
The Bottom Line
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 bottomline@bbc.co.uk.The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University and is an EcoAudio certified production.
Latest episodes

Mar 10, 2022 • 29min
Changing China
How will shifts in China's economic policies affect global commerce? The nation is the world's second-biggest economy and it's been the centre of globalised manufacturing for over three decades. But after a global pandemic, an energy crisis and now war in Ukraine, is this going to change? Already, President Xi Jinping has plans to move away from the reliance on global trade towards expanding domestic consumption, alongside targets for encouraging innovation in technology and artificial intelligence. Will recent economic sanctions on Russia due to geopolitics make China retreat more from global trade? What will this mean for us and for the rest of the world? Evan Davis and guests discuss
Guests:
Hong Bo, professor of financial economics, School of Finance & Management, SOAS University of London
Mike Collier, director, China UKTC consultancy
Xiaolan Fu, professor of technology and international development: and director, Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD), Oxford University
Producer: Julie Ball
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed
Sound: Nigel Appleton
Editor: Hugh LevinsonThis programme was produced in partnership with the Open University

Mar 3, 2022 • 29min
Russia and the global economy
What will the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine be for the world's economy - and for us? From the effects on the energy markets to the tough sanctions regime, we can already see ripple effects across Europe and the rest of the globe, at a time when the world's economy is still in a febrile post-Covid state. Evan Davis and guests discuss the likely and immediate picture for business, growth and incomes.Guests:
Duncan Weldon, economist and author of the Value Added newsletter on Substack.
Anna Leach, deputy chief economist at the CBI
Chris Rogers, supply chain economist for Flexport
Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus EnergyProducer: Julie Ball
Research: Johnny I'Anson
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed
Editor: Hugh LevinsonProduced in association with The Open University.

Feb 24, 2022 • 29min
Buy Now, Pay Later
What's behind the explosion in popularity of Klarna and its competitors? Most of us have found ourselves wanting something that we can’t quite afford. If you’re low on funds and waiting for money to come in, there are a multitude of borrowing options, from overdrafts and loans to credit cards. A new option that is expanding fast is the Buy Now Pay Later model, where customers have the option to pay back money for their purchases and there’s no interest charges - provided the debts are cleared on time. But is it too good be true? Join Evan Davis and his panel of experts to get to the bottom of the BNPL industryGUESTS
Alex Marsh, Head of Klarna UK
Alice Tapper, financial journalist
Sameer Pethe, Financial Services Partner, KearneyProducer: Lucinda Borrell
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed
Editor: Hugh LevinsonProduced in association with the Open University

Feb 17, 2022 • 28min
Alcohol-free drinks
Exploring the growing demand for alcohol-free drinks, the success of gin substitutes, the expansion of the alcohol-free drinks market, challenges in creating alcohol-free drinks, pricing and consumer perception, and the comparison between major drinks companies and independent startups in the no-alcohol category.

Feb 10, 2022 • 29min
The Price Shock
Prices are rising - but are we heading into an unprecedented economic period? So far, wages haven't yet followed. How different is what's going on now from the conventional boom and bust cycle? Evan Davis and guests discuss.
Guests:
Dr Jennifer Smith, Associate Professor of Economics, Warwick University
Professor Michael McMahon, Oxford University
Sonali Punhani, UK Chief Economist at Credit SuisseProducer: Julie Ball
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Hugh LevinsonProduced in association with the Open University

Feb 3, 2022 • 29min
Your childhood in the workplace
Psychotherapist Naomi Shragai talks to Evan Davis about how our emotional baggage can harm our work life.. She advises businesses and employees on how to recognise our deeper personal impulses, which often stem from our childhoods. Her book 'The Man Who Mistook his Job for His Life' catalogues phenomena like narcissism, fear of rejection and imposter syndrome, Naomi tells us how to recognise these powerful forces, and what we can do about them.
Producer: Julie Ball
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Sophie HillThis programme was made in association with The Open University

Nov 18, 2021 • 28min
Conflict at Work
Evan Davis and guests discuss how best to resolve disputes between colleagues - both making the best of it and avoiding the worst. Despite our best efforts, conflict never disappears – it’s always there, when humans gather. In the office, it can be start with something as trivial as a coffee cup left on a colleague's desk. And from there, it can spiral into a situation where people are unwilling to work with each other, or even suffer mental ill health as result. Three experts give advice on how to prevent conflict festering and the best ways to mediate when co-workers end up at daggers drawn.
GUESTS
Gill Dix, head of workplace policy at ACAS
Felicity Steadman, mediator, The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
Ade Adeniji, mediator and investigatorProducers: Kirsteen Knight, Lucinda Borrell and Sandra Kanthal
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Editor: Hugh Levinson

Nov 11, 2021 • 28min
Class in the workplace
How can companies create a level playing field for applicants and employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds? Evan Davis and guests discuss the sometimes invisible barriers and assumptions which exclude some from getting jobs or getting promoted. Many believe that the job interview format tends to favour the social skills of those from the middle and upper middle classes. Diversity schemes help - but there are questions about whether they go far enough. Is this the final taboo when it comes to equality in employment?Guests:
Professor Lee Elliot-Major, University of Exeter
Sandra Wallace, chair, Social Mobility Commission and one of the Managing Directors for UK & Europe, DLA Piper
Jenny Baskerville, Head of Inclusion, Diversity & Social Equality, KPMGProducer: Lucinda Borrell
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Editor: Hugh Levinson

Nov 4, 2021 • 29min
The Lottery Business
The National Lottery contract is up for grabs. While the results aren't scheduled to be announced until early 2022, the bids are in and being considered - and across the industry it seems that this is the closest competition yet with four major players in the running. How do lotteries, large and small, operate? And what obligations does the industry have towards customers who might be vulnerable? Evan Davis speaks to Camelot, who have been running The National Lottery since its inception 27 years ago, and to industry leaders, about the changing world of lotteries. GUESTS
Matthew Risdale, Executive Director, Camelot
Richard Dixon, Managing Director, Sterling Lotteries
Tony Vick, Chair, The Lotteries Council PRODUCERS
Tanya Beckett & Lucinda BorrellSOUND
Rod Farquhar

Oct 28, 2021 • 29min
The Quick Commerce Economy
Evan Davis looks at the expanding world of ultrafast home delivery. App-based firms like Getir promise to get a grocery order to your home in just 10 minutes. During the pandemic demand for such services skyrocketed. As new companies enter the market, is Q-commerce economically sustainable - or will there be a brutal shake-out? Evan speaks to players in this rapidly growing sector - and to a critic of it. GUESTS
Turancan Salur, general manager, Getir UK
Christa Bloom-Burrows, co-founder, Biff's
Jessica Moulton, senior partner, McKinsey & company
Adam Badger, research student, Royal Holloway, University of LondonProducer: Lucinda Borrell
Sound: Rod Farquhar