Business applications vendor Oracle Corp., now in the process of digesting its rival PeopleSoft Inc. after merger plans were announced last month, did a top-executive reshuffle in time for the new year.

According to Oracle"s 8-K filing, made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 29, PeopleSoft Co-president and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Parker and Co-president Phillip Wilmington were fired. Oracle Co-presidents Charles Phillips and Safra Catz were appointed to the same positions at PeopleSoft, and Harry You, executive vice president and CFO at Oracle, will become PeopleSoft"s CFO.

Daniel Cooperman has been appointed senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of PeopleSoft, the same positions he holds at Oracle.

In addition, Catz, Phillips, Cooperman and You were appointed to serve on PeopleSoft"s board of directors, replacing Aneel Bhusri, Frank Fanzilli, Michael Maples and Cyril Yansouni, who resigned. These departures follow the resignation last week of PeopleSoft"s CEO and chairman, David Duffield.

The remaining two slots on the board are expected to be vacated by the current PeopleSoft directors as soon as the merger closes.