The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.
We go to India to find out what it takes to manage one of the country's most iconic brands – Bisleri. It is so popular that it has become synonymous with the product itself - bottled mineral water. We hear from CEO Angelo George about the ethics of paying for water, plastic pollution and the challenges of shrinking water resources. Produced and presented by Devina Gupta Sound mixing by Wayne Parkes (Image: Angelo George. Credit: Angelo George)
For decades, Nigeria has struggled to grow its domestic automotive industry while vehicles made by manufacturers from Japan, Korea, Europe and the US have dominated. But critics say many of those cars are not suitable for Nigeria’s roads. Lately, there has been a surge of “made in Nigeria” brands, of vehicles manufactured and assembled locally, which have been designed with the country’s challenging road conditions in mind. But as Nigerians are gearing up to the idea of replacing their trusted f...
Love them or loathe them, retailers across the world are installing more automated checkouts, as they aim to reduce staff costs. But the loss of personal service and the unreliable technology has prompted complaints from customers. And supermarkets are also facing a significant increase in theft from self-scan checkouts. We're in Ireland, where shops only installed the technology in recent years. Plus we hear from experts in Australia, China, the UK and United States. (Image: A man scans some br...
We head to Montreal, host city of the Canadian F1 Grand Prix. It's the country's largest tourist event, with an estimated 345,000 fans attending in 2023. And the sport is growing in popularity, thanks in part to the Netflix series, Drive to Survive. So how valuable is a Grand Prix to a country's economy? And which other cities are trying to get in on the action? Produced and presented by Megan Lawton (Image: The start of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec on...
Some cities around the world have decided to make public transport free. Services can range from local bus routes to shopping malls to city-wide transit. We're in the rich nation of Luxembourg which became the first country to introduce free public transport nationally, as well as in Delhi where women can travel for free in an effort to boost the numbers of women in the workforce. We're also hearing from Kansas City where the funding model is running out for a scheme introduced four years ago. P...
We hear from Democrat fundraisers who are divided over whether he should pull out of the campaign for re-election. In the past week, since Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance, a number of donors have publicly warned they will withhold funds unless Mr Biden is replaced as the Democratic party candidate. Pressure on Mr Biden, 81, to step aside has grown, including from Hollywood celebrities George Clooney and Michael Douglas. However he has vowed to stay on, taking on Donald Trump, 78, in th...
Two football mad continents, Europe and South America, are competing in international tournaments at the moment. Fans are all decked out in their teams shirts - but they’re not all wearing the latest versions. In fact, sales of retro or vintage shirts are booming. Be it the iconic Italian kits of the 90s, the classic sky blue of Argentina or Nigeria’s viral world cup kit - we look into this trend and speak to the fans who are buying, and the companies cashing in. Produced and presented by Imran ...
It's the biggest operation of its kind in US history, as the state tries to save its coastline which is vanishing at an alarming rate. We travel to the Mississippi River and the city of New Orleans to see how billions of dollars are being spent to fix the rapid land loss. The project to revert the Mississippi to its land-making pathways could restore ecosystems destroyed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and create buffers to protect against sea level rise and hurricanes. The Louisiana coastlin...
The global alcohol industry is worth just over one and a half trillion US dollars, and celebrities want a part of it. Famous faces and their drinks brands are filling up the shelves, from model Kendall Jenner’s tequila to actor Ryan Reynolds’s gin. And it’s not just alcohol: the energy drink market is in the sights of celebrities, too. How much more are customers willing to pay for these products? In today’s episode of Business Daily, we'll ask those who stock the drinks, and those who serve the...
Ghana’s parliament has recently passed a tough new anti-LGBT bill. President Nana Akufo-Addo hasn't yet signed it in to law, after warnings that it could threaten Ghana’s much needed donor funding from places like the World Bank and IMF. Ghana is suffering a major economic crisis and last year had a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Other African countries have also brought in similar laws. But is it fair for international financial institutions to get involved in politics in t...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied in multiple industries all around the world, and in travel, the technology has made big strides. We travel to Spain to find out how the airline Iberia and the hotel chain Iberostar are using AI to change the way they operate. At Iberostar, AI applications can analyse and predict the amount of food that restaurants will need, and hopefully reduce food waste as a result. Meanwhile, Iberia is using the tool as a personal assistant to help high-end trave...
In the midst of a snap general election, we take the opportunity to look at the state of the country’s economy. France has a huge debt burden and some business leaders are worried that the economy could worsen if Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party get into power. The French stock market has been falling since the parliamentary election was announced - although it has recovered slightly after Sunday's result. Meanwhile the parties on the left have formed a new alliance, The New Popula...
It is the biggest sporting event on the planet based on the millions of spectators who line roads for a fleeting view, but this year a shake up will mean the loss of the iconic Champs Elysees finish. We look at how a cycling race became a global money spinner - particularly for its owners, the Amaurys, one of the richest families in sport. We also visit the Maurienne valley, a regular stop off for the Tour, to find out what’s in it for sponsors and hosts. And with a new final stage ending in Nic...
After tackling its security problem, can the smallest country in Central America get its finances under control too? We hear from street sellers, economists and locals about the issues they're still facing, and visit a surf town where tourism is having a big economic impact. Produced and presented by Jane Chambers (Image: A street market in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Credit: Getty Images)
The CEO of Vue International started out as a high school drop out as he wanted to concentrate on a snowsports career. We hear how, when that didn't work out, Tim Richards ended up entering the film industry and eventually starting his own cinema chain in his garage. Vue is now Europe's largest privately owned cinema chain but it hasn't been an easy ride - Tim tells us how the company has weathered both the Covid pandemic and the Hollywood writer's strikes. Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Ambe...
