Business Daily

Germany's once mighty motor industry is losing momentum, as high costs, low demand and competition from Chinese firms take a heavy toll on company profits. With elections in a few days' time, we ask, what do Germany's politicians need to do to put the industry on the road to recovery? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Th...

Cosplay is the ultimate form of fancy dress – with fans of graphic novels and video games doing everything they can to emulate their favourite fictional characters. And it's a big money-spinner globally. We find out why the hobby has grown so much over the past two decades – and meet those who’ve turned their passion for cosplay into a career. If you would like to get in touch with the show, pleas...

The festival of Kumbh Mela is estimated to attract 400 million Hindus and other visitors from around the world. The 45-day festival is a massive economic engine, injecting billions in the economy of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which is hosting the event. And this year, it is a Grand Mela, which only happens once every 144 years. From big businesses to street vendors and hotel owners, to m...

How to make a battery powered plane that can fly long distances, whilst carrying passengers, is a key challenge facing the aviation sector. As the world tries to reduce its consumption of fossil fuels, researchers are looking to make flight more sustainable to deal with ever growing demands. We hear about some pioneering projects in the Netherlands which are trying to do all of this, whilst still...

We speak to a boss whose business has bulked up on the global wellness trend. Tom Ryder got into fitness supplements as a side-hustle when he was a scaffolder for Liverpool City Council — now he runs Applied Nutrition, which is valued at more than £350million. He tells Sean Farrington how growing up with his grandparents in public housing shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. If you would like to get...

The digital nomad lifestyle sounds like a dream - working from a beach in Bali or a café in Barcelona. But how do you actually make it happen? In this episode, we meet the people who’ve taken the plunge and hear about the ups and downs of life on the move. Hear from employers managing a remote global workforce and investigate why the lifestyle isn’t always what you see on social media. Plus - we a...

Reusable bottles are everywhere – on your desk at work, at the gym, on a day out, doing a job in the fight against single-use plastic. But if we have multiple versions of refillable water bottles, are they just becoming fast fashion? The global, refillable water bottle industry is worth $10 billion and it is growing at a rate of about 5% a year. Several brands have become household names with inte...

We’re in the Central American country to hear a tale of two lakes. One, Lake Amatitlan, is badly polluted and there's concerns that the other – Lake Atitlan - once nominated as one of the seven new wonders of the world and - is in danger of going that way too. We hear about the costs needed to clean up these important tourist attractions, and hear about the loss of income for local businesses. Pro...

Countries considered hostile to the West are threatening to cut under sea cables, which carry 95 percent of the world’s data. China, Iran and Russia are suspected of threatening to sabotage cables, carrying 95% of the world’s data, which makes the network vital to the global economy. Russell Padmore examines how the lines laid on ocean floors are the backbone of the internet, so they need to be pr...

We speak to one of Japan's very few female CEOs. Makiko Ono leads Suntory Beverage and Food, part of the Suntory conglomerate that makes soft drinks including Orangina, Lucozade and Ribena. She shares her 40-plus years journey at the company; including how she led company's first acquisition to opening doors for the next generation of women in business. If you would like to get in touch with the s...

Ed Butler travels to Kantamanto market in Accra, Ghana. 15 million used garments arrive in Ghana every week from all over the world - most ends up at Kantamanto but a lot can't be sold because it's in poor condition. That ends up as landfill. Just weeks after Ed’s visit, a disastrous fire raised it to the ground, so he’s been back in touch with some of the vendors he spoke to as they try and get t...

After Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister last month, what does the in-tray look like for Canada’s next leader? The country is facing a major challenge from new US president Donald Trump who introduced 25% tariffs on Canadian exports - now postponed for 30 days - and is even questioning the country's identity. But Canada also has a list of problems to address from within, such as rising prop...

