The Bottom Line
BBC Radio 4
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 24, 2021 • 29min
The Purple Pound
The spending power of disabled people and their families - the so-called purple pound - is valued at £249 billion a year. So is there a competitive business advantage in designing accessible goods and services? Evan Davis and guests discuss, with examples ranging from haircare products to hotel rooms. GuestsSam Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Proctor and Gamble
Robin Sheppard, Co-Founder and President of Bespoke Hotels
and Gavin Neate, Chief Executive and Founder of NeateboxProducer: Lesley McAlpine
Sound: Andy Garratt
Jun 17, 2021 • 29min
The Future of Cruises
For nearly 20 years, the cruise industry experienced huge growth. Then a pandemic hit. After a year of forking out for boats docked in port and devastating headlines chronicling outbreaks early on in 2020, what does this mean for the future of cruises? How are they restarting, what barriers are they facing and - most importantly - how do they convince customers that they are indeed safe?Guests
Dr Jennifer Holland, Lecturer in Tourism, Suffolk Business School
Ben Bouldin, Vice President, EMA, Royal Caribbean Cruises
Jun 10, 2021 • 28min
Sound of the suburbs
For years the suburbs have been seen as places to live, from which you can commute to a big city to work. But has the pandemic pushed the economic pendulum in the other direction? With more people working from home and cities becoming quieter, could this lead to a revival of the suburban economy? Evan Davis explores the national picture and hears from entrepreneurs in Denton, Greater Manchester, who have helped revive its struggling town centre, encouraging people to spend money locally.GuestsJohn Spencer, Chief Executive of BizSpace
Yael Selfin, Chief Economist of KPMG in the UKProducer: Lesley McAlpine
Jun 3, 2021 • 29min
Ramping up capacity
How can businesses cope with supply shortages? Car factories across the world have had to shut down because they can't get hold of enough silicon chips. And as many economies bounce back post-Covid, other industries are facing similar problems. How can enterprises plan both for sudden falls and surges in demand and how quickly can supply chains cope? Evan Davis and guests discuss.
Guests:
Dr Andy Palmer, CEO of Switch Mobility
Maureen O'Shea, Leader of Supply Chain and Operations Management for KPMG
John Neuffer, President and CEO of the US Semiconductor Industry AssociationProducer: Lucinda Borrell
May 27, 2021 • 29min
The future of money
The pandemic has given a nudge to the decline of cash. If that is the past - what is the future for our payments system? Could it simply be cards linked to bank accounts, handled via apps? Or could we be approaching a pivotal moment when the exciting (or maybe alarming) world of crypto and digital currencies take over? Central banks around the world are pondering this very question and are poised to launch their own digital currencies. Evan Davis and guests look into the future of money.Guests:Professor Catherine Mulligan, visiting lecturer at Imperial College, London and director of D-Central Lab at Lisbon University,
Marcus Hughes, European managing director for Coinbase, a crypto trading platform
Paige McCartney, senior business reporter at the Nassau Guardian
Mar 25, 2021 • 28min
Billionaires
Dr. Katharina Rietzler and Paul Vallely discuss billionaires' actions, including space exploration and philanthropy. They analyze the similarities and differences between past and present billionaires, explore the impact of upbringing on their success, and question the influence of billionaires in policymaking. The chapter on Henry Ford delves into the role of narcissism in success. The potential benefits and concerns of billionaires' investments, like SpaceX's reusable rockets, are also explored.
Mar 18, 2021 • 28min
Hydrogen future
It’s all around us and has pride of place in the periodic table. Hydrogen is the number one element. For decades it’s been hailed as a potentially cleaner alternative to the fossil fuels which power heavy industry, our homes and transport systems. But hydrogen from renewable sources has never quite realised its potential. It's expensive to produce. However, as the UK now has targets to cut carbon emissions, green hydrogen may have a major part to play in the clean-up. Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of hydrogen.Guests:
Eugene McKenna, from the chemical giant, Johnson Matthey.
Dr Laurie King, Fuel Cell Innovation Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University.
And Andrew Cunningham, managing director of Geopura, a green hydrogen energy supplier
Producer: Lesley McAlpine
Mar 11, 2021 • 28min
How to set up an EU subsidiary.
Since Brexit, many companies have had to set up a subsidiary operation in the EU to continue trading. What are the rules, regulations, pitfalls and costs? Evan Davis hears the experience of three very different businesses, in sectors ranging from tights to cheese to architecture.GUESTSBrie Read, founder and CEO SNAG GroupRoss Hutchinson, founder and principal director, Hutchinson & Partners, architectsSimon Spurrell, founder and CEO, Cheshire Cheese Company
Mar 4, 2021 • 28min
The Satellite Business
The government wants to boost the UK's growing space industry through its £400 m investment in satellite communications firm OneWeb. The company is a pioneer, launching satellites in Low Earth Orbit with the aim of providing broadband to under-served areas of the globe. But there are rivals, Elon Musk's Starlink Constellation being the best known. So is the UK investment in OneWeb a moonshot moment? Evan Davis and guests boldly go into discussion over what happens when you combine cutting-edge technology with uncertain business outcomes - and whether the state should be involvedGuests:Professor Marek Ziebart, UCL
Chris McLaughlin, OneWeb
and Carissa Christensen, CEO, Bryce Space and Technology
Producer: Lesley McAlpine
Feb 25, 2021 • 28min
The Reddit Revolutionaries
The rush on shares by individual investors, into struggling US video game store chain Gamestop was portrayed as an attempt by a new breed of retail investors to thwart hedge funds which were shorting the stock. Some investors won big, others lost everything and one hedge fund, Melvin Capital, lost half of its $13bn fund. Was this really a David and Goliath fight, signalling a win for retail stock pickers, collaborating on social media platforms like Reddit? And has it changed the future of investing? Evan Davis and guests discuss. GUESTS
Holly MacKay, Founder and MD, Boring Money
Jack Inglis, CEO of Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA)
Mo and Danny, Online retail investors
