Annual membership cost to enroll as an international premium member in The Millionaires Club Dating Service (for billionaires on the go), according to The Millionaires Club: $150,000
Annual membership cost to enroll as a North American premium member in The Millionaires Club Dating Service: $20,000
Source: The Millionaires Club. Contact Patti at 310-306-7280 or e-mail patti@millionairesclub123.com.
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Number of hours in an eight-hour day that employees (excluding lunch and breaks) admit to wasting everyday, according to a survey by Salary.com for America Online: 2.09
Cost of wasted time to employers in the U.S.: $759 billion
Rank of personal Internet use, socializing with co-workers, conducting personal business at work and spacing out: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: Salary.com. Contact Dan Malachowski at 781-237-2441 Ext. 4, or e-mail dmalachowski@salary.com.
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Chance that an Acura Integra was stolen last year, making it the most-stolen car in 2004, according to CCC Information Services: 1 in 200
Of the 10 most stolen vehicles, the number made by the "Big Three" automakers: 2
Source: CCC Information Services. Contact Michelle Hellyar at 312-229-2830 or e-mail mhellyar@cccis.com
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Rank of money, family/friends, sports team, car and a job as the top things American men wish for, according to the TCBY Wish Survey: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Rank of family/friends, money, grades, peace and a job as the top things American women wish for: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: Jericho Communications. Contact Jodi Einhorn at 212-645-6900 Ext. 144, or e-mail jodi@jerichopr.com.
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Amount stores lost to bogus returns (refund fraud) in 2003, according to the latest data from KingRogers International: $16 billion
Percent increase from 2002: 23
Source: KingRogers International. Contact King Rogers at 218-666-6135 or e-mail king@kingrogers.com.
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Percentage of executives who say their companies usually cut costs when they need to increase profits, according to data from Bain & Co.: 50
Percentage who say innovation is more important than cost reduction for long-term success: 86
Source: Bain & Co. Contact Cheryl Krauss by e-mail at cheryl.krauss@bain.com.
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In a survey of corporate and consumer end users, percentage who purchase products and services from spam e-mails, according to a survey by Mirapoint and the Radicati Group: 11
Percentage who admit to clicking on embedded links within spam (other than the unsubscribe link) even if they don't buy products: 39
Percentage of respondents who click on spam links who say they receive more spam: 57
Source: Radicati Group. Contact Ruchi Batra at 650-322-8059 or e-mail rbatra@radicati.com.
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Percentage of women business owners in the United States who say they were willing to take substantial financial risks, but expect substantial returns, when saving or investing for their business, according to a new study from the Center for Women's Business Research underwritten by Wells Fargo: 21
Percentage who were willing to take above-average financial risks expecting above-average returns: 45
Source: Center for Women's Business Research. Contact Lizzy Boucher at 202-638-3060 Ext. 12, or e-mail lboucher@womensbusinessresearch.org.
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Percentage of North American executives who think new laws on corporate governance raise costs without improving governance, according to data from Bain & Co.: 63
Percentage of European execs who agree: 53
Percentage of Asian and Latin American execs who agree: 42
Source: Bain & Co. Contact Cheryl Krauss by e-mail at cheryl.krauss@bain.com.
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Percentage of small-business owners who say they check in with the office by phone every day while on vacation, according to a survey by ICT for American Express: 51
Percentage who say they never check in: 27
Percentage who check in every few days: 14
Source: American Express. Contact Channing Barringer at channing.k.barringer@aexp.com.
John MacIntyre has been writing Figuratively Speaking since 1989. You can contact him by e-mail at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.