Quick Hits A group of H-4 and L-2 visa holders filed a lawsuit against the secretary of homeland security in April 2021, alleging that USCIS unlawfully delayed adjudicating their I-539 and I-765 applications, resulting in loss of employment. A settlement was reached in January 2023 in which USCIS agreed to…
Microsoft Cloud Strength Drives First Quarter ResultsREDMOND, Wash. — October 30, 2024 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the following results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the corresponding period of last fiscal year:· Revenue was $65.6 billion and increased 16%· Operating income was $30.6 billion and increased 14%· Net income was $24.7…
Almost four months after Labour won the general election, chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her 2024 Autumn Budget, outlining the government’s plans for this tax year and beyond. Arguing that the July general election had given Labour a “mandate to restore stability and start a decade of renewal”, Reeves described…
One night, over dinner, Daniel Kahneman changed my perspective on value creation. Why do so many people, including leaders of large corporations, draw back from acting more boldly, even when taking incremental risks can create much greater returns? And perhaps more important: Can anything be done about it? Kahneman explained…
In the budget on 30 October 2024, the government will announce further details on the abolition of the non-domiciled regime. The current non-domiciled regime requires certain taxpayers to segregate their offshore capital to ringfence clean capital from other non-UK taxed capital. “Clean capital” is any capital that can be used…
Better choices enable better decisions. Profitably thriving through market disruptions demands that executives recognize that better decisions aren’t enough — they need better choices. Choices are the raw material of decision-making; without diverse, detailed, and high-quality options, even the best decision-making processes underperform. Traditional dashboards and scorecards defined by legacy…
Bridging the gap between sustainability goals and measurable impact Welcome to our first-of-its-kind research on sustainability transformation. We’ve gathered insights from 160 organisations and conducted interviews with over 50 business leaders across 27 countries to bring you an in-depth look at how businesses are navigating this critical journey. Produced by…
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has announced the state minimum wage for 2025. In Washington, the state minimum wage is calculated annually (and generally increases) based on inflation. Effective January 1, 2025, Washington’s state minimum wage will increase to $16.66 per hour, which is a 2.35% increase…
With the new enhancements to Azure OpenAI Service Provisioned offering, we are taking a big step forward in making AI accessible and enterprise-ready. In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, enterprises need more than just powerful AI models—they need AI solutions that are adaptable, reliable, and scalable. With upcoming availability of Data…
High-ranking American officials are reporting the appearance of North Korean military personnel in Russia, and also admit the possibility of their participation in the Ukrainian conflict on the Russian side. The Russian Foreign Ministry characterises such statements as information leaks and hype.Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have serious cause…
The race is on to build sufficient data center capacity to support a massive acceleration in the use of AI. Data center demand has already soared in response to the role data plays in modern lives. But with the emergence of generative AI (gen AI), demand is set to rise…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images This is a time when we are all asking how best to prepare for a long working life. With expanded life expectancies and…
Bizarre Dispute Between AI-Biotech Startup and Former Executive Ends in Trade Secret TRO, For Now | Seyfarth Shaw | Trading Secrets Skip to content
Brian Kenny On September 17, 1987, advocates for people with disabilities marked a major milestone, the closure of the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. Since opening in 1945, Willowbrook had become the largest state-run institution for people with disabilities in the United States. It had also come to epitomize…
The tax treatment of carried interests (sometimes referred to as “promotes”) changed under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. The thrust of the change was to establish a new three-year holding period (instead of the standard one-year holding period) before a fund general partner or investment partnership sponsor…
What makes this transition even more complicated is that it coincides with both a growth crisis and a crisis of confidence: a kind of price that must be paid to clean up after past excesses, with an overinvestment bubble – notably in real estate – in the process of deflating.…
Responding to the rise in sales and popularity of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), the United States and European Union have imposed hefty import taxes to curb the market penetration of Chinese EVs and protect local automotive manufacturers. Scholars have cautioned that such industrial policies should be temporary, as they can have unintended lasting…
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…
Quick Hits New FOIA request noticed: A new FOIA request has been filed with OFCCP, seeking the release of federal contractors’ 2021 Type 2 Consolidated EEO-1 Reports in OFCCP’s possession. Deadline for objections: Contractors have forty days from the date of publication of OFCCP’s notice to object to the disclosure…
Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword – it has become critical for life on our planet. It will also be a key actor in shaping corporate strategy and success. The shift towards sustainability has been increasingly embraced, and the common way companies do this is through the ESG (environmental, social and governance) framework. But even though corporate impact on…
