It is unfortunate that companies eliminate staff as the first solutions to savings. While I believe cutting staff is a necessary evil in today's economic climate it should not be the first option because that's one of the quickest ways to reduce quality in an organization. There are several cost cutting measures as mentioned in your post; have you seen cost cutting measures taken within your current or former employer that had a negative effect? What steps did the organization take to reverse the trend of negativity the organization was facing?