Big Boss Interview

By BBC NewsBusiness News Business News

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Big Boss Interview episodes

December 30, 2021 Omicron and delta variants increase Covid case numbers
Record-breaking cases of Covid have been reported in the USA, the UK, France, Australia and elsewhere, as the World Health Organisation says rich countries must address global vaccine inequality – we speak to the WHO’s Margaret Harris. In Sweden, battery manufacturer North Volt has produced the first lithium ion battery – the power source of most electric vehicles – to be designed, developed and assembled in the country. North Volt’s Jesper Wegat tells us why the country stands to lead the way in manufacturing car batteries. It’s been a mixed year for Scotch whisky as US trade tariffs and Brexit throw up a cocktail of obstacles, but at the investment end of the market, things have never been better. The BBC’s Elizabeth Hotson reports from Edinburgh. And sales of vinyl records are on the up – in a digital age, do we want to be able to feel music, literally? Throughout the programme we’re joined by Zyma Islam, a journalist for the Daily Star in Dhaka, Bangladesh and by Kimberly Adams, a correspondent at our sister programme Marketplace in Washington, DC.
Picture: A public health campaign poster in London Credit: Reuters
50 min
December 29, 2021 Omicron leading to global staff shortages
Omicron is having an impact on the global workforce. To try and tackle the problem in the US, health authorities have halved the recommended isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19, but don't exhibit symptoms. Joshua Hausman of the University of Michigan recently wrote an article for the Atlantic about the wider impact of the pandemic on workers in the US, and gives us his thoughts on how long the effect might last. Also in the programme, China's foreign ministry has accused the United States of putting astronauts in danger by ignoring obligations under treaties on outer space. In this context, the BBC's Jane Wakefield looks at the issue of space junk in an extended report. And finally, we look at the first film to earn over a billion dollars in the pandemic early. We ask film critic Caroline Front: is it a sign that audiences are ready to come back to the cinema?
54 min
December 28, 2021 Review of the year - 2021
The big event of 2021 that will shape economies all over the world for decades to come was the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. The meeting saw a deluge of promises, but what was actually achieved? Martin Webber speaks to Tim Gould, chief energy economist at the International Energy Agency and economist Irwin Stelzer, from the Hudson Institute in the United States.
It was another boom year for the pharmaceutical industry as it crafted the vaccines that have saved so many lives. Of the 8 billion coronavirus vaccinations worldwide, one billion have been delivered by the US logistics company, UPS. We hear from Wes Wealer, President of UPS healthcare.
And small business owners have had a bleak time for much of the past year. But many of those that have survived now feel optimistic. We hear from the owner of the Aroma speciality coffee shop in Bologna in Italy, Cristina Caroli, about her year.
(Image: climate activists demonstrate outside of the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Credit: Getty Images).
49 min
December 24, 2021 Biden signs a law banning goods made in Xinjiang being sold in America
President Biden has signed into law a bill banning companies from selling goods made in Xinjiang in America. The US argues that China is conducting a genocide in the province, and has blocked import of goods from businesses that can't prove products sourced there are not made using Uighur slave labour. Issac Stone Fish, CEO at Strategy Risks fills us in with the details. Also in the programme, the government of Belgium has announced its two nuclear power plants will close in four years' time. Georg Zachmann of the Bruegel think tank tells us whether the country has a backup plan for energy supply after 2025. And Croatia has seen its population decline dramatically in recent years so the government in Zagreb has come up with a plan that, it hopes, will reverse the trend - Croatians living in the European Union are being offered up to $29,000 to return home to start a business. We hear from the BBC's Balkans correspondent Guy Delauney. Rob Young is joined for comment throughout the programme by Mehmal Sarfraz in Lahore, Pakistan and Tony Nash the founder of AI firm Complete Intelligence in Texas, USA.
(Picture: President Biden. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
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49 min
December 23, 2021 More information on the Omicron variant emerges
Three new studies shed more light on the Omicron variant of coronavirus suggesting the risk of hospitalisation is lower than with previous variants. But there are still questions to be answered, says James Naismith, Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Oxford, about how quickly it can spread and for how long – something that will have a huge impact on recovering economies. The price of liquified natural gas is spiking around the world to around eight times what it was earlier in the year. Anne-Sophie Corbeau at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University tells us why, and Nikos Tsafos at the Center for Stretegic and International Studies in Washington, DC, explains how Chinese demand for energy is contributing to rising prices. Apple’s investors want to investigate the company’s behaviour in China, including allegations of forced labour in the supply chain, and they might just get that: the US financial regulator has blocked Apple’s proposals to prevent shareholders from demanding those reports – Patrick McGee of the Financial Times tells us more. The BBC’s Elizabeth Hotson looks at the future of high street retail, and in Hong Kong, authorities have removed a statue commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre under cover of darkness. throughout the programme we’re joined by Samson Ellis - Taipei Bureau Chief Bloomberg News and Diane Brady, Assistant Managing Editor of Forbes.
