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Uber Strikes Taxi Partnership in Thailand

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Uber announced the launch of Uber Taxi in Thailand –  (Photo by Yukako Ono)

BANGKOK – “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” seems to be Uber Technologies’ strategy in Thailand. The taxi app company announced Wednesday that it would launch its ride-hailing service in Thailand by collaborating with regulated taxis, whose drivers were once derided by its co-founder.

Uber will partner with Howa, a major local taxi operator known for its green cars, and bring the company’s 4,000 taxis that operate in Bangkok onto its ride-sharing app platform.

Starting from Dec. 19, riders will be able to book a Howa taxi through the Uber app by paying a surcharge. Howa’s drivers, meanwhile, can connect with customers more efficiently using the app.

“Uber is a globally operating app provider and has a customer base around the world,” said Hudsadin Eamsherangkul, Howa assistant managing director. “Those are the potential customers for our drivers.”

Thailand is the seventh market in Asia for Uber to strike a taxi partnership following countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Last week, it announced an agreement in Singapore for a joint venture with ComfortDelGro, the city-state’s largest taxi operator with 60% market share. Subject to regulatory approval, ComfortDelGro will buy a 51% stake in Uber’s wholly owned car rental subsidiary Lion City Holdings and acquire 12,450 cars of Lion City’s total fleet of 14,000.

The deal would also allow ComfortDelGro’s taxi drivers to receive ride requests on the Uber app. With the fleet expansion, both companies expect increased demand for both private hire and taxi drivers from consumers.

Pivotal

“Although [each country] take different forms, the end of the story is just an absolute partnership and collaboration with taxi companies in the market,” said Brooks Entwistle, Uber chief business officer for Asia Pacific.

Entwistle, a former Goldman Sachs partner who joined Uber in August to head operations in the region, said that the company is softening its stance against regulators and is now focusing more on working together with governments within local regulations.

Uber entered Asia in 2013 from Singapore. It currently operates in 18 countries or more than 100 cities. While the company’s ridesharing service using private cars have brought new options for consumers, it is still unregulated in many countries and has been in conflict with conventional taxi services and regulators across the region. In Thailand, talks to make its ridesharing service using private cars legal are still ongoing.

The company’s cofounder and outspoken former Chief Executive Travis Kalanick had gone as far as describing Uber’s service as a “political war” between regulated taxis. He stepped down in June following allegations of personal wrongdoing and a pervasive culture of sexual harrassment at the company.

But from this year, the company’s strategy would be to focus on working with regulators to solve transportation issues using “existing transportation infrastructure,” Entwistle said. For example, the strictly regulated Japanese market where Uber is hoping to bring its ridesharing app soon will be “absolutely focused on having a partner with taxi companies,” he said.

“There is a pivot…and that is a global pivot that we are spending a lot of time on,” he said, stressing that Asia is “so important” from a growth standpoint.

According to Google and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, the on-demand taxi service in Southeast Asia is estimated to hit $13 billion by 2025, growing 18% per year. The number of monthly riders could reach 29 million by then, up from 7.3 million in 2015.

Competition with Grab

But at the same time, competition is heating up. In the years that Uber was focused on its ride sharing service using private cars, competitors such as Singapore’s Grab have invested resources and won strong backing in the taxi-hailing app business.

Grab is backed by investors including China Investment Corp., Singapore’s Temasek and China’s Didi Chuxing and has been aggressively working toward gaining market share not just in its home market, but the entire Southeast Asian region.

In March, it worked with five other taxi operators in Singapore to roll out JustGrab, a fixed-fare service subject to dynamic pricing to make it more price competitive. In August, it announced plans to invest $100 million in Myanmar over the next three years to boost ride hailing services. In October, Grab announced that it has obtained $700 million worth of debt facilities to expand its fleet of rental cars in the region.

Grab’s efforts seem to have paid off. ComfortDelGro’s third quarter financial results ended September showed that it was feeling the heat from increased competition from ride hailing apps such as Grab, with third-quarter taxi revenue falling by 11% to 298.3 million Singapore dollars ($219.5 million) on the year.

In September, local media reports said that more than 2,000 ComfortDelGro drivers had signed up for a Grab driver account under a recruitment drive by Grab. They said ComfortDelGro could lose more than 3,000 hirers to rival taxi companies that use Grab’s booking system.

The intensifying competition has caused ComfortDelGro’s taxi fleet in Singapore to shrink by 7.5% from earlier this year to around 15,400 at end-July.

By Yukako Ono
NIKKEI

– – –

Justina Lee, Nikkei staff writer in Singapore, contributed to this article

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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

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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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