The definitive business podcast from the BBC.
Each week, the BBC's Evan Davis is joined by bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, to lift the lid on how their businesses work, and what it’s like to be in charge.
They discuss a big issue, a big challenge, or a big question facing their industry.
From managing AI to managing millennials, from supermarkets to supercharging a new product.
And our guests will share their stories of success and failure along the way.
Podcasts are published every Thursday. And as well as being a podcast, we are also available every Thursday afternoon and Tuesday evening on BBC Radio 4.
You can now also listen to The Bottom Line on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Bottom Line”. It works on most smart speakers.
The Bottom Line has published a spin off series - Decisions That Made Me - where Evan asks entrepreneurs and business leaders about the most crucial moments in their lives and careers. You can watch these episodes here: https://t.ly/oJ8lW.
Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with Evan and the team on email at [email protected].
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University and is an EcoAudio certified production.
Big data has become big business as improvements in computer memory storage have made it possible to keep and analyse digital data on a scale previously unknown. Evan Davis and guests discuss how the ability to store information about us has created new industries and transformed others. Presenter: Evan Davis Guests: Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer and Director of Search, Microsoft UK; Konrad Feldman, CEO Quantcast; Lawrence Jones, Founder UK Fast.
The power of investors and their role in changing how business functions and is run is the discussion for Evan Davis and his guests. What is it like to be voted off the board by your shareholders? And is investor activism here to stay? And how should a company boss best manage the owners of the company? Guests Alison Carnwath, chair Land Securities Helena Morrissey, CEO Newton Asset Management Nigel Wilson, Group CEO Legal & General Producers: Rosamund Jones/Lucy Proctor.
Water is the world's most precious resource. It's also big business. As climate changes and populations shift, getting water where it needs to be is a huge global challenge. And that's without the added problem of leakage. And how much should consumers pay for something that none of us can live without? Evan Davis and guests discuss an industry which has changed almost beyond recognition in just a few decades - from state-owned water providers to international business players. Guests: Peter Sim...
Predicting the future is a skill that can earn investors and businesses a fortune - but get it wrong and disaster looms. In sectors like energy and technology planning decades ahead is an absolute necessity - but how can CEOs know what the world will look like in 2030 and how do they persuade shareholders and staff to come along for the ride? Evan Davis meets three business leaders who are placing massive bets on the future of farming, biomass fuel and the creation of a hyper-connected global so...
What do you do when it all goes wrong? How to manage corporations in times of crisis is the subject under discussion by Evan Davis and his guests. Business leaders should expect the ride sometimes to be bumpy - but what is it reasonable to expect? And what is the best way to proceed when the truly unexpected happens? Guests Michael Woodford, former chief executive & president, Olympus Corporation Ann Cairns, President International Markets, Mastercard Eddie Bensilum, Director, Regester Larki...
Entrepreneurs discuss how much money you need to start a business - and where to get it from - with Evan Davis. Why do some start-ups require millions and others just a few hundred pounds? And what are the benefits and pitfalls of finding investors on the web? It's called crowd-funding and many consider it to be the next big thing in venture capital. Guests: Mark Popkiewicz, founder, MirriAd Julie Deane, founder, The Cambridge Satchel Company Jonathan Medved, venture capitalist and founder, Our ...
The food industry is increasingly in the spotlight as consumers and government worry about obesity, sustainability and safety. Evan Davis finds out from three very different food companies about how their supply chains work and how much oversight any company leader can have. Guests discuss how to create an efficient and cost effective system that delivers on quality and safety. Do consumers elsewhere in Europe and the world demand the same level of locally-sourced credentials as the British now ...
Travel companies have recently had to weather the storms of recession for their customers and major upheaval at popular holiday destinations around the world. Evan Davis finds out how airlines and tour companies plan for their seasonal business in light of economic crisis in Greece and political unrest in Egypt and North Africa - getting it wrong could lead to financial disaster. And guests will discuss the future for Greece, where tourism is seen as the biggest hope for reviving the economy. Gu...
Recruitment companies discuss the marks left by recession on their businesses and the employment market. Companies in the eye of the storm when the economy first collapsed have had to adapt to stay in business. Evan Davis finds out the survival strategies of three recruiters in very different markets - from board level headhunting to finding seasonal temps and mid-level professionals. Guests : Virginia Bottomley, Odgers Berndtson Matthew Sanders, CEO de Poel Ian Temple, chair Hydrogen Group Prod...
Evan Davis meets "appreneurs" trying to make money in a marketplace where traditional business rules do not apply. Becoming an appreneur is easy. All you need is a computer and a couple of hundred pounds. And an idea of course. No surprise perhaps that thousands of new apps are created every week to serve the ever growing smart phone and tablet computer market. But what happens next? How do you make a living if your product is free? And if you sell your app, how high can you go when buyers expec...
