Search Results for: investments

Businesses planning major investments into Generative AI to increase productivity

Businesses planning major investments into Generative AI to increase productivity

firms are planning major investments into generative AI technologies to drive increases in productivity, but are still being cautious about their impact.A new report from Cognizant and Oxford Economics New Work, New World: Quantifying Global Gen AI Momentum suggests that firms are planning major investments into generative AI technologies to drive increases in productivity, but are still being cautious about their impact. Additionally, 76 percent of businesses say they are looking to leverage the technology to create new revenue streams, while 58 percent are incorporating revenue increases into their business cases. (more…)

To hit net zero, sustainable tech investments need to increase tenfold

To hit net zero, sustainable tech investments need to increase tenfold

Net zero reportA large increase in investment in breakthrough technologies such as hydrogen-based fuels, bioenergy and carbon-capture storage solutions is needed to hit the global goal of net zero emissions by 2050. To scale these technologies and take them to market, at least a tenfold increase in investment is needed, according to the How to Finance Industry Net-Zero report. Released by the World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman, the report outlines how to address the supply-and-demand-side gap and take these technologies to the next level. (more…)

Increased revenue, savings and productivity from tech investments accelerated by COVID-19

Increased revenue, savings and productivity from tech investments accelerated by COVID-19

InvestmentsNearly seven in 10 business leaders and decision-makers say that investments in digital technologies in 2020 have enabled their organisations to increase revenue, save money and improve productivity, according to a new survey released by Randstad US. (more…)

Watchdog raises concerns at councils` commercial property investments

Watchdog raises concerns at councils` commercial property investments

commercial property risksSome local authorities in England have invested significant public money in buying commercial property over the past three years with the aim of generating a financial return. Debt has increased for many of these authorities as a result, with a small group seeing significant increases in the amount they owe and the cost of repayment, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). (more…)

Majority of businesses fail to see a return on their technology investments

Majority of businesses fail to see a return on their technology investments

According to a new report from Accenture, the majority of businesses don’t see a return on their technology investments and just 14 percent of businesses manage to realise the full potential of their tech investments. Roughly $3.2 trillion was spent on new technology in the last five years. Businesses that were most successful with their investments were the ones investing in bold moves, rather than incremental shifts.

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Fresh concerns raised about council investments in commercial property market

Fresh concerns raised about council investments in commercial property market 0

As we reported last month, the level of investment in commercial property undertaken by UK local authorities is raising serious concerns within both central government and the real estate sector. Now, a fresh warning has been issued by the former business secretary Sir Vince Cable that councils face potential bankruptcy if the property bubble bursts. In recent years councils have faced an average 37 percent real term cut in government funding and so have taken to borrowing large sums at low interest rates from the Treasury’s Public Works Loan Board to reinvest in commercial property ventures. The move has already been identified as risky by the Government’sown Public Accounts Committee and Cable joins a chorus of voices in expressing doubts.

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Not just cuckoo clocks. Why Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country

Not just cuckoo clocks. Why Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country

Switzerland retains its long-standing position as the world’s most innovative economy, followed closely by the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and SingaporeIn Orson Welles’ famous scene-stealing cameo in The Third Man, his character Harry Lime comes out with that (in)famous speech about Swiss culture. “In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance,” he says. “In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” This does the Swiss a disservice in a number of ways, not least that a major new report claims that Switzerland is maintaining a long tradition as the most innovative country in the world. (more…)

Adoption of workplace AI is inconsistent and riddled with contradictions

Adoption of workplace AI is inconsistent and riddled with contradictions

New research claims to reveal the significant divides in how organisations are adopting artificial intelligence, with some reporting positive outcomes and others citing fear, risk and job losses.New research claims to reveal the significant divides in how organisations are adopting artificial intelligence, with some reporting positive outcomes and others citing fear, risk and job losses. The study, carried out by The Adaptavist Group as part of its latest Digital Etiquette: Unlocking the AI Gates report, surveyed 900 professionals responsible for introducing and onboarding workplace AI in the UK, US, Canada and Germany. It found a sharp split between the 42 percent of respondents who believe their company’s AI claims are over-inflated and the 36 percent who do not. (more…)

Revolut opens new London HQ as part of long term plan for the UK financial services sector

Revolut opens new London HQ as part of long term plan for the UK financial services sector

Fintech firm Revolut has announced the opening of its new global headquarters in London, underlining a week that has seen more than £110 billion committed to the UK financial services sector.Fintech firm Revolut has announced the opening of its new global headquarters in Canary Wharf, in a week that has seen more than £110 billion committed to the UK financial services sector. The company confirmed it will invest £3 billion over the next five years and create around 1,000 new skilled jobs. (more…)

How AI is already changing the world of work

How AI is already changing the world of work

AI is already changing the world of work, but not everybody is reacting to it in the same way, writes Laura AndersonAI is rapidly transforming the world of work. That much is clear. Understanding how different generations are adapting to this shift is therefore crucial for any organisation looking to the future.  Our recent study focusing on the generational differences in attitudes towards some of today’s biggest topics sheds some light on what might be driving these trends. Perhaps the most important finding was that nearly two-thirds of Gen Z feel concerned about AI’s impact on their future (only Baby Boomers reported more concern) – even though over half are still using AI day to day. (more…)

Half of businesses who have made people redundant in favour of AI think they may have messed up

Half of businesses who have made people redundant in favour of AI think they may have messed up

A new poll from Orgvue claims that 39 percent of business leaders who have deployed AI in their firms have already made employees redundant. Of those, 55 percent think there's a good chance they made wrong decisions about those redundancies.A new poll from Orgvue claims that 39 percent of business leaders who have deployed AI in their firms have already made employees redundant. Of those, 55 percent think there’s a good chance they made wrong decisions about those redundancies. Orgvue first conducted its international survey of 1,000 C-suite and senior decision makers at medium and large organisations in 2024. This year, the research highlights what Orgvue says is growing caution in deploying artificial intelligence and acknowledgment that businesses need to reskill people to work with the technology. (more…)

AI ushers in the era of the ‘frontier firm’, Microsoft report claims

AI ushers in the era of the ‘frontier firm’, Microsoft report claims

A new report from Microsoft claims that 2025 will mark a new point in the evolution of work, with organisations across the globe now entering what it calls the age of the 'Frontier Firm' reliant on both AI and humansA new report from Microsoft claims that 2025 will mark a new point in the evolution of work, with organisations across the globe now entering what it calls the age of the ‘Frontier Firm’. The report defines this as a ‘future-facing business model in which a combination of artificial intelligence and human collaboration reshapes work processes and redefines the very structure of enterprises’. The 2025 Work Trend Index, published by Microsoft’s WorkLab, claims to draw on one of the most comprehensive datasets to date, combining insights from 31,000 workers across 31 countries, thousands of Microsoft 365 ‘productivity signals’, and labour market trends derived from LinkedIn’s global data. The report argues that AI is no longer a novel addition to the workplace — it is becoming central to how work is done, who does it, and what organisations can achieve. (more…)