downsize

Firms should cautiously assess the convenience of implementing these practices Managers should be aware of the reasons that lead them to downsize.

First, they adopted a rational focus, under the premise that organizations downsize in order to improve efficiency (McKinley et al.

In this paper, the term "downsize" is used to include any or all of these processes with the goal of reducing total corporate costs and/or improving effectiveness of information technology (Chivvis, 1991; Douglas, 1990; Gerber, 1992; Horwitt, 1990a).

Competitive pressure and economic sluggishness have also brought pressure to bear on companies to downsize. Reduction in IS costs and its effectiveness have become major goals for firms wishing to successfully compete in the information age.

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 tempered, can doom an otherwise solid corporate re-engineering plan.

There is a legion of other equally damaging exposures that many companies frequently overlook in their zeal to downsize without delay.

Thus, while managers have taken a variety of actions in their efforts to downsize, few have achieved their desired results.

The issues of whether, when, and how to downsize are clearly important.