Sheris Weekly 8/31

Is cutting jobs just a fad?

It’s starting to look like all forms of corporates are starting to cut jobs- even in the most unlikely of sectors. While first this was common only among banks, it now seems to be the trend- Panasonic, Nissan, Caterpillar, etc. I’m starting to wonder whether CEOs are looking to cut jobs just to impress shareholders, or whether or not they actually do need to cut those jobs.

Selected Direct Investments



Feronia, Inc.



Feronia is a large-scale commercial agriculture company engaged in identifying, acquiring and consolidating farm land and operations in Africa with the intention of bringing them back into production using modern agricultural techniques and practices.  Feronia’s management team is comprised of senior agriculturalists with extensive experience in managing both plantations and large-scale mechanized farming operations in frontier and emerging markets.  Feronia is strongly committed to sustainable agriculture, environmental protection and providing support for local communities.

www.feronia.com



Gazillion Entertainment, Inc.



Gazillion Entertainment is a developer, publisher and operator of massively multiplayer online games and services for wide audiences. Its team of world-class creative talent is comprised of leaders from the videogame, entertainment and technology industries who are focused on developing and supporting a new generation of superior quality, massively multiplayer online properties.

www.gazillion.com



PME Africa Infrastructure Opportunities Plc



PME's investment objective is to achieve significant total return to investors through investing in infrastructure projects and related opportunities across a range of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The main investment focus lies within existing or greenfield projects in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. PME intends to invest in the transportation, telecommunications, energy, water and sanitation, and infrastructure-related real estate sectors. Where appropriate, it may engage in public-private partnerships.

www.pmeinfrastructure.com



Union Agriculture Group



Union Agriculture Group is a privately held corporation formed in 2005 to acquire and develop prime agriculture land in Uruguay. Today it is the largest owner and operator of blueberry plantations in Uruguay, one of the largest honey producers in Uruguay and is expanding its operation in cattle, sheep and grain production. The company has over 100 full time employees and continues to acquire land in Uruguay with the aim to become one of the largest agriculture land owners and agriculture producers in Latin America.

www.unionagriculture.com



Askair Technologies, AG



Askair is the developer of a patented breakthrough technology in air security. Its Decohesion Processor is able to destroy all known air born viruses and bacteria in an efficient low energy solution. This unique technology has been tested in laboratories throughout the world and is currently being contracted for large scale installments in highly sensitive locations throughout the world.