May 19, 2020

Getting beyond the hype of technological innovation and productivity

by Prof Henry Chesbrough • Comment, Technology

Not long ago, innovation was a largely internal affair. The journey from the laboratory to the marketplace took place largely within the four walls of the firm. Think of Bell Labs, IBM Research, or Xerox PARC. Each of them created important technological breakthroughs. And each breakthrough was commercialized through the company’s own businesses. (more…)

May 18, 2020

Majority of UK businesses now automating key processes

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

The UK is making great strides in adopting process automation technologies like robotic process automation (RPA) and process mining, according to new research from digital intelligence company ABBYY. The research report, The State of Process Mining and RPA (registration), claims that 64 percent of UK businesses are already using process mining technologies, with almost 3 in 10 (28 percent) currently using RPA and a further 34 percent intending to start in the next year. This comes as no surprise, since a vast majority believe that process mining (91 percent) and RPA (87 percent) are, or would be, useful to their business. (more…)

May 13, 2020

Pandemic threatens the transition to clean energy

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News

The coronavirus pandemic risks cancelling out recent progress in transitioning to clean energy, with unprecedented falls in demand, price volatility and pressure to quickly mitigate socioeconomic costs placing the near-term trajectory of the transition in doubt. Policies, roadmaps and governance frameworks for energy transition at national, regional, and global levels need to be more robust and resilient against external shocks, according to the latest edition of World Economic Forum’s Fos tering Effective Energy Transition 2020 report published today. (more…)

May 12, 2020

From the archive: The future of work will be defined by a harmony of people and technology

by Peter Harte • Comment, Technology

Originally published November 26, 2019. As modern-day employees and consumers, technology has become so commonplace that it now impacts almost every aspect of our lives – both personally and professionally. We can now communicate with whomever we want, wherever we want with the simple click of a button or tap of a smartphone. We can also automate mundane workplace tasks, and even customise software to our hearts’ content. This is not the future of work but the present. (more…)

May 11, 2020

Digital Twins will change our relationship with buildings post lockdown

by Neil Franklin • Cities, News, Technology

Digital Twin technology will be catalysed in the wake of the coronavirus, transforming the way we construct, design manage and occupy buildings. That is the key finding of a new white paper from Cityzenith, which includes contributions from a number of global practitioners and technology experts. (more…)

May 6, 2020

Organisations think empowering people is the route to success (but only a few act)

by Neil Franklin • News

Nearly 90 percent of organisations say their success depends on empowering frontline employees to make decisions in real, but only 7 percent offer people the tools they need, according to a new report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by ThoughtSpot. The report, The New Decision Makers: Equipping Frontline Workers For Success, analyses the sentiments of 464 business executives from 16 industry sectors in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Only one-fifth of organisations say they currently have a truly empowered and digitally equipped workforce while 86 percent agree their frontline workers need better technology and more insight to be able to make good decisions in the moment. (more…)

April 30, 2020

Immunity certificates could lead to a two-tier workplace

by Neil Franklin • News

Proposed “immunity certificates” allowing individuals to move freely in society could lead to discrimination, claims Edgar Whitley, Associate Professor from London School of Economics’ Department of Management, and other contributing experts in a new report. (more…)

$Fewer meetings and fractured days – how people are adjusting to working from home$

April 29, 2020

Fewer meetings and fractured days – how people are adjusting to working from home

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Over half of UK employees are working different hours than they used to, with many spreading work out over a longer period as they adapt to working from home. Those are two of the findings from a new report from Asana, which looks at how British, American, Japanese, Australian and German employees have adapted to remote working. The UK findings are based on 1,016 respondents working full-time and, due to the pandemic, remotely. (more…)

April 23, 2020

Carbon emissions from buildings fall, but more to be done

by Neil Franklin • Environment, Facilities management, News

Despite a fall in carbon emissions from buildings as a result of the lockdown, businesses can do much more to cut carbon and save costs during the COVID-19 lockdown reveals latest data from Carbon Intelligence which tracked and analysed energy usage from 300 buildings during this period. (more…)

April 16, 2020

Isolation and stress from pandemic have profound mental health impact

by Neil Franklin • News

The effects of isolation and stress from the coronavirus pandemic could be having an extremely profound effect on people’s physical mental health – now and in the future, say a group of prominent psychiatrists and psychologists writing in the The Lancet Psychiatry journal. (more…)

April 1, 2020

A revolutionary new approach to design and fit-out for flexible offices

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

Innovation in the commercial property market is the driving force behind a revolutionary new approach to the design and fit-out of office space from Modus. Tenant-Ready is a solution aimed at both landlords and operators, to deliver pre-fitted or fitted-to-demand workspace specifically for coworking spaces, serviced offices and other forms of flexible workplaces in which fit-out is not procured by tenants and occupiers. (more…)

March 26, 2020

Pandemic will force companies to rethink how they work

by Jayne Smith • News

The Coronovirus outbreak and the worldwide reaction to the pandemic will force companies to radically rethink how they operate and embrace technological investment, claims global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research. In its new white paper, Taking Stock of COVID-19: The Short- and Long-Term Ramifications on Technology and End Markets (registration), ABI Research Analysts look at the current and future ramifications of COVID-19 across technologies and verticals. Analysts also offer recommendations to weather the storm and strategies to help companies rebound and prosper after the pandemic has slowed.