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The effects of store outlet closures on the sales of a retail chain are examined. A method of predicting the magnitude of sales losses due to store closures is presented.

The retention of employees who survive a downsizing is discussed. Attachment to the organization and trust in management are two major factors in which employees will remain within one year after a downsizing.

Issues are presented concerning the action which can be taken by the management of business enterprises during recession. These include cashflow, sales, marketing budgets, and employee redundancy.

Results of a study of executive reemployment after the downsizing trend from major companies in the 80's and 90's.

Slash-and-burn business tactics tend to rob companies and organizations of true long-term viability. Several multinational companies have resorted to frenzied downsizing, wage reductions and plant closings in exchange for millions in revenue from sales of companies, mergers and buyouts that have greatly benefitted company shareholders at the expense of its workers. These benefits have short-term effects and many company executives fail to see the long-term, unanticipated costs.

American-style capitalism remains a desirable market structure even as the country is marked by continued corporate downsizing. Former General Motors Corp VP Marina Whitman says that current layoffs are slightly better in economic terms because employees now have greater autonomy and more career opportunities, which produces multi-skilled individuals and greater market diversity. Thus, the US open market economy is more flexible and adaptive to global dynamics.

The downsizing trend has, in part, outlived its usefulness, but US corporations continue trying to use real estate more efficiently. Demand for corporate space is expanding, according to COMPASS Management & Leasing president Bruce Ficke, though space per employee is declining. That indicates that companies are redesigning their current facilities to meet their needs better., Downsizing has been regarded as the savior of Corporate America from the woes of the recession of the early 1990s but, as the new millennium speeds toward us, leaving the [...]

Experts are now denouncing downsizing as demoralizing and cost inefficient. The US and New Zealand have completed their downsizing cycles and have entered periods of growth and consolidation. Australia, in contrast, is in the midst of a downsizing cycle, and Australian firms will probably continue cutting their staffs into the 21st century. Downsizing guidelines are discussed.

The year of 1996 marks a turning point in the real estate industry in the US. The year was a significant improvement over the effects of overbuilding of the 1980s that affected the business up to 1992. The recovery of the market can be attributed to several factors including the lack of any new office construction in the 90s, the growth of small and mid-sized firms and the downsizing of large corporations, and the emergence of longer-term leases and low rental rates. Forecasts for 1997 are also favorable as the economy continues to grow with low inflation figures and the control of the construction of new office buildings.

Corporate restructurings and downsizing have forced meeting planners out of jobs only to be taken in again as an independent planning contractor. Some planners adapt to changes in the corporate world by providing services on a contractual basis while others become bitter about being fired only to be rehired as a contractual. Others such as Annette Christensen chose to work as a free-lancer to give her time to act as caregivers to her children., Former corporate insiders find themselves back on the job as consultants In the early 1990s, IBM was on the skids. Hurt by a decline in mainframe and minicomputer sales, Big [...]

Many college graduates are eschewing corporate life to become entrepreneurs, while seasoned executives are hiring on at smaller companies where they can have a real say. Where does this leave [...]

Downsizing companies may wind up with harried workers and outside contractors straining to fill jobs that have vanished. Downsizing can be good news for stockholders if profits improve. Downsizing is [...]

Several Connecticut distributors managed to survive the slew of shutdowns and downsizings brought about by reduced military spending. Among them are Hawley Industrial Supplies Co., Silliter/Klebes Industrial Supplies and Apostle-Nelson Inc. Among the approaches taken by the companies to survive were product diversification, integrated supply arrangements and smart acquisitions., Connecticut distributors overcome massive military cutbacks to remain in-state To be reminded of the prosperity that once pulsated through his city and state, Jerry Stagg need not look further than [...]

I made my way to the front of the auditorium where 100 or so current and prospective members of Congress were filling the seats. The Democratic Caucus had invited me, [...]

Consolidation and streamlining are two watchwords as planners face increasing budget pressures. In St. Petersburg, Florida, planners, public works officials and housing specialists have combined to form the Mayor's Neighborhood Partnership, coordinating their efforts. In 1992, planners in Jefferson County, Kentucky, became part of the newly created Department of Planning and Environmental Management with authority over matters of the environment, planning and development. Private money is starting to move in and take over where government falls short. In St. Paul,Minnesota, the Coalition for Community Development is funded by community developers and charitable donations of major corporations.

