But eventually I.B.M. hopes to bring Solaris to mainframes, the big multitasking machines that have been a core profit center for the company for decades.
More than his predecessors, Mr. O'Neal has devoted considerable resources to bolstering Merrill's Lynch's proprietary trading business, long a core profit center for Merrill competitors like Goldman Sachs, but not traditionally seen as an area of strength at Merrill.
The core profit center was the support services billed as consulting time after a sale was made.
Under accounting rules, financial institutions can then book the difference between the original face value of the securities and the current discounted price as a profit toward core Tier 1 equity.
While Dish Network and EchoStar continue to generate significant profits, their core businesses are facing increased competition from online video providers, like Netflix, and telecommunications companies.
The company predicted its fourth-quarter earnings before interest, taxes and other items — the so-called "core" profit number that analysts watch — would be $2 billion to $2.4 billion, up from $1.6 billion in the third quarter, and said it expected higher shipments and average steel selling prices.
Profit at the core auto division fell 35 percent to €87 million, for a 0.4 percent operating margin.
GMAC will have to meet certain core profit goals before individuals can receive payouts.
Sallie Mae's profit on a "core" basis was 34 cents a share in the first three months of the year.
His last book, "Profit from the Core", was published in 2001, just as companies were forced to set aside dreams of endless growth, and to focus on squeezing profits from their existing core businesses.
