Coping With Disruption

The past two decades, have seen many industries shaken to the core by a series of digital disruptions. This started with the advent of the internet, followed by the rise of social media, smartphones and now the shockwave of generative AI (GenAI). Industries such as media, advertising, mobility, tourism and…

Comments Off on Coping With Disruption

Energy inefficiency and inability to downsize pose even bigger threat to low-income pensioners than loss of Winter Fuel Payments, study suggests

The study, published in Energy Research & Social Science, was completed shortly before the Winter Fuel Payment vote was taken, by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).The researchers raise particular concerns about the impact of the policy on pensioners with annual incomes of…

Comments Off on Energy inefficiency and inability to downsize pose even bigger threat to low-income pensioners than loss of Winter Fuel Payments, study suggests

Governments can learn from Silicon Valley as they tackle AI and data science

A new study from the Oxford Internet Institute (part of the University of Oxford) and the London School of Economics examines how governments have gradually adopted Silicon Valley’s way of working. This shift offers valuable lessons as the new UK Labour government looks to embrace AI and data science in…

Comments Off on Governments can learn from Silicon Valley as they tackle AI and data science

How batteries will drive the zero-emission truck transition

Road freight vehicles account for a significant share of global CO2 emissions. Hence, minimizing their carbon footprint is a vital step toward achieving global climate targets. Over the past decade, governments, fleet operators, and truck OEMs have realized this need for action and have gone to significant lengths to make…

Comments Off on How batteries will drive the zero-emission truck transition

A Long awaited Australian privacy reform comes to fruition

The Australian Government has today published a draft Bill outlining the next steps in Australia’s Privacy Act Review process. The changes to be implemented by the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 include the introduction of: A statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy, which has previously been referred…

Comments Off on A Long awaited Australian privacy reform comes to fruition

When the money runs out: K–12 schools brace for stimulus-free budgets

As the end of ESSER funding approaches in September 2024, K–12 district leaders are reflecting on which investments were effective to help shape their priorities in the post-ESSER years ahead. In this third and final article in our series on K–12 district funding, we follow the flow of funds to…

Comments Off on When the money runs out: K–12 schools brace for stimulus-free budgets

How talent can power the ‘telco to techco’ transformation

Telcos worldwide want to evolve from traditional connectivity providers into customer-centric, platform-oriented innovators akin to today’s top tech players. Industry leaders and experts view this shift toward broader services and partner ecosystems as the most promising path to reignited and sustainable growth after many years of declining performance (especially in…

Comments Off on How talent can power the ‘telco to techco’ transformation

Links between air pollution and mental health

In a paper published by the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, researchers led by psychiatrist Professor Kam Bhui at the University of Oxford, say that while poor air quality is a risk factor for mental illness, progress in understanding the causes and impact has been too slow. With the climate…

Comments Off on Links between air pollution and mental health

Underwriting collaboration in the insurance industry

Company Details Industry: Insurance Company size: 13,500+ employees Project Scope: Data Governance team Services provided: Operating Model Consulting, Agile Transformation Coaching, Agile Delivery The situation A leading multinational insurance company, the foremost provider of general insurance in Australia and New Zealand, embarked on an agile transformation journey within its data…

Comments Off on Underwriting collaboration in the insurance industry

Crises, Stakeholders and Merger Success

Shifting influences Perhaps more importantly, our analysis found that the strength of these stakeholder influences is actually dynamic and can be negatively impacted by external economic crises.  For a start, an economic slowdown or recession reduces the bargaining power of the labour force. This is because a tough economic environment…

Comments Off on Crises, Stakeholders and Merger Success

The pension basics you need to know if you’re dreaming of retiring abroad

Retiring abroad is a dream for many people nearing the milestone. Whether you’re picturing a sunnier climate or want to move closer to family, there are some implications you might need to consider when managing your pension. According to a report in Moneyweek, more than three-quarters of pension savers would…

Comments Off on The pension basics you need to know if you’re dreaming of retiring abroad

Building Europe’s electric-truck charging infrastructure

The expected global mass rollout of electric trucks is going to require a dense charging network to keep these zero-emission vehicles moving. For Europe, McKinsey estimates that, by 2030, more than 300,000 public and private charge points will be required across the continent for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, up from…

Comments Off on Building Europe’s electric-truck charging infrastructure

How Agile Organizations Outperform in Uncertain Markets

The global economy in 2024 resembles a rollercoaster more than ever before. Geopolitical tensions, technological disruptions, and shifting consumer behaviours have created a perfect storm of uncertainty. For most companies, this volatility presents both a formidable challenge and a unique opportunity. Those who can master the art of value creation…

Comments Off on How Agile Organizations Outperform in Uncertain Markets

A new era: Trends shaping China’s heavy-duty trucking industry

The Chinese heavy-duty-truck (HDT) market has faced a variety of challenges. Nearly a decade of rapid growth gave way in 2022, with sales plummeting 45 percent year over year. As the market finds its footing, several new trends are at play: the emergence and rise of new powertrains, partnerships exploring…

