Think: Business Futures

COVID19 has rapidly become one of the biggest health emergencies in recent history; but how has the virus effected our economy? Host Max Tillman is joined by behavioural economist Professor Michelle Baddeley, ABC Business Reporter Carrington Clarke and supply-chain expert and industry consultant Rob O'Byrne to make a prognosis.

A behind the scenes look at the team's favourite stories, research and episodes. Music:

The year is 2050, Australia has decarbonised its economy through an unprecedented collaboration between local communities, elected officials and the private sector. The debate about whether or not renewable energy is financially viable or logistically possible has long since passed. Homes are powered by a mixture of wind and solar. Land use practices have been adapted and now capture large amounts of carbon, we previously emitted into the atmosphere. How did this happen? How did we manage to transition fossil fuel workers into jobs into the renewable sector? This episode is from a recent UTS Big Thinking Forum on the economic transition to renewables featuring Nicky Ison, Director of the Community Power Agency, Dr Sven Teske- Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, Chris Derksema- Sustainability Director, City of Sydney, Professor Brendan Mackey- Director of the Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Dr Muriel Watt- Principal Consultant, ITP Renewables and Elke Lindner- Sustainability & Environment Manager at Toyota.

On this episode, we're talking about savings, earnings and investing. In a nutshell, financial literacy. This is an episode for listeners who think to themselves, 'I'll think about my finances later!' First, we calculate the retirement savings of a fictional 80's soap opera character. Then, Jon Tyler from the UTS Business School joins us to explain why financial literacy is so important for everyone, not just 'boring accountants.' Further Reading: •Not sure where to start budgeting and personal financial planning? ASIC has a great (free) online tool called MoneySmart. •More information can be found on Jon and his work at the UTS Business School website. •Check out Adele Furgeson's AFR article on the changing nature of the financial advice sector in Australia •ASIC has compiled helpful information on payday loans here Music: Tomoko Aran, Taeko Ohnuki, Ethan Sloan, V.V. Campos and Neighbours Theme by Barry Crocker **Information in this episode should not be taken as financial advice. Please consult an independent financial advisor for questions relating to personal finances.

Marketing has faced an existential questions for years. Traditionally, marketing was relegated to the creative art of persuasion in what is now referred to as "The Mad Men Approach." But overtime, companies started to loose confidence in their marketing teams' ability to justify their expenses. With the rise and pervasiveness of digital technology, marketers began to justify their actions using digital metrics. In 2019, marketing managers find themselves drowning in a sea of metrics and the industry as a whole can't agree on which ones matter. On this episode, we're speaking Offer Mintz, Senior Lecturer of Marketing at UTS, about which marketing metrics are most widely used by marketing managers around the world. Further Reading: •For more information on Ofer's work, visit the UTS website •You can read Ofer's global study of marketing metrics here. •How Target Found Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did (Forbes) •Check out this segment on ABC's The Checkout on data mining Music: Mark Anson, Amaranth Cove, Gabriel Lucas, So Vea and From Now On (Epidemic Sound) Mad Men theme by RJD2

Have you ever had a great idea for ways to improve your neighbourhood and community? What if you had the ability to design your own public park or playground? On this episode, we're looking at a new form democratic decision making that combines elements of community consultation and crowdsourcing. David is joined by Dr Krithika Randhawa, Senior Lecturer at the UTS Business School, to talk about what she terms 'citizen sourcing.' Plus, we hear from the Christchurch City Council about how they engaged the community directly to design the city's new Tūranga Central Library, after the 2011 earthquakes. Further Reading: •You can read Dr Randhawa's work on knowledge collaboration and open service innovation. •For more information on Bang The Table, visit their website. •Dr Randhawa's study, Crowdsourcing without profit: the role of the seeker in open social innovation, can be viewed here. •For more information on Krithika's work, visit the UTS website. •Christchurch City Council responded to our questions about citizensourcing their new central library. Their responses can be found here. Music: Peter Sandberg, Joseph Beg, In Dawn, Spectacles, Wallet and Watch (Epidemic Sound), The Seeker by The Who courtesy Spirit Music Group, Parks and Recreation theme by Gaby Moreno Special thanks to Christchurch City Council for sharing their citizensourcing experience

