Shows / The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show with people at the top giving insight into what matters
Episodes
- The Bottom Line
Pre-loved
Demand for pre-loved goods has surged in the UK in recent years, with fashion, books and furniture especially popular. So what’s driving this boom in…
- The Bottom Line
Dame Sharon White
John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose are possibly two of the most trusted brands in retail. This week, Evan Davis interviews Dame Sharon White, who took over as…
- The Bottom Line
Managing millennials (and Gen Z)
Younger workers want unlimited holiday, refuse to give up remote working, and are constantly looking for their next job, or so the cliché goes. Millennials and…
- The Bottom Line
Flying Circus?
As Covid restrictions were eased last year, the demand to travel abroad by air overtook the readiness of the industry to cope, leading to thousands of flights…
- The Bottom Line
Are supermarkets profiteering?
Grocery stores are under pressure – with food inflation still near record highs, some have accused them of profiteering and the UK’s competition watchdog is…
- The Bottom Line
Business Books
What makes a great business book and how do you make practical advice on a subject like accounting a riveting read? What makes you more likely to read a…
- The Bottom Line
How to Hire
What's the best way to recruit people who have the right skills for the job, but are also the right cultural fit for your business? And how do you do that…
- The Bottom Line
Powered by AI
Machines now have the ability to write novels, create works of art, or compose original songs thanks to artificial intelligence. In future the technology could…
- The Bottom Line
Running Rolls Royce
Warren East has run two of the UK's most successful companies, ARM and Rolls Royce Holdings. During his tenure at ARM he oversaw a rapid growth of this…
- The Bottom Line
Podcasting
It seems these days everyone is making a podcast, from Michelle Obama and Kate Hudson to Alastair Campbell and Dua Lipa. Covering every subject from health and…
- The Bottom Line
The French correction?
The French work fewer hours, take longer holidays and retire earlier than UK employees, but they are also more productive and their economy is therefore…
- The Bottom Line
Too much choice?
If you've ever felt bamboozled by the sheer range of biscuits at your local supermarket or in a quandary over which pair of headphones to buy from the plethora…
- The Bottom Line
How Strikes Come to an End
Current strike action across the UK led to more than a million lost working days in 2022, the worst industrial strife the nation has experienced since the…
- The Bottom Line
Opportunists and Optimists
As the UK struggles with recession, Evan Davis talks to four business people who are not afraid to be bulls in a bear market. Does a recession offer…
- The Bottom Line
Turning Passion into Profit
Col Needham set up his first business at the age of 14 designing and selling games software for computers. But his real love, since the age of 5, has always…
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A new era for the housing market?
What will higher interest rates on borrowing money mean for the property market and what happens if house prices fall? Evan Davis discusses mortgages and…
- The Bottom Line
The business of being a GP
Since the very beginning of the NHS, GP surgeries have been, in effect, businesses with contracts to do the work the Health Service needs. But in recent…
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Dealing in Defence
Evan Davis looks at the UK's defence industry to find out how it is responding to the war in Ukraine and whether socially conscious investors are beginning to…
- The Bottom Line
Changing Tack
What happens when your business vision doesn't stack up or your long-standing business needs to make changes to keep up with a changing market and customer…
- The Bottom Line
Has Britain stopped working?
Evan Davis asks why there are more job vacancies in Britain than there are people looking for work. Unemployment used to be a big problem, but now businesses…
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Excess Profits, Windfall Taxes and Incentives
Is it right that businesses making what look like windfall profits pay windfall taxes? And do the recent announcements from the government to lower taxes in…
- The Bottom Line
Little Boxes?
The government target for building houses in the UK is 300,000 a year, but over the past few years only around 60 per cent of that number have been…
- The Bottom Line
Russian Exodus
Hundreds of western businesses have decided to stop operating in Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. But what does leaving Russia actually mean in…
- The Bottom Line
Woke or Broke?
