Business: Loose change

WOMEN HIRING WOMEN: Female business owners hire staffs composed on average of 52 percent women and 48 percent men, the National Foundations for Women Business Owners reports. Men who own businesses typically employ 38 percent women and 62 percent men.

DISENGAGED AT WORK? Such workers cost employers as much as $355-billion a year, a study concludes. The Gallup Organization found 19 percent of 1,000 workers surveyed are "actively disengaged": They don't know what is expected of them, don't have the materials to do their jobs and can't get their bosses' attention.

INTERNET COMFORT: Consumers would rather disclose personal information such as credit card numbers on the Internet than on the telephone. A survey by Market Facts Interactive found 57 percent of 1,823 respondents were "comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" providing information on the Web; the figure dropped to 43.5 percent for the phone.

COMPUTER PALMS: That's the lastest disorder diagnosed in frequent computer users. Physicians at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston say two patients had visibly broken blood vessels in their reddened palms. Baylor's Alan Lewis says the two often lean forward on their palms to rest their backs.

STEERED TOWARD SAVING: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide plans to give a Porsche convertible to an employee with the best energy-saving ideas.

COUNTING ON THE COUNT: With a nod to Disney, Romania hopes to boost foreign tourism by building a theme park called Dracula Land. Tourism Minister Matei Dan anticipates delighting visitors with wooden stakes, bats "and even vampires bursting out of caskets to pull ladies by their skirts."

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