Some see them as polar opposites, but more people than you might think are moving between the creative and technology industries; using the skills from one to further success in the other. But how easy is it to cross between art and engineering? David Harper meets Jan Harlan, who started his career in the embryonic IT industry of the 1960s. The precision and planning skills he developed would help him in a 30-year career as a producer for one of the world’s greatest film directors: Stanley Kubri...
May 08, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast What's the future of the advertising industry? The industry veteran who was behind some of the most memorable ads of the 80s and 90s speaks to Dougal Shaw about the rise of digital platforms and social media. Hegarty is a revered figure in advertising because of the famous brands he helped to build. He was a founding partner of Saatchi & Saatchi and co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). These days he is creative director of The Garage Soho, which invests in start-ups and helps to build b...
May 05, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Social entrepreneurship is often borne out of the need to address social issues, but it is fast becoming a major contributor to economic growth – contributing billions of dollars to global economies and providing millions of jobs whilst maintaining its core altruistic values of making the world a better place. We meet Zimbabwean born Max Zimani – who runs an African/Middle-Eastern restaurant in Slovenia, created out of the need for inclusion of the migrant communities in an homogenous society li...
May 04, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Electrical line workers work all kinds of hours in very challenging conditions to keep electricity flowing to our homes and businesses. It's traditionally been a very male occupation but that's changing as more women break into the industry. We speak to Colombia’s first ever intake of female apprentice line workers about their intensive training experience, and Rosa Vasquez – one of the first women to do the job in Texas in 1978. Over in Kansas, Amy Fischbach, the Field Editor for T&D World ...
May 03, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Swedish start-up that's worked out how to use hot fumes from kitchens to heat restaurants. Hear from the entrepreneurs who've developed this new technology. They tell us how it works and how it can help restaurants lower bills and carbon emissions. However this technology is expensive for restaurant owners, especially at a time when hiring workers and buying ingredients has got a lot more costly. One small business tells us about the benefits and challenges of investing in new equipment. Pro...
May 02, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We meet the Londoners moving into their first flats thanks to a ownership scheme which started in the US in the 1960s. Community land trust properties can only be bought by local people, and the price is set by average local income levels, not the open market. Dougal Shaw goes to a block of flats in Lewisham where buyers are just settling in. He speaks to a lawyer and community activist in the US – the idea started as part of the civil rights movement. And a property expert explains some of the ...
May 01, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Silicon Valley veteran created the first commercial website to support advertising in 1993. He is a publisher and author and now runs an online learning platform. He talks to Ed Butler about the recent dips in tech stocks, and the future of AI. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Olivia Wilson (Image: Tim O'Reilly. Credit: Getty Images)
Apr 28, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Could growing genetically modified mustard be the answer to oil shortages in India? Each year India spends billions of dollars importing 70 percent of its cooking oil from other countries like Argentina, Malaysia and Brazil. We speak to a farmer struggling to make a profit growing un-modified mustard crops. We also explore the debate in India around genetically modified food crops and speak to one farmer already growing genetically modified cotton. Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta Image: Cotto...
Apr 27, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast How Peru went from having virtually no blueberry plantations to being the world's top exporter in just ten years. In this episode Stefania Gozzer visits a plantation in the region of Ica and hears from experts, firms and farmers about the key developments that made blueberries growing such a success, despite Peru’s ongoing political crises. Presenter / producer: Stefania Gozzer Image: Blueberry farmer; Credit: BBC
Apr 26, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why are so many young French people feeling demotivated and quitting their jobs? Sabrina Teresi had a high-paying job as an engineer. She’d studied for years to qualify. She enjoyed the job at first but soon felt demotivated and after 3 years decided to quit. Polls show more and more young workers are struggling to find the energy to do their job, suffering from boredom and quitting their jobs. Is France facing an epidemic of laziness? Or are companies simply not adapting fast enough to new ways...
