The ‘internet of things’ is sending us back to the Middle Ages

Internet-enabled devices are so common, and so vulnerable, that hackers recently broke into a casino through its fish tank. The tank had internet-connected sensors measuring its temperature and cleanliness. The hackers got into the fish tank’s sensors and then to the computer used to control them, and from there to other parts of the casino’s network. The intruders were able to copy 10 gigabytes of data to somewhere in Finland.

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The critical importance of the HR business partner

Nearly a decade ago, CEOs surveyed by McKinsey stressed the importance of talent strategy to their organizations. But they also voiced misgivings about HR’s ability to manage the talent process strategically and deliver maximum value to the business.

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An executive’s guide to AI

Staying ahead in the accelerating artificial intelligence race require executives to make nimble, informed decisions about where and how to employ AI in their business.

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PwC’s 21st Annual Global CEO Survey (2018)

Despite highly publicised handwringing over geopolitical uncertainty, corporate misbehaviour, and the job-killing potential of artificial intelligence, PwC’s 21st CEO Survey reveals surprising faith and optimism among chief executives in the economic and business environment worldwide, at least over the next 12 months.

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How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation

“Hire a chief innovation officer.” “Change the culture.” “Look outside your industry.” There’s no shortage of advice about how companies can become more innovative. The catch is that most of that advice is based on anecdotal evidence. But there’s one step companies can take that does have some data behind it. 

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The brands redefining meanings with a return on innovation

In business, some categories rumble along for years, with everybody playing the same game, driving down costs, responding to customer needs and making the numbers. And then something changes. A market epiphany happens. And all the rules go out the window as new meanings arrive.

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Delivering through diversity

Awareness of the business case for inclusion and diversity is on the rise. McKinsey’s latest research reinforces the link between diversity and company financial performance—and suggests how organisations can craft better inclusion strategies for a competitive edge.

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High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here’s How to Create It

“There’s no team without trust,” says Paul Santagata, Head of Industry at Google. He knows the results of the tech giant’s massive two-year study on team performance, which revealed that the highest-performing teams have one thing in common: psychological safety, the belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake. Studies show that psychological safety allows for moderate risk-taking, speaking your mind, creativity, and sticking your neck out without fear of having it cut off — just the types of behavior that lead to market breakthroughs.

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How to Gain and Develop Digital Talent and Skills

As digital transformation disrupts the workplace, one factor more than any other will determine which companies turn digital to their advantage. That critical element is people: the talented employees who are able to use existing digital technologies and adapt to evolving methods and new approaches.

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How CEOs Can Work with an Active Board

At companies of almost all sizes, across all sectors, boards are undergoing a profound transformation. Largely as a result of intensifying shareholder intolerance of mediocre or poor corporate performance, the ceremonial boards of the past are being replaced by active boards that are more demanding of managers and more intrusive in their affairs.

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GP Bullhound Global Software Market Perspectives

GP Bullhound, the technology investment bank, has published its latest market report on the Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) space, examining the public company landscape, M&A, private placement and IPO trends in the first half year of 2017.

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Mrs Wordsmith’s words weave £2m funding story

There’s not many tech firms where the star player on the team is its art director, but such is the case with reassuringly named London-based edtech startup Mrs Wordsmith, whose cast includes Craig Kellman, the award-winning artist behind a vast cast of characters including those from Dreamworks’ blockbusters Madagascar and Hotel Transylvania.

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