Since the start of the military phase of the Ukraine crisis in 2014, Kiev has received active support from the United States and its allies. The West's strategy in the structural confrontation with Russia is aimed at defeating our country without getting involved directly in the conflict. This hybrid confrontation…
The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, adapted an algorithm originally designed for humans and found it could automatically detect and grade heart murmurs in dogs, based on audio recordings from digital stethoscopes. In tests, the algorithm detected heart murmurs with a sensitivity of 90%, a similar accuracy…
According to economic historian Dr. Chris Miller, “You can’t understand the modern world without putting chips at the center of the story.” That conviction led Miller, an associate professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to research and write the…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Recently, several high-profile U.S. organizations have backtracked on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. Rural chain store Tractor Supply said it would eliminate…
Quick Hits A Massachusetts appellate court found that a retention bonus did not constitute “wages” within the definition of that term set forth in the Massachusetts Wage Act. The court acknowledged that there are no Massachusetts cases that have held that a retention bonus is a “wage” within the meaning…
John Judis and Ruy Teixeira heralded a new age of US politics in their 2002 book, The Emerging Democratic Majority. The book predicted that the growing Latino population, coupled with a clear Democratic lead in many other growing segments of society, would strengthen the party’s hold on the US electorate…
Private credit has become a more popular financing option across many industries and types of businesses—and the opportunity for investors to deploy this approach is growing. In this episode of Deal Volume, McKinsey’s podcast on private markets, McKinsey partner and host Brian Vickery speaks to Vivek Mathew, president and head…
The treatment – known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) – involves placing an electromagnetic coil against the scalp to relay a high-frequency magnetic field to the brain.Around one in 20 adults is estimated to suffer from depression. Although treatments exist, such as anti-depressant medication and cognitive behavioural therapy (‘talking…
Employee dismissal backfires: worker wins unfair dismissal claim against employer after being fired for insulting a customer. A recent Employment Tribunal case has drawn attention to the importance of correct disciplinary procedures, after a worker who was summarily dismissed for calling a customer a t*** wins nearly £5,500 for unfair…
Leadership happens in groups, as does most work. Without followers, who and what are we leading? As such, leaders must understand what groups need if they want to maximise performance. While most leaders should be familiar with the idea of executive coaching on an individual basis, they may know less…
The consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) and retail industries are entering an era marked by a focus on growth and a search for value. The past decade has been particularly challenging, with population growth slowing and consumer attention fragmenting. To respond, companies must push an ambitious dual agenda, as McKinsey outlined in a…
The juxtaposition of these two opposite trends produces a rather specific effect: countries, their elites, and even ordinary citizens are trying to find some kind of solution that would allow them to at least look into the future with relative confidence, without constantly looking back in anticipation of some kind…
In an era characterized by an overwhelming influx of new product launches and constant, in-your-face advertising, the concept of underconsumption has emerged as a compelling countertrend. Underconsumption – broadly defined as the practice of using fewer resources and making more deliberate purchases – is gaining traction in the beauty industry,…
Scott Graham, Unsplash In 2016, the Defend Trade Secret Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1836 (the “DTSA”), passed Congress and went into effect. At its heart, it effectively codified the Uniform Trade Secrets Act at the federal level, creating a federal cause of action. Prior to the enactment of the DTSA,…
Quick Hits OFCCP recently released a new construction scheduling letter and itemized listing, corresponding frequently asked questions (FAQs), and a renewed and revised Form CC-314, for covered construction contractors to notify OFCCP of new federal or federally assisted contracts or subcontracts in excess of $10,000, also known as the Notification…
Quick Hits Employers may not inquire about an applicant’s conviction history before the applicant is determined to be otherwise qualified for a position, except when required by local and federal law. Employers are barred from asking, seeking from any source, or using as a factor in determining any condition of…
By Robert Fernando CFA | 09 Sep, 2024 The usually quieter summer months for financial markets stirred to life with concerns over central bank policy, a slowing US economy and corporate earnings guidance.The fall in equity markets during mid-July spilled into early August and by the 5th, the S&P 500…
For many people with cancer, IV infusions of chemotherapy are their best chance at a cure. But these infusions can be inconvenient or inaccessible to patients, and some complications arise not from the active drug itself, but the infusion. Turning these drugs into pills could be transformative. In a study…
Quick Hits Documenting both the business reasons for a RIF and the objective criteria used to select employees for termination is crucial to mitigating the risk of discrimination claims and other legal challenges. Employers may want to note the various federal and state legal requirements, such as the WARN Act…
