Beyond 9 to 5: The power of spiritual health in the workplace

Spiritual health, often overlooked in holistic well-being, deserves greater attention. While physical health has traditionally been the main focus and mental and social health are gaining recognition, spiritual well-being plays a critical role in enhancing overall health. McKinsey Health Institute’s (MHI) global survey of 41,000 people finds that spiritual health matters to many, regardless of age, country, or religious beliefs. Studies further show that fostering spiritual health can significantly improve…

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Maine Attorney General Convenes Working Group to Recommend Standards to Implement Right to Repair Law

The Maine Attorney General’s Office recently announced that it has convened an 11-person working group of industry stakeholders to develop recommendations for legislation to establish an entity with rulemaking and enforcement authority “to ensure cyber-secure access to motor vehicle-generated data to owners and owner authorized independent repair facilities for maintenance, diagnostic and repair purposes.” The announcement follows an April 16, 2024 resolve by the Maine Legislature directing the Maine Attorney…

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Research-Based Advice for the Seasonally Overwhelmed and Schedule Challenged

Stop multitasking. Budget your time. Put down your phone. From juggling your family’s personal commitments to urgent work projects, the start of a new academic year can bring seasonal overwhelm. But it can also offer an opportunity to reflect: How to do things better, achieve more balance, and set more meaningful priorities at work and at home. As we begin the last quarter of 2024, Harvard Business School faculty experts…

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Portfolio and performance: Priorities for CPG leaders

What will it take for the consumer goods industry to turn its fortunes around? Once a leader in total shareholder returns (TSR), the industry has fallen from the top to the bottom quartile in TSR performance. This episode of the McKinsey on Consumer & Retail podcast examines the reasons for that decline—and what consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies can do about it. The episode is excerpted from a webinar on “Rescuing…

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Emotional Wisdom and the Permission to Feel

How do different emotions impact everyday life? And what are the kinds of experiences we want and need—in the classroom, at work, and in our own developmental trajectories—to be able to deepen our emotional wisdom so we can make better decisions and have healthier relationships? In this episode of Learning Through Experience, we dig deep into feelings with Dr. Marc Brackett. As he underscored during our conversation, “We all have…

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If Trump Returns to the White House: Legal Grounds for Lifting Sanctions Against Russia

If Donald Trump terminates the new national emergency declared via Executive Order 14024, then all those included in the SDN on its grounds will be excluded. This also applies to sectoral sanctions. The sanctions imposed by the Obama administration with respect to the Ukrainian issue, digital security and other issues will remain. There are quite a few precedents for such cancellations. Thus, Biden, already in the first months of his…

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Cross-Border Catch-Up: Performance-Based Terminations of Employment in South Korea

Quick Hits A Supreme Court of Korea opinion provides employers with useful insights into just cause for dismissing an employee based on poor performance. The court found that a former employee, who had been with the employer for more than twenty-five years, had received poor performance reviews for more than ten years before being dismissed, and had failed to meet the requirements of a performance improvement plan seven out of…

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Lessons from the new wave of companies with AI at their core

If you really want to understand the future of work, look at the companies that are going all in on AI. That’s what Jared Spataro, Chief Marketing Officer of AI at Work here at Microsoft, tasked his team to do. What they found: AI-native startups fold the technology into all aspects of their businesses, from processes and products to customer service. As Spataro says, they’re “using AI at the core…

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New study reveals positive mood changes during video game play

The study looks at player data from 67,328 gaming sessions from 8,695 players in 39 countries, analysing their mood before and during gameplay Across 162,325 in-game mood reports from players of the popular game PowerWash Simulator (PWS), the average player reported a more positive mood during play than at the start of each session Researchers predict 72% of players experience this uplift in mood during the play session based on…

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Valdai Club and the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University to Discuss the 75th Anniversary of Russia-China Diplomatic Relations

On October 14–15, the Valdai Discussion Club and the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University will hold a Russian-Chinese conference in Moscow to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University is one of the largest institutes in China studying Russia, the former Soviet Union, and Chinese-Russian relations. It also serves as a platform for other Chinese think…

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Europe’s economic potential in the shift to electric vehicles

Executive summaryThe automotive industry has been a stronghold of the European economy for decades but is now facing disruption from electric mobility. In 2023, the industry contributed $1.9 trillion in gross value added (GVA), with technology and car exports creating $620 billion in value. Electric mobility could add $240 billion to $300 billion in GVA in after-sales support and services by 2035. But based on current trends, European production value…

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  • Reading time:22 mins read
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Bring Your Own AI: How to Balance Risks and Innovation

Research Highlight Banning GenAI tools won’t work. Leaders should set guidelines that let employees experiment: This mitigates risks while opening the door to organizational gains, research shows. Nick van der Meulen and Barbara H. Wixom October 03, 2024 Reading Time: 10 min  Matt Harrison Clough / Ikon Images The Research This research briefing is based on a series of three consecutive virtual roundtable discussions the authors conducted in the last…

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California Governor Vetoes AI Safety Bill With Whistleblower Protections for Employees Who Report Dangers of the Technology

