logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
18m 25s

The global quest to boost productivity

Bbc World Service
About this episode

From tackling the long commute to sleeping on the job - we head to Lagos, New York, Tokyo, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) and Dublin to look at the diverse ways businesses are attempting to boost productivity and therefore also boost profits.

We hear from businesses installing sleep pods in the office and others using technology to boost production on their farms and in their factories but are these techniques really working?

Producer: Hannah Mullane Presenter: Leanne Byrne

(Image: Buildings working on a roof space. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Today
The cocoa conundrum
<p>Can Europe be weaned off cheap chocolate? EU efforts to block cocoa linked to deforestation were due to come into force at the end of this year – but have faced multiple delays. Another vote is due to take place soon. Some parties are pushing for further delay and modification ... Show More
20m 42s
Yesterday
Is this the end for South East Asia's scam centres?
<p>It’s one of the biggest human trafficking operations of modern times. Scam centres across South East Asia have been making hundreds of billions of dollars annually, it’s estimated, conning people into fake crypto-currency investment schemes. </p><p>But now these centres could ... Show More
18m 29s
Nov 24
Monetising Machu Picchu
<p>Peru is home to Machu Picchu - the ancient Inca city in the Andes mountains. </p><p>It's one of the seven wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular tourist destination attracts millions of visitors, making it very lucrative for the government, local a ... Show More
17m 38s
Recommended Episodes
May 2015
Productivity
Why is UK productivity lower than in many other countries?Evan Davis begins a new series of The Bottom Line by looking at the productivity problem. The programme asks what productivity really means and how different sectors go about measuring it.Evan hears from three chief execut ... Show More
28 m
Jun 2024
The ups and downs of global productivity
Labor productivity over the past 25 years has been a success story for some, a tale of stagnation for others. Investments and digital transformation can boost productivity for all economies. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Chris Bradley and Olivi ... Show More
28m 9s
Aug 2024
BUSINESS INTERVIEW: Productivity
BUSINESS INTERVIEW: Productivity Introducing Carson Tate Carson Tate is todays guest on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots business podcast. She is the founder and managing partner of Working Simply, Inc., a business consulting firm that partners with organizations, business le ... Show More
51m 21s
May 2023
Global Economy: Global Challenges Drive Productivity Investment
<p>With the trend toward a multipolar world accelerating, companies are finding that investing in productivity may help protect margins. Ravi Shanker and Diego Anzoategui discuss.</p><p><br></p><p>----- Transcript -----</p><p><strong>Ravi Shanker: </strong>Welcome to Thoughts on ... Show More
6m 9s
May 2024
675: How to Be Productive (with Google's Laura Mae Martin)
Welcome to an interview with the author of Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing, Laura Mae Martin. In her book, Laura shows how to thrive no matter where you’re working, giving concrete steps that help you focus on your priorities and keep good systems ... Show More
53 m
Sep 2023
Back to the office
Many employers say they are desperate to get staff back into the office more often, but what's the best and fairest way to wean employees off remote working?As companies from tech to banking grapple with this issue, Evan Davis and guests discuss the productivity pros and cons, th ... Show More
28m 49s
Dec 2022
Indra Nooyi on Leadership, Culture, and Steve Jobs
During her 12-year run as CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi helped the company grow sales by 80%. Despite her success as one of the most powerful women in business, she's happy to be out of the world of “bits and bytes.” Motley Fool co-founder and CEO Tom Gardner caught up with Nooyi to ... Show More
27m 47s
Apr 2023
Michael Zezas: The Great Productivity Race
<p>As multinational companies look towards a future of higher innovation costs and a shrinking labor pool, some corporate sectors may fare better than others in the multipolar world.</p><p><br></p><p>----- Transcript -----</p><p>Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Michael Zeza ... Show More
2m 42s
Nov 2017
The Hardscrabble Business of Chinese Manufacturing in Africa
Irene Yuan Sun, a consultant at McKinsey, explains why so many Chinese entrepreneurs are setting up factories in Africa. She describes what it’s like inside these factories, who works there, what they’re making—and how this emerging manufacturing sector is industrializing countri ... Show More
25m 34s
Sep 2023
Surviving or Thriving? Farms
<p>Rising costs are having an impact on almost everyone, but that impact is very different for different sections of the economy. Rising food production costs are pushing up everyone’s grocery bills, and squeezing farmers’ profit margins. How are farms adapting to survive difficu ... Show More
28m 38s