The Bottom Line

Evan Davis and guests discuss how best to resolve disputes between colleagues - both making the best of it and avoiding the worst. Despite our best efforts, conflict never disappears – it’s always there, when humans gather. In the office, it can be start with something as trivial as a coffee cup left on a colleague's desk. And from there, it can spiral into a situation where people are unwilling to work with each other, or even suffer mental ill health as result. Three experts give advice on how to prevent conflict festering and the best ways to mediate when co-workers end up at daggers drawn.

Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Lucinda Borrell and Sandra Kanthal

How can companies create a level playing field for applicants and employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds? Evan Davis and guests discuss the sometimes invisible barriers and assumptions which exclude some from getting jobs or getting promoted. Many believe that the job interview format tends to favour the social skills of those from the middle and upper middle classes. Diversity schemes help - but there are questions about whether they go far enough. Is this the final taboo when it comes to equality in employment?

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Producer: Lucinda Borrell

The National Lottery contract is up for grabs. While the results aren't scheduled to be announced until early 2022, the bids are in and being considered - and across the industry it seems that this is the closest competition yet with four major players in the running. How do lotteries, large and small, operate? And what obligations does the industry have towards customers who might be vulnerable? Evan Davis speaks to Camelot, who have been running The National Lottery since its inception 27 years ago, and to industry leaders, about the changing world of lotteries.

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PRODUCERS

SOUND

Evan Davis looks at the expanding world of ultrafast home delivery. App-based firms like Getir promise to get a grocery order to your home in just 10 minutes. During the pandemic demand for such services skyrocketed. As new companies enter the market, is Q-commerce economically sustainable - or will there be a brutal shake-out? Evan speaks to players in this rapidly growing sector - and to a critic of it.

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Producer: Lucinda Borrell

Can carbon capture save the planet - and make money? The government has announced millions of pounds of funding to support the UK's emerging carbon capture industry. How will it change our futures?

Evan Davis speaks to the head of The East Coast Cluster, a project awarded some of this financial support, alongside other industry leaders, to understand whether this revolutionary technology could solve our climate change problems, or whether it is another way to evade our environmental obligations.

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Andy Lane, vice president (CCUS), BP & head of East Coast Cluster

PRODUCER

In 2020, the pandemic hit, and the world locked down. Suddenly white-collar staff went from working in the office, to working remotely. But now we are opening up, will people want to return? Hybrid working has become the buzzword of employers across the country, allowing individuals to have more flexibility over where they work. So how likely is this to function effectively? How do businesses manage staff and productivity? And will there ever be anyone in the office on Fridays....? Join Evan Davis and guests to find out.

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PRODUCER

Labour shortages, particularly in the hospitality and HGV sector have dominated the headlines from petrol shortages, to worries about Christmas dinner being off the menu. And its not just the logistics sector at risk - hospitality, agriculture and the care sector have all reported labour problems in post-pandemic, post-Brexit Britain. So what exactly is the solution? Do we bring in more labour from abroad? Do we invest in training and developing British workers? Or are companies going to have to pay better wages and improve working conditions? Join us on this week's The Bottom line to find out...

GUESTS

Rain Newton Smith, Chief Economist, CBI

The extraordinary success of the creation of vaccines for Covid-19 has made the business of clinical trials look simple. But appearances can be deceptive and it usually takes many years and costs hundreds of millions of pounds to bring a new drug, therapy or medical device successfully to market.

Evan Davis and his guests discuss how the economics of commercial clinical trials now look for companies in the light of such a disruptive event as the pandemic. How far is greater collaboration - with start-ups partnering with big pharma and research companies - changing the way in which trials operate? And will new tech developments - like the greater, tailored use of Artificial Intelligence, digital data and advanced statistical techniques - make the process cheaper and quicker - while compromising neither safety nor patient confidentiality?

Those taking part are:

Editor Hugh Levinson

Should consumers be told the carbon footprint of the products they buy? And if so, how? In recent years, a shift in customer attitudes towards climate change has caused businesses to up their game when it comes to showcasing the environmental impact of products. But just how transparent it this? How much do buyers want to know about how sustainable their shopping is? Evan Davis and guests discuss the highly complex issues around carbon labelling and how best to communicate sustainable business practices.

Guests

Emma Keller, Head of Sustainability UK & Ireland, Nestle

Producer: Lucinda Borrell

Electric vehicles are a hot topic. Nissan has announced it will construct a factory to produce EVs, while the government says no new vehicles running on petrol or diesel will be sold after 2030. The electric transport sector will play a crucial role in tackling climate change. But are we on track to hit these targets? Can EVs deliver the same reliable service as combustion engine vehicles and reduce "range anxiety"? Does the rolling out of this transition have consumers convinced? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

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