KRISIS

Das Krisenhandbuch für Unternehmer

Unternehmenskrisen früh erkennen — richtig entscheiden — persönliche Haftung vermeiden

Achim Brieden, Hermann Bense · bense.com Verlagsgesellschaft für digitales Publizieren mbH, Dortmund

An integrated crisis-management handbook: Recognize — Decide — Document. For entrepreneurs, management and their advisors – not a substitute for individual advice.

All publications Publisher bense.com

This English page is a translation of the landing page and does not imply that an English book edition exists.

About the book

Corporate crises never start with an insolvency filing. They mature over months or years – in missed signals, postponed conversations and the hope that things will settle on their own.

KRISIS is an early-warning and prevention handbook. It connects early detection and risk management with StaRUG, director and advisor liability, case studies and practical tools – liquidity, cyber, occupational pensions, banks, HR and stakeholder communication.

It is not a pure law book, not a StaRUG commentary and not an insolvency manual, but an integrated decision and action model for the corporate crisis as a whole.

Note: The book is for information, reflection and personal orientation only. It does not replace legal, tax or business advice.

Who is this book for?

Managing directors and management (including authorized officers with leadership roles)
Shareholders, boards, advisory boards and supervisory boards
Family entrepreneurs and interim managers
Tax advisors, auditors, lawyers and restructuring professionals
Other advisors in the crisis ecosystem (finance, D&O/cyber, pensions, IT security, etc.)

What you will learn

Early warning & liquidity

Warning signs, KPIs, risk management as a directors’ duty and documented decisions – before insolvency removes your options.

StaRUG & restructuring

Restructuring framework, concepts, creditor groups and the choice between free restructuring, StaRUG and insolvency.

Avoiding liability

Personal liability of management, payment prohibitions, business judgement rule, D&O, and advisors’ duties and interfaces.

Modern crisis drivers

Banks and financing, cyber, occupational pensions, workforce, supply chains and ESG – where crises often arise today.

Practice & checklists

Case studies, entrepreneur playbook and KRISIS checks for immediate action, bank meetings, documentation and communication.

The reading structure has an introduction plus ten parts (current book aggregation, project version 1.18). Details and subchapters are in the manuscript / PDF edition.

Getting started — Why KRISIS? / How to use this book

Decision, not catastrophe
Recognize — Decide — Document
Entry by problem and time

Part I — Crisis begins before insolvency

Understanding corporate crisis
Silent crisis
Crisis phases
Early warning signs
Why recognition often comes too late

Part II — Risk management and early warning

Early warning under StaRUG
Risk management as directors’ duty
KPIs & liquidity
Documentation
KRISIS index

Part III — Modern crisis drivers

Liquidity & banks
Cyber & IT
Occupational pensions as risk
AI & liability
Supply chains, ESG, workforce

Part IV — Crisis response and restructuring

StaRUG framework
Restructuring concepts
Restructuring plan
Creditor groups
StaRUG or insolvency?

Part V — Entrepreneur liability

Personal liability
Directors’ duties
Payments in crisis
Delayed insolvency filing
Business judgement rule
D&O

Part VI — Advisor liability

Tax advisors
Auditors / going concern
Lawyers
Interface risks
Warning and documentation duties

Part VII — Case studies

A.T.U., LEONI, VARTA
Cyber attack
Pensions and over-indebtedness
Family businesses

Part VIII — Entrepreneur playbook

Typical crisis situations
Decision aids
Crisis talks
Communication
Personal action plan

Part IX — Checklists and question sets

KRISIS base checks
Liquidity / pensions / cyber
Liability and StaRUG checks
Bank and communication checks

Part X — Closing

Ten takeaways
KRISIS roadmap
Rules
Outlook
Authors’ closing word

Inside the book

A curated image preview (figures, checklists, process diagrams) will follow in a later release. Cover and contents overview are available now.

About the authors

Achim Brieden

Arnsberg

Co-author of KRISIS. Place as stated in the imprint; no invented biography – further details may follow on bense.ai.

Hermann Bense

Dortmund

Co-author of KRISIS. Content responsibility rests with the authors; production is agent-supported and human-approved. No invented biography.

Bibliographic details

Title	KRISIS
Subtitle	Das Krisenhandbuch für Unternehmer (Crisis handbook for entrepreneurs)
Positioning line	Detect corporate crises early — decide correctly — avoid personal liability
Authors	Achim Brieden, Arnsberg; Hermann Bense, Dortmund
Publisher	bense.com Verlagsgesellschaft für digitales Publizieren mbH, Dortmund
Edition	1st edition, August 2026
Project version	1.18
Language of the book	German
Formats	Website PDF (production snapshot v1.18); paperback interior (KDP) available, sales link open
ISBN	not yet stated in the imprint (open)
Amazon / order link	not yet published (open)

Digital edition

The book concept provides that purchasers receive lasting access via QR code to the current digital edition and supplementary materials (updates, change logs, checklists, worksheets).

Target URL of the download/landing page according to the book project: https://bense.ai/public/books/krisis

This page is the entry point. It does not claim open public access to the purchaser digital edition. A website PDF production snapshot (v1.18) is available for viewing.