“In a keynote presentation at the Cisco Global Partners Summit in Las Vegas, Cisco Systems Inc. President and CEO John Chambers yesterday pondered the fate of the economy and what Cisco is doing amid a spreading slump. In November, Chambers said, business was looking good. By early December, he said, there were signs of an economic slowdown but no real warning of a major dip. Then came January. That, said Chambers, is when ‘we saw a lag (in corporate spending) that we had not seen before.’”

“In some situations, it’s wise to send clients away and turn business down. When you need to become more focused, less stressed or more scrupulous, ‘firing’ clients can make perfect sense. Customers who have stuck with you from your first year may be buying services or products that you no longer advertise, but that you continue to provide as a courtesy. Sifting out such leftover buyers enables you to concentrate more fully on your current focus.”

“Despite — or perhaps because of — the torrent of layoffs announced in recent months, 80 percent of business leaders believe that “people issues” are more important now than in 1998. About one-third believe that not enough attention is being paid to human resources.”