The Bottom Line

Why is UK productivity lower than in many other countries?

Evan Davis begins a new series of The Bottom Line by looking at the productivity problem. The programme asks what productivity really means and how different sectors go about measuring it.

Evan hears from three chief executives in three different sectors: manufacturing; advertising and health. How can productivity be measured and improved in these diverse sectors? How, for example, should the productivity of a doctor or nurse be measured?

Guests:

Producer: Jim Frank.

Phone hacking, financial mis-selling and fraud: How do companies recover from scandal and negative headlines? Evan Davis and guests discuss the skills and strategy required to bounce back.

Guests:

Niall Booker, CEO, Co-operative Bank

Mike Darcey, CEO, News UK

Stephen Hester, CEO, RSA

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore joins Evan Davis and guests to discuss the economics and business of football.

In light of the recent Premier League TV deal, worth a staggering £5 billion pounds, this week Evan and guests discuss its implications for football both in the UK and in other markets. Whilst the top players can expect even bigger salaries, how will the deal impact on fans and clubs outside the top division? Three top football executives discuss including Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore.

Producer: Jim Frank.

Whether you're selling breakfast cereals, criminal tags or excavator buckets, expanding your business overseas can be a game changer. But when's the right time to export and which countries should you target? Evan Davis and guests discuss the ups and downs of trading internationally. They'll share their stories on why it can be easier to sell abroad than at home, how to adapt products for a new market and why doing your homework can ensure that nothing is lost in translation. Top tips on how to make exporting a business boost not a foreign flop.

Guests:

Sara Murray, Founder and CEO, Buddi

Giles Turrell, CEO, Weetabix

Jacqui Miller, Director, Miller International.

Sock Shop, Golden Wonder and Lehman Brothers: big names that once dominated the high street, the supermarket shelves and the financial world. They faded from view, yet still exist today. What prompted their demise? How did they lose market share? Evan Davis and guests discuss the rise and fall of these iconic companies and explore whether they can ever reach the success of their golden years.

Guests:

Vimal Ruia, Managing Director, Sock Shop

Paul Allen, CEO, Tayto

Tony Lomas, Chief Administrator, Lehman Brothers in the UK

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

The science and psychology of the queue. This week Evan and his guests look at how businesses manage queuing.

We're often told that queuing is one of those quintessential British habits which embodies our sense of fair play: that we should wait our turn. Despite technological innovation. queuing remains one of those unavoidable things we all have to do: be that on-line, waiting for a bus or to pay for our groceries at the check-out. But what does it mean for businesses? How do they go about managing queues and our expectations of those as customers?

Producer: Jim Frank.

Artificial snow, a plastic hairbrush and a non-spill baby beaker: How do you turn an idea into a successful business? Three entrepreneurs discuss with Evan Davis the process of designing a product and getting it onto the market. How do you finance the project and what's the best way to protect your design from copycats? We'll hear how one inventor risked everything in a legal battle against a company that stole her design. And discover how to create more than 200 types of fake snow.

Guests:

Mandy Haberman, Founder, Haberman Products

Darcey Crownshaw, Founder and MD, Snow Business

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

It's soft, shiny and rare. A symbol of love, of power, of wealth - gold has been prized for thousands of years, its value rises and falls as the economies round it fluctuate. Yet there's only a limited supply of it and demand is high: for jewellery, technology, by central banks and investors. But after more than a decade of rising prices, the value of gold is down. So how to make money from this precious metal? Evan Davis and guests follow its journey from the gold mines of west Africa to the workshops of an east London jewellery maker. What are the risks, responsibilities and rewards for those who mine it, invest in it and manufacture with it?

Guests:

Nolan Watson, CEO, Sandstorm Gold

Mark Bristow, CEO, Randgold Resources

Elizabeth Hunt, Director, Allied Gold

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Naked bath bombs, in-store coffee shops and customer satisfaction charts: Evan Davis and guests discuss some of the secrets to retailing success. Each of them runs of a chain of stores but with hundreds, even thousands of outlets both here and abroad, how do they maintain their brand identity? And what persuades customers to buy their products ahead of their rivals'?

Guests:

Debbie Robinson, Managing Director, Spar UK

Robert Forrester, Founder and CEO, Vertu Motors plc.

How should we price services? By the hour? By results? Or by the difficulty of the task? And what impact does each model have on how businesses are run? In the first of a new series Evan Davis and guests look at the history of how we've priced our time and expertise and why this may be about to change.

Guests :