LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Britain’s business climate is deterring biopharma companies from investing in the country, AstraZeneca (AZN.L) chief Pascal Soriot said on Thursday, highlighting his company’s decision to shift plans for a new manufacturing plant to Ireland. The UK government’s ambition to become a life sciences "superpower" has been hampered by a discouraging tax environment, Soriot said, acknowledging the country was grappling with an "explosion of costs" driven by the impact of the COVID-19 on the healthcare system. While Britain is already considered a research powerhouse it is also lacking in other areas such as manufacturing incentives, and access to green energy, he said during a news conference after the company’s results. Without those elements, he added, companies will seek to develop drugs in other markets "where you know you’re going to get access and you’re going to get a price that can justify the investment". The British drugmaker seeks to offset declining sales of COVID-19 medicines with its cancer, metabolic and rare disease drugs and Soriot said it is on track to deliver at least 15 new medicines this decade. He highlighted AstraZeneca’s recent decision to build a manufacturing facility in Ireland instead of the UK […]

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getty When you’re both the CEO of a company and a father, the two worlds can sometimes collide, regardless of how hard you try to avoid it. Fortunately, there are some instances where that collision can be beneficial. I was recently in a situation in which I was explaining my belief about the best approach to building a company. My mind didn’t focus on business theory or trends; it wasn’t grasping at sports, war or movie metaphors, to name a tired few. Instead, I couldn’t stop thinking about toys—specifically, the timeless, infinite and inventive nature of LEGO bricks. There is something about those ubiquitous little bricks that inspires a logical, structured form of creativity in people of all ages. In some way, shape or form, all of the pieces fit with each other to transform ideas and creative instincts into something unique. From my perspective, understanding the beauty and benefits of LEGO provides a relevant framework for building and expanding a business in ways that are both responsible and innovative. Start with the basic building blocks. LEGO bricks are an intrinsically wonderful tool for building—and, by extension, an analog for expanding and trying new things at a company—because they […]

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Gov. Ned Lamont addresses a joint session of the Connecticut House and Senate as he presents his budget proposal for 2023-2024. Gov. Ned Lamont’s two-year, $50.5 billion budget includes a number of changes to business taxes and tax credits. While the Democratic governor’s budget includes more than $500 million in tax cuts , not all businesses will see relief. Before his budget reveal Wednesday, Lamont announced plans to pare back the pass-through entity tax, a levy created in 2018 to help business owners work around a new $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions within the federal income tax system. This would save about 123,000 small and mid-sized businesses, collectively, as much as $60 million annually starting in 2024. Lamont also hinted in December that he would allow the state’s corporation tax surcharge, which was supposed to expire this year, to sunset. However, his budget released on Wednesday keeps the surcharge in place until 2025, costing C-corp companies $130 million over two years. Other tax changes in the governor’s proposal include: Boosting from 5% to 10% the business tax credit that encourages companies to invest in human capital, such as sponsoring new work education and training programs. The […]

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Inflation affects everyone. Our economy continues to be unpredictable, causing people and businesses to evaluate spending habits. Focusing on business decisions that provide cost savings and create a positive impact is more critical now than ever. One easily overlooked line item is employee tobacco use. When employees use tobacco, it negatively impacts their personal bottom line as well as your business. Does your benefits program effectively address tobacco use, and how much money would a successful quit program save your company? The true cost of tobacco In the U.S., a pack of cigarettes now averages $8 . That pack-a-day habit costs people who smoke nearly $3,000 a year. The lifetime cost of smoking is in the ballpark of a quarter million dollars today and will only grow higher in the coming years. This figure doesn’t include medical expenses from tobacco-related illnesses. According to the CDC , cigarette smoking is the U.S.’s leading cause of preventable death. Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths yearly in the U.S. — nearly one in five. It’s common knowledge that quitting all forms of tobacco makes sense, especially as we encounter and work to navigate things like inflation and the potential of a […]

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Helen Zad , Administrator of Active Plus Home Health and Divine Grace Hospice, and Host of Femme Fatale by Helen Podcast. getty While no two paths to success will look alike, I believe there are some foundational elements that any successful business will have in common. Here are my three non-negotiable starting principles that I always employ with my business ventures that I hope can help you maximize your own potential. 1. Write a detailed business plan. Your business plan is your springboard when you’re starting to build. And while you may need to adjust it as you go, your plan from day one should be complete and as detailed as possible. You can find all kinds of free templates online for how to structure your plan, but here are the key ingredients. • Your product: Write a description of your product or service, how it compares to other products of its nature in the market and why yours will be successful. How does it meet a need? Include extensive market research—you should know the field and your competitors inside and out. • Passion: You need to strongly believe in your product. Why do you want to produce this? […]

