The World of Business

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Confronting Sexual Harassment Apr 26, 2018

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Sexual harassment at work has become “normalised” according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

A recent UK survey by polling company ComRes found that half of women and a fifth of men have experienced it during their careers.

From unwanted comments and jokes to inappropriate touching, actions that go beyond office banter seem to have become the norm for many in the workplace.

As MPs and shareholders start to look at the issue more closely - business reporter Katie Prescott explores how companies are dealing with the growing number of sexual harassment revelations, and how they can prevent it happening in the first place.

Producer: Charlotte McDonald

The Economic Impact of America's Opioid Epidemic Apr 12, 2018

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Ohio is one of the worst hit US states for opioid addiction rates and deaths. Huge numbers of people have dropped out of the workforce and employers say they struggle to recruit the people they need. If automation increases as a result, will unemployment, despair and addiction get even worse? And is drug testing workers part of the solution or part of the problem? Claire Bolderson asks why the opioid epidemic has taken such a hold here and visits companies hoping to develop new medical solutions to treat pain and manage addition. For them, the opioid crisis might just be a very profitable business opportunity.

Producer: Rosamund Jones

Ireland's Brexit Challenge Apr 09, 2018

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Ireland’s economy is hugely interlinked with its next-door neighbour, the UK, in everything from energy to transport to finance. Can those links be kept after the UK leaves the EU, or will Irish business have to change direction?

Ruth Alexander travels to Ireland to find out how businesses large and small are preparing for Brexit, and what challenges - and opportunities - they see.

Producer: Chris Bowlby

The Global Trade Referee Apr 07, 2018

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The WTO has facilitated global trade since the 1990s but is now under threat. Ever since he was elected, US President Donald Trump has been critical of the World Trade Organisation, which he has described as a “catastrophe”. Also known as the WTO, the organisation was set up to facilitate global trade and act as a referee in trade disputes. Its ultimate objective is to avoid the sort of trade war that can lead to a real war. But as the United States and China threaten each other with new tariffs, fears of a trade war are back with the WTO’s own relevance under question. This comes at a crucial time for the United Kingdom, which after Brexit may have to fall back on the rules and regulations of the WTO. So could the world survive without the WTO as President Trump suggests? What does the organisation actually do? And how big of a threat is it under? Jonty Bloom goes looking for answers in its long corridors in Geneva.

(Image: WTO Banner, Credit: Getty Images/Fabrice Coffrini)

Kenya's Basic Income Experiment Mar 31, 2018

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What happens if you give every adult in a village $22 a month, no strings attached, for 12 years? In rural Kenya, researchers are trying to find out. They're conducting the world's largest study of 'universal basic income' - giving 'free money' to nearly 200 villages, to see whether this could kick-start development and bring people out of poverty. The BBC's Africa correspondent Anne Soy visits western Kenya to meet some of the people involved in this giant economic experiment, and to find out what they make of this unexpected windfall in their lives. How will people spend the money? Will they try to start businesses, or stay in education longer? Or will people stop working, now they have a guaranteed income? What impact will this have on the villages? The BBC intends to return to the same village over the course of the study, to continue to monitor and assess the impact of this 'basic income', and to see what difference it makes to peoples' lives, the choices they make, and the dreams they hold.

Presenter: Anne Soy Producer: Becky Lipscombe

Photo: Fish Business Credit: BBC

Belarus' Tractor Town Mar 24, 2018

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The vast Minsk Tractor Works in Belarus was famed all over the Soviet Union. And it's still making tractors. Raging capitalism in the 1990s closed down hundreds of state-owned factories. But Belarus kept open this complex providing not only work but cradle to grave care for tens of thousands of Belarusians. Clinics, nurseries and holiday camps formed an industrial megapolis within a city. Despite its huge workforce, original buildings and old technology, the Minsk factory is finding new markets world-wide as well maintaining social provision for its workers. But how is this behemoth coping with the challenges of the 21st century and the changing economic landscape of modern Belarus? We go inside the factory to meet the workers and contrast their world with that of Belarus's newest industries - state of the art IT and video gaming companies.

Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Monica Whitlock

Photo: Workers at Minsk Tractor Works Credit: BBC/Monica Whitlock

The Fish Farming Revolution Mar 10, 2018

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By 2050 the world needs to produce 70% more food and we need to do so using fewer resources and with less damage to the environment. Peter Morgan travels to Skjervoy in Norway to find out how technologically sophisticated fish farming businesses are increasing the availability and lowering the price of the fish we consume and he hears about the environmental issues that pose a serious challenge to the sector's growth. He also discovers how fish farming is providing employment for people in remote coastal communities -from the Norwegian coastline to Grimsby in the North East of England. For centuries Grimsby was a thriving fishing town, but the 'Cod Wars' of the 1970s coupled with EU fishing quotas decimated the livelihoods of many of its inhabitants. In recent years, though, the town has created a multi-billion pound seafood processing industry that is - ironically - fuelled by huge amounts of fish imported from Scandinavian countries. Peter talks to people working in the industry in Grimsby and asks whether the locally based National Aquaculture Centre can help Britain replicate Norway's success in fish farming.

Presenter: Peter Morgan Producer: Ben Carter

Photo: Peter Morgan and aquaculture worker Jan Børre Johansen visiting a fish farm in a Norwegian fjord off the island of Skjervoy Credit: BBC

Can Frankfurt become Europe’s new financial capital? Mar 03, 2018

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A small German city with a population of under a million has big ambitions. It wants to beat Paris to the top spot of financial centre of Europe. But can the city of Frankfurt attract the international bankers and their support work force when the UK leaves the European Union next year? Several international banks have already confirmed that staff will be moving to Frankfurt. Office space is secured and the international schools say banks are block booking places for pupils. But what will this mean for Frankfurt and its own residents who face soaring rents and property prices? And given a choice would the financial community really choose a regional German city over the French capital? Caroline Bayley heads to Frankfurt to find out… Photo: Euro-Monument in Frankfurt Credit: BBC

Putting the Fizz Back into Catalonia’s Cava Feb 24, 2018

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Why Spain’s sparkling fizz, Cava, is seeking to re-invent itself.

If you think of sparkling wine what probably comes to mind is popping corks and Champagne. But what about Cava from Spain? In terms of exports Cava is as big as Champagne, and it is made in the same expensive, time-consuming way. Yet its image in recent years has suffered and it’s now generally thought of as a cheap, less popular alternative to the likes of Prosecco. Most Cava comes from Catalonia, that region in Spain which has been beset by political problems and calls for independence.

For Global Business, John Murphy explores how Cava has become mixed up in Catalonia’s troubled politics, how it is trying to boost its image and how it’s seeking to re-establish itself as a very special bottle of fizz.

Producer: Estelle Doyle

Photo: Desgorging bottles Credit: Marçal Font / Recaredo

The Transparency Detectives Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

Many fees and charges in the investment industry - which, among other things, manages vast pension fund wealth - have been hidden for decades. Lesley Curwen meets the transparency "detectives" intent on bringing reform to a sector that has long shunned it. She asks why the investment industry has been so slow to embrace change and explores the barriers that might still lie ahead. How much money has been unnecessarily spent and how might more transparency alter the shape and structure of the industry? She also hears the stories of the pioneers who are spearheading this new approach. How difficult has the process been for them?

Producer: Rosamund Jones

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