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Air Chief Marshal Prajin Dons a New Uniform as Thailand’s Economics Czar

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Prajin Juntong, at right of Thai junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok on May 20, has been tasked with luring foreign investment to the country in his role as economics czar

Prajin Juntong, at right of Thai junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok on May 20, has been tasked with luring foreign investment to the country in his role as economics czar

BANGKOK—Three months ago, Prajin Juntong was figuring out what fighter jets to buy in his capacity as the chief of Thailand’s air force.

Now, as the country’s economics czar, he is tasked with trying to convince foreign investors to bankroll the country’s ambitious spending plans after the military seized power in May for the second time in less than a decade.

It is a tough sell. The previous coup deepened the long-running divisions between Thailand’s royalist-nationalists and supporters of a series of populist, left-leaning governments. But Air Chief Marshal Prajin says if Thailand’s new military leaders can turn around the ailing economy, which contracted 0.1% in the first half of 2014, then the often-bloody conflict will be soothed and the country will be on a more stable footing.

“This coup is different. It won’t be the same as last time,” Air Chief Marshal Prajin, 60 years old, said Friday in his first sit-down media interview since the May 22 takeover.

Later, he delivered a speech to a gathering of fund managers and other financial professionals at Bangkok’s riverside Oriental Hotel, outlining plans for a mixture of big-ticket infrastructure spending and back-to-basics initiatives on improving education and finding new markets for the country’s broad range of agricultural exports. The next day, Air Chief Marshal Prajin took the visitors to meet the junta’s boss, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha. Gen Prayuth was quizzed about martial law and the country’s political stability.

Air Chief Marshal Prajin frequently talks about restoring Thailand to its old position as a beacon in Southeast Asia. “Twenty years ago, Thailand was the leading country in this region in almost every area, in economics, in social matters, culture and education and also tourism,” he said. The Land of Smiles, as he calls it, also used to soak up the lion’s share of the region’s foreign investment.

It will take more than publicity tours and glad-handing to put Thailand back on track, though.

Thailand has recently lost ground to Indonesia and especially Vietnam, which has emerged as the go-to destination for South Korean tech companies, much as Japanese auto makers previously flocked to Thailand. The 2006 military coup solved little, and Thai military leaders pledged they would never stage a coup again.

Months of raucous street protests that started in late 2013 against a government led by Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of billionaire businessman and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, scared off tourists and shattered local-business and consumer confidence.

There are signs of some improvement since the military took power. The country’s planning agency, the National Economic and Social Development Board, on Monday said the economy grew 0.9% in the second quarter compared with the previous three months, after contracting by a revised 1.9% in the first quarter. Thailand’s economy grew 0.4% in the second quarter from a year earlier, the board said.

Tourism and investment, though, are recovering more slowly than expected following the May coup. Independent economists say a pall of uncertainty still hangs over the country; martial law, for instance, is still in effect as the junta tries to chart a gradual return to civilian rule by the end of 2015. Key figures in the junta, including Gen. Prayuth and Air Chief Marshal Prajin, also face mandatory retirement at the end of September and it isn’t clear what kind of role they will play, if any, in the future.

It isn’t all about Thailand, either. Global export demand isn’t as strong as Thailand’s military leaders would like and growth is looking sluggish. The National Economic and Social Development Board cut its 2014 export-growth forecast to 2% from 3.7%.

Air Chief Marshal Prajin, dressed in a sharp business suit rather than his usual air force uniform, acknowledged on Friday that reviving Thailand is more than just a matter of restoring law and order on the streets. Household debt levels stand at more than 80% of gross domestic product, one of the highest rates in the region. Many factories are running below capacity while the number of fresh investment applications fell by a third in the first five months of the year.

He said his strategy will blend some of the big-spending infrastructure policies pioneered by the Shinawatras while borrowing from the more technocratic mind-set that steered previous military-led administrations during Thailand’s boom years in the 1980s and 1990s.

