Under attack? Global business and the threat of political violence

Research conducted by Lloyd’s and the Economist Intelligence Unit showed that the impact of terrorism and political violence on businesses is often not recognised or well understood. However, organisations have an impact on the environment around them. Accepting that business is at risk also means accepting it has a role to play in mitigating these risks in general.

Companies believe they are operating in an increasingly dangerous world. Three in five executives predict business risks associated with political violence will increase over the next five years. However, this perception is not grounded in fact as despite events in Iraq, political violence in general is actually decreasing.

Although boards are spending more time considering how to respond to the threat of geopolitical risks, the survey showed the majority of companies could do more.