Business, Management, Marketing, Money, Tax, Law, People

When Candidates Use Generative AI for the Interview

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Generative artificial intelligence is transforming how candidates prepare for interviews, making it more complicated for hiring managers to accurately assess their true expertise. By inputting role-specific details, organizational information, and their resumes into GenAI tools, candidates can prompt the technology to generate potential interview questions along with personalized answers. In fact, recruiters, consultants, and other job seekers widely recommend preparing for interviews in this…

Continue ReadingWhen Candidates Use Generative AI for the Interview

Ontario Court Reaffirms Importance of Clear and Compliant Language in Employment Agreements

Quick Hits The Court of Appeal for Ontario highlighted three key points in Dufault v. Ignance (Township): the ESA is intended to protect employee interests; courts should interpret termination of employment clauses such that employers comply with the ESA; and the wording of termination clauses will determine that interpretation. The court also held that if the termination clause in an employment agreement does not comply with the ESA when it…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:5 mins read
Continue ReadingOntario Court Reaffirms Importance of Clear and Compliant Language in Employment Agreements

Market Perspectives January 2025

By Algernon Percy | 09 Jan, 2025 The outlook for interest rates Bond yields have risen markedly. Given that the economic and political prospects in the UK and the US have diverged so markedly in the last three months, it is perhaps surprising that 10-year gilt and US treasury yields have ended the year at almost identical levels – 4.56% and 4.57% respectively. Moreover, they have moved on a broadly…

Continue ReadingMarket Perspectives January 2025

Finding Returns with a Demographic Lens on Commercial Real Estate ‌

Q: How does Harrison Street approach investing?‌ Harrison Street is a traditional investment manager in the sense that we raise capital that we deploy by executing real estate strategies. What differentiates us is our demographic focus. Instead of the traditional commercial real estate sectors—office, retail, multi-family, industrial, or lodging—we look at areas with relatively inelastic demand tied to people moving through cycles in their life. Instead of multifamily, we invest…

Continue ReadingFinding Returns with a Demographic Lens on Commercial Real Estate ‌

Boosting biopharma R&D performance with a next-generation technology stack

Amid growing complexities, escalating costs, and a heightened demand for innovative therapies, biopharmaceutical R&D organizations are under pressure to find ways to boost their productivity. Preclinical studies are increasingly using diverse assays, complex “omics” data, and humanized models to evaluate drug candidates. Clinical trials are adopting new trial designs and incorporating personalized-medicine approaches and even more end points. In this challenging environment, pharma leaders are turning to advanced technologies such…

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:13 mins read
Continue ReadingBoosting biopharma R&D performance with a next-generation technology stack

AI helps identify the biology underlying Type 2 diabetes

A paper detailing the research published Dec. 23 in Nature Biomedical Engineering. McLaughlin and Snyder are co-senior authors. Ahmed Metwally, PhD, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford Medicine who is now a research scientist at Google, is the lead author. Delineating details of diabetes Currently, diagnosing diabetes is based solely on the level of glucose in the blood and can be made through a simple blood draw. “But those tests…

Continue ReadingAI helps identify the biology underlying Type 2 diabetes

Greater Cambridge region can be the beating heart of our national renewal: open letter to government

The letter highlights the role that the Greater Cambridge region – which generates over £50bn of turnover per year for the UK – can play in driving national economic growth. The signatories set out the ambitions and opportunities which the region offers, and a sense of unity of purpose.Open New Year Letter 2025 If science were a country then Cambridge would likely be its capital, and if discovery were a…

Continue ReadingGreater Cambridge region can be the beating heart of our national renewal: open letter to government

Antitrust: College Athletes Continue to Prevail by Asserting Monopsony Labor Market Claims

Quick Hits A recent federal court ruling in Tennessee found that NCAA eligibility rules regarding two-year college transfers likely violate federal antitrust law, granting a former junior college quarterback an additional year to play in Division I football. The court recognized that the NCAA holds monopsony power over college athletes, limiting the labor market for players and impacting their eligibility and competition among schools. The decision is part of a…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:5 mins read
Continue ReadingAntitrust: College Athletes Continue to Prevail by Asserting Monopsony Labor Market Claims

The NATO/Ukraine – Russian Conflict: Another Form of Imperialism?

Political, security and identity reasons are the motives underlying the collective West’s policy of regime change. The Western powers, led by the USA, through NATO, seek to diminish the power of challengers. They seek to assert the collective West’s political identity and economic interests by keeping rising states in a subordinate position, David Lane writes.As the armed conflict between NATO/Ukraine and Russia comes to a conclusion, attention turns to its…

Continue ReadingThe NATO/Ukraine – Russian Conflict: Another Form of Imperialism?