Comments Off on A new era: Trends shaping China’s heavy-duty trucking industry

IDC study on partner profitability with Microsoft AI

In the past year we experienced significant transformation, driven by AI, impacting the world and the tech industry in dynamic ways. In nearly every conversation I have with partners, we discuss how AI is delivering faster time to value for customers across nearly every industry and opening new possibilities and…

Comments Off on IDC study on partner profitability with Microsoft AI

Study: Greater freedom means money can buy happiness

A new study has disputed the saying “money can’t buy happiness”. In fact, the research suggests the opposite is true, money can buy happiness, but it isn’t as simple as accumulating as much wealth as possible. According to the Guardian, a study from the University of Pennsylvania found a strong…

Comments Off on Study: Greater freedom means money can buy happiness

Special Olympics’ health chief on championing inclusive care

Since its founding in 1968, Special Olympics has grown into a global program that provides year-round athletic training and competition for millions of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The program fosters and celebrates its athletes’ abilities and promotes equal access to healthcare for all, according to Dimitri Christakis, MD,…

Comments Off on Special Olympics’ health chief on championing inclusive care

Distinguishing Real Sounds from Deepfakes

Deepfake videos generated by artificial intelligence grow increasingly difficult to identify as false, a challenge that could significantly skew the results of the upcoming presidential election. Laurie Heller(opens in new window), Carnegie Mellon University professor of psychology, collaborated with Hafsa Ouajdi, Oussama Hadder, Modan Tailleur and Mathieu Lagrange of École Centrale…

Comments Off on Distinguishing Real Sounds from Deepfakes

Update on progress accelerating addition of carbon-free energy

At Microsoft, we seek to enable a decarbonized grid for our company, our customers, and the world. It’s part of our commitment to support a more sustainable future and become a carbon negative company. We’re dedicating significant resources to advancing this goal and adding carbon-free electricity and capacity in the…

Comments Off on Update on progress accelerating addition of carbon-free energy

How to join the pension treasure hunt and discover “lost” savings

You could uncover “lost” pension savings and boost your retirement by tracking down old pots you might have forgotten about. Read on to find out why you might have lost pensions and how to rediscover them. 29 October 2024 marks National Pension Tracing Day and the campaign urges you to…

Comments Off on How to join the pension treasure hunt and discover “lost” savings

Measuring Recruiting and Hiring Success: Key Metrics to Track

In the past, recruiting was often a “spray and pray” approach—posting job openings everywhere and hoping the right candidate would find their way to us, even faxing over their resumes. Thankfully, recruiting today is far more strategic, thanks to the internet and advances in technology. To truly evaluate the success…

Comments Off on Measuring Recruiting and Hiring Success: Key Metrics to Track

Global Economics Intelligence executive summary, August 2024

While resilient, global economic growth is uneven, forward-looking indicators now show a divergence between manufacturing and services on a global basis. The manufacturing sector has contracted for the first time in 2024, registering 49.7 in July on the global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), while services continue to grow steadily, clocking…

Comments Off on Global Economics Intelligence executive summary, August 2024

The role of technology in the arts: An interview with Deborah Rutter

The conventional view of art may be that it is incompatible with technology. But in recent years, digital forms of art have complemented and perhaps enhanced traditional arts such as opera, film, and dance. In her ten years at the helm of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter has led a…

Comments Off on The role of technology in the arts: An interview with Deborah Rutter

New wave of Copilot innovation coming to education

Enhance your AI journey with Business Chat and Copilot Pages, updates to Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps, Copilot agents, enterprise data protection, and more. We’re introducing a new wave of Microsoft Copilot innovation with Business Chat and Copilot Pages, updates to Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps, Copilot agents,…

Comments Off on New wave of Copilot innovation coming to education

74% of financial advice from social media leads to an “undesired outcome”

There’s an abundance of unregulated financial advice available, and research suggests it could harm your security and long-term plans. Whether you receive advice through social media or follow the financial decisions of friends, you could take more risk than is appropriate or miss out on opportunities. Read on to discover…

Comments Off on 74% of financial advice from social media leads to an “undesired outcome”

London & Capital appoints Nicole Ralph as Executive Director

By London & Capital | 20 Sep, 2024 We are delighted to announce the appointment of Nicole Ralph as an Executive Director to our Private Wealth team. Nicole brings over 20 years of experience working with HNW US expats and their families. As a dual US/UK citizen, she has dedicated…

Comments Off on London & Capital appoints Nicole Ralph as Executive Director

The Avian Flu Outbreak Remains a Concern—And We Still Aren’t Ready to Respond

This commentary was adapted from episode 141 of the Health & Veritas podcast. H5N1 remains a major public health story, even if the press rarely covers it. We have had a concerning outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, since early this year. When I…

Comments Off on The Avian Flu Outbreak Remains a Concern—And We Still Aren’t Ready to Respond

