Think: Business Futures

Deck the halls with forward estimates! Christmas for the finance world has finally arrived, with the Federal Budget 2020 putting pen to paper on a fiscal year for the ages. And with a deficit to the piercing tune of $213 billion dollars, this year's tea leaves do not paint a pretty picture. Can we hitch our recovery wagon to tax cuts? Will big-spending in business add up alongside a continuation of social distancing? As they say in economics, 'You can never judge a budget until it's at least a week old.' Joining me to find out whether this financial Christmas we'll be getting a new bike, or a pair of socks is Nicole Sutton from the UTS Business School's accounting discipline, Richard De Abreu Lourenco with the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney and UTS Business School Industry Professor Warren Hogan.

You've probably heard of Flappy bird, and you've definitely heard of Fruit Ninja and Temple Run. Little did you know, those games were developed in Australia. And despite their global popularity and literally billions of downloads, the domestic game deployment industry can't seem to get past the first level. In anticipation of this evening's budget, the Australian video game industry have asked for a 30% refundable tax offset and a restored Interactive Games Fund for video game development to be featured in the 2020-2021 Federal Budget. Joining us today is Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA), Australia's industry body for game developers.

The last time the Liberal Party turned their heads to energy, we had the NEG, which drove a factional wedge between the party room and led to the downfall of a PM. This time, it's a global pandemic. You'd think once bitten twice shy, but politics is full of surprises. Are we going to be lifted above the pandemic by a hydrogen powered economy? Or is it just a lot of hot air? Max Tillman is joined by Richie Merzian, Climate & Energy Program Director at the Australia Institute. And Dr. Paul Brown, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Trans-disciplinary Innovation at the Centre for Business and Social Innovation at The University of Technology Sydney.

How far would you be willing to get financial data on your super fund? A quick google search? Some clandestine cyber-sleuthing? Or, would you sign up to 20 odd super funds as a member, in the hopes of gaining access that way? Well, that's exactly what today's guest, Dr. Thulaisi Sivapalan, a recent PhD graduate from the UTS Business School, did for his thesis. And if you're wondering where the 'fun' in super fund went, or if it ever existed at all, today's episode may have the answer.

On July 31st, The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission introduced it's draft news media bargaining code. Under the code, Google and Facebook would be forced to pay for Australian news published on their sites to help fund public interest journalism. It's being characterised as a Mexican stand-off between the giants of modern tech, and Australia's consumer watchdog; but is that necessarily true? And, should Facebook and Google submit to the ACCC's new guidelines; what effect could this world first agreement have upon Google and Facebook's position in other markets around the world? Joining me today to go behind the Facebook Wall is Dr. Ofer Mintz, Associate Head (External Engagement) of the Marketing Department and a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). And Professor Glenn Withers, Professor of Economics at The College of Business and Economics at ANU and a member of the Public Interest Journalism Initiative.

In today's episode, we're tackling the wave of mass redundancies that have swept millions of Australians out of reliable work, and left many wondering what there chances are when the dust settles; and the job they once had is no longer required? Our guest today is Associate Professor Jonathan Tyler from the Accounting Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney's Business School.

We're all anxiously awaiting news in 2020 about a successful vaccine for COVID19, with the Australian Government securing a 'letter of intent' with Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. But, as we do at Think: Business Futures, it is important to take a closer look at the petri dish, and find out whether the vaccine could bust the virus, or break the bank? Joining us is Dr. Richard De Abreu Lourenco, Associate Professor at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney. And Jennifer Herz, managing director of Biointellect, an Australian strategic planning and market research firm for the biopharmaceutical and medical device sector.

In the words of the world's most successful investor Warren Buffet, there are only two rules to playing the stock market. "Rule number one: Don't lose money. Rule number two: Don't forget rule number one." It's a dangerous hunting ground for the average punter, but, that hasn't deterred many from trying to make a quick buck between the breakneck speed of peaks and troughs in the COVID economy. Associate Professor Gerhard Van de Venter, from the University of Technology Sydney's Business School, is currently working on a deeper study into whether these investors are playing to win, or bound to loose.

