Title: Shareholder Value and Workforce Downsizing, 1981-2006
Description: Even before the current economic meltdown, waves of downsizing, starting in the late 1970s, had swept corporate America, eroding workers' expectations of economic security. But not only did downsizing become more prevalent during this period; its basic nature changed. Previously, firms had cut jobs temporarily, to adjust the size of their workforce during a downturn. Since the late 70s, firms have increasingly cut jobs in both good and bad times, in order to boost stock price.