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Photo via Pexels. According to Grand View Research, the menopause market hit $15.4 billion in 2021 and will continue on its growth path into the next decade. Did you know that millions worldwide experience menopause yearly? Despite this, there’s been very little discussion surrounding it, as it has been seen as a “taboo” subject. However, more venture capitalists (VCs) are considering investing in startups that serve this demographic. Menopause: Poorly Discussed and Often Misunderstood Before diving into the increasing number of investments VCs make in this market, it’s important for you to understand where society stands on menopause. You may be surprised to learn that women are often wildly unprepared for what comes with this inevitable physical change. The condition is not often discussed, and there’s a lot of misunderstanding regarding menopause, how it affects women, and why there’s high demand for health products in the space. Some women have trouble bringing up questions about menopause with their doctors, and physicians might not receive proper training on how to treat patients experiencing menopause. However, people going through menopause can suffer from a long list of 34 symptoms . As a VC, it’s important you know how much opportunity there […]

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Kellogg’s cold cereal products are pictured in a market after Kellogg Company announced it would split into three independent companies, in the latest U.S. corporate overhaul aimed at simplifying its structure and sharpening its focus on the snack business, in New York, U.S., June 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar Feb 9 (Reuters) – Kellogg Co (K.N) surpassed market expectations for quarterly sales and profit on Thursday and said it would retain the plant-based meat business it had planned to spin-off. The Pringles maker had last year announced plans to separate the MorningStar Farms unit, representing 2% of the group’s sales, to focus on its mainstay cereal business. Kellogg said on Thursday the plant-based segment would remain in house after exploring strategic options for the profitable business. The move comes at a time when inflation-weary consumers curb purchases of pricier plant-based meat alternatives in favor of wallet-friendly animal meat, which has hurt demand at competitor Beyond Meat (BYND.O) . Still, Kellogg has said its plant-based business offers strong long-term growth prospects. "Kellogg’s plant-based business has faced a slowdown over the past year, similar to what other plant-based manufacturers are experiencing … It is probably not the best time to be searching […]

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Linda is President/Founder of Broadreach Public Relations in Portland, ME, has a master’s in leadership and is nationally accredited in PR. getty Reputation plays a major role in businesses’ survival. Just look at the fallout for Facebook when news broke in 2021 about an internal study showing the negative impact of Instagram on teens’ mental health. The stock price plunged 20 points after the whistleblower report. The term “brand tax” began circulating, referring to the negative impact that this backlash had on Facebook’s other brands. Reputation risk and brand tax aren’t just big business issues; they can play a huge role in stunting growth for small businesses. Seemingly small decisions can grow into large issues, which can lead to losing key staff, crippling a company and causing potential partners or collaborators to look elsewhere. Maintaining a reputation should be a long-term focus for businesses of any size. 5 Strategies To Help Protect Your Reputation After more than 30 years of helping companies respond to crises, here are some of the most important lessons I’ve learned about how to protect their reputations. 1. Be proactive. A clear plan of action for crisis response should always be on your mind. It’s […]

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Two years ago, anyone could sell a used car. The pandemic and a global semiconductor shortage in 2021 slowed production of new vehicles. With low supply and high demand, used-car prices spiked nationally, nearly 43% on average, between February 2020 and September 2022, according to a J.P. Morgan report . At Daily Deals Auto Sales, a small used-car dealership near Green Lake along Aurora Avenue North, owner George Riad said the market was so hot cars sold themselves. “We would purchase a vehicle, literally just wash it, not even detail it, post it online and boom. It’s sold within two days,” he said. Those days have come to a screeching halt. Last month, Riad said he sold only nine cars, his worst month in five years. Amid fears of a recession and rising interest rates, the used-car industry is starting to tighten. Two Seattle-area dealerships said they’ve seen sales lag in recent months and CarMax and Carvana, both used-car businesses, have reported losses. According to the report, used-car prices have peaked and are expected to decline by 10% to 20% nationally this year. New car prices will largely hold steady and should only decline by 2.5-3%. Advertising This winter […]

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Alexandre Zigliara, new president of Clif Bar. Photo: Mondelez International, Inc. CHICAGO — Alexandre Zigliara has been named president of Clif Bar. He succeeds Sally Grimes, who has served as Clif Bar’s chief executive officer since May 2020 but will be stepping down at the end of February. “Sally is an incredible business leader,” said Laurie Guzzinati, vice president of corporate and government affairs for North America at Mondelez. “She and Alex have had a very collaborative relationship in supporting the integration and continue to work closely together.” Mr. Zigliara had been leading the global integration of Clif Bar since the company was acquired by Mondelez International, Inc. for $2.9 billion in August 2022 . Earlier, he spent a year as senior vice president and general manager of strategic growth channels at Mondelez. Prior to Mondelez, Mr. Zigliara spent more than 17 years at The Coca-Cola Co. in a variety of leadership roles throughout the world, including president and general manager of the company’s operations in Italy and Albania. He began his career as a wine category manager at Brown-Forman. He received a bachelor’s degree at Lycee de Vernon, a master’s degree in marketing at the University of Utah […]

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