We often think of vulnerability as weakness - but what if it’s the very thing that connects us all? 

In this Transforming Business episode, Martin Parker speaks with Melissa Tyler, author of 'Organizing Vulnerability', about why we need to rethink vulnerability as a shared, deeply social condition shaped by inequality and interdependence. 

From workplaces to the climate crisis, Tyler offers a powerful reimagining of vulnerability that opens pathways to solidarity, dignity and more just forms of organization.

Melissa Tyler is Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the University of Essex.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/organizing-vulnerability

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/04/14/podcast-rethinking-vulnerability-as-strength/

Timestamps:

0:47 - Can you tell us about the book that you've written?

4:38 - How is vulnerability unequally distributed?

5:47 - How do these ideas intersect with the world of work and organisations?

7:51 - How does vulnerability relate to your interest in artistic and creative work?

11:16 - What is the chapter 'Existing: The Social Relations of Breathing' about?

16:06 - What is the chapter 'Enduring: The Social Relations of Grieving' about?

20:57 - What is the chapter 'Enacting: The Social Relations of Appearing' about?

28:08 - How does this help us make workable lives?

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In today’s escalating climate crisis, more employees are asking how they can make a meaningful environmental difference at work - but where do we start and what can we really do? 

In this Transforming Business episode, Martin Parker speaks with Barbara Kump and Babette Julia Brinkmann, authors of ‘The Green Handprint at Work’, about how we can all create change from within our organisations. 

They unpack why the idea of a green handprint can be more powerful and motivating than the language of carbon footprints, the different strategies people use to spark environmental change within organisations and how employee activists can sustain hope and resilience while tackling challenges that often feel overwhelming.

Barbara Kump is Associate Professor of Business and Sustainability at the University of Twente. Babette Julia Brinkmann is Professor of Organisational and Group Psychology at Cologne University of Applied Sciences.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/professional-business/the-green-handprint-at-work

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/03/10/podcast-how-to-be-an-employee-activist-for-sustainability/

Timestamps:

01:05 - How did you get interested in employee activism?

05:25 - What is the difference between a carbon footprint and the idea of a green handprint?

07:08 - Is the phrase 'employee activist' something of a paradox?

10:11 - Are these changes too small in the face of the larger issue of capitalism?

14:10 - What were some of the most inspirational stories from employee activists?

21:32 - How can people approach decision makers about these changes?

25:26 - What risks can come from being an employee activist?

28:36 - How can employee activists stay resilient?

33:50 - Who do you hope will read this book?

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Tens of thousands of individuals are affected by disappearance and enforced disappearance every year, but until now the study of this phenomenon has often been disjointed and disconnected due to academic silos.

In this podcast, Richard Kemp speaks with Bahar Baser and Élise Féron, two of the co-editors for the new Journal of Disappearance Studies, about how the journal serves as a space to break these boundaries and give this important field a unified platform.

They discuss the difference between disappearance and enforced disappearance, the ethical implications of speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves and how they hope the journal will evolve over the coming years.

Bahar Baser is based at Durham University, UK. Élise Féron is based at Ulster University, UK

Find out more about the journal at: https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/jds/jds-overview.xml

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/03/06/podcast-why-disappearance-research-matters/

Timestamps:

01:28 - What was the inspiration behind starting the Journal of Disappearance Studies?

04:20 - What are the different forms of disappearance?

08:40 - What is it like for the families who are left behind?

14:41 - Why are 'widows' particularly impacted?

16:05 - Why are enforced disappearances getting more prevalent?

21:13 - What is transitional justice?

30:54 - Why was it important for the journal to include poetry and filmmaker interviews, alongside academic articles?

34:50 - What ethical issues arise when researching and representing disappearance?

38:54 - How do you hope the journal will evolve in future issues?

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What happens when Nature is given a voice, and a vote, in business? 

In this Transforming Business podcast episode, Martin Parker speaks with Simeon Rose, author of ‘Nature’s Boardroom’, about how businesses can embed ‘Nature governance’ into their organisations. 

They discuss Faith In Nature and their decision to appoint Nature to its board of directors, the challenges and insights gained, and why more companies should follow suit.

