The Bottom Line

Evan Davis makes up crisis management scenarios to see how three CEOs handle a business emergency. To make it more realistic none of the guests know what the predicaments are before speaking to Evan.Guests: Kathryn Jacob, CEO of Pearl and Dean Dame Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd's of London Justin King, former CEO of Sainsbury'sProduction Team: Presenter: Evan Davis Editor: Matt Willis Producer: Simon Tulet & Paige Neal-Holder Sound: Sarah Hockley & Rod Farquhar

A typical career, for many, involves some kind of progression, or at least the expectation of it, until we stop and retire. But is there a better model?Evan Davis and guests discuss whether more of us should think about easing into retirement by taking more junior roles, going part time, or switching profession altogether, instead of stepping off a career cliff edge when we reach pension age. Could this expand the number of job opportunities for older workers, whilst also helping younger workers push through the ranks?Stepping back isn’t an option open to all, though, and there could be big implications for pensions, so how should older workers begin to calculate if, or when, it might be possible? Evan is joined by:Matthew Rideout, founder of Knead & Desire Bakehouse; Sir Howard Davies, chairman of NatWest Group; Zoe Ashdown, head of culture and people engagement at AXA UK and Ireland.Thanks also to the listeners who sent in voice notes, and to everyone else who emailed [email protected] TEAM:Producers: Simon Tulett Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder Editor: Matt Willis Sound: James Beard and Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Rosie StrawbridgeThe Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.(Picture: An older man laughing and looking at a laptop with a young woman in a workshop. Credit: Alys Tomlinson/Getty Images)

The UK’s biggest nightclub operator recently announced the closure of around half of its venues, and with them almost 500 jobs. REKOM UK, which owns the Atik and Pryzm brands, blamed the cost of living crisis hurting its customers, along with increased operating costs. But is there something else going on? According to the industry association the number of nightclubs in the UK has more than halved in the last decade, so have younger people – nightclubs’ core customers – lost interest in drinking and dancing the night away? Are landlords eyeing up healthier returns from these enormous spaces by turning them into flats? And how are the remaining venues evolving to attract these, and sometimes older, customers?Evan Davis is joined by:Peter Marks, chairman of REKOM UK; Mike Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association; Jo Cox-Brown, CEO of Night Time Economy Solutions.PRODUCTION TEAM:Producers: Simon Tulett and Nick Holland Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Rosie StrawbridgeThe Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.(Picture: A crowd of people dancing and waving their arms in the air. Credit: Getty Images)

It’s easy for people to say they want to buy a particular product, perhaps in the name of sustainability. But how often do individuals actually follow through with these well-meaning intentions? Academics regularly observe a difference between what consumers say they want to do and what they actually do. The gap can cause problems for businesses when they're trying to figure out how to serve their customers. Evan Davis is joined by a panel of business leaders to discuss how they bridge this divide. Guests: Andreas Chatzidakis, professor of marketing in the centre for research into sustainability, Royal Holloway, University of London Jake Pickering, senior manager for agriculture, Waitrose Marsha Smith, deputy CEO, IKEA UK Toby Clark, vice president of insights, MintelProduction team: Producers: Simon Tulett, and Nick Holland Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Hal Haines Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.

It's useful to know how you're doing at work, but feedback from managers and colleagues can often be unhelpful, upsetting, or even non-existent. So what's the best way to give and receive it?Evan Davis and guests discuss some top techniques, particularly in the tricky area of negative feedback, and the importance of training managers in how to have these conversations. But feedback isn't just about managers - we learn the best ways for employees to receive and act on it. Plus, how frequently should an employee's performance be measured - we discuss the pros and cons of the annual appraisal - and whether technology helps or hinders.Evan Davis is joined by:Catherine Hearn, UK HR director, Amazon Katie Obi, chief people officer, Advanced Margaret Cheng, HR consultant, executive coach and author of 'Giving Good Feedback'PRODUCTION TEAM:Producer: Simon Tulett Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Graham Puddifoot and Hal Haines Production co-ordinator: Rosie StrawbridgeThe Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.(Picture: A woman and a man talking at a desk. Credit: Vladimir Vladimirov, Getty Images)