Quick Hits The bill would have required developers of large AI models made available to the public to take specific steps to ensure that they did not cause critical harm. It would have imposed employment protections for developers’ employees who blew the whistle about potential dangers. The legislation was one of several AI bills presented to the governor during the year’s regular legislative session as California looks to be a…

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Teachers share the stories we can’t fully express

Join us this World Teachers' Day as we express our gratitude for educators everywhere. There aren't enough words to truly capture the essence of what teachers do every day. As we celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2024, we find ourselves reflecting on the immeasurable contributions of educators around the globe. Observed annually on October 5, World Teachers’ Day is a UNESCO initiative that honors the teaching profession and recognizes the pivotal…

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Fortune or fiction? The real value of a digital and AI transformation in CPG

The narrative surrounding generative AI (gen AI), a moon shot, once-in-a-generation innovation, is that it could utterly reinvent how businesses—consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies among them—are run. CPG leaders are heeding the call. In a 2024 survey of CPG leaders, 71 percent said they adopted AI in at least one business function of their organizations (up from 42 percent in 2023), while 56 percent said they were regularly using gen AI. However,…

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  • Reading time:12 mins read
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Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Crises and Common Ground

Harlan Krumholz: Welcome to Health & Veritas. I’m Harlan Krumholz. Howard Forman: And I’m Howie Forman. We’re physicians and professors at Yale University. We’re trying to get closer to the truth about health and healthcare. This is a very, very special episode. It’s our nation’s surgeon general—and our alum—joining us today for the second time for this very special episode of Health & Veritas podcast. Harlan Krumholz: Howie, I’m really…

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Manage Boundaries Better With Your Team

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Just how much do employees resent it when leaders cross work-life boundaries? Our research found that employees consider being contacted during off-hours an unwelcome intrusion into their personal lives 76% of the time.1 Additionally, 83% of people reported experiencing interruptions at least twice a week, and 41% reported an increase in interruptions compared with pre-COVID times.2 Work-life boundaries are blurrier than ever, creating significant…

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ERISA Litigation Developments – California Leads the Way

Tuesday, October 8, 20243:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mountain12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific About the Program While the ERISA legal landscape changes constantly, one thing is certain - California remains a harbinger of litigation trends soon to spread nationwide. From the statutes and laws under which ERISA cases are brought to novel venue shopping tactics, employers across the US…

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New California Law Directs Cal/OSHA Standards Board to Adopt Standards for Hospital Weapons Detection Screening by 2027

Quick Hits Governor Newsom recently signed into law legislation directing the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, by March 1, 2027, to amend existing standards to require hospitals to implement weapons detection screening policies. The standards will also require hospitals to implement policies addressing personnel education and training, alternative search and screening protocols, response protocols for detected weapons, and public notification. Newly enacted Assembly Bill (AB) No. 2975 requires…

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Get ready for the 2025 Microsoft Imagine Cup: Let the innovation begin

Turn your innovative idea into reality with the Microsoft Imagine Cup Are you a student with an original idea that could possibly change the world? The 2025 Microsoft Imagine Cup is your opportunity to develop your idea, showcase your solution, and shine on a global stage. Register now for the 2025 Imagine Cup! The Imagine Cup is the premier global technology competition for student founders leveraging AI to push the…

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5 practical ways to tackle financial anxiety on World Mental Health Day

Money worries are a common occurrence for many people in the UK, and ongoing economic challenges have only heightened these concerns. Indeed, research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed that 43% of UK adults – more than 22 million people – feel stressed or anxious due to rising living costs. This worry can affect many areas of your life, ranging from your financial and emotional wellbeing to your…

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Monetary policy transmission: why consumers’ housing situations matter

3 October 2024By Lorenzo Baldassarri, Dimitris Georgarakos, Geoff Kenny and Justus MeyerMonetary policy decisions have direct financial consequences for many consumers, especially as they influence mortgage conditions. The ECB Blog looks at how these effects differ based on consumers’ mortgage situations and why that matters for the transmission of monetary policy.Consumers’ expectations about real interest rates influence their decisions about saving, borrowing and investment. What really matters to people, according…

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Elections and Leadership: 3 Ways Your Reaction Can Impact Your Team

Election season tends to bring division and tension, and it’s hard to avoid. Even if you’ve reminded your team to steer clear of political conversations at work, it’s likely that the topic will still pop up here and there. The truth is, having employees with different views isn’t the problem. What makes things tricky is that both employees and leaders often struggle with how to discuss political or social issues…

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BRICS After Expansion

The 2024 expansion is the most important milestone, after which BRICS found itself at a fork in the road. It will either preserve and strengthen the quality of cooperation amid the new composition and turn into a genuine institute of global governance and dive into the formation of a more just world order, or it will become a loose and non-decision-making discussion club, participation in which is prestigious, but does…

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Middle East Crisis: Can a New Round of Escalation Be Avoided?

