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☆ China may never become the world's biggest economy and has thrown out its old playbook, Mohamed El-Erian says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's highly unlikely that China will implement large-scale stimulus, Mohamed El-Erian said. Without it, markets shouldn't expect China's previous rate of growth to come back, he wrote in the Financial Times. "Despite what many may continue to tell you, it is no longer a given that China will become the world's largest economy." After China lifted pandemic restrictions late last year, the economy saw a brief rebound early this year. Despite what many may continue to tell you, it is no longer a given that China will become the world's largest economy."

Persons: Mohamed El, Erian, That's, — Organizations: Financial Times, Service, supercomputing, Bloomberg Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, El

☆ A millennial quit a job he loved rather than return to the office. Now he's making more money and working for bosses that don't suffer from 'productivity paranoia.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The great remote work debateAs part of the war over remote work, employers and employees alike have debated whether or not a mandatory return-to-office policy actually works. With two kids at home, the flexibility of remote work — coupled with no commute — was a boon. The firms that are succeeding at remote work have saved money from giving up office leases and are making their employees feel happier along the way. "You're still in meetings, you're still engaged, but you're not under the thumb of somebody — not treated like a child." Have you quit over remote work, or are contemplating it?

Persons: Timothy Done, I've, you've, Sam Eitzen, Nicholas Bloom, Bloom, It's, Done, it's Organizations: Service, Workers, Stanford University, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Manufacturing Survey, Business, Survey, Microsoft, jkaplan Locations: Wall, Silicon, Egypt, Denver, Utah, It's, micromanagement

☆ Big US asset managers cool on climate issues -think tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Focusing on the world's four largest asset managers, InfluenceMap said Vanguard and Fidelity Investments supported 4.5% and 4.8% respectively of resolutions the think tank describes as "climate-relevant" in 2022. BlackRock (BLK.N) voted for 12% and State Street (STT.N) 15%, the researchers said. In response to the report, State Street said it would continue to engage with companies on material risks and opportunities. InfluenceMap program manager Daan Van Acker mentioned Vanguard's decision to leave a major industry initiative aimed at tackling climate change last year. "This example and others, like the asset managers' drop in climate resolution support, do raise serious questions around the managers' net-zero commitments in the context of the current political climate," he said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, InfluenceMap, BLK.N, BlackRock, Daan Van Acker, Isla Binnie, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Vanguard, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Paris, Republican, Fidelity Investments, BlackRock, Fidelity, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

☆ Big US asset managers cool on climate issues, think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Christopher Rufo: University DEI Programs Work Against Liberal Education - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Christopher F. Rufo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Today, many universities have consciously or unconsciously abandoned that mission and replaced it with the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion. The criticism of such programs might begin with a simple question: Even on its own terms, does D.E.I. Researchers at Harvard and Tel Aviv University studied 30 years of diversity training data from more than 800 U.S. companies and concluded that mandatory diversity training programs had practically no effect on employee attitudes — and sometimes activated bias and feelings of racial hostility. There is no reason to believe that similar programs on university campuses have better outcomes. These programs have become commonplace not only in official “diversity and inclusion” programs, but also throughout administrative and academic departments.

Persons: Anonymous, — Organizations: Harvard, Tel Aviv University, City Journal, Manhattan Institute, The University of Florida, The University of Central, University’s, Social Justice Locations: U.S, United States, The University of Central Florida, Florida

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 18, 2023. Despite Washington’s longtime status as Israel’s top ally and biggest weapons supplier, Biden appears to have few good options. The White House, in a terse statement, called the Knesset vote "unfortunate" and urged work toward a broad consensus. But U.S. officials have yet to set a date or concur with Israeli statements that they would meet at the White House in September. One White House official said Biden, having known Netanyahu for decades, can be especially blunt with him in private.

