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☆ Warehouse Packing Help Wanted, Excellent Penmanship Required
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

At a warehouse in northern New Jersey one recent weekday, a trainee wearing a pair of blue gloves hesitantly tied a ribbon around one luxury brand’s box as a supervisor looked on. Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. Workers also personalize items with engraving and hot-stamping, compile individual items into gift sets and add handwritten notes. Luxury brands, however, are willing to pay a premium for the extra workers needed to provide additional services, Mr. Scattergood said. Workers at its Munich warehouse fold clothes in tissue paper, close the paper with a sticker and tie a ribbon into a bow.

☆ Cost-of-living crisis casts shadow over Britain's Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Britain's retailers are hoping Black Friday discount day will get shoppers spending, though it takes place against a backdrop of a worsening cost-of-living crisis and the distraction of the soccer World Cup. And they have begun their Christmas shopping early this year to help budget their finances. In France, 70% plan to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to research by PwC France. More than a decade since being brought to the UK by Amazon, Black Friday's worth to retailers still divides opinion. Naysayers argue the discounts suck forward Christmas sales with reduced profits and undermine consumers' willingness to pay full price again before the festivities.

☆ French McKinsey Probe Widens to Include Campaign Financing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Noemie Bisserbe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Emmanuel Macron’s government spent nearly 900 million euros last year on consultants, according to a French Senate report. PARIS—French prosecutors have opened probes into the role played by consulting firms in France’s 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, widening an existing investigation into consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Earlier this year, French financial prosecutors opened a tax-fraud and money-laundering investigation into McKinsey.

One of the biggest makers of generic drugs, Israeli-based Teva said it aims eventually to secure a 10% global market share of biosimilars. A division of Novartis (NOVN.S), Sandoz is currently the second biggest player after Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) in the biosimilar market by gross sales globally, per IQVIA data, cited by Sandoz. Sandoz launched eight biosimilar drugs between 2017 and 2021, including a version of Bristol-Myers’ multiple myeloma drug Revlimid. The analysis projected the value of the global biosimilar market could more than triple to an estimated $74 billion by 2030. Sandoz and Teva are both working on biosimilars for Humira.

☆ CEOs can't bully their employees anymore. Elon Musk's failed ultimatum to Twitter employees is proof of that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk gave workers an ultimatum: Accept tougher working conditions or leave. Musk's failed ultimatum is proof that workers won't accept aggressive leadership anymore. A good CEO's response shouldn't show aggression: While CEOs can demand workers do their best, they can't do so with such force and with such disregard for workers' wellbeing and still expect to get good results. Even among those with less freedom than well-paid tech employees, many have unionized to demand better compensation and working conditions. In response, Twitter closed its offices until Monday.

☆ These 3 habits are making you feel overly busy—and it's easy to unlearn them
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Dorie Clark, a leadership expert and former presidential campaign spokesperson, says lots of people are just looking at busyness the wrong way. When asked why they feel so overworked, most people cite external causes, like those incessant emails or constant Zoom calls. In a May TED Talk, Clark argued those are merely manifestations of busyness — not necessarily the root causes. Avoiding uncertaintyHuman brains are notoriously averse to ambiguity, and many of us use busywork as a way to avoid uncertainty, Clark said. And so we become busy ... so that we don't even have to ask the question," Clark said.

☆ Elon Musk runs 3 companies — and his executive juggling act is the perfect example of how the modern CEO job is broken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Musk is currently the CEO of three different companies: SpaceX, Tesla, and, of course, Twitter. But like many CEOs, he's accumulated a huge fortune by juggling several companies and directorships at once. While Musk may be an extreme case, he's also the perfect example of the modern CEO: a chaotic blend of unproductive micromanagement and highly-paid absenteeism. In the extreme, some CEOs like Musk have taken on the management of multiple large companies. And Musk isn't the only executive who would be better served focusing on one task.

☆ Prediction Capital just closed the first tranche of its $30 million fund to back early-stage fintech and consumer startups in the DACH region
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Prediction Capital has launched its first fund to back early-stage fintech and consumer startups. The $30 million fund, backed by Swiss family office Infinitas Capital, will focus on the DACH region. The Malta-based firm, which has reached the first close of its new $30 million early-stage fund, will focus on startups in the DACH region. Its focus is early-stage startups, across pre-seed to Series A, and initial ticket sizes will range from $250,000 to $500,000. With the help of the family office, Prediction Capital has been able to close four deals so far.

☆ Here's the salary breakdown for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business' class of 2022 including bonuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Catherine Henderson | Rachel Durose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The Booth School of Business is No. A Booth student's annual cost of attendance is estimated at about $115,062. The median salary for 2022 Booth graduates was $175,000, and the median signing bonus was $30,000, according to the school's report. But, this prestigious degree doesn't come cheap — the school estimates the annual cost of attendance for Booth students is $115,062. The consulting giant McKinsey snapped up 61 Booth graduates in 2022, while Boston Consulting Group, Amazon, Bain, and Credit Suisse were also major employers of 2022 graduates.

