The federal government is fulfilling its exemplary role as part of the first package of measures under the Energy Strategy 2050. By 2020, it aims to increase energy efficiency by 25% compared to the base year 2006. The above-mentioned stakeholders have joined forces to form the Confederation as a role model for energy and have already exceeded this target with an efficiency increase of 26.7% (see media release dated June 29, 2016). Without further efforts, however, there is no guarantee that this value can be maintained or even increased in subsequent years.

The Confederation also wants to make progress in the use and self-production of renewable energies. In mid-2014, the Federal Council therefore invited the players in the Confederation as a role model for energy to carry out corresponding potential analyses. They are to show to what extent and at what cost renewable energies could be produced on their sites and buildings. The consolidated report on the individual potential analyses is now available.

Electricity potential

Today, the stakeholders of Energy Role Model Confederation consume 1,444 gigawatt hours of electricity per year (GWh/a). 88% (1,277 GWh/a) come from renewable sources, 10% (139.4 GWh/a) of which from self-production. The potential analyses show a realistic potential to expand self-production of 232.4 GWh/a. The greatest potential is for solar energy, followed by hydro and wind power. More than 50% of this potential is shown by the DDPS. With the realistic potential, the share of renewable electricity self-production in the total electricity consumption of the actors could be increased from the current 10% to 26%. To note: The electricity used to operate the railroads (traction current) is not part of the potential analysis. More than 90% of the traction current already comes from renewable energy.

The investment costs for exploiting the entire realistic electricity potential are estimated at around 370 million Swiss francs, most of it for photovoltaic systems.

Heat potentials

Today, the actors of Energy Role Model Confederation consume 917.4 gigawatt hours of thermal energy per year. 40% (370.3 GWh/a) come from renewable sources, of which 70% (261.5 GWh/a) are self-produced. The potential analyses show a total technical potential for renewably generated heat (and cooling in the ETH Domain) of 438.0 GWh/a. The largest technical potential lies in the use of environmental energy with 35%, followed by wood with 30%. The economically feasible potential could only be partially determined. However, it is clear that, from today's perspective, only less than a third of the technical potential can be exploited in an economically viable manner.

If existing heating systems have to be replaced in the next 20 to 30 years and 50% of the technical potential is to be tapped in the process, this will lead to additional investment costs in the amount of 59 million francs. For waste heat recovery, heat recovery from biomass (CHP) and the use of environmental energy in the ETH Domain, the additional investment costs are estimated to be at least 215 to 230 million Swiss francs.

Barriers

For all players, the greatest obstacle to implementing the potentials is the provision of the required investment funds. This also applies to solutions that are economical over their entire lifetime, since the initial investment is usually higher than for conventional solutions. In the case of large plants that also produce energy for external customers, one obstacle is that funds are tied up outside the core business. Furthermore, there are sites that would be very well suited for electricity production, but the players do not have their own electricity needs. Since the civilian federal administration, the ETH Domain and the DDPS have no mandate to produce and sell energy, the potential at such sites cannot be exploited at present.

Further procedure

The stakeholders of Energy Role Model are to develop action plans for dealing with the identified potentials and barriers by the end of 2017. In doing so, cost-effectiveness is to be taken into account. Regular reports on progress will be made within the framework of the Federal Government Energy Role Model Coordination Group.

Source: SFOE

Twint and Paymit decided to do business together in the spring. When will the new joint payment service be launched?

The joint solution will be launched gradually in 2017. We are currently working at full speed on the migration of the systems. Most Swiss banks will support the new solution, including PostFinance, UBS, Raiffeisen, Credit Suisse, Zürcher and Waadtländer Kantonalbank. Banks will now be able to issue their own Twint apps, and customers will be able to link the app directly to their bank account or deposit a credit card.

In addition to the payment function, Twint offers merchants the opportunity to advertise via coupons, for example.

Exactly. But it's not about advertising space, but - if they want such offers - about concrete benefits for customers. That's why we call these opportunities "added values". From our point of view, the added values are absolutely central. Because they are the key to ensuring that many Swiss people will use Twint in the future.

What kind of offers are there with Twint exactly?

In addition to digital coupons, Twint offers digital stamp cards and the deposit of customer cards. Once deposited or activated, the customer card is automatically integrated into the payment process. The best-known example is Supercard from Coop. Twint is therefore much more than a new payment solution and digitizes the entire wallet.

What are the benefits of mobile advertising via coupons?

Coupons are a classic marketing tool to increase sales. With Twint, retailers can target specific customer groups and thus minimize wastage. And they can do this on the smartphone, which many people don't put more than a meter away from them, even when they're sleeping.

