Latest news with #streamlining
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia's Opthea announces 80% headcount reduction, management overhaul
(Reuters) -Australian biopharmaceutical firm Opthea said on Tuesday it has reduced its workforce by over 80% after a streamlining of its operations. The company also said its chief executive and chief financial officers will be departing, following the termination of a development funding agreement entered in March. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Australia's Opthea announces 80% headcount reduction, management overhaul
Aug 19 (Reuters) - Australian biopharmaceutical firm Opthea ( opens new tab said on Tuesday it has reduced its workforce by over 80% after a streamlining of its operations. The company also said its chief executive and chief financial officers will be departing, following the termination of a development funding agreement entered in March.
Zawya
02-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: How to streamline your business operations and unlock greater profit?
Running a small business in South Africa particularly these days comes with its own set of challenges. Between rising input costs and increasingly price-sensitive customers, you can quickly find yourself between a rock and a hard place. If you feel like your bottom line is under more pressure than it can take, it might be time to streamline your business. Jeremy Lang At its core, operational efficiency is about how well a business utilizes its resources to produce goods or services resulting in maximum output and minimal waste. Here's how to go about it: 1. Analyse your current operations Before you can improve anything, you need to have an in depth understand of the core processes and systems in your business. This means taking a hard look at all aspects of your business. Where are the bottlenecks and which processes are taking up the most time? It's also useful to get feedback from employees and customers here as they often spot inefficiencies that business owners miss. A good operational analysis will give you a clear diagnosis of where the biggest opportunities for improvement lie. 2. Simplify and standardise processes Complexity is the enemy of efficiency. The more steps it takes to get something done, the more time and resources it consumes. Streamlining means finding ways to reduce or eliminate unnecessary steps in your core processes. Start by documenting key workflows, such as onboarding a new client, fulfilling an order, or resolving a complaint. Once you have a clear process map, look for steps that can be simplified, merged or automated. Standardising these processes also means less confusion for your employees and a more consistent experience for customers. 3. Embrace automation and digital tools Many small business owners still rely heavily on manual processes – spreadsheets, paper-based filing systems, and repetitive admin tasks that take up valuable time. It's important to use tools that automate the mundane, to save you time and money. - Cloud accounting software can streamline your invoicing and expense tracking. - Inventory apps can help you monitor stock levels in real time. - Customer relationship management (CRM) systems can automate follow-ups and improve service delivery. - Workflow tools like Trello or Asana can help teams stay organised and accountable. Automating even a handful of routine tasks can free up hours each week, allowing you to focus on higher-value activities like sales, strategy and growth. 4. Tighten up cash flow and procurement Cash flow management is a key element of operational efficiency. Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) tie up cash unnecessarily in slow-moving stock or overly generous payment terms. Others suffer because they have not negotiated better deals with suppliers or do not review procurement costs regularly. Consider using just-in-time inventory models where appropriate and always compare supplier prices and payment terms to ensure you're getting good value. If you can, negotiate bulk discounts or early payment terms or explore supplier financing if capital is constrained. 5. Delegate and empower your team One of the most common traps SME owners fall into is trying to do everything themselves. This leads to burnout and bottlenecks, especially when the business starts to take off or is more established. Streamlining is not just about systems and processes; it is also about people. Make sure you have hired the right team and that they have the tools, training and authority, while mitigating risk, to make decisions within their roles. Clear role definitions and accountability structures help prevent duplication of effort and confusion. As the owner, your time is better spent working on the business, rather than in it. But that only becomes possible when you trust your team to take ownership of key functions.
Globe and Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
C's Business Overhaul Progresses Well: Is This Convincing Investors?
