Business, Management, Marketing, Money, Tax, Law, People

CEOs Invest Less in Corporate Social Responsibility When Their Own Money Is At Stake

Should corporations invest in green production methods, offer employees generous health benefits, or allow employees time during the work week to volunteer? Whether and how for-profit companies should invest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and other forms of socially motivated spending is hotly debated. Some argue that companies have a responsibility to their broader society. Others insist that the sole focus of the corporation should be shareholder value. Kelly Shue,…

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New vaccine effective against coronaviruses that haven’t even emerged yet

This is a new approach to vaccine development called ‘proactive vaccinology’, where scientists build a vaccine before the disease-causing pathogen even emerges.The new vaccine works by training the body’s immune system to recognise specific regions of eight different coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and several that are currently circulating in bats and have potential to jump to humans and cause a pandemic. Key to its effectiveness is that the specific virus…

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Low for long? Reasons for the recent decline in productivity

6 May 2024By Óscar Arce and David SondermannSurprisingly strong employment growth in an environment of weak economic activity has recently led to declining labour productivity in the euro area. The ECB Blog discusses causes and prospects for a cyclical recovery in productivity growth. Over the first two decades of the currency union, labour productivity (output per worker) in the euro area has been weak, at least when compared to other…

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The Influence of Culture on India’s Foreign Policy

India’s culture plays a significant role in shaping its foreign policy. India employs soft power, such as music, dance, literature, yoga, and cuisine to promote its image abroad. Indian cinema has a massive global appeal. India’s doctrine of Ahimsa (non-violence) has influenced its foreign policy approach. India played a crucial role in the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, advocating for peaceful coexistence, independence, and development among nations. Geopolitics in broad terms is…

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The hospital teacher

Kathy Ho tries to see every new teen on her list within 72 hours of their arrival. For some, it’s too soon, or they’re too sick. But for others, she is a beacon of normalcy. Ho teaches high school inside Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCH). “Sometimes I don’t like saying that I’m a teacher,” says Ho, MA ’94. “People get in their minds an idea of what teachers do,…

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CEO succession: Avoiding the unanticipated Domino Effect

A large financial services company promoted a key leader into the position of CEO. Two of their peers were also vying for the top job. Almost immediately, the other two executives left the company. This created an unexpected leadership vacuum that cascaded within their respective departments, where no one on either team was able to step up into the suddenly vacant leadership spots. The lack of “ready now” successors required…

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Minnesota Legislative Update 2024, Part III: Entering the Homestretch—Legislators’ Time to Make It or Break It

Quick Hits Minnesota lawmakers are attempting to secure enough votes ahead of this year’s legislative session deadline to place numerous bills on the governor’s desk, many of which, if enacted, will affect employers. Bills address drug testing, earned sick and safe time, pay transparency in job postings, wage deductions for credit card charges for tipped employees, restrictive employment covenants in service contracts, and employee misclassification. Senate Democrats have a one-vote…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:8 mins read
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Upcoming Event! Seyfarth Privacy Salon: Roundtable on Cross-Border Data Transfers, Privacy, and Cybersecurity

AddressSeyfarth Shaw Hong Kong OfficeSuite 3701 & 3708-3710, 37FEdinburgh Tower, The Landmark15 Queen’s Road CentralCentral, Hong Kong Tuesday, 21 May 2024 (HKT)8.30 – 9.00 a.m. Check-in and Breakfast9.00 – 10.00 a.m. Roundtable10.00 – 10.30 a.m. RefreshmentsBreakfast will remain available during the roundtable CostThere is no cost to attend, but registration is required. REGISTER HERE About the Programme In recent years, privacy and cybersecurity consistently hit the top of legal leaders’…

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Department of Labor Issues Comprehensive Artificial Intelligence “Promising Practices” Designed to Avoid Bias: All Employers Should Take Note

Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 29, 2024, the Department of Labor published extensive guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in hiring and employment. While the guidance is addressed to federal contractors, all private-sector employers using or considering using artificial intelligence should pay attention. The guidance makes clear that long-standing nondiscrimination principles fully apply to AI and outlines “Promising Practices” designed to mitigate AI risks in employment, including the risk of…

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:12 mins read
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Illinois Lawmakers Nearing Passage of Bill to Stop ‘Per-Scan’ Damages for Privacy Act Violations

