Since execs have most of their compensation tied to performance, they want to maximize that as much as possible without sinking the company.
There's also cycles throughout year, so some profitable quarters are there to offset quarters with losses. Take the retail industry, for example. They make most of their money at the end of the year, so any profit should cover expenses for the first three quarters of their fiscal year.
So, when you say normal, you actually mean profitable.
Since execs have most of their compensation tied to performance, they want to maximize that as much as possible without sinking the company.
There's also cycles throughout year, so some profitable quarters are there to offset quarters with losses. Take the retail industry, for example. They make most of their money at the end of the year, so any profit should cover expenses for the first three quarters of their fiscal year.
So, when you say normal, you actually mean profitable.