The slimming-down of RBS and the cost-cutting integration of the operations of Lloyds and HBOS have yet to take their full toll.

ECONOMIST: Looking for an upside to the downturn

That these have not materialised is partly because of the decision to keep the European and American operations, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler, working separately, after full integration plans became bogged down.

ECONOMIST: DaimlerChrysler

Cemex's own answer is that the deal will give it a solid cashflow in western Europe (where it now operates only in Spain), opportunities in eastern Europe, and some integration of the two companies' operations in the United States, where both get about a quarter of their sales.

ECONOMIST: Cement

These planned measures are expected to include elimination of the company's matrix organizational structure, site consolidation, transfer of activities to global delivery centers, consolidation of certain central functions, cost synergies from the integration of Motorola's wireless assets, efficiencies in service operations, and company-wide process simplification.

ENGADGET: Nokia Siemens to cut 17,000 jobs as part of global restructuring