Every year has its business highs and lows which we don't often get an opportunity to chew over on The Bottom Line.

This year is different.

To mark our end of term, we thought we’d reflect on the business year and look at some of the highs and lows across the business landscape, creating our very own (and very unofficial) Bottom Line Business Awards.

Three panellists, three categories, three nominations.

Joining Evan are: JESSICA SPUNGIN, Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School SIR KEN OLISSA, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and Chair and founder of Restoration Partners, a bank for entrepreneurs And NISHMA PATEL ROBB, current Executive Member of Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership, founder and CEO of The Glittersphere and formerly Marketing Director at Google UK

PRODUCTION TEAM: Producers: Drew Hyndman and Alex Lewis Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

Private schools in the UK are mostly registered as charities – but they are also businesses – businesses in the sense that they sell a service to paying customers.

They’ve recently been in the news because the new government has said it will remove their exemption from VAT.

In this episode we take a look at the business of private education: how it works, how much money is made and what will happen when exemption from VAT is removed from school fees.

Evan Davis is joined by: Geoffrey Stanford, Head of Royal Grammar School Newcastle Jesse Elzinga Head of Sevenoaks School Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO, Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) Duncan Murphy, Director of Education, MTM Consulting

PRODUCTION TEAM: Producers: Drew Hyndman and Alex Lewis Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge and Janet Staples

Simon Beckerman is the founder of Depop, a platform where people can buy and sell pre-loved fashion, it currently has around 35 million registered users. He sold the company to Etsy for £1.25 billion in 2021.

Simon grew up in Italy to British and Italian parents who he describes as rebels in their own way and even as a teenager he knew he had to build his own business because ‘I was unemployable’

His latest business, is DELLI a food app connecting independent retailers with consumers. Evan asks about the key personal and business-related decisions that got him to where he is today.

The Decisions That Made Me A Leader is a mini-series from The Bottom Line. It features one-on-one interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Duncan Bannatyne, Martha Lane Fox, and the boss of Depop, Simon Beckerman. All of these episodes are available on BBC Sounds and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader. You can also watch the series on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader.

Host: Evan Davis Producers: Paige Neal-Holder and Farhana Haider Assistant Editor: Matt Willis Senior News Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning Editor: Hugh Levinson

A BBC News Long Form Audio production.

WPP boss Karen Blackett talks to Evan Davis about building a racially diverse business.

The Black Lives Matter protests have prompted boardroom soul-searching about how to engage a more racially diverse workforce. Good intentions have been around for decades and have encouraged much talk about removing biases from mainly white corporate cultures. But this has still not led to the change people want. Hardly any large UK firms have black, Asian or minority ethnic chief executives.

Evan Davis and guests explore the practical solutions to achieving racial equality at work and the potential benefits to the economy.

Guests

Karen Blackett, OBE, UK head of the ad giant WPP

Dr Kamal Munir, reader in strategy and policy at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge

Judith Hackitt, independent director at HS2 LTD Kike Oniwinde, founder and CEO of The Black Young Professionals Network

Producer: Lesley McAlpine

Produced in association with The Open University

Has staying at home during lockdown made us think more about our travel habits? Are you less likely to want to get on a bus or a train to get to work or are you itching to get on the next available flight? And what about the business travel industry? Are companies realising tele-conferencing is now just as acceptable and a cheaper option than a business flight? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Laura Shoaf, managing director, Transport for West Midlands

Simon Jeffrey, policy officer, Transport and Devolution, Centre for Cities

Michael Valkevich, vice-president, Global Customer Group, EMEA, CWT

Presenter: Evan Davis

Producer: Julie Ball

Editor: Hugh Levinson

Zoom meetings and working from home. Two habits which office workers have picked up during the enforced lockdown. But will these behaviours habits stick? Some believe that if more of us choose to work from our spare rooms on a regular basis, this will have profound implications for offices, commuting, human interaction and productivity. Evan Davis and guests discuss whether current predictions about the death of the office are over-exaggerated.

