"We won't be able to get round job cuts in countries where we're not profitable," Kagermann told the latest edition of the weekly magazine Focus Money, to be published Thursday, but released in advance.

SAP board member Leo Apotheker recently told AFP that the software giant planned to restructure its activities in France, where it employs a workforce of 650.

Kagermann said that SAP planned to review its current employee bonus programmes.

Fundamentally, such programmes were a good incentive.

"But they've been used much too excessively in the past," Kagermann said.

Earlier this month, SAP published a disappointing set of first-half results, with revenues falling more sharply than expected.

SPACE.WIRE