UK consumers are eating less meat than at any point since records began 50 years ago, according to the latest government figures, so how are farmers, processors and retailers responding?The cost of living crisis is part of the reason for a recent drop-off in demand, but warnings about meat's impact on the planet and our health might also play a role, and plant-based alternatives have been eating into meat’s market share in recent years. So does the industry feel under attack, or are they adapting their businesses and their products to meet these challenges? And what does it take to get an animal from a field to our plate anyway?Evan Davis is joined by:Anna Longthorp, of Anna’s Happy Trotters; Phil Hambling, head of CSR at ABP Food Group; Charlotte Mitchell, owner of Charlotte’s Butchery. PRODUCTION TEAM:Producer: Simon Tulett Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill Production co-ordinator: Rosie StrawbridgeThe Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.(Picture: A butcher arranging meat at store window in Leeds. Credit: Reza Estakhrian/Getty Images)

Some major fashion brands have started charging for online returns, or even banning customers who routinely send products back. The companies say that growing levels of returns are hitting their profits, so just how costly is it to process an unwanted dress, and what really happens when we pop it back in the post?Evan Davis and guests take us behind the scenes into the hidden world of returns and the mini-industry that has sprung up to deal with the billions of pounds of items rejected by customers.It's a growing problem, according to many retailers, with a small number of customers causing particular damage, so what's the best way to tackle it and does the responsibility lie with brands, shoppers, or governments?Evan is joined by:Robert Kulawik, chief operating officer, Everything5pounds.com; Andy Rough, CEO, ACS Clothing; Dr Regina Frei, associate professor of digital economy, University of Surrey. PRODUCTION TEAM:Producer: Simon Tulett Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill Production co-ordinator: Rosie StrawbridgeThe Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.(Picture: A woman putting folded clothes into a cardboard box. Credit: Getty Images)

It’s become the mantra of many employers, and the expectation of some employees, but what does bringing your whole or authentic self to work actually mean, and should companies encourage it? Evan Davis and guests discuss the pros and cons of a workplace culture in which staff share their personal beliefs, politics and vulnerabilities with colleagues. What impact does it have on employee satisfaction and business productivity? And, at a time of great political and cultural polarisation, how do you prevent the ‘whole self’ ethos stirring up trouble?Evan is joined by:Nana Berchie, global people director for diversity, belonging and human rights, Arcadis; Octavius Black, founder and CEO, The Mind Gym; Kate Palmer, employment services director, Peninsula UK; Sophia Luu, freelance design researcher and founder of Secrets Worth Sharing.PRODUCTION TEAM:Producer: Simon Tulett Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Gemma AshmanThe Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.(Picture: A woman hiding behind her laptop. Credit: Getty Images)

On the agenda for the final programme of the current series is meetings. Virtual or in person, it's difficult to avoid a work meeting. So how do you ensure a good meeting? What should their purpose be, how many people should attend, who should speak and when? Evan Davis and guests discuss. GUESTSDave Brittain, Business Development Director, Amazon Fashion EuropePhil Jones, MD Brother UKDr. Sarah Woolley, Senior Research Fellow, Warwick Business School CLIPS Series 3 Episode 3 W1AWriter: John Morton Rob Mayhew Brother Meeting Manifesto Writer: Rob Mayhew PRODUCTION TEAMProducer: Julie Ball Editor: China Collins Sound: Rod Farquhar and James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

New medicines with sales in the billions of dollars each year are what every pharmaceutical company dreams of, but how do you create one and can they really justify their often high price tags?Evan Davis and guests discuss the changing origins of so-called 'blockbusters' and their importance to the global drug industry, including recent examples like the obesity and diabetes treatments Wegovy and Ozempic, which have made Novo Nordisk one of the richest companies in Europe.Plus, as outright cures for some diseases begin to emerge, how can the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare systems agree on what is a reasonable price to pay for them?Evan is joined by:Sir Patrick Vallance, former president of research and development at GSK, chief scientific advisor to the UK government, now chair of the Natural History Museum; Ruth McKernan, venture partner at SV Health Investors; David Brown, chairman and co-founder of Healx and co-creator of Viagra; Natasha Loder, health editor, The Economist. PRODUCTION TEAM:Producer: Simon Tulett Editor: China Collins Sound: Graham Puddifoot Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman(Picture: Rolls of dollar bills next to a bottle of pills. Credit: Getty Images)