Microsoft Teams announces updates for Town Hall

Our goal in Teams is to make hybrid work and communication easier and more inclusive than ever before. This pursuit is core to the effort we put into creating meaningful connections between people through our end-to-end events platforms, whether one-to-one meetings or large one-to-many hosted digital events. We introduced our…

Comments Off on Microsoft Teams announces updates for Town Hall

Job Search Advice for a Tough Market: Think Broadly and Stay Flexible

New graduates entering the job market will face a very different landscape from even a year ago, with a murky economy and potentially more limited career prospects. Though unemployment figures in the US remain near historically low levels, the pace of hiring in April slowed, according to the Bureau of…

Comments Off on Job Search Advice for a Tough Market: Think Broadly and Stay Flexible

AI Can Write a More Believable Restaurant Review Than a Human Can

Like a lot of people, Balázs Kovács has come to rely on Yelp reviews when it comes to choosing a new restaurant. “I don’t look at the numbers,” he says. “I read to connect with the experience. It’s more personable if someone writes about their experience. If they complain about…

Comments Off on AI Can Write a More Believable Restaurant Review Than a Human Can

AIA’s Lee Yuan Siong on building success for the long term

This interview is part of the Leading Asia series, which features in-depth conversations with the region’s most influential leaders on what it takes to lead in Asia today.Asia–Pacific’s changing demographics, growing middle class, and insurance protection gaps are just a few trends shaping opportunities and challenges in the region's life…

Comments Off on AIA’s Lee Yuan Siong on building success for the long term

New Study Highlights Significant Increases in Cannabis Use in US

A new study by a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University assessed cannabis use in the United States between 1979 and 2022, finding that a growing share of cannabis consumers report daily or near-daily use and that their numbers now exceed those of daily and near-daily alcohol drinkers. The study concludes…

Comments Off on New Study Highlights Significant Increases in Cannabis Use in US

Scenarios for What Could Transpire Following a Hostile Exchange Between Israel and Iran

Both Tehran and Jerusalem, while performing political and diplomatic manoeuvres, and, if necessary, demonstrating military capabilities, still strive to refrain from direct confrontation. The regional balance is extremely unstable – and therefore not a single potential scenario should be completely ruled out. Iran-Israel relations have remained extremely tense for several…

Comments Off on Scenarios for What Could Transpire Following a Hostile Exchange Between Israel and Iran

Why is tax planning important?

Tax planning sits at the heart of every successful wealth management strategy. Talking tax can be difficult. It doesn’t have the glamour of planning an investment portfolio or discussing a lucrative business exit, but tax planning is pivotal to your financial future. Everyone can benefit from understanding the fundamentals. Tax…

Comments Off on Why is tax planning important?

Development Imperatives in Africa: What of Tech?

There are many, ways to evaluate Africa’s expensiveness in the tech space and determine what drives African development. Conclusions may point to interests in robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and telecommunications. This paper attempts to add to the body of literary commentary on this issue a view of the nature of the…

Comments Off on Development Imperatives in Africa: What of Tech?

Tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and their impact on Europe

On 14 May, United States President Joe Biden announced new tariffs on China under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (unfair trade) . The additional tariffs – on top of earlier tariffs, including those imposed by President Trump – cover imports from China in several sectors, including semiconductors (tariff…

Comments Off on Tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and their impact on Europe

Ceasing to be UK Tax Resident – Don’t Get it Wrong

It is January 2025 and two people are sitting at the departure gate at Heathrow waiting for their (inevitably) delayed flight to the Bahamas. They start a conversation and talk about why they are flying to this Caribbean island. Person A, Mrs Sunseeker, explains to Person B, that she had…

Comments Off on Ceasing to be UK Tax Resident – Don’t Get it Wrong

Serbia and the Republic of Srpska: Is a Common Future Possible?

[After the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Western pressure on the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Srpska and all Serbian people on the territory of the former Yugoslavia increased. The fact that the Republic of Serbia has not imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation has contributed…

Comments Off on Serbia and the Republic of Srpska: Is a Common Future Possible?

