Business Daily

Would you like to work fewer days, but get paid the same? The biggest global trial of the four day week has just come to an end in the UK.

We hear from some of the companies who took part, including employees making the most of their extra day off, and employers looking closely at productivity figures.

It’s an idea that other countries are looking at closely, so we’ll be looking at the global implications of moving away from the traditional five days on, two days off model.

Presenter: Emma Simpson

(Image: Bethany with her dog Otis. Credit: BBC)

In the past year, Sri Lanka has endured political pandemonium and the worst economic crisis in its modern history. The situation has led to the highest number of people leaving the country on record.

The Sri Lankan government has secured an IMF bailout - but will that help stop the exodus?

In this episode we’ll hear from entrepreneur Brindha Selvadurai Gnanam, who has stayed put – as well as from students Meshith Ariyawansa and Ravishan Nethsara, who feel they need to leave for a good standard of living.

Presenter / producer: Laura Heighton-Ginns

A new coal mine in the north west of England could bring much-needed jobs and investment to the area. However there are concerns from environmentalists about the impact on the climate.

The mine, in the Whitehaven area of Cumbria, is the first deep mine approved by the UK government for 30 years, and will provide fuel for steel-making.

Rowan Bridge travels to Whitehaven, the town next to the site of the mine, to hear the arguments for and against.

Presenter and producer: Rowan Bridge

(Image: The former Woodhouse Colliery site where West Cumbria Mining have been granted government approval to extract coal in Whitehaven. Credit: Getty Images)

As 150,000 extra visitors are poised to descend on Liverpool in the north-west of England for the Eurovision Song Contest, Olivia Wilson heads to the city to see how businesses are preparing.

Plus, we speak to fans travelling from across the world about how much it costs them to go to the event.

Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane

Reporter: Olivia Wilson

(Image: Eurovision 2023 logo. Credit: Eurovision)

Turkey election: 5 million young people are expected to vote for the first time this weekend. We explore how the state of the economy will affect their decisions.

Victoria Craig heads to Antalya a swing city with a young population to hear how they are managing to make a living in difficult economic circumstances and how they plan to use their vote.

Presenter / Producer: Victoria Craig

Joe Biden says American firms are ready to triple investment in Northern Ireland, we look into whether that's really likely to happen.

Leanna Byrne is in Northern Ireland to take a look at the current levels of investment and speak to those businesses already benefitting from their relationship with the US. She also explores how Brexit and domestic politics could impact what happens next.

Presenter / producer: Leanna Byrne

For over 80 years the US dollar has been king when it comes to global trade, is that beginning to change?

We look at how the US dollar came to dominate global trade, ask what happens when a country runs out of dollars and explore why countries like China, India and Russia are starting to increase trade in their local currencies.

Presenter / producer: Devina Gupta

Some see them as polar opposites, but more people than you might think are moving between the creative and technology industries; using the skills from one to further success in the other. But how easy is it to cross between art and engineering?

David Harper meets Jan Harlan, who started his career in the embryonic IT industry of the 1960s. The precision and planning skills he developed would help him in a 30-year career as a producer for one of the world’s greatest film directors: Stanley Kubrick.

David also speaks to Thomas Dolby, famous as a pop star in the 1980s synthpop scene, who later headed to Silicon Valley - using his enthusiasm for emerging technology to create new opportunities, including an infamous mobile phone ringtone.

And we hear from Lyndsey Scott, an actress, former model and computer coder who develops iOS apps while simultaneously juggling an acting career. Despite her successes, she sometimes finds it difficult to be taken seriously in a male-dominated technology business.

Presenter: David Harper

(Image: Lyndsey Scott. Credit: Paul Smith)

What's the future of the advertising industry? The industry veteran who was behind some of the most memorable ads of the 80s and 90s speaks to Dougal Shaw about the rise of digital platforms and social media.

Hegarty is a revered figure in advertising because of the famous brands he helped to build. He was a founding partner of Saatchi & Saatchi and co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). These days he is creative director of The Garage Soho, which invests in start-ups and helps to build brands.

And Sir John also uses his own experiences of previous recessions to explain how he thinks companies can survive, and in some cases benefit from, a recession.

Presenter/producer: Dougal Shaw

(Image: Sir John Hegarty. Credit: Getty Images)

Social entrepreneurship is often borne out of the need to address social issues, but it is fast becoming a major contributor to economic growth – contributing billions of dollars to global economies and providing millions of jobs whilst maintaining its core altruistic values of making the world a better place.

We meet Zimbabwean born Max Zimani – who runs an African/Middle-Eastern restaurant in Slovenia, created out of the need for inclusion of the migrant communities in an homogenous society like Slovenia. Skukhna offers a global cuisine and brings communities together through exotic dining.

Simona Simulyte is a serial entrepreneur and CEO Tech4Good. She runs an ecosystem in Lithuania that brings together people with ideas for social businesses, provides mentorship and help source for funds which enables these start-ups become self-sufficient.

And Moses Onitilo is the co-founder of a company known as Jamborow - a blockchain driven fintech platform focused on financial inclusion and grassroot empowerment, specifically targeting the unbanked and the lower income and rural communities within Africa.

The Jamborow eco-system cuts across seven African countries including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda

Presenter/producer Peter MacJob

(Image: These members of a small savings group in Kenya now have access to e-wallets via mobile phones. Photo Credit: Moses Onitilo)