In Germany, the HDE retail association is forecasting the strongest slump in Christmas sales since 2007, with retail sales in the crucial November-December period seen dropping by 4% year on year on a price-adjusted basis. In the United Kingdom, a raft of surveys indicate half or more Britons plan to spend less this Christmas. Should September's sharp drop in retail sales be repeated in December, it would be the worst outcome since comparable annual records began in 1989. Official data showed UK retail sales volumes, excluding fuel, dropped 6.2% year on year in September. Another association Acotex expects retailers to offer slight discounts during the holiday season as consumer demand slows.

TORONTO, Nov 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Some members of the shared economy are seeing a resurgence in the side hustle as inflation bites. People are becoming more interested in driving for Uber Technologies (UBER.N) and listing their abodes on Airbnb (ABNB.O) in order to make an extra buck. U.S. President Joe Biden last month proposed a new gig worker rule that could fundamentally change how companies classify their workers. But the shared economy seems to be holding up fine, even if the economy isn’t. Uber Technologies on Nov. 1 said revenue grew 72% year-on-year to $8.3 billion in the third quarter.

☆ On-the-job training is a useful perk that helps retain employees. Here's how to build an education program that benefits your business and workers.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Rachel Durose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

On-the-job training and education programs can help businesses retain valuable workers. Here's how business leaders can create training programs at their companies. This article is part of Talent Insider, a series containing expert advice to help small business owners tackle a range of hiring challenges. "On-the-job training and education programs can play a pivotal role in sourcing and retaining employees." Oftentimes, on-the-job training isn't just a useful perk, but a necessary tool for retaining employees, three managers and company leaders told Insider.

☆ Telehealth is soaring. Here's how telecommunications companies are racing to help patients through 5G technology.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

During the difficult months of lockdown, many healthcare professionals conducted nonemergency appointments remotely to protect their patients and prevent COVID from spreading even further. Sanjiv Gossain, the group vice president and head of EMEA at Verizon Business, said that 5G technology will help the healthcare industry solve some of its biggest challenges. 5G use is increasing in health servicesMore companies are joining the effort to make healthcare more accessible through 5G technology. Joe Drygas, the vice president of healthcare solutions at AT&T, said that 5G will allow even more people to access healthcare globally. While cost and infrastructural challenges remain, 5G technology has already begun to transform healthtech and patient care.

☆ This secondhand fashion startup wants to become the Depop of Africa. Here's the 11-slide pitch deck Yaga used to raise $2.2 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Estonia-based Yaga just raised $2.2 million to bring its secondhand marketplace to Africa and Asia. The startup, backed by Startup Wise Guys, wants to become the next Vinted or Depop. An Estonia-based circular economy startup that wants to become the Vinted or Depop of Africa has just raised 2.2 million euros ($2.2 million). The company operates an app and website that are currently available in South Africa, Kenya, and India. "I went to Instagram and looked at how people buy and sell secondhand in South Africa and Kenya," the founder said.

☆ 4 characteristics of companies that will survive a downturn, according to McKinsey's North America managing partner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Asutosh Padhi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The evidence that resilient companies simply do better (in good times and bad) is compelling. Specifically, research on more than 1,000 companies found that the most resilient companies performed better than their less resilient peers across the entire life cycle of the major economic shocks of the past two decades. Focus on talentBecause resilient companies are better positioned to start with, they are well-placed to capture talent who may now be searching for new homes. All companies need to look at their employee value proposition. Asutosh Padhi is a senior partner and the North America managing partner for McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm.

☆ The 30 companies information technology students around the world most want to work for
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Universum published its annual list of the most attractive employers for IT students. That's part of the employer branding expert's World's Most Attractive Employers report. Information technology students want to work for tech companies, such as Google and Samsung, but also hope to end up working at places outside tech. Universum recently released its annual rankings of ideal employers that different students want to work for, which is part of its World's Most Attractive Employers report. From KPMG to Google, below are the 30 companies IT students aspire to work for according to Universum's ranking of the most attractive employers.

☆ Self-driving cars were supposed to take over the road. What happened?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Matt Mcfarland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesGeneral Motors bought a self-driving company in 2016. Big talk, smaller resultsUrmson, while leading Google’s self-driving car project before founding Aurora, talked of his preteen son never needing to get a driver’s license. A self-driving car, without a steering wheel or pedals, would have to be able to drive itself in literally every situation possible. “It’s really, really hard,” Waymo’s then-CEO John Krafcik said in 2018 of self-driving technology. Companies developing lidar, widely seen as a key component for self-driving vehicles, as well as self-driving companies, have seen their stocks plummet recently.