On April 11, 2024, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 2979, which would stop statutory damages under the Privacy Act from accruing for each unlawful collection or dissemination of an individual’s biometric information. Quick Hits The Illinois legislature is considering a bill that would amend the Privacy Act to prohibit statutory damages per violation from accruing per scan. The bill comes in response to an Illinois Supreme Court decision…

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Going Green: The Dos and Don’ts of Green Trade Marks

Green trade marks are trade marks that include any word related to the environment (such as “sustainable”, “eco”, “environment” or “green”) or images (such as flora, the planet or scenery etc.). These trade marks are used by companies who want to communicate environmental aspects and practices of specific products, product groups or even of their whole business. With various studies showing that over 50% of all consumers consider environmental aspects…

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Key Developments In Equal Pay Litigation: Impact Of The Supreme Court’s Bostock Decision

By: Matthew J. Gagnon Seyfarth Synopsis: In its seminal decision, Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, the Supreme Court held that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is tantamount to discrimination on the basis of sex. Employers are just beginning to grasp the wide-ranging impact that decision will have on the American workplace. The reasoning of this decision: that to treat an employee differently because of the sex…

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DOJ Launches New Pilot Program to Allow Whistleblowers Who Report Financial Crimes, Corruption to Avoid Prosecution

The pilot program, entitled “Pilot Program on Voluntary Self-Disclosures for Individuals,” increases transparency regarding the circumstances under which prosecutors will offer leniency to cooperating witnesses and other individuals through use of a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) when they report potential criminal misconduct involving corporations. Quick Hits The DOJ launched a new pilot program that will allow individuals who report certain criminal conduct to federal authorities to avoid prosecution under certain circumstances.…

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Author Talks: The magic of unmuting yourself

Speaking up is vital to advancing meaningfully in our careers—yet many of us have made a habit of keeping quiet. In this edition of Author Talks, McKinsey Global Publishing’s Lucia Rahilly chats with Elaine Lin Hering, author, facilitator, and speaker, about her new book, Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully (Penguin Random House, March 2024). Hering explores why we often choose silence, how…

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Anant Bhalla on the convergence of insurance, asset management

Anant Bhalla became chief executive of American Equity Investment Life (AEL) in March 2020, a turbulent time as COVID-19 was spreading around the world. When he joined AEL, which was founded in the mid-1990s and based in West Des Moines, Iowa, the company was the last big independent seller of fixed-indexed annuities in the United States. Its specialty is using its insurance and investment underwriting capabilities to promise customers the…

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Looking Past the Headlines, the Impact of the FTC’s Ban on Non-Competes in M&A, Private Equity and Venture Capital

Last week on April 23, 2024, the FTC adopted a final rule that would effectively ban non-compete agreements in the context of employment relationships when the rule becomes effective on September 4, 2024, absent a stay or injunctive relief.  The rule would render unenforceable a broad array of employment-based non-competition agreements.  It would also require that employers provide notice to workers that certain non-competition agreements already entered into will not…

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HIPAA Privacy Rules Get a Post-Dobbs Refresh on Reproductive Health Care

Quick Hits Final privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) set basic limitations on the use or disclosure by covered entities (such as employer health benefit plans) and their business associates of reproductive health care information. The final rules state that reproductive care is, for HIPAA purposes, presumed to be legal unless the employer health benefit plan or its business associate has “actual knowledge”…

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:5 mins read
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Security above all else: Expanding Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative

Last November, we launched the Secure Future Initiative (SFI) to prepare for the increasing scale and high stakes of cyberattacks. SFI brings together every part of Microsoft to advance cybersecurity protection across our company and products. Since then, the threat landscape has continued to rapidly evolve, and we have learned a lot. The recent findings by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) regarding the Storm-0558 cyberattack…

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  • Reading time:10 mins read
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How Much Does Proximity Influence Startup Innovation? 20 Meters’ Worth to Be Exact

A new study of startups sharing a coworking space offers a new wrinkle in the debate over work-from-anywhere: Proximity matters, especially close proximity, to spread knowledge between disparate enterprises.“The more different the startups are, the more they’re going to benefit from being nearby,” says Harvard Business School assistant professor Maria Roche, one of the paper’s authors. And here's a surprising part: The knowledge spillovers happen most within a radius of…

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Ice shelves fracture under weight of meltwater lakes

When air temperatures in Antarctica rise and glacier ice melts, water can pool on the surface of floating ice shelves, weighing them down and causing the ice to bend. Now, for the first time in the field, researchers have shown that ice shelves don’t just buckle under the weight of meltwater lakes — they fracture.As the climate warms and melt rates in Antarctica increase, this fracturing could cause vulnerable ice…

