We travel to FITUR - International Tourism Trade Fair. Taking place in Madrid, this year's event was the biggest ever. As the sector is still recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we speak to representatives from countries around the world who are aiming to attract visitors. Plus we focus on responsible tourism, and look at how much emphasis is being placed on sustainability by the travel industry. Produced and presented by Ashish Sharma (Image: Tourists at a beach club in Seminya...
Mar 05, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Up to 10% of areas for major crops and livestock could be rendered unsuitable by climate change by 2050, so what can farmers do to adapt to rising temperatures and extreme weather events? Stefania Gozzer meets a farmer in Spain to see how severe droughts ruined his cereal harvest, and she pays a visit to his neighbour, who has managed to grow tomatoes without watering his fields. Global warming poses huge challenges for agriculture around the world - and various ways of managing its effects are ...
Mar 04, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this special episode, Ed Butler brings you a podcast from our friends at Good Bad Billionaire. In the series, presenters Simon Jack and Zing Tseng find out how the richest people on the planet made their billions, and then they judge them. Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire? This episode focuses on Warren Buffett - how did he became the richest investor in history? Listen to every episode of Good Bad Billionaire wherever you get your BBC podcasts....
Mar 02, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast The world's major consulting firms make an estimated trillion dollars a year, directing governments and businesses on how best to govern. But the economist Mariana Mazzucato argues that outsourcing the brain power of governments to private firms is a dangerous trend. Ed Butler asks her why she thinks it isn't money well spent. (Picture: Mariana Mazzucato. Credit: Getty Images) Presented and produced by Ed Butler
Mar 01, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The idea of settling for ‘good enough’ and being mediocre at work is not new… but the case for prioritising other things apart from work has grown rapidly since the pandemic – and hashtags like #lazygirljob have been getting millions of views on TikTok. We find out what mediocrity means for staff and employers, and speak to workers who are embracing this new attitude. We hear from Jaime Ducharme, Time Magazine journalist who wrote an article about mediocrity in the workplace, Gabrielle Judge who...
Feb 29, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Work from home, or go into the office? For many businesses and workers it's an ongoing conversation at the moment. But could there be a third way - working 'near' home? New co-working spaces are providing a place for people to do their job close to where they live, but not at home which can be unsuitable and isolating. We also look at the WeWork model - the billion-dollar business filed for bankruptcy protection in the US last year - does that mean the concept isn't viable long term? Produced an...
Feb 28, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We look at the implications as the Latin American country gradually reduces from 45 hours. In April 2023 politicians approved a law in congress saying that businesses need to move towards cutting their hours to help get a better work life balance for employees. This reduction is happening gradually, and the working week is getting shorter by at least one hour per year, over a maximum of five years. We speak to workers and businesses in Chile about the impact - good and bad - that this is having....
Feb 27, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's been 50 years since Sweden introduced state-funded parental leave, designed for couples to share. We hear how the pioneering policy has impacted families and businesses - and ask whether Sweden really deserves its reputation for gender equality. And we meet one of the first dads to take paid parental leave, back in the 1970s. Produced and presented by Maddy Savage (Image: A man holding a small child. Credit: Getty Images)
Feb 26, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, the richest 10 per cent of the world’s population own more than three quarters of its wealth, while the bottom half have 2%. To halt the growing wealth gap, one economic philosopher, Ingrid Robeyns, has come up with a striking proposal - to impose legally enforced limits on people’s personal wealth. No one individual, Professor Robeyns suggests, should be allowed to have more than 10 million dollars. It's a provocative idea. And would it work in practice? (Picture: Ingrid Robeyns. Credit:...
Feb 23, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Russian invasion sparked the worst recession in the country’s recent history. Yet 2023 saw growth which is projected to continue. So how are businesses actually faring? The economy is heavily reliant on foreign aid and there is uncertainty whether that will continue, notably from the US. We hear from businesses and workers who give us a mixed picture of Ukraine's economic health: Chef Zhenya Mykhailenko the CEO of FVSM which runs a group of Ramen restaurants in Kyiv and a military kitchen in...
