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Reimagining insurance with a comprehensive approach to gen AI

Despite forging ahead with generative AI (gen AI) use cases and capabilities, many insurance companies are finding themselves stuck in the pilot phase, unable to scale or extract value. Jörg Mußhoff sat down with Cameron Talischi and Khaled Rifai to discuss how organizations can escape “pilot purgatory” by leveraging traditional AI and robotic process automation in addition to gen AI; the importance of reimagining domains such as claims, underwriting, and distribution;…

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The Joy and Opportunity of Living in Space

Q: What does it feel like to be launched into space? It’s noisy. There’s so much shaking. But what you really feel is pressure. With the weight of the solid rocket fuel plus all the hydrogen and oxygen, you move slowly off the pad. Relatively slowly, I mean—you’re going a hundred miles an hour when you clear the tower, but then you keep going faster and faster. You’re strapped tight…

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Fifth Circuit Set to Weigh Challenge to FTC’s CARS Rule

The administrative challenge brought by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and another trade association against the Combating Auto Retail Scams (“CARS”) Trade Regulation Rule, issued last year by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on October 7, 2024. This case, together with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-backed challenge to the FTC’s Non-Compete Rule, places the Fifth Circuit…

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Enabling carbon reduction in the energy industry

The ways the energy industry captures, transports, stores, and otherwise removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere are changing. Led by the European Union (EU), this new global push toward improved industrial carbon management (ICM) requires sophisticated new support mechanisms, including the development of technologies capable of orchestrating the carbon capture and storage (CCS) process from early planning to operations. Microsoft is committed to be carbon negative by 2030 and…

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Reading the Financial Crisis Warning Signs: Credit Markets and the ‘Red-Zone’

A year ago, most experts thought the US economy was thundering headlong toward recession, as the Federal Reserve moved at a historic pace to slow inflation by bridling interest rates.Yet, despite recent tremors in the stock market, no recession has materialized. Part of the reason may be stock and credit market dynamics—and investor behavior. HBS Working Knowledge spoke with Robin Greenwood, the George Gund Professor of Finance and Banking at…

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Will Artificial Intelligence Kill Us All?

Lately when I give lectures on leadership to various audiences, the topic of AI hardly ever fails to come up in the question-and-answer period. From what I hear, many people see AI as an ever-present and very worrisome development.It’s a paradox: On the one hand, plenty of observers are scared by how AI is rapidly revolutionising industries, influencing productivity and shaping our future. On the other, AI has grown to be so ubiquitous that some people do…

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SCO, NATO and the Fate of International Cooperation. Part 2

SCO, NATO and the Fate of International Cooperation. Part 1The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, unlike NATO, is not underscored by decades of tradition or any fundamental philosophy. It did not grow out of the experience of several centuries of interaction between states with relatively similar internal orders and a similar view of the world. Moreover, at first glance, the SCO member countries have little need for cooperation among themselves as a…

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What employees say matters most to motivate performance

The past few years have been a confounding time in performance management. Disruptions of long-standing workplace norms have led many employees to rethink their expectations of employers regarding remote work, employee burnout, and work–life balance. Compounding these challenges, an inflationary economy and a slower hiring market have put pressure on employers to “do more” with the talent they already have.Organizations have responded to this volatility by seeking new formulas to motivate…

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Ask Sanyin: How Can I Turn Around a Difficult Work Relationship?

Coaching for the Future-Forward Leader When you just don’t get along with a colleague, reset the relationship by focusing on trust. Sanyin Siang August 21, 2024 Reading Time: 2 min  Topics Coaching for the Future-Forward Leader Leadership roles come with new personal and professional challenges — and Sanyin Siang, board and CEO coach, adviser, and author, is here to help with an advice column for top managers. More in this…

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Federal District Court Blocks FTC Non-Compete Rule From Taking Effect

Quick Hits On July 3, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas had granted a limited preliminary injunction staying enforcement of the FTC’s final rule prohibiting non-compete clauses, but only as to the parties in the case, pending a final ruling on the merits. On August 20, 2024, the court issued a significantly broader ruling, finding that in issuing the non-compete rule, the FTC had exceeded…