Coupons with Twint are also very practical for customers: they can activate the coupons that interest them and they are automatically redeemed when they pay with Twint. Gone are the days when you remember at the checkout that there's actually a coupon lying around somewhere at home ...

However, Twint needs the users' personal data for this.

Customers have the choice. In other words, they consciously agree to their data being used for this purpose. They can change the setting at any time, i.e. deactivate the use of data. Of course, the Twint payment function can also be used without such consent.

Regardless, we do not share personal data with merchants. The data remains with Twint and is stored in Switzerland. The only exception is the transmission of the customer card number if a customer has deposited it in the Twint app. This is analogous to the physical world: If I present the customer card at the checkout, the information is known to the merchant.

Stamp cards can also be used. What is the idea behind this?

Stamp cards are used for customer loyalty and many retailers now offer them in physical form. These cards are often forgotten or they slow down the payment process at the checkout. If the customer has activated the stamp card with Twint, he automatically receives a digital stamp with every payment. When the stamp card is full, the customer receives a coupon with the corresponding offer in the Twint app. Both customer and merchant benefit from much more convenience.

Can you already give us an example of a successful campaign via Twint?

Digitec used couponing when they joined Twint. In the campaign, 650 coupons were played out, of which around 500 were activated and 60 redeemed. The campaign therefore achieved a conversion rate of over ten percent from activated to redeemed coupons.

Is it also possible to integrate Twint into the company's own online store?

Yes, Twint is a cross-channel payment solution: you can pay at the store checkout, at vending machines and in e-commerce, or send money to friends. When paying in an online store, a QR code appears that you scan in the Twint app and then confirm the payment. This means you no longer have to enter credit card data during the payment process. With the new solution, it will also be possible to connect Twint directly to the bank account. There is no faster and more convenient way to make e-commerce purchases than Twint.

What enhancements are planned for Twint in the future?

Based on today's system, we can offer a lot with little development effort: For example, we want to replace cash in every farm store or help merchants implement cross-channel promotions. We also want to make the check-out process in online shopping even more convenient or enable bills to be paid via Twint. n

Smartphones and tablets have usurped digital supremacy. It was two years ago that the frequency of use of mobile devices worldwide exceeded that of desktop computers for the first time. Since then, the gap has been growing steadily. According to international surveys, the first thing one in two people does when they wake up today is reach for their smartphone. More than 3.5 billion people are therefore also potential recipients of all kinds of digital messages. It is therefore only a logical consequence that mobile will also overtake the stationary Internet in terms of global advertising spending in 2017 and will probably quickly overtake it.

Gigantic opportunities and quite a few challenges

"Mobile advertising, as it is known in the trade, therefore offers huge opportunities, but also a number of challenges that need to be mastered. Experts from the industry are convinced of this. For example, Boris Sabel, CEO of Plista, a Berlin-based provider of solutions for native advertising and content distribution. "The small screens of mobile devices compared to desktop mean that ads on smartphones quickly become more intrusive and disruptive than those on desktop computers," he points out. That's why it's important for advertisers to find new, innovative formats that can be better integrated into small screens, he says.

"The different operating systems of mobile devices are also making mobile advertising a challenge," says Sabel. Around 80 percent of mobile usage takes place within apps. Advertising must always be adapted to the respective operating system through "in-app surfing," he says. "If you enter the Internet via a browser, as is the case with desktop, the operating system doesn't matter."

Tracking architectures and conversion tracking

"Mobile and tablet campaigns are a big challenge in terms of conception, production, targeting and, above all, measuring hard results," says Ivano Celia, owner and managing director of Media Bros GmbH in Uster near Zurich. Especially in Switzerland, he says, this business is very difficult because it is still in its infancy. "The publishers here slept through the topic a bit at first. Now practically every Swiss publisher is inventing its own forms of advertising with its own designations and formats. Unfortunately, however, the corresponding specifications are often incomplete or incorrectly described," says Celia.

This makes it quite difficult for planners and creative agencies handling the whole thing, and especially for advertisers paying for it. "At the same time, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google dominate the market and come up with top offers that the Swiss market doesn't seem to take any notice of." Mobile and tablet advertising in this country is still very difficult and not industrially scalable, at least on a large scale.

Define and visualize tracking architectures

However, Ivano Celia does not only want to name grievances, but also point out possible solutions. "For a solid measurement of such campaigns, we recommend defining and visualizing tracking architectures at an early stage, for a better understanding of all project participants as well as a basis for the technical implementation."