Picture: A coronavirus poster on a phone box Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
53 min
December 22, 2021 America rolls out home testing scheme
US President Joe Biden announces plans to deliver hundreds of millions of lateral flow tests for Americans to use at home – it’s the first time the federal government has offered subsidised testing for coronavirus. Our correspondent in Washington, DC, Aleem Maqbool, gives us the latest. As the Christmas holiday approaches, millions of Americans are expected to travel, leading to fears the already surging Omicron variant could spread further and faster. In New York, mayor Bill de Blasio is offering cash incentives for those who are yet to be vaccinated to come forward and get their shots. Elsewhere in the US, the BBC’s Michelle Fleury speaks to people who are quitting their job in what has been dubbed the Great Resignation; in Kentucky, the rate of resignations is higher than anywhere else in the country. In China, the online retail behemoth Amazon is accused of agreeing to remove reviews of President Xi’s that were anything less than a full five out of five stars. While in Japan a shortage of chips – French fries, not microchips – has forced McDonalds to offer smaller portions to customers. Throughout the programme we’re joined from Chicago by Stephanie Hare, researcher of technology and politics - and from Seoul by Jasper Kim, attorney, author and expert on international business law.
Picture: Joe Biden addresses viewers. Credit: Reuters.
53 min
December 21, 2021 Biden's Build Back Better plan in jeopardy
A key senator has indicated he will not vote for President Biden's Build Back Better plan. We explore the potential impact on the economy with US economist Ken Rogoff. Also in the programme, the government of Ghana intends to introduce an e-levy tax on "mobile money" transactions. Plus, business correspondent Carrie Davies explains how the BBC has discovered that Covid passes are being advertised for sale on social media to people who have not been vaccinated. Rahul Tandon is joined by Jyoti Malhotra senior consulting editor at the Print based in India and Alexander Kaufman Huffington Post in America.
Programme producers: Benjie Guy and Nisha Patel
( PIC : President Biden CREDIT: Getty Images)
53 min
October 26, 2021 Tesla is now worth more than $1 trillion
Tesla surpassed a market value of $1 trillion on Monday, making it the fifth such firm to reach the milestone. Shares in the electric automaker climbed 12.6% after it struck a deal to sell 100,000 vehicles to the international car rental company Hertz. We speak to Bloomberg's Business reporter Dana Hull about Tesla's fortunes. Also in the programme, Facebook's latest financial results showed better than expected earnings. It comes as the whistleblower Frances Haugen appeared in front of the UK parliament and told MPs that the social media company was "unquestionably making hate worse". We ask Imran Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, if he agrees. And should the private sector intervene to save the Amazon jungle from destruction? We hear how a new platform aims to connect tropical forests with private sector cash. Later, Coca-Cola was named the world's biggest plastic polluter. Emma Priestland from the Break Free from Plastic Research Group, tells us how to reduce the amount of plastic we use. Plus, do we need to spell in this age of autocorrect? Our regular commentator Peter Morgan shares his views.
All through the show, we'll be joined by Alison Van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues in Silicon Valley and Jyoti Malhotra, editor of The Print website in New Delhi.
Picture: Tesla car. Picture credit: Tesla .)
53 min
September 28, 2021 Power cuts hit north-east China
Residents in north-east China are experiencing unannounced power cuts, as an electricity shortage which initially hit factories spreads to homes. Philippe Benoit at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, explains why this is significant. Also in the programme, Germany's centre-left SPD party has claimed victory in the federal election. Parties will now try to form a coalition government, the BBC's Victoria Craig in Frankfurt assesses what the outcome of the vote means for the German economy. We discuss urban reforestation across the globe and the impact of latest wildfires in California. Plus, regular contributor Peter Morgan asks whether it's time for greater transparency in the workplace about how much money people are paid.
All through the show we're joined by Alison van Diggelen of Fresh Dialogues in Silicon Valley.
(Picture: power pylons. Credit: Getty Images.)
52 min
September 25, 2021 Huawei's Meng Wanzhou released from house arrest
Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is released after nearly three years under house arrest in Canada, the BBC’s Gordon Correra has the details. China’s central bank bans all cryptocurrency activity in the country, sending the price of Bitcoin tumbling – cryptocurrency author Glen Goodman tells us more. Marketplace’s Kai Rysdell talks toothpaste, deodorant and supply chain woes, and Victoria Craig is in Germany for the Bundestagwahl – the country’s general election. We discuss New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern’s climate change policies and it’s twentyfive years since Spice – the Spice Girl’s debut album put Girl Power on the pop podium; we talk to Safiya Lambie-Knight at Spotify. Throughout the programme we’re joined by Sharon Brett-Kelly, host of The Detail podcast on Radio New Zealand in Auckland.
(Picture: Meng Wanzhou speaks to reporters outside court Credit: EPA)
59 min

About Big Boss Interview

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Big Boss Interview is where the most high-profile chief executives and entrepreneurs come to give you their insights and experiences of running the world's biggest and well-known businesses. The…