Put it another way, the squeeze on public sector expenditure, jobs and services is only now beginning to bite, but the country is hurting and the squeeze on demand is already proving counter-productive by pushing up unemployment benefit costs and cutting the tax take.
Finally, keeping traditional regime elements intact, in particular the inner circles of Gaddafi and his sons, may end up proving counter-productive.
Of course, this recommendation only applies to certain firms (depending largely on the area of their core interest and type of intervention they are planning) and must be carefully evaluated, as it runs the risk of drawing focus away from a firm's key product and ultimately proving counter-productive.
There's always one game at E3 that proves, counter to the general theme of the show, bigger isn't always better.
His intervention could prove counter productive, drawing attention, as it did, to the sheer extent of GCHQ and the NSA's ability secretly to monitor personal communications.
It has clamped down on the free practice of religion throughout Xinjiang and severely impeded Uighur rights, a policy which is likely to prove counter productive.
Butler thought intervention would prove counter-productive.
Indeed it could prove counter-productive.
Indeed he argues that exhortation can prove counter-productive.
Yet a drift in this direction could prove counter-productive.
Aaron Connelly, of the Lowy Institute in Sydney, argues that withdrawing the ambassador could prove counter-productive.
