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☆ The great Rolex recession is here: How the Fed crushed the luxury watch boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The WatchCharts market index and has slumped 32% from an all-time high in March last year. When the 'everything rally' was in full swing during the pandemic period, luxury watches were no exception. Preowned watch sales reached $22 billion in 2021 – nearly a third of the $75 billion luxury watch market, according to a report from Boston Consulting Group. The Rolex index is up by more than 55% from five years ago. "Luxury watches have performed well, especially over the long term, in comparison with traditional investment categories.

Persons: Patek Philippe, Audemars, Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippes, Piguets, – Organizations: Service, Wall, Rolex, Fed, Boston Consulting Locations: Wall, Silicon

The ADA is a federal law requiring employers to make "reasonable accommodations" — adjustments or modifications — for qualified job applicants or employees with a "known disability." How companies can create 'a culture of inclusion'Rob Koch speaks to CNBC on Zoom with ASL interpreter, Amelia Fruehsamer. Yet, employees with disabilities make up a sizeable share of the global workforce, by some estimates. PSEG held a yearlong campaign to try to build empathy and destigmatize what it means to have a disability. After its awareness campaign, PSEG found the percentage of people who identified as disabled in its workplace tripled.

Persons: Rob Koch, Amelia Fruehsamer, Koch, " Koch, Emily Ladau, PSEG, Steven Fleischer, Fleischer Organizations: CNBC, Slalom, Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group Locations: Seattle, Newark , New Jersey

☆ Why waiting for A.I. laws, regulations from government could be a catastrophic mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, parent company of ChatGPT, warns AI poses risk of human extinction, and Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "godfather of AI," cautions that AI can bring a dangerous future. These AI leaders and others support intervention from the federal government and other industry leaders before AI proliferates throughout society. With rapid growth, Palmer said companies of all sizes need to track AI efforts and disclose the information publicly. After a company has established metrics for tracking AI, or even while it's figuring that out, companies need to do a risk assessment for AI, Palmer said. "Within most companies, AI doesn't have an owner," Palmer said.

Persons: Sam Altman, Geoffrey Hinton, Altman, Asha Palmer, Palmer, Genies, Akash Nigam, Nigam, we've, ChatGPT, François, Candelon, Let's Organizations: OpenAI, CNBC, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Organization for Economic Cooperation, IT, Boston Consulting Group's Henderson Institute Locations: Washington , DC, OpenAI, Japan

☆ Luxury tests limits of its immunity to downturns
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Compagnie Financiere Richemont (CFR.S) is testing the limits of luxury’s immunity to downturns. Shares of other big luxury players, including $236 billion Hermes International (HRMS.PA) and $502 billion LVMH (LVMH.PA), also fell 4.2% and 3.7% respectively. The top 5% of wealthiest shoppers who are probably less sensitive to inflation drove around 40% of global luxury sales last year, according to Boston Consulting Group. Shares in the European luxury sector are on average up 69% since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile, revenue in Asia, which makes up 40% of Richemont's revenue, grew 40% year-on-year in the last quarter.

Persons: Cartier, U.S . downer, Karen Kwok, George Hay, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Financiere, Hermes, Boston Consulting, Citi, U.S ., Twitter, Cathay, Thomson Locations: Asia

☆ The AI boom is screwing over Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Now, with the advent of generative AI, organizations are starting to automate many "junior" tasks — stripping away their dubious last attempt to "teach" young employees. America's young workers are headed toward a career calamity. Nobody wants to teach anymoreEven before the rise of AI, young people were facing an early-career crisis. This lack of care is clearly weighing on the young workers who need career development the most. Humans can be enhanced by AI, helped by AI, but replacing them with AI is a shortsighted decision made by myopic bean counters who can't see the value in a person.

