With a new government in office - housing affordability remains a big concern. The big questions are: What effect will rising interest rates have on house prices? And how far will the suite of Labor housing policies go in addressing the challenges for first home buyers? On this episode - we delve into these questions and try to unearth the harsh truth. Guests: Harry Scheule - Professor of Finance at the University of Technology Sydney Business School & Simon Pressley - Founder and head of pr...
May 24, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Aged care is often described as being in crisis due to things like neglect, poor nutrition and under-staffing. However another crisis of aged care is found in the finances - with many residential homes either lacking financial viability, or not meeting the minimum standards parties are proposing ahead of the election. This episode we explore a new report by the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative that aims to provide ongoing insights into the finance of aged care. Guests: Dr. Nicole Sutton & D...
May 17, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Sports betting and advertising is ubiquitous throughout the channels of any regular sports fan. With sports codes, media, advertising and betting agencies all being interdependent - where does the boom in ads, odds and engagement end? This episode we explore the good, the bad and the fascinating impact sports betting is having on sports culture. Guests: Adam Cohen, Lecturer for Sport Management at the UTS Business School & David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research at the Institute ...
May 10, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 44
NSW Teachers haven't gone on strike for over ten years but this week they'll walk off the job to raise their voice about unfair pay and workload conditions. So how did we let such a fundamentally important profession get to this place? This week we look at the current state of teachers conditions in NSW and what needs to change. Guest: Mihajla Gavin - Senior Lecturer in employment relations and human resource management at the UTS Business School.
May 03, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 43
In the lead up to the election, the establishment of a Federal corruption commission is an important issue for voters - but how exactly does federal corruption intersect with the private sector? On today's episode we dive into the impact of corruption on democracy and what attributes a Federal commission needs to have in order to clean ups politics. Guests: Marie dela Rama - lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney and Adam Graycar - professor of public policy and director of the Stretton...
Apr 26, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Covid's catastrophic impact on the tourism sector has exposed many of the industry's vulnerabilities when it comes to managing crisis. So what has tourism learnt from the pandemic, and how will it move forward? This episode we look at how tourism was crushed by Covid, how it responded and what's in store for the future. Guest: David Beirman - Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney Business School and author of Tourism Crises and Destination Recovery.
Apr 19, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 41
The second wave feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s brought sweeping changes to women's roles in both business and politics. This episode we explore the history of women in leadership. We ask what does the landscape of women in leadership looks like today? What the continuing barriers are, and how we can progress to not only increase the number of women in leadership positions but also to expand the diversity of women in these roles. Guests: Claire Wright - business historian at the Universit...
Apr 12, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 40
The 2022 Budget was described by many as a cash splash focusing on temporary fixes and pre-election problem solving. With inflation, interest rates and the cost of living set to be a continuing challenge - what options are available to governments to help address these issues long term? Has the global playing field that budget forecasts are based on changed? And how can reform take place when big economic policy announcements seem too politically dangerous for either party? Guests: David Bond: S...
Apr 05, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 39
The pandemic has completely overhauled our relationship with work. Priorities are shifting with an increasing number of people looking for job satisfaction and a harmonious work/life balance. One proposed solution is a shift to a four day work week. On this episode we discuss what four day work week can look like, and how companies and individuals maintain productivity working less hours. Guest: Rowena Ditzell - PHD candidate and lecturer at the UTS business school, currently researching the fou...
Mar 29, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 38
Most media outlets talk about Russian sanctions in reference to their effect on an economy... But what about their impact on people? Does forcing a recession on a nation of mostly innocent civilians require a deeper level of ethical enquiry? And are the associated business boycotts and pullouts a moral decision, or they just what's best for the corporate bottom line? Guests: Carl Rhodes - Dean and Professor of Organisation Studies at the UTS Business School & Steven Hamilton - Visiting Fello...
