from the editor's files

DID YOU KNOW?

An employer needs 50 days on average to fill a vacant position.

The average cost of recruiting a new employee is $4,588.

Industrial engineers earn $55,140 nationwide, but bring home $64,023 in the Mid-Atlantic and $67,317 in the Mountain states.

New Math

Ever wonder how Internet research gurus arrive at those foolproof online sales forecasts? Just apply this formula:

1 = According to Insight Technology Group, 60% of all CRM projects fail.

2 = A current study by the Data Warehousing Institute says that only 7% of 1,516 executives surveyed claim to have a mature CRM system in place.

3 = An AMR Newswire survey of 100 companies shows that only 12% of CRM projects exceed expectations.

1 + 2 + 3 = Gartner's projection that the CRM market is on the verge of exploding, with estimated spending of $76.3 billion by 2005.

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

One in five retailers will expand their distribution centers or add new ones in the next year, reports Deloitte & Touche LLP. Most of the companies planning to add international DCs expect to situate them in Western Europe.

Target Areas for DCs		Firms (%)
In the United States	Midwest	48%
	West	48
	Southeast	39
	Northeast	23
	Southwest	16
	Northwest	10
International		22