Think: Business Futures

This week we look at businesses' growing awareness and efforts in fighting climate change. We spoke to Professor Martina Linnenluecke from the UTS Business School. Hosted and produced by Anthony Dockrill

This week we turn to the number one topic of 2023 AI. To help us in the discussion we spoke to Dr Amanda White from UTS Business School and Professor Edward Santow from the Human Technology Institute of UTS. Hosted and Produced by Anthony Dockrill

This week we take a look at what it takes to start your own business and what is the difference between having an idea and being an entrepreneur. Our guests were Mark Curry CEO of Savvy Beverage and Professor Prabhu Sivabalan a Professor of Management Accounting and Control at UTS Business School. This edition was produced and hosted by Anthony Dockrill

Our first episode of 2023 is a look at the PwC scandal and we ask where the line should be between business and government. To help us work through some very difficult questions we were lucky to speak with the Dean of UTS Business School Professor Carl Rhodes. Produce and presented by Anthony Dockrill

The Morrison Government's Your Super, Your Future legislation has taken superannuation in a new direction, applying strict performance benchmarks to funds, stapling super to individuals as well as trying to improve integrity and transparency. But has this legislation led to perverse incentives in the industry which leads to lower performance and worse outcomes for some fund members? On this episode we weigh up the impacts of Your Super, Your Future. Guests: Lorenzo Casavecchia - Associate Head of External Engagement of the Finance Department at the UTS Business School and Kris Glover - Senior Lecturer at the Finance Discipline Group at the UTS Business School.

Big tech is literally changing the way we live. With the speed of innovation and lack of regulation, issues of dignity and ethics seem to often fall by the wayside as the influence of large platforms grows. On today’s show we explore centering dignity in the tech start-up and entrepreneurial space. Guests: Lorenn Ruster, PHD candidate at the ANU School of cybernetics & Anne-Marie Elias – Professional Fellow at UTS Startups.

Gig work has provided countless Australians with unprecedented occupational flexibility. At the same time, the Labor Government has proposed legislation which looks to afford gig workers entitlements like minimum pay, leave and superannuation. One clear dilemma is how to implement these entitlements without compromising flexibility and the business model of tech startups like Uber, Airtasker and Menulog. This episode we discuss the potential impact of the proposed legislation on gig work. Guests: Giuseppe Carabetta, Associate Professor of employment law at the UTS Business School and Katie Sweatman, employment, industrial relations and discrimination lawyer at Kingston Reid.

The Big Issue have been fighting homelessness in Australia for decades, and now they have a new project, in collaboration with the NSW Land Registry Service. Homes for Homes allows homeowners to pledge a tiny portion of the sale price of their property to help develop social and affordable housing. There's much to be admired about the Homes for Homes model, and this week on the show we take a look at how it works. Guests: Adam Bennett - Adjunct Professor at UTS and outgoing CEO of Land Registry Services NSW and Tracy Longo - National Operations Manager of Homes for Homes. 

Goal enabling technology is the integration of goal setting into tech-based products and services. Things like step-counts, savings targets and fitness goals all have a general benefit to app users and tech companies, however the specifics of how to optimise goals in apps is not well-known. This episode we explore new research and modelling around the most effective ways to utilise goal enabling technology. Guest: Jake An, UTS Business School lecturer

Australia's social security system is notoriously difficult to navigate. It's also punitive in nature. So why are some of our most vulnerable people finding getting a leg up so hard? This episode we explore the complexity of social security, and how things can change. Guests: Leanne Ho - CEO of Economic Justice Australia and Julius Golab - solicitor at the Welfare Rights Centre.

Amid a perpetual rise in interest rates, the NSW Government have announced their First Home Buyer Choice scheme. A reform to stamp duty which gives first home buyers the option to opt out of stamp duty - and into an annual tax. This episode, we explore stamp duty as an impediment to property purchasing, and how the NSW government’s policy might affect housing affordability.  Guests: Harry Scheule - Professor of Finance at the University of Technology Sydney and Simon Pressley - Founder, and head of property market research at Propertyology.

What will Australia look like in 2030? Rocky Scopelliti is a futurologist, an author, a speaker and a researcher of the confluence of demographics and technological change. He joins the show this week to talk about the major trends that will affect the trajectory of Australia as we move into the next decade.

Contract brewing is having your brand's beer made by a third party, at a facility often far from the stated home of your label. This episode we discuss the opportunity contract provides industry up-starts and also the stigma that is often associated with the practice. Guests: Pavlina Jasovska – Lecturer in International Business and Strategy at the UTS Business School, and Sam Maccaulay - Senior lecturer in strategy and innovation at the University of Queensland.

Over the last two years global supply chains have been massively disrupted and are still on their way to recovery. This episode we ask the question of how to we strength supply chains and build in resilience to copy with unforeseen events. Guest: Sanjoy Paul from the UTS Business School

Buy now pay later apps have seen a boom in the last five years. But as with any emerging industry, regulation is lagging. This episode we look at the growth of buy now pay later and what might the industry see in the future. Guests: Thomas Matthys from the UTS Business School and Nikesh Lalchandani from the Emerging Payments Association of Asia.

Why do we follow the crowd? When is it a good idea and when is it not? Michelle Baddeley from the UTS Business School is the author of the book Copycats and Contrarians. She joins the show to talk about the concept of herding and how it manifests in the business world.

The use of AI in marketing is growing rapidly. This week we take a look at how it's used, how much it's growing - and whether AI presents a danger to marketing jobs. Guests: Tae Woo Kim and Ashish Sinha from the UTS Business School.

For this very special episode, we bring you address by Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. This address was from an event organised as part of the UTS Vice Chancellor's Democracy Forum. Professor Stiglitz's address is followed by a conversation with UTS behavioural economist Michelle Baddeley. The theme of this episode is Government's role in innovation.

Sydney University recently reported by far their largest surplus in history. Almost a billion dollars, compared to a 20 year average of just over $120 million. A huge profit, even through the crippling effects of the pandemic. So what happened? Dr David Bond, senior lecturer at the UTS business school has been looking into it. He joined Think Business Futures to tell us what he found.

Following from last week's show about educating entrepreneurs, this week we take a look at the story of a startup and its founder. We explore the highs and lows - and what entrepreneurship looks like from the ground. Mark Curry is the CEO of Savvy Beverages, an award winning nutrition business that makes healthy products that enhance energy and mental wellbeing.