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What does it mean to be a critical scholar in an academy obsessed with metrics?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Dr. Erin Twyford, Senior Lecture in Accounting at the University of Wollongong. She describes her experience of a recent academic conference as a "fever dream." She sees her academic role as profoundly relational - to her family, to her colleagues, to her students, and to the Indigenous country on which she lives. She talks about finding hope as an academic despite pushing the mythical boulder of Sisyphus up the hill every day.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-055-erin-twyford

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

Who should get the next MRI scan?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Dr. Adam Diamant of the Schulich School of Business, York University, who studies waiting lists using complex models and artificial intelligence. We discuss the ethics of waiting lists for scarce resources, such as MRI scans and life-saving surgeries. Adam says we can improve on the “first come, first served” model that we often default to.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-054-adam-diamant

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

How can we make our money last as long as we do?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Prof. Moshe Milevsky of the Schulich School of Business, York University, a leading expert on pensions and financial planning. We discuss “longevity risk,” which is all about what happens if you outlive your retirement savings. We look at the origins of pensions in the Church of Scotland, the psychology of retirement, and how Moshe’s research bridges economics and human behavior to design safer financial futures.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-053-moshe-milevsky

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

What drives people to start businesses that matter?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Prof. Eileen Fischer, the Anne & Max Tanenbaum Chair in Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at the Schulich School of Business, York University. She studies the cultural and emotional dimensions of entrepreneurship, exploring how meaning and identity motivate business creation beyond profit.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-052-eileen-fischer

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

How do brands shape who we think we are?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk once again with Dr. Ela Veresiu, Associate Professor of Marketing at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Her research in consumer culture theory examines how markets reproduce social inequality through everyday consumption. We discuss gender, class, and the hidden power of marketing in defining citizenship and belonging.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-051-ela-veresiu

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

What makes one product seem more authentic than another?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Prof. Maxim Voronov, Professor of Sustainability and Organization Studies at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Drawing on his paper “Distilling Authenticity: Materiality and Narratives in Canadian Distilleries’ Authenticity Work,” we discuss how industries craft credibility through storytelling, material culture, and emotion—and what that reveals about change inside organizations.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-050-maxim-voronov

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

Do the beliefs of people who live near a company’s head office affect the company’s actions on climate change?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Prof. Giri Kanagaretnam, Ron Binns Chair in Financial Reporting, Banking, and Governance at the Schulich School of Business, York University. We explore his work on whether local beliefs about climate change are related to corporate tax behavior, specifically when firms take advantage of green tax incentives. Giri’s data says that firms in counties with strong climate-change norms tend to have lower effective tax rates. Giri says this means that social beliefs—not just financial incentives—shape corporate action. I take some convincing.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-049-giri-kanagaretnam

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.

Can climate change reshape how banks see risk?

In this episode of Podcast or Perish, I talk with Prof. Olaf Weber, CIBC Chair in Sustainable Finance at the Schulich School of Business, York University. His research connects environmental risk to financial stability. We discuss how credit ratings, lending policies, and investor decisions are being transformed by the realities of a warming planet—and what sustainable finance can do to manage those risks.

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Full transcript, photos, and related resources:

https://www.podcastorperish.ca/episodes/episode-048-olaf-weber

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Podcast or Perish is about academic research and why it matters. Hosted by Prof. Cameron Graham.