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
Nov 14, 2013 • 28min
Shipping
It's the lifeblood of the world's economy, moving most of our imports and exports and around the globe. But shipping is changing: vessels and ports are getting bigger and competition for trade is coming from the Far East.Evan Davis and guests from the world of shipping discuss how ports are run and how the shipping business manages the risk of accidents and piracy.Guests:James Cooper - CEO of Associated British Ports. , a private company which owns and runs 21 ports in the UK.
Kenneth MacLeod - Chairman of Stena Line UK and President of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Rupert Atkin - CEO of Talbot Underwriting and Chairman of the Lloyd's Market Association.Producer - Smita Patel.
Nov 7, 2013 • 28min
Planning for the Future
Infrastructure projects can take decades to complete and are meant to last for generations. Planning for new rail networks, roads, bridges, airports - in the UK and overseas - all require assumptions and predictions about the future. What shape will the country's economy be in? Will the population grow or shrink? How might travel patterns change? And will the political regimes support the project over the years? Evan Davis and guests discuss the problems and pitfalls of planning for the long view.Guests:
Alison Munro, CEO HS2
Tushar Prabhu, co-owner, Pell Frischmann
Richard Deakin, CEO NATS Producer: Rosamund Jones.
Oct 31, 2013 • 28min
Deals
When the world economy is booming, many corporate bosses love nothing more than buying each other's companies. Takeovers, mergers and acquisitions soar. But evidence tends to suggest that many of the arrangements are a waste of time, so why are deals so seductive? On the Bottom Line, Evan Davis and guests discuss why deals go right and what happens when they go wrong.
Guests:
Sir George Buckley - former CEO, 3M and currently Chairman Designate of the engineering group Smiths
Sir Michael Rake - Chairman of BT Group and Deputy Chairman of Barclays
Juergen Maier - MD of Siemens UK and Ireland
Producer: Smita Patel.
Oct 24, 2013 • 28min
Who's the Boss?
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. Discussing these issues with Evan Davis are:John Timpson, Chairman Timpson Group
Nikki King, CEO Isuzu Truck UK
Sir Gerry Robinson, Chairman Moto HospitalityProducer : Rosamund Jones.
Oct 17, 2013 • 28min
Digital Marketplaces
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, General Manager for Continental Europe, eBay.
Producer : Smita Patel.
Oct 10, 2013 • 28min
The Business of War
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 General Graham Binns CBE, DSO, MC, a former British army officer, now CEO of Aegis Defence Services Limited.Major General Andrew Pringle, CB, CBE, President of KBR UK and a former British army officer.Gabriel Carter, Managing Director of LPD Risk Management.Producer: Smita Patel.
Oct 3, 2013 • 28min
Big Data
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 DavisGuests: Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer and Director of Search, Microsoft UK; Konrad Feldman, CEO Quantcast; Lawrence Jones, Founder UK Fast.
Jul 25, 2013 • 28min
Investor Relations
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
Nigel Wilson, Group CEO Legal & GeneralProducers: Rosamund Jones/Lucy Proctor.
Jul 18, 2013 • 28min
Water
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 few decades - from state-owned water providers to international business players.
Guests:
Peter Simpson, CEO Anglian Water
Bryan Harvey, Vice President CH2M HILL
Olivier Bret, CEO Veolia Water UK
Producer : Rosamund Jones.
Jul 11, 2013 • 28min
Futurology for Business
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 massive bets on the future of farming, biomass fuel and the creation of a hyper-connected global society and finds out about timing, balancing risk and holding your nerve.Also, the view from America, Sweden and the UK on corporate tax is discussed.Guests:
Dorothy Thompson, CEO, Drax
Hans Vestberg, CEO, Ericsson
Jim Rogers, investorProducer:
Lucy Proctor.