Mar 22, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 37
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the what, where, when and how we shop - presenting a range of opportunities for business unlike anything we've seen before. So what are the changes? And how can businesses capitalise? Guest: Ofer Mintz - Associate Head of the UTS Marketing Department and Author of The Post Pandemic Business Playbook.
Mar 15, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Crypto is here to stay. Individuals, businesses and banks have all jumped on board - so its time to ask some simple questions. Do we pay tax on crypto? If so, when? And in an ever-evolving, technologically driven, decentralised world - how will tax authorities keep up? Guests: Roman Lanis - Associate Professor from the UTS School of Accounting and Shane Brunette - Founder of Sydney-based tech start-up Crypto Tax Calculator.
Mar 08, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Over the past 18 months, COVID has demonstrated the need for a well funded health system. The cost of dealing with a pandemic has been most clearly borne by our hospitals. So how does the Australian healthcare system stack up comparatively? Guests: Kees Van Gool, Deputy Director and Professor at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at UTS and researcher on the ICCONIC project
Nov 23, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 34
In the past few years, businesses have begun signalling their support for traditionally progressive ideas like marriage equality and environmental sustainability. This has been called woke capitalism, where multinational corporations enter the public sphere by taking and amplifying political positions. Corporations talk a good game on social credibility, but can we rely on them when the going gets tough? Or are they just following public sentiment to profit? And how does this newfound corporate ...
Nov 16, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 33
We’re coming up to the most wonderful time of year - Christmas. Tinsel is up and Mariah Carey is blaring through shopping centre speakers. Most retailers make around 30% of their annual income from this time alone. But is consumer confidence still high after a long year of covid lockdowns? And will issues with global supply chains led to empty stockings under the chimney? Guests: Sanjoy Paul, senior lecturer in operations and supply chain management at UTS Brian Walker, CEO and founder of Retail...
Nov 09, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 32
While the attention is on COP26 and Glasgow, there was a less discussed meeting of international leaders going in Rome. On Sunday, the leaders of the G20 endorsed the OECD changes to international tax laws designed to crack down on multinational companies. Tax havens and profit shifting are key targets, as well as creating new rules for the digital era and ending the race to the bottom for corporate taxation. So, what's in the rules? Who are the winners and losers? And will it actually work? Gue...
Nov 02, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 31
As Australia heads towards reopening its international border for the first time since the pandemic began, migration has been flagged as critical to the Australian economic recovery. Last year was the first time that more people left Australia than arrived since World War 2. Immigration has been critical to Australian economic growth for nearly 80 years, but has the way temporary migrant workers have been treated soured the appeal? Will there be an influx of migrants to help Australia grow its w...
Oct 26, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Technology platforms have become ubiquitous in our lives, effectively public utilities despite being run by private corporations. For years, Google operated on an ethos of "Don't be evil" before quietly retiring the phrase from their code of conduct. More and more questions are being asked about how these businesses are run and their overarching impact on our lives, as well as the access they have to our information. Facebook has been the subject of numerous inquiries of late regarding its inter...
Oct 19, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 29
The plant-based meat industry in Australia is booming. Australians forked out $185 million for meat alternatives in 2020, and the industry is only set to grow from here. As more of us look to ditch meat, or eat less of it, there are questions being asked about the seemingly healthy alternatives. Many are highly processed to simulate meat, which raises the question: just how "plant-based" are they? How much bigger will this industry get? Are we headed for a world without meat, or is it just phone...
Oct 12, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Evergrande is the name on everybody’s lips. China’s second largest property developer is struggling to service debts of up to US$300 billion. With Evergrande in a trading halt and on the verge of collapse, there's a broader question to ask about what this means for Australia. Australian iron ore has helped build the Chinese property market which has been the engine of their economic growth. If the Chinese economy suffers a slowdown, will this impact Australian exports? What should the trading re...
