Downsizing is efficient and effective and thus, a viable strategy for firms competing in a global business environment. Do you agree?

Essay by hongmeiUniversity, Bachelor's May 2005

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I. INTRODUCTION

Companies that faced a decrease in sales, market share, or profits in the 1980s and early 1990s began to realize that their human resources were expensive and underutilized. Consequently, they gradually lower their payroll numbers in order to become more competitive in the market, locally or globally. For example, Mobil Chemical eliminated 2,300 jobs in a 1994 restructuring, blaming lower earnings and excess capacity (Kirschner, E. 1997). Other forces that promote downsizing include increased global competition (Stein, H. 1996), rapidly changing technologies, and increasing availability of a contingent workforce (Fierman, J. 1994: 32). Downsizing has become a critical issue not only in US, but also all around the world and the number of organizations and jobs affected by downsizing has been staggering.

While we become numbed by the near daily accounts of new layoffs, a New York Times national survey found that at least a family member in one-third of all U.S.

households has been laid off since 1980 (New York Times, 1996, cited in Hickok, n.d.). In fact, according the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics on September 2003, 93 000 jobs were lost in August 2003 (Baumol et al, 2003). By some measures, downsizing has failed as a tool to achieve the main purpose, i.e. reduce costs. According to a Wyatt Company survey covering the period between 1985 and 1990, 89% of downsizing organizations to downsize for the favor of reducing expenses. However, only 42% of them actually met their goal (Hickock, T. n.d.). The trend toward downsizing has widened its focus from blue-collar jobs to include white-collar jobs (Stein, H.1996).

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers to downsizing and discuss the consequences and impact of downsizing on organization and employees, both in short-term and long-term, and whether downsizing is effective for...