NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia for international politics was that it was a collective attack, perpetrated by a large group of Western countries, against a sovereign state, and marked the watershed between a time when a peaceful world order could still be expected, and the resumption of the Cold War in a new form, Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev writes. This month, the whole world remembers the unprovoked attack which…
The business case for marketplace sustainability is now well established: sustainability leaders decarbonize faster, enjoy higher multiples, and see stronger growth in their sustainable product lines. But how can marketplaces effectively attract customers to their sustainable offerings? McKinsey research shows that some features are more powerful than others in driving outcomes. For example, sustainability-conscious customers are more likely to buy if marketplaces offer bundled delivery or less packaging. However, they…
Advanced data analytics is now a table-stakes tool for inventory planning. Some estimates show that applying AI-driven forecasting can reduce errors by between 20 and 50 percent, reducing lost sales and product unavailability by up to 65 percent. Sharper demand forecasting also reduces waste and unsold products that need to be marked down or liquidated. Although the complex array of variables and multiple sources of uncertainty ensure demand forecasting will always…
The problem of personal debt is as old as the existence of money. In ancient Rome, people who were unable to pay their debts became temporary slaves to their creditors, ordered to toil on their land until the overdue sum was paid back. In 19th-century-England, broke Britons were sent to debtors’ prisons, miserable dungeon-like edifices, until their family or friends bailed them out. Associate Professor Felipe Severino teaches Corporate Finance…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Andrew Baker / Ikon Images I’ve been thinking about technology and trust for much of my career. Here’s one example: Back in 2011, my research focused on the intersection of human trust, robots, and highly critical, time-sensitive scenarios. The research team I was on centered on…
You’ve probably never thought about all the split-second adjustments you make in a single day to perform different tasks. Wake up in a hotel room, walk into a library, sit behind the wheel of a car, or swipe up to access your phone apps. Each time, you automatically “self-orient” before you even begin a task, pivoting your perspective of where you are and what you can do as your environment…
On 19 January 2024, André Terrail, owner and CEO of the legendary restaurant La Tour d’Argent in Paris, was a happy man. The sale of part of the tableware and elements of the historic décor of his establishment raised over €720,000 in just a few hours. What motivated people to obtain parts of a restaurant? Buyers aimed to acquire a piece of the magic the brand built over time through etiquette. Defined…
“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 facilities to let them pick up shifts that work with their schedule. It means more flexibility for the nurses, and…
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 designed to achieve compliance. This compliance note follows a prior publication issued by the same three agencies in July 2023…
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 demand for green logistics in 2025 will be approximately $50 billion, comprising roughly 2 percent of overall logistics spend. We…
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 often drown out the facts and fail to see the whole story before them. Here are five persistent but false…
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 claimed infringed a number of its IP rights in the well known Lidl logo. Lidl’s logo was protected as a…
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 meet the stringent technical, quality, and performance requirements of the Formula One racers and luxury vehicle makers — like Ferrari,…
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 – and we’ve also been named one of the best advice firms in London. One of the Best Financial Advisers…
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 thought of it being threatened by economic disruption can be an unpleasant experience. Protecting family wealth during periods of extreme…
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 had changed in my head; it had become difficult to stay at 100 percent,” she says, adding that she was…
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. In a 2023 Manpower study of more than 30,000 employers in 41 countries, 75% of employers indicated that they were…
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. Join us on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 See what's new at the Microsoft Business Applications Launch Event Redefine what’s possible…
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 of existing ethics guidelines for AI and identified four main challenges in adapting such principles for children’s benefit: A lack…
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 before. Bots have been a concern in major elections since 2016. Initially, they were relatively straightforward to identify, mainly serving…
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 reform pursued numerous other objectives as well. To what extent they have been achieved can be found in the Bologna…
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 in positioning may enhance the appeal of AI-generated food images. Lead author Giovanbattista Califano (University of Naples Federico II) explained:…
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 key trends driving this growth and acceleration in the life sciences industry, focusing on how companies are responding, adapting, and…
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 that the tectonic plates of the leading powers’ interests are now in motion. When they clash, the sparks can lead…
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 tomatoes and basil from the farmers market to make your own sauce? Chances are it will taste a lot better.…
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, Limited, Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Throughout his career, he’s researched how brain structures related to…
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 was sinful. Her agents, Michael Garrett Associates, and the theatre were found to not have dismissed Ms Omooba from her…
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, it might trigger movement throughout the country to revisit what a “standard” workweek means for American employees. We are posting…
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. The Cal/OSHA Standards Board announced at the start of the meeting that the agenda item was pulled. After protests by…
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 thing: just like in 2023, the official growth target has been set as “around 5%”. This time, though, China can…
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 of the workplace.” The rule will take effect thirty days after its publication in the Federal Register. The rule (more…
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 tax charge. A dividend is a way of distributing a company’s earnings to shareholders. Usually, dividends are issued quarterly, but…
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” written workplace violence prevention plan (WVPP), as well as train employees, and create and maintain extensive records regarding workplace violence.…
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 to reflect a different racial and gender makeup. The Fourth Circuit upheld the jury’s finding that the Plaintiff’s race was…
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, in accordance with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. U.S. employers that employ a foreign worker or workforce are subject…
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 there is a smart and easy way to plan and prioritize your time – just head to Microsoft Copilot in…
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 open source software and their ubiquitous code-creation networks, firms would pay an estimated 3.5 times more to build the software…
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 was. For some people, buy-to-let investments could still be a valuable way to grow their wealth. However, it’s important to…
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 between parties. What is mediation? Family mediators are accustomed to dealing with any relationship breakdown, most often between divorcing or…
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 the U.S. Treasury design), had a crippling initial impact on the Russian economy—building on our research on how economic pressure…