Oct 05, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 27
After a slow start, Australia is surging ahead in vaccine uptake. The number of Australians who are unsure whether they’ll get the jab has plunged from heights in May of 29% down to around 9%. As NSW and Victoria get closer to restarting their economies, vaccine saturation is going to be critical to reaching herd immunity whilst limiting the number of people who will get a serious infection. So how do we identify and break through those final barriers of vaccine hesitancy to keep people safe whi...
Sep 28, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Are you thinking of quitting your job? You're not alone. Overseas, people are switching careers or leaving the workforce in such volumes that it's being called The Great Resignation. COVID-19 has shifted many people's priorities or motivated some to pursue their dream career, while others are sick of employers putting excessive demands on their time. Australians have remained loyal to their employers so far, but this week we're asking whether the big quit is coming down under. Guests: Kyoung-Hee...
Sep 21, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 25
Public universities in Australia are in a dire state. This week, two reports outlined that 1 in 5 academics have been made redundant over the past year and that the government’s changes to funding student places, last year’s Job-Ready Graduates program, doesn’t cover the cost of cuts made in years prior. International students were the third largest export in Australia prior to COVID-19, and universities have become heavily reliant on their fees to cover teaching and research costs. But with bor...
Sep 14, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 24
It’s no secret that water is essential to life as we know it. By 2025, it’s estimated that over 60% of the world will live in water stressed areas. So it’s no shock that access to and ownership of water is big business. Australia has the most sophisticated market system for the trading of water entitlements, predominantly built around the Murray-Darling Basin. But does the market work effectively? Should something as valuable as water be commoditised like shares? Guests: Mike Young, professor of...
Sep 07, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 23
To lead or not to lead, that is the badly paraphrased question. Trendsetters and thought leaders proliferate across every aspect of our lives, from our workplaces to our social media. But what makes a leader? Does leadership just come down to how many people follow you on LinkedIn? Or is there something more intangible than that? Does the cream always rise to the top? Guests: Dan Caprar, associate professor at the University of Sydney David Goldbaum, associate professor in economics at UTS.
Aug 31, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Semiconductors are the tiny microchips that are critical to the operation of electronic devices. Working from home means that people want newer smarter devices, driving demand for semiconductors up. At the same time, its fragile global supply chain has been impacted during the pandemic. Industries relying on these tiny silicon chips, like carmakers, are losing money and running out of chips. How did this happen? And should Australia start making its own chips to build up sovereign capability? Gu...
Aug 24, 2021•27 min•Season 3Ep. 21
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is yet another warning to decarbonise the economy as soon as possible. To reach net zero, countries are putting a price on carbon emissions through cap and trade schemes or taxation. The EU and US are looking at going one step further by considering additional tariffs on trade partners who lack an emissions trading system through border adjustment mechanisms. The Australian government is hostile towards emissions targets, let alone carb...
Aug 17, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Afterpay is the darling of the financial world following its acquisition by US payments fintech Square in the largest acquisition in Australian corporate history, valued at $39 billion AUD. It caps off a monumental run for the pioneer of the Buy Now, Pay Later market. The payment scheme allows its target users to purchase goods upfront and pay them off over 4 fortnightly installments. So is this credit by another name operating in a regulatory loophole? Or is this modern day form of lay-by the f...
Aug 10, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Around the world, house prices are surging. In Australia, house prices are climbing at their fastest annual rate in 17 years. This is propelled by a combination of low interest rates and government stimulus along with a small number of properties on the market and a strong demand from people looking to buy. To be fair, it always feels like house prices are impossibly high in state capitals like Sydney or Melbourne, with young people feeling locked out from owning their own patch of affordable la...
Aug 03, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 18
As NSW faces a protracted lockdown, stimulus is back on the agenda to keep the economy from crashing and burning. The Federal government has come out with a COVID-19 disaster payment while avoiding the magic word on everyone's lips: JobKeeper. Do we need to bring back a new refined version of the wage subsidy program or will the current stimulus plan be enough to save businesses? Guests: Mary Aldred, CEO of the Franchise Council of Australia Peter Docherty, Associate Professor of Economics at UT...
Jul 28, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 17
