Business Daily
Episodes
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...
Are We Overmedicated?
23 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We ask if patients are being prescribed too many medicines. Confusion and lack of research, says one physician, can be a culprit in some cases where p...
Record High US Consumer Debt
14 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Household debt is at record levels as US consumers spend, spend and spend some more. And with America's interest rates set to rise again, could there ...
Could China Shut Down North Korea?
02 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Military tensions between the United States and North Korea seem to rise on an almost daily basis. But how important are economic factors in putting p...
Japan's Exploited Foreign Workers
30 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Japan's workforce is shrinking due to an ageing population and a policy of very low immigration. But though the world's third largest economy needs wo...
A Basic Income for All?
26 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Social scientists, technologists, and politicians from across the political spectrum think they have a potential solution to the unemployment that aut...
Machine Learning
25 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Machines are about to get a lot smarter and machine learning will transform our lives. So says a report by the Royal Society in the UK, a fellowship o...
A Snap Election in Britain
19 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The British Prime Minister Theresa May is proposing a general election for 8 June- and it will be a poll all about Brexit. Mrs May says political divi...
Oil's Murky Future
11 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Tensions in the Middle East and protests in Russia are not just caused by internal politics and war but also, some say, the stresses of economic decli...
Libor Lowballing
10 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A secret recording that implicates the Bank of England in Libor rigging has been uncovered by the BBC . The 2008 recording adds to evidence the centra...
Russian Hacking
04 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The investigation into the hacking of Democratic National Committee computers during the US election campaign continues to haunt international politic...
Trump v China, Should We be Scared?
03 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As President Trump prepares for key talks with China's President Xi Jinping, we hear from the editor of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber, who warns ...
How to Age and Keep Working
05 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Manuela Saragosa investigates how we should age. We're all living much longer yet we live in a world that prizes youth and productivity above all. So,...
Unpacking Russia's Economy
02 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Russia's economy became mired in sanctions back in 2014. First it was those from the West as a result of Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict....
How to be Frugal
06 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you abandon consumerism? The BBC's Ed Butler talks to Pete Adeney, also known as Mr Money Moustache. He retired at 30 and is so frug...
Australia's Drought
05 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
One farmer suffering from the drought in Australia tells BBC Business Daily that it looks "like a lunar landscape", with the ground crackling under hi...
Regulating Our Food Choices
03 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Sugar tax is the hot topic that has got governments, health campaigners and the food industry talking. As rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes rise in...
The Economics of Migration
04 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Is migration a good thing for economies? Does it bring innovation? Or does it drain resources? We have both sides of the argument as we hear Mark Krik...
China's Defence Budget
03 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As China shows off its military muscle in a parade commemorating victory over Japan in World War Two, we examine what lies behind this dazzling displa...
Where are India's Working Women?
02 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Women make up a comparatively small proportion of India's formal labour force. Those that do work tend to be at the extremes of the social spectrum - ...
China: Innovator or Thief?
01 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
China's latest factory data is the worst in 3 years. What's wrong with China's business model? Mark Anderson is CEO of InventIP, a consortium of US co...
Elements: Hydrogen and Acids
19 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
These powerful chemicals are essential to obtain the minerals that build our world, the fertilisers that feed the planet, and the fuels that propel ou...
Elements: Iron and Industrialisation
01 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Iron is the chemical element at the heart of steel, and by extension of industrialisation, so what does the collapse in iron ore prices say about the ...
Elements: Iron and Manganese
25 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Iron and manganese are the two key ingredients that enabled the mass production of steel - one of the most versatile and complex materials known to hu...
Elements: Iron and the Industrial Revolution
18 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Rowlatt explores two moments in history that transformed this most abundant of metal elements into the key material out of which modern life is...
Elements: Technetium
11 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Technetium is essential for medical imaging, yet supplies of this short-lived radioactive manmade element are far from guaranteed. Justin Rowlatt head...
Elements: Fluorine
04 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Fluorine is a ferocious yellow gas that is the key building block for a string of other gases that pose a threat to mankind if released into the atmos...
Elements: Chromium
26 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Chromium: Justin Rowlatt visits the Warrs Harley dealership to find out from Professor Andrea Sella why this metallic element links the motorbikes on ...
Elements: Nickel (& Rhenium)
18 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Nickel is the metal that made the jet age possible, not to mention margarine and bicycle sprockets. In the latest installment in his journey through t...