Already, the military government has paid out billions of dollars to farmers awaiting payment from a now-defunct program for rice subsidies that was launched by the previous administration. The centerpiece of a massive $75 billion infrastructure spending plan, meanwhile, is a revamped, dual-track rail network that is aimed at making it easier to shift freight around Thailand and ultimately connect with rail networks across the region. Potentially, it could link the Chinese city of Kunming with the heart of Southeast Asia.

This, Air Chief Marshal Prajin says, will open up northern and northeast Thailand to more trade, boosting provincial economies and slowing the pace of migration to Bangkok and other crowded cities.

“In the old days we used to fight with swords and lances on the back of elephants, or even on buffaloes,” he said. These days, Thailand needs to learn how to compete economically.

“We can’t do it all ourselves,” he said. “If we have investors, it will speed things up.”

By James Hookway at [email protected]

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PepsiCo Reduces Revenue Projections As North American Snacks And Key International Markets Underperform.

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(VOR News) – In the third quarter of this year, Pepsi’s net income was $2.93 billion, which is equivalent to $2.13 per share. This was attributed to the company.

This is in stark contrast to net income of $3.09 billion, which is equivalent to $2.24 per share, during the same period in the previous year. The company’s earnings per share were $2.31 when expenses were excluded.

Net sales decreased by 0.6%, totaling $23.32 billion. Organic sales increased by 1.3% during the quarter when the effects of acquisitions, divestitures, and currency changes are excluded.

Pepsi’s beverage sales fell this quarter.

The most recent report indicates that the beverage and food sectors of the organization experienced a 2% decline in volume. Consumers of all income levels are demonstrating a change in their purchasing habits, as indicated by CEOs’ statements from the previous quarter.

Pepsi’s entire volume was adversely affected by the lackluster demand they encountered in North America. An increasing number of Americans are becoming more frugal, reducing the number of snacks they ingest, and reducing the number of times they purchase at convenience stores.

Furthermore, Laguarta observed that the increase in sales was partially attributed to the election that occurred in Mexico during the month of June.

The most significant decrease in volume was experienced by Quaker Foods North America, which was 13%. In December, the company announced its initial recall in response to a potential salmonella infection.

Due to the probability of an illness, the recall was extended in January. Pepsi officially closed a plant that was implicated in the recalls in June, despite the fact that manufacturing had already been halted.

Jamie Caulfield, the Chief Financial Officer of Pepsi and Laguarta, has indicated that the recalls are beginning to have a lessening effect.

Frito-Lay experienced a 1.5% decline in volume in North America. The company has been striving to improve the value it offers to consumers and the accessibility of its snack line, which includes SunChips, Cheetos, and Stacy’s pita chips, in the retail establishments where it is sold.

Despite the fact that the category as a whole has slowed down in comparison to the results of previous years, the level of activity within the division is progressively increasing.

Pepsi executives issued a statement in which they stated that “Salty and savory snacks have underperformed year-to-date after outperforming packaged food categories in previous years.”

Pepsi will spend more on Doritos and Tostitos in the fall and winter before football season.

The company is currently promoting incentive packets for Tostitos and Ruffles, which contain twenty percent more chips than the standard package.

Pepsi is expanding its product line in order to more effectively target individuals who are health-conscious. The business announced its intention to acquire Siete Foods for a total of $1.2 billion approximately one week ago. The restaurant serves Mexican-American cuisine, which is typically modified to meet the dietary needs of a diverse clientele.

The beverage segment of Pepsi in North America experienced a three percent decrease in volume. Despite the fact that the demand for energy drinks, such as Pepsi’s Rockstar, has decreased as a result of consumers visiting convenience stores, the sales of well-known brands such as Gatorade and Pepsi have seen an increase throughout the quarter.

Laguarta expressed his opinion to the analysts during the company’s conference call, asserting, “I am of the opinion that it is a component of the economic cycle that we are currently experiencing, and that it will reverse itself in the future, once consumers feel better.”

Additionally, it has been noted that the food and beverage markets of South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa have experienced a decline in sales volume. The company cut its forecast for organic revenue for the entire year on Tuesday due to the business’s second consecutive quarter of lower-than-anticipated sales.

