In a government filing this week, Dell strongly suggested that it planned to shrink its network of factories as part of the computer company’s drive to reduce costs.

The world’s biggest cellphone maker said that its third-quarter global market share would decline because of aggressive price cuts by its rivals.

Many retailers struggled with a sluggish back-to-school season, though Wal-Mart posted higher August sales, as shoppers focused on buying essentials amid worries about high gas and food prices.

Many retailers struggled with a sluggish back-to-school season, though Wal-Mart posted higher August sales, as shoppers focused on buying essentials amid worries about high gas and food prices.

The world’s largest retailer said Thursday that sales of groceries and back-to-school products helped its August sales rise 3 percent, beating expectations.

The tax preparer said it narrowed its quarterly loss as improvement in its tax services business was offset by losses in its consumer financial services division.

The home builder Hovnanian Enterprises said its results were hurt by steep declines in new home contracts and hefty markdowns on land values.

The French media company said that underlying net profit in the second quarter was little changed as higher earnings were offset by a decline in profitability at its mobile telecom business.

The retailer also delivered a downbeat outlook, predicting that its sales and gross profit margins would continue to be pressured amid a difficult economic environment.

The business software maker Novell posted a quarterly loss but its results were better than expected, helped by an increase in sales of Linux software.