Business Leaders Prefer The Web (from Cyber Atlas 3 Oct. 2003)

The Web is proving to be an indispensable tool for global executives, as a pair of joint studies conducted by Survey.com for Forbes.com and GartnerG2 indicate. The September 2003 study shows 51 percent of executives naming the web as the most important business information resource.

The report includes interviews with more than 2,800 respondents, including 1,721 presidents, CEOs, and board members; 236 vice presidents; and 154 other C- level executives, to determine their key issues. According to the responses, Web usage is taking a bite out of other types of media. Relative to the amount of time spent on the Web · not including e-mail · most of the survey participants noted that their time with newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, and trade publications has lessened. 

Percentage Spending Less Time with Media Due to Web Usage: 60%
Daily Newspapers 52%
Magazines 60%
Daily newspapers 49%
TV 49%
Radio 47%
Industry trade publications 48% (Source: Forbes.com and GartnerG2) 

The overwhelming majority of executives check their own e-mail, rather than allowing an assistant to perform the task and more than half of the respondents preferred doing their own online research as well. 

PRODUCT SEARCHING ACTIVITY: 

Research competition and industry trends 30%-37%
Go to the Web first for product/service information 30%-34%
Read work-related marketing e-mails 26%-28%
Seek new partnership opportunities 19%-24% (Source: Forbes.com and GartnerG2) 

INFORMATION CONSUMPTION ACTIVITY: 

I forward interesting online articles to friends/associates 38% 40%
Before I do work, I visit the Web for biz/financial news 30% 35%
I check my portfolio online 27% 33%
I read biz/financial site email newsletters 31%-37%
I participate in online chats 12%-10% (Source: Forbes.com and GartnerG2) 

The Forbes.com/GartnerG2 study found that business leaders are also using the Web for non-job related functions, with 40 percent looking for health and medical information; 31 percent looking up movie times and weekend leisure locations; 39 percent reading reviews about products or entertainment options; and 40 percent visiting local or city guides.