Connect with us

Business

Bankruptcy Panel Reveals Mismanagement and Graft Sank Thai Airways

Published

on

Investigation Panel Reveals Mismanagement and Graft Sank Thai Airways

A Bankruptcy Court Investigation panel has revealed Mismanagement and corruption have led to the downfall of Thai Airways International. Thai Airways which has filed for business rehabilitation under bankruptcy protection.

Thaworn Senneam of the Democrat Party held a briefing on Friday to announce the findings of a panel set up to investigate what went wrong at Thai Airways. The investigation focused on operations between 2017 and 2019.

THAI has lost money in every year but one since 2013 and now has outstanding debt of 250 billion baht. The Central Bankruptcy Court recently held three days of hearings on the airline’s rehabilitation plan. The bankruptcy court is scheduled to rule on the application on Sept 14.

Mr Thaworn said losses of at least 62.8 billion baht began in 2008 after the purchases of fuel-guzzling passenger jets for long-haul direct flights.

Bribes to Politicians and Thai Airways Officials

The bankruptcy panel found the decision to buy 10 Airbus A340-500 and A340-600 jets led to dire consequences. Losses were recorded for every flight. From the maiden Bangkok-New York direct flight in 2005 to 2013, when the last plane in the fleet was decommissioned, Mr Thaworn said.

He also claimed to have evidence of bribes of at least 5%, or 2.6 billion baht, to politicians, officials and THAI executives in connection with the purchases.  The panel also found price differences of as much as 589 million baht in the operating leases for six Boeing B787-800 jets and two B787-900s.

The minister said the discrepancy stemmed in part from some 245 million baht in bribes paid by Rolls-Royce through middlemen to officials and THAI executives for the purchases of engine parts, and flat-rate payment for repair and maintenance services.

Other irregularities identified by the bankruptcy panel include a rise in employee expenses even as the number of employees fell. It did not specify the time period but said overtime pay for pilots and crew rose by 638 million baht. Overtime for repair and maintenance crew rose 530 million baht. Average monthly cash compensation for employees was 129,134 baht each.

Mismanagement of Thai Airways HR

In 2019, when net losses reached a record 12 billion baht, the overtime for repair and maintenance employees was 2 billion baht. With some staff recorded as working overtime more than 365 days a year.

The employee who received the most overtime payments claimed 3,354 hours, or 419 days, for 2.95 million baht. Against an annual OT cap of 1,500 hours, even though his salary was 73,203 baht a month.

All told, 567 repair and maintenance employees exceeded the 1,500-hour overtime cap in 2019. Costing the Thai Airways 603 million baht. In 2017, the panel said, the commercial division also sold tickets at very low prices. Benefiting agents who enjoyed commission fees and incentives.

Executives of the commercial division also transferred people close to them to stations abroad and set sales targets to match the desired levels of incentives. After that, 10% of the incentives were deducted and put into an unregulated slush fund, from which commercial managers split the proceeds.

Among top executives, the panel found an acting president was paid special cash compensation of 200,000 baht a month. The amount tripled over nine months in violation of a cabinet resolution and a Finance Ministry prohibition against acting executives at state enterprises accepting more compensation than what they normally get. All told, the panel said, excessive compensation to executives cost the company 10 billion baht.

The panel also believes THAI was favoring a certain company by extending its right to sell tax-free inflight products by nine months instead of calling a bid, costing 655 million baht.

Source: Bangkok Post

Continue Reading

Business

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

Published

on

By

Pepsi

(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

SEE ALSO:

Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

Continue Reading

Business

Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

Published

on

By

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

SEE ALSO:

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

Continue Reading

Business

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

Published

on

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

Continue Reading

Trending