Economic cycles and trends

They expect a “short and shallow” downturn.

According to an analysis led by Ranjay Gulati, during the recessions of 1980, 1990, and 2000, 17% of the 4,700 public companies studied fared very badly:...

Why your money is worth less than it used to be.

As goods and services become commoditized, the customer experiences that companies create will matter most.

During economic slowdowns, consulting, law, and accounting firms often start offering services and taking on clients they really shouldn't, just to keep...

Many cling to the idea that reducing staff is the fastest, easiest way to cut costs. But there are smarter, more humane approaches.

Three strategies to embed DEI into your core business practices - and make your efforts recession-proof.

Many companies consider age a competitive disadvantage. Here's why they're wrong.

The primary goal of forecasting is to identify the full range of possibilities facing a company, society, or the world at large. In this article, Saffo...

Because no two recessions are exactly alike, marketers find themselves in poorly charted waters every time one occurs. But guidance is available, say...

The right process can help you boost revenue, expand margins, and successfully launch new products - even in challenging economic times.

Howard Rubin is CEO of Rubin Systems. John Sviokla is vice chairman of Diamond Management and Technology Consultants. By Howard Rubin and John Sviokla When we learned to drive many years ago, back in the age of rear wheel drive, we were both taught to “turn into the skid” because our natural instincts to turn […]

New research from economists at LinkedIn suggests that conventional metrics may be misleading.

With each passing day, there’s more news that the economy is weakening. Factory orders go down. Consumer spending decreases. The sub-prime shakeout continues. Inflation raises its ugly head. It is enough to make any manager shudder, but take a deep breath. Times are tough, but our economy has weathered crises such as these and much […]

Cash, capital, and support from legislators.

John Quelch, Harvard Business School professor and coauthor of Greater Good. In a tough economy, companies can succeed if they understand their customers’ evolving consumption patterns and fine-tune their marketing strategies accordingly.

...

During boom times, deal-making is relatively easy. A rising tide lifts all boats … and the knowledge that there are lots of opportunities out there makes some negotiators forget that the deal is a way to get value, not an end in itself. You don’t have to look as far back as the excesses of […]

Bob Dylan once commented, "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," and you didn't need a credit risk expert to know that subprime...

Is what’s shaking the economic landscape just a simple banking crisis? Or is there – as so many feel, and as the tremors indicate – something more hidden just beneath the surface? Let’s begin with a quick explanation from the ever-incisive Tyler Cowen. He notes: “What is distinctive today is the drying up of market […]