International Think-Tank: Recent Episodes
José Manuel Cotilla Conceição
International Think-Tank is a podcast on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in business, economy and public affairs, based on different regions in the world.
We invite students from International Project Management and Stakeholder Engagement to explore and dive into the implementation of innovative sustainable solutions for the future in topical issues.
Our students do so by exploring circularity and resilience, CSR, impact investment, culture, leadership, and the stakes of the key stakeholders on each matter.
Created by: José Manuel Cotilla Conceição
In this episode, we talk about Child Labour and Cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The goal of this episode is to give you further insights into the working conditions in the mining industry in Congo and to show the point of views of three key stakeholders including the Government of Congo, Amnesty International and an international company buying cobalt in the DRC.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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What other stakeholders can be identified in connection with the cobalt mining in Congo? Elaborate on what their stakes are.
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Phones are sold everywhere, including the EU. How could the EU as an institution help with these issues?
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As mentioned in the podcast, a child-labor-free certificate could be a future goal. Who could be responsible for creating such a certificate and what would it look like?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Leon, Leonie, Michelle & Sara
In this episode, we talk about doing business in Africa, with a focus on the issues, improvements and exploitation of its resources.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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Do you believe there is a link between Africa's development and the mentioned issues?
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If you were a part of the African government, would you make it obligatory for major companies to be involved with projects that help fight the mentioned issues?
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What do you think about the foreign direct investment in Africa? Do you think it is beneficial?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Violette, Bryan, Clemence, Dayana
In this episode, we talk about economic impact of the Tokyo Olympics in Japan's economy.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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If you were the government, would you have accepted the host of the Olympics during the pandemic?
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What are your thoughts on the methods the Japanese used in order to manage the Olympics?
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How would you react if you had been a sponsor of Tokyo’s Olympic Games?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Elisabetta, Giorgia, Lohan & Mikey
In this episode, we talk about the Waste Dumping. Our group discovered the topic of waste dumped on African land by western companies despite agreements that should prevent this. Reasons are high recycling costs in Europe and the need for money in poorer countries. We are all producing loads of waste over the years so we are partly responsible for this as well.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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Is it fair to throw waste in Africa? If yes/no why?
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What solutions can you think of to avoid/limit the environmental damages caused by our waste?
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In which others ways can African countries/citizens collect the financial resources they need?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Marco, Matteo, Mathias, Pierre
In this episode, we talk about Walmart. Three major topics are discussed regarding American Labour, Outsourced labour in Bangladesh and the bargaining power over suppliers in America.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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What are your thoughts on these topical issues?
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Should Corporations such as Walmart be allowed to be above the law?
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Should big corporations have such influence on the supply chains of the United States?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Krystel, Lars, Mauricio, Jennifer
In this episode, we talk about the Oceanix City, a vision for the world's first resilient and sustainable floating community.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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Do you think this project will succeed? Why? Why not?
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Who do you think will be the next country to build a floating city? Why?
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Considering that in the second half of this century, millions of people are needed to relocate due to rising sea levels: if you could, would you be willing to live there?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
K. Manese, C. Morciano, L. Lanzi, MT. Ruberto
In this episode, we talk about Income Inequality in South Korea. Our focus is to analyse and highlight the effects of income inequality on the South Korean population.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
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Do you find any relations between the income inequality issues and similar problems in your culture/country?
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In your opinion, what could be done to reduce the income inequality in South Korea? Could you think of any examples of solutions that might work in South Korea?
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After listening to the Podcast, did something change your perception regarding income inequality? (What? /Why?)
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Daan, Hristo, Jihong, and Rosangelica
In this episode, we talk about the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. We found out that, apart from the positive image, there are also some downsides of the Games.
We would like to bring some food for thought asking you the following questions:
1. If you were an athlete, would you boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing?
2. What are other downsides of the Winter Olympic games than the one covered in the podcasts?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a diplomatic boycott like the one that happened at the opening ceremony?
Hope you enjoyed this podcast's episode and remember: We have the opportunity to build a better world. Make it count.
Your speakers for this session:
Déotille, Martin, Robin, Victor
Hi, I am José Manuel Cotilla Conceição, creator of the podcast: International Think-Tank.
I lead initiatives and coordinate teams to develop innovative and sustainable solutions. With passion and curiosity, I engage others in experimenting with out-of-the-box solutions and continue learning. I open up new possibilities by analyzing the broader picture and exploring multiple perspectives. Cross-cultural environments and inter-disciplinary collaborations are a great source of inspiration for me. My areas of expertise are project management, learning and development, leadership, ICT and didactics, sustainability, and adaptability, especially in project-based organizations and impact large-scale companies.
As a Senior Lecturer at Avans University of Applied Sciences, I teach and develop new insights in leading change: project management, corporate social responsibility, digital transformation and intercultural management.
With this podcast, my goal is to create a platform for students to explore, research and raise awareness on corporate social responsibility topical issues in the world. Sustainability and innovation are pivotal elements in building up the future. This platform encourages building up a sustainable and escalable future helping others understand what happens in the world and inspiring change with their questions.