Based on the results of a survey of 200 line-of-business managers in eight different vertical markets carried out in September 2005, this study investigates the relationship between business initiatives and IT investments in the top 4 Western European countries (France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K.). The study is aimed at helping IT vendors understand which business initiatives will dominate the agendas of CEOs and other business managers in the coming months.

The main areas of focus include:

Results are given for total Western Europe for the following vertical markets:

Companies Mentioned: None relevant

• In This Study
  • Methodology
    • Conceptual Framework
    • Sample Design
      • Sampling Unit: IDC's Economic Entity
    • Sample Quotas
    • Table: Vertical Market Quotas
    • Table: Company Size Quotas per Country
    • Table: Number of Completes by Country and Vertical Market
      • Sample Frame and Sampling Method
    • Respondents
    • Interviews
    • Questionnaires
    • Interview Schedule
    • Confidence Intervals
    • Weighting
    • Analysis of the Data
  • Survey Respondent Profile
  • Table: Western Europe, Survey Respondent Profile by Line of Business and Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
• Situation Overview
  • Line-of-Business Managers: Involvement in the IT Decision-Making Process
  • Table: Western Europe, LOB Involvement in IT Investment Decisions by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
    • LOB Executives and IT Literacy: How Important is it for Business Managers to be IT Proficient?
    • Table: Western Europe, Importance of IT Literacy for Business Managers by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
• Future Outlook
  • Business Strategy, IT Operations, and Use of Technology: How Are They Combined?
  • Table: Western Europe, Importance of IT Operations Performance by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
  • Table: Western Europe, Business Strategy and Use of Technology by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
  • Business Initiatives and Technology: How Can the Latter Support the Former?
    • Business Initiatives and Urgent Improvements in the IT Organization
    • Table: Western Europe, Leading Business Initiatives for CEO Agendas by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
      • Finance
      • Manufacturing
      • Health Services
      • Professional Services
      • Telecom/Broadcasting
      • Transport/Utilities
      • Retail/Wholesale
      • Education/Government
      • Table: Top 4 CEO Business Initiatives by Vertical Market
      • Table: Western Europe, Most Urgent Improvements to Support the Business by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
  • LOB Managers and IT Partners: A Relationship That Needs to be Improved
  • Table: Western Europe, Philosophy on Managing IT Vendor Relationship by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
  • Table: Western Europe, Reasons for Reducing the Number of Strategic IT Partners by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
  • Table: Western Europe, Preferences in Choosing IT Partners by Vertical Market (% of Respondents)
• Essential Guidance
• Learn More
  • Related Research
  • Synopsis