Education and how to make a profit from it is the focus for Evan and his three guests this week - each of them business leaders in the learning sector. From low-cost private schools in Ghana to no-frills law courses and a University of Liverpool campus in China, our guests will share their business lessons on how to build a reputation and how to price a good education. They'll also talk about the challenges of taking on traditional, public institutions as well as the technological advances that ...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. It's said that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large one. Evan Davis and his guests explore just how profitable selling crushed grapes really is. How do they convince consumers they are offering quality and value? J...
Evan Davis asks his guests what it takes to rescue a sinking company.
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. From huge infrastructure projects to supplying civil servants with paperclips, there's big money to be made from public sector contracts. Evan Davis meets three business leaders with experience of bidding for - and securing - government contracts and finds out what it's ...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. You go to a shopping centre and you find an ice rink. Or you go to a bookstore for a glass of wine. So is this the new world of retail? Evan Davis and his panel of top business brains explore what's in store for physical shopping. They also swap thoughts on wh...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion and spin to present a clearer view of the business world through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. This week, Evan's three guests discuss the challenges of doing business in and out of Africa. It consists of 54 countries and has more than a billion people but the continent was a sleeping giant for decades. Now it's woken up and could it be on the verge of becoming the e...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion and spin to present a clearer view of the business world through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. This week, Evan meets three pioneers of alternative finance and asks - can they beat the banks at their own game? Giles Andrews is CEO of Zopa, the peer to peer lending website; Anil Stocker is co-founder of Market Invoice , an online finance provider that allows companies...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Like the music industry before it, the print book industry has been turned upside down up by the digital revolution. As sales of ebooks continue to grow, bookshop sales are down from a peak in 2007. So what does the future for hold for the bricks and mortar bo...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion and spin to present a clearer view of the business world through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. This week, we hear from three people in the avant garde of the global gambling industry, which is said to be worth $417 billion. With smart phone and tablet technology driving a revolution in the way that people gamble, will old-fashioned betting shops and bingo halls surv...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Family businesses are the backbone of economies all around the world - indeed, the majority of firms are family-controlled, from the millions of modest firms, to commercial giants such as Ford and Wal-Mart. And yet less than a third survive to the second gener...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. There are many arguments about how to solve the world's economic problems, to increase employment and achieve economic growth. But if there's one solution that most will agree on it's that we need more new products or services, which drive capitalism and make ...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Evan and his guests discuss financial services. They have the power to enrich an economy - or to ruin it completely. But what kind of makeover do they need to get them fit for the 21st century? Should the industry be more innovative and clever - or just a bit ...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Evan and his guests discuss the science of pricing goods and services. How do companies decide what to charge - and how much of it is educated guesswork as to what they can get away with? In the studio are Roger Mavity, chief executive of the Conran Group; Rit...
Evan Davis meets three of the sport sector's top business brains and gets them to share their stories of reinvention and the secrets of their industry. Evans hears from the darts, snooker and boxing promoter, Barry Hearn, who is also chairman of Leyton Orient and creator of the televised fishing contest, Fishomania. Former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley gives the inside story on how his sport became a hit in the Far East. And former managing director of IMG India explains how the Indian Premier Leagu...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Evan and his guests consider the perils and possibilities of doing business in an overcrowded market, with too many products chasing too few customers. And ahead of the arrival of the latest James Bond film, they swap thoughts on product placement and celebrit...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Evan's guests delve into the concept of quality in business - how to get it high, and why it might end up low. They also compare notes on their respective weaknesses. Who do they turn to for help should they need it? In the studio are Jon Moulton, founder and ...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Stephanie Flanders, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. Stephanie's guests reveal the secrets of the boardroom and offer their tips for mastering boardroom politics - from hidden agendas and clashing egos, to a simple failure to agree. They also swap thoughts on the risks and rewards of running large incumb...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. If business is about anything, it's about products. Evan's guests come from companies that invent them, manufacture them and sell them and they each tell the story of a product that has shaped the fortunes of their business in some way. They also discuss the a...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. The mere mention of the word "Europe" in the media these days conjures up images of economic crisis - riots, bailouts, 12-figure debts, emergency summits. And yet the European Union remains the world's largest economy, its GDP some 10 per cent larger than that...
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. The programme is broadcast first on BBC Radio 4 and later on BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News TV and BBC News Channel TV. Evan and his executive panel discuss the business of building and running infrastructure - how good is the UK at developing and del...
