Cutting down on business spending seems like the prudent thing to do these days: with profits shrinking and markets slowing down, a conservative approach to business spending seems the logical thing to do, if one is to preserve the financial health of one's company. But is it?

In this New Yorker article, James Surowiecki, citing real life examples of household brands, argues that companies which, contrary to the norm, maintain, or even increase, spending in advertising and even R&D, perform better than those that wait the storm out.
Historically, recessions have proven to be full of opportunities for those daring to defy common sense: The current one has no reason to be an exception to the rule. So maybe one must think twice before deciding to cut back on spending. The return on investment may not to be missed...