Digestible Academia - A BlueSky Thinking Podcast

Expert Voices - What is the environmental cost of AI?

Welcome to Digestible Academia, the podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
In this episode, we dive into an important and increasingly relevant topic – the environmental cost of AI.
We're joined by Dr. Albert Plugge, Professor of ESG Transformation & Digital Innovation at Nyenrode Business University, where he leads the lecture series on Digital Business Ecosystems. Describing himself as a 'hybrid' in the field, Dr. Plugge blends academic research with hands-on consulting expertise. In his role at KPMG, he supports companies in operationalising digital strategies, helping them respond to fast-changing markets.
We ask Dr Plugge how companies should be using AI with sustainability in mind, are some AI services more environmentally friendly than others, and what is the actual cost of saying please and thank you to ChatGPT?

Research Reflections - Did Katy Perry really need to go to space?

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
Join us as we explore the fascinating intersection of business, sustainability, and consumer behaviour. In this episode, we'll examine the environmental impact of space tourism through the lens of Katy Perry's controversial 11-minute Blue Origin flight, uncover how powerful CEOs with the right incentives could lead global emissions reductions, and investigate why consumers are surprisingly forgiving of flawed eco-friendly products.
We'll also delve into Gen Z's growing influence on corporate sustainability practices and how business schools are shaping the future of sustainable business through groundbreaking research and frameworks that separate genuine impact from misleading ESG claims.
Here are the articles we discussed in this episode:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/why-jeff-bezos-should-never-have-sent-katy-perry-to-space-according-to-research/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/does-corporate-sustainability-need-a-gen-z-glow-up/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/consumers-are-more-forgiving-if-faulty-products-are-
green/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/5-key-ways-business-school-research-is-pushing-the-sustainability-agenda-research-round-up/

Expert Voices – What will it take for women to be heard in the workplace?

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
In this episode, in recognition of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month in the UK we’re continuing our exploration into diversity, equality and inclusion.
 
This week, we are joined by Jackie Ford, a Professor of Leadership and Organisation Studies at Durham University Business School. Jackie’s research covers leadership, gender and organisation theory, exploring working lives, the impact of DEI, and the under-representation of women as leaders.
 
We asked Jackie why, after many years of board quotas and other pro-women efforts, women still do not hold equal footing in the majority of workplaces, and how companies can navigate this.
 
More on this can be found at: https://bluesky-thinking.com/are-your-diversity-and-inclusion-initiatives-excluding-your-staff/ with a further write-up exploring Jackie’s work to come on BlueSky Thinking later this month – watch this space.

Research Reflections - DEI cuts: is it all John's fault?

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
Join us as we dive into the world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. In this episode, we’ll explore why female CEOs are often more debt-averse than their male counterparts, uncover the impact of gender bias in hiring decisions, and discuss how unconscious biases lead to a disproportionate number of ‘Johns’ in the workplace.
 
Here are the articles we discussed in this episode:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/why-female-ceos-are-the-future/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/gender-bias-stops-women-from-taking-charge/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/major-economic-crises-make-gender-diversity-in-leadership-difficult/
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/intersectional-peer-effects-work-effect-white-coworkers-black-womens-careers

Expert Voices - Should we stop talking about generations?

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
This week, we are joined by Patrick Vestner, a PhD Candidate at the University of Cologne, and an expert in age diversity in digital collaboration. We discuss how to collaborate more effectively in the workplace and why it might not actually be beneficial to define groups of people by their generation.
 
More on this can be found at: https://bluesky-thinking.com/gen-z-vs-millennials-is-thinking-in-terms-of-generations-problematic/

Research Reflections - How to be a better colleague

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
This week we will be discussing collaboration. We’ll be talking about how to encourage intergenerational collaboration, whether face-to-face meetings are ever needed, and how to effectively solve business conflict.
 
In this episode we are joined by special guest, Georgina Tierney, a Senior Account Executive at BlueSky Education. 
 
For more information, here are the articles we discussed in this episode:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/how-can-we-encourage-intergenerational-collaboration/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/can-we-all-turn-our-cameras-on-please-are-face-to-face-meetings-ever-really-needed/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/how-to-effectively-solve-business-conflict/

Expert Voices - How to share bad news as a manager

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
This week, we are joined by Marjo-Riitta Diehl, Associate Professor of Management Studies at Aalto University School of Business, to discuss how managers can best deliver bad news.
 
Here is the article we discussed in this episode:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/got-bad-news-experts-reveal-how-to-break-it-to-your-employees/ 

Research Reflections - How to be a Better Leader in 2025

Welcome back to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
This month, with the inauguration, everyone’s talking about leadership.
 
In our first episode of 2025 we’ll be discussing three articles recently published on bluesky-thinking.com, including how to break bad news, how businesses should create an environment not suited to narcissists, and how to create an inclusive, supportive environment for your leaders.
 
This episode we are joined by special guest, Jamie Hose, an Account Manager at BlueSky Education.
 
For more information, here are the articles we discussed in this episode:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/creating-environments-where-every-employee-has-the-opportunity-to-succeed/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/bluesky-bookshelf-meets-susanne-braun/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/got-bad-news-experts-reveal-how-to-break-it-to-your-employees/
 

Research Reflections - Consumerism

Welcome to Digestible Academia, a BlueSky Thinking podcast where we break down complex academic research into something more digestible.
 
This week, in the lead up to Christmas, we will be discussing consumerism. We’ll be talking about the shrinking size of Toblerone, why Klarna might be making you spend more, and when to leave an image with a review.
 
In this episode we are joined by special guests, Georgina Tierney, a Senior Account Executive at BlueSky Education and Raoul Kübler, Associate Professor of Marketing at ESSEC Business School. 
 
For more information, here are the articles we discussed in this episode:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/do-image-reviews-always-show-the-full-picture/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/why-klarna-might-be-making-you-spend-more/
https://bluesky-thinking.com/shrinkflation-skimpflation-and-corporate-scams/
 

Digestible Academia Rankings Special

Today’s episode of Digestible Academia is a special feature all about business school rankings.
 
Your hosts Chloë Lane and Kerry Ruffle are joined by Matt Symonds - The S of QS Quacquarelli Symonds, publishers of the QS World University Rankings and numerous business school rankings.  Matt was the media consultant to Times Higher Education to support the launch of their own THE World University Rankings, and has subsequently worked for THE and the Wall Street Journal for business school rankings.
 
Matt is also Co-Founder of Fortuna Admissions and the Chief Editor of BlueSky Thinking. With Poets & Quants, Matt also hosts the CentreCourt MBA and Masters Festival, and organises media conferences to connect schools with the world's media. Matt has been a journalist for The Economist, BBC, Forbes and Bloomberg, and is recognised as an industry expert for the visibility and brand reputation of the world’s leading universities and business schools. 
 
Matt regularly publishes a ‘rankings of the rankings’ series on BlueSky Thinking, which consolidates business school rankings from multiple places (such as the QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings and US News’ Best Colleges).
 
Here is the latest ‘rankings of the rankings’: https://bluesky-thinking.com/bluesky-ranking-of-economics-rankings-2024/