Podcasts from Share Radio Breakfast presented by Nigel Cassidy related to Economics

From tomorrow, many employers will be affected by the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. For some, this is a major opportunity to up-skill the UK workforce, for others it just might be another tax on business alongside business rates bills, auto-enrolment pensions and rising minimum wage rates.

According to the latest British Retail Consortium and Nielsen shop price index, global food commodity costs have risen, however intense competition between retailers is keeping the increase low at one per cent. So, what's contributing to this fierce competition between food retailers and what do the figures mean for consumers?

According to EY's latest Fraud Survey, senior managers are failing to set the right tone on business ethics. 51 per cent of respondents to the survey still perceive that bribery and corruption is still a major issue within business. So why are senior managers failing to set the right tone?

Tesla's market value has overtaken Ford's after shares in the soared more than 7%. The electric car maker has a market value of $49bn, compared with Ford's value of $46bn. James Brydges asked David Bailey, professor of industry at Aston Business School, whether the news was significant.

Now to IPOs, which according to the latest E-Y Global IPO Trends report, are looking 'robust after promising Q1 results' despite global economic uncertainty, i.e. Brexit. So, what is the reason behind such a positive start to global IPO activity? Martin Steinbach, EY's Global IPO Leader answers.

The Railway Industry Association wants high-level talks with the government over the future of railway supply chain companies in the UK. Rail supply chain companies want to make sure that the industry is represented in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. James Brydges spoke to Sim Harris, managing editor of Railnews.

What's going wrong at Paramount? Parent company Viacom has lost patience and changed CEOs after a string of flops led to a $455m loss last year. Brad Grey's been replaced by former 20th Century Fox chief executive Jim Gianopulos. Ben Hur and Zoolander 2 proved unpopular with audiences, and led to unfavourable comparisons with Disney's goldmine franchises like Rogue One and Captain America. James Brydges heard from Richard Broughton, research director at media analysis firm Ampere.

ASOS, the popular online retailer which offers consumers fast and cheap fashion, released it's latest interim results today. So how is this boom affecting our physical high-streets? And what issues do online retailers face despite their popularity? Joining Nigel Cassidy is Clare Bailey, Retail Expert to discuss further.

Utilitywise, the independent utility cost management consultancy, released interim results today. The deregulation of English water means thousands of local businesses will have access to ‘choice’ in supplier for the first time. Brendan Flattery, CEO of Utilitywise joins me on the line now to talk through Utilitywises' numbers and the recent deregulation of English water.

At Share Radio, we're all about demystifying business and finance - and few things can be more confusing than tax. Well, on Saturday, a whole bunch of tax changes were introduced, which will come into force on Thursday (The 6th of April) for the tax year running for 2017 to 2018. To help understand how these taxes will effect you, business, and our economy, Share Radio's Matt Cox has been taking a closer look at the changes.