The country’s sick leave policy is one of the most generous in the world. Employees get full pay for the first six weeks they’re off, after that their health insurance policy will pay them a large portion of their salary for a further 18 months. This means the culture around taking sick leave is different to other countries, and the average worker takes 20 days off sick each year. We find out why,...

Thousands of homes burned to the ground in the recent wildfires in Los Angeles which will likely become the most expensive natural disaster in US history. Many victims did not have insurance, because they couldn’t afford California’s increasingly expensive policies or because they were dropped by their insurer. Lexy O’Connor meets some of those affected and finds out what’s fuelling California’s i...

Whether its for medical expenses, college funds, charity campaigns, chances are you've been asked to donate to a fundraiser online. GoFundMe is one of the biggest of the crowdfunding platforms, generating an estimated $30bn in funds since it launched in 2010.CEO Tim Cadogan tells us about joining as CEO in 2020, and the challenges of running a profit making company in a charity space. Presenter: C...

Advances in technology mean more people have devices which offer incentives and rewards for achieving fitness goals. From hi tech gyms to interactive home works outs, we explore why some companies are embracing this approach. It’s boosting user engagement and transforming workouts, but are trackers and leader boards a positive step? And is this what the future holds for fitness? Produced and prese...

Ed Butler travels to northern Ghana in search of one of the country’s growing exports. Cashew nuts have become a feature of crop production, but there are problems. How does Ghana best add value to cashews in a way that benefits the country and doesn’t just see it exploited overseas? And could solving the cashew issue help Ghana's economy in other ways? Produced and presented by Ed Butler(Image: A...

In November 2024, FC St Pauli became the first major football club to stop posting on X (formerly Twitter). In a statement, the leftwing Bundesliga club cited concerns over racism and conspiracy theories on the platform. It has moved to alternative social media site Bluesky instead. So is this part of a wider trend? We hear from companies who are finding alternatives to X, or staying on but reduci...

Squatting has a long history in Spain, often fuelled by high rates of homelessness. And the country’s ongoing housing crisis means that despite being low in numbers, squatting is now a highly politicised topic. We hear from private companies set up to evict people, from businesses making products to prevent squatters moving in, and from squatters themselves about their experiences. Produced and pr...

We hear how his British accent and 'scouse cockiness' led him from physical education teacher in the UK, to a sportswear executive in the US.And how a career change in his 40s led Peter Moore to a job offer he couldn't refuse, as CEO of the football club he'd supported since childhood, Liverpool FC.Produced and presented by Matt Lines(Image: Peter Moore and Virgil van Dijk with the FIFA Club World...

A 2020 Academy of Social Sciences report found that sociologists, economists and philosophers help companies improve productivity, enhance problem-solving and heighten social impact. So it makes sense that businesses would want social scientists involved in strategy and decision making. But how does it work in practice? Are there conflicts between hard commercial realities and ‘softer’ social issu...

For decades, two multi-national giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have been competing for one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. Now they face tough competition from Asia’s richest man. Mukesh Ambani’s company, Reliance Retail, has launched its own cola brand - Campa Cola. With its vast retail network and aggressive pricing strategy, we find out how this has intensified the so called 'cola wars' i...

Today we’re in Jeddah, looking at how Saudi Arabia went from a Kingdom where cinemas were banned to a rising star in the film industry. We hear from Saudis revelling in new-found freedoms and foreign filmmakers lured in by cash incentives. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Emily Wither(Picture: US actor Johnny Depp poses...

We are in the Central American country of Guatemala to hear how temporary work permits to the United States are changing some Guatemalan’s lives. We find out how this circular migration is benefiting both businesses in the US, and the economy back home in Guatemala. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresenter/producer: Jane Chambers(Photo: Sandra...

The French businessman was Director-General of the WTO from 2005–2013, and European commissioner for trade for five years from 1999 – 2004. Ed Butler speaks to Pascal Lamy about the trading relationships between the US and China, and the US and the EU, what a second Trump presidency might mean for world trade. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPr...