How businesses look up in a downturn
Find out how SMEs are building business strategy success

The recession has taken its toll on the UK economic outlook with many businesses, SMEs particularly, dealing with cash flow problems. But others have bucked the trend and have created successful SME strategies to maintain a healthy cash flow forecast and remain profitable.

As signs of economic recovery and growth begin to appear and the economic outlook improves, RBS would like to provide you with valuable business strategy insights used by successful UK SMEs to beat their problems.

We're offering you our latest business strategy report - 'Recession strategy - an insight from the SME market' - produced in a partnership between RBS and Ipsos MORI.

The business intelligence report includes detailed SME business information research, with case studies highlighting how successful businesses, especially SMEs, have overcome challenges in the arena of business finance. The recession strategy report also examines the use of competitive intelligence tools to support positive cash flow solutions, drive business growth and build business strategy success.

Business Intelligence 2009 report snapshots

Click on the links below to view snapshots of the report chapters:

  • The impact of the downturn on SMEs

    How has the recession impacted on SMEs over the past six months? A look at how small businesses can proactively address the challenges of the recession – such as poor cash flow and bad debt – as a way of driving future growth. The case study features a distribution company who restricted bad debt to just 0.01% of turnover.

  • How SMEs have dealt with the recession

    This chapter looks in more detail at the impact of the recession, both positive and negative, and how SMEs have responded to falling demand with measures such as price cuts and redundancies. The case study focuses on a specialist engineering firm who grew turnover by 1000% in just 12 months.

  • Finance in a recession

    Here, the focus is on the issues surrounding cash flow management. The chapter discusses different tools available to SMEs to protect and enhance cash flow position during tough times. The case study features a technology company who pursued an investment-led strategy to drive growth and business success.

  • Confidence in the future

    What does the future hold for the UK's SME sector? And what can SMEs do to ensure they are part of the economic recovery? Views are mixed but overall, economic confidence is returning.

  • UK economic outlook

    Professor Graeme Leach, Chief Economist of the Institute of Directors, considers the possible nature of economic recovery, in the face of a tight fiscal policy stance. While recovery is anticipated, marked regional and sector-specific differences are likely.