The Bottom Line

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;

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett

The 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;

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett

The 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.

GUESTS

Dave Brittain, Business Development Director, Amazon Fashion Europe

Phil Jones, MD Brother UK

Dr. Sarah Woolley, Senior Research Fellow, Warwick Business School

CLIPS

Series 3 Episode 3 W1A

Writer: John Morton

Rob Mayhew

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Julie Ball

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;

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett

(Picture: Rolls of dollar bills next to a bottle of pills. Credit: Getty Images)

For most people, the aeroplane is the default mode of long distance transport Whilst the UK has only two overnight sleeper services, long distance train travel and sleeper services are experiencing a resurgence in Europe. One company OBB, the Austrian State Railway has just ordered thirty new trains, some of which will be in service from December. But are these services mainly for train aficionados, romantics and those scared of flying, or could they become a serious competitor to the plane?

Evan Davis and guests discuss what's behind this apparent new 'Age of the Train'.

Kurt Bauer, Head of Long Distance Passenger Services and New Rail Business, OBB/Nightjet

Michael Guerra, Rail Design Engineer and Co-founder, Night X

Monisha Rajesh, Travel journalist and Author, 'Around the World in 80 Trains'

Reporter: Lisa Louis

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Julie Ball

Editor : China Collins

Sound: Neil Churchill and Rod Farquhar

Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

Bad behaviour and big mistakes can destroy careers and even entire businesses if they're not addressed quickly, so why do some companies and their leaders try to downplay or even deny them?

Evan Davis and guests discuss the culture of defensiveness and denial that exists in some organisations, from the private to the public and charity sectors.

A former Oxfam worker describes how she was forced to blow the whistle on widespread sexual exploitation and abuse inside the charity, and the panel explores the ways in which leaders can tackle wrongdoing and encourage their teams to call it out.

Evan is joined by:

Helen Evans, former head of global safeguarding at Oxfam, now CEO of Cavernoma Alliance UK:

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett

(Picture: A businessman with his head in the sand. Credit: Getty Images)

Elon Musk’s decision to rename Twitter ‘X’ has been met with confusion, and in some cases even anger, but where does it rank amongst the best and worst rebrands?

Evan Davis and guests discuss the complexity of changing a company or product name, logo and message, the reasons for doing it, and how to make it a success.

These overhauls can be risky, though, and failure expensive – the panel discusses one the UK’s textbook rebranding disasters.

Evan is joined by:

Lee Rolston, chief growth officer at Jones Knowles Ritchie;

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett

(Picture: The new ‘X’ logo displayed on a smartphone with the old Twitter logo in the background. Credit: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.)

As the UK gets ready to host a major global summit on the safety of artificial intelligence, Evan Davis speaks to one of the technology's leading global figures.

Demis Hassabis explains how he went from child chess champion to game developer to co-founder of AI research lab DeepMind, which was bought by Google in 2014.

He discusses Google's answer to ChatGPT and AI's ability to create breakthroughs in science, but also its downsides, including the potential extinction of the human race.

GUEST: Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers: Joel Moors and Simon Tulett

(Picture: Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind)

From plumbers to electricians, plasterers to builders, most of us need to hire a trader at some point. But what's it like to work in the industry, and how has it been affected by changes such as Brexit, the pandemic and inflation? How should you go about finding a trader who is trustworthy and will deliver quality work?

In recent decades, going into a 'trade' has not been as strongly encouraged as to going to university, but tradespeople of all kinds are in short supply, so what is being done to encourage more young people to take up a trowel or pick up a drill?

Evan Davis and guests discuss.

CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Day - Electrician, Mayday Electrical Solutions Ltd.

Kalece Okusanya - Decorator - Suave Property Care

Will Davies - Co founder , Aspect Property Maintenance

Tim Balcon - CEO, Construction Industry Training Board

Peter Gordon - Listener

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Julie Ball

Many employers say they are desperate to get staff back into the office more often, but what's the best and fairest way to wean employees off remote working?

As companies from tech to banking grapple with this issue, Evan Davis and guests discuss the productivity pros and cons, the impact on company culture and career progression, and the future of the office space itself.

With many staff reluctant to give up the flexibility of remote working, is a hybrid model the answer to keeping them happy and how many office days each week should you go for? Plus, where do employees stand legally on return to the office requests, and what happens when workers simply refuse to comply?

Evan is joined by:

Kelly Beaver, CEO of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland;

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett

(Picture: A businessman staring out of the window of an empty conference room. Credit: Chris Ryan/Getty Images)