Business Daily

Welcome to Wakaliwood

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Uganda's home-grown film industry is proving a hit on YouTube, but does it glorify violence? Ed Butler heads to Wakaliga on the outskirts of Kampala t...

The Trouble With Bike Sharing

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why are Chinese bike-share companies struggling to replicate their success abroad? Ed Butler hears from Nick Hubble, a cycling campaigner in Mancheste...

The Class of 2008

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What happened to those who graduated straight into the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression?Kim Gittleson is one of them, an...

Remembering Lehman

13 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

10 years after the failure of Lehman Brothers triggered global financial meltdown, Ed Butler hears from those who were in the middle of the maelstrom....

Vaping: A New Addiction?

12 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Is the multi-billion dollar e-cigarettes industry doing more harm than good? Manuela Saragosa hears from Jack Waxman of the Students Against Nicotine ...

Looking Back at Lehmans

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Butler talks to historian Adam Tooze about the legacy of the global financial crisis, which peaked with the collapse of Lehman Brothers in Septembe...

Why Do So Few Women Work in India?

28 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

India has been developing rapidly over the past few decades. But in one way, it can still be very traditional. Women are often expected to stay at hom...

Handmade By Hipsters

27 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A compelling back story is now de rigueur when it comes to selling us things, especially in the food industry; whether it's a bar of chocolate or a cu...

The Business of Conspiracy Theories

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sites offering wild theories, and unsupported claims, are increasingly the stuff of modern online discourse. But what's the business model that's fuel...

The Trouble with Tourists

22 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Should cities be worried about 'overtourism'? We hear from disgruntled locals in Rome, Edinburgh and Amsterdam. The BBC's Douglas Fraser reports on th...

Has Mining Cleaned Up its Act?

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Mining in the developing world still sparks violent protests - so what has the industry learned?Grace Livingstone reports from the Tintaya copper mine...

Stars, Shirts and Sponsors

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How are elite football clubs able to raise so much money from sponsors and merchandise to spend on the top players?Juventus just paid 100 million euro...

India's Tea Crisis

08 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There's trouble brewing in India's tea industry. Tea production is one of India's biggest industries. But it's struggling in the face of increased com...

What's Up with Whatsapp?

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The developing world's favourite chat app is accused of spreading malicious rumours. In India the rumours led to the lynching of people falsely accuse...

Welcome to Nicaragua

03 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How is political turmoil hitting tourism and the economy in Nicaragua, and where will it all end?President Daniel Ortega has faced months of mass prot...

The Skin Business

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Skincare is a multi-billion-dollar industry. But do skincare products really work? Vishala Sri-Pathma hears from Amy Elizabeth, a beauty expert at the...

The Business of Body Curves

31 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Designers and retailers have long thought of the plus size market as high-risk. Predicting what these customers will buy can be difficult, as they ten...

How to Spot a Narcissist

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Almost all offices have them. The person whose self-belief exceeds their abilities, who belittles their co-workers, and who considers themselves so sp...

The Death of the Job Interview

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Can AI takeover from the traditional job interview? Ed Butler speaks to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University Colleg...

The Future of TV

26 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Young people may be turning their backs on the traditional TV set, but is it stimulating a golden age of drama?Netflix, YouTube and Amazon are better ...

Are Things Getting Worse?

25 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Millennials are the first generation set to be worse off than their parents. Daniel Tomlinson, economic researcher at the Resolution Foundation in the...

Putin's Great Nemesis

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Businessman Bill Browder was singled out by Russian President Vladimir Putin, at his summit with US President Donald Trump, as a "person of interest"....

Bosses, Babies and Breast Pumps

19 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Engineers showcase new technologies to help women return to work after maternity leave - but why is the engineering profession itself so male-dominate...

Music Stardom in the Spotify Age

18 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Recording artists and industry figures discuss the impact of the streaming revolution. Edwin Lane reports on how emerging artists are looking to strea...

Pride and Prejudice

13 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What responsibility do corporates have to promote LGBTQ rights in countries where homosexuality is still illegal, or gay people are widely persecuted?...

