“Finance executives are finally moving away from budget cuts and opening up the company coffers to drive growth,” said Janey Whiteside, Senior Vice President, Global Client Group, American Express Corporate Payment Solutions. “We will see a frothier deal-making environment and greater spending to win and retain customers as businesses jockey for position in a recovering economy.”

The fourth annual American Express/CFO Research Global Business & Spending Monitor surveyed 665 senior finance executives from the U.S., Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Australia.

Today Looks Bright, Tomorrow Looks Brighter
Optimism has continued to increase among the world’s finance executives, with three in four (75%) reporting expectations for modest to strong economic expansion over the next twelve months – up from 71% in 2010.

• In the U.S., the figure was even higher at 79%, although most predict modest growth.
• The outlook was brightest in Argentina, where 89% of finance executives expect growth in the coming year, followed by India (87%), Mexico (84%), Germany (83%) and Singapore (81%).

In terms of timing, more than half (54%) of finance executives globally see economic growth accelerating in the second or third quarter of 2011, and fully 71% predict growth by year-end. In the U.S., finance executives expect timing to be a bit later, with just 54% expecting economic growth to accelerate by the end of 2011.

In regards to growth prospects for their own companies, respondents report a positive outlook as well. Nearly three-quarters (72%) anticipate top-line growth over the next twelve months, including 17% who expect substantial revenue growth.

Seizing Opportunities, Striking Deals
Most finance executives say their companies have been experiencing strong cash flow over the past year (84%) and a majority (62%) report that they have been pursuing a deliberate cash preservation strategy. With many companies now sitting on large cash stockpiles, finance executives have plans to put this capital to work: more than half (52%) are retaining cash so they can seize investment opportunities more quickly in the future.

Deal-making tops the list when it comes to plans for capital deployment, with almost seven in ten finance executives (69%) focused on aggressive M&A activity over the next twelve months. Respondents say their companies will use cash somewhat or very aggressively in the next twelve months for each of the following:

• 68% will use cash to expand operating activities and headcount.
• 65% plan to increase capital spending.
• 63% aim to pay down debt.

But because of their difficult experiences during the recession, finance executives say companies will be more cautious when investing their savings:

• 76% will conduct more rigorous due diligence of M&A opportunities.
• 71% will require a detailed business case to increase spending on headcount and operating activities.
• 70% will analyze capital investments more fully.

“Lessons learned in the downturn are shaping today’s corporate spending strategies for the better,” continued Whiteside. “Finance executives are maintaining discipline and carefully weighing each investment. In areas ranging from M&A to headcount to service, companies are looking closely at the justification for spending, laying the foundation for more sustainable expansion.”

Spending to Drive Revenues
As economic prospects improve, finance executives will spend in order to capitalize on a better business environment. More than half (54%) plan to invest more over the next twelve months on expanding market access through business development activities such as sales and marketing. In the U.S., this figure rises to 64%.

Job growth will be strongest in sales – nearly half of finance executives (48%) plan to increase their sales headcount.

• More than three in ten respondents also expect headcount to increase in operations (37%), IT (34%), marketing (33%), R&D (33%) and customer service (32%).

Customer Service Revitalized
The experience of the economic downturn is motivating companies to improve the customer experience: nearly half of finance executives (46%) plan to invest more in customer service over the next twelve months.

Companies are also paying closer attention to critical customer service dimensions such as:

• Customer satisfaction (39%)
• Customer retention and loyalty (39%)
• Effectiveness of customer service investments (34%)
• Customer service performance (33%)

On The Road Again
Recognizing the connection between business travel and revenue growth, more than two in five finance executives (41%) plan to spend more on travel this year – up from just 26% who reported plans for more business travel spending in 2010.

• Overall, 64% of respondents will spend the same or more on business travel in 2011.
• One in ten finance executives expect spending to increase by 10% or more.
• More than one-third (34%) plan to increase spending on meetings with new or potential clients.

International travel will drive a larger proportion of spending growth than domestic travel, highlighting the interconnected global economy. Nearly three in ten finance executives (28%) plan to increase spending more on international travel, compared with 20% who plan to spend more on domestic travel.