On this episode, we're looking at the costs (hidden and otherwise) of cancer treatment in Australia. David is joined in the studio by Professor Kees Van Gool from the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) and Philip Haywood. Further Reading: •You can find more information on the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) on their website. •The Sydney Morning Herald explains where out-of-pocket costs for cancer treatment comes from in this article from April 2019. •For more information on the 45 And Up Study, visit the Sax Institute website. •The full list of NHMRC grant recipients can be found here. Music: Ecobel, Edward Joe Myers, Lotus, Brendon Moeller SFX: Soundmary and freetousounds (Freesound.org) and Monty Python- Kettledrum Films 1971

On this episode, we're doing something a bit different. Peter Fleming (Professor, Management, UTS Business) recently wrote an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Peter asks- Are corporations using CSR to take over social services formerly provided by governments? Nicole and Peter explore the origins of CSR in the 60's and 70's, the critique by Economist Milton Friedman in the 80's and CSR's return to popularity after the global financial crisis. Plus, Nicole and Peter take a close look at Uber's CSR policy, entitled 'Global Citizenship.' Further Reading: •Human Rights Watch- Definition of Corporate Social Responsibility •You can read Milton Friedman's 1970 piece in the New York Times Magazine The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits. •In August of this year, the Business Roundtable in the US, released a statement on reframing the purpose of a corporation to include all stakeholders. •You can find more of Peter's research on the UTS Business School website. Music: Lotus, Peter Sandberg, Ebb & Flod, Trevor Kowalski, Farrell Wooten (Epidemic Sound) and Mitch Kapor (Critique on corporations) Credits: CNN Business, Wayne Heaney (Occupy Wall Street), Kino Library, Mitch Kapor

On this episode, we're looking at sustainable finance, the idea that investors might not just want to maximise their financial returns, but also invest with an eye towards environmental and social issues. To help us understand this world, we are joined by Deb Cotton, Senior Lecturer in Finance at the UTS Business School. Plus, we speak with Mark McVeigh, who decided to sue his superannuation fund over a lack of information around their climate impact. Further Reading: •To learn more about impact investing in Australia, check out Social Ventures Australia •Principles for Responsible Investment breaks down the fiduciary duty of investors to integrate Environmental Social and governance issues into their processes. •Responsible Investment Association of Australasia •You can find out more information on Mark's case McVeigh v Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd on the Federal Court website. •Rest Super addresses their efforts to account for ESG issues when investing on their website. *Rest Super did not respond to a request for comment on Mark's case. Music: Lupus Nocte, Enigmatic, Trevor Kowaski, Spectacles, Wallet and Watch and Raymonde Grouse Produced by: Jason L'Ecuyer with production support by Ben Robinson

On this episode of Think Business Futures, Nicole and David spoke with Professor Lionel Page about over rewarding luck in business, law and on the sporting field. Later in the show, Darren O'Shaughnessy explains how data is used for useful decision making and for propaganda in the AFL. Further Reading: •You can read more of Lionel's work on the UTS website or on Twitter. •Darren O'Shaughnessy is a sports analyst for St Kilda Football Club. He can be found crunching and analysing the numbers on Twitter. •For more information on performance randomness, David recommends reading Nassim Talib's book, Fooled by Randomness. Music: Alan Ellis, Lotus, In Dawn, Lotus and Rand Aldo (Epidemic Sound)

