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 6, 2019 • 28min
The Last Mile
The package brought to your door may have crossed the globe - but the most expensive and fiddly bit of the journey will undoubtedly be what's known as 'the last mile'. Delivery firms are constantly innovating how they do this - using electric vehicles and e cargo bikes, robots, or offering customers a click and collect option at a local store of their choice. Consumers take it for granted that they will get free delivery in many cases. But is the whole 'last mile' industry sustainable? Delivery vans add to traffic congestion and consumers are ordering more than they need and returning unwanted goods for free. Evan Davis and guests discuss the latest trends in the logistical puzzle of 'the last mile.' GuestsJon Ormond Operations Director of Hubs and Depots at parcel carrier, Hermes.
Nick Hale, Managing Director of BT Ventures.
and Catherine Weetman, founder of Re-think solutions.
Jun 1, 2019 • 29min
Anti-Biotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a global problem but there have been no new drugs produced since the 1980s. So who is to blame? The public's over-consumption or the current economic model for drug research and production? Evan Davis and guests discuss.GUESTSSeema Patel, Medical Director, Hospital Business, Pfizer, UK, Ireland and the NordicsLord Jim O'Neill, Chair Anti-Microbial Resistance Review (2016), Former Chief Economist, Goldman SachsProfessor Colin Garner, Co Founder and Director, Antibiotic Research UK
Mar 28, 2019 • 28min
Planning for uncertainty
Every business faces uncertainty. In the final programme of the series Evan Davis and guests ask what businesses should do when faced with uncertainty.Guests:
Jeremy Bentham, Head of Scenarios, Shell
Nick Allan, CEO, Control Risks
Dr Sandra Bell, Head of Resilience Consulting, Sungard Availability Services
Mar 21, 2019 • 28min
Feedback frenzy
It's hard to buy anything these days without being asked to rate or review it. Evan Davis and guests look at how have businesses such as Tripadvisor, Feefo and Checkatrade have altered the relationship between companies and consumers? Do you trust the wisdom of crowds more than an expert's view?
Guests
Matt West, Chief Executive of Feefo
Rob Paterson, Chief Executive of Best Western Hotels GB
Caroline Wiertz, Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in LOndon
Mar 14, 2019 • 28min
Internships
For many graduates an internship has become the default route to full-time, paid employment. But getting a good placement is competitive and in some cases poorly paid or unpaid. What does this mean for social mobility and diversity in the workplace? Evan Davis and guests discuss the pros and cons of internships.GUESTSSarah Churchman, UK Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Wellbeing, PwC
Amalia Illgner , Freelance journalist and a former intern
Oliver Sidwell, Co-founder, Rate My Placement
Mar 7, 2019 • 28min
The personalisation revolution
Technological advances have made it easier for businesses to offer us more personalised goods and services, from customised cars to clothes that fit better and pioneering cell and gene therapies to target serious illnesses. How far can this personalisation revolution go? GUESTSDarrin Disley, Chief Executive of cell therapy company, Mogrify
Georgina Silvester, Chief Operating Officer (designate), Handelsbanken UK
Karl Howkins, Managing Director, Citroen UK
Kate Ancketill, Chief Executive of GDR Creative Intelligence
Feb 28, 2019 • 28min
Magazines
There are more than two-and-a-half thousand consumer and business magazine titles on sale in the UK. What is the appeal of magazines and how does the business endure in spite of falling advertising revenues and declining circulation figures? GUESTSWolfgang Blau, President, Conde Nast InternationalTerri White, Editor-in-Chief, Empire MagazineRebecca McGrath, Senior Analyst, Media, Mintel
Feb 21, 2019 • 28min
Are auditors fit for purpose?
What's the point of an audit if it fails to detect when a company's about to go under? The sudden collapse of BHS, Carillion and Patisserie Valerie has dented public confidence in the firms that audited them and prompted calls for a shake-up of the audit industry. Would more competition in the sector, which is dominated by four big players, drive audit quality up? Do accountants need to be more robust in challenging company figures? Joining Evan Davis for The Bottom Line:Bill Michael, UK Chairman and Senior Partner at KPMG.
Jac Berry, Audit Partner and UK Head of Quality at Mazars
and Christopher Humphrey, Professor of Accounting at the Alliance Manchester Business School
Feb 14, 2019 • 28min
Behavioural science in the workplace
Understanding how humans think and what makes them tick can be enormously helpful if you're running a company. Luckily behavioural science is on hand to do just that. How far can its use improve decision making in businesses? Joining Evan Davis are:Octavius Black, CEO and Co-founder of MindGym
David Halpern, CEO, The Behavioural Insights Team
Kim Atherton, Chief People Officer, Ovo Energy and CEO and Founder of Just3Things
Feb 7, 2019 • 28min
University Businesses
Higher education in the UK is an astonishingly successful British industry, with an income of almost £35 billion a year. Universities have expanded hugely with more students from home and abroad. But uncertain times lie ahead. Tuition fees are under review and some people in the sector argue Brexit may make it harder to attract students from EU countries. Are universities sustainable as businesses?Guests:
Professor Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton
Professor Trevor McMillan Vice-Chancellor of Keele University
Dr Helen Carasso, Department of Education, Oxford University
