Corporate Turnaround: Decision-Making to Rescue Struggling Businesses
1Summary
By the time a company's leadership admits it is in trouble, the warning signs have usually been visible in the numbers for months. What separates businesses that recover from those that collapse is not luck — it is how quickly management can read the financial data correctly and commit to a rescue decision.
This workshop puts participants directly into that position. Working through simulations and team exercises, they take on the role of a rescue team handed real financial statements, cash flow data, and operational reports for a distressed business, and are asked to diagnose the crisis, weigh intervention options, and build a rescue plan under the guidance of experienced practitioners.
2Objectives and target group
- Read and interpret financial statements to spot early signs of business distress.
- Diagnose the underlying causes behind a project or company's decline.
- Apply practical decision models to evaluate rescue and intervention options.
- Build an integrated rescue plan covering operations, marketing, HR, and finance.
- Make and defend high-stakes decisions under pressure, and evaluate their outcomes.
- Form and lead a rescue team capable of executing the plan on the ground.
Target Audience
- Business owners and executives in the public and private sectors.
- Financial managers and internal auditors involved in turnaround decisions.
- Consultants and advisors working with distressed businesses.
- Anyone responsible for high-stakes strategic decisions under pressure.
3Course Content
Module 1: Reading the Warning Signs
- Identifying signs of crisis from financial and operational data
- Reading and interpreting financial statements under time pressure
- Distinguishing a temporary setback from a genuine crisis
Module 2: Diagnosing the Cause of Decline
- Root-cause analysis across operations, marketing, sales, and HR
- Reviewing income statements and changes in financial position
- Identifying who the "unequal influencers" are in a distressed situation
Module 3: Weighing Intervention Options
- Opportunity analysis and the decision to intervene
- Negotiating with shareholders and stakeholders
- Applying decision strategies under uncertainty
Module 4: Building the Rescue Plan
- Drafting a basic, integrated rescue plan
- Strategic planning, reporting, and board presentation
- Practical application: simulation with live financial data
Module 5: Executing and Leading the Rescue Team
- Applying the chosen strategies on the ground
- Building a network/team to carry out the plan
- Interviewing decision-makers to track results
Module 6: Evaluating Outcomes and Closing the Loop
- Evaluating decisions based on actual results
- Final rescue activities and follow-up interviews
- Solving problems that recur across rescue situations