Study: Many CPG Companies Struggle To Align IT, Business Goals

Compiled ByJill Jusko Integrating information technology strategies with overall business strategies remains an unmet goal for many consumer products companies, a new study reports. While 54% of executives who responded to the study survey said they had integrated their IT and business strategies, nearly one-half had not. This despite the fact that a vast majority of survey respondents (87%) said such alignment is integral to IT success. Some 61% identified the overall support of corporate management and the company's IT users as key to achieving IT goals. The study results are contained in GMA's (Grocery Manufacturers of America) Information Technology Spending Study. The annual report benchmarks industrywide allocation of IT spending and manpower. Some 46 GMA member companies participated. Other study highlights include:

• Budget and cost limitations, along with unclear return on investment, were cited by 70% of survey respondents as the biggest obstacles to accomplishing IT goals.
• E-commerce/electronic data interchange ranked first in both information technology activities (80%) and the highest potential for return of investment.
• Forty-six percent of GMA members who responded to the survey said reducing operating costs was the No. 1 driving force of IT investments.