Credit crunch, downturn, recession, layoffs - open a newspaper today and these are the words that leap off the page. When cash is tight, people and companies are only too happy to turn to cheaper alternatives. Firms with a strong brand are undoubtedly in a better position, but it is becoming clear that in many sectors, people and companies are willing to give up brand and premium quality for "good enough" quality and lower prices. In many industries, low cost competitors are winning, while their traditional rivals are sailing on turbulent seas.

January 2009 and it’s official. Recession is here. After the "are we, aren’t we" of the past six months, the bright side is that now any doubt has gone, it’s time to risk predicting the future so contingency plans can be made.

How long will it take us to get out of it and into what kind of world are we going to emerge on the other side of the recession? What will Obama bring to the table? What influence does he have on what happens in the US economy? What will kick start the economy? Will businesses increase their Asian focus? Will China and India be the saviour of the emerging markets? How will currencies play out in the next six to twelve months?

As a subsidiary of a large global business, how can you make sure that you are firmly on the radar screen? IMD Professor Cyril Bouquet reveals some of the strategies that subsidiary executives can use to increase their influence on, and investment from parent companies...

As the pressure on leaders increases, so does the need for understanding the roles and responsibilities that come with the job. This is especially true in today’s rough waters. Each top leadership position has different areas of responsibility, all of which must function together like the legs on a chair to keep the organization up-and-running. In a three-part series, we are looking at the basics of leadership. In this final part, Professor Bottger and Mr Al-Saleh address the challenges and responsibilities of leadership in general: those of the CXO.

As the pressure on leaders increases, so does the need for understanding the roles and responsibilities that come with the job. This is especially true in today’s rough waters. Each top leadership position has different areas of responsibility, all of which must function together like the legs on a chair to keep the organization up-and-running. Today we look at the CIO.

Most high-level leaders will be aware of the five big tools of leadership: the mission, the structure, the processes, the culture, and the communications. And with effective leadership, what comes out the other end is the results: economic and social wealth. This is nothing new. The important thing to ensure is that all these areas are well-designed, well-managed and in synchrony. This is the role of the leader.

The impact of the financial crisis is being felt all over the world and has rarely been out of the news in recent months. But what is the impact for you and what steps can your company take to ride the storm? IMD Professor Didier Cossin offers four steps to good risk thinking...

Service failure isn't necessarily a disaster for a company. If the service recovery - the actions taken in response to the failure - is handled well, then customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty can actually increase. In this article, Professor Stefan Michel explains this apparent paradox and how companies can avoid service recovery failure.

Many companies today are striving for more innovation, more new products and faster top-line growth. All of this depends on effective business development. In some companies, business development is viewed as a strategy and applies more to acquisitions or targeting of major investments. In any event, business development is an important sub-discipline of marketing and needs to be pushing the launch of new products and services, and obtaining a foothold in new territories or segments. What are some of the challenges companies face when getting out there?

While it would be true to say that much of marketing lore has been around for the last thirty odd years, it would be equally true to say that a good deal of it has not been particularly effectively applied. Is there really anything new under the marketing sun these days or is it just the same old, same old?