Apr 25, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Increasingly, US companies are 'nearshoring' - moving their operations closer to home. Cities in the north of Mexico, like Monterrey, are seeing a manufacturing boom. We speak to some of the companies who are cashing in, and ask, is this a renaissance that will last? Plus we look at other countries who are trying to get a share of the market. Presenter/producer: Samira Hussain (Image: Truck at the Mexico/US border. Credit: Getty Images)
Apr 24, 2023•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer is a rapidly growing market, as consumers search for healthy alternatives. Bill Shufelt started Athletic Brewing with his partner, brewmaster John Walker in 2018. Speaking to Dougal Shaw, Bill Shufelt explains how he sees the alcohol free beer market, and describes his 'career change moment'. Presenter/producer Dougal Shaw. (Image: Bill Shufelt at his brewery. Credit: Getty Images)
Apr 21, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the price of food increases, we speak to Muslims to find out how it has affected their Iftar - the fast-breaking evening meal during the holy month of Ramadan. It is often a lavish family meal, but price rises mean that people are having to make changes. We hear from women in Somalia, Canada, Pakistan and the UK who are all facing a slightly different Ramadan, and Eid, this year. Presented by Emb Hashmi with reporting from Ahmed Adan Editors: Carmel O'Grady and Helen Thomas (Photo: Fatuma and...
Apr 20, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The South American country is famous for its steaks, ribs, and milanesa. It is the second largest home market for beef in the world, and the fifth biggest exporter. But with soaring inflation, this much loved staple is becoming unaffordable for ordinary people. We look at the country’s love affair with beef and what measures the government is taking to protect it. Producer/presenter: Natalio Cosoy (Image: Porfirio Dávalos at his Friday barbecue. Credit: BBC)
Apr 19, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Prices are around 45% more expensive than equivalent trips elsewhere, and it's often cheaper to fly out of the continent and back in. We look at the reasons Africans are paying higher fares for both internal and international flights, the impact this is having on business and tourism, plus the wider impact on the African economy. Producer/ presenter: Rebecca Kesby (Image: A plane on a runway in Nothern Africa. Credit: Getty Images)
Apr 18, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Has people using less cash and higher tip suggestions on pay terminals increased expectation on customers? Tipping has a long history in the United States, but there is evidence that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the culture and percentages involved. Presenter Rick Kelsey speaks to waiting staff in New York, travel experts and explores the legal rules around tipping. Presented and produced by Rick Kelsey (Image: Someone placing dollars into a tip jar. Credit: Getty Images)...
Apr 17, 2023•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It sounds like a movie script, like Jurassic Park, but Australian scientists are actually aiming to 'de-extinct' an animal. The Tasmanian Tiger, or Thylacine, became extinct in 1936, nearly 90 years ago. It's native to Australia, and thanks to millions of dollars of funding via a US-based biotech company, Colossal Biosciences, research is underway which could bring it back to life. Sam Clack finds out why the project has attracted funding from a host of celebrity backers and asks whether science...
Apr 14, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast How did the musical manage to run for a record breaking 35 years? And why is it closing? As the curtain comes down on the Phantom in New York's famous Broadway theatre district, we look at what this means for the theatre industry. The Phantom of the Opera has played to more than 140 million people around the world, it’s sold 20 million tickets, and been performed in 33 countries. But whilst the global tours will keep going, this weekend the show is closing in New York. Actor Jonathan Roxmouth pl...
Apr 13, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Almost everything electronic is powered by chips. But the global semiconductor industry has been beset by the Covid pandemic, conflict, and economic slowdown. Despite the challenges, it's set to become a trillion-dollar industry by 2030. Alex Bell takes an exclusive look inside one of Europe's biggest chip manufacturing factories - GlobalFoundries' plant in Dresden, Germany - to find out how chipmakers are preparing for the future. Presenter / producer: Alex Bell (Picture: The GlobalFoundries pl...
Apr 12, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast How has stability in Northern Ireland helped businesses? We look at the impact of the peace deal from the perspective of people within Northern Ireland, and outside, and find out how it has helped the development of manufacturing, foreign investment, tourism, and farming. We also hear from the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, one of the architects of The Good Friday Agreement. Presented and produced by Russell Padmore. (Image: Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) and then Taoiseach Ber...
