Winning in Turbulence

Winning in Turbulence

Author: Darrell Rigby

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

Published: 2009-08-24

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1422136469

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The current downturn may prove more brutal than most previous recessions. It's already hammering companies in markets around the globe. It will test businesses to their fullest-many won't survive. But downturns present strategic opportunities, too. In fact, many more companies achieve dramatic gains during recessions than in normal times. How to ensure your company emerges successful? In Winning in Turbulence, a new volume in the Memo to the CEO series, Bain & Company downturn strategist Darrell Rigby provides the playbook. He presents a powerful framework and diagnostic tool (available in the book and online) for assessing three dimensions of your situation: Your industry's sensitivity: How hard is it hit by this downturn? Your company's strategic position: Are you an industry leader or follower? Your firm's financial position, including cash reserves. The author then explains how to craft an action plan tailored to the situation you've diagnosed, providing tools for: Cutting costs intelligently-sustaining your margins and brand Boosting revenue by refocusing your sales force on the right customers Channeling resources into your core businesses Preparing for bold moves, such as game-changing acquisitions Timely and practical, this book positions you to survive a downturn and emerge stronger once the recovery begins.


Coping with Crisis

Coping with Crisis

Author: Nancy Bermeo

Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation

Published: 2012-09-06

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 1610447921

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The financial crisis that erupted on Wall Street in 2008 quickly cascaded throughout much of the advanced industrial world. Facing the specter of another Great Depression, policymakers across the globe responded in sharply different ways to avert an economic collapse. Why did the response to the crisis—and its impact on individual countries—vary so greatly among interdependent economies? How did political factors like public opinion and domestic interest groups shape policymaking in this moment of economic distress? Coping with Crisis offers a rigorous analysis of the choices societies made as a devastating global economic crisis unfolded. With an ambitiously broad range of inquiry, Coping with Crisis examines the interaction between international and domestic politics to shed new light on the inner workings of democratic politics. The volume opens with an engaging overview of the global crisis and the role played by international bodies like the G-20 and the WTO. In his survey of international initiatives in response to the recession, Eric Helleiner emphasizes the limits of multilateral crisis management, finding that domestic pressures were more important in reorienting fiscal policy. He also argues that unilateral decisions by national governments to hold large dollar reserves played the key role in preventing a dollar crisis, which would have considerably worsened the downturn. David R. Cameron discusses the fiscal responses of the European Union and its member states. He suggests that a profound coordination problem involving fiscal and economic policy impeded the E.U.'s ability to respond in a timely and effective manner. The volume also features several case studies and country comparisons. Nolan McCarty assesses the performance of the American political system during the crisis. He argues that the downturn did little to dampen elite polarization in the U.S.; divisions within the Democratic Party—as well as the influence of the financial sector—narrowed the range of policy options available to fight the crisis. Ben W. Ansell examines how fluctuations in housing prices in 30 developed countries affected the policy preferences of both citizens and political parties. His evidence shows that as housing prices increased, homeowners expressed preferences for both lower taxes and a smaller safety net. As more citizens supplement their day-to-day income with assets like stocks and housing, Ansell's research reveals a potentially significant trend in the formation of public opinion. Five years on, the prospects for a prolonged slump in economic activity remain high, and the policy choices going forward are contentious. But the policy changes made between 2007 and 2010 will likely constrain any new initiatives in the future. Coping with Crisis offers unmatched analysis of the decisions made in the developed world during this critical period. It is an essential read for scholars of comparative politics and anyone interested in a comprehensive account of the new international politics of austerity.


Work Sharing during the Great Recession

Work Sharing during the Great Recession

Author: Jon Carleton Messenger

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2013-01-01

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1782540881

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'Work sharing' is a labour market instrument devised to distribute a reduced volume of work to the same (or similar) number of workers over a diminished period of working time in order to avoid redundancies. This fascinating and timely study presents the concept and history of work sharing and explores the complexities and trade-offs involved in its use as both a strategy for preserving jobs and a policy for increasing employment. The expert contributors examine the resurgence in the use of work sharing as a job preservation strategy via country case studies of work-sharing programmes implemented across the globe during the Great Recession of 20082009. These studies clearly illustrate that work sharing has been successful as a crisis-response measure in a number of countries. Lessons learned and their implications are presented alongside prescriptions on how to design permanent work-sharing policies that would provide appropriate incentives to generate positive effects for employment and promote a sustainable and job-rich economic recovery. This enlightening book will prove invaluable to academics, researchers, students and policymakers in the fields of labour economics, public sector economics and social policy.


How to Survive in a Recession

How to Survive in a Recession

Author: Slim Thug

Publisher: Di Angelo Publications

Published: 2012-05-20

Total Pages: 85

ISBN-13: 0985085304

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The financial expertise of rapper Slim Thug, and the experiences that shaped his savvy.


