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
Jan 27, 2017 • 28min
Negotiating a Trade Deal
Brexit means the UK government will have to negotiate trade agreements with the EU and the rest of the world. Trade deal experts share their tips with presenter Evan Davis.Guests include:Janice Charette, Canadian High Commissioner to the UK
Tim Cullen, founder and director of Oxford Programme on NegotiationProducer: Julie Ball.
Nov 17, 2016 • 28min
17/11/2016
If the word auction conjures up pictures of a man with a gavel in a packed room shouting 'going, going, gone' - think again. These days governments and businesses rely on complicated online auctions to buy and sell. Auctions are also the preferred mechanism for the allocation of radio spectrum licences to mobile phone companies and the selling of mineral rights. Auctions come in a huge variety of forms, and the precise design can have a dramatic effect on the outcomes. Do you know a sealed bid from a "combinatorial clock" auction? Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of auctions. Guests include:
Dan Maldoom, DotEcon
Samantha Collett property developer
Stephen Lerner, 3 UKProducer: Lesley McAlpine.
Nov 11, 2016 • 28min
The Future of the Car Industry
The future of the car industry. How car manufacturers are joining forces with "ride hailing" companies like Uber and why the future might be driverless. Evan Davis and guests discuss. Disruptive technology has made seismic changes to several business models: think Apple iTunes and the music industry or Netflix and our television viewing habits. It seems that the car industry might be next. Unlike their predecessors, car manufacturers are joining forces with the technology companies. Google with Ford, Uber with Volvo, General Motors with Lyft, pooling their expertise and resources. Joining Evan Davis on the programme are three guests who will talk about the hopes and fears for the industry and what this will mean for the rest of us.GUESTSGeorg Ell, Director, Western Europe, Tesla MotorsMatteo de Renzi, CEO, Western Europe, GettandDr. Eberhard Zeeb, Senior Manager, Function and Software Driving Assistance, Daimler Producer: Julie Ball.
Nov 3, 2016 • 28min
The Youth Market
Evan Davis and guests explore the fast moving world of selling to 18-24 year olds. Collectively, that age group has billions to spend. Individually, many are strapped for cash. So how do companies get their attention and their money? The answer seems to be: market your brand using social media. Link up with a celebrity with millions of followers and watch the money roll in. That's the theory. Forget old style television adverts. That age group isn't watching the box - they're on their mobiles. Joining the programme will be: Josephine Hansom from Youth Sight; Philip O'Ferrall, Viacom International Media Networks and Simon Beckerman from Depop.Producer: Lesley McAlpine.
Oct 27, 2016 • 28min
Selling Corporate Baby
Starting a business is often compared to bringing up a baby, and with good reason: it's costly, gives you sleepless nights and requires your attention during every waking moment. But what happens when it is time sell the business you have nurtured? Three successful entrepreneurs talk to Evan Davis about the feelings of relief and regret which can accompany selling off a business.GUESTSLiz Earle, Co-founder of Liz Earle Naturally Active SkincareWilliam Kendall, Chairman, Cawston PressJules Coleman, Co-founder of Hassle.com.
Oct 20, 2016 • 28min
Activist Investors
Are activist investors good or bad for the firms they target? They hunt down companies they think are underperforming. They buy a stake in the business, then lobby for change. Critics say activists want to make a fast buck and then head for the exit. But you could regard these investors as doing a valuable service - challenging poorly performing company boards and making more profit for shareholders. Top UK names like Rolls Royce and John Menzies have been affected. Explore the world of activist investors with Evan Davis. Joining him will be: activist investor, Harlan Zimmerman, senior partner at Cevian Capital; Chris Walton, a company chairman and non-executive director; and Sacha Sadan, director of corporate governance at Legal and General Investment Management. Producer: Lesley McAlpine.
Oct 13, 2016 • 28min
Careers without College
Why are more top employers offering school leavers a fast track career without the need to go to university? Applicants for the top Degree Apprenticeships need to get good A level grades and pass a rigorous selection process. Their reward is the opportunity to earn a living while they gain a degree and qualify as a professional. Evan Davis discusses the pros and cons of such schemes with a high flying apprentice and two employers who are competing with universities for the brightest and best school leavers.
Oct 6, 2016 • 28min
Brexit: What Next?
How do you do business when you can't see into the future? This may be what businesses always have to do, but Brexit has undeniably made the future even harder to discern than usual. When will it happen, what relationship with Europe will follow, and how will the rest of the world react? For now we don't know, but the answers to those questions will affect every business in Britain. So how are companies planning for an uncertain future while at the same time trying to ensure that whichever model of Brexit emerges is one that suits their needs. Joining Evan Davis are:Karen Briggs: Head of Brexit - KPMG
Gerald Mason: SVP - Tate & Lyle Sugars
Gavin Williams: Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Producer: Joe Kent.
Sep 29, 2016 • 28min
Theresanomics
Theresa May has promised a bigger role for the state in business. The previously unfashionable concept of a comprehensive industrial strategy is back on the agenda. There is a new wariness about foreign investment in strategic industries such as electricity generation. Mrs May also wants to see employee representatives on company boards. Presenter Evan Davis discusses "Theresanomics" with a panel of entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Guests include:Elizabeth Corley, vice-chair of Allianz Global Investors
David Pitt-Watson, former Chair of Hermes Focus Funds and co-author of The New CapitalistsProducer: Julie Ball.
Jul 21, 2016 • 28min
How to Build an Olympics
The Olympics Games is the biggest sporting event on earth. But the road to a successful Olympics can be more gruelling than a marathon. With less than two weeks to go until the opening ceremony in Rio, Evan Davis and guests discuss the difficulties of managing the money, the politics and the people. GUESTS:Neil Wood MBE, Partner, Deloitte and former CFO of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) Gerhard Heiberg, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and President and CEO of Lillehammer Winter Olympic,s 1994Professor Andrew Zimbalist, Sports Economist, Smith College Massachusetts, Consultant and AuthorProducer: Julie BallEditor: Innes Bowen.
