A recently released survey by Duke University and CFO Magazine shows that CFOs are becoming increasingly optimistic about the business outlook. The survey reveals that finance leaders expect increased earnings and investment for their organizations.

Some of the highlights include:

Fifty-six percent of finance chiefs in the United States say they are more optimistic about the economy than they were last quarter, up from 50% in December.

They plan to increase capital spending by 12% on average over the next 12 months, a robust rise that marks the highest level of capital-spending growth since 2004.

CFOs say spending on technology will increase by 6%, research-and-development spending will rise 4%, and marketing and advertising outlays will also grow by 4%.

On average, [Finance chiefs] plan to increase their domestic full-time workforce by just over 1% in the next year.

The growth in consumer demand tops the list of concerns external to their organizations.

Maintaining margins is the top internal concern.

You can read the full article on the CFO.com website here: Spring Fever? CFO Optimism Returns to Pre-Recession Levels

CFO.com has posted the results of an interesting survey that polled executives about the impact of the recession on their organizations. In my opinion, some of the interesting statistics are:

Over 1/3 of those polled believe they'll see an uptick in their services as late as the 4th quarter 2010.
40% of companies believe that the downturn has resulted in a worsening of their relationship with employees. Remember, this is the executive's perception. I'm inclined to believe that the number is actually higher. Even if the 40% number is accurate, it still represents a talent management issue when the economy turns upward.
56% believe the recession yielded a reduction in overall headcount while preserving talent. This statistic might be true, but I'd like to remind those executives that it's relatively easy to reduce headcount while preserving talent when a sluggish economy makes it difficult for that talent to jump ship. Similar to point 2, the real proof will be when the economy picks up.

Overall, an interesting survey. Thanks to CFO Research Services and American Express for publishing it.

Source: CFO.com - The New Normal: A Spot Check