Pivoting to a billion-dollar idea: Lessons from Wei Deng

“Pivot” isn’t the bad word some people make it out to be. Many of the greatest companies in YC’s history pivoted along the way. One example: Clipboard Health. Today Clipboard is built around the idea of connecting independent healthcare professionals — think nurses, medical assistants, or phlebotomists — with healthcare…

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Tri-Seal Compliance Note Highlights Broad Reach of US Trade Controls, Obligations of Non-US Persons

On 6 March 2024, the US Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury and Department of Justice issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (compliance note) advising foreign-based companies and individuals to assess their obligations with respect to US export control and sanctions laws and regulations (trade controls) and implement appropriate measures…

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Making green logistics services profitable

Both customers and regulators have signaled a strong desire for logistics providers to reduce their emissions. The market for green logistics, while still nascent, could expand quickly. Based on the Scope 3 reduction targets and logistics needs of about 2,800 of the world’s largest companies across industries, we estimate the…

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What Bob Iger’s Critics Get Wrong about His Performance at Disney

As Disney’s closely watched proxy fight barrels toward the finish line with shareholders casting their votes on April 3, critics of CEO Bob Iger have launched a fuselage of attacks, criticizing Iger’s track record and his plans for turning around Disney. But amidst widespread interest from non-business audiences, these criticisms…

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Supermarket war: Lidl prevail at Court of Appeal over Tesco’s use of Clubcard logo

The high profile dispute between supermarket retailers Lidl and Tesco has now come to a head at the Court of Appeal, with Lidl emerging as the winner. The dispute related to Tesco’s adoption in 2020 and subsequent use of its Clubcard Prices logo for its discount price scheme, which Lidl…

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Driving Manufacturing Efficiency With AI in Pirelli

Daniele Petecchi didn’t realize how complex the process of producing tires was until he joined Pirelli, a company that’s been in the business of manufacturing tires for more than 150 years. But now, as head of data management and AI, he’s focused on leveraging the company’s wealth of data to…

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Black Swan named as one of the UK’s best financial firms for the third year running

Recently, you read about how five Black Swan advisers had been included in this year’s VouchedFor Top Rated guide. Our talented advisers achieved this accreditation thanks to all the brilliant feedback we receive from clients. Now, we’ve won another prestigious award based on the verdict of the Black Swan team…

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How can I protect my family’s wealth during turbulent times?

Concerns about family wealth during times of market turbulence are completely understandable. The disruptive economic conditions of the past few years, which have brought inflation and rocketing interest rates in some markets, can be unnerving for those used to calmer times. Families work hard to build their wealth and the…

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The Four Mindsets of Retirement

1. SwitchVanessa was a partner in an audit firm in Paris. At the age of 51, she decided to cease her professional activity. “I was getting old and realising it,” she says. She gave herself two years to organise her succession and slowed down, changing her occupation day by day. “Things…

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A Five-Step Guide to Improving Your Employer Brand

Burnish your brand to meet the challenge of talent acquisition by taking some cues from consumer branding. Kimberly A. Whitler and Richard Mosley March 25, 2024 Reading Time: 14 min  Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR A consistent priority issue for boards of directors and CEOs is the acquisition and retention of talent.…

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Explore the next wave of AI at digital Microsoft Business Applications Launch Event April 10

The potential for AI at work is practically endless—and understanding how your teams can accomplish more with generative AI is more important than ever. Every day, more companies are turning to AI features to help their employees work more efficiently, provide positive customer experiences faster, and stand out among competitors.  …

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AI ethics are ignoring children, say Oxford researchers

In a perspective paper published this week in Nature Machine Intelligence, the authors highlight that although there is a growing consensus around what high-level AI ethical principles should look like, too little is known about how to effectively apply them in principle for children. The study mapped the global landscape…

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What Have the Bots Learned about Us?

How prevalent are bots as the 2024 election nears? Today’s bots are much more sophisticated, capable of creating and posting original content that makes them seem convincingly real. This technological leap means that, in the current election cycle, bots have the potential to be far more persuasive and impactful than…

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How Successful Is the Bologna Process?

