downsizing

Vocabulary Word

Definition

'Downsizing' often refers to a company's strategy to make its operational structure smaller by reducing the overall size or scale of its operations. Typically, this means letting go of employees or closing certain business units.

Examples in Different Contexts

In a creative studio, downsizing might mean letting go of some artists. The studio head might say, 'Due to budget cuts, we're downsizing our animation team.'

Practice Scenarios

Academics

Scenario:

Enrollment numbers for this year are disappointingly low. We might need to reconsider the size of our faculty and the range of majors we offer.

Response:

Should we try to attract more students to those lesser-chosen majors before choosing to downsize?

Business

Scenario:

Given our recent losses, we may be forced to reduce our operational costs and reassess our structure.

Response:

Reducing operational costs sounds like a good move, but downsizing should be our last resort.