With this edition being published just before the start of 2009 we thought it would be interesting to get New Year resolutions from some AIM companies. We approached a few PR companies and asked if they could find any AIM directors who would be willing to commit to a New Year Resolution. The six resolutions we received back make interesting reading and some will make you smile. There is even one most radical suggestion which would be guaranteed to prevent the stock market falling in 2009.

Keith Neilson CEO, Craneware (CRW)

We start off with four resolutions from Keith:-

• Never give any money to anyone with such a telling surname as Mad[e]off.. (the clue was there)
  
  
• Remember never to use any technical jargon whatsoever when meeting with fund managers, they're having a tough enough time as it is, don't want to overload them...
  
  
• Tell the PR people to stop putting Craneware forward for awards, the liver is starting to fail...
  
  
• Continue to outperform the FTSE AIM All Share by over 50% as we did in 2008, through beating analysts' expectations, growing our customer base and launching exciting new products into the US Healthcare market.

About Craneware: Founded in 1999, Craneware (AIM: CRW) has headquarters in Livingston, Scotland, with offices in Florida, Arizona and Kansas, employing over 100 staff. Craneware is a recognised leader of solutions that improve the financial performance of US healthcare organisations. Craneware partners with healthcare organisations to improve returns, increase productivity and manage risk, driving better financial and operational performance using market-driven revenue management solutions. By enhancing revenue capture processes, Craneware solutions allow those organisations to optimise reimbursement, improve operational efficiency, and support compliance. Craneware won the Quoted Companies "IPO Of the Year" Award in 2008.  For more information, please visit www.craneware.com

Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO, Synchronica (SYNC)

Another multiple resolution submission from Carsten:-

• To persuade the staff that 30 mins is all they really need at lunchtime to update their Facebook status.. again.. without causing a mass walk out...
  
  
• To enable the world's population to receive email on their mobile phones, a right that should surely be for everyone, not just bankers with Blackberries!
  
  
• To finally understand how the AIM market determines the valuation of small cap companies, a mystery that seems still unsolved.
  
  
• To kick the butt of our US competitors, beat expectations and surprise the market with landmark deals.
  
  
• Book a course in “Globbish” for our native English sales and project management team to teach them how to communicate with customers in emerging markets.

Synchronica plc develops and markets mobile email and synchronization solutions for mobile operators and device manufacturers. Products include the award-winning push email and synchronization solution Mobile Gateway, and the device backup solution Mobile Backup. Based on industry-standards, Synchronica can reach the built-in email and synchronization clients of more than 1.5 billion mobile devices on the market today. Service providers in emerging and developed markets use Synchronica products to offer mobile email, PIM synchronization, and backup and restore services to consumer and business subscribers. Headquartered in England, Synchronica has a development centre in Germany and presences in the USA, Hong Kong, and Dubai. More information is available at www.synchronica.com

'To finally understand how

the AIM market determines

the valuation of small cap companies, a mystery that

seems still unsolved'

Laurent Lafarge, CEO, eServGlobal (ESG)

From another mobile communications company we have this straightforward resolution:-

• To enable people in emerging markets - the majority of whom do not and are unlikely ever to have a bank account - to easily and securely transfer money and pay for any item via their mobile phone.

eServGlobal invents smart communication and payment solutions for telecommunications service providers operating on all generation networks. eServGlobal’s innovative solutions help service providers to grow new revenues, reduce churn, and lower costs. In addition, service providers are assured of seamless evolution to new network architectures, such as IMS and beyond.

'To enable people in emerging markets....to  transfer money

and pay for any item via

their mobile phone'.

Jonathan Straight, CEO, Straight (STT)

Jonathan has an important resolution that he would like us all to adopt:-

• With the economy getting worse by the day, we should all be aware of the resources we are consuming. Saving resources saves money - it is simple. If everyone recycled as much of their waste as possible, composted food and garden waste and collected rainwater we would have a happier world with less wasted resource and economic benefits all round

Straight plc was established in 1993 as a supplier of container solutions for source separated waste. Initially one man and a desk, the company grew to become the UK's leading supplier of kerbside recycling boxes as well as a key supplier of other types of waste and recycling container solutions. Following sustained growth, Straight joined the Alternative Investment Market in 2003 with a view to fuelling further growth. A division to supply materials handling containers was established shortly afterwards.
In 2005, Straight acquired Blackwall Limited, the UK's largest supplier of home composters and water butts. Since integrating the two businesses, Straight now provides a wide range of waste and recycling solutions to local authorities, the waste industry and general businesses. Through the Blackwall brand Straight delivers environmental garden products directly to end users in partnership with local authorities and utilities.Straight also provides materials handling container solutions to industry which improve vehicle loading and reduce product wastage. More information is available at www.straight.co.uk

'If everyone recycled as much of

their waste as possible......we

would have a happier world with

less wasted resource and

economic benefits all round'

Mark Robinson, CEO, Advanced Power Components (APC)

A 'green' resolution with a different slant from Mark:-

• My New Year's Resolution is to increase APC's involvement in green technologies, which I believe will be the biggest single growth industry over the next 20 years as companies place more and more importance on reducing carbon emissions. We already have some ground-breaking new products to release next year and expect these to become major contributors to the business over the next two years.

APC (Advanced Power Components plc) are one of the UK’s foremost independent distributors of specialist electronic components. For 25 years we have worked with a wide variety of defence, aerospace, transportation, medical and industrial OEM’s and CEM’s who typically appreciate the high level of technical ‘design-in’ support we offer. Similarly we have many long standing supplier relationships with manufacturers who put significant value on the fact that we develop a deep understanding of their products to enable us to offer excellent technical support, resulting in our involvement in a constant flow of new projects. We have a number of independent ‘brands’ within the APC group, each of which focuses on specific technologies and / or specific markets. Our business is selling specialist components based on solid relationships with our suppliers, great technical support and excellent customer service. More information is available at www.apc-plc.co.uk

Michael Pilsworth, Chairman, Motive Television (MTV)

Finally, we have the absolute cure for the falling stock market in this New Year resolution from Michael:-

• My New Year's Resolution for 2009 is to mount a campaign to ban not just short-selling but also long-selling, and in fact any selling of any shares listed on the Stock Exchange.  All shares listed on the Stock Exchange should be suspended until 2010.  This would have a calming effect.  Investors would stop worrying about the risks to their portfolios, as they would be frozen.  Companies could enjoy a year of organic growth without issuing new shares and would have the breathing space to sort out their problems.  And in 2010 the market would open for business again once the credit crunch and recession are over, and the chances are that investors would be looking at serious capital gains.  Of course, stockbrokers and traders would be unpaid for a year...but that's what I call a result!

For more from Michael Pilsworth read his Essential 2009 AIM Guide in this edition of Aimzine.

Motive Television plc has been formed to acquire businesses in the independent television production sector. The management of Motive Television plc is a team of proven and experienced industry executives that intends to use its experience of mergers and acquisitions in the television sector to identify profitable businesses with growth potential. Motive Television PLC floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in May 2005. It will be an acquirer of target companies in the independent television production sector. The Directors expect to raise additional finance either through raising debt and/or through the issue of further equity to complete any acquisitions the Company may identify.The company is incorporated in the UK and its main country of operation is the UK. More information is available at www.motivetelevision.co.uk

If you would like to comment on this article please click here

'All shares listed on the

Stock Exchange should be

suspended until 2010'

RETURN TO AIMZINE NEWSLETTER HOME | January 2009