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Helping India’s e-commerce leapfrog into the future

In this episode of The Committed Innovator, McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Shiprocket cofounder and CEO Saahil Goel about how he built his e-commerce logistics company into a highly successful platform that is helping launch new entrepreneurs all over India. This is an edited transcript of their discussion. You can listen to the full episode on your preferred podcast platform. Erik Roth, McKinsey: Welcome back to another episode…

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2024 Mid-Year Report: ADA Title III Federal Lawsuit Numbers Rebound (A Little)

By Minh Vu, Kristina Launey and Susan Ryan Seyfarth Synopsis: The decline in ADA Title III lawsuits that began in 2022 comes to a halt in 2024 and California retakes its mantle of “national filing hotspot.” ADA Title III filings have decreased each year since 2022.  2024 changes the narrative with an uptick in filings, albeit a small one.  In 2021, we saw the highest mid-year total since we started…

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Angel City Football Club: A New Business Model for Women’s Sports

Brian Kenny: To say that men's leagues have historically dominated the world of professional sports is understating the case. In fact, it literally took a World War to launch the first professional women's league. In 1943, Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs proposed the idea of a professional women's baseball league to keep baseball in the public eye, while many of the best male players were overseas. The All-American…

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The Importance of Knowing Your Team

People often ask us how to better understand others to be a more effective leader. Can we decipher a frown or someone’s folded arms to better understand them? Of course, some knowledge on reading people can be helpful. However, the challenge is that humans are, well, human, and that reactions don’t always follow a predefined pattern or set formula. Consider Jill, a CEO. Having just introduced a major reorganisation in her firm…

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Charting India’s Foreign Policy Course: Challenges and Prospects Under Modi 3.0

Coalition Politics and The Rise of the Opposition With a coalition government steering foreign policy, questions have arisen about its coherence and impact. History offers some insights. In 2008, the Manmohan Singh government faced challenges due to a coalition partner's opposition to the US nuclear deal. However, experts believe the current situation might be different. Ambassador Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary of India, has emphasised that a coalition's success in foreign…

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Mother’s gut microbiome during pregnancy shapes baby’s brain development

Researchers have compared the development of the fetal brain in mice whose mothers had no bacteria in their gut, to those whose mothers were given Bifidobacterium breve orally during pregnancy, but had no other bacteria in their gut.Nutrient transport to the brain increased in fetuses of mothers given Bifidobacterium breve, and beneficial changes were also seen in other cell processes relating to growth. Bifidobacterium breve is a ‘good bacteria’ that…

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PAGA Paraphrased – Stone v. Alameda Health System

By: Phillip J. Ebsworth and Brian B. Gillis Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Supreme Court held that PAGA does not apply to public entity employers. The California Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeal and prior appellate court decisions to conclude that the PAGA statute, legislative history, and public policy support the conclusion public entity employers are not subject to PAGA actions for civil penalties. In doing so, the Supreme Court…

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Red and processed meat consumption associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk

The findings are published today in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.Global meat production has increased rapidly in recent decades and meat consumption exceeds dietary guidelines in many countries.  Earlier research indicated that higher intakes of processed meat and unprocessed red meat are associated with an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, but the results have been variable and not conclusive. Poultry such as chicken, turkey, or duck is often considered…

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Why Competing With Tech Giants Requires Finding Your Own Edge

The following is an excerpt that was adapted and lightly edited from chapter nine of Smart Rivals: How Innovative Companies Play Games That Tech Giants Can't Win, written by Feng Zhu and Bonnie Yining Cao and published August 20, 2024. In today's global digital and tech business landscape, traditional businesses may struggle to adapt to the constantly changing nature of ecosystem strategies. In his book, Smart Rivals: How Innovative Companies…

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Arcadia awards over £10 million for 2 major archaeology projects

The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology and University of Cambridge Development and Alumni Relations are pleased to announce that the Arcadia charitable foundation has awarded grants totalling £10.3 million to continue the work of the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM) project and the Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia (MAHSA) project.Archaeological sites and monuments around the world are increasingly threatened by human activities and…

