Downsizing as a systematic reduction of employees is frequently utilized in order to increase productivity, efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness of firms. As a strategy of choice for many firms around the wo...Downsizing as a systematic reduction of employees is frequently utilized in order to increase productivity, efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness of firms. As a strategy of choice for many firms around the world, downsizing produces far-reaching financial, organizational, and social consequences. Despite the large body of literature, there is inconclusive evidence as to whether downsizing is effective and whether it generates the widely anticipated financial benefits. An in-depth review of the literature suggests that most downsized organizations have failed to yield economic benefits. This case study examined whether Portugal＇s eight largest banks realized their financial objectives upon the execution of downsizing activities during their recent 2008-2010 endeavors. Financial performance was measured through employee efficiency, profitability, and asset quality. Six hypotheses were defined using six different financial ratios which were deemed as integral tools for measuring financial performance of deposit-accepting banks. The secondary data were analyzed within a defined framework of two distinct phases： pre- and post-downsizing phases. A key statistical tool, the paired sample t-test, was applied to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in the ratios between the two timeframes. The analysis demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the pre- and post-downsizing ratios of loans per employee and deposits per employee. In contrast, no statistically significant difference was found in return on assets （ROA）, return on equity （ROE）, loans to assets, and non-performing loans to loans ratios. On the basis of this analysis, the study has concluded that downsized large Portuguese banks have largely failed to achieve their projected financial objectives.展开更多
文摘Downsizing as a systematic reduction of employees is frequently utilized in order to increase productivity, efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness of firms. As a strategy of choice for many firms around the world, downsizing produces far-reaching financial, organizational, and social consequences. Despite the large body of literature, there is inconclusive evidence as to whether downsizing is effective and whether it generates the widely anticipated financial benefits. An in-depth review of the literature suggests that most downsized organizations have failed to yield economic benefits. This case study examined whether Portugal＇s eight largest banks realized their financial objectives upon the execution of downsizing activities during their recent 2008-2010 endeavors. Financial performance was measured through employee efficiency, profitability, and asset quality. Six hypotheses were defined using six different financial ratios which were deemed as integral tools for measuring financial performance of deposit-accepting banks. The secondary data were analyzed within a defined framework of two distinct phases： pre- and post-downsizing phases. A key statistical tool, the paired sample t-test, was applied to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in the ratios between the two timeframes. The analysis demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the pre- and post-downsizing ratios of loans per employee and deposits per employee. In contrast, no statistically significant difference was found in return on assets （ROA）, return on equity （ROE）, loans to assets, and non-performing loans to loans ratios. On the basis of this analysis, the study has concluded that downsized large Portuguese banks have largely failed to achieve their projected financial objectives.
