Posted on: Sunday, October 5, 2008
Global piracy hijacks billions of dollars, thousands of jobs
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Amount of money that global piracy has cost the American economy, according to the Institute for Policy Innovation report: $58 billion
Number of jobs per year lost to U.S. workers: 373,375
Estimated loss to the U.S. government in tax revenues: $2.6 billion (including $1.8 billion in personal income tax and $800 million in lost corporate income and production taxes)
SHORTER LUNCH BUNCH
Average length of an executive's lunch break, according to a survey developed by OfficeTeam: 35 minutes
Response reported five years ago: 42 minutes
When survey respondents were asked how many days each week they worked through lunch, the average response: 3 days
HIGH-TECH LOWDOWN
Total dollar value of U.S. high-tech merchandise exports in 2007, a decrease of 3 percent from $220 billion in 2006, according to AeA's "Trade in the Cyberstates 2008": $214 billion
Percentage of all U.S. exports to the world this represents: 18
Rank of high-tech as the largest merchandise export sector in the United States: 1
Dollar value of exports from California, the leading high-tech export state in 2007: $48.2 billion
TAKE YOUR VITAMINS
Despite the economic doldrums afflicting the nation, projected percentage growth in the U.S. market for vitamins, minerals, homeopathics and herbals between 2008 and 2012: 39
Estimated value of the market in 2012: $8.5 billion
DESPERATE HOUSEMEN
Percentage of respondents who would subject themselves to a week of house arrest rather than miss the broadcast of an NFL game between two undefeated teams, according to a national study of men by Spike TV and www.TVGuide.com: 41
BEST OF THE WEB
Rank of www.Buzzillions.com on the list of premier sites for user reviews, according to the November 2008 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports: 1
Rank of www.Freeshipping.org for the best shipping deals: 1
Rank of www.Heyitsfree.net as the best site for freebies: 1
Rank of www.Pricegrabber.com as the place for bargains: 1
GETTING AHEAD
Ranks of "accelerating development of key employees" (32 percent) and "competitive pay and benefits" (22 percent) as the top strategies that worked in retaining top talent, according to a Personnel Decisions International survey: 1, 2
NURTURING KIDS
When mothers from across the country were asked what concerned them most when buying food for their children, percentage who responded with sugar, according to a survey by the Corn Refiners Association: 50
Percentage of mothers who have concerns about their children's health and nutrition as they return to school, despite the fact that nearly seven in 10 moms (68 percent) indicate their children's schools have wellness policies: 64
SWIMMING IN DATA
Percentage of executives who felt that data volumes in the organizations they've worked for are increasing in size and becoming unmanageable, owing in part to the amendment to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requiring that companies have the ability to access quickly an inventory of various electronically stored information in the event of litigation, according to an online poll, conducted by Deloitte: 39.7
GREEN GROWS
By 2013, percentage of firms that expect to be largely dedicated to green building (on over 60 percent of projects), up from 30 percent today, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, and produced in partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC): 53
Percentage of firms that expect rapid or steady growth in sales and profit levels associated with green building: 86
IDLE THOUGHT
"To read fast is as bad as to eat in a hurry."
— Vilhelm Ekelund, poet
Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.