Spend Shift

Spend Shift

Author: John Gerzema

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2010-09-02

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0470902329

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Gold Medal Winner, General Business, 2012 Axiom Business Book Awards Understanding the post-crisis consumer In Spend Shift, John Gerzema, world-renowned expert on consumer values, and Pulitzer prizewinning author Michael D'Antonio document the rise of a vibrant, values-driven post-recession economy. To tell the story of this movement, the authors travel to large cities and small towns across eight bellwether states, to examine the value shifts sweeping the nation. Through in-depth observation, proprietary data from Young & Rubicam, and interviews with experts, the authors analyze the changing consumer psyche, document the five shifting values and consumer behaviors that are remaking America and the world, and explain what it means to businesses and leaders. Explores a movement in society where the majority of American consumers are embracing both value and values Shows how post-crisis consumer expectations and behaviors will drive business decisions Draws on interviews with CEOs and entrepreneurs to reveal how companies like Ford and Etsy are reconnecting with the post-crisis consumer Compelling and insightful, Spend Shift is essential reading for anyone interested in how values are changing and how businesses can connect with consumers after the recession.


Deep Purpose

Deep Purpose

Author: Ranjay Gulati

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2022-02-08

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0063088932

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Thinkers50 Top 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 A distinguished Harvard Business School professor offers a compelling reassessment and defense of purpose as a management ethos, documenting the vast performance gains and social benefits that become possible when firms manage to get purpose right. Few business topics have aroused more skepticism in recent years than the notion of corporate purpose, and for good reason. Too many companies deploy purpose, or a reason for being, as a promotional vehicle to make themselves feel virtuous and to look good to the outside world. Some have only foggy ideas about what purpose is and conflate it with strategy and other concepts like “mission,” “vision,” and “values.” Even well-intentioned leaders don’t understand purpose’s full potential and engage half-heartedly and superficially with it. Outsiders spot this and become cynical about companies and the broader capitalist endeavor. Having conducted extensive field research, Ranjay Gulati reveals the fatal mistakes leaders unwittingly make when attempting to implement a reason for being. Moreover, he shows how companies can embed purpose much more deeply than they currently do, delivering impressive performance benefits that reward customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and communities alike. To get purpose right, leaders must fundamentally change not only how they execute it but also how they conceive of and relate to it. They must practice what Gulati calls deep purpose, furthering each organization’s reason for being more intensely, thoughtfully, and comprehensively than ever before. In this authoritative, accessible, and inspiring guide, Gulati takes readers inside some of the world’s most purposeful companies to understand the secrets to their successes. He explores how leaders can pursue purpose more deeply by navigating the inevitable tradeoffs more deliberately and effectively to balance between short- and long-term value; building purpose more systematically into every key organizational function to mobilize stakeholders and enhance performance; updating organizations to foster more autonomy and collaboration, which in turn allow individual employees to work more purposefully; using powerful storytelling to communicate a reason for being, arousing emotions and building a community of inspired and committed stakeholders; and building cultures that don’t merely support purpose, but also allow employees to link the corporate purpose to their own personal reasons for being. As Gulati argues, a deeper engagement with purpose holds the key not merely to the well-being of individual companies but also to humanity’s future. With capitalism under siege and relatively low levels of trust in business, purpose can serve as a radically new operating system for the enterprise, enhancing performance while also delivering meaningful benefits to society. It’s the kind of inspired thinking that businesses—and the rest of us—urgently need.


Down the Up Escalator

Down the Up Escalator

Author: Barbara Garson

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2014-01-28

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0307475980

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One of our most incisive and committed journalists—author of the classic All the Livelong Day—shows us the real human cost of our economic follies. The Great Recession has thrown huge economic challenges at almost all Americans save the super-affluent few, and we are only now beginning to reckon up the human toll it is taking. Down the Up Escalator is an urgent dispatch from the front lines of our vast collective struggle to keep our heads above water and maybe even—someday—get ahead. Garson has interviewed an economically and geographically wide variety of Americans to show the painful waste in all this loss and insecurity, and describe how individuals are coping. Her broader historical focus, though, is on the causes and consequences of the long stagnation of wages and how it has resulted in an increasingly desperate reliance on credit and a series of ever-larger bubbles—stocks, technology, real estate. This is no way to run an economy, or a democracy.


