Tilburg University - CFO - Duke University
Global Business Outlook Survey
Fourth Quarter 2010

No individual firms are identified and only aggregate data are made public. Please respond by December 10. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact us.

1. Are you more or less optimistic about your country's economy compared to last quarter?
More optimistic
Less optimistic
No change		 Rate your optimism about the your country's economy on a scale from 0-100, with 0 being the least optimistic and 100 being the most optimistic.

2. Are you more or less optimistic about the financial prospects for your company compared to last quarter?
More optimistic
Less optimistic
No change		 Rate your optimism about the financial prospects for your own company on a scale from 0-100, with 0 being the least optimistic and 100 being the most optimistic.

3. What are the top three external concerns facing your corporation? (rank #1, #2, #3)
   Consumer demand
   Cost of fuel
   Cost of non-fuel commodities
   Credit markets/interest rates
   Domestic competition
   Environmental regulation
   Financial/banking system
   Financial regulation		    Foreign competition
   Government policy
   Housing market fallout
   Price pressure
   Stability of local and central governments
   Trade policies and trade agreements
   Volatility of foreign currencies
   Other:    

4. What are the top three internal, company-specific concerns for your corporation? (rank #1, #2, #3)
   Ability to forecast results
   Attracting and retaining qualified employees
   Balance sheet weakness
   Cost of health care
   Counterparty risk
   Data security
   Illness		    Maintaining morale/productivity
   Managing IT systems
   Pension obligations
   Protection of intellectual property
   Supply chain risk
   Working capital management
   Other:    

5. Relative to the previous 12 months, what will be your company's PERCENTAGE CHANGE during the next 12 months? (e.g., +3%, -2%, etc.) [Leave blank if not applicable.]
   Capital spending
   Cash on the balance sheet
   Dividends
   Earnings
   Health care costs
   Marketing/advertising spending
   Number of domestic full-time employees
   Number of domestic temporary employees		    Number of offshore outsourced employees
   Prices of your products
   Productivity (output per hour worked)
   Technology spending
   Research and development spending
   Share repurchases
   Wages/Salaries

6a. How much cash and marketable securities does your firm hold (as a percentage of total assets)?
  Today   (% of assets)
  One Year Ago   (% of assets)

6b. Is it likely that your firm will begin to deploy its cash reserves during the next 12 months?
  No
  Yes
  Not sure

7. Are the current economic developments in Ireland comparable to the developments in Greece last year?
  Ireland is currently worse off than Greece was last year
  Ireland is currently about the same as Greece was last year
  Ireland is currently better off than Greece was last year
  Don't know

8. Do you perceive the recent economic developments in Ireland to be a threat to the euro?
  Yes
  No
  Don't know

9. Compared to one year ago (Fall 2009), does your company find borrowing now:
  Much more difficult
  A little more difficult
  About the same
  A little easier
  Much easier
  Not applicable

10. Where will your company focus your future expansion / growth?
 
 
    Entirely outside
our home country		 Split evenly between
foreign and home country		 Entirely in our
home country		  
 

 

 
 
   Entirely outside
     Europe		 Split evenly between Europe
and outside of Europe		 Entirely  
in Europe		  
 

 

11. By year-end 2011, do you expect the currency of the country in which you are located to appreciate or depreciate versus the U.S. dollar?
  Depreciate versus the U.S. dollar by %
  Stay about the same
  Appreciate versus the U.S. dollar by %
  Don't know or no answer

12. How much would your company's capital spending change if long-term interest rates were to fall:
  Large decrease Small decrease No change Small increase Large increase  
25 basis points  
50 basis points  

13. Is your company taking any actions in response to the current interest rate level?
Due to our low current interest rates...
Our total amount of borrowing has:
  Decreased
  Stayed the same
  Increased		 In terms of maturity structure, our short / long mix has:
   Become more short-term
  Stayed the same
  Become more long-term

14, Please check one from each category that best describes your company:

     a. Industry
       Retail/Wholesale
       Mining/Construction
       Manufacturing
       Transportation/Energy
       Communications/Media		       Tech [Software/Biotech]
      Banking/Finance/Insurance
      Service/Consulting
      Healthcare/Pharmaceutical
      Other:  
  b. Sales Revenue  c. Number of Employees
       Less than $25 million
       $25-$99 million
       $100-$499 million
       $500-$999 million
       $1-$4.9 billion
       $5-$9.9 billion
       More than $10 billion		       Fewer than 100
      100-499
      500-999
      1,000-2,499
      2,500-4,999
      5,000-9,999
      More than 10,000
  d. Where are you personally located?   e. Ownership
  (Other specified)
  
If your company headquarters is located in another country, please indicate which country.

  (Other specified)
 

      Public
      Private
      Government
      Nonprofit
  f. Foreign Sales     g. What is your company's credit rating?
       0%
       1-24%
       25-50%
       More than 50%

  Check here if you do not have a rating, and please estimate what your rating would be.
  h. Your job title (e.g., CFO, Asst. Treasurer, etc)
    



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