Persons: Joe Biden, Isaac Herzog, Evelyn Hockstein, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, It's, Aaron David Miller, Mike Pence, Hugh Hewitt, Israel's, David Makovsky, Obama, Donald Trump, Herzog, Netanyahu’s, Tom Nides, Barack Obama, Miller, Matt Spetalnick, Steve Holland, Simon Lewis, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: White, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Israeli, Court, Israel, Democratic, Republican, Biden's Democratic Party, Washington Institute, West Bank, White House, U.S, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Israel, derailing, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Washington

☆ Powerful right-wing radicals are testing democratic checks and balance in both Israel and the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —White House criticism of Israel after its right-wing coalition embarked on a plan to target judicial power is bringing a new kind of turbulence to one of America’s oldest friendships. It shows that Israel, like the United States, is experiencing an era of right-wing politicians seeking to aggressively flex power and test enshrined democratic constraints. The drama is likely to further worsen the long-standing but increasingly brittle relationship between President Joe Biden and Netanyahu. Yet there is deep concern in the White House about the implications of any successful attempt to subvert checks and balances in Israel. And Netanyahu appeared to align himself politically with Trump while he was in the White House.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Biden’s, ”, shockwaves, Jordan, –, Martin Indyk, “, ” Indyk, Lynda Kinkade, hasn’t, Thomas Friedman, ” Biden’s, Karine Jean, Pierre, Isaac Herzog, ” Aaron David Miller, Isa Soares, don’t, Mitch McConnell, “ Mr, Obama, Trump, Mike Pence, Hugh Hewitt, Ron DeSantis, “ Biden, Pramila Jayapal, didn’t Organizations: CNN, –, White House, Trump, Republicans, Democratic, House, West Bank, Biden, CNN International, “, New York Times, Republican, Israel, -, Republican Party, Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Florida Gov, Congressional, Democrat Locations: Iran, Israel, United States, Washington, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Florida

☆ A 'nice' workplace culture may be more toxic than you think, says this NYU professor
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Most would agree that a toxic workplace is disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical or abusive. The opposite of toxicity however, isn't rainbows and sunshine — but a safe space for critical feedback and conversations, said Tessa West. A toxic workplace culture was one of the biggest culprits behind the Great Resignation — which saw droves of workers leaving their jobs or switching careers during the post-pandemic era. Most would agree that a workplace is toxic when it is disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat or abusive. The opposite of toxicity however, isn't rainbows and sunshine — but a safe space for critical feedback and conversations, said West.

Persons: Tessa West, we've, Wharton, Adam Grant, Grant, West Organizations: NYU, CNBC

☆ Opinion: Where Putin goes from here
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —“It is a stab in the back of our country and our people,” Russian President Vladimir Putin told his nation Saturday as he faced an unprecedented challenge from his former ally, Yevgeny Prighozin, head of the Wagner mercenary group. “The Russians were not stabbed in the back during World War I, as Putin suggested during his remarks on Saturday,” wrote Peter Bergen. Sound familiar?”“A keen student of Russian history, Putin is aware of the stakes here. The Wagner force served the Russian president as a useful tool he could control for foreign adventures.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prighozin, Wagner, Tsar, Putin, Prighozin, “, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin’s, ”, Peter Bergen, Nicholas II, ” Prighozin, CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Hodge, ” Putin’s, Mark Galeotti, John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, “ what’s, Edmund, Burke, ’, Roe, Wade, Critics, ProPublica, Samuel Alito, Paul Singer, Alito, Singer, salmons, Singer’s, Clay Jones, you’re, Erwin Chemerinsky’s, Ann Telnaes “, Chemerinsky, Samuel Dickman, Allison Hope, Hunter Biden, Donald Trump Lisa Benson, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Julian Zelizer, Biden, Trump, Norman Eisen, ” Alberto Gonzales, George W, Bush, Department’s, ” “, …, Justin Gest, White, Joel Pett Organizations: CNN, Soviet, Kremlin, US, Quinnipiac University, Justice Department, GOP, Republicans, Trump, Agency Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, “, Europe, Alaska

☆ Opinion: What Putin’s awkward meeting with Russia’s war bloggers reveals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Opinion Mark Galeotti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

However, in Russia there is a particular issue: Russians have long become used to being lied to by their state. Even before the war, almost half got their news from social media, with the proportion having risen since the invasion. They have thus become powerful not just in shaping the domestic narrative, but also in the Kremlin’s wider information war. Even Putin has come to realise that to spin his message, he can no longer stick to the official media. Hence his carefully-choreographed sit-down with a group hand-picked from both the official war correspondents and the online voenkory.

