NEW YORK, Aug. 24 - A majority of U.S. business and IT executives anticipate increases in IT expenditures over the next three years, according to results of a survey released today by Accenture.

The study, which queried more than 300 general business managers and IT executives of large U.S.-based companies, found that 55% of respondents expect their organizations to increase their IT expenditures over the next three years, with only 10% expecting decreased spending.

In addition, of the 84% of respondents who indicated that productivity at their companies had increased over the past several years, most identified IT-related factors as key to that increase. Specifically, 83% cited "better use of technology" and 65% selected "the right amount of investment in technology."

However, the survey identified several areas where the business managers were disappointed in the effectiveness and impact of IT. Most notably, 47% of business managers and 51% of IT executives said their companies did not know how to make their technology organizations accountable for delivering real business value. In addition, 52% of the business managers said that IT is underdelivering relative to what their companies spend.

The results are based on an online survey conducted in June and July. A total of 302 executives were surveyed at U.S. companies with more than 5,000 employees and median annual revenue of $10 billion.