By many measures, the company so far has escaped any serious damage.

In that way, the companies would escape the annual hits to earnings caused by writing off good will over the years.

"This was notably true in 1985 and 1986, when few companies except for Motorola escaped losing money," he said.

Q. How confident are you that the company itself will escape indictment?

Even companies with great consumer products cannot escape the need to understand themselves - and have others understand them.

The company tried to develop various products without much focus and barely escaped bankruptcy in the mid-1990's.

Still, the company has not escaped the general malaise in the telecommunications industry, with its stock price falling 43 percent this year.

He added that no household-name company had escaped making job cuts over the last two years.

While technology stocks led the plunge, few companies escaped unscathed.

This means that smaller companies escape the deadlines because they mainly buy used buses.