The Bottom Line

Plastic is arguably one of the world's greatest inventions. Its' qualities allow it to be used in everything from food packaging to clothes and cars. But discarded plastic clogs up our rivers and oceans threatening marine life creating a consumer backlash. So what can the industry do to restore its reputation and how? Evan Davis and guests discuss. GUESTS Lubna Edwards, Global Sustainability Direc...

No supply chain is immune from disruption and shocks. From extreme weather to strikes and cyber crime, what causes a supply chain to fail? Join Evan Davis and guests. Guests Tim O'Malley, Managing Director of Nationwide Produce Richard Oldroyd, Regional Managing Director of Persimmon Homes Liam Fassam, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Geography and Research Director at the University of Northam...

Business has undergone seismic changes over the past decade; do the rules of business need to be re-written? If so, who should write them and what should they say? Evan Davis and guests discuss. GUESTS Ian Taylor, Chairman, Vitol Dame Helena Morrissey, Head of Personal Investing, Legal & General Investment Management Wendy Tan White, Partner, BGF Ventures

There are thousands of festivals in the UK each year and millions of us go to them. But as an organiser how do you make any money? Do logistics and the British weather make them a risky business? Every year festivals get cancelled and some cease trading. Profit margins are tight, say organisers, and set-up costs are high. A big festival may have to pay more a million pounds to secure a top headlin...

The UK has been a global leader in the Advertising Industry since the end of the last century. But like many businesses it's now facing disruption from technology. Pop up banners on the internet and social influencers are cheaper and more immediate. Evan Davis and guests discuss whether a data driven approach to advertising will eventually kill creativity. GUESTS Sir John Hegarty, Co-Founder BBH R...

Commodities are the raw materials which oil the wheels of the modern economy. From minerals to crude oil to coffee, Evan Davis and guests look at how the business of buying and selling commodities works and why it matters to all of us. GUESTS Andrew Gowers, Global Head of Corporate Affairs, Trafigura Jean-Francois Lambert, Founder, Lambert Commodities Colin Hamilton, MD Commodities Research, BMO C...

Social media giants mishandle data, banks mis-sell PPI insurance, engineers arrange for cars to cheat emissions tests. Why do companies sometimes do bad things? Evan Davis and guests discuss whether it's by accident or deliberate. Coverage of business wrongdoing often focuses on bad individuals but how far can a company's culture be blamed? Guests: Nick Leeson, the original 'rogue trader' Sara Geo...

In some countries politicians have fixed term limits. What would happen if the same principle applied to CEOs? On average bosses in the UK stay for just under six years. But founder chief executives stay much longer. Evan Davis and guests discuss whether chief executives know when their time is up? Guests: Martin Gilbert, co-ceo, Aberdeen Standard Investments. Margaret Heffernan, author and entrep...

Is becoming a franchisee a good way to start your own business? Evan Davis and guests discuss the ups and downs of franchising. GUESTS Ken Deary, Franchisor Right at Home Rachana Pancholi, Franchisee, Subway Roz Goldstein Goldstein Legal Producer: Julie Ball.

Facebook, Apple, Google, or Amazon. Dominant companies that today look unassailable. But similar claims were made about MySpace, Tesco, Microsoft, Kodak and Polaroid. However, these companies turned out to be more vulnerable than anyone thought. Evan Davis and guests discuss invulnerability, complacency and hubris in corporations. Guests: Sean Percival, entrepreneur and former Vice President for O...

Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show.

The next generation of mobile technology - 5G - will be rolled out from 2019. It will enable faster streaming on our mobile phones and tablets and speed up the 'internet of things', allowing thousands of computers to 'talk' to each other. The fifth generation mobile network also has applications that could be used in public safety and healthcare. But will the UK build the infrastructure - installi...

As children few of us have had experience of running a business. But this week we'll be hearing from four teenage entrepreneurs who have been honing their business skills in one case, since the age of 6. Evan Davis hears their stories. GUESTS Kate and Annie Madden, Co-founders, FenuHealth Henry Patterson, Founder and Director, Not Before Tea Rebecca Patterson, Not Before Tea Akshay Ruparelia, Foun...