On October 2, a discussion dedicated to the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East was held at the Valdai Discussion Club. The event was moderated by Programme Director Andrey Sushentsov. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov noted that the country is at the intersection of almost the entire spectrum of Middle Eastern problems, suffering from ethno-confessional tensions, a profound economic and political…

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Massachusetts PFML Update: Benefit and Contribution Rate Updates And SJC Confirms Employers Are Not Required To Continue Accrual Of Certain Benefits During PFML

As part of its annual exercise, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) announced an increase to the maximum weekly Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) benefit, effective January 1, 2025, while contribution rates from employers and employees that fund the public program will remain the same. Additionally, on an issue of first impression, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently held that an employer does not need…

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The next step in Bing generative search

In July, we introduced an early view of generative search in Bing, and today we’re taking the next step as we continue to evolve our vision of the future of search.With the introduction of generative search, Bing utilizes AI to deliver a truly unique experience by not only optimizing the search results but also how those results appear in a cohesive layout. This transformation is more than aesthetic; it’s about…

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Switzerland Bets on India

Flying to the moon, becoming the world’s most populous country, excellent growth forecasts: India is playing an increasingly important role on the world stage. With this in mind, the interest of the EFTA states (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) in a trade agreement with India is understandable. After 16 years and 21 rounds of negotiations, India and the EFTA signed a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (Tepa) in March led…

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America’s small businesses: Time to think big

At a glance Micro-, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) are the bedrock of the US economy. They employ nearly six in ten workers, produce almost 40 percent of value added nationally, and grow into a meaningful share of very large corporations. MSMEs in the United States are only half as productive as large companies, compared with 60 percent in other advanced economies. Narrowing the productivity gap, which is equivalent to…

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  • Reading time:27 mins read
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First map of every neuron in an adult fly brain complete

This landmark achievement has been conducted by the FlyWire Consortium, a large international collaboration including researchers from the University of Cambridge, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, Princeton University, and the University of Vermont. It is published today in two papers in the journal Nature.The diagram of all 139,255 neurons in the adult fly brain is the first of an entire brain for an animal that can walk…

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Ethically Sourced Creativity: Shutterstock’s Alessandra Sala

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 Alessandra Sala, senior director of…

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Choosing Passion: A Founder’s Mission to Meet a Need for Obesity Care

Brian Kenny: In 1970, about 15 percent of adults in the United States met the clinical definition of obesity. By 1990, that number had doubled. Today it sits at 42 percent for adults and 19 percent for children and adolescents. That's over a third of our nation's population grappling with the health conditions that can result from obesity, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and joint problems among others, not to mention…

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Software Development in the EU – Key Legal Considerations

Are you a professional planning to develop your own software? Here’s a brief guide to key EU laws and regulations you should know to prevent potential issues. Data Protection and Privacy Considerations If you handle personal data, it’s essential to understand the basics of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR is an EU regulation that governs the processing of personal data of individuals within the EU and requires…

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Ready for takeoff: The airline retailing opportunity

Consumer-facing companies across all types of sectors have already begun to harness the power of modern retailing techniques. Tactics such as bundled offers and dynamic pricing can provide a boost to an organization’s revenue and profit. At the same time, they are creating better, more relevant experiences for consumers. Airlines, however, have yet to capture many of these benefits. For instance, some might fail to bundle the sale of a…

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How Employers Can Stop Failing Parents

Annalisa Grassano Dual dangers are threatening the national workforce: a child care crisis and a mental health crisis. The connection between the United States’ inadequate child care system and parents’ mental health struggles is so significant that the U.S. Surgeon General highlighted it in an advisory released in August on the mental health and well-being of parents. But employers that support employees experiencing child care issues have an opportunity to…

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FTC to Appeal Florida Court’s Preliminary Injunction of Noncompete Ban Following Texas Court’s Block

Quick Hits The FTC is appealing a Florida federal court’s preliminary injunction blocking its noncompete ban. The appeal comes after a Texas federal court, in a separate case, blocked the FTC’s rule on a nationwide basis, while a Pennsylvania federal court has backed the rule. The FTC’s final rule, published in May 2024, would effectively ban all noncompete agreements between employers and employees. On September 24, 2024, the FTC filed…

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How financial services industry is using AI to deliver more tailored investment solutions

This blog was written with Syril Smith Garson, Head of Product, AI at BlackRock  The financial services industry is entering a new era of generative AI, creating new opportunities and redefining business practices. Microsoft and BlackRock’s strategic partnership is at the forefront of this evolution, exemplifying the potential of AI to redefine industry standards, enhance client experiences, and set new industry standards.   Advancements in generative AI are leading to more…

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How Politics Drives Business Decisions in a Polarized Nation

Political polarization has seeped so deeply into US society that it shapes who Americans befriend, date, and marry, where they live, raise their families, and retire—and how they run their businesses.A recent paper illustrates how the partisan divide permeates corporate America, segregating executive suites, start-up firms, and even entire professions and industries. Within finance, in particular, decisionmakers’ political views influence investment returns, credit ratings, asset allocations, loan terms, and bond…

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How to manage sudden wealth

Sudden wealth is an exciting prospect for anyone. Maybe you’ve received a large inheritance, sold your business after a lifetime of hard work or cashed in on a family property. Whatever the source, there’s a temptation to start making big plans when a financial windfall comes your way. The future may suddenly be brighter, but taking time to stop and think is likely to benefit you in the long run.…

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