☆ Why your healthcare is about to get a lot more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Supply-chain and labor shortages, along with pent-up demand, are increasing costs for healthcare. But they might be in for more bad news as healthcare costs rise. Premiums could rise even more in 2024 as higher healthcare costs settle in and get passed down to consumers. You can thank people flocking back to the doctor, more expensive equipment, and surging labor costs for your higher future bill. Labor costs are rising across the boardJob openings in healthcare are still elevated, and well above pre-pandemic levels, according to Fitch.

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Leading consulting firm McKinsey & Co has agreed to settle claims by hundreds of U.S. local governments and school districts around the country that it fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction through its work for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug companies. The deal was disclosed in a court filing Wednesday evening in San Francisco federal court. Its terms were not made public, and McKinsey and a lawyer for the settling plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. McKinsey previously agreed to pay more than $600 million to settle opioid claims brought by all U.S. states and territories, and had argued that those settlements should shield it from local governments' and school districts' lawsuits. Purdue is in bankruptcy and is seeking to resolve opioid claims against it through a proposed $6 billion settlement funded by members of its founding Sackler family.

☆ US workers are stressed, anxious, and disengaged. Here are 3 simple strategies managers can use to help them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Managers can use a number of research-backed interventions to foster employee happiness. Note to managers: Happiness drives business results. A study published in early 2022 found that employees with high measures of self-reported happiness upon starting their jobs performed better than those with lower measures of happiness. Cultivate happinessWhen it comes to boosting an employee's emotional well-being, there is only so much a boss can do. Lester and his co-researchers have recommended managers lead team exercises geared toward improving employee well-being.

☆ Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday Deals: Which are better?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Black Friday deals started in October this year, while Cyber Monday sales can extend a whole week with additional sales online. Beyond that, retailers generally launch their online Black Friday deals months before Thanksgiving, giving online shoppers a jump-start. “Cyber Monday will offer TV deals as well, but many retailers stick to the tradition of Black Friday TV doorbusters and really pump out those deals on Black Friday,” McGrath said. Cyber Monday typically outperforms Black Friday in terms of sales: Black Friday raked in $8.9 billion in 2021, while Cyber Monday hit $10.7 billion, according to data from Adobe Analytics. While Cyber Monday claims the top spot when it comes to e-commerce spending, Black Friday consistently narrows that gap as the number of online Black Friday sales increases exponentially.

☆ Insurance startup Evy promises better product protection and just brought in $6.4 million from Sequoia. Check out its 10-slide seed pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paris-based insurance tech startup Evy has raised $6.4 million in seed funding from Sequoia. Founded in 2022, Evy wants to grow the product protection market in Europe. Check out the company's 10-slide pitch deck below:Evy, a Paris-based insurance tech startup, has raised $6.4 million in seed funding from US investor Sequoia. The startup specializes in product protection insurance but doesn't work directly with consumers. Unlike more consumer-facing insurance tech companies, which have struggled in 2022, Evy said its B2B2C model was preferable, since there are no customer acquisition costs and marketing spend is lower.

☆ Meet the 'stone-cold-brilliant' Apple exec heading up Apple TV+, Sports, gaming and more, who insiders think could succeed Eddy Cue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The former Time Warner Cable exec is driving Apple's subscription businesses including TV+, Sports, and Apple One. But inside and outside the tech giant, people are eyeing one cable TV alum who is being positioned for bigger things under Eddy Cue, the company's longtime Services SVP. As VP, Services, Stern is responsible for running strategy and operations for multiple growth businesses inside Apple. Here's how Stern ascended from cable TV to the top of the tech giant, and what his moves mean for the future of Apple Services. He appeared on stage in 2019 as the frontman for the Apple TV app, in a pair of dark-wash jeans and an untucked gray button-down.

☆ Gender equity at work is stalling after 'mass exodus' of women during pandemic, new research finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Gender equity progress in the workforce has slowed down over the pandemic, a KPMG report found. Progress slowsBefore the pandemic, many businesses were making strides toward gender equity, but their progress has significantly slowed down since, the report found. Among most of the surveyed companies, women made up just 17% of leadership positions and 25% of total employees as of 2022. Women still make up just 17% of leadership positions, according to the latest KPMG DEI Progress survey. "Only 12 percent have reported making significant changes in their companies' DEI profiles," it found.

☆ The ridiculous rise of the chief purpose officer — corporate America's half-baked attempt to fix the employee burnout crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Tracy Moore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Every company on Great Place to Work's ranked list of best employers has a chief purpose officer or purpose among the company's missions and goals. Its chief purpose officer, Kwasi Mitchell, who stepped into the role in 2020, told me that establishing purpose was a powerful talent-retention tool. The same is true for chief purpose officers. And a chief purpose officer can be used as a crutch, a way for a business to say, "Of course, we care," when employees raise issues with the culture. Instead of fixing the burnout problem, these executives can allow management to turn a blind eye and assume all is well, letting workplace rot set in even deeper.

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