Business Daily

Ever been stuck in a meeting drowning in buzzwords? Terms like "synergies", "low-hanging fruit" or "deliverables"? They're just a few examples of corporate jargon. A lexicon of colourful metaphors, buzzwords and acronyms that you’d never use with friends or family but have become common parlance in the world of international business. Workplace lingo might serve as a useful industry short-hand, or a way to gel with colleagues, but it can also irritate, obscure meaning or even hide unpleasant truths. And it's more prevalent than ever. In this episode, we team up with our colleagues at BBC Learning English to explore the origins and purpose of corporate language and why we love to hate it; hearing from workplace culture and linguistics experts, professionals in the City of London, a plain-talking CEO, and some of you - the BBC World Service audience.(Picture: Business people looking at sticky notes on a glass board as part of an upskill workshop. Credit: Getty Images.)Presenters: Ed Butler and Pippa Smith Produ

Former fund manager Ruchir Sharma spent most of his career as a money manager on Wall Street. Lately though, he’s become a fierce critic of modern capitalism – arguing that the economic system is less fair and less efficient than it has ever been. What’s the fix?Produced and presented by Vivienne Nunis(Image: Ruchir Sharma)

We visit an archaeological dig and meet the heritage consultants who ‘rescue history’ before the developers move in. In wealthy countries, these consultants are paid in advance, and this has led to a growing industry. In lower income countries that’s not the case – so what’s happening there? Plus - we look at how the very definition of heritage is fundamentally shifting.(Picture: Archaeologist excavating part of human skeleton and skull from the ground. Credit: Getty Images.)Presented and produced by David Reid

Billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as well companies like Boeing, believe a future where more satellites are put in orbit, alongside new space stations, as well as plans for bases on the moon, will prove very profitable.But it is not proving easy for Boeing in particular, following problems with its Starliner space craft on its maiden flight to the International Space Station.We hear from astrophysicists, companies that advise on space investment, and former astronaut Cady Coleman. Produced and presented by Russell Padmore(Image: Artist's concept of the Boeing Starliner craft travelling in Earth orbit. Credit: Boeing)

Vietnam has enjoyed more than 6% annual growth every year for the last thirty years or more, a staggering growth path, transforming one of Asia’s poorest economies into a major global trading hub. It's now one of the world’s top twenty economies. But are there challenges ahead. A high-profile anti-corruption drive, extreme weather events, and the death of its long-term leader have raised questions about the country’s path to prosperity.(Picture: Aerial view of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at night, showing high-rise buildings, the Landmark 81 supertall skyscraper, and transport networks. Credit: Getty Images.) Presented and produced by Ed Butler

From experiencing a stroke at the age of 17, to various corporate jobs that never quite fit, we hear about Glenn Fogel's journey to becoming CEO of Booking Holdings, the parent company of online travel site Booking.com.We learn why the EU-based company is in the sites of competition authorities having been dubbed a “gatekeeper” in the travel market, and we hear what Glenn thinks about the impacts of mass tourism. (Image: Glenn Fogel. Credit: Getty Images)Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Amber Mehmood

Tech titan Elon Musk says he’s backing Donald Trump to win the US election this November. But is he representative of what the wider industry thinks? And what does Silicon Valley, traditionally a Democratic heartland, want from either a Kamala Harris or a Donald Trump presidency? We explore what the two presidential candidates are offering this important sector of the US economy.(Picture: A smartphone screen shows the live broadcast of the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. A hand painted sign above it says ‘Trump or Harris?’ Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images.)Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Lexy O'Connor

The 2024 women's basketball season has broken records from attendances at matches, to points scored by rookie Caitlin Clark. As it draws to a close, we look at whether success on the court is leading to profitability off it. Despite some major media deals, the WNBA is still struggling to turn a profit. So is it really a major player in the sports industry?Produced and presented by Izzy Greenfield(Photo: A'ja Wilson, on court for the Las Vegas Aces. Credit: Getty Images)

From Paraguay to Portugal, Tokyo to Tel Aviv, more than 80 cities and countries around the world have introduced a ‘mayor for the night’. Several more are trying to introduce 24-hour zones to their nightlife – allowing alcohol to be served all day and night. But what are the benefits?We take you to the dancefloors of Montreal, Canada’s largest French-speaking city, where the local government is introducing a 24-hour zone. We travel to Berlin, the club capital of the world, where all-nighters have been the order of business since 1949.And we stop by Amsterdam to find out how electing a night mayor has boosted tourism and led to a drop in anti-social behaviour. (Image: Montreal at night. Credit: Catrine Daoust)Presented and produced by Sam Gruet

We use global positioning systems (GPS) for our sat navs and our mobile phones, and it's used extensively in aviation and shipping navigation.But what happens when it's disrupted? GPS jamming, when the signal isn't able to get through - and spoofing - which tricks the receiver into calculating a false position, is happening more and more.We look into the impact on the transportation sector - and on our everyday lives.Produced and presented by Gareth Mitchell(Image: An airline cockpit. Credit: Getty Images)

