This Week's Herman Trend Alert Demand-Driven Workforce Development

The Herman Trend Alert October 18, 2006 The Ultimate Employee Incentive Imagine an employee perk so fantastic that employees are buzzing about winning for months. That’s what the new Virgin Galactic space flight represents. Currently priced at $200,000 per person, the cost of a seat is certainly out of reach for most consumers and many corporations; however, Sir Richard Branson, the company’s CEO and perhaps the entrepreneur of the century, expects to reduce the price to the level of a “luxury holiday.” His goal is to “offer this experience at a price that (people) can afford.” Five minutes of weightlessness may not seem like much, but the “out-of-earth experience” as Branson calls it is, according to astronauts who have “been there” and “done that” is life-changing. The experience of weightlessness occurs for only five minutes of the trip, however that five minutes is apparently quite significant. Virgin Galactic focuses on two major areas: safety of its passengers and crew and minimizing the effect of long-range transport on the environment. To address safety issues, the company will schedule more test flights than NASA has flown in the last 50 years. Branson is so convinced of the security of this form of travel that he and his family will be on one of the first flights. The other issue is minimizing damage to the environment. Using lightweight, carbon composite materials, Virgin Galactic has built its own spacecraft as a prototype for Boeing and Airbus. By using very strong synthetic materials and high-efficiency biofuels, the company burns no fossil fuels and takes passengers farther than conventional systems---with reduced effect on the environment. Eventually, Branson says that Virgin Galactic will allow passengers to “pop across the planet in no time with virtually no impact on the environment.” He sees transporting passengers and payloads from London to Sydney in half an hour. A space hotel is also planned. Ready to sign up? Not so fast, first you’ll need to spend three days learning what to expect and exercising to keep fit. Branson estimates that between 80 and 85 percent of would-be astronauts will physically qualify to travel. Space travel is the ultimate employee incentive. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." DON'T BE LEFT BEHIND! If you've been thinking about attending our valuable Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program, don't delay--only three spaces remain. With the employment market heating up, many positions are literally impossible to fill. Attend this course and you will learn dozens of low-/no-cost valuable strategies to attract and retain the talent you need. Recertification credit from HRCI. Next program: May 22-23, Charleston, SC. Call Carol at 336-282-9370 or visit http://www.employeeretentionspecialist.com. GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. NEW BABY BONUS Book Joyce to speak on the West Coast in 2008 and receive 100 of her books of your choosing. There is a new baby in the family, Spencer Jay, and Joyce would appreciate more opportunities to watch him grow. For more about Joyce, visit http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html or call Joyce at 336-210-3548. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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