subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Nick Purser/Ikon Images If you want to be a successful leader in 2025, you might want to put the two C’s at the top of your list: communication and culture. Indeed, looking back at MIT SMR’s most popular articles in recent months, it’s striking how many of them focus on communication and culture. These two strengths are inseparable: An organization can’t have a strong culture without strong…
Think local and escape echo chambers Todd Cort, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability; Faculty Director, Sustainability Program, MBA for Executives; Faculty Co-Director, Yale Center for Business and the Environment In 2025, I anticipate that climate action will go local. Sometimes we rely on national governments too much to take on the “big challenges” like climate change. I expect that we will see another wave of local and regional efforts to “green”…
Beauty is no longer in the eye of the beholder; it’s at the fingertips of the generative AI (gen AI) prompter. Gen AI could add $9 billion to $10 billion to the global economy based on its impact on the beauty industry alone, and early movers have already begun testing the technology. But scaling these experiments will be challenging, given the velocity of gen AI innovation. The gap between the…
A researcher measures a small mammal. Image credit: Ed Turner. Understanding how different aspects of tropical forests are affected by logging and conversion to oil palm plantations is important for identifying priority habitats for conservation and restoration. It can also help aid decisions on land use – for instance, whether a logged forest should be protected, restored, or allowed to be converted into a plantation. But up to now, most…
India’s luxury landscape is at a crucial juncture. With a booming economy, the world’s largest population and a dynamic, youthful demographic, the country has been dubbed the next luxury hub, especially at a time when luxury consumption in China is declining as spending softens. Is the centre of the world’s luxury market shifting from China to India, as a fast-growing appetite in goods such as high-end watches suggests? And, if so, how should brands approach…
6 January 2025By Tsvetelina NenovaThis is the first post in our series featuring the work of the ECB’s 2024 Young Economist Prize finalists. Tsvetelina Nenova won with the research highlighted in this post.When returns on safe assets fall, investors move some of their money to riskier assets. This ECB Blog shows: US Treasuries are replaced by global bonds, while substitutes for Bunds are mostly from Europe. This effect is smaller…
Prometheus's gift of fire to humanity ignited progress but came at a personal cost. Today, businesses face a similar crossroads with generative AI: harness its power wisely or risk unforeseen consequences. By: Piotr Owczarek As AI revolutionizes industries, what becomes of human creativity? More businesses of all sizes begin to adopt generative AI, changes in the workforce become apparent. Many jobs eliminated as automation in the fields of graphic…
By: Dawn Lurie, Mahsa Aliaskari, and Brooke Gary Along with the New Year, January 1st also marks the implementation of a new Visa Bulletin by the U.S. Department of State. Each month, the United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) chooses whether it will follow the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart or the Application Final Action Dates chart to determine when an employment-based and family-sponsored Adjustment of Status (AOS)…
Generative AI has rapidly entered the legal industry, offering tools for document drafting, legal research and case analysis. While these tools promise increased efficiency, they also present significant risks – one of which is AI hallucinations. These occur when AI generates content that appears plausible but is entirely inaccurate. In the legal world, using such inaccurate information can lead to serious problems, including presenting false facts or misinterpreting cases and…
Let me explain. There is a huge literature on the dollar based IMFS, most of it based in the US and committed, contrary to all evidence, to celebrating its effective ‘public service’ to the world and to predicting its longevity. There is also a huge literature on financialization, and its harms. However, until my Geopolitical Economy of 2013, no one spoke of their intimate connection. I argued there, and in…
At the end of 2023, the final McKinsey Talks Operations podcast of the year concluded that there was no such thing as normal for operations leaders. Looking back on the 12 months since then, it seems the sentiment holds true—both everything and nothing has changed. In this episode, hosts Christian Johnson and Daphne Luchtenberg reflect on four recurring themes from their discussions with McKinsey experts and industry guests: building resilient…
The year 2024 brought about notable changes in employment law in Hong Kong. This article provides a brief overview of the key developments that occurred over the past year and a look forward at the expected changes as we transition into 2025. For the full version of this article, please click here. 24 January: District Court reaffirms unauthorised absence as a ground for summary dismissal. Click here to read more.…
Companies in the automotive and industrial sectors are rewiring to become software-enabled enterprises. As in-vehicle software emerges as a critical differentiator, companies have started to reevaluate the role of software and overhaul their development approaches. Today, software serves as the backbone for advanced features and safety-critical functions while enhancing operational efficiency and propelling innovation. But software can also introduce organizational challenges, because underdeveloped software capabilities can result in start-of-production delays…