Accelerating out of the Great Recession: How to Win in a Slow-Growth Economy

Accelerating out of the Great Recession: How to Win in a Slow-Growth Economy

Author: David Rhodes

Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional

Published: 2010-02-19

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 007174052X

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"What better opportunity than now to strengthen your business and come out of the recession even stronger? David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter provide an easy-to-understand perspective on the current economic environment, and some practical strategies to help readers come out ahead. A timely read for all who care about their business." —Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever "This is the most comprehensive assessment of the global economy that I've seen and is a must-read for any business, economic, or governmental-related leader". Jeff M. Fettig, Chairman & CEO, Whirlpool Corporation “A fascinating account of the causal factors of the meltdown and what we can do to avoid repetition.” Sanjay Khosla, Executive Vice President and President, International for Kraft Foods "This book combines brilliant analysis and strategic insight with a clear message: Companies that want to play a role in tomorrow's markets must act immediately. There's no place for complacency. The opportunities in the post-crisis world are good--and better than many might think." Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht, CEO, BASF "The lessons from companies that came out winners during past recessions are invaluable in the current context. Rhodes and Stelter strike a welcome note of optimism in today's tough times by showing that companies can do a lot to thrive when the global economy is struggling." Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO, Daimler "There are great lessons for today's chief executives: well-managed companies can prosper in the downturn and accelerate faster than their competitors in the upturn. Rhodes and Stelter have dug deep into history to vividly show how companies can do it." Dr. Martin C. Halusa, CEO, Apax Partners Worldwide LLP From the world's leading business strategy consultancy comes this essential guide to prospering in the aftermath of what is being called the Great Recession Accelerating Out of the Great Recession, by The Boston Consulting Group's David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter, is a call to action for today's executives. It shows how companies can win in a slow-growth economy by seizing the initiative--differentiating themselves from less fleet-footed rivals and executing their strategies with single-minded determination. It combines comprehensive and big-picture analysis of the global economic meltdown with smart management advice on how to win in an era of greater competition. The book is underpinned by a historical review of great companies that survived and thrived in past downturns, along with two new surveys of top executives and insights drawn from discussions with corporate leaders around the world. As such, it offers the clearest, most authoritative assessment yet of some present-day trends and "new realities"--and what they mean for business. Accelerating Out of the Great Recession shows today's executives how to: Learn from the decisive actions taken by companies such as General Electric, IBM, and Proctor & Gamble in order to accelerate out of past downturns Take the fight to your competitors--diversify and expand now, while other businesses are affected by the downtown Shake off conventional wisdom to protect and grow your market share Develop a new managerial mindset for today's tough times Backed by exceptional research and outstanding, up-to-the-minute advice, Accelerating Out of the Great Recession explains the magnitude and enduring nature of changes that have taken place in the global economy and how you can outperform today to create and sustain an advantage over your competitors for the long haul.


Global Recession: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review

Global Recession: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review

Author: Harvard Business Review

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

Published: 2021-03-30

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 1647821355

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Roar Out of the Covid-19 Recession You've weathered the shock, the lockdowns, and the slow crawl back. But with a new normal come new risks—and new opportunities. What must you and your business do now to come out of the downturn stronger and better positioned for the future? Global Recession: Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will help you find possibilities amid the upheaval and reshape your business to seize advantage in the upswing. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues—blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more—each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas—and prepare you and your company for the future.


The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report

Author: Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission

Publisher: Cosimo, Inc.

Published: 2011-05-01

Total Pages: 692

ISBN-13: 1616405414

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The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, published by the U.S. Government and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in early 2011, is the official government report on the United States financial collapse and the review of major financial institutions that bankrupted and failed, or would have without help from the government. The commission and the report were implemented after Congress passed an act in 2009 to review and prevent fraudulent activity. The report details, among other things, the periods before, during, and after the crisis, what led up to it, and analyses of subprime mortgage lending, credit expansion and banking policies, the collapse of companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the federal bailouts of Lehman and AIG. It also discusses the aftermath of the fallout and our current state. This report should be of interest to anyone concerned about the financial situation in the U.S. and around the world.THE FINANCIAL CRISIS INQUIRY COMMISSION is an independent, bi-partisan, government-appointed panel of 10 people that was created to "examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States." It was established as part of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009. The commission consisted of private citizens with expertise in economics and finance, banking, housing, market regulation, and consumer protection. They examined and reported on "the collapse of major financial institutions that failed or would have failed if not for exceptional assistance from the government."News Dissector DANNY SCHECHTER is a journalist, blogger and filmmaker. He has been reporting on economic crises since the 1980's when he was with ABC News. His film In Debt We Trust warned of the economic meltdown in 2006. He has since written three books on the subject including Plunder: Investigating Our Economic Calamity (Cosimo Books, 2008), and The Crime Of Our Time: Why Wall Street Is Not Too Big to Jail (Disinfo Books, 2011), a companion to his latest film Plunder The Crime Of Our Time. He can be reached online at www.newsdissector.com.