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BBC World Service


The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.


Business Daily

From the Sydney Opera House to a basic kitchen renovation there are thousands of examples of construction projects large and small which go horribly over budget.

Professor Bent Flyvbjerg has compiled a database of 16,000 projects, and by his reckoning only 8.5% them meet their initial estimates of cost and time. He talks to Sam Fenwick about his new book, “How Big Things Get Done”.

Presenter / producer: Sam Fenwick
Image: Sydney opera house; Credit: Getty Images

Why big projects go wrong

Donald Trump's return to the White House has raised big questions about what he'll do to the US' growing green energy sector. On the campaign trail he promised to undo Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest piece of climate legislation in US history. The IRA gives incentives and tax breaks for green industries and has created hundreds of thousands of jobs, many of those in Republican voting states. 

President-elect Trump also pledged to end offshore wind "on day one" and reverse emissions rules aimed at increasing the number of electric cars on America's roads.

Will he keep those promises? And what of the influence of Elon Musk, the world's richest man, now in Donald Trump's inner circle? Is he worrying about what a Trump presidency might mean for his car company Tesla and will he be lobbying behind the scenes on behalf of electric vehicles?

We hear what people in those sectors think will happen under Trump 2.0. Can the renewables industry survive or even grow over the next four years?

Produced and presented by Lexy O'Connor

(Image: President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk talk during a UFC event in New York. Credit Chris Unger / Getty Images)

Is Donald Trump's comeback bad news for green energy?

How do online platforms profit from our anger? In this episode, we explore the business of 'rage-baiting' – content designed to provoke outrage and drive engagement. 

We hear from creators who thrive on stirring emotions, critics warning of its societal impact, and academics explaining why anger is such a powerful tool online.

From its role in content algorithms, to the dangers it poses offline, we uncover the economics behind the clicks. 

(Picture: A man dramatically gestures towards his laptop, conveying surprise. Credit: Getty Images)

Presenter: Megan Lawton 
Producer: Sam Gruet

Making money from internet outrage

In July, South Africa unveiled a new coalition government, after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party lost its majority in May's elections.

The coalition was welcomed by the business community who said it would ensure economic stability.

So what's happened since? And will any optimism last?

We hear about a reduction in power cuts - also known as loadshedding - and positivity on the stock market, as well as young people who are looking forward to the future.

Produced and presented by Rob Young

(Image: A worker connects a diesel generator to supply power to a sports complex during loadshedding in Frankfort, South Africa, in June 2023)

Keeping the lights on in South Africa

It was hailed as a wonder material that would transform industry – and all our lives.

But 20 years on, companies are still racing to commercialise it.

We speak to the people working with graphene and find out what sort of products their developing. 

Produced and presented by James Graham

(Image: Graphene slurry, containing graphene and polymer binders, sits in a beaker inside a laboratory at the National Graphene Institute facility, part of the The University of Manchester. Credit: Getty Images)

Has graphene lived up to the hype?

Upasana Taku is the co-founder of an app that changed the way millions of Indians use digital technology to make payments. Mobikwik now has more than a 150 million registered users. 

When Upasana set up the business in 2009 with her co-founder Bipin Preet Singh, India was still a cash-dependant society, but having worked for big tech companies in the US, Upasana knew there was a gap in the market. 

Devina Gupta asks her about her decision to leave a high-powered job in the US to move back to India to start a fintech company, and how she convinced both investors and her family that it was a smart business move.

Presenter/producer: Devina Gupta

(Photo: Upasana Taku. Credit: Mobikwik)

Business Daily meets: Fintech founder Upasana Taku

We’re in snowy Skellefteå in northern Sweden, where hundreds of people are looking for work after losing their jobs at Europe’s largest electric battery factory.

Will the crisis at green tech company Northvolt impact future investments in the region — and damage Sweden’s reputation?

Produced and presented by Maddy Savage

(Image: Northvolt workers at the factory. Credit: Northvolt)

Crisis at Northvolt

Skincare used to appeal to an older demographic, often with the aim of slowing down visible signs of ageing. But as trends in skincare have evolved, with ever more products on the market, the audience has grown too.
 
Children as young as eight are now saving up their pocket money to buy different creams, serums and moisturizers. But some of these products contain active ingredients, not designed for their young skin - and this can lead to problems. Dermatologists have told the BBC they're seeing children with dermatitis and other skin conditions who have used certain products.
 
Today, we take a look at why young people are becoming obsessed with skincare, and what could be done to protect these young consumers from buying unsuitable products. 

(Picture: 11 year-old Tilly, from the UK, sitting at her vanity desk. Credit: BBC)

Presented and produced by Hannah Mullane

Why are kids asking for anti-ageing skincare?

How has Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland, become a global hub for the Christmas economy? 
 
Known as the official home of Father Christmas, Lapland attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year - generating significant revenue. 

We head to the most popular Christmas spot, Rovaneimi, to hear how a resort there benefits from this tourism. And the head of the tourist board, Sanna Kärkkäinen, tells us how records are about to be broken.

Presented and produced by Izzy Greenfield
Reporter: Erika Benke

(Picture: Lapland at night, showing illuminated buildings. Credit: BBC/Erika Benke)

Lapland: The world’s biggest Christmas economy?

We explore the ongoing fascination of the Lehman Brothers story.

A play - The Lehman Trilogy - is currently being shown in London to five-star reviews.

It documents the rise and fall of the financial services firm, which filed for bankruptcy in 2008 - the largest insolvency in history, and considered a defining moment in the global financial crisis. 

The play has been seen by half a million theatregoers globally - and now Business Daily has been to watch it too. 

We speak to the cast, adapting playwright, and the audience about the story's appeal. 

Produced and presented by Elizabeth Hotson

(Image: Howard W. Overshown performs the role of Emanuel Lehman during a media preview of The Lehman Trilogy at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, in February 2024)

Putting a financial crash on stage

Are chemical elements critical for the modern economy in dangerously short supply? It's a question that Justin Rowlatt poses a century and a half after the Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev published the original periodic table.

Justin speaks to two chemists - Andrea Sella of University College London explains the significance of Mendeleev's scheme to the modern world, while David Cole-Hamilton talks us through an updated version of the table he has just published that highlights chemical elements that could run out within the next century unless we learn to make better use of them.

However, perhaps we don't need to worry just yet, at least not for two of those red-flagged elements. Thomas Abraham-Jones describes how he happened across the world's biggest reserve of helium in the African savannah, while Rick Short of Indium Corporation explains why the metallic element his company is named after is in abundant supply, so long as you don't mind sifting an awful lot of dirt for it.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Picture: Manuscript of Mendeleev's first periodic system of elements; Credit: Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images)

The periodic table turns 150

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