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Sad Day For Microsoft: 5,000 Laid Off, Earnings And Revenues Down

It would seem, seeing this headline, that even the tech sector is unable to avoid the consequences of this economic downturn.  When even bellwether Microsoft must slash jobs, it must be impossible to create a sustainable business model that has the elasticity to weather a severe economic slowdown.

Then again, there's this:


and this:


I believe Apple has established a management and operations pattern that may prove a model for sustainable business operations that, while not necessarily immune to economic trends and conditions, could prove more stable and thus less prone to the "hire wildly then lay off" pattern so many companies and industries seem subject to.

Is Apple an enigma, or a new business model?  Share your comments.
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Comments

Ryan said…
It helps that Apple has an innovative product that people are willing to purchase even through a recession. Compared to Microsoft, who still does fairly well selling XBOX's but struggles because companies can easily forgo upgrades to their operating systems and/or office suites in tough times. Innovation and product differentiation is key. If only I had the foresight to buy Apple stock in 2004!
Fri Jan 23, 02:18:00 PM CST
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