Office Hours

Can you enjoy your job and still feel that you chose the wrong career?Dr Ali Budjanovcanin, Reader in Leadership at King’s Business School, explores occupational regret: the feeling that a different career choice might have produced a better life.Ali explains why regret can disappear and return, how comparison with other people’s careers can bring it back to the surface, and why qualifications, income, identity and family responsibilities can make changing direction difficult.The conversation also looks at how to tell whether the problem is your occupation, your employer or your current stage of life. Ali shares practical ways to gather better evidence before making a costly change, from testing an idea through a side project to speaking with people who have entered, remained in or left the career you are considering.And if “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asks us to choose one identity for life, what should we ask instead?Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4yIEhk8Register your interest in taking part in future research into occupational regret: https://bit.ly/4713hqW

Every football fan knows the feeling.A new shirt drops. The design is perfect. The player you love is wearing it. It might sell out. And suddenly, the question of whether you actually need another football shirt becomes much harder to answer.As the largest FIFA World Cup in history gets underway, Office Hours explores the psychology, business and environmental impact of football merchandise with Dr Byungdoo Kim from the Centre for Sustainable Business at King’s Business School.Football shirts have evolved from simple sporting uniforms into fashion statements, cultural symbols and expressions of identity. From David Beckham’s influence on fashion and TikTok’s blokecore trend to the explosion of limited-edition releases, the football shirt has become a powerful product built on emotion and belonging.But what does that mean for sustainability?Dr Kim explains why fans often do not see football shirts as ordinary consumer goods, how brands navigate unpredictable demand driven by star players and tournament moments, and why the industry’s biggest challenge may not just be making greener shirts, but asking a more difficult question:Do we really need another one?Office Hours is the podcast from King’s Business School, bringing world-leading research into the conversations shaping business, work and society.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being billed as the biggest tournament in football history. But with some England fans facing costs of up to £5,000 to follow the group stage, who is the tournament really designed for?In this episode of Office Hours, Professor Sally Everett, Professor of Business Education at King's Business School and author of Decolonising Tourism Education, explores the business, tourism and economic systems behind modern mega-events.From soaring ticket prices and expensive accommodation to controversial transport charges, Sally argues that the World Cup reveals deeper questions about how global sporting events are designed, who benefits from them, and who gets left behind.The conversation explores:⚽ Why mega-events increasingly target "high-value visitors" rather than ordinary fans⚽ Whether host cities genuinely benefit from tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games⚽ Why success in sport tourism is often measured through revenue, growth and prestige⚽ How tourism education can reinforce existing systems and assumptions⚽ The winners and losers of global sporting events⚽ What future World Cups could look like if accessibility, wellbeing and community impact mattered as much as economic growthDrawing on examples from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and London, and wider research into tourism systems, Sally explains why the debate around football is really a debate about economics, access and power.If the World Cup is the world's game, who gets to experience it?🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.📺 Subscribe for more conversations exploring business, leadership, economics and the future of work through the lens of world-leading research.

The Men’s FIFA World Cup is built on spectacle. But in 2026, some of the most important action may happen off the pitch.As the tournament heads to North America, King’s Business School cyber security expert Dr Aybars Tuncdogan warns the World Cup could become a “temporary single point of failure” for cyber attacks, hacktivism and AI-driven misinformation.In this episode of Office Hours, we explore why global sporting events are increasingly attractive targets for state-linked actors and politically motivated hacktivist groups, how AI is changing both cyber attacks and cyber defence, and why the biggest risk may not just be disruption, but confusion and distrust at scale.We also unpack:How phishing, fake domains and DDoS attacks could target fans and infrastructureThe growing geopolitical dimension behind cyber activityWhy AI is lowering the barrier to entry for attackersWhat “ambidextrous cybersecurity” means in practiceWhy ticketing systems, broadcasters and stadiums create a complex network of vulnerabilities“The World Cup is a large spectacle. Everybody’s watching it. If you affect one system, you can have a wide-scale impact.” — Dr Aybars TuncdoganListen now to Is the FIFA World Cup safe from hacktivists?

What does the BrewDog collapse reveal about startup investing — and who really holds the power?BrewDog was once valued at over £1 billion. In 2026, it was sold for just £33 million. More than 75,000 investors backed the company through equity crowdfunding. Many are now likely to receive nothing.In this episode of Office Hours, Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra (King’s Business School, author of Startup Capitalism) explains what this case tells us about how startup investing really works.You’ll learn:Why equity crowdfunding investors often have less power than they thinkThe difference between ordinary shares and preferred sharesWhy the UK doesn’t have a “scale-up problem” — but an exit problemHow global factors like market volatility, geopolitics and tariffs shape startup outcomesWhat the UK can learn from Japan and South Korea’s industrial strategiesWhy South Korea’s dominance in shipbuilding matters for innovation and growthThis episode breaks down the hidden mechanics of startup capitalism, from BrewDog to Silicon Valley and beyond.