Similar to movies, it makes sense to write a storyboard. Conversion tracking for mobile and tablet campaigns should also be thoroughly tested early enough before the campaign launch. Celia: "That way, you can make sure that the process and the measurements work smoothly during the campaign."

Lack of acceptance and low attention

"In mobile advertising, we still have to deal with the challenges of online advertising to a greater extent. These include a lack of acceptance and a short attention span," says Dario Piccinno, owner and partner of Eyeonx, bringing another issue into play.

It is therefore all the more important to plan the entire campaign, i.e. the entire user journey, down to the last detail. "This starts with the fact that the advertising message must be communicated without any major detours. If we have aroused the user's interest - and not annoyed him - he is prepared to look further into the product or brand - and to click on the advertising banner."

Piccinno is convinced that well thought-out targeting helps enormously to avoid wastage and to address users in specific subject areas.

Campaign-specific landing page makes sense

"But even the most innovative, beautiful and interesting advertising medium is of no use if the user can't find what was promised to him on the banner with one click," says the Eyeonx expert. This means that possible obstacles have to be removed in the run-up to the campaign. The website has to be checked carefully: Is it responsive? Can the user find his way around? Can they find the information they need with just a few clicks and purchase the advertised product? Piccinno: "To bring the user even more easily and directly to the relevant information, it often makes sense to create a landing page specifically designed for the campaign."

Less complexity brings more attention

Claudio Holenstein, Country Manager Switzerland at Adverserve, also sees the very limited advertising space on small mobile screens as a major challenge for mobile marketing. It is therefore important and purposeful to present the messages in a simplified way, he says. "Attention is much higher as a result, since the consumption of the advertising message takes place consciously."

Mobile is now used around the clock, says Holenstein. The usage intervals are therefore shorter, but more frequent than on desktop. "For this reason, the message has to be relevant and easy to get across. Under no circumstances should mobile advertising be seen simply as an extension of classic online measures, he says. "The potential is far too enormous for that."

Expectations should be clearly defined

To make this potential measurable and actually exploit it, Theodor Esenwein, Chief Innovation Officer at Adwebster, recommends clearly defining expectations in advance and evaluating the right key performance indicator (KPI), as with every campaign. "Especially with mobile campaigns, the landing page has its own dangers," he says.

If it is not optimized for mobile devices or the conversion process is too long, a lot of potential can be wasted. "Due to the smaller surface area, it is often more difficult to guarantee recognition between the ad and the target page. However, this recognition is particularly important for mobile devices, as the user must be given the feedback that he is on the correct and desired page."

Clear distinction between tablet and smartphone

Huge potential, numerous pitfalls: the correct handling of mobile advertising is therefore a decisive factor in the success of campaigns. Which forms of advertising on smartphones and tablets work best today?

The question is not easy to answer, says Ivano Celia. You have to look at the forms of advertising separately, because publishers and online platforms take different paths in this regard. "Spontaneously, when it comes to mobile and tablet advertising, hardly anyone would think of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google. However, these are actually the four most relevant players with the largest plannable reach on smartphones and tablets in Switzerland."

However, a distinction must also be made between tablets and smartphones. With the tablet, the world is more open because it doesn't necessarily need an app and well-designed responsive websites from publishers with a classic approach also come into consideration. "Facebook, on the other hand, is used 80 to 90 percent via smartphone today, most of it with the Facebook app."

Integrative forms of advertising are in demand

For Dario Piccinno, too, the success of the advertising form is ostensibly based on user behavior. "It's important to remember that mobile devices are often used on the sofa to pass the time, but mostly on the go and for quick information retrieval."

It is therefore important to rely on integrative forms of advertising that fit seamlessly into the content and do not unnecessarily disrupt or even annoy the flow of reading. Piccinno cites the mobile rectangle as a good example. "But video ads are also becoming increasingly popular - here, however, it is essential to ensure mobile-friendly content, i.e. short, concise videos with a clear advertising message."

Native advertising as an effective solution

From Boris Sabel's perspective, native advertising offers an effective solution to the challenges of mobile advertising. "With their design, Native Ads fit seamlessly into the editorial context of mobile websites and apps."

This ensures that the reading flow is not disturbed and a positive user experience is guaranteed - which benefits user acceptance. "Thanks to the informative combination of teaser text and image, users can also decide individually in a very short time whether the content on offer is of interest to them," says Sabel.

