Think: Business Futures

On this week's addition of Think: Business Futures, we ask; what is the state of the NDIS during COVID19? The National Disability Insurance Scheme has a particularly interesting role to play in ensuring that some of Australia’s most vulnerable are shielded from the physical, and by extension, economic impacts pf COVID19. But how important a piece of national infrastructure is the NDIS at a time like this? This week's panel is Andrew Hyland, CEO of NDIS provider Lifestyle Solutions, Professor Simon Darcy from the UTS Business School, and The Hon. Bill Shorten, Federal Shadow Minister for the NDIS and Government Services.

Could commodities be the light at the end of the COVID19 tunnel? Australia has the second-largest accessible reserves of iron ore in the world, the fifth-largest reserves of coal and significant gas resources, so it isn't hard to imagine how the answers to our economic questions could be lying beneath our feet the entire time. To help unpack what COVID19 has done to commodity markets is Dr Christina Nikitopolous, Senior Lecturer in the Finance Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney’s business school, Professor Warren Hogan, the former Chief Economist for big-four member ANZ, Matthew Doman, Director of External Affairs for The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association and Greg Bussen, secretary for the CFMEU’s Mining and Energy Western Australia District.

As businesses across the country close up shop, adapt to working remotely or simply cease to exist, the big questions are how things will look on the other side of COVID19. For indigenous-owned businesses, there is much to be asked, and answered, on the political, social and financial structures that will aid or abet businesses in returning to normal. Joining the panel this week is Robynne Quiggin, Associate Dean of Indigenous Leadership and Engagement at The University of Technology Sydney, Laura Berry, CEO of Supply Nation, Stella De Cos, Business Solutions Director for Indigenous Business Australia and Kerry Colbung, owner of Mandanga Indigenous Cosmetics.

Well, how safe is your super? And if you already know the answer, have you had thoughts about cashing out? One of the victims of the COVID19 economic crisis has been Australia’s retirement industry, with over $3 trillion dollars worth of assets currently swirling around superannuation funds across the country in a state of absolute panic. Joining the panel this week is Professor Ron Bird, Emeritus Professor from The Australian National University, Russell Mason, Head of Superannuation at Deloitte Australia and Melissa Birks, head of advocacy for the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.

As we settle down to life in the midst of COVID19, the numbers show that Australia property values continue to rise. With widespread concerns about job security and the rapid sell-off of the share market, it’s an interesting time to talk about real estate. Joining host Max Tillman are Professor Harald Scheule, Professor of Finance at the University of Technology Sydney, Professor Heather MacDonald, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Design, Architecture, and Building at the University of Technology Sydney and Leroy Magee, Principal of Magee Real Estate in Sydney's West.

Fire up the printer, dust-off a table and get ready for the future of employment. In this week's episode, we take a deeper look at the viability of working from home, and whether it's still possible to separate Church and State in the post-COVID19 business world. Host Max Tillman is joined by Dr. Robyn Johns, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations at The University of Technology Sydney, Katherine O’Regan, Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber and Angela Vithoulkas, independent Councillor for the City of Sydney and the Deputy Chairperson of the City of Sydney Economic Development and Business Sub-Committee.

How capable are Australia's hospitals and healthcare systems of handling COVID19? This week on the program, host Max Tillman is joined by Stephen Duckett, The Health Program Director at The Grattan Institute, Prabhu Sivabalan, Associate Dean of Engagement at the University of Technology Sydney, and Rosalie Viney, Director of the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney to talk about the risks our hospitals face when dealing with a pandemic.

Last week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced huge price cuts for Saudi crude oil and a planned increase in the country's daily production from 9 million barrels to 11 million barrels per day, with the extra production beginning next month. But what does this mean for petrol prices in Australia? Doctor Nicolas de Roos, an Associate Professor of Economics at The University of Sydney, Mark Mckenzie, CEO of the Australian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association and Michael Day, National Treasurer for The Australian Electric Vehicle Association join host Max Tillman to talk Black Gold and the precarity of the pump.

This Sunday marked the 43rd International Women’s day, and with it, a broader retrospective on gender equality in Australia. In this week's edition, we take a look a closer analysis shows that all-too-familiar barriers to entry such as lower numbers of females in management roles and sexual discrimination are still very much present in the Australia workforce. Dr. Alice Klettner and Professor Thomas Clarke from the UTS Business School, Katherine O'Regan, Executive Director at The Sydney Business Chamber, and The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Commissioner for Sex Discrimination, Kate Jenkins join the panel.

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- Sustainabili

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 in

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,

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

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 B

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

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 N