Skiing and Formula One sit at opposite ends of the sustainability debate. One is fighting to survive. The other is often criticised for excess. But both reveal something important about how industries respond when the pressure builds.In this episode, Professor Paolo Aversa (King’s Business School) explains why artificial snow may be keeping skiing alive in the short term while quietly making its long-term future more fragile. As costs rise and conditions worsen, the sport risks becoming more exclusive and less viable for the communities built around it.Then we turn to Formula One. Despite its image, could it actually be one of the few sports that delivers real technological value? From hybrid engines to net zero fuels, F1 positions itself as a high-performance lab for innovation. But how much of that promise translates into meaningful change?Two very different sports. One shared question:when does innovation solve a problem, and when does it just delay it?00:00 Artificial snow and the illusion of control01:00 Why climate change is reshaping sport02:00 Why skiing is under pressure05:30 Artificial snow becomes essential08:00 The hidden costs: energy and water11:30 When adaptation becomes a trap14:30 Who can still afford to ski?17:00 Why Formula One is different18:00 F1 as a lab for innovation21:00 Net zero fuel explained23:30 The limits of electric vs fuel26:00 Can F1 technology scale?

Is AI revolutionising healthcare or just the latest tech hype? This episode of Office Hours looks at how it, and other technologies, are reshaping what it means to stay healthy. Join host Sophia, a King's College London student, as she interviews Lara Lewington, a tech presenter, journalist and author of Hacking Humanity: How technology can save your health and your life, and King's Business School’s Professor Gerry McGivern.  Together, they navigate the benefits and drawbacks of health technology, from personalised medicine to data privacy.  They explore: 🤖 The impact of AI on extending ‘health span’ 🔬 Personalised medicine and who benefits 🌐 Data privacy concerns in digital health 💰 The cost of innovative health tech  Get the real story on how technology is shaping the future of healthcare, and what this means for you. #HealthTech #AI #DigitalHealth #FutureOfHealthcare #OfficeHoursPodcast

From viral trends to personal branding, social media can feel like both a blessing and a burden. But can it really help you build a business, or does it just burn you out? In this episode of Office Hours, host Cari Street dives into the realities behind the algorithms with senior lecturer Dr. Gillian Brooks and urban sketcher and business owner Phil Dean (aka @shoreditchsketcher). We talk about platform pressure, personal branding, and how to make LinkedIn feel less like a chore and more like a tool. Join us and explore: 📱 How to choose the right platform for your goals 💬 Why it’s okay to feel awkward about posting, and how to get over it! 💼 What LinkedIn actually does for your career (and what it doesn’t) ✨ How to let personality shine through while staying professional 🎧 Listen now: https://podfollow.com/officehours #PersonalBranding #SocialMediaTips #OfficeHoursPodcast #DigitalMarketing #LinkedInTips #SmallBusinessSupport

" Women have to privilege profit over purpose, and we think that's to do with the higher demands on women's time." Social entrepreneurship blends business with purpose, so why does the field still reflect the same gender gap we see across other industries? In this episode of Office Hours, host, Cari Street speaks to Arosha Brouwer, CEO of Quan, and Professor Ute Stephan, a leading expert in entrepreneurship and wellbeing at King’s College London. Together, we dig into the data, the personal realities, and the deeper structures behind the numbers. We explore: 📊 What social entrepreneurship really is 🧠 How emotional and invisible labour impacts founders ⛰️ What the “Midlife Mountain” means, and why it matters 💡 Advice on doing meaningful work without burning out Whether you’re starting a venture or supporting someone who is, this episode breaks down the real story behind gender and purpose-driven work.

“Business school is all about changing the world, it’s about creating impact to make the world a better place.” In this episode of Office Hours, we dig into the reputation of business schools and ask why they can feel off-putting, especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Cari is joined by Professor Sally Everett, Vice Dean of Education, and award-winning entrepreneur and inclusion strategist Rita Kakati-Shah, two powerhouse voices helping reshape the business school experience from the inside out. We explore: 💼 Why the “finance bro” stereotype still lingers 🌍 How diverse leadership is changing the game 🎓 What King's Business School is doing to make education more inclusive ✅ Practical advice for finding belonging and confidence in business education 🎧