One of the first things you learn when studying marketing and business is the importance of conducting a micro and macro analysis of the market. This included understanding the wider implications of how geopolitical events, social changes and economic forces impact business and the economy at large.
As I delved further into my undergraduate studies, I became fascinated by how different cultures conducted business and how everything from social change to technological progress and environmental forces, just to name a few, can have a profound impact on business; simultaneously presenting amazing opportunities while crushing entire industries.
I once had a teacher who simply said, “want to do well in your course and in business? Read a good quality paper every day and keep up to date with current events!”.
Since doing my course, digital media has evolved immensely, we no longer need to simply rely on the daily paper. One form that has seen an amazing gain in popularity and adoption is podcasts. They’ve boomed in recent years (Ofcom 2018). This rise in popularity means that we are spoiled for choice. There seems to be a podcast for nearly every subject, current global events notwithstanding. That being said, here are 4 great podcasts I would recommend for easily keeping up to date with current affairs.
1) FT News Briefing
The Financial Times News Briefing provides a short summary of global affairs delivered every weekday morning. While the FT is predominantly known as a business and finance publication, this podcast delivers a cross section of news on trending business and geopolitical events delivered in short factual and objective reports. This podcast is a great way to get a daily cross section of events that affect our social and economic environemnt. Being a business and finance focused publication, this podcast alsoprovides a great opportunity to learn how geopolitical events affect our economy.
Listen to the FT News Briefing today
2) FT News in Focus
Another great podcast from the Financial Times. The FT News in Focus provides a miniature deep dive into a wide variety of global topics. Each podcast is about 15 minutes long and released during the working week. The podcast captures the zeitgeist really well, providing insight into a wide variety of topics. Topics range from global conflicts to environmental threats and the impact of digital surveillance.
Listen to the FT News in Focus today
3) The Foreign Desk
The Foreign Desk is a brilliant podcast from the Monocle magazine, giving a deep insight into global events. Once a week they provide deep analysis on global topics with the help of global experts in their respective fields. This is a great podcast for gaining an insightful glimpse into countries around the world. What I particularly like is that the podcast makes an effort to find localized expert voices. Want to know what is happening to countries in Sub Saharan Africa, Ukraine, Scandinavia or South America? They make sure to find voices from the region, not just western observers presenting their interpretation through the lens of western cultural norms.
Listen to The Foreign Desk every Saturday
4) The Week Unwrapped
The Week Unwrapped is weekly podcast which focuses on noteworthy news that aren’t the headlines. This podcast is brilliant at reporting important stories that are likely to have a broad impact on a large number of people.
Bonus! 5) Reply All
I wasn’t sure whether to class Reply All as a tech podcast or a current affairs one. In a sense it is both. Reply all gives us an insight into people and our relationship with the internet. It is introduction into all the different subcultures that make up the fabric of our social interactions online. I am not sure how to give the podcast the justice it deserves. I’ll simply say that it is highly entertaining and informative.