Simeon Rose is Brand Director at Faith In Nature and Co-creator of Nature on the Board.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/professional-business/natures-boardroom

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/02/16/podcast-when-nature-has-a-voice-in-business/

Timestamps:

00:49 - What is Faith in Nature?

06:08 - How did your role evolve beyond marketing at Faith in Nature?

10:22 - When does the idea of embedding nature as a shareholder take place?

13:38 - Was there a link between Faith in Nature and Patagonia making similar organisational moves?

16:36 - How did you practically embed nature as a shareholder into decision making?

19:48 - How does Nature get represented in a typical meeting?

25:14 - Do you think something like this could happen at a different company, such as Boeing?

30:00 - What do you mean by 'kill your darlings'?

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In 2024 the news was full of stories of the GMB Union’s fight for formal recognition at Amazon’s BHX4 Coventry warehouse. Yet, despite skyrocketing membership, the union narrowly lost a ballot that would have forced Amazon to grant them this recognition. 

In this episode of the Transforming Business podcast, Martin Parker speaks with Tom Vickers, author of ‘Organizing Amazon’, about the union’s successes but also their unfortunate setbacks. 

They discuss Amazon’s formal, and informal, stances on trade unions, the innovative approach GMB took to develop leadership for the movement from the ground up, and how the lessons learned from this campaign are not only helpful for other Amazon warehouses but for workers far beyond the Amazon ecosystem.

Tom Vickers is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the GMB-NTU Work Futures Research Observatory at Nottingham Trent University.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/professional-business/organizing-amazon

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/01/26/podcast-building-worker-power-at-amazon-and-beyond/

Timestamps:

00:38 - How did you start writing about Amazon?

03:37 - What is Amazon's background with trade unions?

08:52 - Why are Amazon management so hostile to trade union organisation?

11:31 - What is the story with trade unions and Amazon's Coventry BHX4 warehouse?

18:11 - How did the GMB work with the workforce?

23:41 - What is the present situation at the BHX4 warehouse?

27:25 - What are the general lessons we can learn from the BHX4 story?

30:25 - Do you think we'll see more pushback with the increase of AI driven workplaces?

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Why are liberation and independence movements so often betrayed when their leaders get into power? 

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Lord Peter Hain, author of ‘Liberation and Corruption’, about this uncomfortable question. 

They discuss Peter’s involvement with the fight for Nelson Mandela’s freedom, the reasons why liberation movements from ANC to the Sandinistas have corrupted once in government, and what we can all do to combat corruption and stop this vicious cycle. 

Lord Peter Hain served as MP for Neath (1991-2015) and held senior roles in the UK Labour Government for 12 years, including seven in the Cabinet.

Find out more about the book at: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/liberation-and-corruption

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/01/19/podcast-why-freedom-movements-fail/

Timestamps:

01:37 - How are liberation movement who come into power affected by their predecessors?

03:59 - Who were the Sandinistas? What did they want? And how did they go so wrong?

07:27 - What role did the US play in the corruption of Nicaragua and quite a lot of Latin America?

09:40 - How does the UK participate in theft from the African continent?

18:06 - What is neoliberalism, and did it contribute to Robert Mugabe's descent into corruption?

22:03 - Is there a link between neoliberalism and the rise of the far right and the populist right?

26:13 - How correct was Mandela when he said that those who fought corruption could become corrupt themselves?

29:26 - Could you tell us about your involvement with campaigning for Nelson Mandela's freedom?

32:34 - What lessons should our governments and policymakers learn from liberators who come into power?

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Each January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists adjusts the hands of its Doomsday Clock to signal how close humanity stands to catastrophe. At the end of the Cold War, the clock was set at 17 minutes to midnight. Today, it is at just 89 seconds – its closest-ever setting. 

In this episode of the podcast, George Miller speaks to Patricia Shamai, Principal Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Portsmouth and author of What Are Nuclear Weapons For? They discuss why nuclear weapons have drifted from public consciousness since the 1990s, even as thousands of warheads remain in existence, major powers modernise their arsenals, and new technologies make the strategic picture yet more complex. 

The conversation also touches on Vladimir Putin’s nuclear posture during the war in Ukraine, the challenges posed by strategic ambiguity, and whether – despite all this – there are any grounds for cautious optimism.

