The Bottom Line

What is the best way of cutting costs and transforming a business? Bosses often have to prune their operations - either to reinvest the cash to grow the business in other directions or because costs have got out of control. But can cuts go too far and damage an organisation? It was reported that British Airways' computer meltdown earlier this year was caused in part because the company had moved too quickly to make efficiency savings. It now faces paying its customers millions of pounds in compensation. Evan Davis and panel discuss the good, bad and the ugly of cost cutting and business transformation.Guests:Ashley Almanza, Chief Executive of G4S Gavin Oldham, founder of Share Radio Marco Amitrano, head of consulting at accountants, PWC.

Evan Davis discusses the reasons why some companies have multiple brands. Is it to bamboozle or does it help consumers navigate the wide variety of choices? Can there be too many? When does product proliferation make sense? Evan talks to three guests: a brand consultant, a marketing executive from drinks company Diageo and a representative from Johnson & Johnson about how we can better understand the world of brands.GUESTSRobert Jones - Brand consultant at Wolf Olins and a visiting professor at the University of East Anglia Jana Ignatova - Head of Baby global franchise for EMEA at Johnson & Johnson Ed Pilkington - European Marketing and Innovation Director at Diageo.

Evan Davis presents the business magazine.

Are white collar workers under threat from the new robotic workforce? Manufacturing companies have been replacing production line workers with robots for years, but as the technology becomes more advanced, they are being increasingly used in healthcare, law firms and HR departments. So is the white collar worker under threat? Evan Davis talks to three guests, a roboticist, an Artificial Intelligence consultancy worker and the CEO of a hotel chain who is already using robots in his business. GUESTSThrishantha Nanayakkara - Roboticist, Imperial CollegeDr. Michael Chui - Partner, IT and innovation, McKinsey Global InstituteHubert Viriot - CEO, Yotel.

Corporate theft has played a big part in business history from Porcelain and Tea from China, to the French attempting to get their hands on the blueprint for the Spinning Jenny. In this week's programme Evan Davis and guests discuss more modern copyright infringement and how to protect against it. GUESTSChris Morgan-Jones, Crime fiction author and Consultant, K2 IntelligenceVicki Salmon, Lawyer and Patent Attorney, IP Asset Partnership, Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and Chair of CIPA's Litigation Committee Mandy Haberman, Director and Founder of Haberman Products Limited.

What's the future for UK Farming? Evan Davis meets three food producers from across the country to talk about the daily challenges of farming in Britain today. Guests include one of the biggest carrot producers in the country, a Wiltshire Beef farmer and Deputy President of the National Farmers Union and a lowland sheep farmer whose herd shares the land with cadets from the Ministry of Defence in Kent. GUESTSGuy Poskitt, Managing Director, M H Poskitt LtdMarie Prebble, Lowland Sheep farmerMinette Batters, Beef farmer and Deputy President of the National Farmers Union.

Business and its place in society is a prominent issue at the moment. Zero hours contracts, executive pay, tax avoidance are all issues where opinion has shifted dramatically. Has Shareholder driven capitalism finally gone too far? In a special programme recorded at the Royal Academy of Engineering in front of a live audience, Evan Davis talks to the former BP CEO, Lord John Browne on his thoughts about big business as it relates to society. And asks whether it's now time to trust big business?

Britain's multi-billion pound nuclear dream. EDF is building the country's first new nuclear power station in decades at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. But that's just the start. Two other companies also have dreams of bringing nuclear to sites in Cumbria and on Anglesey. But the financing and logistics of these projects are tough. Power stations cost billions to build and investors won't see returns for more than five years. Critics of the nuclear option argue that renewables - wind and solar power - would be a better option to generate electricity. Just what are the options and the costs involved? Three nuclear rivals join Evan Davis.Guests: Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, managing director, nuclear new build, EDF Energy UK Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive, Horizon Nuclear Power Tom Samson, chief executive, NuGeneration Nuclear Power Dame Sue Ion, chair of the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board.

Migrant entrepreneurs create one in seven businesses in the UK. This week Evan Davis talks to three entrepreneurs who all arrived from overseas with very little and then went on to create a successful business. GUESTSTony Kitous, Founder, Comptoir LibanaisRazan Alsous, Yorkshire Dama CheeseSurinder Arora, Founder and Chairman, Arora Group.

The UK is a world leader in financial services technology, otherwise known as fintech. Presenter Evan Davis asks how Britain has beaten Silicon Valley and what challenges fintech poses to traditional banking?Guests: Antony Jenkins, Founder and Executive Chairman, 10x Future Technologies Ishaan Malhi, Founder, Trussle.com Eileen Burbidge, Co-founder, Passion CapitalProducer: Julie Ball.

From budget airline seats to insurance, Evan Davis discovers the secrets of pricing.