The Horizon scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of subpostmasters, has severely dented the public’s perception of the Post Office as an institution. Against this backdrop, branch closures are planned across the Post Office network. These further cuts to a system already struggling can only do further harm to the sense that well-resourced public services could and should play a central role in everyday life. In my…
Quick Hits The EU Platform Work Directive took effect on December 1, 2024, but EU member states have until December 2, 2026, to implement it into national law and develop appropriate guidance for the classification of platform workers as independent contractors versus employees. The directive imposes obligations on digital platforms using automated decision-making or automated monitoring systems that go above and beyond the requirements of the EU AI Act. The…
Self-driving cars once seemed beyond the realm of possibility, but they are now being piloted on city streets. Now another mobility innovation has emerged that could accelerate and complement autonomy: remote driving.By combining sophisticated communication systems with real-time video feeds, remote-driving systems can instantly convey information about road conditions, traffic, and unexpected obstacles to off-site drivers who can control the vehicle’s braking and steering (Exhibit 1). These systems can be…
Over the past two decades, the shift from fixed-function hardware to software-defined hardware has revolutionized industries ranging from networking to mobile communications. With software-defined hardware, developers can improve products and services by continually updating software rather than undertaking more costly and time-consuming hardware upgrades. Devices that were once rigid and task specific are now becoming programmable and flexible, allowing them to handle new tasks and demands. Despite the functional benefits…
Quick Hits California prohibits employers from discriminating against workers who suffer workplace injuries or who have filed or made known their intention to file a claim for compensation under an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. Discrimination can include discharging, threatening to discharge, or retaliating against a worker in any manner for filing or making known an intention to file a workers’ compensation claim. Penalties for discriminating against a worker for…
Shared autonomous vehicles (AVs) now operate in more than ten cities worldwide, including Beijing, Oslo, Phoenix, and San Francisco. More deployments are planned in other regions as AVs with level four capabilities—those that can handle most functions without human intervention—become increasingly sophisticated. While engineers have overcome many technological hurdles for autonomous mobility and continue to make strides, industry leaders should also address other issues—especially those related to the economics of these…
Researchers from the UK and China drew this conclusion after studying proteins from blood samples taken from over 42,000 adults recruited to the UK Biobank. Their findings are published today in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.Social relationships play an important role in our wellbeing. Evidence increasingly demonstrates that both social isolation and loneliness are linked to poorer health and an early death. Despite this evidence, however, the underlying mechanisms through…
To some extent, it is generally typical of the entire World Majority — the world outside the community of Western countries, united around one leader and professing common interests and values in relations with the outside world. In turn, the countries of Greater Eurasia do not have comparable opportunities to consolidate their interests and strategic aspirations. There is no dispute that a certain competition is also present in other regions of the planet, including the West: for example, European states are now desperately fighting for…
subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Leading teams in a hybrid work environment is still a relatively new science — and presents many types of challenges. Hybrid team leaders need to identify the best team norms around communication, refine the workplace culture to foster collaboration and community, decide on smart ways to manage accountability, and more. However, hybrid work also presents valuable opportunities for leaders trying to…
This commentary originally appeared in Newsweek. As the media has been blanketed with well-deserved praise for President Jimmy Carter’s noble life, it feels as though everything has now been said... but perhaps just not yet by everybody. While I didn’t serve in the Carter campaign or in his administration, for a dozen years—from 1989 to 2001—I worked with him on various projects after he left office. He wanted to expand…
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the world of work. Case studies show that AI applications, including the latest large-scale language models, can significantly increase productivity in professions such as customer service and management consulting. Swiss companies also seem to share this view. Investments in IT, communication and technology already account for 30 percent of all equipment investments by Swiss companies – more than during the dotcom bubble.…
We're often warned against opening Pandora's box, a metaphor for unleashing a torrent of evils on the world. Yet, we forget an essential detail: Elpis – the spirit of hope – remained within the box. Even when the world seems consumed by chaos, hope endures.Throughout history, philosophers and leaders have celebrated hope as a powerful force. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu observed, “As long as we have hope, we…
To assess the foreign policy preferences of potential BRICS partners, it is interesting to look at their voting in the UN General Assembly. It is clear that their results should not be taken as absolutes, and the real political practice of states is not limited to voting results and is not determined by them. But these votes are also symbolically quite important, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov. The…
The new approach uses samples from infected humans to allow real-time monitoring of pathogens circulating in human populations, and enable vaccine-evading bugs to be quickly and automatically identified. This could inform the development of vaccines that are more effective in preventing disease.The approach can also quickly detect emerging variants with resistance to antibiotics. This could inform the choice of treatment for people who become infected - and try to limit…
Quick Hits The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program (WWIRP) applies to all employers that directly or indirectly employ at least 100 employees at a single warehouse distribution center or at least 1,000 employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in New York. Effective June 1, 2025, the WWIRP mandates that all covered employers create and implement formal injury reduction programs that identify and minimize risks of musculoskeletal injuries in…
The year 2023 was named the hottest on record, and 2024 is on track to be even warmer. We are already feeling the impact of the climate emergency, but the problem runs deeper. Climate change is just one symptom of our planet’s health crisis. From resource depletion to social inequality, the challenges we face are interconnected and demand a comprehensive solution. Beyond the endeavours of any one company or community, sustainability…
The global crisis that we are experiencing is aggravated by an intellectual crisis of world political thought. Nevertheless, people are inventive, and maybe AI will help, writes Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy. There is virtually no doubt that the problems of 2024 will reappear in full and even with reinforcements in 2025. One of the reasons for the protracted global political crisis in which we now exist is that the creative ability of modern political thought is clearly insufficient to offer a more or less realistic and digestible model of the…
Business leaders today are juggling more than ever, from creating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to managing conflict in highly-charged environments. The brunt of the pandemic may be behind us, but its effects continue to ripple deep throughout today’s workplace. Even before the death of George Floyd and the start of the Black Lives Matter movement became catalysts for change, business executives were starting to recognize the case for…
In the spirit of the season, we’re decking the halls with 12 unforgettable workplace mishaps of this year because who says the 12 Days of Christmas should only be about partridges and pear trees? 1. Age Discrimination: A windy workplace incident Lee Marsh, a manager at Birmingham City Council, was found guilty of age discrimination after an unusual incident involving a younger colleague. Marsh reportedly found it amusing to pass…
Quick Hits New state laws on paid leaves, discrimination protections, child labor, medical marijuana, and workplace safety are set to take effect on January 1, 2025. Employers may want to take note of these new laws and compliance obligations. California California has several laws set to take effect on January 1, 2025, including laws expanding protections against unlawful discrimination; prohibiting mandatory workplace meetings to discuss political or religious matters, including…
Professor Alison Etheridge DBE FRS, Professor of Probability at Oxford’s Department of Statistics, has been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to Mathematical Sciences. Much of her work focuses on infinite dimensional stochastic processes and their applications. Most recently her central interest has been a collection of mathematical problems arising in population genetics.Professor Etheridge said: ‘This really is a huge honour and it's…
Get a behind-the-scenes look at Google's Quantum AI lab in Santa Barbara, CA.
Topics Data, AI, & Machine Learning AI & Machine Learning subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images The wave of transformation that artificial intelligence tools — large language models and generative AI, in particular — have unleashed feels unprecedented. Unlike previous technological waves, these tools are disrupting even traditional organizational structures, as highlighted in Ethan Mollick’s MIT SMR article “Reinventing the Organization for GenAI and LLMs.” Leaders are…
Quick Hits The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated an SEC order approving a Nasdaq rule that would have required public companies to maintain a certain number of board members from underrepresented demographic groups or explain why they failed to do so. The diversity rule never took effect while it faced legal challenges during the past three years. The SEC could appeal the Fifth Circuit’s decision to the Supreme Court…
A study led by The University of Manchester which examined the extent and effectiveness of Russian state-sponsored online propaganda efforts has found that - despite significant investment - the Kremlin's attempts to influence Western media and public opinion are largely failing. Focusing the recent EU elections, researchers analysed the output of five outlets with confirmed Kremlin sponsorship, and uncovered a network of websites and social media accounts designed to mimic…
The near future could see AI assistants that forecast and influence our decision-making at an early stage, and sell these developing “intentions” in real-time to companies that can meet the need – even before we have made up our minds.This is according to AI ethicists from the University of Cambridge, who say we are at the dawn of a “lucrative yet troubling new marketplace for digital signals of intent”, from…
Based on these evidences and reasons, many analysts have considered Iran the main loser in the recent developments in Syria (Eliot A. Cohen, Lyuba Lulko & Dmitry Sudakov, Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann & Nicholas Kristof). But are these judgments correct, and has Iran lost everything in Syria? The ultimate answer to this question is no, for several reasons. First, the difference between official and unofficial positions. Usually, individuals, groups,…