You drop into an office you've visited before and sense that something has changed. Has the bottled water dispenser disappeared? Maybe the company has changed location several times over the past 18 months or so and its website hasn't been updated.
According to Spa (Sept. 22-29), these may be telltale signs that a business may be teetering on the edge of financial ruin.
For many, this is no longer a theoretical exercise. According to Teikoku Data Bank, 487 companies have declared bankruptcy so far this year (as of Sept. 2). Businesses involved in the food and beverage industry have been hit particularly hard, as have those working in the hospitality, apparel and retailing sectors.