Duke University/CFO
Global Business Outlook Survey
Third Quarter 2012

No individual firms are identified and only aggregate data are made public. Please respond by September 6. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact us.

1. Are you more or less optimistic about the U.S. economy compared to last quarter?
More optimistic
Less optimistic
No change		 Rate your optimism about the U.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
   Corporate tax rates
   Cost of fuel
   Cost of non-fuel commodities
   Credit markets/interest rates
   Currency risk
   Environmental regulation
   Federal budget deficit
   Federal government policies
   Financial regulation		    Foreign competition
   Global financial instability
   Global political instability
   Inflation
   National employment outlook
   Price pressure from competitors
   Slowing growth in major emerging markets
   State or local government budget deficits
   Other: 

4. What are the top three internal, company-specific concerns for your corporation? (rank #1, #2, #3)
   Ability to forecast results
   Ability to maintain margins
   Attracting and retaining qualified employees
   Balance sheet weakness
   Cost of health care
   Counterparty risk
   Data security		    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)
   Research and development spending
   Revenue
   Share repurchases
   Technology spending
   Wages/Salaries

6a. What is the effect on your company of slowing growth in Asia?
  Very Negative Negative Neutral Positive Very Positive  
   

6b. What is the effect on your company of the current economic climate in Europe?
  Very Negative Negative Neutral Positive Very Positive  
   

6c. What would be the effect on your company if the Eurozone unravels?
  Very Negative Negative Neutral Positive Very Positive  
   

7. We'd like to better understand the extent to which borrowing costs affect your investment plans. Assuming demand and cost conditions faced by your firm and industry remain the same as they are now, please answer the following:
a. By how much would your borrowing costs have to decrease to cause you to initiate, accelerate or increase investment projects in the next year? b. By how much would your borrowing costs have to increase to cause you to delay or stop investment projects in the next year?
  0.5 percent decrease in borrowing costs
  1 percent
  2 percent
  3 percent
  More than 3 percent
  It's likely we would not change investment plans
        in response to an interest rate decrease
  N.A. 		  0.5 percent increase in borrowing costs
  1 percent
  2 percent
  3 percent
  More than 3 percent
  It's likely we would not change investment plans
       in response to an interest rate increase
  N.A.

8. Do you plan to borrow (issue debt, term loan, credit line, etc.) to fund at least part of your investment plans in the next year?
  No
  Yes 
  N.A.

9. Who is your choice for the next president of the United States?
  Barack Obama
  Mitt Romney
  Undecided
  Do not plan to vote
  Other (please specify)  

10. From the following lists, rank the top 5 issues in order of their importance (rank #1, #2, #3, #4, #5):

Importance to your business     

         Importance to you personally                            
       
  Budget deficit  
  Education  
  Energy policy  
  Environmental policy  
  Foreign policy  
  Health care  
  Immigration policy  
  Inflation  
  Infrastructure  
  Jobs and unemployment  
  Military policy  
  Monetary policy  
  Regulation  
  Tax policy  
  Trade  

11. How big a risk factor for your company is the judicial system (e.g., delays, uncertainty about procedures, costs, quality of decisions, etc.) in the country where you are located?
  Not a significant factor       Very significant factor  
   

12. Are you currently delaying or being extremely cautious about hiring or spending?
... about hiring? ... about spending?
  Yes
  No
  N.A.		   Yes
  No
  N.A.

 13. On August 27, 2012 the annual yield on 10-yr treasury bonds was 1.7%. Please complete the following:

a. Over the next 10 years, I expect the average annual S&P 500 return will be:

Worst Case: There is a 1-in-10
chance the actual average
return will be less than:

             %		 Best Guess:
I expect the
return to be:

%		 Best Case: There is a 1-in-10
chance the actual average
return will be greater than:

          %

b. During the next year, I expect the S&P 500 return will be:

Worst Case: There is a 1-in-10
chance the actual return will
be less than:

             %		 Best Guess:
I expect the
return to be:

%		 Best Case: There is a 1-in-10
chance the actual return will
be greater than:

          %

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
       Northeast U.S.
       Mountain U.S.
       Midwest U.S.
       South Central U.S.
       South Atlantic U.S.
       Pacific U.S.		  Canada
 Central/Latin America
 Europe
 Asia
 Other 
      Public, NYSE
      Public, NASDAQ/AMEX
      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.)
     

 

 



 � Duke University, 2012