Persons: there's, Gen, Gen Zers, it's, Gen Z, Louis, Zers, millennials, Peter Cappelli, Capelli, Paul Osterman, they'd, Osterman, they'll, ChatGPT, Qualtrics, What's, they're, Ulrich Atz, Tensie Whelan, New York University's, Atz, Whelan, —, There's, Knight, It's, Ed Zitron Organizations: Management, Federal Reserve Bank of St, National Association of Colleges, Employers, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, US Department of Labor, MIT, Pew Research Center, National Bureau of Economic Research, Gallup, Workplace Intelligence, Amazon, Boston Consulting Group, New York, New York University's Stern Center, Sustainable Business Locations: America, New, Fortune

Another source inside Barclays' investment bank, talking anonymously because they are not authorised to speak to the media, said lower staff attrition at its technology and back office operations had started to worry cost-conscious managers. The BCG review could lead to layoffs, the source familiar with the review said, although no decisions have been made. Some top Barclays investors, however, told Reuters they would have misgivings about a plan to prioritise investment over capital distributions. But a recent shake-up at its investment bank has raised concern about Barclays' ability to compete amid a worldwide dealmaking slump. They are not valued properly together," said Alan Beaney, chief executive at RC Brown Investment Management, which has held Barclays shares since 2012.

Persons: C.S, shivers, Richard Marwood, Venkat, Edward Bramson, Richard Buxton, Alan Beaney, Elisa Martinuzzi, Mark Potter Organizations: Barclays, Boston Consulting, Reuters, Royal London Asset Management, Lehman Brothers, Jupiter Asset, RC Brown Investment Management, BNP, HSBC, Reuters Graphics Barclays, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: U.S, Africa

☆ OpenAI's mysterious new headquarters features nap rooms, a two-story library, and lounges for viewing both sunrise and sunset, according to planning documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's only fitting then that OpenAI should have a headquarters befitting its status as the vanguard of new AI revolution. But the company has kept details about its San Francisco headquarters a closely guarded secret. A reporter for Insider was even less successful, turned away by a security guard on an intercom who refused even to confirm or deny the existence of an OpenAI office at the location. But we may now have some hints about what it's like inside the offices of the world's most famous AI company, thanks to architectural plans and planning documents viewed by Insider. "It's an impressive space," said Peter Eisenbeiser, a city official who performed the final inspection of the 1960 Bryant Street space.

Persons: OpenAI, Peter Eisenbeiser, Travis Organizations: San Francisco's Mission, Microsoft, San, San Francisco, Florida Street, Bay, Eaton Hall, Architects, Boston Consulting Group Locations: San Francisco's, London, San Francisco, Florida, Seattle

☆ Inflation, geopolitics, climate change and the AI revolution are top concerns for global CEOs: BCG
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailInflation, geopolitics, climate change and the AI revolution are top concerns for global CEOs: BCGNeeraj Aggarwal, Boston Consulting Group Asia-Pacific chair, tells CNBC we could also be entering an era where trade grows slightly less than global GDP.

Organizations: Boston Consulting Group, CNBC Locations: Pacific

☆ Here's the 14-page pitch deck a startup helping people build credit through rental payments used to raise $4.5 million from Clocktower VC and Plaid's cofounders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Boom is a startup that helps people build credit by reporting rent payments to credit bureaus. The startup raised $4.5 million in a seed round led by Starting Line. "I started helping them on their housing, find a new rental, build credit, get things removed from their credit report, access rental assistance, things like that," Whiting told Insider. That's when the lightbulb went off to start Boom, a startup that helps people build credit by reporting their rent payments to credit bureaus. Here's the 14-page pitch deck Boom used to raise its $4.5 million seed.

Persons: Rob Whiting, Whiting, Kirill Moizik, helms, Boom . Whiting, Moizik, Boom, Plaid's cofounders Zach Perret, William Hockey Organizations: Boston Consulting Group, Clocktower

☆ The 25 best large companies for career growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Comparably, an employer-review site, analyzed anonymous ratings to create its annual career growth ranking. 1 spot on Comparably's list of large companies that are the best for career growth, according to employee reviews. Comparably also looked at what are the best small and midsize companies for career-growth opportunities in a separate ranking. Similarly, LinkedIn has published previously a list highlighting employers that have career growth opportunities. Below are the large companies that made up the top 25 in Comparably's latest career-growth ranking.

Persons: —, Chad Herring Organizations: Boston Consulting Group, Google, Service, Companies, LinkedIn, Amazon, Comcast, Boeing, Apple

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Barclays (BARC.L) is studying options for its global payments activities as a part of broader review into how it allocates resources, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Barclays has already engaged at least one major consultancy firm and may hire others to split assignments, this person said. "Our three businesses continue to perform well and our business mix is robust - growing our global payments business is a priority for us," a Barclays spokesperson said. The payments study comes as Barclays had also drafted Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to conduct a strategy review of the entire banking group, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. How the bank should allocate resources between more predictable retail business and volatile returns from the investment bank has attracted investor scrutiny.

