A closer look
A corporate giant didn't just die; it dragged thousands of small businesses into the grave through a web of unpaid IOUs. When British construction behemoth Carillion collapsed, the real economic horror was exposed within its trade credit network. Big companies routinely delay paying their smaller suppliers for 120 days to pad their own cash flow. When Carillion went under, those promised invoices instantly became worthless paper, triggering a vicious domino effect that bankrupted hundreds of downstream contractors who were fundamentally sound but suddenly completely out of cash.
