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The gamification of fitness

The gamification of fitness

Advances in technology mean more people have devices which offer incentives and rewards for achieving fitness goals.

From hi tech gyms to interactive home works outs, we explore why some companies are embracing this approach.

It’s boosting user engagement and transforming workouts, but are trackers and leader boards a positive step? And is this what the future holds for fitness?

Produced and presented by Sean Allsop

(Image: A fitness class. Credit: Getty Images)

Cashing in on Ghana's cashews

Cashing in on Ghana's cashews

Ed Butler travels to northern Ghana in search of one of the country’s growing exports.

Cashew nuts have become a feature of crop production, but there are problems.

How does Ghana best add value to cashews in a way that benefits the country and doesn’t just see it exploited overseas?

And could solving the cashew issue help Ghana's economy in other ways?

Produced and presented by Ed Butler

(Image: A worker at a cashew processing company sorting nuts in Ghana)

Is X still good for brands?

Is X still good for brands?

In November 2024, FC St Pauli became the first major football club to stop posting on X (formerly Twitter). In a statement, the leftwing Bundesliga club cited concerns over racism and conspiracy theories on the platform.

It has moved to alternative social media site Bluesky instead.

So is this part of a wider trend? We hear from companies who are finding alternatives to X, or staying on but reducing advertising spend.

Plus we hear from those who say with hundreds of millions users, X still has an important role to play particularly in areas like customer service.

Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney

(Image: Fans of St.Pauli wave a skull and crossbones rainbow flag during the match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Magdeburg at Millerntor Stadium in Hamburg, Germany, 14 August 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

Spain's squatting problem

Spain's squatting problem

Squatting has a long history in Spain, often fuelled by high rates of homelessness.

And the country’s ongoing housing crisis means that despite being low in numbers, squatting is now a highly politicised topic.

We hear from private companies set up to evict people, from businesses making products to prevent squatters moving in, and from squatters themselves about their experiences.

Produced and presented by Stefania Gozzer

(Image: A worker takes a mattress off the balcony during the eviction of 62 families from four apartments in June 2023 in Madrid, Spain. Credit: Getty Images)

Business Daily meets: Peter Moore

Business Daily meets: Peter Moore

We hear how his British accent and 'scouse cockiness' led him from physical education teacher in the UK, to a sportswear executive in the US.

And how a career change in his 40s led Peter Moore to a job offer he couldn't refuse, as CEO of the football club he'd supported since childhood, Liverpool FC.

Produced and presented by Matt Lines

(Image: Peter Moore and Virgil van Dijk with the FIFA Club World Cup in Doha, Qatar on 21 December 2019. Credit: Getty Images)

Are social scientists good for boardrooms?

Are social scientists good for boardrooms?

A 2020 Academy of Social Sciences report found that sociologists, economists and philosophers help companies improve productivity, enhance problem-solving and heighten social impact.

So it makes sense that businesses would want social scientists involved in strategy and decision making.

But how does it work in practice? Are there conflicts between hard commercial realities and ‘softer’ social issues, and how do companies resolve these?

We speak to Dr Melissa Cefkin, an anthropologist and former chief scientist at the Nissan Research Centre in Silicon Valley, about how she combined social science and the corporate world.

And we find out if the trend is a uniquely western, or even Californian, phenomenon.

Producer: Izzy Greenfield Presenter: Gareth Mitchell

(Image: A group of women in a boardroom. Credit: Getty Images)

India's cola wars

India's cola wars

For decades, two multi-national giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have been competing for one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. Now they face tough competition from Asia’s richest man. Mukesh Ambani’s company, Reliance Retail, has launched its own cola brand - Campa Cola.

With its vast retail network and aggressive pricing strategy, we find out how this has intensified the so called 'cola wars' in the country.

Producer/presenter: Devina Gupta

(Image: A group of young people drinking soft drinks at a bowling alley. Credit: Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia's Hollywood dream

Saudi Arabia's Hollywood dream

Today we’re in Jeddah, looking at how Saudi Arabia went from a Kingdom where cinemas were banned to a rising star in the film industry.

We hear from Saudis revelling in new-found freedoms and foreign filmmakers lured in by cash incentives.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Emily Wither

(Picture: US actor Johnny Depp poses for a picture with a fan on the red carpet of the awards ceremony of the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, December 2024. Credit: Getty Images)

Guatemala's circular migration

Guatemala's circular migration

We are in the Central American country of Guatemala to hear how temporary work permits to the United States are changing some Guatemalan’s lives. We find out how this circular migration is benefiting both businesses in the US, and the economy back home in Guatemala.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter/producer: Jane Chambers

(Photo: Sandra Noemi Bucu Saz in her plot of land that she rents with her family in Guatemala. Credit: Jane Chambers)

Business Daily meets: Pascal Lamy

Business Daily meets: Pascal Lamy

The French businessman was Director-General of the WTO from 2005–2013, and European commissioner for trade for five years from 1999 – 2004.

Ed Butler speaks to Pascal Lamy about the trading relationships between the US and China, and the US and the EU, what a second Trump presidency might mean for world trade.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Producer: Amber Mehmood

(Picture: Pascal Lamy, photo taken in Paris, November 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

What next for US-Africa relations under a second Trump administration?

What next for US-Africa relations under a second Trump administration?

We look at what a second Donald Trump presidency could mean for Africa, hearing from economists and business owners.

We explore some of the existing trade pacts between the US and Africa, and consider the significance of remittances - the money sent back home by African migrants living overseas.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Michael Kaloki

(Picture: Then President Donald Trump walks with the former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on the White House colonnade as they make their way to the Oval Office, on February 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images)

What could tariffs mean for Canada?

What could tariffs mean for Canada?

Donald Trump has said he will impose new tariffs on goods entering the US from Canada on his first day in office. Tariffs are a central part of the President-elect's economic vision - he sees them as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue.

But some warn they could inflate consumer prices.

We look at how Canada is preparing, hearing from those in key sectors like farming and car manufacturing, and explore how the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could affect things.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Sam Gruet Producer: Megan Lawton

(Picture: Ben Loewith, a third-generation dairy farmer, who runs summit dairy in Hamilton, Ontario, pictured in the dairy. Credit: Sam Gruet/Megan Lawton/BBC)

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