In its fourth-quarter and year-end report for 2008, Textron– parent company of Cessna Aircraft and Bell Helicopter–forecast the economy would “continue to… result in lower volumes at Cessna.” On January 21 this year, the company announced its fourth-quarter 2009 and end-of-year numbers and it appears the earlier report took an optimistic view of the future.

For Corporate America, Growth Is Likely to Come at Slow, Steady Pace

By CLARE ANSBERRY

To survive, companies have laid off millions of workers, closed hundreds of factories and vacated acres of office space. Like those who grew up in the Depression and still reuse sheets of aluminum foil, the experience has left them financially conservative and wary of risk.

The road to recovery will likely be marked by slow and steady acceleration, rather than speed. Some companies will see opportunities to amass undervalued assets or steal customers. But it is unclear if their efforts will create enough new jobs to spark broader economic growth.