HSBC investment in Big Issue fund welcomed by AAA

Alternative Asset Analysis is officially welcoming the news that Big Issue Invest's Social Enterprise Investment Fund has moved closer to its target.

Boston, MA, USA, December 07, 2011 -- Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), an advocate of alternative and ethical investments, is officially welcoming the news that Big Issue Invest's Social Enterprise Investment Fund has moved closer to its target.

The target for the social enterprise project, which is being offered and run by the UK-based homeless charity, Big Issue, is £10 million and it recently gained a further £4 million in investment, taking its running total to £8 million.

AAA reports that the latest investment has come from HSBC, with the rest of the £8 million coming from sources including the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, Deutsche Bank, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Ulster Community Investment Trust.

Big Issue intends to raise the remaining £2 million by March 2012 and will invest in a range of social enterprises to help them grow over the medium term. The projects will be selected for their potential to make a significant social impact and for their potential to generate returns for investors of more than 5 per cent.

The fund has already invested some £1.1 million in four separate enterprises and is on the way to providing a further £1.4 million in funding to three more projects.

“This kind of impact investing is the future as far as we are concerned,” stated AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.

He continued, “An increasing number of investors are keen to ensure their cash is contributing to projects that are both environmentally and socially responsible, hence the popularity of alternative investments like forestry plantations, run by firms such as Greenwood Management in developing countries like Brazil.

“Individuals and institutional investors are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of social impact investing, both from an ethical perspective and a financial one,” concluded Johnson.

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
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Industry Titans come together to form New PEO

Engage PEO Sharpens Competitive Advantage for Businesses.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., December 07, 2011 -- With more than 20 years of combined experience, Jay Starkman, the former CEO of AlphaStaff Group, and Marjorie "Midge" Seltzer, the former President of Modern Business Associates, today announced that they have joined forces to form Engage PEO, a new professional employment organization. According to the veteran human resource industry executives, the PEO industry needs to be re-imagined with a strong emphasis on service.

"Midge and I surveyed the current state of the industry and didn't like what we saw," explained Starkman. "More and more PEOs were focusing on the bottom line and asking clients to expect less. Combined with a practice of over selling, customer satisfaction in PEO services nationally is at a low point, and that’s just not right. Clients should expect more from an outsourcing partner."

“At Engage PEO, the quality of service is the focus of everything,” said Seltzer. “The formula is simple. We don't over sell. We invest in all aspects of service delivery, including state-of-the-art human resource information system, products from A-rated insurance carriers, leadership and people. In fact, unique to the industry, every one of our human resource representatives not only is highly trained in human resources, but they each have a law degree.”

The company is based in St. Petersburg, with an additional office in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and offers a full suite of PEO services nationwide, including payroll, technology, employee benefits, workers’ compensation and risk management, tax administration, and human resource services. Engage will leverage a national network of insurance agents and brokers to deliver its products directly to small and medium-size businesses.

During Starkman's tenure at AlphaStaff, the company was recognized as the fastest growing PEO in the industry. During Seltzer's tenure at MBA, the company was noted as providing the top service in the industry. The two leaders leverage each of their respective strengths in the new company, with Starkman, as CEO, focusing on sales and marketing, and Seltzer, as president, managing service delivery and client satisfaction.

“Great HR programs engage employees and promote greater productivity, which translates to stronger business performance. That’s what Engage is all about,” added Starkman. “Clients will expect more and Engage will not only meet, but exceed those higher expectations.”

About Engage PEO
Engage PEO delivers comprehensive HR solutions to small and medium-size businesses, sharpening their competitive advantage. Comprised of the industry’s most respected veteran professional employer organization executives, certified HR professionals and attorneys, Engage PEO provides hands-on, expert HR services and counsel to help clients minimize cost and maximize efficiency for stronger business performance. The company’s superior service offering includes a full range of health and worker’s compensation insurance products, payroll technology and tax administration, risk management services and best-of-breed technology as part of an extensive suite of HR services. For more information visit http://www.EngagePEO.com.

Media Contact:
Aileen Perdomo
Engage PEO
3001 Executive Drive Suite 340
St. Petersburg, FL 33762
(305) 785-4122
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TechNavio Announces the Publication of its Report - Global Glucose Monitoring Device Market 2010-2014

TechNavio today launched its report, Global Glucose Monitoring Device Market 2010-2014, which is based on an in-depth study of the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions.

London, UK, December 07, 2011 -- TechNavio today launched its report, Global Glucose Monitoring Device Market 2010-2014, which is based on an in-depth study of the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions. The report aims to aid decision makers understand the road map of this market.

