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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 20, 2008

Problem identification a key to creativity

Compiled by John MacIntyre

  • Percentage of surveyed school superintendents who believe that arts training is crucial to developing creativity, according to key findings from a report by the Conference Board and Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators: 99

  • Percentage of surveyed employers who agree: 97

  • Rank of problem identification and articulation that employers identify as the most important talents indicating creativity: 1

    AVOIDING THE OFFICE

  • Given free choice, percentage of Americans — both men and women — who say they would prefer to have a job outside the home, according to Gallup's annual Work and Education survey: 58

  • Percentage of women who say they would rather hold a job outside the home: 50

  • Percentage of men who say the same: 68

    RETIREMENT DISMAY

  • Percentage of U.S. financial advisers who say their clients are still planning a timely retirement, despite current financial woes, according to a survey conducted by Brinker Capital: 46

  • Of those U.S. financial advisers who say their clients are off track, percentage who attribute this to their clients' starting saving too late: 63

  • Percentage of U.S. financial advisers who say their clients plan to work past age 65: 54

    MALES RULE ON BOARDS

  • Percentage of the U.S. managerial work force that is comprised of women, according to a survey by the Simmons School of Management: 51

  • Estimated percentage of board membership of large, publicly traded U.S. corporations that are women: 15

  • Ranks of social network building (88 percent), self-promotion (61 percent) and career progression (56 percent) as the actions identified by women that they could take to increase their chances for board membership: 1, 2, 3

    REMEMBER CY YOUNG

  • Lifetime number of victories achieved by Cy Young, still baseball's winningest pitcher, according to the Census Bureau: 511

  • Percentage of games he won in his 22 seasons: 62

  • When Cy Young retired, number of people who went to major league baseball games: 6.5 million

  • Estimated number who go today: 78 million

    HOW THE RICH COPE

  • Percentage of affluent U.S. households (households with $500,000 or more in investable assets) that are likely to change their budget and spending habits due to the current economic climate, according to data from Spectrem Group: 42

  • Percentage who fear they'll lose their jobs: 6

    OUR FAVORITE BOOKS

  • Ranks of the Bible, "Gone With the Wind," the "Lord of the Rings" series, the "Harry Potter" series and "The Stand" as Americans' favorite books, according to the results of a nationwide Harris Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    A TAXING PROBLEM

  • Percentage of small-business owners/managers who say they still look for help with their taxes, according to a survey conducted by American Express Small Business Monitor: 79

  • Percentage who say they do their taxes themselves: 17

  • Percentage who do them by hand with a pen and paper: 6

    THE POPPY PROBLEM

  • Percentage of the world's heroin and other opiates that originates in Afghanistan, according to the magazine Newsweek: 93

  • Estimated number of Afghan families who support themselves by raising poppies, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime: 500,000

  • Estimated total amount those growers received for their crops in 2007: $1 billion (about $2,000 per household)

    LOVE THOSE MACHINES

  • Percentage of U.S. consumers who say they are more likely to do business with a company that offers the flexibility to interact using self-service — whether via the Internet, on a mobile device or at a kiosk or ATM, according to a survey by NCR and BuzzBack Market Research: 86

  • Percentage of respondents who say their likelihood to use self-service has increased over the past year: 56

    IDLE THOUGHT

    "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

    — Margaret Mead