Business Daily

University sport in the US has become huge business. For decades, students' share of those earnings only came in the form of scholarships. As television contracts got bigger, so did the calls for change - and last year students were granted the right to earn off their name, image and likeness. A year on, Will Bain explores how it’s shaken up college sports, providing opportunities and unforeseen challenges. Hear from former SMU college football player and professional artist Ra’Sun Kazadi, Texas A&M University Athletic Director Ross Bjork, CEO of MSP Recovery John H Ruiz and Courtney Altemus of Team Altemus, part of the advance group of NIL advisers.Presenter / producer: Will Bain Image: Quarterback Kellen Mond from Texas A&M; Credit: Getty

As many as 7 million Americans who could work, aren’t. These are people who have dropped out of the workforce - they have given up on finding a job or are simply not looking.And similar trends can be seen in other wealthy countries. So what is going on? Ed Butler speaks to Nicholas Eberstadt, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute. He’s recently updated a book which examines the extraordinary increase in men – and it is mainly men in the US - who’ve decided they don’t just want to quit their jobs, they want to leave the workplace for good. And it’s something that’s been going on since the 1960s.Presented and produced by Ed Butler.(Image: Men on a building site. Credit: Getty)

Greensill Capital was a UK based finance firm and a darling of investors which made its money by lending to businesses. It went into administration in March 2021, leaving investors facing billions in losses.What went wrong with Greensill? Why did leading politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron get involved?And what does it teach us about the way modern entrepreneurs, like Australian-born Lex Greensill, try and promote themselves?Ed Butler speaks to Duncan Mavin, a financial journalist who followed the downfall of Greensill – he’s written a book about what happened. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: James Graham(Image: Lex Greensill. Credit: Shutterstock)

New York’s Penn Station is the busiest transport hub in the United States - as many as 650,000 people pass through it in a day. But this intercity hub is widely agreed to be outdated and unloved.Now there are plans to pour billions of dollars into a station facelift - in the hope it will attract Americans back to trains.In this episode, Laura Heighton-Ginns hears from key stakeholders Amtrak and the Regional Plan Association on why they believe a major overhaul is needed.Laura also takes a tour of the station and finds out about its much-admired predecessor - the Pennsylvania Station of the early 20th Century.And she explores the site of the planned demolition work, which controversially includes historical buildings and a busy community church.Presented and produced by Laura Heighton-Ginns.(Image: Penn Station scaffolding. Credit: BBC)

In this episode we explore mental health provision in Pakistan. Pakistan has a population of more than 200 million people but only around 500 working psychiatrists. This means around ninety percent of those with common mental health issues go untreated.We hear from Mahira Kahn, a multi award winning Pakistani actress, in April this year Mahira was appointed as an Ambassador for the British Asian Trust. Mahira works with the trust to promote and support it’s current Peace of Mind campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and needs in Pakistan. Mahria tells us about her work with the trust and how her job has affected her own mental health. We also speak to Sanaa Ahmad who is the British Asian Trust's Mental Health programme manager, and Dr Iffa who works with communities in Pakistan providing mental health treatment. Presenter / production: Emb Hashmi Producer: Carmel O'GradyPhoto: Mahira Khan; Credit: Getty

A British businessman has come up with a bold plan to turn the floating seaweed sargassum into cash, and tackle global warming at the same time. In this episode, Justin Rowlatt meets John Auckland. He is the man behind Seafields, which aims to create a floating farm 'the size of Croatia' far out in the South Atlantic ocean. The plan is to harvest the seaweed, sink it to the seabed and earn cash from carbon credits. Justin also speaks to Professor Victor Smetacek, an expert in marine biology - the project is based on his ideas. And Dr Nem Vaughan, associate professor in climate change at the University of East Anglia talks Justin through some of her questions around how or whether the project will work. Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer: David Reid (Image: Sargassum being harvested. Credit: BBC)

The use of robots in North American workplaces has increased by 40% since the start of the pandemic and the small to medium sized businesses, which never automated before, are getting in on the act. The robotics industry has responded to the global increased demand by creating more and more customisable robots, which can be leased or hired. Ivana Davidovic explores what effect this has had - and could have in the future - on the labour markets, innovation, but also on social inequality. Ivana hears from a small restaurant owner from California who wouldn't be without her server robot Rosie any more, after months of being unable to fill vacancies. Joe Campbell from the Danish company Universal Robots and Tim Warrington from the British company Bots explain how they are taking advantage of the post-pandemic "great resignation" and which industries are next in line for a robotics boom. Karen Eggleston from Stanford University explains her research into the consequences of the use of robots in over 800 nursing ho

