I found when I was working for a multinational company here in Honduras (OK my position was not that great, but it was a multinational company) that every year, at some moment corporate headquarters would send the management people a request to decrease costs at all means. This usually meant, of course, that a company downsizing was imminent. Because, for some reason the easiest way to lower costs is to fire people.

When this time came, everybody would get nervous because it came down the grapevine and everybody knew some people were going to get fired and the obvious question was, could it be me? So Human Resources would weigh every department and demand that a certain amount of employees be fired. This was an order, people had to be liquidated yes or yes. These guys never thought of any other way to lower costs just fire people. Funnily when a government's finances need to be levelled usually they hire more people, but what I am getting at is that there is no thought of reducing business trips, of top level personnel staying at not so good hotels or not eating at the best restaurants.

But anyway, people are fired and a month later it is found to the amazement of everybody that these people were actually doing a job that was necessary, and all of a sudden the company had to hire two people to replace one because that person who was fired had the job down pat and knew how to overcome obstacles that a newbie doesn't even know existed. So in the end the result was that instead of lowering costs a few months later the company had even more personnel, beats me how the guys at Financial Analysis have never been aware of this.

Or maybe it is something they don't care to point out as it is headquarters who wants to lower costs and going against them could be dangerous. So, I saw this happen a lot of times, I never once saw my job jeopardized, it was first of all a shitty job that nobody wanted and it was difficult and required a lot of hours, over time which was never paid. I actually nearly had to beg to be fired, and yes once I left they hired two guys to replace me.

But, what I am trying to get is I always saw most management decisions of this kind somewhat like a whitewash, just trying to impress shareholders or owners that their interests were being very well looked after.