Thought Capital

From weather-watchers to the lovelorn, ancient conquerors to prison wardens; we all want to know what lies in our future. With Professor Rob Hyndman.

The future does not belong to the robots. With Head of Monash Business School, Professor Simon Wilkie.

Human trafficking, forced labour, bonded labour, slavery. It’s in the products we use everyday. With Dr Ingrid Landau.

Mutuals and co-ops are having their moment. With Professor Matthew Hall and Dr Paul Thambar.

Vegan ‘meat’, recycled fashion and ‘clean’ beauty products – is the environmentally conscious consumer a trend, fad or just something at the margin? With Dr Rebecca Dare.

Australia needs to reduce its carbon emissions. But that’s about the only thing we agree upon, it seems. With Dr Gordon Leslie.

“There were probably three or four things that could have happened on any odd day that would have really shut the business down.”

The escalating trade dispute between China and the United States has Australia caught between a key trading partner and a key security partner. Should we be taking sides? And can our economy dodge the global fallout? With Dr Giovanni Di Lieto.

Australian anti-discrimination laws mean the bad old days of being sacked because you are pregnant are long gone. Aren’t they? With Dr Dominique Allen.

We appear drawn to authoritarian, charismatic leaders. But are they right for the future? And will the coming generations call for something different?  With Dr Nathan Eva.

We’re being told we’ll have to work longer; but our workplaces still seethe with discriminatory attitudes. Too expensive. Less up-to-date. Less capable. How can these stereotypes be tackled? With Associate Professor Kathleen Riach and Professor Gavin Jack.

It’s a mistake to think the internet is simply data; it is a living, breathing manifestation of our most human actions and motivations – if we know how to look. With Associate Professor Paul Raschky.

The proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland has been controversial for its environmental, economic and political ramifications. It’s a good example of how difficult it is to make sense of all these competing agendas. Enter an emerging new field of thought – energy justice. With Dr Diane Kraal.

Australia’s Financial Services Royal Commission could not have happened without whistleblowers. But they often suffer for publicly revealing wrong-doing. Are they really the natural enemy of business? With Dr Xinning Xiao.

‘Tough on crime’ is a favoured approach for many politicians. But what if the way to reduce crime was actually to reduce punishment? This isn’t criminology or sociology, it’s economic theory. With Professor Yves Zenou.

This isn’t a map to the shores of a far-away haven for the super-rich; we’re looking for another sort of utopia – where people happily pay tax, content that the system is absolutely efficient and free of unfair distortions and concessional interests. So, not Australia, obviously. With Senior Lecturer Wayne Gumley.

Australia’s superannuation system is world leading; but it is also highly complex and has looming challenges. How can people understand it better, in order to retire better? With Professor Banita Bissoondoyal-Bheenik.

Grandiose, narcissistic, capricious – authentic?  Why US President Donald Trump may be leader of our times. With Professor Richard Hall.

Welcome to our first podcast series, Thought Capital, from Monash Business School, hosted by renowned Australian business journalist Michael Pascoe.

Getting to grips with the multi-layered concept of ‘guanxi’ is at the heart of doing business well in China. But do foreigners even have the patience? With Professor Hean Tat Keh.