A hundred years ago, the German army was in many ways similar to today's Bundeswehr. The armed forces of the Weimar Republic were small in number, had a radically reduced material and technical base, were recruited on a voluntary basis and, despite all this, remained an expensive burden for Berlin.…
The world remains deeply connected by virtue of global trade, but the geometry of economies’ connections has been shifting. Some major economies are moving toward trading more with geopolitically closer partners, while others continue to deepen their international trade networks both geographically and across the geopolitical spectrum. Asia is at…
3 September 2024By Alexander Al-Haschimi, Lorenz Emter, Vanessa Gunnella, Iván Ordoñez Martínez, Tobias Schuler and Tajda SpitalEuro area exporters are facing tougher competition from China. But why is that? The ECB Blog looks at the important role played by price competitiveness and the ongoing industrial upgrades being made in China.Euro…
It’s that time of year again – vaccine season. While most people can appreciate that vaccination is an amazing achievement, their enthusiasm might falter when it comes time to schedule and receive their own. And new research suggests that might influence how the vaccine affects them. Recently, researchers at Stanford…
A cancer drug that unlocks the anti-inflammatory power of the immune system could help to reduce the risk of future heart attacks, according to research part-funded by the British Heart Foundation. By repurposing an existing drug, researchers hope it could soon become part of routine treatment for patients after a…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow, his first visit to Russia in five years, signifies the strategic importance India places in its relationship with Russia. This visit comes at a crucial time when India is perceived to be tilting towards the West, especially in the context of its foreign…
Some laid-off workers are becoming social media influencers, telling their layoff stories to thousands of followers and outsiders. Former employees generally are not prohibited from criticizing their former employer on social media if their comments are true and not defamatory. To protect their brand and public image, companies can offer…
Artificial intelligence is helping us find and tackle financial crime faster and more thoroughly than ever before, says Jennifer Calvery. Digital innovation
Each year we’ve hosted select non-profit leaders from around the NYC area to share some of what we know about effective leadership. These leaders range from global entities such as the World Bank Group, Global Business Coalition for Education, UNICEF and their Education Cannot Wait initiative. They come from key…
“In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, we see a growing number of services and environments (in which those services run) our customers utilize on Azure. Ensuring the performance and security of Azure means our teams are vigilant about regular maintenance and updates to keep pace with customer needs. Stability, reliability,…
After the Parole in Place Program (“Keeping Families Together”) went into effect on August 19, 2024, sixteen State Attorneys General filed a complaint against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) et. al. The complaint alleges that the program is unlawful and will cause irreparable harm to the states that…
If you’re struggling to understand what AI can do for your business, I’d argue the place to start is understanding the most powerful tool in your toolbox. My job involves helping businesses successfully bring AI to work, and I talk to customers every day. In these conversations, many of the folks…
To technically comply with new return-to-office requirements, some workers are entering their physical offices, clocking in, and leaving just a few hours later. To understand how frequently this is occurring, employers are permitted to use technology to verify on-site attendance and duration of attendance. Corporate leaders and managers can align…
The business world is still coming to grips with the seismic potential of generative AI (gen AI). According to the McKinsey Global Institute, the technology could contribute $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy. In addition, 50 percent of work activities could be automated from 2030 to…
With the need to tackle global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, circularity is becoming increasingly important for businesses and organisations around the world. France has set the standard when it comes to legislation shaping the use of refurbished devices, and Lenovo is also rolling out…
This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. As presidential campaigns race to the close, the electorate moves past gauzy themes and adversarial finger-pointing, which tell us little about candidates’ plans, to examine differences in goals and policies. Previously, we analyzed the paradoxical positions of Donald Trump’s pro-business, laissez-faire, global burden-sharing presumptions—and…
Frontiers The intimate surveillance afforded by biometric technologies requires managers to consider negative impacts on privacy and human dignity. Andrew Park, Jayson Killoran, and Jan Kietzmann August 29, 2024 Reading Time: 9 min Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in…
The world has been and continues to be driven by three famous elements of Realism; “self-help, statism, and survival,” writes Major General (Retd) Raza Muhammad, President of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute. Historical Background For centuries, military alliances have remained a fundamental aspect of statecraft and international relations. The rise…
David Senior Every business experiences a life cycle, transitioning from a startup through growth and maturity, and eventually decline. While no leader wants to see their business in decline, the best response to aging as a business is to accept that it’s happening and run the company to reflect its…
Quick Hits Illinois’s new AI regulations under HB 3773 take effect on January 1, 2026, giving employers a limited window to prepare for compliance. The law broadly defines “artificial intelligence” to include any machine-based system that generates outputs influencing employment decisions, with no specific exemptions provided. Employers must provide notice…
