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Hunkering down may be the preferred strategy in tough economic times. But as these authors suggest, companies that recognize the opportunities and modify their business model, can actually grow. Managers will learn some key tactics that will make their companies stand up and out during tough times.

Downturns offer a rare opportunity to outmaneuver rivals. But to do so, you must first systematically assess your organization's ability to weather the storm and take corrective action. David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter, of the Boston Consulting Group, offer a comprehensive approach to tackling this simultaneously defensive and offensive challenge. For some companies, the outcome of this process will be a program of immediate actions that represent a turbocharged version of business as usual. For others, it will be a painful realization that nothing short of an urgent corporate turnaround will suffice. To stabilize the business, companies must (1) protect their financial fundamentals by, for example, monitoring and maximizing cash flow, managing customer credit risk, reducing working capital, and optimizing their financial structure and financing options; (2) protect their existing business operations by reducing costs, increasing organizational efficiency, aggressively managing the top line, rethinking their product portfolio and pricing, reining in investment plans, and divesting noncore businesses; and (3) work to maximize their valuation relative to rivals by being proactive in their investor relations and favoring dividends over share buybacks. To seize advantage, companies must make farsighted investments, identify opportunistic and potentially transformative mergers, and consider possible redefinitions of their business models. This recession handbook will help companies not only to survive the recession but also to thrive in its aftermath.