Persons: Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo, Stefania Spezzati, Lawrence White, Alexander Smith Organizations: Barclays, Reuters, Britain's, Barclaycard, Boston Consulting, Bloomberg, BNP, HSBC, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Thomson Locations: London

HONG KONG, June 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Shein is threading the world’s trickiest geopolitical needle. But rising American pressure is forcing it to tweak its business model right as it tries to list there. Last year, its top line surged 46% to $23 billion, per the Wall Street Journal, surpassing $22 billion at H&M and outpacing the 18% growth at Inditex. A Boston Consulting Group report notes that this model allows Shein to keep inventory turnover at just 40 days. That will be expensive; the company's net profit margin was a razor-thin 3.5% last year, according to the Wall Street Journal, far below bricks and mortar rival Inditex's 13%.

Persons: Shein, Bernstein, Chris Xu, Xu, Mubadala, Pete Sweeney, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, U.S ., Rivals, Street, Financial Times, Boston Consulting, Morningstar, Securities and Exchange Commission, Wall Street, ’, Singapore, Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Zara, China, Inditex, Guangdong, U.S, Xinjiang, Nanjing, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, India

☆ For Apple, emerging markets like Vietnam, India and Indonesia are 'a golden opportunity' right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Apple launched an online store in Vietnam this week, in another nod to the growing importance of emerging markets for the iPhone maker. Markets like Vietnam, India and Indonesia are becoming more important for Apple as its growth in developed markets, including China, slows down, prompting the company to focus on places where it’s traditionally been less active. “Clearly, growth has slowed globally and thus put more pressure [on Apple] to aggressively go after emerging markets,” said Daniel Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities. This has “been the core part of its success in China that now can be replicated in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, among others,” said Ives. And while consumers are becoming more affluent, the company’s price points are still considered high in many emerging markets, noted Ives.

[1/3] Packaged food for sale is seen on shelves at a Dollar Tree in Islandia, New York, U.S., May 12, 2023. Razor manufacturer Edgewell Personal Care Co (EPC.N) and Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) have overhauled or built new teams dedicated to working with the biggest U.S. dollar stores like Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) and Dollar General Corp (DG.N) in the last year. Makers of food and household staples are pushing deeper into dollar stores because the low-cost retailers are opening thousands of locations each year. Griffin added that dollar stores are also introducing more "premium" private label brands, like Dollar General's Nature's Menu for pets. Kraft-Heinz also created a new team of five people late last year to identify and develop products for dollar stores, a spokesman said.

INVESTMENT HELPSThe company based in Hove on Britain's south coast was one of 61 firms - most with 25 or fewer employees - to take part in the world's biggest four-day week trial last year. The experience of some companies in the first trial suggests that moving to a four-day week might help, if it prompts firms to spend more on equipment and training. It piloted a four-day week for its 80 New Zealand staff over 18 months, and has since extended it to 500 workers in Australia, a move it hopes will attract new talent. British recruitment agency Reed.co.uk said it had seen a rise in the number of job advertisements offering a four-day week since the start of the year. Allcap, a supplier of industrial components with 36 employees in western England, tried a four-day week after its staff had worked flat out during the pandemic to supply protective equipment and ventilator parts.

☆ Move over McKinsey: This Gen Z founder is offering fellow grads an alternative to delayed start dates at consulting firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He's attracting fellow 2023 graduates whose start dates were delayed at major consulting firms. These delays mean recent grads won't be pulling in big salaries from the major consulting firms — at least not right away. InstagramForced to rethink their futuresMany business students follow a traditional path from the Ivy League to top investment-banking or consulting firms. One, who has an offer to start at McKinsey in February, told Ou he is considering going to law school instead. By assisting gig workers, Ou expects Talentifyr's workers will see a direct and positive impact from their work.

☆ CEOs thought the return to office debate was over. It looks like they were wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Other companies, too, could see reverberations if they enact similar policies, especially if the mandates feel arbitrary, human resources professionals say. That's why companies that want to bring workers back to the office need to focus on reconfiguring workspaces to foster additional collaboration. If your company hasn't yet, maybe don't 'mandate'Many companies are still ironing out their return-to-office policies. JustAnswer, an online source for professional information, has seen a 49% increase in questions related to return-to-office mandates and/or policies in its Employment Law category compared with May 2022. Companies should also evaluate whether across-the-board policies make sense, or whether in-office mandates should be implemented for certain functions only, Kogut said.

