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 14, 2013 • 28min
Turnarounds
Evan Davis asks his guests what it takes to rescue a sinking company.
Mar 7, 2013 • 28min
Doing Business with Governments
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.From huge infrastructure projects to supplying civil servants with paperclips, there's big money to be made from public sector contracts. Evan Davis meets three business leaders with experience of bidding for - and securing - government contracts and finds out what it's like doing business with the state. How easy is it for smaller companies to get a slice of the public sector pie? And are we - the ultimate customers - really getting a good deal?
Feb 28, 2013 • 28min
Retail
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.You go to a shopping centre and you find an ice rink. Or you go to a bookstore for a glass of wine. So is this the new world of retail? Evan Davis and his panel of top business brains explore what's in store for physical shopping. They also swap thoughts on what makes a good shop assistant.Joining Evan in the studio are Sir Stuart Rose, former Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer and soon to take over as Chairman of online grocery retailer Ocado; Berndt Hauptkorn, Chief Executive of the European arm of Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo; Andy Street, Managing Director of department store chain John Lewis.Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Innes Bowen.
Feb 21, 2013 • 28min
Business in Africa
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion and spin to present a clearer view of the business world through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.This week, Evan's three guests discuss the challenges of doing business in and out of Africa. It consists of 54 countries and has more than a billion people but the continent was a sleeping giant for decades. Now it's woken up and could it be on the verge of becoming the economic powerhouse of the 21st Century?Evan is joined in the studio by Andrew Rugasira, CEO of the Ugandan coffee company Good African Coffee; Herman Chinery-Hesse, co-founder of the Ghanaian software company SOFTtribe and Rupert Soames, CEO of the temporary power specialists Aggreko.
Feb 14, 2013 • 28min
Alternative Finance
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion and spin to present a clearer view of the business world through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. This week, Evan meets three pioneers of alternative finance and asks - can they beat the banks at their own game? Giles Andrews is CEO of Zopa, the peer to peer lending website; Anil Stocker is co-founder of Market Invoice , an online finance provider that allows companies to turn invoices into working capital; and Michael Joseph is director of mobile money at Vodafone and former CEO of the Kenyan mobile phone provider Safaricom, where he launched the revolutionary mobile money transfer service, M-Pesa.
Feb 7, 2013 • 28min
Books
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.Like the music industry before it, the print book industry has been turned upside down up by the digital revolution. As sales of ebooks continue to grow, bookshop sales are down from a peak in 2007. So what does the future for hold for the bricks and mortar bookstore? Will physical books become a thing of the past? And what role will traditional players like publishers, agents and retailers play in this brave new world? Evan Davis and guests examine what the landscape might look like once the dust settles.Joining Evan in the studio are Jonny Geller, literary agent and joint CEO Curtis Brown; Victoria Barnsley, CEO of publisher HarperCollins UK & International; Michael Tamblyn, Chief Content Officer at Toronto-based ebook retailer Kobo.Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Innes Bowen.
Jan 31, 2013 • 28min
Gambling
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion and spin to present a clearer view of the business world through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.This week, we hear from three people in the avant garde of the global gambling industry, which is said to be worth $417 billion. With smart phone and tablet technology driving a revolution in the way that people gamble, will old-fashioned betting shops and bingo halls survive? And can gambling companies really keep expanding despite recession, competition from the black market and prohibition in emerging economies?Evan is joined in the studio by Norbert Teufelberger, CEO of the online gaming company bwin.party; Melissa Blau, director of the consultancy iGaming Capital; Juergen Reutter, Director of Mobile at the bookmaker William Hill.Producer: Helen Grady.
Jan 24, 2013 • 28min
Family Firms
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.Family businesses are the backbone of economies all around the world - indeed, the majority of firms are family-controlled, from the millions of modest firms, to commercial giants such as Ford and Wal-Mart. And yet less than a third survive to the second generation. Evan Davis and guests explore the possibilities and pitfalls of the family ownership model.In the studio are Ian Maclean of luxury knitwear company John Smedley; Julie White of drilling and demolition firm D-Drill; Tim Wates of construction and development group Wates.Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Innes Bowen.
Nov 15, 2012 • 28min
Planet New
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.There are many arguments about how to solve the world's economic problems, to increase employment and achieve economic growth. But if there's one solution that most will agree on it's that we need more new products or services, which drive capitalism and make us richer. Evan's guests this week discuss the importance of innovation for the global economy and the impediments to this kind of creativity. They also swap thoughts on the 'pivot' - when to change your mind in business. Joining Evan in the studio are Suranga Chandratillake, founder of video and audio search engine Blinkx; Simon Woodroffe, founder of YO! Company; Olaf Swantee, chief executive of mobile phone operator EE.Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Innes Bowen.
Nov 8, 2012 • 28min
Financial Services
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.Evan and his guests discuss financial services. They have the power to enrich an economy - or to ruin it completely. But what kind of makeover do they need to get them fit for the 21st century? Should the industry be more innovative and clever - or just a bit more old-fashioned and simple?Joining Evan in the studio are former fund manager David Pitt-Watson; Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management; Richard Ward, chief executive of insurance market Lloyd's of London.Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Innes Bowen.