Corporate planners should realize that the risks associated with corporate downsizing go beyond the obvious threat of unfair employment practice claims. They include lower worker productivity and general morale, a potential increase in directors' and officers' liability litigation and workers' compensation claims, and an inability to recruit highly qualified workers in the midst of the transition. The most important and basic risk is the possibility that downsizing will not ultimately increase corporate profits., As Corporate America becomes leaner in the movement to downsize operations, risk managers and their chief executives are faced with a profusion of risks that, if not properly understood and [...]

When Robert Stempel became chairman of General Motors at the end of 1990, sales were beginning to fall, but even in his darkest moments Stempel probably didn't imagine how bad [...]

Using temporary, contract and part-time workers and maintaining minimum staff rosters, American business heads full speed in the direction of downsizing. Do the laws that have been designed carefully to [...]

The effects of military base shuffling on the restaurant industry are discussed. The drastic downsizing of the Department of Defense has a ripple effect, hitting the service sector as much as the manufacturing sector. California is the biggest loser with 31,747 workers laid off, followed by South Carolina, which will lose 17,443 jobs. On the other hand, Illinois, Missouri and Washington State will gain 9,046, 5,820 and 5,593 new jobs, respectively., IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DAY OF CELEbration IN Oscoda. The tiny resort on Michigan's Lower Peninsula had turned out to welcome its men and women home from the Persian [...]

You can call it an expected turn in the business cycle. You can say that when supply exceeds demand times get tough. You could point to the recession, the problems [...]

Now I'd like to turn to the energy and oil industries. On the demand side, as always, a serious recession like the present one means stagnant demand for energy and [...]

Approaches to organisation management and design need to be changed to gain benefits from downsizing, or planned job layoffs. Expected economic advantages through downsizing often do not become reality for many companies, particularly in terms of higher investment return and increased profit. Expected organisational advantages such as higher productivity, better communications and reduced overheads also often fail to materialise. Personnel cuts must be made as part of a continuous improvement strategy, where changes can be implemented to eradicate inefficiency and waste.

Employee downsizing can be managed effectively by team building. Establishing clear corporate goals and employee empowerment reduces the perception of employee insecurity. Concentrate on convincing management team members that their work is important and that they were working towards work goals. The work environment and tools also play an important part in motivating employees to handle their jobs effectively. Keeping communication lines open is also an integral part to the success of the team., Two U S West managers use sound HR practices to keep their team productive and happy. When U S West began downsizing in early 1989, they formed teams of managers [...]

On July 12, 1990, I had no sooner arrived at work than I found a message from my boss. 'Come to my office as soon as possible,' he said. When [...]

Coping with the Crunch Is Downsizing the Answer? Producers and presenters are not the only New York City non-profit arts groups struggling to cope with funding cuts. Arts service organizations--the [...]

As manager of the Mount Laurel-based software support division of Raytheon Co., jay Levenson was taking home $75,000 a year, a comprehensive benefits package and three weeks vacation. But a [...]

Downsizing can create problems for a company, instead of solutions. Most affected by organizational restructuring schemes are the employees, which in turn may not come out to be as productive as they were prior to the move. However, other alternatives may be implemented to prevent downsizing. One of these alternatives is the institution of a hiring freeze. This move can be effective in keeping costs in line to maintain the current inventory of skills. Another measure is utilization of alternative work schedules. Instead of losing their jobs completely, employees can be asked to convert their working status from full-time to part-time. To make this transition easy for the employees concerned, management must be patient enough to communicate the firm's business case as to why such a move is being done., Many consulting firms are in the process of downsizing, or looking for alternatives. It can be an emotional roller coaster for staff who sense impending fear, uncertainty and insecurity about [...]

IN THE depths of the most recent recession, Klas Eklund, a Stockholm economist, coined a new Swedish word: omvandlingstryck, or the pressure to transform. For decades Swedish managers had been [...]