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Securing the Software Supply Chain with LLMs

In this episode of the AI + a16z podcast, Socket founder and CEO Feross Aboukhadijeh, and a16z partner Joel de la Garza, discuss the open-source software supply chain. Feross and Joel share their thoughts and insights on topics ranging from the recent xz Utils attack to how large language models can help overcome understaffed security teams and overwhelmed developers. Despite some increasingly sophisticated attacks making headlines and compromising countless systems,…

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OSH Law Primer, Part V: Recordkeeping Requirements

The first article in this series provided a general overview of the OSH Act and OSHA; the second article examined OSHA’s rulemaking process; the third article reviewed an employer’s duty to comply with standards; and the fourth article discussed the general duty clause. This article addresses OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements. Quick Hits The OSH Act’s recordkeeping provisions require employers to “make, keep and preserve, and make available” any records OSHA may…

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  • Reading time:6 mins read
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Microsoft introduces passkeys for consumer accounts

Ten years ago, Microsoft envisioned a bold future: a world free of passwords. Every year, we celebrate World Password Day by updating you on our progress toward eliminating passwords for good. Today, we’re announcing passkey support for Microsoft consumer accounts, the next step toward our vision of simple, safe access for everyone. In 2015, when we introduced Windows Hello and Windows Hello for Business as secure ways to access Windows…

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The Southern Circuit of Russia: New Dynamics

The uniqueness of Russia's geopolitical position lies in the fact that it is the only world power naturally focused on the four most important strategic regions of Eurasia: Western Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Northeast Asia. When it comes to prioritising foreign policy efforts and interests, these areas represent both a challenge and an opportunity for Russia. It’s a challenge because it requires simultaneous attention to so many…

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Fashion forward

Riya Narayan, ’26, strolled gingerly in a full-length design by Dominique Schleider, ’26, that resembled a chainmail bell. Kirsten Lees, ’27, modeled a bodysuit and shawl crafted entirely of belts. Celeste Amadon, ’26, wore a black leotard covered in spiraling metal coils, with a long, lacy veil trailing behind her. “I think of the look as ‘bride meets funeral meets cyborg space creature,’ ” Amadon said after the show. The three…

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Shedding Light on Dark Patterns – Best Practices for Online Businesses

With recent regulatory changes impacting the topic, the term “dark patterns” is garnering attention and prompting online businesses to reassess their digital strategies. In this article, we’ll explore the definition of dark patterns, examine their legal implications in the European Union (EU), and provide guidance for businesses navigating this evolving landscape. What is a ‘dark pattern’? Simply put, dark patterns are design tricks used in user interfaces to ‘trick’, ‘encourage’…

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  • Reading time:4 mins read
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What Successful Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Get Right

From virtual snowstorms to golden locker boxes, today’s thriving stores feature experiences shoppers can’t get online. Consider five successful tactics. Rob Angell May 02, 2024 Reading Time: 9 min  Neil Webb/Ikon Images Many retailers with physical stores have felt as if they have been fighting for their lives during the past decade. A constant stream of media and industry analysis has poured cold water on the retail channel, documenting how…

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USCIS Announces Receipt Notice Delays From Lockbox Locations

Quick Hits Beginning April 1, 2024, USCIS service centers stopped accepting paper-filed I-129 petitions requesting H-1B and H-1B1 classification, instead requiring petitioners to file at designated lockbox facilities. As a result, the filing volume at USCIS lockboxes has increased, and USCIS has now confirmed that it is experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices. Employers may wish to consider these delays when preparing time-sensitive filings that require a receipt notice for…

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Introducing the 2024 Imagine Cup World Championship Judges

Get ready for the pinnacle of startup innovation as the Imagine Cup World Championship unfolds live at Microsoft Build on May 21! Three outstanding startups from across the globe are poised to showcase their AI-solutions on the global stage, vying for the coveted title and a chance to win USD100,000 and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella. Since the start of the 2024 season back in…

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The Primary Care Crisis and Other News

Howie and Harlan discuss health and healthcare headlines. From flatlining telehealth to Walmart closing retail clinics to months-long waits for healthcare appointments, they try to untangle the challenges in delivering healthcare. Also considered, H5N1 bird flu increasing the risks of drinking unpasteurized milk, promising research on open-source moderation of misinformation on social media. Links: Yale Repertory Theater | The Far Country CDC | H5N1 “US bird flu outbreak spreads to…

