In the wake of the spectacle of WikiLeaks’ mammoth dump of U.S. diplomatic cables, the CEOs and business leaders on the COMPAS business panel were asked to forecast the political and business impacts.

The greatest impacts are likely to be on the internal operations of corporations. A near consensus predicts much IT spending to protect information technology systems from unauthorized use or penetration. More than four out of five panelists foresee such spending. A decisive majority also anticipates much tougher legal contracts required of employees. Some concern was expressed about an increase risk of disgruntled employees revealing company secrets.

By contrast, relatively few panelists foresee an impact from these Wikileaks on nations’ willingness to do business with the U.S. government and especially no impact on the willingness of businesses to operate in the U.S. economy.

These are the key findings from this past week’s Internet survey of CEOs and business leaders on the COMPAS panel. The weekly business survey is undertaken for Canadian Business magazine under sponsorship of BDO.

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