Radio 4’s Bottom Line and Briefing Room will combine in a special hour-long programme examining the economic and political future of the EU once Britain has left. Evan Davis meets Jean-Claude Trichet – former president of the European Central Bank – and is joined by a panel of business leaders from across the EU. David Aaronovitch will look at the politics of the EU and its future direction. Franc...

The tech giant Apple has just spent five billion dollars building a campus in California's Silicon Valley. It's not alone in its architectural ambitions. The new Facebook HQ in London features trees, grass and plants. So what does a corporate headquarters tell us about a business? Is it an opportunity for a company to show off its wealth and attract the best talent or is it folly? Evan Davis and g...

What is strategy and why do businesses need it? What distinguishes a good strategy from a bad one or a non-strategy? Not to be confused with goals or a company's ambition, strategy is a word that is often mis-used and misapplied. But in reality it can make the difference between success and failure - especially if it's adaptable to changes in the market. Evan Davis looks at where companies have go...

Are 'ethical' businesses all they're cracked up to be? Evan Davis and guests discuss the newest type of certification in ethical business, the B Corp, and ask if it'll catch on. GUESTS Katie Hill, Executive Director, B Lab UK Wendy Chapple, Associate Professor in Management and member of the Responsible and Sustainable Business Lab, Nottingham Business School Jean-Cristophe Laugee, Vice-President,...

What has happened to Margaret Thatcher's dream of creating a nation of shareholders? Over the last decade there's been a big increase in the amount of foreign ownership. ONS figures show foreign investors now own over fifty per cent of shares listed on the stock exchange. Evan Davis and guests discuss why this has happened and whether it matters. GUESTS John Dawson, Founding Partner, Statera Gilli...

Evan Davis and guests discuss why some restaurant chains thrive and others fail. Why are so many chains closing down branches now? GUESTS Paul Campbell, Founder, Hill Capital Partners LLP Angela Hartnett, Chef and Owner of Murano, Café Murano and Merchants' Tavern Sarah Willingham, Entrepreneur and Investor.

Evan Davis and guests discuss the relationship between three important pillars of modern society: science, business and the consumer. Is the public right to be suspicious of business and the science it's selling? Why do some us fear GM foods, nanotechnology, AI and gene editing? GUESTS Jackie Hunter, Chief Executive, Benevolent Bio Justin King, Vice-Chairman and Head of Portfolio Businesses, Terra...

Civil engineers would argue they are the unsung heroes of the railways, roads and bridges we all take for granted. But building major infrastructure projects is a complicated business. So how do you go about putting up a bridge? Are you limited by engineering or economics? Evan Davis tries to find the answer from three civil engineers. GUESTS Mike Glover, Arup Fellow Louise Hardy, Civil Engineer,...

In the final programme of the current series Evan Davis will be talking to Sir Terry Leahy, former Tesco CEO, in front of an invited audience at Sir Terry's old school, St. Edward's College, Liverpool.

Are you being served? Where do you shop - online, a department store or one of the large shopping centres around the country? Evan Davis looks at the competitive business of running a mixed retail outlet, or department store, and asks can they survive? GUESTS Tony Brown, CEO, Beales Department Stores Stacey Cartwright, CEO, Harvey Nichols, David Fischel, CEO, INTU Shopping Centres.

What makes the UK an attractive place for foreign companies to invest in? Britain has tended to enjoy high levels of inward investment thanks to its open economy. How might this change when the UK leaves the EU? Evan Davis and guests explore the topic. Joining Evan Davis are: Ian Robertson, Global Head of BMW sales and marketing Vera Wei, Chief Executive of Sloan Education David Landsman, Executiv...

In the UK we spend £4.5 billion a year on domestic pets. Where does the money go? Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of keeping pets. GUESTS Lynne Hill, Chief Executive of Linnaeus Group of veterinary practices Dean Richmond, Managing Director of retailing chain, Pets Corner Ashley Gray, Managing Director of Vetsure Pet Insurance.