January Jitters: 4 Tips for Keeping Morale High After the Holidays

Happy New Year! Now that we’re all back to the grind, let’s talk about January’s reputation as the least productive month of the year. The post-holiday slump is real – teams return to work with noticeably less pep in their step.   This time of year can feel like you’re trying to light a fire with damp wood. You’ve just wrapped up holiday celebrations, year-end reviews, and goal-setting for the new…

  • Post category:Civility Partners
  • Reading time:4 mins read
Continue ReadingJanuary Jitters: 4 Tips for Keeping Morale High After the Holidays

Operational excellence in biopharma research and early development

The journey to bring new medicines to market remains long and costly, despite recent technological and process improvements in biopharma R&D. It takes about a decade, on average, from candidate nomination to launch, and study and application costs for investigational new drugs (INDs) have soared in recent years by 20–30 percent.These challenges stem partly from the growing complexity of research and early development, fueled by an explosion of data and…

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:11 mins read
Continue ReadingOperational excellence in biopharma research and early development

Why Brazilian farmers are doubling down on productivity

Brazilian farmers have endured multiple challenges since 2023, including crop failures, commodity price declines, and intensified droughts, rain, and wildfires. The result is greater caution, with two-thirds of producers expecting profits to remain stable or decrease in 2024, according to a McKinsey survey. Rising input costs were Brazilian farmers’ main concern when surveyed two years ago, but now extreme weather events are seen as the biggest threat. And to navigate…

Continue ReadingWhy Brazilian farmers are doubling down on productivity

Five Trends in AI and Data Science for 2025

Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images This is the time of year for predictions and trend analyses, and as data science and artificial intelligence become increasingly important to the global economy, it’s vital that leaders watch emerging AI trends. Nobody seems to use AI to make…

Continue ReadingFive Trends in AI and Data Science for 2025

Building a culture of belonging

A framework for addressing loneliness in the workplace for enhanced well-being Addressing loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for organisations striving to cultivate a resilient, engaged, and high-performing workforce. To tackle this issue, we propose a holistic framework comprising five key elements: Culture, Leadership, DEIB & Well-being, Organisational Design & Workplace Environment, and Social Needs & Networks. This framework…

  • Post category:Q5 Partners
  • Reading time:9 mins read
Continue ReadingBuilding a culture of belonging

Working for Workers … From Home? Ontario’s Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 and Telework

Quick Hits The Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 amended the Occupational Health and Safety Act’s (OHSA) definition of “industrial establishment” to exclude any office in a private residence. However, this does not mean the OHSA does not apply to private residences. The Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 also amended the OHSA to apply to telework “performed in or about a private residence.” Simply put, the OHSA applies to…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:5 mins read
Continue ReadingWorking for Workers … From Home? Ontario’s Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 and Telework

Steer clear of non-compliance: Alberta’s new restricted insurance licence for dealership programs

On Dec. 19, 2024, the Office of the Alberta Superintendent of Insurance published a revised version of Interpretation Bulletin No. 05-2024 (the Superintendent’s Revised Bulletin) setting out the Superintendent’s position with respect to products commonly marketed by automobile dealerships in conjunction with the sale of motor vehicles. The original Bulletin published by the Superintendent has not substantively changed, and was previously summarized in an article by BLG found here. The Superintendent’s…

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:6 mins read
Continue ReadingSteer clear of non-compliance: Alberta’s new restricted insurance licence for dealership programs

Professor James Binney awarded Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal

Professor Binney follows in the footsteps of Arthur Eddington, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Stephen Hawking, and Jocelyn Bell Burnell in receiving the Society’s highest honour, which dates back 200 years. Since 1964, two Gold Medals have been awarded each year: one for astronomy, and one for geophysics.Professor Binney said: ‘I am delighted to be honoured by the RAS by the award of this year's Gold Medal. It was my great good…

Continue ReadingProfessor James Binney awarded Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal

How healthcare entities can use M&A to build and scale new businesses

During the past five years, healthcare stakeholders’ expectations of sources of industry growth and profits have shifted toward alternative subsegments. For example, healthcare services and technology (HST) subsegments, which represented about $65 billion in earnings in 2023, will experience an estimated 9 percent CAGR during the next five years. By comparison, payer profit pools (about $55 billion in 2023) will have an estimated 7 percent CAGR during the same period.…

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:17 mins read
Continue ReadingHow healthcare entities can use M&A to build and scale new businesses

Pioneering new mathematical model could help protect privacy and ensure safer use of AI

For the first time, the method provides a robust scientific framework for evaluating identification techniques, especially when dealing with large-scale data. This could include, for instance, monitoring how accurate advertising code and invisible trackers are at identifying online users from small pieces of information such as time zone or browser settings (a technique called ‘browser fingerprinting’). Lead author Dr Luc Rocher, Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, part of…

