RE:Stock options. If I recall correctly they give out stock options regularly.
Probably in lieu of pay, which is good in terms of not draining the company's cash and ensuring key employees are aligned with shareholders. So if employees have been willing to take this form of compensation then they may have some form of belief in what the company is doing.
Keep in mind this is a micro/small cap company of which nobody knows whether they will survive further down the road. Full monetization of their product that is currently in testing is not guaranteed. So it is a long term bet that yes, they will be successful. Not a short term share price winner.
Example: https://acceleware.com/content/acceleware-corp-grants-stock-options
CALGARY, Alberta – Feb. 5, 2008 – Acceleware Corp. (AXE: TSX-V) announced today that it has agreed, subject to regulatory approval, to grant its new Vice President of Sales, Mr. Shawn Lorenz, an aggregate of 100,000 options to acquire common shares of Acceleware. The options have an exercise price of $0.82 per share and expire on February 5, 2013. 10% of the options will vest on February 5, 2008, 30% will vest on February 5, 2009, 30% will vest of February 5, 2010 and 30% will vest on February 5, 2011.