This Is What Companies That Survive Recessions Do Right

Following the 2008 financial crisis, a lot of companies were forced to adjust to a dramatically different business climate. Several thrived by resisting the customary corporate reflex to contract, defying convention by carving out unusual courses instead.

We studied nine successful companies over a three-year period, up to September 2013, and compared them with dozens of less-successful ones to find out why they prospered as others struggled to survive. Here are the seven things that enabled these companies to flourish: