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.

Finance professor Moshe Milevsky studies personal finance and retirement planning, focusing on a simple question that matters to each of us: How can you make sure your money lasts as long as you do? The answer that the world of finance gives us is to share that risk with as many people as possible. Moshe doesn't agree with the assumptions behind this answer. In this interview, he talks about what we can learn from the world's first pension plan, which began in Scotland in the 1744 and lasted until 1995. Risk sharing is not about large numbers of people, he says. It's about solidarity with others in your community.

Hosted and produced by Cameron Graham, Professor of Accounting at York University. Podcast or Perish is produced with the support of the Schulich School of Business. Visit our website at podcastorperish.ca.

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.

Prof. Eileen Fischer, the eminent marketing researcher at the Schulich School of Business, talks about her research into the roles that emotional work plays in creating and sustaining alternative markets. These are those local markets that offer an alternative to mass market consumer capitalism. They bring together local producers and local consumers in an effort to build community and help save the planet. If you've ever wanted to "shop local," you'll be surprised to learn how much emotional effort it takes to keep things running.

Hosted and produced by Cameron Graham, Professor of Accounting at York University. Podcast or Perish is produced with the support of the Schulich School of Business. Visit our website at podcastorperish.ca.

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.

Making a simple consumer choice has become a minefield of moralizing and shame. It's not enough to buy the right products, you have to use them in the right way. Returning guest Dr. Ela Veresiu, Associate Professor of Marketing at the Schulich School of Business, studies how consumer behaviour is moralized.

With her co-authors, she has identified four scripts that people follow in taking a moral position on the products and services they use: hygienic, improvement, holistic, and indulgent.

In this interview, she explains how policy makers can apply these insights to influence public behaviour, and how companies can position their products to align with morally desirable end-states, leaving consumers to choose their own moral path to that end.

Hosted and produced by Cameron Graham, Professor of Accounting at York University. Podcast or Perish is produced with the support of the Schulich School of Business. Visit our website at podcastorperish.ca.

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.

Authenticity. Corporations chase it. Consumers desire it. Maxim Voronov, Professor of Sustainability and Organization at the Schulich School of Business, studies authenticity in a business context. He breaks it down into two categories, traditionality and originality. Which one a corporation pursues depends on factors such as how large they are, and how old they are. In this episode, host Cameron Graham talks to Maxim about his study of authenticity in the Canadian whisky industry.

Hosted and produced by Cameron Graham, Professor of Accounting at York University. Podcast or Perish is produced with the support of the Schulich School of Business. Visit our website at podcastorperish.ca.

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.

Beliefs about climate change vary, and one big difference of opinion is whether we should try to do anything about it. One way of getting people to do something about climate change is through tax incentives. But what makes one company take advantage of tax breaks for green technology, while another company does nothing? Do the company's beliefs about climate change matter? And how would you know what a company believes, anyway? These are the kinds of questions Giri Kanagaretnam can answer. Giri is a Professor of Accounting at the Schulich School of Business, where he holds the Ron Binns Chair in Financial Reporting, Banking and Governance.

Hosted and produced by Cameron Graham, Professor of Accounting at York University. Visit our website at podcastorperish.ca.