Executives surveyed for this report are optimistic. Of 660 executives we surveyed across eight countries and three industry groupings, fifty-three percent responded that technology will be “much more important” to economic growth five years from now and 42% responded that it will be ”more important.” Only 3.5% answered that the impact of technology would be “about the same” and less than 1% answered it would be “less important.”

Other findings from the research include:

Not surprisingly, the fourth sector surveyed, technology, was the most optimistic, with 61% of executives answering that tech would be “much more important.” At the market level, in Hong Kong just 31% of executives believe tech will be “much more important” in five years. On the other end of the spectrum was India, where 73% answered that tech will be “much more important.” Executives from larger firms, which we define for the purposes of this study as having annual revenue of A$200mn and above (roughly US$137mn at current exchange rates), were more positive on the importance of tech to economic growth than were executives at smaller firms. When asked what their primary considerations are for selecting a technology partner, the two most-popular answers among the six options provided were “the company reputation” and evidence of “ongoing development and investment in the technology and/or platform.” Both received 54% of responses.

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Tailored with technology: Economic growth is the third in a series of papers from The Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by ANZ. This report is based on the results of a survey of more than 750 executives across eight markets.

This paper was written by Chris Clague. Findings from the survey were supplemented with research and in-depth interviews with experts and executives. Our thanks are due to the following people, listed alphabetically by surname:

Simon Evenett, professor of international trade and economic development, University of St Gallen Gog Soon Joo, chief futurist and chief skills officer, Skills Future Singapore Andrew Hoad, chief executive officer, Asia, DP World Ritesh Kumar, chief executive officer, Indonomics Consulting Jayant Menon, lead economist, Office of the chief economist and director general, Asian Development Bank Yasunori Mochizuki, fellow for IoT, robotics and smart cities, World Economic Forum

There is a strong link between corporate growth and technology, according to the first report in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Tailored with Technology research programme sponsored by ANZ Bank. The report, which is focused on corporate growth, is based on a survey of more than 750 executives in eight economies: Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the coming weeks, additional reports and articles will be published on the topics of sustainability and the macro-economy, as well as specific industries.

Nine in ten of firms surveyed have strong plans to increase technology adoption in the next five years Improving data analytics was the most popular form of technology, with 44% of the more than 750 executives selecting it as the top benefit The challenges are many, with 51% firms citing security and privacy as a concern and 43% citing technology skills among employees

The link between corporate growth and technology has always existed, but it’s growing stronger, with nine in ten executives responding that they have plans to increase their adoption of new and emerging technologies. These technologies include robotics, software-defined network, and machine learning, among others. They are being used to accomplish a range of objectives, such as improving efficiency, growing internationally and reducing costs.

The most popular trend today in the survey was big data and analytics. Nearly 38% of respondents selected it as being among their top three priorities, higher than cyber security, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Big data and analytics are being used by firms for client attraction and retention, as well as risk management and forecasting.

There are barriers to technological adoption, however. Security and privacy is chief among them, with more than 51% of respondents selecting it as one of the three biggest challenges. It was followed at 43% by technology skills among employees and at 39% technology standards and regulation. Many organisations see organisational solutions to these problems, whether it is fostering more cooperation between the chief technology officer and his c-suite counterparts or changing individual mindsets in the workforce.

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At the same time, there are multiple challenges involved with using technologies for greater sustainability. One is a lack of strategic guidance about where to invest time and money. Another is a lack of clarity as to the best type of technologies to harness.

Successful companies are meeting the needs of an increasingly sustainability-conscious consumer base and turning it into a competitive advantage. The report’s key findings are:

Sustainability is increasingly viewed as a way to increase profit. Besides doing good and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), companies realise there is a market opportunity in being sustainable. Technology is increasingly important to boosting sustainability. Almost all survey respondents recognise the importance of technology. Certain industries are thriving as a result of this commercial opportunity. Several technology trends are expected to contribute. Currently led by big data and analytics, but increasingly expected to include artificial intelligence in the development of smart cities in particular. The potential benefits of technology are vast. A large majority of survey respondents expect a spending increase on technology over the long-term, which bodes well for companies and society alike.

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This is the second in a series of papers and articles from The Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by ANZ. This report, and the others to follow, is based on the results of a survey of more than 750 executives across eight markets.

This paper was written by Kim Andreasson and edited by Chris Clague. Findings from the survey were supplemented with research and in-depth interviews with experts and executives. Our thanks are due to the following people, listed alphabetically by affiliation:

Michael Cooke, Senior vice president, global HSE and sustainability Affairs, ABB Mikkel Flyverbom, Professor of communication and digital transformations, Copenhagen Business School Mark Milstein, Director of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University Alexa Dembek, Senior vice president, Chief technology & sustainability officer, DuPont  Tim O’Leary, Executive director, government and regional affairs & chief sustainability officer, Telstra