Posted on: Sunday, May 20, 2007
Maybe that M.B.A. you got isn't so important after all
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Percentage of executives in Britain, the United States, France and Germany who say that an M.B.A. prepares people to deal with the real-life challenges that a manager must face, according to a survey conducted by Egon Zehnder International: 20
Percentage of U.S executives who agreed with the statement that "during an M.B.A., you are trained to deal with the real challenges faced by a manager (e.g. handle crisis, act politically, communicate)": 14
Percentage of U.S. executives who agreed with the statement that "an M.B.A. provides excellent and adequate preparation for a leadership position": 24
CRUCIALLY COOL
Percentage of Americans who said the invention of air conditioning has had its greatest impact on the habitation of the Western hot states, according to a survey sponsored by the Weather Channel: 68
Percentage who said office productivity: 32
Percentage who said movie attendance: 11
DESIGN GENERATION
Percentage of millennials — Americans age 18 to 29 — who say they would be happier in a well-designed workplace, according to a survey conducted by Kelton Research and Autodesk: 74
Percentage who say they would be more motivated in a well-designed workplace: 64
Percentage who say they would be more efficient in a workplace that is well-designed: 31
BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY
Percentage of Americans who believe humans will establish a permanent colony on the moon someday, according to a Zogby Interactive poll: 63
Percentage who believe it will come within 50 years: 39
Percentage of Americans who would like to travel to the moon if money were no object: 41
Percentage who would be willing to travel to Mars: 32
WHY FLYING IS HELL
Rank of flight delays among travelers' most "problematic" trip experiences, according to a survey conducted by Orbitz and Ipsos Reid: 1
Ranks of airport security, hotel amenities and cleanliness, and rental cars: 2, 3, 4
TIME OUT
Estimated number of Americans who took a vacation in the past year, according to research by the Travel Industry Association: 124 million
On average, the amount a typical household spends on a vacation trip: $1,500
Average number of miles the typical household travels from home: 1,200
THE GLASS CEILING
Percentage of U.S. female executives who said "no" when asked if men and women are paid the same for similar positions, according to a study conducted by www.TheLadders.com: 71.5
Percentage of executives (male and female) who said that women do not have as many opportunities as men to become CEOs: 66.3
Percentage of executives (male and female) who said that men and women are equally adept at managing employees: 54.1
SURFING AT WORK
Percentage of chief information officers who said they have a corporate policy that details acceptable Web browsing by employees, according to a poll conducted by Robert Half Technology: 34
Percentage who said corporate policy is combined with software that blocks certain content from employees: 18
THERE'S A TREND HERE
Total value of advertising dollars spent promoting drugs that treat urological disorders in 2006, according to a study conducted by TNS Media Intelligence: $238.8 million
Percentage increase in the total value of advertising dollars spent promoting drugs that treat urological disorders from 2005 to 2006: 37
EXPORTING JOBS
Ranks of efficiency (68 percent), saving time (47 percent) and saving money (31 percent) as the main reasons cited for outsourcing, according to the Empagio survey of financial and human resources executives: 1, 2, 3
Percentage of executives nationwide who report they have some concerns about outsourcing: 74
Of these executives, percentage who say a lack of responsiveness is their top concern: 43
Percentage who say a lack of customer service: 35
Percentage who cite noncompliant reporting: 18
IDLE THOUGHT
"To freely bloom — that is my definition of success."
— Gerry Spence, attorney
