Among fast-growing, privately held goods producers, rising healthcare costs loom as the No. 1 spoiler to an otherwise good business year in 2005, indicates a recent survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a business services firm. Other possible spoilers to a good year: weak market demand, less-than-expected capital spending and new government regulations.
Weak market demand moves to No. 1 and rising healthcare costs fall to No. 2 among "wild card" factors when the views of surveyed CEOs in service firms are added to those of CEOs in goods-producing companies.
The survey included the views of a total of 360 CEOs, whose companies range in size from about $5 million to $150 million of revenue or sales.
