According to a new survey carried out by Ipsos Media, America’s senior executives, CEOs and other C-suiters from mid- to large-size companies have a enormous appetite for quality business information.

Their survey shows that the average American business leader is male, aged 51, earns $408,000 per year, and has a personal net worth of $1.7 million (no mention of being bald although that is a safe bet). As a group, they garner a total combined annual income of $246 billion with combined personal net worth valued at over $1 trillion.

Members of this group are eager “to acquire new knowledge and quality information”. Interestingly, more than half said money was not their key motivation (could have fooled me), showing quality of life is a high priority amongst the business elite (maybe that explains the $15,000 umbrella stand ex-CEO Denis Kozlowski charged to his company, Tyco).

The Ipsos survey shows that America’s 630,000 senior business executives represent over 72,000 companies, responsible for over $1.7 trillion in annual expenditures which represents a sum greater than the gross domestic product of Italy, or that of Russia and Australia combined.  Their payrolls are comprised of 144 million employees which is approximately two thirds of the US workforce or one-half of the U.S. adult population.

More key findings include:

• Eight out of ten say they are not afraid to take business risks (like charging your company for $15,000 umbrella stands).
• Seven out of ten agree that return on investment is a key factor in their business decisions (ROI to them or the company?  Are all Board of Directors on the take?).
• Nine out of ten also say they are prepared to pay more for quality (see the umbrella stand).