Guests

André Spicer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, City's Business School, University of London Rachel Higham, Managing Director of IT at BT Katrina Kostic Samen. Head of Workplace - Strategy and Design, Development. KKS Savills

Produced by Lesley McAlpine

The programme is produced in association with The Open University

Evan Davis and guests ask if now is the time to exploit scientific research more effectively to help business recover from the coronavirus crash. The UK has traditionally been better at basic science research than its commercial exploitation - with examples ranging from computing to the discovery of graphene, where international companies have benefited more from those discoveries. The Bottom Line examines the government’s idea of creating an agency, similar to the legendary US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to invest in, and commercialise UK science and technology projects.

The US agency DARPA, was set up to invest in technology after they got behind in the space race with the Russian launch of the Sputnik in the 1950's. Although the agency's remit is to work on defence projects, several of its discoveries have spawned more commercial uses, most famously the Internet. Now the UK government wants to emulate this success for civil applications in the hope of encouraging new business sectors of the economy, post-Covid 19. Can it work? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

Guests: Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the economics of innovation and public value, University College London Luke Georghiu, professor of science and technology management, Alliance Manchester Business School Arati Prabhakar, former director, Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Naomi Krieger Carmy, head of Societal Challenges Division, Israel Innovation Authority Producer: Julie Ball Produced in partnership with The Open University

During the pandemic, businesses have faced severe tests, from supply chain shocks to fluctuations in consumer demand. How resilient are companies in dealing with the unknown? In recent years the focus has been on getting costs down, creating lean supply chains, and delivering returns to shareholders. But has that emphasis left supply chains insecure in the face of shocks? Will companies learn to value resilience over mere efficiency?

Guests

Dr Sandra Bell, founder and chief executive of The Business Resilience Company. Michael Davies, guest lecturer at the London Business School and founder and chairman of Endeavour Partners Poonam Gupta, founder and chief executive of PG Paper Guy Gratton, associate professor in aviation and the environment at Cranfield University

What have you learned about yourself in lockdown? What is it you crave, what have you found you barely miss? Evan Davis and guests contemplate life after lockdown and changing consumer habits. A surge in the sale of bikes, toilet roll panic buying, and flour flying off the supermarket shelves. Will these consumer habits stick? Have we learned to value other things in life than shopping? Or will we just want to borrow and spend at the first possible opportunity?

Guests:

Kate Ancketill, founder and CEO, GDR Creative Intelligence Richard Walker, managing director, Iceland Foods Jonathan Cole, managing director, Velorution Kate Nicholls, chief executive, UK Hospitality

Producer: Lesley McAlpine

Will Western economies and companies decouple from China? For decades, the world has relied on this rapidly emerging economy as its factory, producing everything from toilet rolls to iPhones. But post Covid-19, US trade wars and tensions with Hong Kong, is that all about to change? Evan Davis and guests discuss

GUESTS

Liam Casey, CEO and founder, PCH International

Diana Choyleva, chief economist, Enodo Economics

Dr. Yu Jie, senior research fellow, China, Chatham House

Should the government continue to bolster companies, large and small when lockdown is finally eased? If so what businesses do you choose to save and what are the criteria? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Michael Jacobides, holder of the Sir Donald Gordon Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, London Business School

Julie Palmer, Regional Managing Partner, Begbies Traynor, Insolvency practitioners

Mark Blyth, Director of the William R Rhodes Centre for International Economics and Finance, Brown University

Produced in association with The Open University

Can new businesses survive without some form of hype or over-promotion? Or will consumer or investor disillusionment inevitably correct this? One recent example where hype came back to bite a company founder is that of the shared office space provider, WeWork. Its stock market valuation fell from $50bn to near bankruptcy over the course of a few weeks.