Citigroup Inc. C has been emphasizing leaner, streamlined operations to reduce expenses. The transformation process includes an organizational restructuring, which resulted in a streamlined and straightforward management structure aligned with and supporting the bank's strategy. In January 2024, the bank announced plans to cut 20,000 jobs, approximately 8% of its global staff, by 2026. So far, the bank has made significant progress, reducing its headcount by 10,000 employees. Also, Citigroup has been focusing on growth in its core businesses by streamlining its international operations. In April 2021, C announced plans to exit the consumer banking business in 14 markets across Asia and EMEA. The freed-up capital is likely to be reallocated to higher-return segments like wealth management and investment banking. In sync with this, last month, Citigroup, through its subsidiary Citibank Europe Plc, announced that Citi Handlowy agreed to sell its consumer banking business in Poland. The company has already successfully exited consumer banking businesses in nine countries — Australia, Bahrain, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. As part of its strategy, Citigroup continues to make progress with the wind-downs of its Korea consumer banking operations and its overall operations in Russia. It is also preparing for an initial public offering of its consumer banking and small business, and middle-market banking operations in Mexico. Through such initiatives, the company expects revenues to see a compounded annual growth rate of 4-5% by 2026-end and will further drive $2-2.5 billion of annualized run rate savings. Management expects the return on tangible common equity to be 10-11% by 2026. Key Competitors Challenging Citigroup Wells Fargo WFC is making efforts to strengthen its operations. While the bank is reducing headcount and streamlining processes, it is investing in its branch network and upgrading digital tools to augment the customer experience. As part of its attempts to improve the branch experience, Wells Fargo is investing more in branch staff and upgrading technology. This allows it to maintain a focus on cost management while enhancing customer service and accessibility. With such strategic efforts, Wells Fargo expects $2.4 billion of gross expense reductions in 2025, driven by efficiency initiatives. Bank of America BAC continues to strengthen its operations by aligning its banking centers according to customer needs. The bank has embarked on an ambitious expansion plan to open financial centers in new and existing markets. By 2027, Bank of America plans to expand its financial center network by opening more than 150 centers. It also remains committed to providing modern and state-of-the-art financial centers through its ongoing renovation and modernization project. These initiatives will enable Bank of America to improve its digital offerings and cross-sell several products, including mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. C's Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates Shares of Citigroup have gained 10.4% year to date compared with the industry 's growth of 9.6%. Meanwhile, BAC shares have gained 2.2% and WFC has risen 8.8% in the same time frame. Price Performance From a valuation standpoint, C trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 9.42X, below the industry's average of 13.70X. Price-to-Earnings F12M The Zacks Consensus Estimate for C's 2025 and 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year rise of 23% and 25.9%, respectively. The estimates for 2025 and 2026 have been revised upward over the past 30 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Citigroup currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Bank of America Corporation (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report Wells Fargo & Company (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
DSS, Inc. Reports Strong Q1 2025 Financial Performance, Setting the Stage for Strategic Growth
NEW YORK, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DSS, Inc. (NYSE American: DSS), a multinational company operating across diverse industries including packaging, real estate, and biomedical innovation, today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2025, highlighting meaningful progress in its financial repositioning and a strong foundation for corporate execution in the coming quarters. In a quarter focused on streamlining operations and financial discipline, DSS delivered significant improvements in key financial metrics: 'These results show clear, measurable progress in the financial realignment strategy we launched earlier this year,' said Jason Grady, CEO of DSS, Inc. 'In my January letter to shareholders, I outlined the urgent need to cut inefficiencies, strengthen our balance sheet, and lay the groundwork for sustained growth. This quarter proves that work is paying off. As we continue to streamline operations, we're now turning our attention toward execution in our core verticals and identifying smart, accretive opportunities that will drive long-term value. The foundation is in place and now we're building on it.' The Company plans to continue to showcase measurable results from initiatives in development, operations, and M&A activity as the year progresses. With a renewed focus on high-potential business units and capital allocation, DSS is positioning itself for a dynamic second half of 2025 and beyond. To read the 2025 CEO shareholder letter, visit: Forward-looking Statements: The foregoing material may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts, including without limitation statements regarding the Company's product development and business prospects, and can be identified by the use of words such as 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' 'project,' 'estimate,' 'anticipate,' 'plan,' 'believe,' 'potential,' 'should,' 'continue' or the negative versions of those words or other comparable words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future actions or performance. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and its current plans or expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect current plans. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended, or planned. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company cannot guarantee future results, performance, or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the security laws of the United States, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results. About DSS, Inc.: DSS, Inc. (NYSE American: DSS) is a multinational company operating businesses across multiple high-growth sectors. DSS focuses on creating, acquiring, and investing in innovative companies that drive sustainable value for its shareholders. For investor and media inquiries or additional information, please contact: DSS, Inc. Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 (585) 565-2422
