In the digital age, personal data is hugely valuable. Companies are eager to access this data, but regulations like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require users’ explicit consent. What GDPR doesn’t specify, however, is how firms should ask for that consent. Some lean on transparency, while others sweeten the deal with persuasive tactics, like offering discounts in exchange for personal information.

According to a recent study, "The Race for Data: Utilizing Informative or Persuasive Cues to Gain Opt-in?" by Sara Valentini of Bocconi University’s Department of Marketing, Caterina D’Assergio of Marazzi Group, Puneet Manchanda of the University of Michigan, Elisa Montaguti of the University of Bologna, purely informative messages, while compliant with GDPR, don’t necessarily increase opt-ins. However, combining informative and persuasive cues—especially monetary incentives—may consistently boost opt-ins.

In today’s interconnected professional world, employees often have affiliations outside their primary workplace. This phenomenon can be harmless—or even beneficial—until two employees find themselves representing rival entities. The article “When Colleagues Compete Outside the Firm” by Thorsten Grohsjean of Bocconi University’s Department of Management and Technology, Henning Piezunka of the Wharton School, and Maren Mickeler of ESSEC Business School published in the Strategic Management Journal offers fascinating insights into this dynamic by examining an unusual case: professional soccer players who become rivals on national teams while playing as club teammates.

The study’s focus is a critical yet understudied setting: when coworkers who typically collaborate within an organization engage in competition outside of it. Using data from the 2018 FIFA World Cup and top European soccer leagues, the researchers observed that teammates who competed against each other on opposing national teams subsequently reduced collaboration within their shared clubs, as evidenced by a significant decrease in passes exchanged during club games.

As Thorsten Grohsjean notes, “The interplay between extra-organizational affiliations and internal collaboration is complex, yet our findings demonstrate a measurable effect: after facing each other as competitors, teammates exhibited a notable reluctance to collaborate at club level.”

Delta and DeltaAI will utilize Harbor to increase GPU and storage performance.

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland is enrolling patients in an innovative clinical trial that seeks to cure sickle cell disease. The trial is the first in the U.S. to apply non-viral CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology in humans to directly correct the genetic mutation that causes the disease. The trial is part of a UC research consortium led by UCSF with UCLA and UC Berkeley.