Apr 07, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you make a game with a conservative image more marketable, and more profitable? Chess has been played for centuries, two people facing off over chessboard, but now it’s big business online too. Business Daily’s Dougal Shaw meets the head of World Chess, Ilya Merenzon, to talk about expanding the sport, the opportunities of the digital format, and the challenge of the recent cheating scandals. Produced and presented by Dougal Shaw. (Image: Magnus Carlsen at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament ...
Apr 06, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Liberica bean is a species of coffee that growers are hoping will make their crops sustainable in the future as the climate changes. We speak to farmers struggling to grow the most popular coffee plants and taste test a Liberica brew. Presenter / producer: Laura Heighton-Ginns (Image: Martin Kinyua; Credit: Martin Kinyua)
Apr 05, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Khoi and San people, who discovered rooibos tea, have only recently started receiving a share of the industry's multimillion-pound profits. They tell us about their fight to get the money they're owed and we hear from the rooibos farmers who are now having to pay out. We also find out what this deal could mean for other indigenous groups in a similar situation. Presenter: Mohammed Allie Producer: Jo Critcher Image: Princess Chantal Revell from the National Khoi and San Council, drinking rooi...
Apr 04, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The barcode has become an essential part of the modern world. There are 10 billion barcode scans every day and they are used on products in every country. It started as a few lines drawn in the Florida sand and today it turns 50. It changed the way we shop and trade, without them global supply chains could not function. Presenter / producer: Sam Fenwick Image: Barcode; Credit: Getty Images
Apr 03, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast As India is poised to overtake China as the world's most populous country, we put questions from World Service listeners to the author of 8 Billion and Counting. Dr Jennifer Sciubba explains how the number of humans is growing in some countries, declining in others, how people are moving around the world and why that matters when it comes to money and work. She also discusses the issue of fertility and birth-rate, and it's close links to factors such as government support and childcare. Presente...
Mar 31, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Japan is the world’s fastest ageing country, nearly 30% of Japan’s population is already over 65. Devina Gupta looks into what the ever decreasing workforce means for businesses in Japan. Many companies are pouring resources into developing advanced robots and artificial intelligence to do human work. Mikio Okumura- president of one of Japan’s largest insurance companies - Sompo Holdings, tells us his company has recently started using AI to analyse complex data to predict the health risks of in...
Mar 30, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bisi Adebayo investigates why so many young, highly skilled people leave Nigeria, known in the country as Japa. Bisi hears from journalist Victoria Idowu who re-located to Canada with her family and a teacher in Lagos who is about to pack her bags and move to the UK. We also hear from an expert in employment data Babajide Ogunsanwo who tells us how much this costs Nigeria and Wale Smart an employer who explains how tricky it is to find and retain staff. Presenter / producer: Bisi Adebayo Image: ...
Mar 29, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Italy’s population has decreased by approximately one million residents in the space of one year and forecasts predict that this is likely to worsen. Hannah Mullane speaks to a mother in Rome about what it’s like to start a family in Italy and a business that’s implementing its own policies to support staff who choose to have children. We take a look at what the government is planning to do to encourage more people to have children and head to the north of Italy to the Bolzano region, the only p...
Mar 28, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Devina Gupta reports on India's growing population and what that means for people living, working and running businesses there. 66 year old Radha Gupta and her daughter Aashima Gupta live in India’s capital city, Delhi. They tell us how population dynamics have changed their lifestyle over the years, and business woman Vineeta Singh tells us how she has capitalised on a growing number of consumers in India and how this is attracting global finance. Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta Image: Kolka...
Mar 27, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Reid delves into the debate around the repatriation of problematic art and treasures. He visits one museum in the north-west of England attempting to decolonise its collection by returning thousands of items to the countries and communities they were taken from. In this episode we meet curators like Dr Njabulo Chipangura, from Manchester Museum, who says the best way to guarantee the future of collections is to give parts of them away. Also, Professor Kim A. Wagner from the University of L...
Mar 24, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