GUESTS

Brent Hoberman, serial entrepreneur and investor, chair and co-founder of Founders Factory and First Minute Capital Kerry Baldwin, Managing Partner at IQ Capital,a venture capital investment firm Rory Sutherland, Vice Chair of Ogilvy, the global advertising and marketing agency

Martha Lane Fox was first catapulted into the public eye during the dot.com boom as co-founder of lastminute.com the online agency she set up with Brent Hoberman in the late 1990s.

It was valued at three quarters of a billion pounds when it floated on the London stock exchange in 2000.

She then experienced a life change road accident while on holiday in Morocco when she was thrown from the passenger seat of an open-top car. She says she very nearly died. ‘They rank you in trauma I was a 37, 39 is dead’

Her career has ranged from launching karaoke chain Lucky Voice to serving as the government’s digital champion and being on the board of twitter, during one its most complex times. She is currently the President of the British Chamber of Commerce

Evan asks about the key personal and business-related decisions that got her to where she is today.

The Decisions That Made Me A Leader is a mini-series from The Bottom Line. It features one-on-one interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Duncan Bannatyne, Martha Lane Fox, and the boss of Depop, Simon Beckerman. All of these episodes are available on BBC Sounds and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader. You can also watch the series on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader.

Host: Evan Davis Producers: Paige Neal-Holder and Farhana Haider Assistant Editor: Matt Willis Senior News Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning Editor: Hugh Levinson

A BBC News Long Form Audio production.

How will the infection affect commerce in the UK and around the world? Evan Davis and a panel of guests discuss what's happening to the economy and look at likely scenarios. Jennifer McKeown, Chief Global Economist, Capital Economics, Gloria Guevara, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council. Tim Power, MD of maritime and shipping container research firm Drewry.

Producers: Lesley McAlpine and Julie Ball Researcher: May Cameron

Is our working week due for major reform? Will a move to a four day week - as proposed by the Labour Party in its recent General Election manifesto - ever happen? From shorter hours to more flexibility in the workplace, what will the modern world of work be like in ten years time? Evan Davis and guests discuss the latest trends.

Guests appearing on The Bottom Line

Kate Cooper, Head of Research, Policy & Standards, Institute of Leadership and Management David Stone, CEO of MRL Recruitment and Karen Jansen, Professor in Leadership Challenge at Henley Business School

What are the pros and cons of running a business with your life partner and how do you keep the personal out of your professional life? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Sophie Mirman and Richard Ross, founders and owners, Trotters childrenswear and accessories

Claire and Andy Burnet, founders and owners, Chococo artisan chocolatiers

Peter Leach, author and Adjunct Professor in Family Business , Imperial College Business School

Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Hugh Levinson

What are the rules when people have to lose their jobs? It's always a difficult situation - which is why it's often handled badly. Evan Davis and guests ask if there is a better way of doing it.

GUESTS

Angela O'Connor, Founder and CEO, The HR Lounge Consultancy

Sian Keall, Partner, Employment Law, Travers Smith LLP

Kate Griffiths-Lambeth, Group HR Director, Charles Stanley, Wealth Managers

Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Hugh Levinson

Do business gurus really hold the secret to success? Peter Drucker, Michael Porter and Gary Hamel are some of those who've found fame and influence via best-selling business books. But can following their lead transform a company - or are they really just selling themselves? Evan Davis and guests assess the pros and cons of buying from the ideas merchants.

