Scraping up short-term credit isn't easy any more, as bankers begin asking a lot of pesky questions. Scraping up receivables isn't any easier, as customers are paying their bills later. Some, in fact, aren't paying at all. This is the most amusing step of all, and is what catapulted the Dilbert cartoon series into fame. Management has its back against the financial wall, and, in a blind search for redemption, casts about for easy answers.
Nobody talks about it any more.
A few of the brightest people jump ship and sign on with competitors. They are replaced with yes-men who will implement the Really Bad Ideas. Meanwhile, two creditors have sued for payment of their bills, and the larger shareholders start sketching out bankruptcy plans on the back of cocktail napkins. The bankers are blamed. The government is blamed.