Commenting on the report, an analyst from TechNavio’s Healthcare team said, “The Global Blood Glucose Monitoring Device market is witnessing is a paradigm shift from invasive to non-invasive glucose meters. Vendors have realized the opportunity in the Painless Glucose Monitoring segment and are launching non-invasive or minimally invasive monitoring devices.”

According to the report, the main driver for the Global Blood Glucose Monitoring Device market is the worldwide rise in diabetic patients. The reasons for the increasing number of diabetic patients are hereditary and/or related to changes in lifestyle. This increase in the patient population is encouraging the need to monitor glucose levels at regular intervals to prevent long-term problems.

The study was carried out using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key players.

TechNavio is the market research platform of Infiniti Research publishing periodic reports on multiple areas of niche and emerging technologies. For further information, please visit http://www.technavio.com/content/global-glucose-monitoring-device-market-2010-2014. Follow us on Twitter @Technavio for daily industry updates.

Media Contact:
Ludmila Berkesova
Program Manager
Technavio
8 Wimpole Street
W1G 9SP London UK
Tel: 0044 207 637 2456
Fax: 0044 845 280 2825
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TechNavio Announces the Publication of its Report - Global FTTH Equipment Market 2010-2014

TechNavio today launched its report, Global FTTH Equipment Market 2010-2014, which is based on an in-depth study of the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions.

London, UK, December 07, 2011 -- TechNavio today launched its report, Global FTTH Equipment Market 2010-2014, which is based on an in-depth study of the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions. The report aims to aid decision makers understand the road map of this market.

Commenting on the report, an analyst from TechNavio’s Telecom team said, “The APAC region takes the lion’s share of the global FTTH ports that are shipped across the globe. Japan and South Korea have been the top countries in the APAC region market, but China has been catching up by investing significantly in replacing existing copper lines with fiber lines.”

According to the report, the most important driver in the Global FTTH Equipment market is the need for higher bandwidth for broadband applications such as web surfing, e-mail, file downloading, online gaming, IPVOD, and videophones. The market penetration of bandwidth-hungry equipment has increased and hence end-users are demanding more bandwidth. The report also discusses the lack of infrastructure in this market.

The study was carried out using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key players.

TechNavio is the market research platform of Infiniti Research publishing periodic reports on multiple areas of niche and emerging technologies. For further information, please visit http://www.technavio.com/content/global-ftth-equipment-market-2010-2014. Follow us on Twitter @Technavio for daily industry updates.

Media Contact:
Ludmila Berkesova
Program Manager
Technavio
8 Wimpole Street
W1G 9SP London UK
Tel: 0044 207 637 2456
Fax: 0044 845 280 2825
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TechNavio Announces the Publication of its Report - Global Fiber Optic Sensor Market 2010-2014

TechNavio today launched its report, Global Fiber Optic Sensor Market 2010-2014, which is based on an in-depth study of the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions.

London, UK, December 07, 2011 -- TechNavio today launched its report, Global Fiber Optic Sensor Market 2010-2014, which is based on an in-depth study of the Americas and the EMEA and APAC regions. The report aims to aid decision makers understand the key trends impacting the growth of this market.

Commenting on the report, an analyst from TechNavio’s Hardware team said, “Fiber optic sensors are being developed with increased sensing capabilities and smaller size. With the increase in globalization, several companies are adopting fiber optic-based sensors for increased efficiency.”

According to the report, fiber optic sensors play an important role in the seamless flow of operations in industries working with high-temperature environments. With the ever-increasing number of vehicles and the need for more power and energy resources, several oil and gas companies are increasing their operations to meet the demand. These oil and gas plants have several applications that pertain to higher temperature operations. Thus to increase the overall performance of the plant and pertaining to safety, several organizations are installing fiber optic sensors to leverage the advantages of high heat bearing capabilities.

The report also discusses the increasing concerns about the short lifespan of fiber optic cables which is affecting the deployment of these sensors.

The study was carried out using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key players.

TechNavio is the market research platform of Infiniti Research publishing periodic reports on multiple areas of niche and emerging technologies. For further information, please visit http://www.technavio.com/content/global-fibre-optic-sensor-market-2010-2014. Follow us on Twitter @Technavio for daily industry updates.

Media Contact:
Ludmila Berkesova
Program Manager
Technavio
8 Wimpole Street
W1G 9SP London UK
Tel: 0044 207 637 2456
Fax: 0044 845 280 2825
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