☆ Intel, Boston Consulting Group team to sell AI to corporate customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) and Boston Consulting Group on Wednesday said they are working together to sell generative artificial intelligence tools to big businesses. Google owner Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) are revamping their search engines with AI technology to provide answers to questions rather than lists of links. Previously, BCG employees conducted a keyword search and had to click through each document to see whether it contained what they were looking for. With the new system, the AI system can answer employees' questions using the archive or summarize entire documents. Intel built the supercomputer and software so that BCG did not have to share its data with Intel.

☆ Companies need to build a 'competitive advantage' with their use of A.I., says consultancy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCompanies need to build a 'competitive advantage' with their use of A.I., says consultancyRich Lesser of Boston Consulting Group discusses the future of artificial intelligence in the context of business and U.S.-China tensions.

☆ Here are the 5 key takeaways from this year's Milken Global conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The pullback by banks is raising the hopes of those in the private credit industry. Some panelists and others who spoke in the hallways of the event suggested that there was a large-scale handoff from private equity to private credit. Many private-equity firms are scrambling to raise private credit funds to take advantage. "I don't think this is the end of private equity, but the environment certainly favors private credit," he said. And that will show up in lower returns for private credit funds, she said.

☆ Global trade growth to drop below economic growth over next decade: Boston Consulting Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGlobal trade growth to drop below economic growth over next decade: Boston Consulting GroupMarc Gilbert, managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, discusses a new report forecasting slower global trade growth than GDP growth for the first time in 40 years, the trends that will fuel it and what it means for investors.

☆ Ending the retailers’ crisis has a high price tag
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BARCELONA, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - High-street retailers are facing a heavy bill to weather the cost-of-living crisis. The cost of heating stores and staff requests for pay rises are squeezing operating margins at top players like H&M (HMb.ST) and Next (NXT.L). Shrinking disposable income is making it hard for these retailers to boost sales to protect margins. Most bricks-and-mortar retailers trade on higher multiples than they did before the war in Ukraine sparked soaring inflation. But that leaves a squeezed middle of retailers like H&M exposed to the brunt of the retail crisis.

REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File PhotoSummarySummary Companies Reliance's JioCinema to lock horns with Netflix, DisneyWarner deal to boost English content, local content in focus tooExecutives say Warner deal will boost Reliance streaming plansJioCinema content quality key to beat rivals, analyst saysMUMBAI, April 28 (Reuters) - The video streaming business of Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest person, is likely to focus on pricing and local content following a deal with Warner Bros as it seeks to challenge the likes of Disney and Netflix, industry sources said. While Netflix and other rivals boast of content specially created for the India audience, JioCinema's current free offerings largely include old Hindi and local language movies. The big challenge is lack of fresh local and global content on JioCinema, something that will be become even more critical as the IPL season ends next month. They have also diversified into regional local language content. The only way to scale up is to really differentiate your content and make sure execution is right," he said.

☆ Consultancies are coming off a pandemic boom. Are they still worth hiring?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Management consultancies helped design vaccination programs during the pandemic and are currently providing advice on how to rescue one of the world’s biggest banks. The $230 billion management consulting industry is a broad church: it includes companies offering everything from project management expertise to designing new organizational structures. Many big firms — think EY and KPMG — also conduct audits and advise on their clients’ tax issues, though these services are generally seen as distinct from their consulting work. In The Big Con, published in February, prize-winning economist Mariana Mazzucato and her co-author Rosie Collington argue that management consultancies “infantilize” governments by keeping them dependent on their services. Nearly 80% of firms surveyed globally have told the think-tank that consultants’ work is either of high or very high quality, she noted.

BARCELONA, April 25 (Reuters) - Europe's cost of living crisis has benefited discount retailers but mid-market names are being squeezed as shoppers watch their spending, executives and analysts at an industry conference said on Tuesday. Although price rises are slowing, retailers globally are still worried inflation will dampen consumer spending and are looking for new ways to attract customers. In Europe especially, some have seen sales slow as high energy bills lead customers to buy less or cheaper food and clothes. And passing higher costs on to shoppers is likely to become harder: 72% of respondents said they expected consumers to be more price-sensitive this year. "It's a very positive moment," said Ying Xu, president of Chinese supermarket chain Wumart, referring to the reopening.

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