Cheating isn't a new phenomenon. By the time you've reached university, it's likely you've been told what is considered cheating and what isn't. Writing the answers to your exam on your arm-that's cheating. Looking over classmate's shoulder to see their answers- cheating. And of course- paying someone to take an exam or write a paper for you- that's obviously cheating. Right? On this episode, We speak with Amanda White, Senior Lecturer in accounting at the UTS Business School, about her solution- the Academic Integrity Board Game. Further Reading: •Kane Murdoch- UNSW academic integrity •Phillip Dawson writes on legislating out contract cheating on the Deakin University blog. •The structure of Amanda's board game, was framed on Donald Cressey's 1979 Fraud Triangle Theory. •More information on Amanda White's work can be found at the UTS Business School or follow her on Twitter Music: Mahlert, Farrell Wooten, Brendon Moeller, Valante Additional Material: ABC News coverage of Operation Varsity Blues, CNN News comparison of Melania Trump v. Michelle Obama speeches and cejordi84 for FX via Freesound Special thanks to Ben Robinson for additional production support.

On this episode, we're looking at collective aggregation and the appeal for each of us to make small contributions to grand collective outcomes. Consumer Psychologist, Adrian Camilleri joins us to explain how this strategy works from a marketing perspective. Plus, we speak to Andy Ridley, Co-Founder of Earth Hour, about the power of symbolism in aggregate action. Further Reading: Watch the Earth Hour 2007 ad here. For more information on Adrian's research visit his website or the UTS website. Andy Ridley is CEO of Citizens of The Great Barrier Reef. People from around the globe have continued to turn out the lights for one hour each year. More information on Earth Hour can be found on their website. Music: Rupert Sachs, S.A. Karl, Isola James, Ookean, In Dawn Credits: Earth Hour advertisement-City of Sydney/ James Newton Howard

On this episode of Think Business Futures, we took a look at the business behind academic publishing. We examine the production side, by speaking with Ros Attenborough, an early career researcher at the University of Edinburgh. Then, David speaks with a consumer- in this case, Belinda Tiffen at the UTS Library. Finally, our producer, Jason, speaks with Ginny Barbour, Director of the Australasian Open Access Strategy Group about the vision for open access in the academic world. Further reading: For more information on open access, including the glossary of terms, check out this guide. Virginia (Ginny) Barbour works at the Office of Research Ethics & Integrity and the Division of Technology, Information and Learning Services at Queensland University of Technology(QUT). She is also the Director of the Australasian Open Access Strategy Group. Belinda Tiffen is the Director of Library Resources at the University of Technology Sydney library. The UTS open access repository, known as OPUS is available here. Music: Lotus, Ecobel, Spectacles Wallet and Watch, Raymond Grouse, Salino, Fabien Tell, In Dawn and Leimoti

In the lead up to the recent Australian federal election, David and Nicole interviewed social researcher Rebecca Huntley and senior lecturer in economics, Jingjing Zhang. The information was in and the polls had led to predictions of the outcome. As we all now know, the outcome of the election was a surprise to everyone, particularly the major parties. In light of the shock results, the team went back into the studio to go back to the theory in light of the information and unpick what happened. By going back to the interviews, Nicole and David ask: What does it mean to have opinion polls and what does it mean to vote? Further Reading: •Rebecca Huntley's article, Australia Fair, is available from the Quarterly Essay in any good book shop. •You can find more information on Jingjing's research on the UTS Business School website. •For official election information, visit the Australian Electoral Commission's website Music: Gunnar Johnsen, Fabien Tell, Dew Of Light, Peter Sandberg, Flouw, Rand Aldo and Mo Stacks

With the help of the internet, social media platforms and smartphones, we have seen the emergence of a new breed of celebrities - so-called 'influencers'. Who are these people and how do they differ from more typical celebrities such as pop stars or athletes? On this episode, we're looking at celebrity capital. On this episode, we're looking at celebrity capital with Francois Carrillat, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Technology Sydney. Plus, we find out how the business of influencer marketing works with Genevieve Day, Founder of Day Management. Further Reading: Genevieve Day is the Founder and Director of Day Management You can find more information on Francois' research on the UTS website We just scratched the surface on Pierre Bourdieu but if you're interested- here's a starting point Music: Gunnar Johnsen, Ramin, Trabant 33 and Brendon Moeller Special thanks to: CNBC for Usain Bolt and Michael Vick coverage audio Executive Producer: Jason L'Ecuyer