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
Mar 10, 2016 • 28min
Horse Racing
Horse racing is the second most popular spectator sport in the UK but it is also a business. Presenter Evan Davis and guests discuss who makes the money: the horse owners, the jockeys, the race courses or the bookmakers?Guests:Simon Bazalgette, Chief Executive, The Jockey ClubRachel Hood, Director, The Horsemen's GroupCiaran O'Brien, Group Communications Director, William Hill bookmakersProducer: Julie Ball.
Mar 3, 2016 • 28min
Tax Avoidance
Global firms like Amazon, Google and Starbucks have been criticised for using clever accounting tricks to reduce their tax bills in the UK. But how much tax should they be paying? Evan Davis and guests discuss the whys and wherefores of the international tax regime, including the role of tax havens. Along the way, they'll digest the "Dutch sandwich" and the "double Irish" tax avoidance devices used by some multinationals. And given the widespread perception that many firms don't pay their fair share of tax, they'll assess efforts by the world's major economies to rewrite the rules on corporate tax.Guests:Heather Self, Tax Partner, Pinsent MasonRolf Rothuizen, Partner, RPS Legal, AmsterdamAnthony Travers, Chairman, Cayman Islands Stock ExchangeProducer: Sally Abrahams.
Feb 25, 2016 • 28min
Now We Are Ten
The Bottom Line first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2006. At the time, Tony Blair was Prime Minister, interest rates were 4.5%, petrol was 90 pence a litre and a first class stamp cost 32p (half today's price). In a special edition, to mark ten years since the programme came on air, Evan Davis and guests discuss some of the big changes that have happened in the past decade, including: the global recession, record high and record low oil prices, a technology boom and China's extraordinary economic growth. How have businesses adapted to the changing world? Guests: Nicola Horlick, CEO, Money & CoSir Ian Cheshire, Chairman, DebenhamsNicola Shaw, CEO, HS1Ken Olisa, Founder and Chairman, Restoration Partners Producer: Sally Abrahams.
Feb 18, 2016 • 28min
Data Privacy
When you enter personal details onto any website or smartphone app, what happens to it? Where does it get stored, who owns it and who has access to it? These questions are becoming more relevant to ask as we put more details about every facet of our lives onto the internet. With a new piece of legislation passed in the EU dealing with this precise issue, businesses need to be up to speed with their knowledge on effective privacy managementEvan Davis and guests discuss why personal data is so valuable to business, and how the individual can also benefit from sharing this information.Guests: Mike Gordon, CEO, Callcredit Information GroupLiz Brandt, CEO, Ctrl ShiftEduardo Ustaran, Data Privacy expert and Partner, Hogan Lovells.
Feb 11, 2016 • 28min
Customer Service
All businesses rely on customers. So, why do some businesses bend over backwards to keep customers happy, and why do some of them appear not to care? What is the impact of poor customer service on a business and how much does it cost them to invest in improving their infrastructure? Evan Davis discusses dos and don'ts of customer service with an airline, an energy company and a retailer, all of which have tried to completely overhaul their image. Has it worked?Guests: Kenny Jacobs, Chief Marketing Officer at Ryanair; Neil Clitheroe CEO retail and generation at Scottish Power and Gary Booker, Chief Marketing Officer at Dixons CarphoneProducer: Sally Abrahams
Researcher: Sofia Patel.
Feb 4, 2016 • 28min
Renewable Energy
After the Paris summit on climate change and the global commitment to cut carbon emissions, The Bottom Line is going green - with businesses that generate energy from the sun, the wind - and from cheese. And, whilst the government is committed to getting more of its energy from renewables, Evan Davis and guests discuss why green firms are seeing red over cuts to subsidies they say are vital to update ageing infrastructure. Guests:Juliet Davenport, CEO, Good EnergyJeremy Leggett, Founder, SolarcenturyPaul Cowling, MD, RWE Innogy UK Producer: Sally Abrahams.
Jan 28, 2016 • 28min
Managing the Boardroom
After recent corporate scandals like VW's emissions' cheating, Tesco's accounting irregularities, Barclays interest-rate rigging, many asked why company board members failed to act. What happened to the checks and balances designed to curb management excesses? Evan Davis and guests look at how company boards operate and how to make them work effectively. They discuss the role of company directors, the skills and experience required and examine why some say 'Beware the charismatic CEO'. Guests: Sir David Walker, Former Chairman, Barclays plcMichael Jackson, Former Chair, The Sage Group plcMargaret Heffernan, Former CEO, entrepreneur and author Producer: Sally Abrahams.
Nov 19, 2015 • 28min
The Northern Powerhouse
Can the Northern Powerhouse solve Britain's North-South economic divide? For now, the Northern Powerhouse is a concept: an idea that towns and cities in the north can unite, forming their own economic hub to rival London and the south east. So how to turn it into a reality? Evan Davis and guests are with an audience at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce to discuss what kind of businesses will settle in the north of England and what needs to be done to encourage them to make the move. They'll talk about the frustrations of poor transport links, the joys of green spaces and the reasons why businesses like to cluster.Guests:
Wayne Hemingway, Designer and entrepreneur, Hemingway Design
Vanda Murray, an Independent Director, Manchester Airports Group
Sir Richard Leese, Leader, Manchester City Council and Chair, Transport for the North
Jo York, co-founder, Reframed TVProducer: Sally Abrahams.
Nov 12, 2015 • 28min
Breaking the Mould
Rewriting the rules: what does it take to be a non-conformist? Evan Davis is joined by a banker, a brewer and a tech entrepreneur as they discuss how success can mean challenging the orthodox way of doing things.Guests:James Watt - Founder, Brewdog LtdSarah Wood - Co-founder, Unruly MediaAnders Bouvin, CEO, Handelsbanken UK.
Nov 6, 2015 • 28min
Financial Engineering
What does a financial engineer do? A mechanical engineer may design a machine, one that does a task or overcomes an obstacle, but what problems does modern finance solve? Can the clever manipulation of debt, equity or derivatives, really make human beings better off? Some think finance is a bit of a racket, designed to extract money from the enterprise of others; others think modern finance is a miracle that can create value from nothing. Evan Davis and guests try to get to the bottom of this argument on this week's The Bottom Line.Guests:John Kay - Economist and writer
Jessica James - Head of the FX Quantative Solutions Group, Commerzbank
Jon Moulton - Founder, Better Capital.