From Disney to the Halifax bank, companies are increasingly willing to take a stance on everything. But what is driving this trend and will it continue?…
- The Bottom Line
'Sorry, all our agents are busy right now'
Why does it seem so hard to contact a business these days? It's almost like they deliberately hide their phone numbers from us. When we do manage to ring, they…
- The Bottom Line
Employment Tribunals
What to expect when a workplace dispute ends up in court. Thousands of people lodge grievances relating to their jobs directly with their employers, and that's…
- The Bottom Line
How to run a petrol station
As petrol and diesel prices hit record highs, Evan Davis looks at the economics of running a petrol station. There's an allegation motorists are being ripped…
- The Bottom Line
Online Reviews
Can we trust the wisdom of the crowd on online review platforms? Evan Davis and guests discuss how businesses can harness this knowledge to their advantage and…
- The Bottom Line
The price of bread
The 'crust' of living: Evan Davis looks at the spiralling costs of baking a loaf of bread. On top of rising energy bills the industry is having to keep up with…
- The Bottom Line
Business and Energy
How will soaring energy costs affect UK corporations? Prices are spiking, not least because of the war in Ukraine. Energy is essential for everything from…
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Levelling Up
Evan Davis and guests examine the prospects for business in this government priority for increasing economic activity beyond the Southeast of England. How…
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Changing China
How will shifts in China's economic policies affect global commerce? The nation is the world's second-biggest economy and it's been the centre of globalised…
- The Bottom Line
Russia and the global economy
What will the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine be for the world's economy - and for us? From the effects on the energy markets to the tough sanctions…
- The Bottom Line
Buy Now, Pay Later
What's behind the explosion in popularity of Klarna and its competitors? Most of us have found ourselves wanting something that we can’t quite afford. If…
- The Bottom Line
Alcohol-free drinks
Like alcohol, but don't want to drink? For the "sober-curious" consumer there's a range of low-alcohol alternatives on the market from gins and spirits to…
- The Bottom Line
The Price Shock
Prices are rising - but are we heading into an unprecedented economic period? So far, wages haven't yet followed. How different is what's going on now from the…
- The Bottom Line
Your childhood in the workplace
Psychotherapist Naomi Shragai talks to Evan Davis about how our emotional baggage can harm our work life.. She advises businesses and employees on how to…
- The Bottom Line
Conflict at Work
Evan Davis and guests discuss how best to resolve disputes between colleagues - both making the best of it and avoiding the worst. Despite our best efforts…
- The Bottom Line
Class in the workplace
How can companies create a level playing field for applicants and employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds? Evan Davis and guests discuss the sometimes…
- The Bottom Line
The Lottery Business
The National Lottery contract is up for grabs. While the results aren't scheduled to be announced until early 2022, the bids are in and being considered - and…
- The Bottom Line
The Quick Commerce Economy
Evan Davis looks at the expanding world of ultrafast home delivery. App-based firms like Getir promise to get a grocery order to your home in just 10 minutes…
- The Bottom Line
Carbon Capture
Can carbon capture save the planet - and make money? The government has announced millions of pounds of funding to support the UK's emerging carbon capture…
- The Bottom Line
Hybrid working
In 2020, the pandemic hit, and the world locked down. Suddenly white-collar staff went from working in the office, to working remotely. But now we are opening…
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Labour shortages and the new model economy
Labour shortages, particularly in the hospitality and HGV sector have dominated the headlines from petrol shortages, to worries about Christmas dinner being…
- The Bottom Line
Clinical Trials
The extraordinary success of the creation of vaccines for Covid-19 has made the business of clinical trials look simple. But appearances can be deceptive and…
- The Bottom Line
Carbon labelling
Should consumers be told the carbon footprint of the products they buy? And if so, how? In recent years, a shift in customer attitudes towards climate change…
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Rolling out electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are a hot topic. Nissan has announced it will construct a factory to produce EVs, while the government says no new vehicles running on petrol…
- The Bottom Line
The Purple Pound
The spending power of disabled people and their families - the so-called purple pound - is valued at £249 billion a year. So is there a competitive business…
- The Bottom Line
The Future of Cruises
For nearly 20 years, the cruise industry experienced huge growth. Then a pandemic hit. After a year of forking out for boats docked in port and devastating…
- The Bottom Line
Sound of the suburbs
For years the suburbs have been seen as places to live, from which you can commute to a big city to work. But has the pandemic pushed the economic pendulum in…
- The Bottom Line
Ramping up capacity
How can businesses cope with supply shortages? Car factories across the world have had to shut down because they can't get hold of enough silicon chips. And as…
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The future of money
The pandemic has given a nudge to the decline of cash. If that is the past - what is the future for our payments system? Could it simply be cards linked to…
- The Bottom Line
Billionaires
When you have billions it's impossible to spend it all on yourself and your family. So what else do you do? Join the space race like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos…
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Hydrogen future
It’s all around us and has pride of place in the periodic table. Hydrogen is the number one element. For decades it’s been hailed as a potentially cleaner…
- The Bottom Line
How to set up an EU subsidiary.
Since Brexit, many companies have had to set up a subsidiary operation in the EU to continue trading. What are the rules, regulations, pitfalls and costs? Evan…
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The Satellite Business
The government wants to boost the UK's growing space industry through its £400 m investment in satellite communications firm OneWeb. The company is a pioneer…
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The Reddit Revolutionaries
The rush on shares by individual investors, into struggling US video game store chain Gamestop was portrayed as an attempt by a new breed of retail investors…
- The Bottom Line
Net Zero in the house
What are the business opportunities in turning our old housing stock green? The UK has some of the least energy-efficient housing in Europe – most of it built…
- The Bottom Line
The Covid Hangover
What are the long-term implications for the Covid crisis for the British economy. The government has borrowed more money over the last 12 months than ever…
- The Bottom Line
Return to Brexit
Almost five years ago on The Bottom Line - just before the EU referendum – debated the pros and cons of being in the EU. In a tribute to Radio 4’s The Reunion…