RH Donnelley: Template for disaster

On Thursday, Yellow Pages publisher R.H. Donnelley filed for bankruptcy, citing debts of $12.37 billion, against assets of $11.88 billion. This follows repeated requests for forbearance from creditors, including Bank of New York Mellon and U.S. Bancorp.

Donnelley's problem is not uncommon: as consumers live more and more of their lives on line, numerous companies have found that their key business is now being done by a cheaper online provider. The key to surviving the transition seems to lie in finding one's core strength and adapting it to the needs of the online consumer.