GUESTS Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice, London Business School, CEO The Hot Spots Movement John Kay, economist, author and consultant Eddie Obeng, founder and director of Pentacle

Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Hugh Levinson

How should businesses deal with workplace quarrels? At a time when the nation seems increasingly divided and hot-tempered, is there a way to bring harmony among staff when there are differences of opinion and personality? Evan Davis and his guests explore what can go wrong and look for some possible solutions. In a very cooperative spirit, naturally. GUESTS: Naomi Shragai: psychological business consultant and Financial Times contributor Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, Chief Strategy Officer, Blend Network David Liddle, founder and CEO, The TCM Group

Producer: Julie Ball

The number of companies in 'financial distress' in the UK is on the rise. What's causing the problems and what exactly happens when a company goes into administration? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

Guests:

Julie Palmer, Insolvency practitioner, Begbies Traynor

Andy Scott, Chairman, REL Capital

Dr Rebecca Parry, Director, Centre for Business and Insolvency, Nottingham Trent University

Producer: Julie Ball

How can business benefit from the popularity of vegetarian and vegan products in supermarkets and restaurants? One in eight of us identifies as vegetarian or vegan, but that's not enough to have boosted the market so significantly. So what is happening and is it sustainable? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Kevin Brennan, CEO Quorn

Tommaso Chiabra, venture capitalist and CEO Tommaso Chiabra Holdings

Rachel Hugh, Co-founder, The Vurger Company

Producer: Julie Ball

Will Facebook's launch of its own cryptocurrency be a game changer? What will this mean for established currencies and the global banking system? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Jutta Steiner, Chief Executive Officer, Parity Technologies

Dr. Catherine Mulligan, Chief Technology Officer of Gov Tech Labs and Data Net at University College, London

Barbara Mellish, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Citizenship, Enterprise and Government

Presenter: Evan Davis

Producer: Julie Ball

How can the aviation industry marry sustainability with increasing passenger numbers? Since the deregulation of Europe's airlines in the late 1990s, more and more of us have been flying every year. Whilst this may be good news for the airline industry, it's not good news for the environment. Manufacturers are trying to make models lighter and more fuel efficient, with a pledge by IATA to cut emissions to 50% by 2050. Nevertheless, experts say we are at least fifteen years away from hybrid engine powered flight. Evan Davis and guests ask whether commercial aviation can meet its climate targets through new technology and more fuel efficient engines, whilst keeping costs down for the airlines and the customer?

GUESTS

Paul Kahn, president, Connectivity, Cobham Plc

Volodymyr Bilotkach, economist, author of The Economics of Airlines

Rob Morris, head of Global Consultancy, Ascend by Cirium

Presenter: Evan Davis

Producer: Julie Ball

Editor: Hugh Levinson

Evan Davis sits down with Richard Walker the Executive Chairman of Iceland foods a company founded by his father. Richard started at Iceland Foods in 2012 from the bottom up working as a shelf stacker at the start.

A qualified chartered surveyor he is an entrepreneur in his own right having set-up a property business, Bywater Properties, of which he is still chairman.

A fan of physical challenges he’s climbed Everest and was running his first London Marathon this year when he collapsed less than two miles from the finish line and says ice saved his life.

Evan asks about the key personal and business-related decisions that got him to where he is today.

The Decisions That Made Me A Leader is a mini-series from The Bottom Line. It features one-on-one interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Duncan Bannatyne, Martha Lane Fox, and the boss of Depop, Simon Beckerman. All of these episodes are available on BBC Sounds and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader. You can also watch the series on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader.

Host: Evan Davis Producers: Paige Neal-Holder and Farhana Haider Assistant Editor: Matt Willis Senior News Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning Editor: Hugh Levinson

A BBC News Long Form Audio production.

What can we learn from how one medical start-up fooled Silicon Valley and the world? Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford University at 19 to start Theranos. She promised investors and the public a revolutionary blood diagnosis machine which would be less painful, accessible and affordable than ordinary lab tests. She managed to raise $9 billion in funding. Now the company is worth nothing. Holmes and her business partner may face up to 20 years in prison for fraud. How did she manage to deceive some of the world's cleverest minds - and is there something about start-up culture and the cult of the visionary leader which encourages charlatans? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS Rebecca Jarvis, chief business, economics and technology correspondent, ABC News Margaret Heffernan, author and entrepreneur Jos White, entrepreneur and partner, Notion Capital

Producer: Julie Ball

You trust financial professionals to grow your long term savings and pension pot. But how do you know if they are investing it wisely? The UK investment industry is awash with complicated terms and conditions, and unclear and sometimes high charges, which can eat into your monetary returns. The woes of star fund manager Neil Woodford, who has temporarily frozen one of his funds to its investors after poor performance, highlights just how complicated an industry it is. Is some clarity starting to emerge? Evan Davis and expert guests look under the bonnet of the UK investment industry.

