Most of us have never heard of high-frequency trading. Yet, many experts predict that the next financial crisis will probably be caused by this new Wall Street made practice. Thousands of interconnected computers are buying and selling thousands of stocks each and every micro-second. With no human control or regulation. We delve into a mad financing world dominated by machines, or rather, by...

Are companies like Apple and Samsung designing expensive electronic products, built to fail? Every year, shinier, slicker new models are released to encourage us to upgrade. But it’s not enough just to persuade consumers to buy more and more: they have to be forced to upgrade. From the iPod and iPhone, designed with an integrated battery that cannot be changed by the user, to Samsung TVs built...

More and more companies are resorting to neuromarketing. This controversial practice involves studying consumers’ brains, analyzing how and why they respond to certain stimuli, in order to influence their decisions. It’s based on the idea that 90% of our decisions are made at a subconscious level. If a brand can speak directly to our "gut instinct", bypassing reason, more of its products will...

Over the past ten years, the price of clothes has fallen by 13%. But who has been paying the price? Can the ethical claims of the big brands be trusted? From the exploitation of children and workers to forcing labourers to work in dangerous conditions and violating local and international laws, it seems many manufacturers are still reliant on sweatshop models of production. In this exclusive...

In association with BBC Panorama, we investigate the world of tax havens and show how some of the world’s most famous companies are using a tax haven at the heart of Europe to save millions in tax. Secret documents reveals how companies like GlaxoSmithKline have been getting big tax breaks on billion pound transactions in the tiny country of Luxembourg. By opening offices there, diverting...

Big brands have suddenly become environmentally responsible. Or have they? At any rate, they are proudly showing off their newfound commitment in their ads and packaging. Some have even invented “green labels” to grant them more credibility and sell more products. And yet, the activities of the very same virtuous, eco-friendly companies question their commitment to the environment. We...

To sell a cure, first you need to sell the disease. According to some research, pharmaceutical companies are medicalising normal conditions, like the menopause, promoting non-existent diseases, and transforming mild problems into serious conditions that need treatment. Twenty years ago, few people worried about their cholesterol level. Today, thanks to the pharmaceutical companies, high...