How does a can of Italian tomatoes reach the supermarket shelf and a car manufacturer receives its parts in time? Evan Davis finds out about the hidden transport networks that bring goods from around the world to our high street shops and factory floors.Joining Evan to discuss the business of logistics are:Paul Dyer, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Maggie Simpson, Executive Director of the Rail Freight Group , the representative body for rail freight in the UK Oliver Treneman, Park Development Director, DP World London GatewayProducer: Julie Ball.

The UK space industry is growing faster than the wider economy. Its application is broad - from manufacturing satellites, earth observation projects, to advanced research and design for space exploration. The government aims to capitalise on all this activity and wants the UK to have its own space port for commercial flights and satellite missions. The programme will hear from the country's top small satellite manufacturer and from a firm developing a revolutionary hypersonic propulsion engine. Evan Davis's guests are:Catherine Mealing-Jones, UK Space Agency Mark Thomas, Reaction Engines Patrick Wood, Surrey Satellite Technology Producer: Lesley McAlpine.

We spend a third of our life at work so it's inevitable that relationships blossom, whether it's a one night stand at the Christmas party or one that becomes a long term partnership. How do companies handle the issues that can arise from office romance? Evan Davis and his guests discuss the solutions.GUESTSNeil Morrison, Director, Strategy, Culture and Innovation. Penguin Random HouseHelen Farr, Partner, Employment Law Group, Fox WilliamsDanielle Harmer, Chief People Officer, Metro Bank.

How can people running charities balance doing good, maximising income, while retaining public trust? The sector is undergoing changes in regulation in the wake of scandals involving fundraising and governance. Evan Davis meets the experts. Taking part are: the chairman of the new Fundraising Regulator, Lord Grade of Yarmouth; Jayne Clarke of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Simon Gillespie from the British Heart Foundation.

The care home business is heading for a crisis according to Evan Davis's guests in this edition of The Bottom Line. The cost of providing care in this labour-intensive business has increased significantly because of the introduction of the National Living Wage. The fees paid by local authorities on behalf of poorer residents no longer cover the cost of providing accommodation, food and staffing. Care homes make up the shortfall by charging higher fees to privately funded residents. Social care analyst William Laing tells Evan Davis that private payers subsidise publicly funded residents by, on average, £8000 per annum. But this is not an option in less affluent areas with a shortage of fee paying clients.John Ransford of the HC-One group provides care for mainly publicly funded residents. He tells Evan that 24 hour care for the elderly has to be provided for less than the cost of a night in a Travelodge.Evan's guests believe that the care sector's business model is unsustainable. Find out what they think will

Brexit means the UK government will have to negotiate trade agreements with the EU and the rest of the world. Trade deal experts share their tips with presenter Evan Davis.Guests include:Janice Charette, Canadian High Commissioner to the UK Tim Cullen, founder and director of Oxford Programme on NegotiationProducer: Julie Ball.

If the word auction conjures up pictures of a man with a gavel in a packed room shouting 'going, going, gone' - think again. These days governments and businesses rely on complicated online auctions to buy and sell. Auctions are also the preferred mechanism for the allocation of radio spectrum licences to mobile phone companies and the selling of mineral rights. Auctions come in a huge variety of forms, and the precise design can have a dramatic effect on the outcomes. Do you know a sealed bid from a "combinatorial clock" auction? Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of auctions. Guests include: Dan Maldoom, DotEcon Samantha Collett property developer Stephen Lerner, 3 UKProducer: Lesley McAlpine.

The future of the car industry. How car manufacturers are joining forces with "ride hailing" companies like Uber and why the future might be driverless. Evan Davis and guests discuss. Disruptive technology has made seismic changes to several business models: think Apple iTunes and the music industry or Netflix and our television viewing habits. It seems that the car industry might be next. Unlike their predecessors, car manufacturers are joining forces with the technology companies. Google with Ford, Uber with Volvo, General Motors with Lyft, pooling their expertise and resources. Joining Evan Davis on the programme are three guests who will talk about the hopes and fears for the industry and what this will mean for the rest of us.GUESTSGeorg Ell, Director, Western Europe, Tesla MotorsMatteo de Renzi, CEO, Western Europe, GettandDr. Eberhard Zeeb, Senior Manager, Function and Software Driving Assistance, Daimler Producer: Julie Ball.

Evan Davis and guests explore the fast moving world of selling to 18-24 year olds. Collectively, that age group has billions to spend. Individually, many are strapped for cash. So how do companies get their attention and their money? The answer seems to be: market your brand using social media. Link up with a celebrity with millions of followers and watch the money roll in. That's the theory. Forget old style television adverts. That age group isn't watching the box - they're on their mobiles. Joining the programme will be: Josephine Hansom from Youth Sight; Philip O'Ferrall, Viacom International Media Networks and Simon Beckerman from Depop.Producer: Lesley McAlpine.