Feb 22, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Olympics in Tokyo, some jaw dropping films, and a hardwired desire to be in the great outdoors. These are just some of the reasons credited with boosting the popularity of climbing. Hundreds of indoor bouldering gyms have cropped up in the US since the 1990s, and the sport is spreading across the world. Although still concentrated in North America and Europe, more and more countries are joining the International Federation of Sport Climbing, and the millions of people taking part are attract...
Feb 21, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Philippines is experiencing an artificial coin shortage. It’s artificial because there are plenty of coins - it’s just that people are using them less so they fall out of circulation and end up collecting in jars at home. Hannah Mullane investigates why this is happening and what impact it’s having on consumer behaviour. And reporter Camille Elemia speaks to businesses and shoppers in Quezon city to find out how Filipino’s are changing the way they spend. (Picture: A jeepney driver, counting...
Feb 20, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Three months ago, Houthi fighters from Yemen hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea and took the crew captive. It was the group’s first attack on commercial shipping in response to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. Around 30 similar assaults have followed and the US and UK have retaliated with air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The Houthi attacks have wreaked havoc with shipping in the Red Sea, forcing hundreds of ships to re-route and make the much longer journey around the bottom of...
Feb 19, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tony Fernandes has worked in the music industry, owned a formula one team and co-owned a professional London football club, but these days he’s concentrating on his core business as the CEO of the parent company of AirAsia, a Malaysia-based budget airline he co-founded that has transformed travel in South East Asia. We speak to him about his varied career, the airline industry’s recovery from the Covid pandemic, and the recent safety issues at Boeing. (Picture: Tony Fernandes. Credit: EPA-EFE/RE...
Feb 16, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Only four sportspeople have turned success on the field to success in business, making it to the 10 figure club. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Magic Johnson, the last to join in October 2023, according to the wealth-tracking business magazine, Forbes. Matt Lines finds out the secrets behind the fortunes of these four athletes and who could be joining the list in future. (Picture: L-R: Tiger Woods. Credit: Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports. Magic Johnson. Credit: Allison Dinner/EPA-...
Feb 15, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scaring people has become big business. There’s even a catch-all term for the trend: dark tourism, where thrill seekers visit the scenes or replicate the experiences of horrendous moments in history. Elizabeth Hotson goes to investigate. (Picture: Someone wearing a skeleton mask, pointing at the camera. Credit: Getty Images) Presented and produced by Elizabeth Hotson
Feb 13, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We hear from former moderator Daniel Motaung, who has taken Meta and their outsourcing partner, Sama, to an employment tribunal in Nairobi. US lawyer Cori Crider, from tech justice NGO Foxglove - which supports Daniel and others who have taken legal action - believes that content moderation is one of the most important tech jobs, particularly when there is a conflict in the region. The recent war in Ethiopia and some of the posts made on Facebook were the catalyst for another lawsuit challenging...
Feb 12, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The secretary general of the world’s biggest humanitarian network – the International Federation of the Red Cross - rose from humble beginnings in Nepal. We hear how Jagan Chapagain became involved in humanitarian work, and how he deals with all of the current global crises, whilst remaining politically neutral. (Picture: Jagan Chapagain. Credit: Getty Images) Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Olie D'Albertanson
Feb 09, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast From tackling the long commute to sleeping on the job - we head to Lagos, New York, Tokyo, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) and Dublin to look at the diverse ways businesses are attempting to boost productivity and therefore also boost profits. We hear from businesses installing sleep pods in the office and others using technology to boost production on their farms and in their factories but are these techniques really working? Producer: Hannah Mullane Presenter: Leanne Byrne (Image: Buildings wor...
Feb 08, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's an exclusive business club with over 8,000 companies, which put environmental and social values at the heart of their work. But the B Corp badge has come under some criticism for taking on some multinational companies - some smaller businesses say that has diluted its values. We hear from Anjli Raval, who reports on what goes on inside the world's biggest companies for the Financial Times. One of the biggest growth areas for B Corps is expected to be Africa. Tahira Nizari is the co-founder ...
Feb 07, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Malmö receives the keys to this year's event, we look at how Copenhagen in Denmark could be the real economic winners - without having to pay for it. When the Swedish city last hosted the competition in 2013, officials estimated around a third of overnight stays were in the Danish capital. We speak to officials in both cities - just 30km apart and connected by the Øresund Bridge - to examine what fans can expect, and explore how other nations around the world get in on the action when a neigh...
Feb 06, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast From its emergence in London’s underground scene and pirate radios in the early 2000s, to becoming a major music genre, Grime has come a long way – contributing more than £2bn to the UK economy and creating opportunities to members of some of Britain’s most deprived communities. Dylan Kwabela Mills - professionally known as Dizzee Rascal - is someone who has been at the centre of this genre from its inception, and who many credit for Grime’s exposure to pop culture. Twenty years on, the electron...
Feb 05, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The continent's fashion industry holds all the cards to becoming one of the world’s fashion leaders. It has the natural resources, the workforce and a growing middle class who want to wear African brands. However, there are challenges including poor infrastructure, lack of investment and limited training opportunities in fashion - highlighted in a recent Unesco report. We hear from designers on the continent and overseas to get their opinion on what’s needed to help the industry grow and learn w...
Feb 05, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The island of Mauritius is well established as a luxury holiday destination with five star hotels, beautiful beaches and clear blue waters. But in the last couple of years it has also become Africa’s financial hub, attracting billions of dollars of investment by leveraging on decades of political and economic stability, a strategic location on the Indian Oean plus a multiple taxation system that incentivise investors. Critics say it’s a tax haven - an allegation the island is keen to put at bay....
Feb 02, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re going behind the scenes at two former nuclear power stations – one that’s recently closed, and another that’s been out of action for 25 years. Both are at Hinkley Point in Somerset, in the south of England. What happens when the generators stop? We look into the unique challenges of cleaning up radioactive sites safely. Produced and presented by Theo Leggett (Image: Steam escapes from Hinkley Point B in 2022. Credit: Getty Images)
Feb 01, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the second part of the series, in the second part of the series, we look at supermarkets and restaurants. Dynamic pricing it could help cut down on food waste, but would it favour people who can choose when they shop? And we ask why restaurant-goers have yet to develop a taste for it. We also find out how artists like Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift have experimented with dynamic pricing to set the prices for their concerts. Finally, we ask if dynamic pricing needs to be regulated more str...
Jan 31, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The retail strategy allows companies to constantly tweak their prices in response to changes in the market. In the first of two programmes, we look at how dynamic pricing works in the airline industry, at ride-hailing companies like Uber and on India’s sprawling rail network. And we speak to a director of e-commerce at US electronics firm Harman International, who tells us how dynamic pricing has enhanced its business, increasing revenue, margins and making the company more efficient. Archive of...
Jan 30, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The tourism sector could be missing out on billions by not adapting to the disabled market. However, some businesses and individuals are trying to change that. Speaking to people in North America, Greece and Spain who are making a difference, we find out the challenges in accessible tourism and the potential revenue if things change. We also travel to Amsterdam to meet a woman helping businesses become more accessible. Presented and produced by Sean Allsop (Picture: Man using a wheelchair takes ...
Jan 29, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Not many fashion designers can say they've starred in their own TV series alongside their mother. For this edition of Business Daily, Devina Gupta talks to Indian entrepreneur and social media influencer Masaba Gupta. The daughter of Indian actor Neena Gupta and West Indian cricketer Sir Viv Richards, Masaba discusses how her mixed heritage has inspired the vibrant prints she's become famous for. (Picture: Masaba Gupta) Presenter: Devina Gupta Producer: Lexy O'Connor...
Jan 26, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re in the Paris suburb of Seine -Saint-Denis which will host most of the games this summer. It’s an area with some of the highest levels of poverty in the whole of France, and a bad reputation. In the minds of most French people, the area conjures up images of drugs, crime and riots. Locals say that reputation is unfair – and they’re hoping the investment of the games, and a place on the world stage, goes some way to changing that. But can it? Presented and produced by John Laurenson (Image: ...
Jan 25, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