Guests:

James Anderson, partner at Baillie Gifford, who jointly manage the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Bella Caridade Ferreira, chief executive and founder of Fundscape Sean Hagerty, managing director of Vanguard Europe

Producer: Lesley McAlpine

Poundland, Lidl, B&M Bargains and Primark are thriving successes on the High Street, while more mainstream retailers have seen their profits hit. Just how do the discounters keep their prices so low? Keeping the business model simple, supply chains lean and costs down are key parts of the story.

Guests: Barry Williams, Managing Director of Poundland Simon Arora, Chief Executive, B&M Bargains Catherine Shuttleworth, Chief Executive of Savvy Marketing

Can a sudden change in direction save a new company? Evan Davis and his guests hear stories about the start-up's nightmare: the original product is not selling, and cash is running out. Can changing focus - with a new service or product - pluck success from the jaws of doom? Speaking to entrepreneurs and experts, he learns about how in a range of sectors, from sanitary products to event ticketing, the key is to shift while staying true to the original vision. Guests: Celia Pool, cofounder DAME Edmund Glover and Nick Stone, FIXR Ramdane Mir, cofounder Cobbleweb

From Somali pirates who've turned kidnapping into a global enterprise to cybercrime and fraud - the worlds of business and wrongdoing potentially have much in common. Clever criminals build business empires and fraud is sometimes carried out by well paid workers at legitimate companies. What the two worlds can have in common is a pursuit of profit and a series of apparently rational calculations. Evan Davis and guests explore why some bright, talented people try to get rich the wrong way, while others manage to do it within the rules.

Guests

Barrister, Sara George, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP Michael Corrigan, Chief Executive at Prosper 4 - a training and recruitment firm for former prisoners and Dr Anja Shortland, Reader in Political Economy at King's College, London.

Who wins and loses in the cut-throat exercise market? Looking good and being fit has become more important as we have become more wealthy. Yet most new gyms and fitness centres fail. Evan Davis and his guests work out the secrets of success in this growing industry, which is is worth over £5 billion in the UK.

GUESTS

Stuart Broster, CEO, Anytime Fitness UK

Tommy Matthews, Managing Director, Be Military Fit

Dawn Tuckwell,, Director and Co-founder, Action PR

PRESENTER: Evan Davis

PRODUCER: Julie Ball

The package brought to your door may have crossed the globe - but the most expensive and fiddly bit of the journey will undoubtedly be what's known as 'the last mile'. Delivery firms are constantly innovating how they do this - using electric vehicles and e cargo bikes, robots, or offering customers a click and collect option at a local store of their choice. Consumers take it for granted that they will get free delivery in many cases. But is the whole 'last mile' industry sustainable? Delivery vans add to traffic congestion and consumers are ordering more than they need and returning unwanted goods for free.

Evan Davis and guests discuss the latest trends in the logistical puzzle of 'the last mile.'

Guests

Jon Ormond Operations Director of Hubs and Depots at parcel carrier, Hermes. Nick Hale, Managing Director of BT Ventures. and Catherine Weetman, founder of Re-think solutions.

Antibiotic resistance is a global problem but there have been no new drugs produced since the 1980s. So who is to blame? The public's over-consumption or the current economic model for drug research and production? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Seema Patel, Medical Director, Hospital Business, Pfizer, UK, Ireland and the Nordics

Lord Jim O'Neill, Chair Anti-Microbial Resistance Review (2016), Former Chief Economist, Goldman Sachs

Professor Colin Garner, Co Founder and Director, Antibiotic Research UK

Every business faces uncertainty. In the final programme of the series Evan Davis and guests ask what businesses should do when faced with uncertainty.