Is space the final frontier for meat grown from animal stem cells?Elizabeth Hotson asks whether growing steaks under micro gravity conditions could help in the quest for food security and whether, back on earth, consumers could be persuaded to stomach meat reared in labs.We hear from Didier Toubia, the CEO of Aleph Farms who defends his space meat mission from accusations of gimmickry.Seren Kel, the science and technology manager for the Europe region of the Good Food Institute, gives her view on the environmental impact of cell-gown meat and Dr Jason Michael Thomas, senior lecturer in psychology at Aston University explains how reluctant consumers might be persuaded to try new and strange-sounding foods.Presenter: Elizabeth Hotson Producer: Elizabeth Hotson(Photo description: The Solar system. Credit: Getty Images)

When women's tennis world number one Ash Barty suddenly announced in March 2022 that she was retiring from tennis, it was huge shock.Barty, a three time grand slam champion, was only 25.At the time she said she was leaving professional tennis to pursue other life goals. Quitting is often seen as a negative thing to do, but in this episode we explore the positive side.PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears survey of more than 52,000 people in 44 countries showed that one in five workers planned to quit their jobs in 2022.Marie Keyworth speaks to Moya Dodd, former vice-captain of Australia’s women’s football team - The Matildas. She now works as a lawyer in Sydney and says Barty's decision to 'quit at the top' could be a lesson to us all.Career coach Sarah Weiler has quit several roles herself, and has now made it her job to help others – how do you know when it’s time to move on?And Dina Denham Smith is an executive coach based in the San Francisco Bay area. She helps what she calls ‘high performing, high achi

Now that borders have opened up post pandemic, backpackers have been slow to return to Australia.Despite a number of initiatives, the number of travellers is low. And that’s having an impact on businesses who need staff.David Reid explores the Australian working holiday visa scheme, which was set up fifty years ago to encourage young people to travel and work. It's not been without problems, and recently there have been allegations of exploitation and even abuse.So is the visa scheme the right solution for the Australian labour crunch? Or should government step in and rethink the whole set up?David speaks to Lee Thurston who runs Miss Moneypenny’s restaurant in Noosa, on the east coast of Queensland. Lee is from the UK but has settled in Australia. Lee said when they came to open up after the pandemic, all the backpackers had gone home. So he’s had to train up local teenagers instead.Hamish Hill runs Nomad’s hostel in Noosa. He tells David it’s noticeable how many vacancies there are and the impact that’s ha

Fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries – more than half of everything we wear is still made from plastic. In the search for more sustainable ingredients – designers are now turning to those you would normally find on your plate. Katie Barnfield travels to Sherwood Forest in England to meet Ashley Granter and Aurélie Fontan from Mykko – a company making leather from mycelium, the root system of mushrooms. Fancy a food based swimsuit? We talk to Dr Kate Riley from Textile Exchange about new developments in so-called bio synthetics. And in the race to adopt these new materials, could some brands be accused of greenwashing? Rachel Cernansky from Vogue Business takes us through the controversy.Produced and presented by Katie Barnfield.(Image: Mushrooms growing on a tree branch. Credit: Getty)

Home solar – putting panels on your roof or side of your house, used be something fairly unusual. However, rising energy costs means that people are increasingly looking for alternatives.Presenter Rick Kelsey explores why the trend for solar panels is happening across Europe – and asks whether the industry has the infrastructure to cope with increasing demand. Rick travels to south east England where panels are being put on the roof, and speaks to installer Scott Burrows. And he meets Linda who rents her home – her landlord has just had solar panels fitted. Linda says she has noticed the reduction in her bills, however her central heating is gas so there might not be as big a reduction over the winter.Just over 3,000 solar installations are being carried out every week according to the trade association Solar Energy UK. That’s up from 1,000 a week in July 2020.Michael Schmela and Naomi Chevillard are from Solar Power Europe. They say they are seeing an unprecedented demand in countries across Europe, especial

Brompton makes 100,000 foldable bikes in London every year and exports about 75% of them. Chief executive Will Butler-Adams tells us how he grew the business around the world. He also explains how he's navigating inflation, and the prospect of recession. Plus, why he believes his mission is not simply to sell more bikes, but to change how people live in cities around the globe. Producer/presenter: James Graham Photo: Will Butler-Adams on a Brompton bike at his London factory. Credit: Brompton.

