As we reported last month, CFOs are more optimistic about the economy than they have been for some time. A recent survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers finds that CEOs are also more sanguine. See whether you’re in sync with the attitudes and growth strategies expressed by the 1,200 global CEOs surveyed by PwC.
1) This year, 48% of CEOs said they are “confident about [their] company’s prospects for revenue growth over the next 12 months.” In 2009, the percentage who expressed such confidence stood at:
A. 21%
B. 30%
C. 37%
D. 42%
2) Across all regions, CEOs said that growth will hinge largely on emerging markets. Asia was most often cited by North American CEOs, with fully 94% planning to expand key operations there. What region was lowest on their list?
A. Latin America
B. Eastern Europe
C. Western Europe
D. Africa
3) Emerging markets also loom large for their ability to meet a range of sourcing needs. China topped the list of countries deemed most important in this regard by all CEO respondents. Which country finished second?
A. India
B. Brazil
C. Malaysia
D. United States
4) Asked to name the biggest economic/policy threats to growth, CEOs continued to cite the recession. But which risk topped their list in 2008, dropped to eighth last year, and then rose to fourth this year?
A. Overregulation
B. Availability of key skills
C. Energy costs
D. Inflation
5) Change in percentage of CEOs who cited “increasing share in existing markets” as the main opportunity to grow their businesses over the next 12 months:
A. Up 29%
B. Up 15%
C. Up 2%
D. Down 24%
6) Percentage of CEOs who agreed that, “We expect the majority of our innovation to be co-developed with partners outside of our organization”:
A. 20%
B. 39%
C. 51%
D. 68%
7) While 84% of CEOs said that talent management is now a top priority, how exactly do they plan to tackle that? Put these four tactics in descending order from most commonly cited to least:
A. Deploy more staff to international assignments
B. Incentivize young workers differently than others
C. Work with government/educational systems to improve talent pool
D. Use more nonfinancial rewards to motivate staff
8) “We’re extending our distribution into developing markets, deeper into rural areas where economies may not exist at all.” So stated the CEO of what American company?
A. Procter & Gamble
B. Levi’s
C. Starbuck’s
D. Home Depot
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Growth Reimagined: Prospects in Emerging Markets Drive CEO Confidence,” 2011
Answers: 1–A; 2–C; 3–D; 4–B; 5–D; 6–B; 7–D, A, C, B; 8–A