Can activists help Salesforce turn round its flagging performance?

The cloud-based software company hired too many staff heading into an economic downturn

Sales growth at Marc Benioff-bossed Salesforce (CRM:NYSE) has slowed significantly over recent quarters and investors will be are concerned to see how demand is holding up when the cloud-based software company posts fourth quarter and full year earnings on 1 March.

Following a rough period for the shares, the acquisitive customer relationship management software giant has rallied 23% year-to-date on hopes five known activists including Elliott Management, Inclusive Capital Partners, Starboard Value and Third Point can help improve the group’s performance.

In January Salesforce, the leading player in front office digital transformation for large enterprises, announced it would lay off 10% of its workforce and cut office space in some