When we asked more than 250 CFOs whether they are devoting more time to IT issues these days, a resounding majority said yes. When we asked them whether their companies have gotten the expected ROI from technology investments, almost half said no or rarely. And when we asked about their views on economic recovery versus their own company's future...well, their views may surprise you.

CFO magazine and Morgan Stanley surveyed 252 executives between July 30 and August 20. Respondents were primarily CFOs (34%), directors of finance (18%), controllers (15%), VPs of finance (13%), business managers (5%), CIOs or equivalents (6%), and senior executives (3%). Twenty percent work in manufacturing, 12% in service industries, 10% in finance/insurance, and the balance across a range of industry classifications. Two-thirds of respondents work at companies that employ 1,000 or more people. About half work at companies with at least $500 million in annual revenue, which we used as the dividing line between "large companies" and "small/midsize businesses." Nearly half the respondents reported IT expenditures in 2001 of $5 million or more. Numbers may not always equal 100% or may show other slight discrepancies due to rounding.

Do you find yourself playing a greater role in IT purchasing and/or strategy issues than you did a year ago?

Have your technology expenditures produced the returns on investment you expected?

Do you believe your organization procured an excess of technology over the past three years relative to current needs?

Is your company consolidating the number of technology suppliers it uses?

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