Continue ReadingPioneering new mathematical model could help protect privacy and ensure safer use of AI

In Stanford’s Practical Ethics Club, students examine life’s moral complexities

On a Saturday morning a week before her fall quarter finals, Stanford senior Ursula Neuner found herself talking about bison.Specifically, Neuner discussed the case of Clifford Walters, who, while visiting Yellowstone National Park in May 2023, rescued a newborn bison from drowning after spotting the distressed calf, separated from its mother, struggling to cross a river. His well-intended efforts were ultimately harmful and futile: the calf was rejected by its…

Continue ReadingIn Stanford’s Practical Ethics Club, students examine life’s moral complexities

Working from home: Effects on housing demand and inequality

8 January 2025By Morgane RichardThis is the second post in our series featuring work submitted to the ECB’s 2024 Young Economist Prize. Morgane Richard was selected as one of the finalists with the research highlighted in this post. Applications for the 2025 Prize will be open from 13 January to 12 February 2025. For more details, go to the dedicated webpage.The rise of working-from-home during the pandemic dramatically changed the…

Continue ReadingWorking from home: Effects on housing demand and inequality

Still Waiting—Massachusetts Pay Reporting Guidance Not Yet Published

Quick Hits On July 31, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed into law legislation requiring Massachusetts employers with one hundred or more employees and subject to EEO-1 reporting obligations to provide a pay report to Massachusetts by February 1 of each year. Covered employers are required to complete their EEO-1 pay reporting by February 1, 2025. Massachusetts has not yet issued guidance on how exactly this reporting will be completed, but…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:4 mins read
Continue ReadingStill Waiting—Massachusetts Pay Reporting Guidance Not Yet Published

Ontario’s new Consumer Protection Act: Proposed measures

On December 12, 2024, the Ontario government launched a consultation for the regulations (the Consultation) under Ontario’s new consumer protection legislation. On December 6, 2023, the new Consumer Protection Act, 2023 (the New CPA) received Royal Assent as part of the Bill 142, the Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023. The substance of the New CPA will be detailed in the Proposed Regulations. Once in force, the New…

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:11 mins read
Continue ReadingOntario’s new Consumer Protection Act: Proposed measures

Finding Your Fit: How to Uncover a Company’s True Culture

We are relatively cautious about what we buy when the stakes are high. But do we apply the same level of scrutiny to the most important investments of our lives – choosing a partner or a career path? Divorce and turnover rates suggest not. While we won’t weigh in on the complexities of marriage, as career advisors and coaches, we know that cultural misalignment is the primary reason why people leave…

  • Post category:INSEAD Knowledge
  • Reading time:8 mins read
Continue ReadingFinding Your Fit: How to Uncover a Company’s True Culture

Economic empowerment made-to-measure: How companies can benefit more people

At a glance The ‘empowerment line’ measures progress toward a world where everyone’s essential needs are met. About 40 percent of the global population lives above the empowerment line—they can afford a standard basket of essential goods and services and begin to save. The rest live below the line, mostly in lower- and middle-income economies where GDP growth is the main driver of empowerment. At higher GDP levels, income inequality…

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:31 mins read
Continue ReadingEconomic empowerment made-to-measure: How companies can benefit more people

How a 160-Year-Old Startup Uses AI: The Heineken Company’s Ronald den Elzen

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 After trying his luck at…

Continue ReadingHow a 160-Year-Old Startup Uses AI: The Heineken Company’s Ronald den Elzen

From Waste to Wealth: Navigating the Ownership of Produced Water and Lithium in Texas

The ownership, use, and monetization of produced water have rapidly transformed what was once a liability into a valuable asset, creating significant legal and economic uncertainty for operators and landowners alike. With advancements in water recycling technologies and operators discovering new revenue opportunities from produced water byproducts, disputes surrounding produced water are intensifying. This article examines the multifaceted legal and economic issues surrounding produced water, including legislative developments, ongoing litigation,…

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:5 mins read
Continue ReadingFrom Waste to Wealth: Navigating the Ownership of Produced Water and Lithium in Texas

Global Employment Law Update: A Quick Look Back at Key Legislative Changes in 2024

Quick Hits Italy introduced new parental leave benefits, effective January 1, 2024. Singapore expanded paternity leave benefits and undertook comprehensive workplace fairness legislation. China (Shanghai) implemented penalties for unequal pay in labor dispatch. Brazil and the European Union (EU) focused on gender pay equity with new reporting obligations. Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia enhanced protections for local nationals. Saudi Arabia required private-sector…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:4 mins read
Continue ReadingGlobal Employment Law Update: A Quick Look Back at Key Legislative Changes in 2024

