Sony said that 8000 job cuts are necessary in order to save the company around a billion dollars 十亿美元 (大约 6.85 billion yuan) per year.

It’s already warned that its profits 利润 will be less than half of those a year ago despite 尽管 heavy promotion¹ 促销 of its flat screen TVs 纯平电视 and PlayStation 3 computer games machine.

Many other large companies have also seen their profits decimated 大幅度下降 by a slump² in sales 销售暴跌 and a rise in the value of the yen³.

Small businesses are faring even worse with bankruptcy⁴ 破产/倒闭 levels on the rise.