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Arcadia awards over £10 million for two major archaeology projects

The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology and University of Cambridge Development & Alumni Relations are pleased to announce that the Arcadia charitable foundation has awarded grants totalling £10.3 million to continue the work of the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM) project and the Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia (MAHSA) project.Archaeological sites and monuments around the world are increasingly threatened by human activities and…

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Semantic Technologies acquired by Samsung Electronics

Established in 2017 by three University of Oxford professors — Ian Horrocks, Boris Motik and Bernardo Cuenca Grau — Oxford Semantic Technologies (OST) holds cutting-edge technological capabilities in the areas of knowledge representation and semantic reasoning. OST’s innovative approach relies on Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KRR), a branch of AI that represents a logical and knowledge-based approach. Unlike machine learning, which finds patterns in vast datasets and draws statistical outputs,…

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INSEAD Insights: August 2024 Research Picks

This month’s selection of new research by INSEAD faculty investigates how AI (artificial intelligence) can both enhance and constrain the human experience; size penalties in bond-market trading; and whether new inventions benefit younger and older workers to the same degree. Other recently released studies look at how multitasking can have a negative impact on the performance of knowledge workers, as well as dissect global trends in productivity. Another paper examines…

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The Dark Side of Brussels’ Energy Policy: Climate Transition Primarily Serves the Nuclear Industry

Good business opportunitiesThe framework conditions for the nuclear lobby in Europe have rarely been as favourable as they are at present. The explanation is simple: if the EU wants to reduce energy imports from third countries, it must significantly increase its own energy production. In 2022, the EU's energy dependency totalled 63%, meaning that it must cover more than half of its energy needs using imports. In addition to Germany,…

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Unlocking the future of innovation: the Microsoft AI Tour

Innovation isn’t just a buzzword — it’s the heartbeat of thought leadership and a catalyst for growth. And in the past year, no innovation has changed the business landscape quite like AI. At Microsoft, we’re always looking for ways to harness emerging technology for the greater good, and it’s that desire that led to the creation of the Microsoft AI Tour. Last year’s AI Tour gave senior business leaders and…

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What Enterprise Anxieties over Generative AI Implementation Mean for Sellers

Since generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) became a household phrase in the last year, enterprise technology leaders have experienced incredible pressure to deploy the technology, between a groundswell of user requests and top-down mandates from boards. However, actual enterprise implementation of AI is proving to be more complicated, something that could adversely impact the fortunes of software companies selling into the enterprise, at least in the near term. Specifically, many…

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The versatile leader: How learning to adapt makes CEOs better

Some of the most innovative and creative people in history succeeded because they were versatile. They were able to master more than one discipline and then combine them to forge new ideas and inventions. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, the quintessential Renaissance man, was a writer, printer, scientist, and politician. He played a key role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris to end the American…

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Has Starbucks Finally Found the Right Leader?

This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. Starbucks became a global brand as strong as the likes of McDonalds, Coke, Pepsi, Google, Apple, and Levi Strauss in a record time—but its value as an enterprise has been plummeting in recent years. So, the man who built the brand, Howard Schultz, intervened even though he no longer held any official position in management or on the board. Schultz remains the largest shareholder—and…

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How the Right Team Can Outshine Star Power

In the pursuit of breakthrough innovation, it is easy to be dazzled by star performers, from successful CEOs and prominent lawyers to award-winning scientists. Mention electric vehicles, and Elon Musk springs to mind; radioactivity research, and Marie Curie comes to the fore. However, this fixation can overshadow the crucial role played by the constellation of collaborators – most of us mere mortals – that surround the star.In a new study published in Management…

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SCO, NATO and the Fate of International Cooperation. Part 1

In July 2024, we witnessed two international summits which were of fundamental importance regarding how the space around Russia and throughout Eurasia will develop: that of the North Atlantic Alliance in Washington (July 9-11) and that of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Astana (July 3-4). These organisations are almost total opposites: NATO is an old military alliance created in the very first years of the Cold War, while the SCO…

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Strengthening financial institutions in their battle against financial crime