AI can transform workforce planning for travel and logistics companies

For many travel and logistics providers, workforce challenges have become an increasing source of anxiety. Labor shortages are frequent and labor costs are rising. Workforce planning missteps can result in reduced margins and degraded customer service. These workforce challenges affect more than three million people employed at the 40 top-grossing…

Comments Off on AI can transform workforce planning for travel and logistics companies

Learning to Learn

How can we overcome change and learn to create a better experience at work—for ourselves and our teams? To launch us into Season Three of Learning Through Experience, my first guest explores with me the pedagogy of hope and transformation, focusing on interpersonal and group dynamics. As Dr. Lisa Lahey…

Comments Off on Learning to Learn

From the Past to the Future: Debunking Myths About Contemporary Africa

The past cannot be changed, however, we can learn from it. Africa’s expectation, in particular of its rising younger generation, is to be treated with respect and fairness. Africa is embracing diversity while re-anchoring to its roots, writes Ibrahima Diagne in the second part of his reflections on Africa’s role…

Comments Off on From the Past to the Future: Debunking Myths About Contemporary Africa

New quantum safe cryptographic standards future proofing financial security in the quantum age

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released three new cryptographic standards ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and SLH-DSA, designed to protect sensitive data against the emerging threat of quantum computing. These standards are crucial for the financial services sector, which is particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by quantum technology.…

Comments Off on New quantum safe cryptographic standards future proofing financial security in the quantum age

UK Retail Workers Win Landmark Equal Pay Case

Quick Hits In 2018, in-store sales consultants, who are predominantly female, argued that their work was of equal value to Next’s predominantly male warehouse-based workers. Next argued that the difference in pay rates was in response to market forces driven by the wider labour market. The Employment Tribunal ruled that…

Comments Off on UK Retail Workers Win Landmark Equal Pay Case

The right way to co-create with AI

Three weeks ago, I dropped off my fourth and youngest child at college—the same school his mom and I both attended back in the ’90s. On the one hand, I was struck by how familiar it all felt. He now lives in the same dorm his mom did during her…

Comments Off on The right way to co-create with AI

The bucket-list weekend breaks perfect for wine connoisseurs

Did you know that a survey found that the UK consumed the equivalent of 1.77 billion bottles of wine in 2020? Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or are looking to improve your knowledge by visiting a region known for its exquisite wines, these incredible destinations in Europe could be perfect…

Comments Off on The bucket-list weekend breaks perfect for wine connoisseurs

5 Tips You Haven’t Seen for Engaging Hybrid And Remote Workers

According to Forbes, one in five workers is working remotely and 98% of workers want to work remotely at least some of the time. Yet, despite the flexibility that hybrid and remote work offer, engagement is a major challenge. In fact, the 2023 State of Remote Work report by Buffer…

Comments Off on 5 Tips You Haven’t Seen for Engaging Hybrid And Remote Workers

Reimagining healthcare industry service operations in the age of AI

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, operations leaders face a complex set of challenges, including high administrative costs and employee attrition rates. Administrative accounts for about 25 percent of the more than $4 trillion spent on healthcare annually in the United States. Simultaneously, in response to rising expectations, organizations…

Comments Off on Reimagining healthcare industry service operations in the age of AI

NATO is There, but BRICS Is Also Good: Ankara Opts for a New World Order

BRICS membership would significantly increase Turkey’s international authority and prestige. The country would be able to actively participate in the development of global economic and political strategies, offering its ideas and formulas for solving global problems, write Igbal Adil Oglu Guliyev and Murad Sadygzade. In early September 2024, Turkey once…

Comments Off on NATO is There, but BRICS Is Also Good: Ankara Opts for a New World Order

High-Stakes Elections: Foreign and Domestic Policy Dimensions of the US Presidential Campaign

On September 19, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion, titled “Elections in the USA: What Awaits Ukraine?” Moderator Andrey Sushentsovx noted that the American presidential elections scheduled for November 5 are of concern to most countries throughout the world, and will affect many areas of international life. For…

Comments Off on High-Stakes Elections: Foreign and Domestic Policy Dimensions of the US Presidential Campaign

Achieving hypergrowth: It’s all about the people

Most founder CEOs will tell you that it’s the people who matter most for a start-up’s success—that entrepreneurial band of software engineers, product developers, marketing managers, finance associates, and others who can help bring an idea to life and then to market. Founder CEOs know that talent is a key…

Comments Off on Achieving hypergrowth: It’s all about the people

Hedge funds: good or bad for market functioning?

23 September 2024By Federico Maria Ferrara, Tobias Linzert, Benoit Nguyen, Imène Rahmouni-Rousseau, Marta Skrzypińska and Lia Vaz Cruz[1]Hedge funds have substantially increased their trading activity in euro area government bond and repo markets. The ECB Blog evaluates how this plays out for market functioning and intermediation. Government bonds are central…

Comments Off on Hedge funds: good or bad for market functioning?