Business intelligence: uncertainty cited as top barrier to growth.

• Author: Marshall, Jeffrey
• Position: BusinessBRIEFS - Brief Article

Nine of 10 executives from the largest U.S. companies say they need stronger business intelligence capabilities that provide better analysis of, and insight into, their operations if they are to grow successfully in an uncertain economic and political environment, according to a survey released by Accenture.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The study, drawn from interviews with 150 senior executives at Fortune 1000 companies, was intended to identify and assess industry's preparedness to handle the major challenges that U.S. companies see as their greatest impediments to growth.

Uncertainty and change dominate the list of impediments to the organizations' ability to grow. Asked to select the biggest growth impediment for their organizations, more than half (54 percent) of respondents selected either "uncertainty in the financial markets and in the economy overall" or "political and regulatory uncertainty in key countries/markets." Other key impediments were changes in the customer base (17 percent), changes in the skills/capabilities of the talent pool (16 percent), and constant technological innovation...