Oracle exec sudden exit

Oracle Corp. said yesterday that its fourth-quarter profit increased 7.5 percent. The announcement three days ahead of schedule appeared to be triggered by the departure of a top sales executive.

The exec, Keith Block, was in charge of sales in North America, which account for about half of Oracle’s business, and has been at the company since 1986. Recently, some instant messages Block sent were made public as part of a lawsuit filed against Oracle by Hewlett-Packard. The messages criticized co-president Mark Hurd.