Canada’s new Clean Electricity Regulations

Introduction On Dec. 18, 2024, the finalized Clean Energy Regulations (the Regulation) were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. Aligning with the release of the final version of the Regulation, the Government of Canada published Powering Canada’s Future: A Clean Electricity Strategy (the Electricity Strategy) on Dec. 17, 2024, which notes that the Regulation is one of the measures that the federal government has taken to help build a…

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:11 mins read
Continue ReadingCanada’s new Clean Electricity Regulations

A new ultrathin conductor for nanoelectronics

​​As computer chips continue to get smaller and more complex, the ultrathin metallic wires that carry electrical signals within these chips have become a weak link. Standard metal wires get worse at conducting electricity as they get thinner, ultimately limiting the size, efficiency, and performance of nanoscale electronics.In a paper published Jan. 3 in Science, Stanford researchers show that niobium phosphide can conduct electricity better than copper in films that…

Continue ReadingA new ultrathin conductor for nanoelectronics

Origins of black holes revealed in their spin, study finds

The size and spin of black holes can reveal important information about how and where they formed, according to new research. The study tests the idea that many of the black holes observed by astronomers have merged multiple times within densely populated environments containing millions of stars.The team, involving researchers from the University of Cambridge, examined the public catalogue of 69 gravitational wave events involving binary black holes detected by…

Continue ReadingOrigins of black holes revealed in their spin, study finds

World – 2025-2026 scenario: a conditional scenario, more than ever

Drawing the contours of the US (and therefore global) scenario requires making assumptions about both the scale of the measures likely to be implemented and their timing, depending on whether they fall within the prerogatives of the president or require the approval of Congress.As far as tariffs are concerned, Donald Trump's threats look like extreme pressure tactics. They call for an ‘intermediate’ scenario consisting of substantial increases, without however reaching…

  • Post category:Credit Agricole
  • Reading time:8 mins read
Continue ReadingWorld – 2025-2026 scenario: a conditional scenario, more than ever

Gaining Real Business Benefits From GenAI: An MIT SMR Executive Guide

Topics How to Maximize the Business Value of Generative AI The promise of generative AI is value — higher revenue, streamlined efficiencies, and more innovative decision-making. Achieving this value isn’t easy. Maximizing it is even harder. This MIT SMR Executive Guide offers expert insights into the strategies needed to get the most out of GenAI. Brought to you by: More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Neil Webb There’s no…

Continue ReadingGaining Real Business Benefits From GenAI: An MIT SMR Executive Guide

Massachusetts Pay Data Reporting Deadline Almost Here – What do Employers Need to File?

Seyfarth Synopsis: The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) has confirmed that employers subject to the new Massachusetts pay data reporting law will only have to submit their most recent EEO forms even though (in most instances) those forms do not contain employee compensation data. As we reported previously, Massachusetts recently passed new legislation that imposes pay transparency requirements on most employers and creates a regime –…

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:5 mins read
Continue ReadingMassachusetts Pay Data Reporting Deadline Almost Here – What do Employers Need to File?

2025 ACA Compliance Updates: Essential Insights for Employers

Quick Hits Starting with ACA reporting for 2024, employers and health insurance providers are only required to send Forms 1095-B and1095-C to covered employees upon request. Employers can distribute Forms 1095-B and1095-C electronically. Employers now have ninety days to respond to 226-J letters. Paperwork Burden Reduction Act The Paperwork Burden Reduction Act (H.R. 3797) amends the ACA by eliminating the mandate for employers and health insurance providers to automatically distribute…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:3 mins read
Continue Reading2025 ACA Compliance Updates: Essential Insights for Employers

Sex differences in brain structure present at birth

While male brains tended to be greater in volume than female brains, when adjusted for total brain volume, female infants on average had significantly more grey matter, while male infants on average had significantly more white matter in their brains.Grey matter is made up of neuron cell bodies and dendrites and is responsible for processing and interpreting information, such as sensation, perception, learning, speech, and cognition.  White matter is made…

Continue ReadingSex differences in brain structure present at birth

10 Essential Leadership Tips for 2025

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…

Continue Reading10 Essential Leadership Tips for 2025

Small Changes, Big Results: Research-Backed Tips for Living a Good Life in 2025‌‌

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”…

Continue ReadingSmall Changes, Big Results: Research-Backed Tips for Living a Good Life in 2025‌‌

How beauty players can scale gen AI in 2025

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…

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:15 mins read
Continue ReadingHow beauty players can scale gen AI in 2025

Logged tropical forests are still valuable for biodiversity, study finds

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…

Continue ReadingLogged tropical forests are still valuable for biodiversity, study finds