The company’s performance during the quarter was adversely affected by the Quaker Foods North America recalls, the decrease in demand in the United States, and the interruptions that occurred in specific international markets, as per the statements made by Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta.

Pepsi has revised its forecast for organic sales in 2024, shifting from a 4% growth rate to a low single-digit growth rate. The company reiterated its expectation that the core constant currency profitability per share will increase by a minimum of 8% in comparison to the previous year.

The company’s shares declined by less than one percent during premarket trading. The following discrepancies between the company’s report and the projections of Wall Street were identified by LSEG in a survey of analysts:

SOURCE: CNBC

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Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

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Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

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Infosys

(VOR News) – Old National Bank, a commercial bank with its headquarters in the Midwest, and Infosys, a firm that specializes in information technology, have recently entered into a strategic expansion of their link, which has been in place for the past four years.

This expansion is more likely to take place sooner rather than later, with the likelihood being higher.

For the purpose of making it possible for Old National Bank to make use of the services, solutions, and platforms that are offered by Infosys, the objective of this expansion is to make it possible for the bank to transform its operations and processes through the application of automation and GenAI, as well as to change significant business areas.

This lets the bank leverage Infosys’ services, solutions, and platforms.

Old National Bank Chairman and CEO Jim Ryan said, “At Old National, we are committed to creating exceptional experiences for both our customers and our fellow employees.”

This statement is applicable to Old National Bank. Infosys is carefully managing the business process innovations that it is putting us through, putting a strong emphasis on efficiency and value growth throughout the process to ensure that it is carried out efficiently.

This is a routine occurrence throughout the entire operation. Because of Infosys’ dedication to our development and success, we are incredibly appreciative of the assistance they have provided.

Old National has been receiving assistance from Infosys in the process of updating its digital environment since the year 2020, according to the aforementioned company.

Ever since that time, the company has been providing assistance. The provision of this assistance has been accomplished through the utilization of a model that is not only powerful but also capable of functioning on its own power.

Infosys currently ranks Old National thirty-first out of the top thirty US banks.

This ranking is based on the fact that Old National is the nation’s largest banking corporation.

It is estimated that the total value of the company’s assets is approximately fifty-three billion dollars, while the assets that are currently being managed by the organization are valued at thirty billion dollars.

Dennis Gada, the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Banking and Financial Services, stated that “Old National Bank and Infosys possess a robust cultural and strategic alignment in the development, management, and enhancement of enterprise-scale solutions to transform the bank’s operations and facilitate growth.”

This remark referenced the exceptional cultural and strategic synergy between the two organizations. Dennis Gada is the one who asserted this claim. This was articulated explicitly concerning the exceptional cultural congruence and strategy alignment of the two organizations.

We are pleased to announce that the implementation of Infosys Topaz will substantially expedite the transformation of Old National Bank’s business processes and customer service protocols. We are exceedingly enthusiastic about this matter. We are quite thrilled about this specific component of the scenario.

Medium-sized banks operating regionally will continue to benefit from our substantial expertise in the sector, technology, and operations. This specific market segment of Infosys will persist in benefiting from our extensive experience. This phenomenon will enable this market sector to sustain substantial growth and efficiency benefits.

SOURCE: THBL

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American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

States Sue TikTok, Claiming Its Platform Is Addictive And Harms The Mental Health Of Children

Qantas Airways Apologizes After R-Rated Film Reportedly Airs On Every Screen During Flight

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American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

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water

The largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States stated Monday that it had been the target of a cyberattack, forcing the company to halt invoicing to consumers.

water

American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

American Water, based in New Jersey and serving over 14 million people in 14 states and 18 military facilities, said it learned of the unauthorized activity on Thursday and quickly took precautions, including shutting down certain systems. The business does not believe the attack had an impact on its facilities or operations and said employees were working “around the clock” to determine the origin and scale of the attack.

water

The corporation stated that it has alerted legal enforcement and is cooperating with them. It also stated that consumers will not be charged late fees while its systems are unavailable.

According to their website, American Water operates over 500 water and wastewater systems in around 1,700 communities across California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

SOURCE | AP

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