The Bottom Line

What is the role of a business leader? To tell staff what to do or allow them to decide for themselves? One theory about management is that it should turn itself upside-down and permit those closest to the customer to dictate all sorts of business decisions including pricing, marketing and how to deal with complaints. This programme, first broadcast in 2013, won the Wincott Radio Journalism of the...

Taittinger champagne, Clarks shoes, Theakstons beer - three famous and successful family businesses that have passed down through the generations. So what prompted members of those families to leave the original firms and set up rival brands of their own? Producing champagne, making shoes and brewing beer. What's it like to compete with the companies they've known all their lives? And how easy is...

Very few companies survive for centuries. Evan Davis hears from a luxury jeweller, a removals firm and a diversified business that makes money from ships, finance and groceries. Between them they have nearly a thousand years of business experience. What strategies have they embarked on to ensure that they live long and prosper? Has their history become a burden or a motivator? And have they sacrif...

From smartglasses to smartwatches, tech companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are investing big money in technology that you can wear. They're designed to keep us eternally connected, fully fit and super smart. But will they go mainstream or are they still the preserve of the gadget geeks? Evan Davis and guests discuss how fitness bands that measure how far you walk and how deeply you sleep cou...

Flash sale companies are growing fast. Evan Davis and guests discuss how this new retail sector is changing the way we shop. How does the business model work? Just how low can the prices go? And are these internet discounters a help or a hindrance for luxury brands? Guests : Victoria Walton, co-founder Sportpursuit Jamie Jackson, executive vice-chairman MySale Group Ilan Benhaim, co-founder Vente-...

Online postings about hotels, restaurants, hairdressers, electricians: How much can you trust the views of a total stranger when it comes to deciding what to buy, where to go and whose skills and services to employ? How do review sites monitor their online ratings and ensure they're genuine? Evan Davis and guests discuss the power of user-generated reviews that can make or break a business. What c...

Social advertising: Evan Davis and guests discuss the growing power of celebrities, the rise of the money-making super-fans who "like" their products and the vloggers with consumer clout. How effective are these new social campaigns and how will they change the advertising industry? Guests: Edwina Dunn, CEO Starcount; Dominic Burch, senior director marketing innovation and new revenue Asda; Robin...

The best person for the job? Evan Davis hears from four bosses who took back control of the companies they had once founded. Why did they leave and what events made them return? From boardroom coups to corporate collapses, entrepreneurs explain how they took the helm - for the second time - of the businesses they knew so well. What had changed while they were away? And what were the very first dec...

Faulty children's beds, mislabelled horsemeat burgers and exploding dishwashers are among the products recalled by companies in the UK to protect the health and safety of consumers. Evan Davis and guests discuss the process for recalling defective items and find out how quickly manufacturers and distributors must act. What are the logistics of getting back hundreds of thousands of products from co...

Civil war in Sierra Leone, political unrest in Ukraine, the Japanese tsunami and Hurricane Sandy on the east coast of the US - three guests tell Evan Davis how they led businesses through periods of unexpected and extended turmoil. Guests : Peter Kaye, Director of Business Development, Pilgrims Group Bryan Disher, Ukraine Country Manager, PWC Mary Bahsoon, Co-owner Bennimix Producer : Rosamund Jon...

Making money from old phones, engines and plastic bottles is the topic for Evan Davis and guests. How do you ensure that you collect what others throw away? How much profit is there really to be had from creating new from old? And why aren't milk bottle tops quite the colour they once were? Guests Charlo Carabott, co-founder & CEO Mazuma Mobile Matt Bulley, managing director Caterpillar Reman...

Would you tell your boss you had depression? In The Bottom Line this week, Evan Davis hears from three successful business people who talk openly about what it's like to experience severe mental illness whilst running their companies. They'll explain the risks and rewards of going public about mental ill health problems: the reaction from investors and the impact on staff. And we'll hear why being...

Can you conquer the world by selling only one product? Many companies start small, focusing their energies on a single item, with plans to expand into other areas once the business takes off. But not everyone wants to diversify. Some prefer to do one thing and do it well, rather than risk diluting the brand and perhaps also the quality of the goods. In this edition of The Bottom Line, Evan Davis t...

