The Bottom Line

Where can you find a hand-stitched crochet blanket, the latest Lady Gaga video or sell your old sofa? Trading online makes it easier than ever to find a marketplace and gives the consumer a different and faster way to shop and browse. On The Bottom Line Evan Davis discusses the issues with: Nic Jones, Senior Vice President International, VEVO; Nicole Vanderbilt, MD Etsy; and François Coumau, Gener...

Where there is war and fear there's money to be made from protection. In The Bottom Line, Evan Davis talks to ex-army leaders turned businessmen about the world of private defence and security work. Why are governments employing private contractors to do work previously done by the armed forces? How do those businesses maintain their reputations in such a controversial sector? Guests: Major Genera...

Big data has become big business as improvements in computer memory storage have made it possible to keep and analyse digital data on a scale previously unknown. Evan Davis and guests discuss how the ability to store information about us has created new industries and transformed others. Presenter: Evan Davis Guests: Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer and Director of Search, Microsoft UK; Konr...

The power of investors and their role in changing how business functions and is run is the discussion for Evan Davis and his guests. What is it like to be voted off the board by your shareholders? And is investor activism here to stay? And how should a company boss best manage the owners of the company? Guests Alison Carnwath, chair Land Securities Helena Morrissey, CEO Newton Asset Management Nig...

Water is the world's most precious resource. It's also big business. As climate changes and populations shift, getting water where it needs to be is a huge global challenge. And that's without the added problem of leakage. And how much should consumers pay for something that none of us can live without? Evan Davis and guests discuss an industry which has changed almost beyond recognition in just a...

Predicting the future is a skill that can earn investors and businesses a fortune - but get it wrong and disaster looms. In sectors like energy and technology planning decades ahead is an absolute necessity - but how can CEOs know what the world will look like in 2030 and how do they persuade shareholders and staff to come along for the ride? Evan Davis meets three business leaders who are placing...

What do you do when it all goes wrong? How to manage corporations in times of crisis is the subject under discussion by Evan Davis and his guests. Business leaders should expect the ride sometimes to be bumpy - but what is it reasonable to expect? And what is the best way to proceed when the truly unexpected happens? Guests Michael Woodford, former chief executive & president, Olympus Corporat...

Entrepreneurs discuss how much money you need to start a business - and where to get it from - with Evan Davis. Why do some start-ups require millions and others just a few hundred pounds? And what are the benefits and pitfalls of finding investors on the web? It's called crowd-funding and many consider it to be the next big thing in venture capital. Guests: Mark Popkiewicz, founder, MirriAd Julie...

The food industry is increasingly in the spotlight as consumers and government worry about obesity, sustainability and safety. Evan Davis finds out from three very different food companies about how their supply chains work and how much oversight any company leader can have. Guests discuss how to create an efficient and cost effective system that delivers on quality and safety. Do consumers elsewh...

Travel companies have recently had to weather the storms of recession for their customers and major upheaval at popular holiday destinations around the world. Evan Davis finds out how airlines and tour companies plan for their seasonal business in light of economic crisis in Greece and political unrest in Egypt and North Africa - getting it wrong could lead to financial disaster. And guests will d...

Recruitment companies discuss the marks left by recession on their businesses and the employment market. Companies in the eye of the storm when the economy first collapsed have had to adapt to stay in business. Evan Davis finds out the survival strategies of three recruiters in very different markets - from board level headhunting to finding seasonal temps and mid-level professionals. Guests : Vir...

Evan Davis meets "appreneurs" trying to make money in a marketplace where traditional business rules do not apply. Becoming an appreneur is easy. All you need is a computer and a couple of hundred pounds. And an idea of course. No surprise perhaps that thousands of new apps are created every week to serve the ever growing smart phone and tablet computer market. But what happens next? How do you ma...

Education and how to make a profit from it is the focus for Evan and his three guests this week - each of them business leaders in the learning sector. From low-cost private schools in Ghana to no-frills law courses and a University of Liverpool campus in China, our guests will share their business lessons on how to build a reputation and how to price a good education. They'll also talk about the...

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. It's said that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large one. Evan Davis and his guests explore just how profitable sel...

Evan Davis asks his guests what it takes to rescue a sinking company.

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 l...

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...

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 continen...

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 webs...

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, booksh...

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 drivi...

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, t...

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...

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 g...

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 the science of pricing goods and services. How do companies decide what to charge - and how much of it is educated guesswork as to w...