Peter Day's World of Business

In this programme you can hear from the author Duncan Clarke. His new book, Africa’s Future: Darkness to Destiny: how the past is shaping Africa’s economic evolution, aims to show how we can only understand Africa’s destiny by uncovering its history. And talking to Peter Day he puts forward his unique reformulation of Africa's economic past, present and future, and reveals the continent's changing political landscape and likely business trajectories. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott

Peter Day hears from far-apart places where the wine industry is changing the global balance of supply and demand. He visits China, a country with a fast growing, newly wealthy, consumer market rapidly developing a taste for imported wine, and a new domestic wine industry of its own. And halfway around the world in Argentina, and where wine has been a big domestic activity and business for many decades, he hears how a traditional wine industry is now changing shape and garnering a new global reputation. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott

Alexander Schey is just 26, and in the garage of a fairly ordinary house in west London where he, and a few other fellow London students, built a battery powered electric car. Then, to raise awareness of their new battery management system, they drove along 25-thousand kilometres of the Pan American Highway. But this was more than just an elaborate student escapade; as you can hear in Global Business, it has now become an interesting consultancy business. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott

If times are hard, why not set up your own business rather than try to find a job somewhere else? Peter Day hears from young entrepreneurs who think that one way of beating recession is to start from scratch. Producer: Caroline Bayley Editor: Stephen Chilcott

In nearly every country in the world, there's one sector that everyone seems to think is in crisis: education. America produces legions of Nobel laureates and has the best universities in the world - and yet faces an epidemic of failing state-run schools. India churns out vast numbers of engineers ready for the modern economy, and yet its business leaders yearn for the kind of creative thought that is taught in the Anglo-Saxon system. In the UK there are worries about discipline and standards, while at the same time welcoming thousands of foreigners anxious to get qualifications and training that are non-existent in their home counties. Peter Day asks why everyone thinks education is so bad and what schools and businesses are doing to try to improve it. Producer: Michael Wendling Editor: Stephen Chilcott

If times are hard, why not set up your own business rather than try to find a job somewhere else? Peter Day hears from young entrepreneurs who think that one way of beating recession is to start from scratch. Producer: Caroline Bayley Editor: Stephen Chilcott

Global Business hears from two authors about their recently published books. Books which are not about the world’s current financial crisis. Robert Guest works for the Economist magazine in London and his book, Borderless Economics, reveals how migrant networks create wealth, spread ideas and foster innovation. And Jim Clifton, Chief Executive of the Gallup polling organisation, author of The Coming Jobs War, tells Peter Day why he thinks the war for good jobs has trumped all other leadership activities. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott

In these tough times, are there better ways of doing business: worker cooperatives, for example? In crisis-battered Spain, Peter Day visits the world's biggest worker coop in Mondragon, to find out what makes it different. And, in the UK where the cooperative movement began, will 2012, designated the year of the cooperative see the rise of the mutual business model? Producer: Sandra Kanthal Editor: Stephen Chilcott

It started off as a nice pat on the back for exceptional work. But then the bonus became some people's primal motivation first in the financial markets in the City of London, then in big business, and then in the way public services are run too. Peter Day traces the rise and rise of the bonus culture, and asks how much damage it causes.

In nearly every country in the world, there's one thing that everyone seems to agree is in crisis: education. America produces legions of Nobel laureates and has the best universities in the world - and yet faces an epidemic of failing state-run schools. India churns out vast numbers of engineers ready for the modern economy, and yet its business leaders yearn for the kind of creative thought that is taught in the Anglo-Saxon system. In the UK we worry about discipline and standards, while at the same time welcoming thousands of foreigners anxious to get qualifications and training that are non-existent in their home counties. Peter Day asks why everyone thinks education is so bad and finds out what schools and businesses are doing to try to improve it. Producer: Mike Wendling Editor: Stephen Chilcott

It’s that time of year when Mark Anderson tells us which way the technology winds are blowing in the USA and he joins Peter Day for this edition of Global Business. Mark is a technology commentator and his trend spotting emails are subscribed to by some very influential people in the high tech industry. At the end of every year, Mark Anderson takes a look ahead at ten of the key things he thinks will prove to be significant over the coming twelve months. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott

It's the perfect time of year for a celebratory gin-and-tonic, and these days the tipple raised at Christmas may well have been made in London. After centuries of decline, the capital's distilling industry is picking up again, fuelled by small-scale producers and European rules changes that recognise 'London dry gin' as a distinct drinks category. Peter Day meets some of the entrepreneurs behind the trend and raises a glass or two to homegrown UK businesses. Producer: Mike Wendling Editor: Stephen Chilcott

It's the perfect time of year for a celebratory gin-and-tonic, and these days the tipple raised at Christmas may well have been made in London. After centuries of decline, the British capital's distilling industry is picking up again, fuelled by small-scale producers and European rules changes that recognise 'London dry gin' as a distinct category - along with a worldwide uptick in the demand for premium spirits. Peter Day meets some of the entrepreneurs behind the trend. Producer: Mike Wendling Editor: Stephen Chilcott

The American business guru Joe Pine thinks we have moved into an era of what he calls "Infinite Possibility". Peter Day finds out what he is talking about and what the ideas mean for conventional 20th-centuy-style corporations. Producer: Sandra Kanthal Editor: Stephen Chilcott

In this week’s Global Business Peter Day is back in Havana, Cuba for the third and final programme in this short series. This week he’s looking at the economic and social changes taking place since Raul Castro took over as President. Will they work? Peter Day reports. Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Stephen Chilcott

After 53 years of revolution, President Raul Castro is trying to change the state-controlled Cuban economy with moves to promote private employment, and an open market in second hand cars and home. Peter Day reports from Havana on an island where in many ways time has been standing still for half a century. Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Stephen Chilcott

In this week’s Global Business Peter Day reports from Cuba in the second of three programmes on the Cuban economy. This week he is at the annual International Trade Fair speaking to some of the familiar industries associated with Cuba, Rum and Cigars as well as finding out how the economy has fared since the collapse of the Comecon system in the 90’s which placed Cuba in 20 years of the so called ‘special period’ economically. Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Stephen Chilcott

It started off as a nice pat on the back for exceptional work. But then the bonus became some people's primal motivation … first in the financial markets in the City of London, then in big business, and then in the way public services are run too. Peter Day traces the rise and rise of the bonus culture, and asks how much damage it causes. Producer: Caroline Bayley Editor: Stephen Chilcott

In the first of two programmes about Cuba, Peter Day reports from Miami. There are over 850,000 Cuban Americans in Florida more than half the total number in the United States. Peter Day talks to some of them about the reported changes taking place on the island and why some will never go back until the regime changes. Producer: Julie Ball Editor: Stephen Chilcott

Is there life after a sovereign debt default such as Greece is now facing ? Peter Day reports from Argentina, a country which went through a similar sort of crisis ten years ago. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott