Day: 12 April 2024

Nearly three in four professionals say they experience ‘discriminatory or exclusionary’ workplace behaviour

Stuart Mitchell

New research from The Young Foundation, conducted on behalf of 12 professional membership and regulatory bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), reveals that while equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives are increasingly commonplace, there is growing scepticism among professionals that these are ‘box-ticking’ exercises. The report, Beyond Buzzwords, cautions that unless change is urgently prioritised, recent progress risks unravelling. The research incorporates insights from more than 7,000 professionals across accountancy, engineering, health and safety, facilities management, human resources, insurance, law, management, procurement and public relations. It finds…

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New fund launched to support circular economy innovators

Stuart Mitchell

A new fund has been launched by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) to give circular economy innovators the opportunity to fast-track their ambitions and grow their business through fully funded brand communications, marketing and design support. The Circular Economy Innovators Fund is the first of its kind and will see up to six businesses awarded tailored support to the value of £10,000 each to build on their marcomms strategy. Aimed at small and micro businesses based in the UK and Republic of Ireland, CIWM is looking for emerging…

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1 in every 10 women in the world lives in extreme poverty

Stuart Mitchell

On International Women’s Day, UN Women calls for the world to “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress” as the best way to accelerate economic growth and build more prosperous, equitable societies. This is particularly urgent when war and crisis are eroding the achievements of decades of investments in gender equality. From the Middle East to Haiti, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, women pay the biggest price for conflicts that are not of their making. The need for peace has never been more urgent. 1 in every 10 women in the…

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UNESCO study reveals alarming evidence of regressive gender stereotypes

Stuart Mitchell

Ahead of the this years International Women’s Day, a UNESCO study revealed worrying tendencies in Large Language models (LLM) to produce gender bias, as well as homophobia and racial stereotyping. Women were described as working in domestic roles far more often than men ¬– four times as often by one model – and were frequently associated with words like “home”, “family” and “children”, while male names were linked to “business”, “executive”, “salary”, and “career”. The study Bias Against Women and Girls in Large Language Models examines stereotyping in Large Language…

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Brevio ceased trading at end of March

Stuart Mitchell

Brevio Ltd ceased trading from 31st March 2024. They state the see this not as an ending, but as a transition from start-up to scale-up. A proud not-for-profit, social enterprise, and an award-winning B Corp, Brevio has been dedicated to streamlining and reducing waste in the UK charitable grant-making process. Over the past 5 years, and funded by over £3m from its Founder, Marcelle Speller OBE, the platform was designed and built to match charities’ funding needs with grant-makers’ eligibility criteria. Where matches were identified, the platform could seamlessly populate…

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