Those firms at the top will have to be leaner and meaner.

WSJ: Wall Street Giants Try a New Business Model

Compared with the immobile, conscript armies that many European states are still fielding, British forces can make a reasonable claim to be leaner, meaner and more modern.

ECONOMIST: Blair’s defence offensive | The

Chrysler and GM emerged from government-funded bankruptcy as leaner, and they hope, meaner organizations.

NPR: More Bumps In The Road For GM, Chrysler And Ford

The idea that, after a period of expansion, the brain pares back its workforce to become leaner and meaner is somehow rather appealing.

ECONOMIST: Memory formation

Among the top 100, notable beneficiaries of leaner and meaner strategies include electronics manufacturers Matsushita Electric (profits up 636% on sales down 4.5%) and Sharp Corp. (No. 54, profits up fivefold on sales up 6.3%).

CNN: Asiaweek.com | Asiaweek 1000 | E-Companies To Watch

Small businesses tend to stay leaner and meaner in their marketplace in part because they play fewer games with their customers or their employees.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

We have agreed to a series of spending cuts that will make the government leaner, meaner, more effective, more efficient, and give taxpayers a greater bang for their buck.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama��s News Conference on Deficit Reduction

But we have to acknowledge that competition means that businesses and workers here in the United States have to be better trained, better skilled, more competitive, leaner, meaner.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Talks with Virginia Families on the Economy | The White House