Think: Business Futures

What happens when you finish your degree, full of hope and ambition - only to find that the job you trained for doesn’t exist, or isn’t hiring?  In the final episode of this series, Think: Business Futures explores the difficult and often disheartening journey that many young graduates face in low-income contexts, particularly in West Africa. Host Ali Aitken is joined by three expert guests from UTS in a candid conversation that spans continents, cultures, and career paths. From public sector dreams to entrepreneurial pivots, they look at the optimism gap, mismatched expectations, limited opportunities, and systems that don’t always support the transition from education to employment - and how these challenges compare to the Australian landscape. They are: Dr Esther Mirjam Girsberger, Senior Lecturer, Economics Discipline Group at the UTS Business School. Esther Mirjam currently runs a study on young graduates and their labour market opportunities in Cote d'Ivoire (West Africa). Esther Mirjam and her team surveyed more than 2,000 high school and university graduates about how they search for jobs and how they perceive the labour market to learn more about why they face high unemployment rates.  Dr Rebecca Addo, Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE), and Professor Jua Cilliers,  Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Design and Society. What can we learn from each other? And how can we build systems that support young people, wherever they are? Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

What if the way we invest money could either destroy ecosystems or help regenerate them? In this episode of Think Business Futures, we’re taking a look at the urgent and complex challenge of the biodiversity crisis. But this isn’t just a story about endangered species or vanishing rainforests. It’s about the invisible threads that connect nature to our economy, our wellbeing, and our future. We are joined by Madeline Combe, a PhD researcher at UTS whose work explores how systems change happens and how we can transition to a biodiversity-positive funds management system; and Mayleah House, Business Development Manager at Fremantle Seaweed and former Head of Stewardship at Ethical Partners Fund Management, who brings deep insight into the barriers and breakthroughs happening in the industry today. Find out how our financial systems - shaped by Western capitalist paradigms - have contributed to biodiversity loss, and what it will take to reverse the damage. From the concept of “super wicked problems” to the role of retail investors and the need for paradigm shifts in governance and fiduciary duties, this important conversation challenges conventional thinking and offers a hopeful, action-oriented vision for change.  Whether you're in finance, policy, or simply care about the planet, this episode will leave you thinking differently about the power of money, and the stories we tell about value. Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

Gambling is no longer just a weekend activity, it’s embedded in our daily lives. In this episode, Think: Business Futures talks to Professor Ross Gordon, Director of the Change for Good Research Centre and professor of Behaviour and Social Change At UTS Business School, about the growing normalisation of gambling and the strategic marketing tactics driving it. From sports betting apps to ‘bet with mates’ features, Ross explains how gambling is being embedded into Australian culture, especially among young men. He shares insights from his research on the cumulative harm caused by low and moderate risk gamblers, the lobbying power of the gambling industry, and the urgent need for policy reform. We also explore the role of banks, the parallels with tobacco and alcohol marketing, and what it will take to shift the narrative from public health campaigns to behaviour change programs. Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken 

As businesses race to meet net zero targets, many are turning to digital technologies to reduce emissions. But are innovations like AI, sensors, and blockchain truly delivering on their promise? In this episode of Think: Business Futures, we explore digital carbonisation and how Industry 4.0 technologies are reshaping climate strategy with Dr Yun Shen from the UTS Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, and Dr Matthew Grosse, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Program Director of the Master of Business Analytics at UTS Business School. In a practical, forward-looking conversation, we discuss whether digital innovation can meaningfully accelerate emissions reduction, what businesses often misunderstand about tech-driven decarbonisation, and the real-world barriers to adoption. Discover how AI and automation are transforming emissions tracking, and the critical mindset shift leaders must make to harness their full potential. Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

If you had $100,000 to grow your startup, how much would you spend on marketing? Chances are - not enough. And you wouldn’t be alone. In this episode of Think: Business Futures, Ali Aitken is joined by Dr Ofer Mintz, Associate Professor and Associate Head of Marketing at UTS Business School, whose research uncovers a surprising truth: more than half of startups don’t invest in marketing at all. Ofer discusses: Why marketing is often misunderstood - and misused - by founders How skipping marketing hurts product-market fit, funding chances, and long-term growth Why adding a marketer to your founding team could double your odds of getting funded When to invest in marketing (and what that investment should look like) How to use AI tools wisely, without falling into the ‘shortcut trap’ So what’s going wrong? And what does it really mean to be customer-centric in a fast-moving, resource-strapped startup? Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken