North Carolina State University’s ERM Initiative and Protiviti recently completed the latest survey of C-level executives and directors worldwide regarding the macroeconomic, strategic and operational risks their organizations face. The top risks for 2017 provide insight as to what’s top-of-mind currently among leaders around the globe.

Overall, 735 C-level executives — 55 percent of whom are based in the United States, with the balance distributed between Europe and Asia-Pacific — participated in this year’s study, which was conducted in September 2016. These executives revealed that their respective organizations face significant issues and priorities that vary by industry, executive position and company size and type. They indicated that the overall global business context is noticeably more risky than in the two prior years, with respondents in the U.S. indicating it’s about the same as in prior years. The overall risk scores for all of the top 10 risks are higher than prior years, suggesting that executives perceive the level of risk is increasing across several dimensions.

Note that this survey was conducted during the fall of 2016 and was completed just before the 2016 election results were in. It is a fair question as to whether the survey results might have been different had President Trump’s election been known. We believe that, if anything, the results might reflect even greater uncertainty, because many observers were of the view prior to the election that a Clinton administration would have continued the policies of the prior administration. Such is not the case with the Trump administration, which has promised tax and regulatory reform as well as an overhaul of the nation’s trade deals with selected countries. Accordingly, the implications of change in policy on the global outlook must play themselves out over time.

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http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/the-top-risks-for-2017/