The estimated loss is significantly higher than analysts had
expected, and is six times more than the 90.5 billion yen ($734 million)
loss it posted for the first half of the year. Some of the losses are
associated with a huge restructuring plan Toshiba announced Monday. The company
will cut about 6,800 jobs in its consumer electronics divisions by the end of
March, and another 1,000 employees at its headquarters, according to company
statements released after markets closed in Tokyo.
Toshiba will also shutter its audio-visual business in all
countries except Japan, and instead focus on licensing its brand in foreign
markets. The $4.5 billion annual loss will result from restructuring costs,
poor performance from the company's energy and electronic devices divisions and
income tax payments. Toshiba shares plunged 10% Monday in anticipation of the
reorganization.
Toshiba has been struggling to recover from an accounting
scandal that resulted in inflated profits. Shares of the company have fallen
50% this year, as the scale of the problem has continued to grow, forcing CEO
Hisao Tanaka to resign in July.
Other executives have also stepped down, and Toshiba has
corrected its earnings statements from previous years. The headache started in
April, when Toshiba itself began investigating accounting practices in its
energy division.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and made a name for itself
introducing technological advancements in Japan from electric washing machines
to refrigerators, and later, the world's first color TV. Today, the company has
expanded from consumer electronics to include a diverse range of products from
nuclear power to medical equipment. Miles said there could still be additional
"skeletons in the closet" at Toshiba.
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