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 24, 2011 • 28min
Fashion
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.This week, Evan's guests are all top executives from the world of fashion and clothing. They discuss whether normal business rules apply in their world. They also get down to the nitty gritty of the business itself - who makes the money and how do they set the prices?The panel also talks about marketing, and the role of PR in getting their products noticed. Evan is joined in the studio by Jane Sheperdson, chief executive of Whistles; Simon Berwin, managing director of Berwin & Berwin; Kim Winser, fashion and retail expert with private equity group 3i.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Mar 17, 2011 • 28min
Major Disaster Plans
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.This week, Evan's top executive guests include two hoteliers and a soft drinks manufacturer. They discuss recent events in Japan, and explore to what extent companies can really prepare for major disasters. They also reveal how much they know about life on the shop floor and where the problems lie.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Mar 10, 2011 • 28min
Slow Growth
The view from the top of business. Presented this week by Stephanie Flanders, 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.This week, Stephanie's top executive guests hail from the worlds of mobile energy, sanitary fittings and business services. They discuss how businesses cope in a "slow growth" environment. Could years of slow growth be more challenging than a short sharp shock? And not so long ago, the slow coach economy in Europe was Germany - now it's steaming ahead of everyone. What's gone right for Germany - and what lessons could other countries learn?Stephanie is joined in the studio by Rupert Soames, chief executive of mobile energy group, Aggreko; Neal Gandhi, chief executive of international business services company Quickstart Global; David Haines, chief executive of German bathroom fittings company Grohe.Producer: Caroline Bayley.
Mar 3, 2011 • 28min
Business Time
The view from the top of business. Presented this week by Stephanie Flanders, 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.This week, Stephanie's top business guests hail from the worlds of retail, IT and pizza. They swap thoughts on the business of timing. Are modern businesses now so obsessed with doing things quickly that they fail to do it well?And as political turmoil continues in the Middle East, the panel debate whether it's important for businesses to keep up with what's happening around the world. How isolated from current events can they be?Stephanie is joined in the studio by David Wild, chief executive of car accessories company Halfords; Mike Norris, chief executive of IT services firm Computacenter; Chris Moore, chief executive of Domino's Pizza UK & Ireland.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Feb 24, 2011 • 28min
Consumer Research
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.This week, Evan's top business guests hail from retail and advertising. They swap thoughts on consumer research. Companies spend lots of money to find out how their customers spend theirs, but do they learn anything useful?They also debate what purpose business awards serve. Can they actually help a company be more successful?Evan is joined in the studio by Ian Cheshire, chief executive of home improvement retail company Kingfisher. And from the world of advertising, Cilla Snowball, group chief executive and chairman of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, and David Jones, global chief executive of Havas Worldwide.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Feb 19, 2011 • 24min
19/02/2011
The view from the top of business. Presented this week by Stephanie Flanders, 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.This week, Stephanie and her panel of top executives discuss hyperconnectivity - the idea that there are more devices in use around the world than there are people actually using them. How do the panel cope with the sheer mass of incoming information, and devices to carry it? Does more technology mean better communication, or just less time to think?They also talk about the role of intuition in making important decisions. Is there still room in modern business for the good old-fashioned hunch, or do decisions these days always need to be backed up by solid analysis?Stephanie is joined in the studio by Dominic Taylor, chief executive of payment services company PayPoint; Rita Clifton, chairman of branding consultancy Interbrand; Sir Michael Rake, chairman of telecoms company BT Group.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Feb 10, 2011 • 28min
10/02/2011
The view from the top of business. Presented this week by Stephanie Flanders, 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.This week, Stephanie and her panel of top executives discuss the impact of political instability on the way they do business.They also talk about their employees - many chief executives will say their workers are the company's "most valuable asset", but is it really true?Stephanie is joined in the studio by Tim Watkins, vice president of the western arm of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei; Richard Fenning, chief executive of global security consultancy Control Risks; Vineet Nayar, chief executive of Indian IT services company HCL Technologies.Producer: Caroline Bayley.
Feb 3, 2011 • 28min
03/02/2011
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.This week, Evan asks his panel of top business executives how they manage to adapt their companies and remain relevant in the modern world. What do you do when technology changes, or fashions move against you? What are the challenges of rejuvenating and transforming a mature business to keep ahead of the curve?The panel also discusses which laws get in the way of running a business smoothly and reveal which ones they would most like to scrap.Evan is joined in the studio by Anne Murphy, UK managing director of frozen foods company Birds Eye; Norbert Teufelberger, chief executive of online gaming firm Bwin; Efrat Peled, chief executive of the fund Arison Investments.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Jan 27, 2011 • 28min
27/01/2011
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 consults the oracle by asking his panel of top executives to fast-forward five years and forecast how they see the economic landscape in 2016. They discuss raw materials and inflation, and debate who will look stronger - will it be China or India?The panel also discusses the value of networking - both real and virtual - for your business and your career.Evan is joined in the studio by Andy Street, managing director of high street retail chain John Lewis; Nicola Horlick, founder of Bramdean Asset Management; Simon Woodroffe, entrepreneur and founder of YO! Company.Producer: Ben Crighton.
Nov 18, 2010 • 28min
18/11/2010
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.In the week that Facebook launched its own new messaging service, Evan and his panel of top business guests discuss the role of email at work, amid the many different ways of messaging and communicating.And location, location, location. It's a cliche that location can make or break a business, but how true is it really? And what are the advantages of being next door to the competition?Evan is joined in the studio by Chris Grigg, chief executive of property company British Land; Andrew Horton, chief executive of insurance company Beazley; Raghav Bahl, founder of Indian television news group Network 18.Producer: Ben CrightonLast in the series. The Bottom Line returns in January 2011.
