rid of what it perceives the low performers in its organization? This was a common tactic at one of my previous employers. They'd have 2 layoffs almost every year. And they were making bank. It always struck me that if you had to use layoffs this frequently, seems to me the problem isn't that you have bad apples, but that you suck at 2 things. 1) hiring the right person, and 2) training your employees. Both a major reflection on the executives and not the plebes.

But in this climate, despite some companies posting record profits, many others are struggling to maintain profitability, etc.
We all have to remember, companies are nothing more than an amalgamation of people. and greed drives people up the ladder of responsibility and there is a point where they no longer care about the soft assets and focus more on the hard(money)