Guests: Jeremy Bentham, Head of Scenarios, Shell Nick Allan, CEO, Control Risks Dr Sandra Bell, Head of Resilience Consulting, Sungard Availability Services

It's hard to buy anything these days without being asked to rate or review it. Evan Davis and guests look at how have businesses such as Tripadvisor, Feefo and Checkatrade have altered the relationship between companies and consumers? Do you trust the wisdom of crowds more than an expert's view? Guests Matt West, Chief Executive of Feefo Rob Paterson, Chief Executive of Best Western Hotels GB Caroline Wiertz, Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in LOndon

Evan Davis sits down with Timo Armoo, the founder of social media advertising business Fanbytes, which he set up when he was 21 with two friends.

Aged 27 he sold the company, which connects social media influencers with brands, for an eight-figure sum, saying he can now retire a multi-millionaire.

Timo was born in Hackney in London but moved to Ghana to live with his grandmother when he was 3 months old. He returned to the UK and grew up on a council estate in south London and says he always had this burning feeling that he was destined for more.

Evan asks about the key personal and business-related decisions that got him to where he is today.

The Decisions That Made Me A Leader is a mini-series from The Bottom Line. It features one-on-one interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Duncan Bannatyne, Martha Lane Fox, and the boss of Depop, Simon Beckerman. All of these episodes are available on BBC Sounds and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader. You can also watch the series on BBC iPlayer. To find the series, just search: The Decisions That Made Me A Leader.

Host: Evan Davis Producers: Paige Neal-Holder and Farhana Haider Assistant Editor: Matt Willis Senior News Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning Editor: Hugh Levinson

A BBC News Long Form Audio production.

For many graduates an internship has become the default route to full-time, paid employment. But getting a good placement is competitive and in some cases poorly paid or unpaid. What does this mean for social mobility and diversity in the workplace? Evan Davis and guests discuss the pros and cons of internships.

GUESTS

Sarah Churchman, UK Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Wellbeing, PwC Amalia Illgner , Freelance journalist and a former intern Oliver Sidwell, Co-founder, Rate My Placement

Technological advances have made it easier for businesses to offer us more personalised goods and services, from customised cars to clothes that fit better and pioneering cell and gene therapies to target serious illnesses. How far can this personalisation revolution go?

GUESTS

Darrin Disley, Chief Executive of cell therapy company, Mogrify Georgina Silvester, Chief Operating Officer (designate), Handelsbanken UK Karl Howkins, Managing Director, Citroen UK Kate Ancketill, Chief Executive of GDR Creative Intelligence

There are more than two-and-a-half thousand consumer and business magazine titles on sale in the UK. What is the appeal of magazines and how does the business endure in spite of falling advertising revenues and declining circulation figures?

GUESTS

Wolfgang Blau, President, Conde Nast International

Terri White, Editor-in-Chief, Empire Magazine

Rebecca McGrath, Senior Analyst, Media, Mintel

What's the point of an audit if it fails to detect when a company's about to go under? The sudden collapse of BHS, Carillion and Patisserie Valerie has dented public confidence in the firms that audited them and prompted calls for a shake-up of the audit industry. Would more competition in the sector, which is dominated by four big players, drive audit quality up? Do accountants need to be more robust in challenging company figures?

Joining Evan Davis for The Bottom Line:

Bill Michael, UK Chairman and Senior Partner at KPMG. Jac Berry, Audit Partner and UK Head of Quality at Mazars and Christopher Humphrey, Professor of Accounting at the Alliance Manchester Business School

Understanding how humans think and what makes them tick can be enormously helpful if you're running a company. Luckily behavioural science is on hand to do just that. How far can its use improve decision making in businesses?

