To prosper in the mid-21st century, cities must learn to act like innovators — track the progress of the current global experiments — and adopt the roles that help it to thrive.

Companies that welcome ideas from all employees have better growth prospects than those with a less-inclusive approach to innovation, a new study finds.

The finding comes from research and consulting firm Great Place to Work, which surveyed about 500,000 U.S. employees at nearly 800 public and privately owned companies, most of them based in the U.S. Employees were asked how often they were included in larger, strategic decisions, whether they felt management was interested in their ideas and whether they were encouraged...

If there is one single matter that worries tech leaders today it is the difficulty in conciliating innovation and regulation. Most companies, from tech giants to startups, are still trying to adjust to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and yet more of the same is coming. The next step will be the adoption of the EU’s ePrivacy Regulation, which will be published toward the end of 2018 or early 2019.

After considerable growth in the number of startups raising a first round of venture capital financing between 2009 and 2014, there has been a geographically widespread contraction, according to new research from Ian Hathaway at the Center of American Entrepreneurship, a D.C. based advocacy group. In America’s Rising Startup Communities, Hathaway explores the geography of first venture capital financing across U.S. metropolitan areas over the last eight years, finding that just 10 metro areas account for more than two-thirds of all first financings. From 2009 to 2017, the number of startups receiving a first financing increased by 84 percent, and more than one-third of regions saw an increase in deals.

Being an entrepreneur is hard, but it is even harder for a young entrepreneur. Credibility is vital to the growth of a business. Having it with potential investors, employees, customers or suppliers is difficult if you are new or young. Fortunately, there are effective ways to establish your credibility and to be taken seriously in your industry, regardless of age.

Hint: It's not about disruption.

–The limbs embracing Saraiji are long, lanky, and robotic, and they’re connected to a backpack he’s wearing. The arms are actually controlled remotely by another person, who’s wearing an Oculus Rift VR headset, with which they can see the world from Saraiji’s perspective (cameras linked to the backpack ensure a good view), and wield handheld controllers to direct the non-human arms and connected hands.

Image: Yamen Saraiji led the development of a pair of robotic arms that can be worn like a backpack and controlled by a remote operator. KEIO UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MEDIA DESIGN, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

Many of the notable lists that rank the greatest movies of all time — like the American Film Institute's " 100 Years ... 100 Movies " from 1998 — have enlisted thousands of movie-industry names to come up with a consensus on established classics. When film critics are the only factor taken into account for such a list, however, the results skew in unexpected directions.

Image: "The Godfather." Paramount Pictures/"The Godfather"

It’s suddenly August, and you’re nowhere near using up your vacation days. For many people, it’s because taking a real vacation just sounds too expensive.

That’s where MONEY can help. We dug into our Best in Travel database to identify 10 fabulous spots to lure you not just out of the cubicle, but out of the country altogether.

Last week, after I wrote about valuation — the negotiation that happens between entrepreneur and investor over what the startup company is worth on the day the investor writes a check — I got a little good-natured kidding from some of my friends. You sound just like a venture capitalist, they said.

Turning scientific discovery into real-world solutions is no mean feat, but despite the challenge of getting science out of the lab, there’s been a recent boom in organizations taking a different approach to do exactly that.

Spinning science out of academia is not new, of course. Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) exist at most research universities; their aim being to bring research developments to market, and a financial lift to the university’s bottom line.

Working parents sometimes struggle with the feeling that they are either letting down their family or not meeting their career goals. It can be hard to strike the right balance. As with most of the challenges we face at work, having an open and honest conversation is one of the first steps toward finding a solution. If you’re able to talk about the issue, you can often resolve it, or at least come to a compromise.

The number of paid days off that Americans take annually began declining in the mid-1990s, dropping below three full weeks a year, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s Project Time Off initiative. The record low was an average of 16 days in 2014, and now, it’s creeping back upward, with the average American redeeming 17.2 vacation days in 2017.

As an early-stage company, you aren’t trying to avoid losing, you are trying to win. That rarely happens on your own. Thankfully, there are several people and organizations that can help you on your journey. Accelerator programs are one of the more common methods of receiving help. If you are an up-and-coming tech startup you have probably heard about accelerators, incubators and startup studios, but what are they? How do they work with companies? Do they work at all? 

"The first word in 'small business' is 'small,'" said Morra Aarons-Mele . It's a descriptor that few Americans aspire to.

"We spend a lot of time telling ambitious people not to think small," Aarons-Mele added. That's why she thinks the prospect of entrepreneurship — and the desire to be the next Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg — is especially powerful in the US. "It's a very American thing to be an entrepreneur."

Last week, a landmark study analyzing global philanthropy foundations worldwide was released by the Harvard Kennedy School with support from UBS. It found that there has been a boom in philanthropy in line with rising wealth levels across the globe. The analysis was three years in the making and it represents a first attempt to understand philanthropic practices and trends in different countries. Altogether, over 260,000 foundations were identified in 38 countries, 72 percent of which were established in the past 25 years.

Image: https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org

The machines are taking over? The chat bots are coming for our jobs? Not according to the results of a recent survey conducted by market research firm OnResearch for Deloitte. However, human skills must be sharpened and updated consistently in order to remain part of the workforce.

Deloitte technology leader Chris Jackson said that while chat bots will only continue to evolve due to advances in artificial intelligence and true natural language learning, “the traditional narrative you see out there is that automation and robotics is going to eliminate jobs, but the data we see in our survey shows the converse.”

Strategic decisions set the overall direction for your business, whereas operational decisions set day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, most of the entrepreneurs who contact me for guidance only seem to work on strategic issues when they are in a crisis, such as losing a major distributor or being swamped with customer complaints. It’s a bit late when strategy becomes operational.

Much of the coverage on incubators and early stage competitions is replete with cool kids and VCs. Many competitors are polished, advanced young entrepreneurs who have some education, some investors or some entrepreneurial experience under their belts.

In 2015, when the President of MIT set out to launch SOLVE, the Social Impact innovation event, he certainly didn’t want to exclude the types of participants mentioned above. But he, and the team at MIT wanted to ensure a broad set of competitors, including those that might not be the envy of VCs or early-stage investors.

Image: Social impact entrepreneurs gather at MIT.ADAM SCHULTZ: MIT SOLVE

As cities compete for Amazon’s second headquarters, many flexed their tax incentive packages and real estate options in hopes of luring the tech giant to select their city. It’s tempting to think the right financial perks is all it takes for a company to successfully expand to a new city. In fact, success requires a solid base of nearby talent — or the ability to entice skilled workers to relocate for new job opportunities.