Share Sounds. related to Ethics & Morality - Corporate Standards

Last month the Co-operative Bank put itself up for sale because it hasn't managed to improve its finances in the way it needs to. There's no immediate threat to the Co-op Bank, and the The Co-operative Bank has been at pains to say that it is not abandoning its principles. It was and is the first - and only - high street bank to have an ethical policy. But what is the future for the bank and what are the alternatives if you want to bank somewhere that does have some principles. Sarah Pennells was joined in the studio by founder of Fairer Finance James Daley, Anthony Elliot from the Fair Banking Foundation and Huw Davies, Head of Retail Banking at Triodos Bank.

It seems people are getting increasingly concerned over the ethical credentials of their food as sales of Fair Trade produce rose for the first time since 2013. This week is the first of Fair Trade Fortnight which aims to raise awareness of the situation for farmers globally and what consumers can do to help them. Joining Georgie Frost for the launch of the week was CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation Mike Gidney.

Increasingly people are becoming employed in the so-called gig economy with firms such as Deliveroo and Uber however it leaves a lot of questions over their employment rights. Recently Uber and Deliveroo have appealed for an overhaul of employment laws which they claim prevent them from providing benefits such as insurance and pensions to self-employed staff. This follows last month's legal battle by a plumber- who wanted to reduce his days at Pimlico Plumbers following a heart attack. To give some insight into the law in workers rights Georgie Frost was joined by employment expert Beverley Sunderland from Crossland Employment solicitors.

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. We’re still on course for Brexit, albeit pending Parliament’s approval. Already a number of banks seem intent on following through on their threats to relocate jobs, but what about the local branches already shutting down across the UK? Meanwhile the FTSE continues to soar on the back of the slumping pound but questions remain as to the underlying health of the UK economy. Inflation also looks set to rise as does national debt although the latest GDP figures do offer some good news at least. To discuss how people can save and invest for the turbulent times ahead Georgie Frost is joined in the studio by Editor Simon Lambert and Deputy Editor Adrian Lowrey. Plus just when BT thought their problems couldn’t get any worse we’ll be announcing the results of the annual Money Mail Wooden Spoon Awards. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.

Sue Dougan is joined in the studio by Share Radio's Senior Analyst Ed Bowsher. Today they discuss the recent bounce in the FTSE 100 as well as the increasing growth in bank deposits. Also on the agenda they look at gym membership deals following recent action by the Competition and Markets Authority. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Earlier this week independent energy supplier GB Energy Supply ceased trading, forcing Ofgem to step in and appoint another supplier. But what can you do and what are your rights if your supplier or bank fails? Joining Sarah are Ann Robinson, an independent energy consultant, James Walker from complaints site Resolver and Martyn James, an independent financial expert.

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. It’s been quite a stressful week both real and imagined. The UK banking system was put through its paces in the Bank of England’s stress test which simulated a range of disaster scenarios from crashing house prices to rising unemployment. The biggest failure proved to be the majority tax payer owned RBS, whilst it was ‘must try harder’ for Barclays and Standard Chartered. Unfortunately not all this week’s stresses have been virtual though and rising fuel prices contributed to the collapse of GB Energy affecting 160,000 customers. When it comes to finding a new supplier there’s certainly plenty of choice at least as more and more smaller firms spring up- so just what is going on with Britain’s energy market? Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce to find out. Also this week they look at the scams tricking people out of personal data and gig tickets as well as the meaty issue of what else is in the new plastic fiver. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.

The UK economy is going to need two million new managers by 2024. But if we are to see gender balance at work then, 1.5 million of those new managers will need to be women. The figures come from the Chartered Management Institute, which is launching a new initiative to redress that imbalance in the workplace. Men outnumber women in management roles three to one, and the Institute says it’s time to campaign for what it calls "gender parity". Patrick Woodman, Head of External Affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, joined Share Radio Breakfast to give more details on the issue.

Rita Lobo, is joined by Steve Newcomb, from the indigenous law institute to discuss the current situation at the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota. Plans to build a pipe line through the reservation have been heavily disrupted by protesters looking to protect the sacred land of the Sioux people.

The number of workers taking claims of unfair dismissal or discrimination to employment tribunals has slumped since charges came into force. That's according to trade body, TUC. The group says the number of workers filing such cases had fallen from 16,000 a month to 7,000 since the fees were introduced in 2013. This included a large reduction in cases on sexism, racism and disability. To find out more, Sue Dougan spoke to Ed Stacey, Head of Employment at PricewaterhouseCoopers.