Top Employee Concerns

The number one concern of today’s employees is having enough money to pay bills during a period of income loss, with 71% of full-time employees surveyed in the MetLife Employee Benefits Trend Study reporting that they are "extremely concerned."

Other key concerns include having enough money to make ends meet (63%), "having appropriate health insurance" (59%) and outliving their retirement savings (49%). Despite the high level of anxiety, however, most full-time employees value paid vacation days (cited as most important by 64% of workers) significantly more than income protection and retirement savings products such as employer-funded pension plans (32%), disability insurance (26%), life insurance (24%) and long-term care insurance (8%).

Among the youngest employees surveyed (age 21 -30), sick leave (49%) and flexible work schedules (29%) also take precedence over employer-funded pension plans (25%), life insurance (21%) and disability insurance (19%).

Latest Employer Health Coverage Survey

Six in 10 employers offered health coverage to workers in 2005, about the same percentage as last year but down from 69% in 2000, especially among smaller firms, according to the latest annual survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust.

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance increased an average 9.2%, ending the double-digit increases of the past four years, but were 73% higher than in 2000 and much higher than annual inflation (3.5%) and wage gains (2.7%), the survey indicates.

“Unless cost increases moderate substantially, or new ways are found to finance health care for lower income workers, we may well see the downward trends in offer rates and coverage continue,” Kaiser and HRET said.

Telemedicine and Telehealth Funding

Rural Broadband Loan and Loan Guarantee Program

Description: The Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program is designed to provide loans for funding, on a technology neutral basis, the costs for construction, improvement and aquisition of facilities and equipment to provide broadband services to eligible rural communities. The program's goal is to ensure that rural consumers enjoy the same quality and range of telecommunications services that are available in urban and suburban communities.

Contact: Roberta Purcell
Phone: (202) 720-9554
Fax: (202) 720-0810
URL: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/broadband.htm

Funding dates: Applications will be received throughout 2005.
Funding notes: The 2005 Application Guide is not available as of late December. Check the RUS site later, but in the meantime, use the 2004 guide.

Office: Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
Agency: Office of Rural Development
Department: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Telehealth/Telemedicine

Here is a target industry your area should be exploring: Telehealth/Telemedicine.

What is it?

Very simply, telehealth is the delivery of health care from a distance. Modern technology has made it possible for patients to receive health care in many different ways. Technologies such as telephones, email, computers, interactive video, digital imaging, and health care monitoring devices, make it possible for clinicians to monitor, diagnose and treat patients without having to physically be with them. Telehealth is a broad term that covers any type of health care that is delivered remotely. Surfing the Internet for information about cancer, telephoning a nurse hotline, emailing a physician, sending data from a heart monitor via the telephone to a cardiologist--all of these things are applications of telehealth.

Telemedicine is a subset of telehealth. It includes many medical subspecialties, such as telepediatrics, telepsychiatry, teleradiology and telecardiology. Specialities such as telepediatrics and telepsychiatry are practiced by using live videoconferencing systems. A pediatric or psychiatry visit would be conducted exactly the same as if the patient and provider were in the same room, but the videoconferencing units allow them to be thousands of miles apart. Specialties such as teleradiology and telecardiology make use of "store and forward" technologies. Digital photos, x-rays, electrocardiograms, and other data are transmitted from one location to another and stored on a computer. A radiologist or cardiologist then retrieves the data from the computer and analyzes it in the same way that they would if the patient were sitting in the next room.

Learn more? Go here.

Tourism and Entertainment Insight: Affluents Prefer Experiences

It's all about "experiences." Ask Gilmore and Pine, the authors of Experience Economy, but also look at what the real world surveys are saying.

Affluent consumers are those with an annual household income of $100,000 or more. About six in ten (59%) say they get the greatest personal satisfaction from experiences such as fine dining, travel, entertainment, cultural/arts events and sporting events.

One in five (21%) prefer personal luxuries such as automobiles, fashion and jewelry, while 20% are most satisfied by household luxuries including furniture, kitchenware, linens and bedding.

Between mid 2003 and mid 2004, affluent households spent an average of $10,060 on experiential luxuries, $14,270 on personal luxuries and $12,300 on household luxuries.

Check out Saurage Research.

So...now what is your community plan to offer in its travel and tourism market?

Honda and Rice: Rice-Powered Cars? Think Again

This one might surprise you. It shouldn't. The Japanese are notorious for thinking in "out-of-the-box" ways about things. Well, they think in "Eastern" versus "Western" ways.

Through joint research with Nagoya University, Honda Research Institute Japan Co., Ltd. (HRI-JP), a subsidiary of Honda R&D Co., Ltd., discovered a gene which dramatically improves the regeneration ability of rice. The new discovery will lead the way to more rapid improvements in Koshihikari, the most popular variety of rice in Japan.