Patricia Shamai is Principal Lecturer in International Relations and Associate Head of School in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Portsmouth.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-are-nuclear-weapons-for

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/12/19/podcast-89-seconds-to-midnight-why-we-need-to-rethink-nuclear-weapons-now/

Timestamps:

02:33 - What prompted you to write the book?

08:33 - Did reading testimonies of people who experienced the detonations in Japan in 1945 enhance your understanding or change your perception?

14:01 - Why is the nuclear weapon picture always changing?

23:41 - What is the current climate among nuclear powers more broadly?

28:52 - Are there any signs of hope that we can begin to pull that second hand back from midnight?

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Whether we like to admit it or not, we’re all growing older. However, the experience of growing older at work remains surprisingly overlooked and under theorised in management and organisation studies.

In this Transforming Business podcast, Martin Parker speaks with Kathleen Riach, author of ‘Working through Ageing’, about her groundbreaking 10-year longitudinal study that offers fresh theoretical and empirical insights into how ageing is experienced in the workplace.

They discuss how this fascinating study grew from a conversation in a pub, the way ageing is both universal and unique, and the importance of providing, if not answers then, alternative paths when presenting research. 

Kathleen Riach is Professor of Organizational Studies at University of Glasgow and Visiting Professor at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation at Monash University.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/working-through-ageing

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/12/11/podcast-growing-up-and-older-at-work/

Timestamps:

00:33 - Why are you interested in ageing and work?

03:03 - Do you think ageing at work is a more important topic than it used to be?

08:14 - Can you talk about your study and how it came about?

14:08 - Can you talk about how ageing is universal, but also unique?

16:17 - What is the relationship between your work, Simone de Beauvoir and the idea of phenomenology?

20:36 - Did this research make you think differently about your own ageing?

23:13 - What effect does talking about bodies at work have on policies in organisations?

27:55 - Is it difficult to move from critique into a place of action?

30:29 - What are your plans next?

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True crime is a huge cultural industry, yet behind its stories lies real victims and uncomfortable ethical implications.

In this podcast, Richard Kemp speaks with Ian Cummins and Martin King, two of the authors of ‘True Crime: Key Themes and Perspectives’, about the impact true crime has on society.

They discuss Serial, the groundbreaking podcast, and how it sparked the industry anew, the media’s reaction to the Lucy Letby case, and the wider issue of using crime stories to push sales and clicks.

Ian Cummins is Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Society at the University of Salford. Martin King is an independent scholar and author.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/true-crime

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/12/04/podcast-how-true-crime-stories-shape-society/

Timestamps:

00:01:55 - Why does true crime fascinate us?

00:08:27 - What is the importance of 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote?

00:11:14 - What effects does the interplay between fact and fiction in true crime have?

00:19:10 - What is the relationship between the Central Park Five and true crime media?

00:28:25 - What does the reverence of famous serial killers tell us about our culture's values?

00:42:59 - What ethical issues do podcasts like Serial have?

00:53:34 - What do cases like Sutcliffe tell us about our collective attitude towards violence against women?

00:57:31 - What does the media coverage of the Lucy Letby case tell us about our media landscape?

01:08:33 - Does our celebritisation of criminals pose issues, and how could we change things going forward?

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In this episode of the podcast, N.J. Enfield, professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney, joins George Miller to discuss 'What Is Truth For?' — a book that sees truth not as a battlefield but as a shared practice of collaboration, error correction and trust. Together they explore what it takes to keep words and reality aligned when confidence in institutions and expertise is low and misinformation rife.

N. J. Enfield is professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-is-truth-for

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/11/26/podcast-is-there-snow-on-mount-everest-why-truth-still-matters/

Timestamps:

01:33 - Has there been a shift in 'The Truth' over the last 20 or so years?

05:59 - Can you tell us about the 'Fighting Truth Decay' project?

09:03 - What does a linguist bring to a project like this that's different from other specialists?

13:56 - Is the truth always going to be contingent and to some degree subjective? 

28:58 - What do you make of the apparent loss of credibility accorded to institutions such as universities? 

33:43 - What about people who have very different belief systems from our own?

41:01 - How do you retain your optimism and what would you say to someone so that they don't themselves give up hope?

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