The Six Dimensions of Winning Teams

Goals, values and rules: securing the team’s missionGoals, values and rules are three distinct and complementary ways to bond team members. Together, these elements create the solidarity needed for group members to become a true team. Goals are the foundational element of teams. They provide a shared purpose and direction for the team's efforts.…

Comments Off on The Six Dimensions of Winning Teams

Owning The Oceans

The fascination with the sea is as old as man. The famous cry—thalatta, thalatta—of Xenophon’s beleaguered 10,000 Greek soldiers (or of what remained of them) upon seeing the familiar waters of the Black Sea after returning from war, showed a loving familiarity with the sea. The Romans embraced the Mediterranean…

Comments Off on Owning The Oceans

‘This is what my school was missing’

If Lerone A. Martin, the faculty director for Stanford’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, harbored any doubts about teaching his popular undergraduate course via the Internet to high schoolers in Los Angeles, they vanished when the results of a student survey arrived midway through the semester. When…

Comments Off on ‘This is what my school was missing’

Global governance: Goals and lessons for AI

As AI policy conversations expanded last year, they started to be punctuated by repeated references to unexpected abbreviations. Not the usual short names for new AI models or machine learning jargon, but acronyms for the different international institutions that today govern civil aviation, nuclear power, and global capital flows. This…

Comments Off on Global governance: Goals and lessons for AI

New Maryland Law Places New Restrictions on Noncompete Agreements for Health Care and Veterinary Professionals

Quick Hits Maryland’s HB 1388 imposes greater restrictions on Maryland employers entering noncompete and conflict of interest agreements with both health care and veterinary professionals. HB 1388 prohibits restrictions for certain employees who are required to be licensed under the Health Occupations Article and certain employees who are licensed as…

Comments Off on New Maryland Law Places New Restrictions on Noncompete Agreements for Health Care and Veterinary Professionals

ServiceNow and Microsoft expand strategic alliance using AI

New ServiceNow Now Assist and Microsoft Copilot integration brings the power of two generative AI assistants into one seamless enterprise experience LAS VEGAS — May 8, 2024 — Knowledge 2024 — Today at ServiceNow’s annual customer and partner event, Knowledge 2024, ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) announced…

Comments Off on ServiceNow and Microsoft expand strategic alliance using AI

The growing importance of software product marketing managers

Making great products is not enough in software these days. The “build it, and they will come” mindset will no longer lead to success in this ever-competitive space. As software products become more sophisticated and customers more discerning, the path to market acceptance has become much more complicated. Companies need…

Comments Off on The growing importance of software product marketing managers

Internet use statistically associated with higher wellbeing, finds new global Oxford study

The study encompassed more than two million participants psychological wellbeing from 2006-2021 across 168 countries, in relation to internet use and psychological well-being across 33,792 different statistical models and subsets of data, 84.9% of associations between internet connectivity and wellbeing were positive and statistically significant. The study analysed data from two…

Comments Off on Internet use statistically associated with higher wellbeing, finds new global Oxford study

Ya Xu on building AI and machine learning products

In this episode of McKinsey on Building Products, a podcast dedicated to the exploration of software product management and engineering, McKinsey partner Rikki Singh spoke to Dr. Ya Xu, vice president of engineering and head of data and AI at LinkedIn. They discuss strategies engineering leaders can undertake to prioritize…

Comments Off on Ya Xu on building AI and machine learning products

Reimagining the apparel value chain amid volatility

The apparel and footwear industry’s standard playbook for managing global supply chains has been overtaken by recent events and rising complexity. The sprawling footprint of global supply chains was supposed to the lower the chance for disruption, but the pandemic and resulting dramatic demand shifts punctured that veil. With volatility…

Comments Off on Reimagining the apparel value chain amid volatility

Illinois Legislature Passes Bill to Clarify ‘Per-Scan’ Damages for Privacy Act Violations, Awaits Governor’s Signature

Quick Hits The Illinois legislature passed SB2979 to clarify that multiple alleged collections or disseminations of an individual’s biometrics constitute only a single violation of the Privacy Act and the individual is limited to only one recovery of statutory damages. Once signed, the bill will reverse a holding by the…

Comments Off on Illinois Legislature Passes Bill to Clarify ‘Per-Scan’ Damages for Privacy Act Violations, Awaits Governor’s Signature

Ending the confusion in cloud transformations: The dashboards and metrics everyone needs

The promise and peril of cloud is a common refrain in many C-suites: huge economic potential and regularly underperforming reality. What’s much less clear, however, is what to do about it.Out of the more than 80 enterprises McKinsey profiled for its CloudSights database, 40 percent have found limited value in…

Comments Off on Ending the confusion in cloud transformations: The dashboards and metrics everyone needs

Imperceptible sensors made from ‘electronic spider silk’ can be printed directly on human skin

The method, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, takes its inspiration from spider silk, which can conform and stick to a range of surfaces. These ‘spider silks’ also incorporate bioelectronics, so that different sensing capabilities can be added to the ‘web’.The fibres, at least 50 times smaller than…

Comments Off on Imperceptible sensors made from ‘electronic spider silk’ can be printed directly on human skin