Living Fast and Slow

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Abbreviated books, short-form TV, time-management gurus - has the cult of speed gone too far and is it time to slow everything down?Ed Butler speaks t...

Fighting Fraud in the Food Chain

11 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Could blockchain technology solve the global problem of food fraud? Rahul Tandon reports on a meat scandal in India and Manuela Saragosa speaks to Jes...

Battling Mongolia's Pollution Problem

10 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Coal fires used to beat the bitter cold of Mongolian winters blanket capital city Ulaanbaatar with smog in the winter, the BBC's Roger Hearing finds, ...

A Spectacular Merger

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Two companies dominate the global eyewear industry - and now they are merging into a glasses behemoth. What does it mean for the bespectacled public?M...

Mongolia's Mega Mine

06 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The gigantic Oyu Tolgoi copper mine will certainly make some people rich, but how many of them will be Mongolian? Ed Butler speaks to the BBC's Roger ...

Britain's Brexit Befuddlement

05 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The UK still doesn't know what kind of future trading relationship it wants with the EU, more than two years after voting to leave and with less than ...

Is Germany Losing its Mojo?

29 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Germany is booming, yet some commentators suggest the nation's loss of confidence on the football pitch may mirror economic angst back home.A shortage...

Trump's Trade War

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Harley Davidson and Mid Continent Nail Corp are some of the US employers being hammered by America's escalating tariffs spat with its biggest trade pa...

Turkey's Refugee Workforce

27 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of Syrians, including children as young as 10, are employed illegally in Turkish factories and shops - working long hours, underpaid and with...

Trump's Conflicts of Interest

22 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Does the US President mix his business with his politics? And is this anything unusual in Washington DC?Lisa Gilbert of Public Citizen, a non-profit w...

The Kidnapping Business

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Is kidnapping really that lucrative, and why are some countries, such as Mexico, plagued by the crime?Ed Butler speaks to one kidnap victim from Mexic...

What Can We Do About Fake Reviews?

19 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you have ever bought something in an online shop or been to a restaurant, chances are you’ve read a review for it, apparently written by a custom...

Imagining an Open North Korea

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Would you invest in North Korea? US President Donald Trump raised the idea at his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. His vision of a private...

Shades of Privilege

15 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Colourism is a more insidious form of racism, and harms the prospects of finding work and love for people with darker skin around the world.Natasha Pi...

Dirty Money in Zimbabwe

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

People queue all night to get filthy notes in a country which is running out of cash. Lesley Curwen visits Harare, the country's capital and talks to ...

Mongolian Yoghurt and the World Cup

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The usual western sponsors in this years World Cup have largely been replaced by Asian brands. Why?FIFA makes most of its money from selling the broad...

Tackling Trump in Trade Talks

08 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As G7 countries gather for trade talks in Quebec, could they gain some tips on how to fight back against the US steel tariffs from one of President Tr...

Zimbabwe's Mineral Wealth

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Zimbabwe is "open for business", claims its new President Emmerson Mnangagwa, but can it finally put its natural resources to good use?The BBC's Ivana...

Do We Really Decide for Ourselves?

06 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we behave the way we do in a group setting? Is it because of gender, because of taught behaviour or because of obligation? Ginny Smith, a scie...

When the Bitcoin Miners Come to Town

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The real-world impact of the cryptocurrency business. Edwin Lane reports from Iceland, which has attracted power-hungry Bitcoin mines looking for a ch...

Who is Elon Musk?

01 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

He’s had a few outbursts in recent weeks. Calling stock analysts boring. Criticising his critics over the performance of his cars. Is he a genius, b...

Being Watched at Work

31 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why are we being watched more and more by technology, including in the workplace? Is it an aid to hard work, or prelude to oppression? Wiretap co-foun...

Rebranding Africa

30 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Africa is developing economically, but its own companies don’t have the same profile as western brands. How come? Mary-Ann Kaikai of Madam Wokie Fas...

Ecstasy on Prescription

29 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

MDMA, the key ingredient in the illegal party drug ecstasy, may soon be approved as a medicine. Meanwhile, it's also making a comeback across Europe's...