Comics are a multi-billion dollar industry and comic conventions - or cons - attract thousands of fans, desperate to meet their heroes and splash some cash.Elizabeth Hotson visits the MCM event in London to find out what’s hot and what people are spending their hard-earned money on.We hear from Joëlle Jones, a comic book writer and illustrator, Jenny Martin, Event Director at MCM Comic Con and Michael Loizou from Brotherhood Games.Plus tattooist Matt Difa shows off his Star Wars inkings and Vincent Zurzolo, the Chief Operating Officer of Metropolis Collectibles in New York looks back on one of his most memorable comic book sales. Producer: Elizabeth Hotson Presenter: Elizabeth HotsonPicture Description: Comics at Wellcome Trust Superhero exhibition, Picture Credit: Getty Images

Margrethe Vestager is the European commissioner for competition.Ms Vestager has been spearheading the landmark Digital Markets and Digital Services Acts aimed at regulating the global technology industry. The new rules passed the European Parliament in July and will start to be implemented in the spring. Victoria Craig sits down with Ms Vestager to ask about the commission’s win against Google in one of Europe’s biggest courts (which resulted in a record fine).She also explains the importance of her hallmark legislative endeavours on global competition and fairness in the big tech space.And she talks about how the EC’s Important Projects of Common European Interest programme – which allows joint investments in riskier technologies – could help alleviate Europe’s energy crisis. Producer: Stephen Ryan Presenter: Victoria Craig(Image: Margrethe Vestager. Credit: Google)

Could building more homes and offices out of wood instead of concrete help tackle climate change? We travel to Finland, where growing numbers of homes and offices are being built using wood, and the industry is booming.We’ll hear how it can help improve sustainability in cities and take a look at the challenges and benefits of using more wood inside our offices and homes. And we'll also hear concerns about the impact on the country’s famous forests. Presenter Maddy Savage speaks to Miimu Airaksinen - vice president of development at Finnish building company SRV, about the construction process and the technology being used.Mai Suominen, a senior forest expert for the World Wildlife fund explains the benefits of using wood to make buildings, because they can store carbon that’s already been removed from the atmosphere by trees for decades.Ali Amiri from Aalto University has been exploring the costs and benefits of using wood for building - and the impact of the war in Ukraine which has increased interest in w

Millions of people, mainly women, sign up for jobs as domestic workers overseas. Yet much of this work is informal, with households enforcing their own terms behind closed doors - leaving the workers vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. In this episode, Laura Heighton-Ginns meets domestic workers who escaped modern slavery.Jackie was forced to work extreme hours, sleep on a hard floor, and given only leftovers to eat for two years. Grace felt she had no choice but to take a domestic job overseas, but discovered many women who do this work are victimised. As well hearing their stories, Laura speaks to the newly appointed Philippines Secretary of State for Migrants and UN International Labor Organisation and asks why domestic workers still lack basic protections.Presented and produced by Laura Heighton-Ginns.(Image: Grace Nine. Credit: BBC)

The global events industry was valued at more than $1.1 billion in 2019, before the start of the covid-19 pandemic. Live music and concert events alone lost $30 billion in 2020 and most outdoor festivals were cancelled. This year, in 2022, with more people vaccinated around the world, many festivals have managed to return but are having to cope with rising prices and staff shortages, as well as people with less cash to spend. Monica Newton, the CEO of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa, tells us about the challenges she's faced in holding this year's event. The director of the Great British Food Festival in the UK, Daniel Maycock, says they've managed to avoid putting up ticket prices so far and are trying to support smaller businesses. Lisa Louis travels to the Rock en Seine festival, to the west of the French capital Paris to speak to the director, Matthieu Ducos, about how he's had to adapt. She speaks to food and drinks vendors about how they're coping with rising prices and festival

For online influencers getting verification - a blue tick next to their social media account name - is the ultimate prize. It brings credibility and elevates their status online.Presenter David Harper investigates how accounts can become 'verified', what it means, and if you make your money through online platform, how much is it actually worth? David speaks to Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst. Matt has worked for Meta and Google amongst others and says he asked how to get a blue tick dozens of times each week. He explains why verification is useful to brands and users.Entrepreneur Jacques Bastien lives in New York, he works with different brands and companies, and explains why verification is so important for his clients, making them seem more trustworthy. He says the blue tick has a financial benefit which is hard to quantify, but is there.And the BBC’s China media analyst Kerry Allen explains the different approach by Sina Weibo, where accounts are checked and ‘verified’ to a c

The sport of lacrosse has a long history, being one of the oldest sports in North America. But, for a long time, many players couldn't earn a living in the same way athletes could who were playing in established leagues like Major League Soccer or the National Football League. After a time as one of the best lacrosse players in the world, Paul Rabil, along with his brother Mike, an established businessman and investor, decided to start their own league that could give players a livelihood.We speak to the brothers to find out the challenges of starting a league from the ground up, and how they had to convince players to join them, and from there, we also find out how it could be going global, and why the story has been turned into a major documentary that has aired on ESPN. Presenter: Rahul Tandon, Producer: Ed Butler (Image: Paul and Mike Rabil at an event; Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Premier Lacrosse League)