Dell, one of the world’s largest makers of personal computers, reported better-than-expected earnings on Thursday as the company’s cost-cutting efforts  including the elimination of 8,300 jobs over the last year  blunted the pain from falling revenues in the early stages of the world economic slowdown.

With most economists predicting that the deepening slump will hammer corporate technology spending over the next year, Dell said it intended to keep slicing costs and would be cautious with its $8.9 billion cash hoard even as it realigns its business model from a direct-sales model to one that relies more on retailers to sell its laptops and desktop PCs.

Dell, based in Round Rock, Tex., reported revenue of $15.16 billion in the third quarter, which ended Oct. 31. That was a 3 percent drop from the same quarter a year earlier and more than a billion dollars shy of the $16.22 billion that analysts had expected, according to Thomson Reuters.

But the company’s profits greatly exceeded Wall Street’s forecasts, largely because of the company’s strong emphasis on cost cutting and a gradual shift toward more profitable products.