Your Culture Matters as Much as Your Legal Compliance

Legal compliance serves as the bedrock of any organization. While it lays the foundation, a positive workplace culture breathes life into your organization. A strong, supportive culture fosters employee engagement, boosts morale, and enhances productivity.  This balance between compliance and culture was at the heart of our discussion on last…

Comments Off on Your Culture Matters as Much as Your Legal Compliance

Two Years Into the Russia-Ukraine Conflict: 10 Lessons We Can Learn

Europe is at a crossroads: How can it cope with the grave security challenges posed by the (potential) collapse of Ukraine and the return of Donald Trump? In the short term, enhancing defence autonomy is a top priority on the agenda; in the long run, Europe should change its thinking…

Comments Off on Two Years Into the Russia-Ukraine Conflict: 10 Lessons We Can Learn

INSEAD Insights: May 2024 Research Picks

New papers published by INSEAD professors suggest gains from AI could be undermined by managers, perhaps because they have to consider wider objectives beyond measurable results. Another finding pertains to social movements on a global scale, and how they may turn consumers off specific products. Other research cover macroeconomics. One paper…

Comments Off on INSEAD Insights: May 2024 Research Picks

How wildfires change soil chemistry

The huge, long-lasting wildfires that have become increasingly common in recent years can cause changes in soil chemistry that affect water contamination, air quality, and plant growth. But these changes are poorly monitored and rarely factor into post-fire recovery efforts or risk assessments, according to a review study published May…

Comments Off on How wildfires change soil chemistry

One CISO Can’t Fill Your Board’s Cybersecurity Gaps

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 The chairman of a large European enterprise approached me over drinks at an event for board members and CEOs on…

Comments Off on One CISO Can’t Fill Your Board’s Cybersecurity Gaps

A Teacher and Mentor to First-Generation Corporates

Growing up, Gail Ayala Taylor would have heard about business from her father, Reginald “Ricky” Ayala. To Spartans fans, Ayala was the legendary #7 basketball player for Michigan State; to others, he was a distinguished businessman and CEO in Detroit known for his more than 30-year career in hospital administration.…

Comments Off on A Teacher and Mentor to First-Generation Corporates

Audit and Beyond: The Unbelievably True Story of AuditBoard

Today we are excited to announce that AuditBoard*, a software company specializing in risk-and-compliance software for large enterprises, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Hg, a global software-and-services investor, for over $3 billion. The last six years of Battery’s partnership with AuditBoard have been, in our view,…

Comments Off on Audit and Beyond: The Unbelievably True Story of AuditBoard

Chima Ndumele: Reinventing Medicaid

Howie and Harlan are joined by Chima Ndumele of the Yale School of Public Health to discuss his research on structural changes to Medicaid that could keep vulnerable populations healthier. Harlan reports on the remarkable abilities of Google's latest medicine-focused AI; Howie reflects on a study showing the impact of…

Comments Off on Chima Ndumele: Reinventing Medicaid

How leaders at progressive organisations can champion AI for good

As AI technologies continue to evolve, businesses are experiencing transformative changes across various dimensions, including efficiency, customer experience (CX), decision-making, and innovation. Amidst this profound shift, many leaders are emerging as pivotal figures, wielding influence not only in steering organisations through the complexities of AI adoption but also in harnessing…

Comments Off on How leaders at progressive organisations can champion AI for good

Banned or Not, TikTok Is a Force Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore

Businesses that dismiss TikTok as merely a platform for teenagers looking to create and consume cat and dance videos do so at their own peril. That’s the message of a Harvard Business School case study tracing the video-sharing app’s explosive rise to the world's most-used platform. Owned by Beijing-based ByteDance,…

Comments Off on Banned or Not, TikTok Is a Force Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore

Tracking euro area wages in exceptional times

23 May 2024By Sarah Holton and Gerrit Koester[1]Negotiated wage growth in the euro area increased in the first quarter of 2024. This post on The ECB Blog illustrates how the ECB wage tracker can help to put latest developments in negotiated wage growth into perspective.The ECB wage tracker – an…

Comments Off on Tracking euro area wages in exceptional times

Europe as a ‘Lost Continent’

The shift of the centre of gravity from the Atlantic Ocean region towards East and South Asia is an objective process. Russia and the United States are only indirectly involved in it, and the growing influence of the countries in this region cannot be denied nor stopped. In this context,…

Comments Off on Europe as a ‘Lost Continent’

Information Technology for Africa: A New Threat of Colonisation or the Road to the Future?

On May 22, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion, titled “Advanced Information Technologies as a Driver of Socio-Economic Development for African Countries.” Oleg Barabanov, the moderator of the discussion, called the formation of a new economy based on knowledge one of the key priorities of modern development, adding…

Comments Off on Information Technology for Africa: A New Threat of Colonisation or the Road to the Future?