Small business owners drop prices and in turn build relationships during recessionNEW YORK — For many small business owners, the recession can have an upside in giving them opportunities to strengthen their relationships with customers. Weatherization program gets boost, extra scrutiny from federal stimulus investmentMONTCALM TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Ron Hall has spent 22 years in the home building and remodeling business, none of them as bad as 2008. Credit rating firms now target small enterprisesCHENNAI - As the economic downturn bites and banks become more reluctant to lend to firms that do not have credit ratings, credit rating agencies are aggressively expanding to provide ratings for at least some of India’s 12.8 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs). |