With just over a week to go until the UK General Election, we head to the seaside town of Southport in the north west of England. We speak to students and young entrepreneurs who live in the area to find out how they are feeling. We ask about the impact of inflation and a rising cost of living, and see which issues they'd like to hear the politicians talking about. It's far from a British problem - Southport could really be a microcosm of the changes and challenges facing young people in a commu...
Ever needed to put your stuff in a storage unit? Recent research predicts the global self-storage market will be worth around $70bn by 2031 and the UK’s self-storage industry made more than £1bn last year for the first time ever. But what’s behind this rapid growth? What are people putting into these units? And what does it have to do with Gen Z and internet shoppers? We also hear from critics on what the growing industry says about housing around the world. Presented and produced by Sam Gruet (...
A shadow fleet of old and poorly maintained ships is cruising the high seas, often hiding their true identities through a series of shell companies. Their numbers have grown massively since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lloyd’s List estimates as many as 12% of tankers are part of the dark fleet. There’s increasing concern about the danger to the environment, and to ship’s crews. But how effective at tackling the problem is the regulator, the International Maritime Organisation? Presen...
Senegalese international and former Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy is considered a legend of football. Becoming the first African to be awarded both the UEFA and FIFA goalkeeper of the year in 2021, followed by a big money transfer deal to Saudi Arabia, Mendy has reached the very heights of the game. But football careers don't last forever, so he is diversifying, and can now add a new line on his CV - as an investor in Francophone Africa. We hear about his work on the pitch to date, what’s mot...
The social shopping industry is estimated to reach around $8.5 trillion in global sales by 2030. So what are the big tech giants doing to win over a generation of teenagers hooked onto shopping on social media? We find out what makes shopping social and find out what happens when a country bans social shopping on the world’s fastest growing platform. We speak to Gen Z shoppers, social media experts and an Indonesian business owner who almost had to let his staff go after the government changed t...
As prize money gaps between men and women begin to close in many sports, in golf, the pay disparity is still very large. Nelly Korda, winner of five consecutive tournaments, earned less than Scottie Scheffler, who won four. And although current and former players like Korda and Mel Reid have made strides in the game, there's a significant difference in the prize money they receive. A lot of the disparity has been linked to the level of investment in the game. The men’s game has seen major cash i...
Summer tourism in the Mediterranean is not only already in full swing but set for another bumper season. In Rhodes, "the more the merrier” is the mantra on this famed Greek isle, which is economically reliant on tourism. But the growing influx of arrivals each year alongside increasing frequency and ferocity of the annual wildfire season is posing some hard questions for locals about the need for more environmentally-friendly forms of tourism. Now, an ambitious five-year programme is underway, a...
When is tourism good tourism, and when is it just too much? Current projections suggest global travel is going to carry on rising for the foreseeable future, as low-cost air travel and budget rentals make package holidays ever more affordable for ever more people. But from Tenerife to Venice, more and more tourist destinations are feeling the pressure of these rising visitor numbers. In holiday hotspots, local people are complaining of congested streets, rising housing costs, and environmental d...
23 years ago, the US multi-millionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first-ever space tourist, funding his own trip into orbit. There was clearly money to be made, and now the lure of making space tourism more accessible to the masses is even greater - with several private companies jockeying for position. Jane Poynter’s firm is among them. It’s an industry experiencing dramatic growth – but the price of any of these trips is out of reach of most of us. We explore whether this firm could achiev...
The European country is known for its late night eating culture, the average time for an evening meal is past 9PM. One of the reasons for that is the working day across Spain which has a history of going on way into the evening. But recently the second deputy minister of Spain called this ‘madness’, saying eating so late and working late isn’t good for work-life balance. We speak to a restaurant owner and the CEO of digital agency that offers flexible working to talk about working culture and di...
Why does being on your own seem so expensive? The number of unmarried, divorced, widowed or unattached people is growing worldwide. But figures suggest it is more financial costly to be single, while couples and families benefit from paying less per person. Whether it is the packaging supermarkets use, streaming service tariffs, hotel rooms - you often get a much better deal being coupled-up than not. Governments are in on the act too: offering tax breaks to couples. In this programme, we take a...
We look at how soaring food and fuel prices are affecting the tiny island nation in the western Pacific Ocean. Like much of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have led to supply chain issues, and rising costs. And with limited opportunities, young people are facing the question, should they stay or leave and chase careers elsewhere? Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay (Image: People gathered under the Japan-Palau Friendship bridge in Koror, Palau. Credit: Frey Lindsay/BBC...
We travel to the tiny pacific nation which wants to shrink its marine sanctuary, and open it up once more to commercial fishing. The President says it’s costing too much in lost revenue, when Palauans are already struggling. But opponents say this goes against Palau's conservationist ethos. So today we're asking - can conservation and commerce, co-exist? Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay (Image: The National Geographic Pristine Seas research vessel the Argo, in the Pacific Ocean East of Pal...
Diabetes and obesity drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have become famous for helping users shed big amounts of weight. It's a market that could soon be worth more than $100 billion. Two companies dominate this space, Novo Nordisk which makes Ozempic and Eli Lilly, maker of Mounjaro. But with competitors desperate for a piece of the action, how long can these two giants stay in front? Leanna Byrne hears from some of the companies involved, including those at the centre of the action and th...
In the first of a two-part series, in collaboration with The Food Chain, we look at the impact of the success of weight-loss drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk on the small country of Denmark. The Scandinavian nation is where the company is based, and with a population of less than six million people, Novo is having an outsized impact on the economy there. Denmark is now publishing separate economic statistics, minus the pharmaceutical industry. One town in particular, Kalundborg, has seen huge chan...