One of the world's biggest logistics firms sits down with us to talk about freight costs, the German economy and his route to success. DHL employs more than half a million people globally. It was as US-based logistics firm when it started out, but by 2001 was owned by Deutsche Post.So how is the now German-based company navigating global economic challenges, including political tensions and conflicts?Produced and presented by Leanna Byrne(Image: Tobias Meyer. Credit: Getty Images)

What links the lightsabre, Scream mask and Wilson the volleyball? They’re all film props - objects that help bring stories to life on screen. Behind the scenes, they support a whole industry of specialist expertise.We speak to prop masters about the pressures on budgets and safety, following the death of Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on set by a prop gun.Produced and presented by Laura Heighton-Ginns(Image: Harry Potter's glasses on display in June 2021 at Prop Store in California, US. Credit: Getty Images)

RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912 claiming the lives of more than 1500 people. Just over 700 survived the disaster. The events surrounding the sinking of the luxury ocean liner, the identities of those on board, plus the stories of heroism and heartbreak on the night have generated global fascination in the vessel, which continues to this day. And that interest in Titanic has generated huge commercial appeal and revenue - for writers, film and documentary makers, museums and auction houses.We examine how some mysteries surrounding the doomed ship continue to spawn so many, varied business ventures around the world - and the ethical questions that arise from the continued fascination in the Titanic story. (Picture: Woman looking down at some binoculars inside a glass case at a Titanic exhibition in Paris, France. Credit: Getty Images)Presented and produced by Russell Padmore

2023 was a record year of live music, with an all-time high in worldwide ticket sales. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s world tours broke records, however fans trying to get tickets faced big problems.We hear from musicians, fans and global ticket selling giant Live Nation (of which Ticketmaster is a part) to find out what’s happening, and if it is broken, what is being done to fix it?Produced and presented by Sam Gruet(Image: Beyoncé performs onstage during the Renaissance World Tour in October 2023, Kansas City, Missouri. Credit: Getty Images)

The campaign teams supporting Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the race to the White House are expected to spend a total of more than $10 billion.A journalist with the CBS network, Larry Magid, explains why most of the money will be spent on political advertising on television. Professor Natasha Lindstaedt, from the University of Essex explains analyses why spending on American political campaigns continues to escalate. The marketing expert, Allyson Stewart Allen, explains how the creative teams behind the political messages have learned lessons from advertising products like a new brand of drink. We also hear from Robin Porter, the Head of Political at Loop Me on how the company’s artificial intelligence is helping to target voters, notably in swing states.Produced and presented by Russell Padmore(Image: Voters in Santa Monica. Credit: Getty Images)

They’re the 300 dollar subscription fitness bands being worn by a host of celebrity-backers in 2024. But who is the business leader behind the billion-dollar Whoop brand?The son of an Egyptian migrant to the US, Will Ahmed was always interested in sports. During his college years he started to notice the dangers of doing too much sports training. He describes this as a ‘rabbit hole’ as he began researching sleep and recovery patterns in professional athletes. This led him to create a fitness tracker company that is a 3.4 billion dollar venture today, attracting famous athlete-investors like Michael Phelps and Cristiano Ronaldo and taking on established names in fitness tech like Apple, Google, Garmin and Fitbit. We hear how he did it, and what challenges he’s faced along the way. (Picture: Will Ahmed in his office, wearing a Whoop device)Presented and produced by Devina Gupta

After protests and political turmoil, we look at the challenges facing the new interim government.We'll hear from the biggest suppliers to global fast fashion brands and talk to students about their hopes and anxieties. Plus we have an exclusive interview with the country’s new central bank governor. Presenter: Nikhil Inamdar Producer: Jaltson Akkanath Chummar (Image: A garment worker at a sewing machine in Bangladesh)

Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and even Donald Trump have signed up to the manifesting philosophy - the trend in believing that dreams can come true if you envision a positive outcome. But does it hold the secret to financial and professional success or is it a pseudoscientific fad? And what's behind the meteoric rise of this new-age practice?From books and podcasts to thousands of creators and videos on social media, Megan Lawton traces the history, investigates the methods and explores the latest wave of this 'positive mindset phenomenon'.Presented and produced by Megan Lawton(Picture: Alicia Tghlian runs manifesting platform, Growth for Girlies, from her condo in Toronto, Canada.)

As many countries and cities around the world rally against over tourism, we're in Albania which is investing huge sums in growing its infrastructure to welcome visitors in.The UN ranks Albania 4th globally for tourism growth and it places top spot in the European list of countries. Around 14 million visitors are expected in 2024 but with a tourism boom comes huge investment, construction and a changing economy, but at what cost to the environment? We hear about plans to build a luxury resort - funded by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner - and travel to a construction site for a new airport serving the coastal resorts.Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney(Image: Aerial view of a crowded sand beach with umbrellas and lots of people at sunset in Ksamil, southern Albania. Credit: Getty Images)

We hear from farmers in Montana, Iowa and Georgia. What do they want to hear from the presidential candidates ahead of the US election?Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: David Cann(Image: A farmer using a combine in the US. Credit: Getty Images)