Joining Evan Davis are:

Octavius Black, CEO and Co-founder of MindGym David Halpern, CEO, The Behavioural Insights Team Kim Atherton, Chief People Officer, Ovo Energy and CEO and Founder of Just3Things

Higher education in the UK is an astonishingly successful British industry, with an income of almost £35 billion a year. Universities have expanded hugely with more students from home and abroad. But uncertain times lie ahead. Tuition fees are under review and some people in the sector argue Brexit may make it harder to attract students from EU countries. Are universities sustainable as businesses?

Guests: Professor Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton Professor Trevor McMillan Vice-Chancellor of Keele University Dr Helen Carasso, Department of Education, Oxford University

The Internet of Things promised to revolutionise the way we live and work but what has it delivered and what more is it capable of doing? Join Evan Davis and guests as they discuss The Internet of Things.

GUESTS

Kevin Ashton, Author who coined the phrase the Internet of Things

Caroline Gorski, Global Director of R2 Data Labs, Rolls Royce Plc

Paul Beastall, Head of Strategy, Cambridge Consultants

Has the #MeToo movement made businesses change the way they deal with sexual harassment and gender equality claims in the workplace? Does the law around non-disclosure agreements - often used to hush up this kind of behaviour - need to be changed? Evan Davis and guests discuss. GUESTS

Samantha Mangwana, Employment Lawyer, Partner, CM Murray

Zelda Perkins, Campaigner and Theatrical Producer

Octavius Black, CEO and Co-founder, TheMindGym

There has been an explosion in the number of craft ale breweries and small-scale gin distilleries in recent years. The so-called super premium alcohol sector is growing. Why are these drinks popular among consumers? Is this a passing fad or is the drinks business facing fundamental change? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

Guests:

Tina Warner-Keogh, partner and co-owner of Warner Edwards Gin Distillery Laura Edwards, general manager at Meantime Brewing Company and Andrew Geoghegan, global consumer planning director at Diageo

There is some evidence to suggest we are falling out of love with buying material things. Instead, we want to splash out creating memories that last a lifetime. What does the growth of what's known as the experience economy mean for businesses? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

Guests

Tristram Mayhew, Group Chairman, Go Ape! Myf Ryan, Chief marketing officer Europe, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Nick Johnson, Founder and co-Director, Market Operations

Evan Davis makes up crisis management scenarios to see how three CEOs handle a business emergency. To make it more realistic none of the guests know what the predicaments are before speaking to Evan.

Guests: Kathryn Jacob, CEO of Pearl and Dean Dame Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd's of London Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury's

Production Team: Presenter: Evan Davis Editor: Matt Willis Producer: Simon Tulet & Paige Neal-Holder Sound: Sarah Hockley & Rod Farquhar

Plastic is arguably one of the world's greatest inventions. Its' qualities allow it to be used in everything from food packaging to clothes and cars. But discarded plastic clogs up our rivers and oceans threatening marine life creating a consumer backlash. So what can the industry do to restore its reputation and how? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Lubna Edwards, Global Sustainability Director, Klockner Pentaplast

Roger Baynham, Managing Director, Philip Tyler Polymers and Chair of the Recycling Group, British Plastics Federation

Adrian Griffiths, CEO and Founder, Recycling Technologies.

No supply chain is immune from disruption and shocks. From extreme weather to strikes and cyber crime, what causes a supply chain to fail? Join Evan Davis and guests.

Guests

Tim O'Malley, Managing Director of Nationwide Produce Richard Oldroyd, Regional Managing Director of Persimmon Homes Liam Fassam, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Geography and Research Director at the University of Northampton

Business has undergone seismic changes over the past decade; do the rules of business need to be re-written? If so, who should write them and what should they say? Evan Davis and guests discuss. GUESTS Ian Taylor, Chairman, Vitol Dame Helena Morrissey, Head of Personal Investing, Legal & General Investment Management Wendy Tan White, Partner, BGF Ventures