Racist AI

28 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Can artificial intelligence and face recognition technology be racist? AI is increasingly being used in all aspects of our lives but there is a proble...

Europe's Data D-Day

25 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The EU's new data rules, coming into force today, could spell the end of spam mail - that at least is the hope of the General Data Protection Regulati...

The Death of Traditional Advertising

24 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do brands survive in an era of big data, social media, and increasing consumer cynicism?Ed Butler looks at the case of Royal Enfield motorbikes, w...

Pointless Jobs

22 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Being paid to do nothing at work might sound like every employee's dream, but it can also bring shame and depression. We speak to a French man who suc...

Agony in India

21 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A chronic lack of opioid drugs leaves millions of people throughout the developing world to live and die in unrelenting, excruciating pain. It is a pa...

Venezuela in Tatters

18 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economic depression, 13,000% inflation, oil seizures by creditors, international sanctions, a refugee crisis - can the Maduro government hold on to po...

Is China Tech a Trojan Horse?

17 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Are US allegations that Huawei is helping Beijing hack US data networks motivated by genuine suspicions or by trade protectionism?Joe Miller reports f...

Fighting Ad Fraud

16 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Digital advertising fraud cost companies an estimated $16bn last year. Often the clicks or downloads generated by the ads they paid for came not from ...

Italy: The EU's Next Headache?

15 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement and anti-immigration Northern League edge closer to a coalition, we ask whether such a eurosceptic go...

Are You Ready for GDPR?

14 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New data protection rules are due to take effect in the European Union on 25 May, and complying with them is proving to be a headache for businesses t...

Netflix vs the Silver Screen

11 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Does Netflix threaten to wipe out the traditional cinema in much the same way that it already annihilated video rentals?The online streaming service i...

Hormones: The Pill

10 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Hormonal contraceptives liberated women around the world, and are now proliferating in Africa too.Manuela Saragosa talks to endocrinologist Maralyn Dr...

Justice on Death Row

09 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Africa has about a million prison inmates, many of them jailed without a fair trial or proper legal representation, often because they cannot afford i...

Tech Solutions for the Poor

07 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How can we think differently about some of the most entrenched economic problems facing the poor? Jane Wakefield finds out how tech can cure blindness...

Economists in the Doghouse

04 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The economics profession has sought to reinvent itself since the its failure to foresee the 2008 financial crisis.Manuela Saragosa speaks to two econo...

How Economists Forgot Housework

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Feminist economists argue that GDP statistics need to start taking account of care-giving and housework if we want to start valuing these things as a ...

Paying the Price of Prison

02 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For most people, a traffic violation simply means a fine. But for poorer people in the US, it could mean being imprisoned. Since the global financial ...

Iran Nuclear Deal Hangs In Balance

01 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made fresh allegations against Iran, adding to mounting pressure on the 2015 nuclear deal. What might be...

Africa's Free Trade Pact

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders of more than 40 African countries have signed a deal to create one of the world's largest free trade blocs, promising to bring prosperity ...

Iran's Foreign Currency Problem

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

With US President Donald Trump threatening to impose more sanctions, Iran remains frozen out of much the international financial system despite the 20...

Creativity in the Digital Age

26 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do designers and advertisers get people's attention when there is so much competition online? And how do brands get around ad-blocker software?Man...

Malaria: Costs and Cures

25 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Malaria continues to be one of the world's most destructive and widespread diseases, killing around 500,000 people each year, almost all of them in su...

Has #MeToo Backfired in India?

24 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

India's women workers have joined the global #MeToo movement, but there are signs it may be backfiring, with some company bosses afraid to hire women,...

Will Tariffs Save US Jobs?

23 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump says tariffs on Chinese goods are necessary to 'protect American workers'. So who in the US might benefit from this action? Tennessee vot...

Good Looks and Getting Ahead

20 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How much does your physical attractiveness affect your career prospects? And can the attention it draws be something of a mixed blessing?Vishala Sri-P...

Transgender in the Workplace

19 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What happens if you are carrying out a high profile job, and then go public as transgender - for example switching from a "he" to a "she" or vice vers...