The Bologna declaration was signed 25 years ago and launched the reform of European higher education. The aim was to enable graduates of all degrees to enter the labor market, including the bachelor’s degree. Avenir Suisse examined this goal in its latest publication “The Bachelor’s Degree, an Underestimated Diploma”. The…

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AI-generated food images: looking tastier than real ones

According to the researchers, the results suggest that AI-generated food visuals excel at enhancing the appeal of depicted foods by leveraging key features such as symmetry, shape, glossiness, and overall lighting and colour. All of these are known to contribute significantly to the attractiveness of food imagery. Even subtle tweaks…

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2024 Life Sciences Industry Trends

  Against the backdrop of both global challenges and innovative opportunities – ranging from ongoing geopolitical instability and economic uncertainties to the accelerating pace of technological innovation and R&D – life sciences companies are continuing to navigate a complex and rapidly evolving landscape. In this trends report, we outline the…

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The Middle East as a Prototype for Polycentricity

The modern world is the most mobile that it has been in the last 30 years. For many years, the relatively stable situation in Europe seemed exemplary to many, and its security complex was perceived as a prototype for other regions to emulate, including the Middle East. However, we see…

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What is prompt engineering?

An old fashioned type writer with a sheet of paper advancing from it. The paper has the pattern of a brain made of recently typed letters imprinted upon it. Let’s say you’re making spaghetti marinara for dinner. Sauce from a jar is perfectly fine. But what if you buy your…

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To make the best choice, listen to your gut

Rational, analytical thinking is often seen as the gold standard when it comes to decision-making. Yet according to Professor Baba Shiv, cool, level-headed intellect isn’t the only game in town. “Is a good decision based on reason?” he asks. “Or is it based on emotion?” Shiv is the Sanwa Bank,…

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Faith in Focus: Protected Belief vs Business Reputation

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has dismissed a discrimination claim from Seyi Omooba, a Christian actress, who was dismissed from her position as the lead role in a theatrical production of The Colour Purple, and dropped by her agency, over historical comments on social media regarding her belief that homosexuality…

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A Four-Day Workweek? What Employers Can Expect from Congress’ Newest Fight for a 32-Hour Workweek

By: Bradley D. Doucette, Scott P. Mallery, & Noah A. Finkel Seyfarth Synopsis: A new piece of legislation introduced in Congress, if enacted, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to establish 32-hour workweek for non-exempt employees, with no loss in pay. While the bill is unlikely to gain steam,…

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Cal/OSHA Standards Board Makes Last-Minute Change and the Proposed Indoor Heat Regulation Is Approved With Questionable Vote

Quick Hits On December 22, 2023, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board published additional modifications of the draft indoor heat illness prevention standard. The Standards Board’s agenda items showed that the Standards Board had planned to consider a version of the regulation that was essentially unchanged from a December 22, 2023, draft.…

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China: Two Sessions, one growth target and a whole lot of questions

Li Qiang, appointed to the premiership in 2023, thus had the daunting task of delivering the general policy speech and presenting the government’s most recent priorities as well as announcing key economic objectives for 2024. Unsurprisingly, an ambitious growth target of 5% was set The first announcement was no small…

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After a Long Warm-Up, OSHA’s Proposed ‘Walkaround Rule’ Gets OIRA’s Final Approval to Run (in the Federal Register)

Quick Hits OSHA’s “walkaround rule” has been approved by OIRA for finalization. The rule allows third parties, potentially not connected with the workplace, to accompany a CSHO during the inspection process/facility walkaround, if the CSHO considers such parties “reasonably necessary to the conduct of an effective and thorough physical inspection…

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More than 1 million investors are expected to pay Dividend Tax for the first time in 2024/25

More than 1 million investors will be hit with a Dividend Tax bill for the first time in the 2024/25 tax year, according to an AJ Bell report. Read on to find out if you could be affected and discover some of the steps you could take to mitigate a…

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California Releases Workplace Violence Prevention Guidance

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) recently published guidance to assist employers in complying with Senate Bill 553 ahead of the law’s employer compliance date of July 1, 2024. As we reported in November 2023, SB 553 requires virtually all employers to develop, implement, and maintain an “effective”…

