The Bottom Line

What is the role of a business leader? To tell staff what to do or allow them to decide for themselves? One theory about management is that it should turn itself upside-down and permit those closest to the customer to dictate all sorts of business decisions including pricing, marketing and how to deal with complaints. This programme, first broadcast in 2013, won the Wincott Radio Journalism of the Year Award.

Guests

Taittinger champagne, Clarks shoes, Theakstons beer - three famous and successful family businesses that have passed down through the generations. So what prompted members of those families to leave the original firms and set up rival brands of their own? Producing champagne, making shoes and brewing beer. What's it like to compete with the companies they've known all their lives? And how easy is it to make their mark?

Paul Theakston, Founder and Chairman, Black Sheep Brewery

Virginie Taittinger, Founder, Virginie T

Galahad Clark, Founder and Managing Director, Vivobarefoot

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Very few companies survive for centuries. Evan Davis hears from a luxury jeweller, a removals firm and a diversified business that makes money from ships, finance and groceries. Between them they have nearly a thousand years of business experience. What strategies have they embarked on to ensure that they live long and prosper? Has their history become a burden or a motivator? And have they sacrificed growth for corporate longevity?

Guests:

Producer:

From smartglasses to smartwatches, tech companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are investing big money in technology that you can wear. They're designed to keep us eternally connected, fully fit and super smart. But will they go mainstream or are they still the preserve of the gadget geeks? Evan Davis and guests discuss how fitness bands that measure how far you walk and how deeply you sleep could transform our healthcare. And hear about the intelligent fabric that's set to revolutionise the way US and British soldiers are kitted out.

Guests:

Andy Griffiths, President, Samsung UK and Ireland

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Flash sale companies are growing fast. Evan Davis and guests discuss how this new retail sector is changing the way we shop. How does the business model work? Just how low can the prices go? And are these internet discounters a help or a hindrance for luxury brands?

Guests :

Producer : Rosamund Jones.

Online postings about hotels, restaurants, hairdressers, electricians: How much can you trust the views of a total stranger when it comes to deciding what to buy, where to go and whose skills and services to employ? How do review sites monitor their online ratings and ensure they're genuine? Evan Davis and guests discuss the power of user-generated reviews that can make or break a business. What can firms do to limit the damage of a bad review and how can they maximise a positive review?

Guests:

Stephen Kaufer, President and CEO, TripAdvisor

Colleen Curtis, Vice President, European Marketing, Yelp

Kevin Byrne, Founder and CEO, Checkatrade

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Social advertising: Evan Davis and guests discuss the growing power of celebrities, the rise of the money-making super-fans who "like" their products and the vloggers with consumer clout. How effective are these new social campaigns and how will they change the advertising industry?

Guests: Edwina Dunn, CEO Starcount; Dominic Burch, senior director marketing innovation and new revenue Asda; Robin Grant, co-founder We Are Social.

Producer: Rosamund Jones.

The best person for the job? Evan Davis hears from four bosses who took back control of the companies they had once founded. Why did they leave and what events made them return? From boardroom coups to corporate collapses, entrepreneurs explain how they took the helm - for the second time - of the businesses they knew so well. What had changed while they were away? And what were the very first decisions they made when they walked back through the doors?

Guests: Steve Morgan, founder, Redrow; Louise O'Sullivan, founder, Anam Technologies; Nick and Kath Whitworth, co-founders, Celtic & Co.

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Faulty children's beds, mislabelled horsemeat burgers and exploding dishwashers are among the products recalled by companies in the UK to protect the health and safety of consumers. Evan Davis and guests discuss the process for recalling defective items and find out how quickly manufacturers and distributors must act. What are the logistics of getting back hundreds of thousands of products from consumers? And what impact does a recall have on a company's reputation? Does it reassure or unnerve customers?

Guests:

Gerard Bos, Customer Relations Manager for UK and Ireland, Ikea

Chris Dee, Chief Operating Officer, E.H Booth

Vince Shiers, Managing Director, RQA Group

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Civil war in Sierra Leone, political unrest in Ukraine, the Japanese tsunami and Hurricane Sandy on the east coast of the US - three guests tell Evan Davis how they led businesses through periods of unexpected and extended turmoil.

Guests :

Producer : Rosamund Jones.