A survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that CEO's for global companies are looking into the potential benefits of business relocation as they seek growth

Global businesses are increasingly having to look abroad as they seek to grow their businesses, according to a recent survey.

The 2011 Annual Global CEO Survey, carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), found that 90% of CEO’s questioned expected their businesses to grow in Asia throughout the next year.

This was closely followed by Latin America (84%); Africa (75%); the Middle East (72%); Easter Europe (70%).

 
In contrast to these statistics, only a third of those questioned felt that the country in which they are currently based offers the relevant scope for growth in the future.

This all points to an increasing drive for businesses to carry out wide scale relocation to all corners of the globe in search of growth potential.

Relocation is not a simple process though. There are issues which need to be considered at length when planning any kind of significant staff relocation abroad.

Phillip Rourke, a Director at the talent technology provider Insala, picks up on one such issue.

“Time zones have posed a problem for global companies. India, for example, is too far away from Europe with regards to time zones, so employers are looking to develop their businesses in South America and Africa,” stated Rourke.

The PWC report picked up on several other challenges cited by CEO’s before they decide on relocating staff abroad, the main ones included; a limited supply of candidates with the right skills (66%); losing top people to competitors (52%); providing attractive career paths (50%).

Such challenges illustrate the multitude of considerations which global companies must make before settling on where, when and how to relocate large amounts of staff.

The logistics surrounding any business re-location are extensive. CEO’s have to look at house prices, suitability of office space and general infrastructure before committing to a particular area.

On top of this, the values and culture of a particular country must be considered deeply as part of any planned re-location. Making a social blunder in a foreign environment could derail months of good work in an instant.