300 episodes

Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show with insights from the people at the top.

The Bottom Line BBC Radio 4

    • Business
    • 4.7 • 31 Ratings

Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show with insights from the people at the top.

    In the eye of a crisis

    In the eye of a crisis

    Evan Davis makes up crisis management scenarios to see how three CEOs handle a business emergency. To make it more realistic none of the guests know what the predicaments are before speaking to Evan.
    Guests:
    Kathryn Jacob, CEO of Pearl and Dean
    Dame Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd's of London
    Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury's
    Production Team:
    Presenter: Evan Davis
    Editor: Matt Willis
    Producer: Simon Tulet & Paige Neal-Holder
    Sound: Sarah Hockley & Rod Farquhar

    • 41 min
    Rethinking retirement

    Rethinking retirement

    A typical career, for many, involves some kind of progression, or at least the expectation of it, until we stop and retire. But is there a better model?
    Evan Davis and guests discuss whether more of us should think about easing into retirement by taking more junior roles, going part time, or switching profession altogether, instead of stepping off a career cliff edge when we reach pension age. Could this expand the number of job opportunities for older workers, whilst also helping younger workers push through the ranks?
    Stepping back isn’t an option open to all, though, and there could be big implications for pensions, so how should older workers begin to calculate if, or when, it might be possible?

    Evan is joined by:
    Matthew Rideout, founder of Knead & Desire Bakehouse;
    Sir Howard Davies, chairman of NatWest Group;
    Zoe Ashdown, head of culture and people engagement at AXA UK and Ireland.
    Thanks also to the listeners who sent in voice notes, and to everyone else who emailed bottomline@bbc.co.uk
    PRODUCTION TEAM:
    Producers: Simon Tulett
    Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
    Editor: Matt Willis
    Sound: James Beard and Rod Farquhar
    Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
    The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.
    (Picture: An older man laughing and looking at a laptop with a young woman in a workshop. Credit: Alys Tomlinson/Getty Images)

    • 33 min
    Where's the life in nightlife?

    Where's the life in nightlife?

    The UK’s biggest nightclub operator recently announced the closure of around half of its venues, and with them almost 500 jobs. REKOM UK, which owns the Atik and Pryzm brands, blamed the cost of living crisis hurting its customers, along with increased operating costs. But is there something else going on?
    According to the industry association the number of nightclubs in the UK has more than halved in the last decade, so have younger people – nightclubs’ core customers – lost interest in drinking and dancing the night away? Are landlords eyeing up healthier returns from these enormous spaces by turning them into flats? And how are the remaining venues evolving to attract these, and sometimes older, customers?
    Evan Davis is joined by:
    Peter Marks, chairman of REKOM UK;
    Mike Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association;
    Jo Cox-Brown, CEO of Night Time Economy Solutions.
    PRODUCTION TEAM:
    Producers: Simon Tulett and Nick Holland
    Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
    Editor: Matt Willis
    Sound: Rod Farquhar
    Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
    The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.
    (Picture: A crowd of people dancing and waving their arms in the air. Credit: Getty Images)

    • 35 min
    Navigating the Say-Do Gap

    Navigating the Say-Do Gap

    It’s easy for people to say they want to buy a particular product, perhaps in the name of sustainability. But how often do individuals actually follow through with these well-meaning intentions? Academics regularly observe a difference between what consumers say they want to do and what they actually do.
    The gap can cause problems for businesses when they're trying to figure out how to serve their customers. Evan Davis is joined by a panel of business leaders to discuss how they bridge this divide.
    Guests:
    Andreas Chatzidakis, professor of marketing in the centre for research into sustainability, Royal Holloway, University of London
    Jake Pickering, senior manager for agriculture, Waitrose
    Marsha Smith, deputy CEO, IKEA UK
    Toby Clark, vice president of insights, Mintel
    Production team:
    Producers: Simon Tulett, and Nick Holland
    Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
    Editor: Matt Willis
    Sound: Hal Haines
    Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

    The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.

    • 41 min
    Feedback

    Feedback

    It's useful to know how you're doing at work, but feedback from managers and colleagues can often be unhelpful, upsetting, or even non-existent. So what's the best way to give and receive it?
    Evan Davis and guests discuss some top techniques, particularly in the tricky area of negative feedback, and the importance of training managers in how to have these conversations. But feedback isn't just about managers - we learn the best ways for employees to receive and act on it.
    Plus, how frequently should an employee's performance be measured - we discuss the pros and cons of the annual appraisal - and whether technology helps or hinders.
    Evan Davis is joined by:
    Catherine Hearn, UK HR director, Amazon
    Katie Obi, chief people officer, Advanced
    Margaret Cheng, HR consultant, executive coach and author of 'Giving Good Feedback'
    PRODUCTION TEAM:
    Producer: Simon Tulett
    Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
    Editor: Matt Willis
    Sound: Graham Puddifoot and Hal Haines
    Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
    The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.
    (Picture: A woman and a man talking at a desk. Credit: Vladimir Vladimirov, Getty Images)

    • 34 min
    Meat

    Meat

    UK consumers are eating less meat than at any point since records began 50 years ago, according to the latest government figures, so how are farmers, processors and retailers responding?
    The cost of living crisis is part of the reason for a recent drop-off in demand, but warnings about meat's impact on the planet and our health might also play a role, and plant-based alternatives have been eating into meat’s market share in recent years.
    So does the industry feel under attack, or are they adapting their businesses and their products to meet these challenges? And what does it take to get an animal from a field to our plate anyway?
    Evan Davis is joined by:
    Anna Longthorp, of Anna’s Happy Trotters;
    Phil Hambling, head of CSR at ABP Food Group;
    Charlotte Mitchell, owner of Charlotte’s Butchery.
    PRODUCTION TEAM:
    Producer: Simon Tulett
    Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
    Editor: Matt Willis
    Sound: Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill
    Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
    The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.
    (Picture: A butcher arranging meat at store window in Leeds. Credit: Reza Estakhrian/Getty Images)

    • 33 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
31 Ratings

31 Ratings

vitalej17 ,

SO NEEDED RIGHT NOW!!

This is one of the most important podcasts that can exist right now because of today's divisive climate. It brings an important voice to the issues of inclusivity and diversity within business ownership, as well as other necessary topics that speak to being a MORAL business owner and not just a successful one. Worth a listen to say the least!

The Original, SP ,

More please

I love this show. Wish there were more.

VOC_Nagasaki ,

Great podcast

Very thorough coverage of the important business topics we hardly read elsewhere.

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