Persons: Mark Galeotti, Vladimir Putin, influencers, ”, –, Semyon Pegov, Yury Podolyaka, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Igor ‘ Strelkov, Girkin, ’, voenkory, He’s, voenkor ” Organizations: Mayak Intelligence, University College London, CNN, Mark Galeotti Mayak Intelligence, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Chechnya, Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, Russian, Kremlin Ukrainian, Crimea, Belgorod

☆ What If Instead of Trying to Manage Your Time, You Set It Free?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk What If Instead of Trying to Manage Your Time, You Set It Free? I’m curious to know what you think we do actually owe our jobs, as far as time goes. There’s a distinction between signing up to do a job and signing up to have every second micromanaged. I remember there was a Reddit post of someone who was talking about trying to outsource everything in their life and making it superefficient. He recently interviewed Emma Chamberlain about leaving YouTube, Walter Mosley about a dumber America and Cal Newport about a new way to work.

☆ 'Godfather of AI' warns that 'bad actors like Putin or DeSantis' could use AI to win wars or manipulate voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Geoffrey Hinton told MIT Tech Review he worries how AI tools he helped create will be used. He said "bad actors like Putin or DeSantis" could use AI tools in wars and elections. "Look, here's one way it could all go wrong," Geoffrey Hinton told the MIT Tech Review. "We know that a lot of the people who want to use these tools are bad actors like Putin or DeSantis. "I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn't done it, somebody else would have," Hinton told the Times.

☆ How Putin spent 20 years rebuilding Russia's military 'and then just simply destroyed it' in Ukraine, according to an expert who watched it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Vladimir Putin has spent his two decades in power rebuilding and reforming Russia's military. Below, Galeotti describes those reforms, what they achieved, and how, in a devastating war in Ukraine, Putin has squandered the military he built. IGOR SAREMBO/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Putin came to power at the end of the 1990s, what was the state of the Russian military? How did the Russian military underperform in that conflict in Georgia? What did those conflicts show about the capabilities of the Russian military and about the impact of those reforms?

☆ CEOs like Jamie Dimon, Warren Buffett, and Elon Musk want the government to fight inequality and 'reignite the American dream'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

His proposals include investing in American industry, teaching students workplace skills, and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit. Forecasting "storm clouds ahead," Dimon wants the government to drive economic growth by subsidizing industry, investing in the workforce, and reducing income inequality. Following in Buffett's footsteps, Dimon said JPMorgan owes its business success to the "extraordinary conditions our country creates" for economic growth. Akin to Musk, Dimon said he didn't want the government to micromanage industry, believing "Adam Smith's invisible hand still prevails." He suggested expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax refund that allows lower-income working individuals and families to keep more of their earned income.

☆ U.S. poised to tighten reporting rules on $20 tln private fund sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Douglas Gillison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Wall Street's top regulator is set to adopt new rules aimed at bolstering oversight of systemic risk in the burgeoning, multitrillion-dollar world of private equity and hedge-funds. As proposed in January 2022, the rule would require reporting of such events to the SEC within one business day. The agency billed the new rule in part as a means of supporting the Financial Stability Oversight Council, a multi-agency risk-monitoring body also created under Dodd-Frank. The proposal offered "scant evidence" that it would enhance FSOC's monitoring for systemic risk, she said in dissenting remarks against the proposal, adding that it would likely become a tool "for government to micromanage private fund risk management." Reporting by Douglas Gillison; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Blackface, booze, and blurred lines at the $2 billion tech firm Rokt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

A cropped version of an image shared with Rokt employees at the 2020 meeting. Buchanan told Insider. "We think it's important that we stand up and fight it," he told Insider when asked about that message. In an email, Viles told Insider that he hasn't had any day-to-day involvement with Rokt since 2020, when he did some contract work. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOne employee told Insider they were encouraged to post the photos and proclaim 2023 to be Rokt's "best year yet."

☆ EU and US green arms race misses bigger picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Union’s pushback on aggressive U.S. green production incentives is taking shape. In pushing back against Washington’s green industrial aid, Europe has a case for deploying trade and state-aid means in the short term to support its green industries. An expensive green arms race with its allies would be the wrong road to go down. The European Union on March 9 announced that it would loosen state aid rules up until 2025 to give member states more scope on green technology subsidies. Other responses to the 2022 U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $369 billion in green technology subsidies, are in the works.

