uExpress.com: Figuratively Speaking by John MacIntyre -- (03/05/2006)

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03/05/2006

104,803: Number of vacant positions that are available at new-car dealerships in the United States, according to a study released by Automotive Retailing Today, a coalition of major automobile manufacturers and dealer organizations.

42,198: Number of those that are sales positions.

Estimated number of military veterans hired by auto dealers since January 2004: 15,000

Source: Automotive Retailing Today. Contact Denise Patton-Pace at (703) 845-1153.

Percentage of undergraduate communications and journalism students in the United States who admitted to serious cheating on exams, ranking them as the students who were the worst cheaters, according to a survey by the Center for Academic Integrity: 27

Percentage of undergraduate business students who admitted to serious cheating on exams: 26

Source: Center for Academic Integrity. Contact Don McCabe at (919) 660-3045 or e-mail dmccabe@andromeda.rutgers.edu.

Number of CEO departures in 2005, according to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas: 1,322

Number of CEO departures in 2004: 663

Number of CEO departures in 2003: 695

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Contact James Pedderson at (312) 332-5790 or e-mail jamespedderson@challengergray.com.

Percentage of newlyweds who felt that dealing with costs associated with the wedding was the most daunting aspect of the wedding planning ("till debt do us part") process, according to a recent American Express nationwide survey: 58

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Percentage of respondents who found it challenging to find the right vendor for the right price: 39

Percentage of men and women surveyed who said they either did not set up a wedding budget or did not stick to the budget they set up: 75

Source: American Express-Wedding. Contact Amy Shey at (212) 219-8555 x1246 or e-mail ashey@theknot.com.

Rank of teacher, accountant, banker, radio DJ and doctor as the "germiest" jobs, according to "Germs in the Workplace" research led by the University of Arizona's Dr. Charles Gerba and funded by Clorox Bleach: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of workers who "only occasionally" clean their desks before eating: 75

Percentage who never do: 20

Source: Clorox Co. Vicki Friedman at (510) 208 4271 or e-mail at vicki.friedman@clorox.com.

Number of previously retired Americans who are working for pay again after a short sabbatical, according to a study by Putnam Investments: 7 million

Average length of the short sabbatical: 1.5 years

Percentage of all American retirees this 7 million accounts for: 33

Source: Putnam Investments. Contact Sinead Martin at (617) 760-7529 or e-mail sinead(underscore)martin@putnam.com.

Percentage of executives who said employees are asked by peers to contribute money to pay for celebrations -- such as birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers and retirements -- at least once a year, according to a survey developed by OfficeTeam: 75

Percentage of employees who receive donation requests monthly: 15

Source: OfficeTeam. Contact Abby Goodman at (650) 234-6104 or e-mail abby.goodman@officeteam.com.

Percentage of U.S. marketers who currently use word-of-mouth marketing, according to data from Osterman Research Inc. and BoldMouth: 50

Percentage who say they are not using word-of-mouth marketing, but they will: 21

Source: Osterman Research. Contact Michael Osterman at (253) 630-5839 or e-mail info@ostermanresearch.com.

Percentage of employees planning to quit their job within one year who say they are satisfied with opportunities for advancement, according to a survey by Sirota Survey Intelligence: 20

Percentage of employees planning to stay five years or more in their current job who say they are satisfied with promotional opportunities: 54

Source: Sirota Survey Intelligence. Contact Sal Vittolino at (610) 649-9292 x102 or e-mail sal@buchananpr.com.

Percentage of respondents who are replacing traditional in-person events with Web seminars, according to a survey conducted by Wainhouse Research for WebEx Communications, a leading provider of on-demand collaborative business applications: 61

Percentage who are using Web seminars to create new marketing programs and tasks: 87

Source: Wainhouse Research, LLC. Contact Sara Fargo at (781) 934-6165 or e-ail sfargo@wainhouse.com.

Idle Thought

"The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer." -- Henry David Thoreau