Borders vs Barriers. Navigating uncertainty in the U.S. business environment

With nearly every developed market and most emerging ones projected to grow this year, business leaders’ optimism in the US economy seems to outweigh concerns of any implications that political uncertainty may have on their investment strategy. Threats to globalization have the potential to create real barriers to the flow of people, goods, capital and ideas that companies have relied upon to generate growth. How real are the risks posed by protectionism — and to what extent can they be mitigated in a geopolitically uncertain environment?

This report explores these issues for companies that have or are considering a presence in the United States. While 2017 saw the US withdraw from multilateral agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the reopening of existing trade agreements, questions exploring the role of US leadership in the world and the changing characteristics of globalization have been pertinent since the rise of emerging markets and the global financial crisis.

Drawing from a global survey of CFOs, statistical modeling and professional insight, this report aims to help business leaders put their company’s strategic objectives into perspective and to consider the need to develop a “geostrategy.” Geopolitics and policy shifts have the potential to undermine long-held assumptions and reshape global economic connections. By understanding and integrating geopolitics into strategic planning, business leaders are less at the mercy of unfolding events and can become more proactive in a time of transition.