Plants have an essential ability to regenerate the whole plant body from a piece of tissue. Plant culture applying this regeneration ability has been utilized for the mass reproduction of commercial seedlings or crop improvements. However, it is known that not all the plant species or varieties can regenerate easily.

Many leading varieties of rice in Japan, such as Koshihikari, can rarely be regenerated, resulting in a serious problem of efficient rice improvement. In addition, it has not yet been understood the biological mechanisms regulating the plant regeneration ability.

Read more here.

Organic and Healthy Food

Take a look at how healthy, natural, and certified-organic foods are finally edging into mainstream America. A report from school cafeterias, university dining halls, hospitals, and even airplane aisles says it's happening.

Could this be a targeted sector for growth in the future? YES!

This is exciting news. Read more here.

Regional Construction Spending by Type Project, 2004

Click on image to enlarge
Source: U.S. Census, Construction Spending

Oregon Convention Center Does It Right

The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) in Portland, OR, is more than a showcase for the conferences, fairs, exhibitions, seminars, and banquets that fill up the center’s events calendar for months ahead. It’s also a showcase in and of itself for sustainable design.

According to the convention center’s Green Report, “sustainable practices are at the heart of the Oregon Convention Center’s operation and planning. Through facility design, operational practices, and energy and resource conservation programs, the OCC strives to stand as an example for the region and nation of what is achievable with wise resource planning and a conservation ethic.” (From The Green Report, 2002-2003, Oregon Convention Center. Written by Jeffrey A. Blosser, executive director, and Bob Spier, director of operations and OCC Green Team leader.)

Read more here.

Tops in the Building Business

In its 24th year, Buildings magazine’s Who’s Who in the Buildings Market report pinpoints the companies, organizations, and departments whose decisions and actions define success in a competitive real estate marketplace. Investing in truly innovative employees, taking calculated risks, and implementing detailed strategies have differentiated the good from the even better.

So, who are the top players this year?

1 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
2 Hines
3 Simon Property Group Inc.
4 HCA
5 CB Richard Ellis
6 ProLogis
7 Ford Motor Land Development Corp.
8 U.S. Postal Service
9 Cushman & Wakefield Inc.
10 The University of Iowa
11 General Growth Properties
12 The Home Depot Inc.
13 Trammell Crow Co.
14 Los Angeles Unified School District
15 Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
16 Department of Veterans Affairs
17 Chicago Public Schools
18 Albertsons Inc.
19 Grubb & Ellis Co.
20 Advance Realty Group Inc.
21 Sears, Roebuck and Co.
22 The Opus Group
23 Kaiser Permanente
24 Johnson Controls
25 Parkway Properties Inc.

Smaller Manufacturers' Role in Exports

SMEs are responsible for a large share of exports from a wide range of industries. According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, which divides exporting SMEs into the categories of manufacturers, wholesalers, and “other companies,” manufacturers comprised slightly more than one-third of the total value of SME exports in 2001.

Wholesalers, or companies primarily engaged in the distribution of goods to businesses, accounted for another third of exports, and other companies totaled slightly more than one-quarter of all SME exports. SMEs accounted for a large share of total U.S. exports within several manufacturing industries, which also generally paid below the average manufacturing hourly wage rate.

However, when ranked by SME export values, the largest manufacturing industry groups in 2001 were computers and electronic products ($33 billion), machinery manufactures ($22 billion), transportation equipment ($20 billion), chemical manufactures ($17 billion), and processed foods ($11 billion). With the exception of the processed foods industry, these industries paid above the average manufacturing hourly wage rate.

Job Creation and Destruction, 1992-2004

This is a chart to keep in mind as you wonder what more jobs have not been created in your local economy. Source: CBO analysis.

Federal Revenue Sources, 2005 & 2015

Did you know the Federal Government is planning for individuals to increase their share of federal budget revenues from 43% tio 53%? What will this do to wealth creation in America.

Source: Congressional Budget Office, August 2005

What Does This List Represent?

These are all the U.S. metro areas where 25% or more of their population over 25 years of age has LESS than a high school diploma. Get the complete list of all metro areas with the data here.

1 McAllen--Edinburg--Mission, TX : 49.5%
2 Laredo, TX
3 Brownsville--Harlingen--San Benito, TX
4 Visalia--Tulare--Porterville, CA
5 Merced, CA
6 El Paso, TX
7 Yuma, AZ
8 Houma, LA
9 Fresno, CA
10 Danville, VA
11 Miami, FL
12 Salinas, CA
13 Bakersfield, CA
14 Vineland--Millville--Bridgeton, NJ
15 Yakima, WA
16 Los Angeles--Long Beach, CA
17 Las Cruces, NM
18 Hickory--Morganton--Lenoir, NC
19 Modesto, CA
20 Jersey City, NJ
21 Stockton--Lodi, CA
22 Lafayette, LA
23 Rocky Mount, NC
24 Yuba City, CA
25 Florence, SC
26 Johnson City--Kingsport--Bristol, TN--VA
27 Odessa--Midland, TX
28 Decatur, AL
29 Corpus Christi, TX
30 Anniston, AL
31 New York, NY
32 Gadsden, AL
33 Fort Smith, AR--OK
34 Sumter, SC
35 Riverside--San Bernardino, CA
36 Alexandria, LA
37 Lakeland--Winter Haven, FL
38 Pine Bluff, AR: 25.2%

Target Company: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda is one of the leading manufacturers of automobiles and power products and the largest manufacture of motorcycles in the world. Honda has always sought to provide genuine satisfaction to people worldwide. The result is more than 120 manufacturing facilities in 30 countries worldwide, producing a wide range of products, including motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment and automobiles that bring the company into contact with over 19 million customers annually.

Headquarters: 2-1-1, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8556 Japan
Telephone: +81-3-5412-1512
Stock Code - TSE7267
Stock Code - FTSE HNDA.L
Stock Code - U.S HMC
Chairman: Yoshihide Munekuni
President: Takeo Fukui
Sector: Advertising & Media
Industries: Aerospace ; Automotive
Established: 1948
Listed: 1957
Sales: JPY 8,162 tril. (03/2004)
Employees: 27,187
Homepage: world.honda.com
Annual Report: Download

Japanese Health and Bioscience Company News

Biosciences one of your target industries? You should be watching developments in the Japanese bio-sector. Here are some tips of what's happening.

* Takara Bio Sheds Light on Anti-inflammatory Mechanism of Agaro-oligosaccharide (Sept 09, 2005)

* Chugai Pharmaceutical Discloses Clinical Trial Information through JAPIC Website (Sept 09, 2005)

* CMIC, Celtic Pharma Form Strategic Alliance in Drug Development in Asia (Sept 08, 2005)

* Kao to Introduce New Thermal Pad for Improving Blood Circulation (Sept 08, 2005)

* INTEC Web and Genome Informatics Opens Bio Reagent Search Site (Sept 08, 2005)

* National Agriculture and Bio-oriented Research Organization Develops Safer Allergen-Reducing Material (Sept 07, 2005)

* Meiji Dairies to Relaunch Intestinal Environment-controlling Product (Sept 07, 2005)

* Koken Introduces New Asbestos Respirator Mask to Market (Sept 06, 2005)

* Sosei UK Subsidiary Starts Phase IIb Clinical Trial of AD 452, Investigational Drug for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis (Sept 06, 2005)

* Q'SAI Begins Offering Multi-pesticide Residue Analysis Service that Covers Over 400 Pesticides (Sept 06, 2005

U.S. and State Small Business Profiles

The economic condition of small businesses in the United States, each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories is illustrated in Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories, published in 2005. Each state profile contains sections on the following topics: the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment. Download them here.

For additional information, detailed historical data may be found in the Small Business Economic Indicators.

The Action Lab: Creating a Greenhouse for Organizational Change

Could this apply to ED organizations? I believe so.

Bringing about radical change in massive, mature corporations presents enormous challenges. Richard Pascale and Anne Miller explain how three such companies used “Actions Labs” to overcome the usual blocks to change. These three – Shell, Cummins Engine and British Gas each faced their own set of challenges, but all used Action Labs to launch a short, extremely intensive collective effort to generate needed changes not in 24 to 36 months, but in weeks. Pascale and Miller provide enough detail of the three cases to give the reader a concrete picture of the process. Source: ManyWorlds

California's Central Valley Boosts Higher Ed Resources

Amid grazing lands near Merced, in the San Joaquin Valley, contractors are racing to complete work so the University of California can open its first new campus in 40 years. Officials say one-third of the 1,000 students expected this fall will come from the heavily agricultural and historically underserved region.

The new location will be the UC system's tenth campus, but the first in the Central Valley, where college attendance has trailed the rest of the state. "When [officials] began exploring the idea of a new campus in the late 1980s, the Central Valley was tops in projected growth in college-age students, and was the most underserved," says Lindsay Desrochers, UC-Merced vice chancellor for administration.

About $350 million worth of construction on 102 acres is under way, including a "village" of nine residential buildings for 600 students and a central plant. The academic buildings–a library, classroom and office building and a science and engineering facility–outline what will eventually become the school’s main quad. Later this summer or in early fall, administrators expect to break ground for a recreation center and a facilities maintenance building. By 2030, the campus will expand to 25,000 students and will occupy 910 acres, planners say.

More here. (Paid subscription to ENR required).

Katrina's Price Tag: $300 Billion?

One storm could end up costing almost as much as two wars. Although estimates of Hurricane Katrina's staggering toll on the treasury are highly imprecise, costs are certain to climb to $200 billion in the coming weeks. The final accounting to the U.S. Treaaury alone could approach the more than $300 billion spent in four years to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.

That does not include the private costs to be paid for rebuilding, nor the costs to state and local governments.

Read more here.