What's in a Name?

17 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is keen to accelerate its path towards membership of the European Union. But there are obstacles too. Top of...

Does Trump Have a Trade Plan?

17 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The missiles that struck Syria on Friday night have certainly shifted the international economic focus from China tariffs to new potential trade sanct...

TED2018: Can We Fix the Internet?

13 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jaron Lanier is a pioneer of the modern internet and known as the "father" of Virtual Reality. But at the TED conference in Vancouver, Jane Wakefield ...

Who Needs Cash?

12 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The cashless economy: Who are the winners and losers in the worldwide shift to digital payments?Rob Young hears from a grumpy pensioner in Sweden, a c...

Hope for Ethiopia?

04 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ethiopia's economic growth has been hailed as a miracle by some, but it is a country deeply divided along the lines of ethnicity and wealth, and in re...

A Crisis in Tech?

03 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As shares tumble and talk of regulation increases, we ask whether Facebook, Google and Amazon are facing a crisis.High-profile data breaches, falling ...

Farming's Future: Food Factories

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Does the world face a food crisis in the next 10 years? Or could the solution to world hunger already be at hand? Laurence Knight explores whether tec...

West Africa: Youth and Ambition

13 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Africa has the youngest population of any continent in the world and that figure is expected to double in less than 30 years. The BBC's Tamasin Ford t...

Sierra Leone's Economic Struggle

26 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As the country prepares for elections, Ed Butler visits Sierra Leone to find out how people are feeling about the economy as it fights back following ...

Yemen: Trade in Wartime

20 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Business Daily hears remarkable stories from Yemen's civil war. The tens of thousands of African economic migrants risking everything each year to tra...

Tricking Yourself to Save

13 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Are you saving for a rainy day? Eight of the world's major economies will between them have a joint shortfall of some $400 trillion in the next thirty...

Who Profits from Nuclear Weapons?

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

US President Donald Trump has pledged a major upgrade to the country's nuclear deterrent, but are a handful of private defence contractors driving the...

What Should We Look Out For in 2018?

02 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We predict and discuss the biggest business and economic trends of the coming year. Have we failed at handling globalisation, and how can we deal with...

Paradise Papers: Apple's Secret Tax Bolthole

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There's been another round of revelations from the Paradise Papers - the leaked documents from a big offshore law firm. The leaks put Apple's tax aff...

Paradise Papers: Secrets of the Global Elite

06 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A huge new leak of financial documents has revealed how the powerful and ultra-wealthy, including the British Queen's private estate, secretly invest ...

The Stigma of Great Wealth

15 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We explore the anxieties of the wealthy, and the mentality of conspicuous consumption, which is about more than being discreet about high-end purchase...

Does it Pay to Be Nice in Business?

14 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The path to a profitable business could lie in your ability to be nice. From The Empathy Business, Belinda Parmar OBE tells us that some understandin...

Bitcoin bubbles and safe havens

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In times of economic crunch, where should you store your savings? Perhaps you are tempted by the rise in value of bitcoin. But can it last? And what i...

Computer Says No?

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Will robots and artificial intelligence help us in our daily lives, or steal our jobs and discriminate against us? Manuela Saragosa talks to Max Tegma...

The Texan Energy Revolution

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Texas has undergone an energy revolution, and even has its own power grid to service the vast State’s needs, but while some claim renewables are the...

Taxing Times in India

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

India's financial shock therapy continues, this time with an all-new tax system. The BBC's Rahul Tandon reports on its progress. Presenter Ed Butler s...

Working refugees

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How can refugees improve their lot? There are about 65 million displaced people in the world, according to the UN. And as many flee their places of bi...

Should all Drugs Be Legal?

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Are most countries' policies on drugs irrational? From the tolerance of Holland and decriminalisation in Portugal to the Philippines, where President ...

The $18tn Question

24 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As the world's central bankers meet for their summer retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, what will be on their minds? Perhaps it will be their $18tn bal...

Emojis: Love 'em or Hate 'em?

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

They're everywhere, but can businesses actually make any money out of them?The programme includes Jeremy Burge, who has developed an Emojipedia busine...