In late March, the Victorian government put private security firms in charge of hotel quarantine in Melbourne. Since then, a long list of breaches of quarantine conditions by private security personnel, including sleeping with guests, allowing fresh-air breaks or bursting into rooms frantically searching for the TV remote have become public knowledge. But is the industry at large to blame? Or have a few bad apples ruined the whole bunch? Joining Max Tillman today for our weekly round is Bryan De Caires, CEO of Australian Security Industry Association, the nation's peak industry body for the security sector. And Professor Emmanuel Josserand, a Professor of Management at the University of Technology Sydney and Director of the Center for Business and Social Innovation.

It seems that it often takes a national crisis for cracks in a system to become visible. And under the harsh light of COVID19, the aged care sector has revealed systemic issues in it's ability to provide adequate care, workers and now, protection against an invisible enemy. Joining host Max Tillman is Professor Michael Woods, Professor of Health Economics at the Center for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) at the University of Technology Sydney. He is on the Board of the Australian Digital Health Agency and is a member of the Aged Care Financing Authority. Joining Professor Woods is Ian Henschke, chief advocate for National Seniors Australia.

We all know big life events like marriage, parenthood, job loss and the death of a loved one can affect our well-being; but by how much and for how long? In today's episode, we talk about happiness in the language of numbers, and talk to one particular researcher who has put a value on the effects of love, grief and everything in between.

In today's episode, we'll be discussing whether women's sport should do more to welcome the rivers of gold from sports betting. Dr. Adam Cohen is a Lecturer in Sport Management at The University of Technology Sydney, who's piece for The Conversation in March, entitled 'Can gambling juice fandom for Women's Sports?' makes the case that when a fan places a bet, it motivates them to watch a sport and root for a team they might otherwise have little interest in. For women's sport, with the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on the horizon, that increased interest and better fan retention is worth debating. Joining Dr. Cohen is Margaret Quixley, the Campaign Director for #EndGamblingAds for the Alliance for Gambling Reform.

This week, we take a closer look at the role of Artificial Intelligence in marketing. We already accept the fact that Amazon, eBay and Spotify can predict what we want to buy, or how we're feeling. But are there greater ethical questions hidden within those ones and zeros? Joining us today is Dr. Tae Woo Kim, lecturer in the marketing discipline group from the University of Technology Sydney's business school, who has recently released a research paper on Artificial Intelligence and Persuasion in marketing. And Naomi Simson, one of Australia's most recognisable entrepreneurs and Co-founder of Big Red Group, who are the Australian and New Zealand distributor for Albert AI; an marketing Artificial Intelligence that processes and analyses audiences for it's clients.

In the last few weeks, a conga-line of some of the world's largest companies have announced pay cuts for their CEO's and boards of directors. In Australia alone, $25 million dollars in base pay for company directors and CEO's has been waved in what appears to either be a sign of solidarity, or a sign that 'recovery' is a long way-off. But, with feathers being ruffled on the top-floor; and COVID's role as the ultimate corporate disrupter, does waving the CEO's salary give any hope to the rest of the workforce, or is it the corporate canary in the coalmine? Joining us is is Vishy Narayaran; Chief Digital & Information Officer at PwC Australia, Dr. Anna Loyeung, Senior Lecturer in the Accounting Discipline Group at The University of Technology Sydney's Business School and Dr. Samir Ghannam, also a lecturer in the accounting discipline group.

Last week, Federal Education Minister The Hon. Dan Tehan announced a raft of changes to the higher learning sector. Degrees deemed 'job-focused' will see a decrease in costs for students, while those determined not to be are going to be a lot more expensive for the average undergraduate. In today's episode, we discuss what this means for the future of learning, and the role of the university in this brave new world with Professor Michelle Baddeley , behavioral economist and Associate Dean (Research and Development) at the University of Technology Sydney and Professor Kieth Dobney is the Head of School for School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry at the University of Sydney.