In fact, run-of-the-mill criminal activities such as hotel room burglaries and street muggins have always presented more of a danger to traveling executives, says Henry DeGeneste, director of security at Prudential Inc. A traveler's chances of falling victim to a political terrorist are tiny, but crime is as much a fact of life in many other countries as it is in the United States.

Robert Strang, a former agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and now a principal in Strang Hayes Consulting, a New York City-based firm specializing in corporate security, points out that the greatest opportunities in a global marketplace often crop up in some of its riskier locations.

Besides the former communist nations that are now beginning to struggle with the challenges of capitalism, many business go getters are targeting South Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America. All of those locales have the kind of social and economic problems that can sometimes lead to both political and non-political crime.

Executive protection remains a top concern at many companies big and small.

Security specialists stress that travel to most parts of the world is a routinely safe activity. "In most cases when our executives are traveling abroad, no specific security measures are required," says DeGeneste.

However, those same specialists are unanimous in their opinion that good intelligence is the most important element in any security program -- both for determining whether or not a threat exists in a given area and in developing a response if one does exist.

Information is the security specialist's stock in trade, and it's no coincidence that most of them are former government intelligence agents or high-ranking law enforcement officials.

DeGeneste, for example, was director of public safety at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for eight years. His duties included responsibility for that agency's police and fire departments and the security of three of the busiest airports in the world: John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia International, and Newark International.

"That experience has been immensely useful to me in my private sector career," he says. "During my years with the Port Authority, I networked regularly with my counterparts at Heathrow, Ben Gurion, Narita and other major airports all over the world. Now, when I need information, I can pick up the phone and be fairly confident the person on the other end will know who I am.

WORLDWIDE CONTACTS

During his years with the DEA, Strang also recruited a worldwide network of contacts. "It's often best to use in-country personnel on overseas security assignments," he says. "You have to have the right contacts to make sure you are using the right people."

Because the DEA coordinates anti-drug efforts with other law enforcement agencies around the world, Strang and his partner, Anne Hayes, another former DEA agent, have reliable sources of information in many countries.

One source of useful intelligence on which many multinational companies rely is the experience of their own expatriate employees to brief visiting or transferred executives.

A study conducted by Runzheimer International found that 53% of companies with U.S. employees expatriated to potentially volatile locations rely on briefings by other employees with on-site experience to bring the new arrivals up to speed on security issues. Nineteen percent use outside consultants, and 16% provide no briefing at all.

Whether conducted by a company's in-house security team or an outside consultant, most travel intelligence-gathering efforts begin with a call to the U.S. State Department. State maintains a constantly updated list of various trouble spots around the globe. Many large companies belong to the State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council, which allows them to access travel advisories via a worldwide computer network.

The State Dept. keeps an updated list of trouble spots around the globe.

As safe as international travel generally is, most big companies take some measures to help insure the security of their executives and key personnel, and small business owners can learn from their experience. "Those measures usually involves a balance between the needs of the company and what the executive is willing to accept," says Joe Petro, a former Secret Service agent who now handles security for Primerica Inc.

Security is also an important concern for business owners who rarely or never travel abroad, and experts say there are steps they should take to protect themselves. During her 13 years as a special agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Virginia Melvin became skilled at protecting U.S. generals in Europe at a time when terrorism was rampant. Today, as director of Corprotec Inc., a subsidiary of The Corporate Response Group, she applies those same skills to helping companies protect key personnel in their homes and offices.

The basis for any security program should be a thorough threat assessment by an outside expert, Melvin says. The objectivity of an outside observer can often spot weaknesses that might otherwise be overlooked.

While it costs money to have such an assessment done, a business can often recoup some of the investment by using the results to improve its security plan and negotiating with its insurance company for lower rates.

On an individual basis, Melvin suggests a variety of ways business owners can improve their security both in the workplace and at home.

AT WORK:

Be aware of employees' personal problems that might lead to potentially dangerous situations. Homicide has been the No. 1 killer of women in the workplace since 1980. It had been the No. 2 killer of men but rose to the No. 1 spot in 1993. Workplace homicides are most often the result of personal disputes.

Have a designated safe room in the workplace. This can be an office, storage area or even a bathroom, but it should have a solid core door that locks from the inside and a means of communication that cannot be disabled from outside, such as a cellular telephone.

Be on the lookout for internal security threats. Disgruntled former employees and even current employees with access to sensitive security information often turn out to be involved in many crimes against business owners and their companies.

AT HOME:

• Vary your routine. Leave home at different times occasionally, shop at different stores, even change your regular tee time or tennis match once in a while.
• Get good locks and have them properly installed. If a lock is within three feet of any glass, it should be a double cylinder deadbolt lock, requiring a key to open from the inside. (The key should be nearby in case of fire, but not within reach of the glass.)

The basis for a security program should be an assessment by an outside expert.

• Don't allow any security system to lull you into a sense of complacency. "Security is all about prevention," Melvin stresses. "Whenever a system is engaged -- be it an alarm, pepper spray, a gun, whatever -- then it's no longer prevention. It's become defense, and a crime has already been committed."
• When traveling, use timers on lights and a radio to make the house appear occupied. Don't volunteer information about your plans to casual acquaintances, such as taxi drivers. Make arrangements to have the mail and newspapers picked up and grass mowed or snow shoveled. When leaving, wave good-bye as if someone were still in the house.
• Establish a safe room in the house with a solid core door and a good lock. Keep a cellular telephone in that room.