Boards of directors and chief executive officers are, for the most part, aligned in their concerns about external threats to their company’s growth, except in the area of regulation, according to a report from PwC. More board directors (85%) than CEOs (77%) were concerned about over-regulation, however, while more CEOs were worried about government response to the fiscal debt and the debt burden. They did, however, share a similar outlook on “uncertain or volatile economic growth” with boards and CEOs both agreeing this was their highest concern. They also saw eye-to-eye on the issues of “lack of stability in capital markets” and “protectionist tendencies of national governments.” PwC found that, much as in 2012, 95% of directors think their board has at least a “moderate” sense of their company’s risk appetite. Close to half of board members said they are spending more time on risk management and more than half wish to devote more time to risk management next year. This commitment may contribute to the fact that one-third of board members believe their risk oversight effectiveness has increased in the past year, PwC said. They also think they have gotten better at prioritizing risks and identifying emerging risks.