Growth is hard to come by, especially for the larger, more established players; investment budgets are stretched thin; consumer preferences and shopping habits are in rapid flux; and investors are waiting impatiently for near-term improvements. These circumstances help explain why consumer goods CEOs aren’t as bullish as the average CEO about growth prospects for the economy and their own organisations.With consumer markets in unprecedented upheaval, CEOs in the sector appear to be more focused on the here and now than on ambitious long-term undertakings. Operating as they are in an environment of dramatic change, the long view may be a luxury they can’t afford.