experiences delays when they’re applying for a new loan. That dissatisfaction means that customer service employees, in turn, spend valuable time dealing with complaints and inquiries. Figuring out why those delays happen—and fixing the issue—can directly affect the bottom…

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Can We Stop Giants From Failing Us?

In early 2024, the door panel blowout from a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in mid-air shocked the world, less than five years since that model was grounded worldwide following two crashes that claimed 346 lives. The urgent question then was: How did that happen? But the more important question really is: Could these disasters have been prevented?   From the apex of the aerospace industry, the American aircraft manufacturer landed itself…

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The CEO as elite athlete: What business leaders can learn from modern sports

Sports fans love to compare today’s athletes to the legends of the past and speculate about who’s the best. While many of us cherish our childhood memories, it’s a cold, hard fact that, in almost every case, today’s athletes would handily defeat their predecessors. As a flamethrowing relief pitcher said in 2018, if Babe Ruth, arguably one of the greatest players in major league history, were playing today, “I would…

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Cooperation Between Russia and India in the International Associations of the Non-Western World

Russia and India have a long history of fruitful, mutually beneficial cooperation. Its foundations were laid back in the Soviet period. At the time, both economic ties and trusting political dialogue between our countries were actively developing. In many ways, this Soviet legacy formed a solid foundation for the development of cooperation during the subsequent period. Russia’s relations with India, by and large, were not interrupted even in the difficult…

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How AI is transforming strategy development

At its core, strategy entails deriving insights from facts and data, developing real options based on those insights, making hard-to-reverse choices, and executing initiatives that convert those choices into value. Data analytics has assisted in this work for several decades, but never before has technology been able to not only augment and partially automate inputs into strategy but also combine them into complex analyses. In time, it may even recommend…

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Why Meetings Need a Constructive Devil’s Advocate

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Meetings are a staple of organizational life. They’re a place where important decisions are made, strategies discussed, and problems tackled. But too often, meetings don’t deliver the desired outcomes. Teams convene regularly — sometimes out of habit rather than necessity — but while agreements are often reached, the results frequently fall short. Why? Discussions are rushed, assumptions go unchecked, and risks aren’t fully explored.…

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Banks in Canada: A primer

The activities of foreign banks in Canada are regulated and restricted by the Bank Act (Canada) (the Bank Act). The Bank Act does not prevent foreign banks from carrying on any business activity in Canada: rather, the Bank Act restricts how such business activity takes place. Constitution 101 A historical tension between the federal and provincial governments has existed in relation to the enactment of laws concerning banks, as illustrated…

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