☆ An 'elite' Russian unit has been weakened by severe front-line losses, and the replacements appear to be making things worse, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has suffered heavy losses while fighting in Ukraine. The 155th was considered to be an "elite" unit, but has been degraded, Western intelligence says. It's the latest high-profile Russian unit to see a high number of causalities on the battlefield. SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty ImagesThe 155th is not the only Russian unit considered elite that has suffered severe setbacks and losses in Ukraine. Western intelligence estimates that Russian forces may have suffered as many as 200,000 casualties while fighting in Ukraine, with up to 60,000 troops dead.

☆ Distracted at work? Tips from an attention expert to reclaim your time: ‘Manage your manager’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Much of Eyal's work, including his bestselling book "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life," revolves around conquering distractions. Here's how to identify your most problematic distractions:Start talking about it"The problem of distraction at work is that we can't talk about the problem of distraction at work," according to Eyal. Sync up your schedulesFor employees, becoming less distracted is all about communicating needs: "Manage your managers," Eyal says. "It tells them, 'This is my focus work time, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. It's my time to work without distractions,'" Eyal explains.

☆ China’s demographic decline can be boon, not doom
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yet China’s demographic doom is not certain. It is hard to boost birth rates, but France and Scandinavia show it can be done. If last year’s population plunge inspires Beijing to smarten up policy, demographic stress need not augur economic decline. The birth rate was 6.77 per 1,000 people, down from 7.52 in 2021 and marking the lowest such reading on record. United Nations analysts project China's population will shrink by 109 million by 2050, more than triple the rate of their previous forecast in 2019.

☆ Marc Benioff may be right that Salesforce's young, remote employees are hurting the company's productivity. But it's not their fault.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Salesforce's CEO said the company's younger, remote workers may be less productive than their peers. It's possible that Salesforce's younger, remote employees are less productive than the rest of the staff. But it's unlikely that the problem is remote work itself, or the work ethic of remote employees, based on the growing body of research on flexible work. The problem isn't remote work — it's how remote workers are managedBut Salesforce's problem probably isn't necessarily that it permits remote work. On the other hand, Neeley wrote, leaders who micromanage their employees' time "are the kiss of death in hybrid work."

“It’s critically important that the Rules Committee reflect the body and reflect the will of the people. “What we’re seeing is the incredibly shrinking speakership,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview Friday. “The reason these people want to be on the Rules Committee is they want to screw things up for McCarthy. The message the leader received from his deal-making centrists: We can live with giving Freedom Caucus members committee slots but committee gavels are a “nonstarter.”“Nobody should get a chairmanship without earning it,” Bacon said. That pisses us off.”Díaz-Balart said he had received assurances that “there are no deals cut about chairmanships” to committees as part of swaying votes to make McCarthy speaker.

☆ Stay Flexible, Bosses Are Told, Even as ‘Great Resignation’ Wanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. Dr. Klotz: Companies invest in employees, and employees tend to match that investment. When employees feel that companies are underinvesting in them, they start disengaging from work or they engage in deviant behavior. If it feels like you can’t trust workers, then you micromanage them. But most companies can withstand that, and the benefits of building trust with their workers outweigh the occasional bad apple.

Throughout the decades, I’d cling to winter wonderlands I saw on television and the feeling of my first Christmas at my Catholic school. It had everything I associated with Christmas, this holiday I’d quickly fallen in love with: community, friendship, love, belonging and the best songs ever written. These qualities felt wrong in my house but right in my American life. We don’t need all this stuff.”I thought the better I made Christmas, the more American I would feel. The next day, I released my family from the pressure of having to make the right holiday memories.

☆ An ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with a top progressive Democrat says there's no chance she didn't vet the controversial Ukraine letter. 'She keeps a tight grip on media relations'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A top progressive Democrat withdrew a controversial letter to the White House on Ukraine, blaming a staffer for its release. But an ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with her office said that's "absurd." "Everyone who has worked with her office knows that she keeps a tight grip on media relations," the former Hill staffer said. "Everyone who has worked with her office knows that she keeps a tight grip on media relations. After intense criticism, Jayapal withdrew the letter Tuesday and said she accepted responsibility for its release.

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