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Programme of the 4th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club

On May 14–15, 2024, the Valdai Club will hold its fourth annual Central Asian conference, titled “Russia and Central Asia: Development and Security in a Changing World”. Programme of the 4th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club “Russia and Central Asia: Development and Security in a Changing World” Ufa, May 14–15, 2024   Attention! The time specified in the programme is local (GMT +5) May 14, Tuesday  …

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Vision to Victory: Coaching as a Leadership Game-Changer – PODCAST

In this episode of Nevermind the Pain Points, host Sophie Brazell-Ng and guest experts Sarah Partridge and Dr. Kristina Curtis explore the critical role that coaches play in unlocking the full potential of leaders. Tune in to discover how coaching can be your ally in navigating challenges, identifying your strengths, and steering your career towards success.Listen here or read on for an edited transcript. Sophie Brazell-Ng: Welcome back, everybody. Hello.…

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  • Reading time:45 mins read
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5 valuable financial lessons you can learn from Star Wars

Star Wars Day on 4 May is a celebration of the legendary sci-fi saga that has been capturing audience imaginations since the release of Star Wars (later called A New Hope) in 1977. The film launched one of the biggest franchises in history, spanning 12 films and nine TV series, as well as countless books, comics, and video games. Generations of fans enjoy the galactic adventures of iconic characters including…

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Closing the blinds on banks’ window dressing

2 May 2024By Claudio Bassi, Markus Behn, Michael Grill, Massimo Libertucci, Pär Torstensson and Peter WelzSome banks reduce balance sheet items around reporting dates. Such “window dressing” camouflages the true risks of a bank, impairs markets as well as bank resilience and supervision. The ECB Blog looks at how regulators and supervisors are taking action. Banks commonly report and disclose financial information and regulatory metrics at the end of every…

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Why Retaining Top Talent is More Difficult Than Ever

Finding and keeping great employees can be tough for companies all over. With changes in employee expectations, advancements in technology, and shifts in the job market, it’s a real challenge. In 2019, a whopping 42 million U.S. workers alone said “so long” to their jobs voluntarily. Yep, you read that right – 42 million! It’s a staggering number that highlights the magnitude of the challenge companies face in retaining their…

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The Israel-Iran Conflict: A View from Riyadh

Aggressive Israeli policy, the desecration of Islamic holy sites in Palestine by Israeli fanatics, and the unlimited support provided by successive US administrations give individuals, organisations, and even states in the region a justification to engage in activities that threaten its security and peace, writes Saleh Muhammad Al-Khathlan, Professor of Political Science and Senior Advisor at the Gulf Research Center, Saudi Arabia. The recent confrontation between Israel and Iran reaffirms…

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Can Boeing Fix Itself?

Disasters can act as brutal audits of organisations to which even veritable institutions like Boeing are no exception. In the wake of two fatal crashes as well as a mid-flight door blowout, Boeing has shaken up its C-suite and pledged to prioritise safety over profit. Will these measures solve its problems? We address this question in the context of operations, safety and organisational economics.Drawing on a wide body of research and…

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How AI improves physician and nurse collaboration

A new artificial intelligence model helps physicians and nurses work together at Stanford Hospital to boost patient care. - By Hanae Armitage An artificial intelligence model in use at Stanford Hospital helps physicians and nurses know when a patient may be in decline, so they can act quickly to keep them out of the intensive care unit. vachcameraman - stock.adobe.com With large language models that take notes during patient visits and algorithms…

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The CEO’s Cyber Resilience Playbook

Research Feature What do CEOs who led through a serious cyberattack regret? Use this guide to learn from their experiences and take smarter actions before, during, and after an attack. Manuel Hepfer, Rashmy Chatterjee, and Michael Smets May 01, 2024 Reading Time: 13 min  Michael Glenwood Gibbs/theispot.com On May 7, 2021, executives at Colonial Pipeline discovered that cybercriminals had launched a ransomware attack on its IT systems. To prevent the…

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2024 Title IX Regulation Update, Part III: Section 106.44—Recipients’ Duty to Address Sex Discrimination

Quick Hits Restrictions on contact have been modified to eliminate mutual no-contact orders as the default. Supportive measure decisions are appealable. Procedures for emergency removal of a student respondent and placement of an employee respondent on administrative leave have been clarified. The final regulations take effect on August 1, 2024. § 106.44—Recipients’ Duty to Address Sex Discrimination Knowledge and Notice Section 106.44 provides specific requirements for the institution’s response to…

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