As the chair of the Denver IERG, I’m pleased to report the first in a series of our research reports on global business.
IERG canvassed global business leaders, 90% with over ten years of international commercial transaction experience, across all major industries and company sizes. Industry sectors include: Technology, Consumer, Supply Chain, Healthcare, Finance, and Consulting. IERG experts identified the following macro trends:
International business growth expectations are overwhelmingly positive with 61% anticipating an increase in growth, and 32% projecting growth will remain the same. Only 7% expect international business transactions to decrease in the foreseeable future.
Anticipated risks are more diverse but political 30% and payment 20% concerns dominate, followed by cultural and legal concerns at 11% each. Considering the wide spectrum of geographies, surprisingly, legal 4% and security concerns at 2% are not at the forefront.
Regions of growth were dominated by Asia Pacific at 32% and EME at 27% were seen as areas with the most potential, with South American countries at 25%. The view on North America at 13%, may be based on inherent bias of international business leaders. It appears that Africa is not yet considered a major opportunity, coming in at 3%.
About IERG: IERG is a unique organization of global business executives who have the shared experience of living and doing business in an unfamiliar country. IERG is a thought leader on global leadership topics across a wide range of industries. We join together around the world to enrich our talents and knowledge, build our global contacts, expand our base of referrals, and grow our professional opportunities. For more information contact walsh@birchtreeglobal.com for additional information on reports or membership.