A new space race—one fueled more by commercial conquest than intergalactic domination—is charting solutions to pressing problems in national security, climate change, and communication.With costs poised to drop and innovation on the rise, the economics of cosmic exploration and commerce are rapidly changing. Harvard Business School Senior Associate Dean Matthew…
If every company needs to be a software company, do you have a software organization that can deliver? The answer to that question could be decisive for the future of many companies.The ability to compete depends increasingly on how well organizations can build software products and services. Already, nearly 70 percent…
Few people like to consider themselves followers, but when it comes to evaluating goods, services, and even our own colleagues, it turns out many of us are. That matters because collective evaluation processes—whether a restaurant’s ratings on Yelp or performance reviews at work—can play a significant role in sinking or…
Based on the foregoing, and taking into account countries’ experiences between 1992, when the unipolar world was established, and 2024 – namely, that the initiators of draft resolutions in the UN Security Council on restrictive measures were Western countries, we can assume that such attempts will continue in the future;…
The sight of vineyards in Britain is becoming more common as hotter summers create increasingly suitable conditions for growing grapes. But behind this success story is a sobering one: climate change is shifting the regions of the world suitable for growing crops.Researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered a…
Frontiers OSHA’s longest-serving administrator identifies safety approaches that work — and those that don’t. David Michaels August 28, 2024 Reading Time: 10 min Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series Neil Webb/theispot.com Chasing lower labor costs, most of…
The rules governing the employment relationship are always changing. Laws creating new employer obligations, technology solutions making work more efficient and more complicated, and rules governing the resolution of disputes between employers and their workers are around every corner. Wage and Hour Around the Corner is a new blog series…
A few months ago, Marcus Crook had an idea for the Melbourne streetwear label and social enterprise HoMie, where he is co-founder and creative director. He opened Microsoft Copilot in Windows and typed: “1990s metal band style font with the word ‘HoMie’ in one color screenprint, with distressed effects, black…
Global stock markets fell sharply on 5 August 2024, causing concern for investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its worst day in around two years and the Japanese stock market saw its biggest drop since Black Monday in 1987. As an investor, it’s natural that you may be concerned…
Microsoft Azure enables educational institutions to adapt to new realities, improve operations, and protect student and faculty information from cyber threats. In today’s rapidly evolving world, education is facing unprecedented challenges that require transformation. Microsoft plays a pivotal role in providing the tools and resources schools need to create a…
Dilution occurs when a company issues new shares, reducing the ownership percentage of existing shareholders. This typically happens during fundraising rounds when new investors come on board, or through employee stock options, convertible securities, or mergers. Dilution can significantly impact an existing shareholder’s control over the company and its share…
The UN Sustainable Development Goals were set to be achieved by 2030—yet only 17 percent of SDG targets are on track. In Asia, research has shown that the region will only achieve the SDGs by 2062 if it carries on its present trajectory. Can AI play a meaningful role in…
An analysis of a short programme teaching empathy in schools has found it had a positive impact on students’ behaviour and increased their emotional literacy within 10 weeks.The findings come from an evaluation of the “Empathy Programme”: a term-long course developed by the UK-based Empathy Studios. The research was conducted…
Cohere is carving a name for itself in the exploding AI market by focusing squarely on business clients and collaborating with major companies such as Google, Amazon, Oracle, and Microsoft, among others. Founded in 2019 by college friends Aidan Gomez, Nick Frosst, and Ivan Zhang, the company maintains offices in…
A hybrid approach that combines human knowledge and machine learning delivers better results for mission-critical simulations. Pushkar P. Apte and Costas J. Spanos August 27, 2024 Reading Time: 7 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images “OK, Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” said astronaut John Swigert in 1970, after…
While generative AI is still a relatively new technology, data from McKinsey & Company1 suggests that 2024 will go down as a defining year for adoption. The percentage of organizations regularly using generative AI (65 percent) has nearly doubled in the past 10 months, and the number of organizations using…
Amid growing corporate and public sector cyber breaches and recent high-profile technology outages, significant changes are occurring in both the role of boards in cybersecurity and within the cybersecurity industry itself. In this interview, McKinsey’s Sean Brown speaks with Vinnie Liu, the cofounder and CEO of the cybersecurity firm Bishop…
We’re announcing new collaborations with Energix Renewables and Swift Current Energy to support our clean energy commitments in the U.S.
Plans for Cambridge Children’s Hospital can move ahead following the news that the Outline Business Case for the project has been signed off by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The project has been given the green light to begin…
Nick Lowndes/Ikon Images Many organizations around the world recognize psychological safety (PS) as being crucial for innovation, collaboration, and transformation. Briefly put, psychological safety describes an environment in which candor is expected and won’t be penalized. Although it’s often covered in leadership training, most organizations struggle to convert a theoretical…