How big is the market for halal - not just food, but holidays, fashion and music too? Muslim consumers - and how best to serve them - are the topics this week. Evan Davis talks to entrepreneurs who think they know the answer and asks how much can established companies learn from them. Guests : Shelina Janmohamed, Ogilvy Noor Elnur Seyidli, HalalBooking.com Shazia Saleem, ieat foods Producer : Rosa...

Making money from products with a controversial image is the topic for Evan Davis and his guests who represent companies selling drugs and sex toys. These companies are testing our morals and the regulations set up to protect them. So how do you market products that many people disapprove of? And how do you manage the social and business opprobrium you encounter? Guests : Jean Rasbridge, founder E...

The new economy based on bitcoins, the computer-generated crypto-currency, is the subject for discussion. What can you buy with them and as the market fluctuates wildly, can investors hold their nerve? The programme will look at how the bitcoin craze began and whether the world really does need another currency. Evan Davis's guests are from new companies hoping to cash in - one trades bitcoins, an...

Can you keep business safe from hackers? Many companies now feel besieged by constant attacks and few can claim not to have been targeted. In the first of a new series of the award-winning The Bottom Line Evan Davis and guests discuss the anatomy of a cyber attack - where the threats are coming from and how best to respond. And they'll ask - should businesses be more honest about the security brea...

Serving the super-rich: what do the seriously wealthy do with their money? How do they preserve or spend their multi-million or even billion pound fortunes? And who is helping them manage those assets? With more billionaires in the world than ever before, working for the very rich is a growth industry. Whether finding staff for their superyacht or helping them give away the money, there's a raft o...

Turning up the heat: the new energy companies breaking into a market dominated by big established firms. Evan Davis meets two small entrants to the sector to find out how they're gaining market share. Is the strategy to compete on price, customer service or green credentials? He'll discuss the role of the price comparison websites in encouraging customers to switch providers and hear how some smal...

Corporate turnaround and transformational tales. Evan Davis and guests discuss how companies fail, struggle and find their way again. Guests: Bruno Cercley, CEO of Rossignol Group Harriet Green OBE, CEO of Thomas Cook Group Martyn Gibbs, CEO of Game Retail Ltd Producer: Kent DePinto.

Chocolate is a big business as well as a delicious indulgence. Evan Davis and guests discuss how this global industry is tackling the pressures of rising food prices, speculation and climate change. Guests: Jonathan Horrell, Director of Global Sustainability of Mondelez International Sophi Tranchell, Managing Director of Divine Chocolate Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, Country Director of Cargill Ghana Produ...

Self-improvement: If you want to look better, feel better, perform better, there's no shortage of help available. Whether it's cosmetic surgery for the perfect body, fitness programmes to boost self-esteem, or self-help books to improve the mind, there's plenty of choice. But do they promise the world and fail to deliver - or give you the strength to achieve the personal growth you desire? Evan Da...

Business leaders spend their lives climbing the corporate ladder, so what happens when it is time to step off? Evan Davis and guests discuss life after CEO. Guests: Lord Browne of Madingley, former Chief Executive of BP Kate Wilson, former MD of Scholastic UK, Managing Director of Nosy Crow Robert Polet, former CEO of Gucci Group Producer: Kent DePinto.

Successful TV formats like Big Brother, Pop Idol, X-Factor and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire are sold and broadcast all round the world, netting their creators billions of pounds. But how can you protect such a valuable asset? And are too many copycat versions saturating the market and crushing original ideas? Evan Davis finds out from those at the top of the lucrative global industry of TV format...

Business school or school of life? An MBA from a top business school is what defines many of today's high powered CEO's - but is the qualification worth the cost or are would-be entrepreneurs better off learning business acumen in the real world? Evan Davis debates with guests. Guests: Colin Drummond, Chairman of Viridor and Harvard MBA graduate Kim Winser, former CEO of Pringle, now CEO of Winser...