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White Employee Fired Amidst Corporate Diversity Initiative Wins Discrimination Claim But Loses Multi-Million Dollar Punitive Damage Award

By Alex J. Reganata and Barry J. Miller Seyfarth Synopsis: Plaintiff, a white man, was a strong performer in his role before he was fired and replaced by three women, two of whom were racial minorities, amid a Diversity and Inclusion initiative that included a call to restructure the workforce…

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DOJ Increases Civil Monetary Penalties for Immigration-Related Violations to Adjust for Inflation

Quick Hits Effective February 13, 2024, the DOJ increased civil monetary penalties, including those related to immigration-related violations. While these increases are not as substantial as the immigration benefit request fees increase announced in January 2024, employers may still want to be aware of them. The increase adjusts for inflation,…

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Prompt like a pro: Prepare for your week with Microsoft Copilot in Teams

Do the number of meetings and tasks you have to juggle every week feel overwhelming? When your week ahead is full of meetings, emails to respond to, and content to review, it can be hard to know the best place to focus first and how to prioritize your time. Now…

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Open Source Software: The $9 Trillion Resource Companies Take for Granted

What does it take to put a price tag on open source software (OSS), a resource so critical to the global economy that some 96 percent of commercial programs include some code created, tinkered with, or distributed for free by public-facing tech forums?A new paper presents an eyebrow-raising figure. Without…

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As rental growth slowed in 2023, is buy-to-let still profitable?

As property prices and rental yields have steadily increased in recent years, buy-to-let property has often been seen as a useful way to invest your money. However, figures suggest the pace of growth is slowing and landlords face increasing regulation that might mean it’s not as attractive as it once…

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Mediation: We Can Work It Out

Any relationship breakdown can be an emotionally and financially difficult time for families, especially when there are children involved. If you are looking to find the best way to resolve your disagreement or dispute without involving the Court, family mediation is a dignified and cost-effective way of reaching an agreement…

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Better Sanctions Can Weaken Russia

This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. In the first few months following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, we documented how the voluntary exits of over 1,000+ global companies from Russia (that we helped catalyze), paired with government sanctions such as the G7 oil price cap (that we helped…

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Top tips for inspiring inclusion in the workplace

Earlier this month, we celebrated International Women’s Day by taking some time to reflect on why inclusion is such a key value at Clarasys. For us, inclusion is a golden thread running through our business where everyone, regardless of their background or identity, has an equal opportunity to thrive. This…

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Important UK Immigration Work Visa Changes

UK Skilled Worker Visa – Significant Changes A major update to the UK immigration rules was published on 14 March 2024.  The new rules will become effective on 4 April 2024. Notably, these new rules will affect a large number of employers and their employees who need UK work visa…

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Planet v plastic: How you can embrace Earth Day 2024

Humanity is becoming increasingly aware of how we treat our planet. With more people experiencing the effects of climate change and global warming than ever before, the campaigns to protect the Earth are becoming more urgent. Earth Day has advocated for permanent, global change to save our planet for over…

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What is artificial general intelligence (AGI)?

A profile of a 3d head made of concrete that is sliced in half creating two separate parts. Pink neon binary numbers travel from one half of the a head to the other by a stone bridge that connects the two parts.You’ve read the think pieces. AI—in particular, the generative…

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Memory vs Oblivion: On the 25th Anniversary of the NATO Aggression Against Yugoslavia

In January 2023, Christopher Hill, the US Ambassador to Belgrade, was interviewed by the Serbian media; he stated that for him “the biggest disappointment was that things that I thought were decided a long time ago are still fresh in people's memory. When I came here last March, I was…

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Success for Sugar, Hope for Salt

Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease account for two-thirds of all deaths in Switzerland. The risk factors for developing these diseases are manifold, and include consumption of foods high in sugar, salt, and fat. By means of industry agreements, the private sector can play an important role…

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Novel proteins: Consumer appetite for sustainably made ingredients

Ingredients made with biotechnology could play an important role in the future of food—and they’re beginning to come to market. Over the past five years, $4 billion has been invested to develop novel ingredients ranging from mycelium proteins to animal-free eggs. These ingredients are made through fermentation to create proteins…

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