The role of gatekeeper in combating financial crime is crucial for banks to maintain regulatory compliance, uphold public trust, and safeguard the integrity of the financial system. Failure to fulfil this role can have severe consequences, both financially and reputational, for banks (e.g. fines totalling over 1 billion EUR in the Netherlands over the past 5 years). Valcon is committed to safeguarding financial institutions by offering distinctive value through efficient, scalable, and…

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FTC Continues Aggressive Enforcement Actions To Deter Deceptive Pricing Practices By Car Dealers

On Thursday, August 15, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Arizona Attorney General announced a $2.6 million settlement to resolve claims that Coulter Motor Company used deceptive online advertising to lure customers into its two Arizona dealerships; duped consumers into paying for unwanted “add-on” products; and engaged in discriminatory practices by charging Latino customers more in financing charges and for these “add-ons” than non-Latino white customers. The complaint, filed…

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History for Decades: The Present and Future of Sanctions Against Russia

On August 16, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion, “Sanctions against Russia – from here to eternity?” Moderator Ivan Timofeev noted that despite the legal possibility of lifting unilateral restrictive measures, the reasons for their introduction against Russia remain and are getting worse. Accordingly, he added, Russia will probably live under sanctions for decades.Dmitry Birichevsky, Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, emphasised that…

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From promising to productive: Real results from gen AI in services

Generative AI (gen AI) could provide the productivity boost operations leaders have hoped for, as well as a means to fight cost pressures—if only leaders could get going. McKinsey’s latest tech trends research finds that only 11 percent of companies worldwide are using gen AI at scale.Operations is a major gap: in a February 2024 survey of 150 executives at large North American and European companies, only 3 percent of respondents…

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Beyond the 100 Mile Rule: Court of Appeal Affirms District Court’s Power to Compel Attendance of Distant Witnesses and Unveil Hidden Parties In Litigation

Beyond the 100 Mile Rule: Court of Appeal Affirms District Court’s Power to Compel Attendance of Distant Witnesses and Unveil Hidden Parties In Litigation | Consumer Class Defense Blog Skip to content

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More Bad News for the FTC: Federal Court in Florida Enjoins Enforcement of Non-Compete Ban

Yesterday, a third court weighed in on the FTC’s proposed ban on non-competes, set to go into effect on September 4, 2024. Judge Corrigan of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted the plaintiff Properties of the Villages, Inc.’s (“POV”) motion to stay the effective date of the rule and preliminarily enjoin its enforcement. Due to the looming effective date, the court opted to deliver…

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Second Circuit Ruling Clarifies Reach of EFAA Under Continuing Violation Doctrine in Sexual Harassment Cases

Quick Hits The Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that for claims subject to the “continuing violation doctrine,” such as hostile work environment claims, accrual occurs with each new act that is part of the ongoing pattern of misconduct. Because the plaintiff alleged retaliatory acts occurring after March 3, 2022, her claims were found to have “accrued” after the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act’s effective…

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New Ruling Expands Trademark Owners’ Rights in Retail Space

Trademark lawyers are often asked: “What’s the difference between a trademark and a service mark?” In general, a trademark refers to a brand name used in connection with goods, while a service mark is one that is used in connection with the provision of services.  The services must be provided for the benefit of someone other than the mark owner. But the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) ruled in…

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Announcing mandatory multi-factor authentication for Azure sign-in

Learn how MFA can protect your data and identity, and get ready for the upcoming MFA requirement for Azure. Learn how multifactor authentication (MFA) can protect your data and identity and get ready for Azure’s upcoming MFA requirement.  As cyberattacks become increasingly frequent, sophisticated, and damaging, safeguarding your digital assets has never been more critical. As part of Microsoft’s $20 billion dollar investment in security over the next five years and…

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Election 2024: What’s at Stake for Business and the Workplace?

In a US presidential election year with more twists and turns than most in recent memory, many of the issues on the ballot impact business. And keeping politics in the workplace respectful is forefront on managers’ minds as a divided nation prepares for weeks of potentially rancorous discourse.Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, HBS Working Knowledge gathered insights from Harvard Business School faculty about what’s at stake for companies, and…

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