The Corona pandemic and its consequences, including disruption of important supply chains and shortages of materials, have plunged many companies into a crisis that threatens their very existence. Small and medium-sized companies in particular are having to contend with double-digit falls in sales and earnings. Companies that failed to prepare for the crisis in good times have been hit particularly hard. So it's high time to tackle the issue of preventive restructuring now.

Today's expectations of companies are unprecedented in their social and political dimensions, says our director Wolfram W. Hackbarth. Decision-makers in companies need to act quickly, but with deliberation and a clear concept.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to you, dear readers, dear business partners and, above all, to our experts and colleagues for your continued support and the consistently high level of interest in our interviews, technical articles and podcasts. The year 2021 brought further challenges, but also many opportunities. Let us also make the best possible use of the year 2022: 365 new days, 365 new chances!

90 percent of German companies are family businesses. Often with a long tradition and several management changes from generation to generation. These handover processes are often complex. "A family-internal company handover is of great importance for all family members," finds Bessie Fischer-Bohn. The economist, psychotherapist and executive consultant has been accompanying families through the leadership transition for many years. Why do those who don't normally sit at the conference table also have to come to the table? How can the Prince Charles Syndrome be avoided? And what do families typically ignore?

Long-successful companies repeatedly demonstrate resilience in crises. Christoph Scholl and Stefan Renken say tradition does not always equate to inflexibility.

The Corona pandemic has undoubtedly given digitization in Germany a major boost. But the momentum did not happen voluntarily everywhere. While young companies, in particular those with fluid structures and processes, are finding it easy to go digital, the comprehensive digitization of business processes is still meeting with resistance in many long-established companies.

Raw materials, labor, energy, transportation: everything is becoming ever more expensive. But that's not all: the rising costs of important input factors are endangering the profitability of companies. With our interactive inflation calculator, you can quickly find out just how much price increases are impacting your company's earnings and how price increases to your own customers can provide relief.

In the wake of the Corona restrictions, many companies have had to contend with falling sales while costs remained the same. As a result, their liquidity began to dry up and some even faced insolvency. At the latest in such a situation, liquidity planning is recommended. But there are many stumbling blocks.

If no investor can be found for an insolvent industrial company, the decision is made to close it down. In this case, however, "shutdown" does not mean an immediate standstill at the plant. Rather, it means a carefully managed phase-out of production. In order to achieve the best possible result for everyone involved - employees, customers, creditors and suppliers alike.

Integrated financial planning is indispensable for companies, says Jendrik Voss. It brings together all of a company's planning components and thus links the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement.