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The author has chosen the topic as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find, identify and motivate good employees, and to keep them in ones own company. The demand for high potentials is unimaginably high. In the end, it is in the interest of the company itself, not to lose the high potentials. Therefore, it is important to identify and motivate high potentials in order to retain them in the company. Primarily, this concerns the highly dedicated staff, but also the tacit knowledge of the employees that is not explicitly written down. The author starts with the introduction to the subject, and the exemplification of the problem. Moreover, the objectives are presented, and a demarcation issue is set. Then, it is shown how a simple method can identify high potentials. Chapter three describes the proper motivation of A-staff on the basis of a case study. The following chapter investigates the way to keep the previously identified employees in the company in order to exploit the existing potential, and further presents the top 10 employee retention tools. Thereby, the topic is also completed by a case study. A final conclusion collects all the previously mentioned points and ventures a prognosis for the future.

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