Atmospheric level of the user is crucial

For Claudio Holenstein of Adverserve, the success or failure of a mobile advertising campaign is ultimately always decided at the atmospheric level of the user. "It's like in the desktop world. Messages are successful if they are well and interestingly designed, can be integrated perfectly into the reading flow, and are not superimposed somewhere and thus disruptive. "n

The city of Zurich plays a pioneering role in the organization of sustainable congresses. It achieves in the GDS Ranking the third-best score in comparison with other cities. GDS stands for Global Destination Sustainability Index. It promotes and supports the sustainable development of the international meetings industry and assesses the attractiveness of venues in four categories: Environmental Performance, Social Performance, Supplier Performance and Convention Bureau Performance. For example, the index counts the percentage of hotels that are less than half an hour away from a trade show location (Zurich: 98%) or how many hotel rooms in a city have a sustainability certificate from a recognized label (Zurich: 50%).

Martin Sturzenegger, Director of Zürich Tourism, is pleased with the ranking: "The result shows that we are on the right track. It reflects our understanding of sustainability. We set ourselves credible and ambitious goals on the levels of economy, ecology and society. Awareness of sustainable development - especially in tourism - is to be further strengthened among all stakeholders in the destination."

Source: Zurich Tourism

1.) Malware via email

According to the AV-TEST Institute, more than 390,000 new malware programs are now registered on average every day. That is the equivalent of 270 new computer viruses per minute. This is also in line with a recent survey by Retarus security specialists, who recorded 3.5 times more viruses in one month alone in 2016 than in 2015 as a whole. The problem: pure virus protection solutions cannot offer one hundred percent protection.

New security mechanisms are therefore urgently needed. For example, innovative detection solutions can identify initially undetected malware even if it has already entered the corporate infrastructure. The administrator is immediately informed about affected recipients and can react even before the malware causes damage.

If an infected file has already been executed, detection functions not only facilitate forensics, but also provide information on the basis of which vulnerabilities can be discovered and system settings optimized.

2.) Information exchange in focus

With the increasing number of partners involved in electronic business processes, business communication is also becoming more complex. For long-term business success, therefore, the smooth exchange of information along the entire supply chain and the reliable delivery of relevant information are at least as important as targeted content.

Whether it's an order, a product recall or an mTAN, it's important that business-critical data is always available at the right time and in the right place worldwide. Messages that are not delivered on time or are unreliable quickly lead to high follow-up costs. Information logistics providers enable companies to ensure a smooth flow of information by making all electronic communication channels available worldwide via a global delivery network.

3.) Consistent digitization

In the future, corporate success will depend more than ever on the quality and timeliness of the information exchanged. Existing manual processes are often error-prone and time-consuming. In order to optimize operational processes, communication processes must be bundled, consolidated and digitized without great effort. The data should be transferred directly to the devices or applications that need it and can process it further.

Cloud communication platforms and services connected to them ensure efficient information exchange, whether from person to person (P2P), from application to person (A2P) or automated in machine-to-machine communication (M2M).

4. customer experience crucial

According to IDC analysts, the market for customer communications management will grow by an average of eight percent over the next five years. Tailor-made communication processes are crucial here: only reliable, secure and individually designed business communication enables customer proximity and loyalty and thus creates a significant advantage in saturated markets with high competitive pressure.

Thanks to reliable service delivery, automated process communication and integration, and transparent reports, innovative communication services can be used to carry out transactions more efficiently and ensure faster customer interaction. Ideally, the services can be seamlessly integrated into business applications via standardized APIs and quickly and flexibly adapted to new requirements at any time. They also meet the highest security and compliance requirements.

5.) Increasing communication requirements in the IoT

Whether household appliances, cars or industrial robots: More and more devices are networked with each other in the Internet of Things (IoT). In the future, a significant part of the product benefit will result from the intelligent combination of software, sensor technology and communication. To ensure a secure and integrated flow of information across all parts of the process chain, various application and communication protocols must be interlinked.

Special cloud solutions for information logistics enable efficient and secure data exchange between all integrated platforms. Business-relevant information is always delivered at the right time and in the format that is most suitable for the recipient. If necessary, the data is automatically translated into other communication standards.

A secure and efficient flow of information between companies, partners and customers makes a significant contribution to business success.

https://www.retarus.com/

Many companies strive to maintain and promote the potential of older employees in simple work in order to retain proven employees and their skills in the company. Companies see the health of older employees as the greatest risk - for the employees as well as for the company. This is shown by the results of a study conducted by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW. The study contributes to closing the productivity and skills gaps associated with aging workforces and staff shortages.

Simple, but not undemanding

If a job is considered "simple," it does not mean that it is undemanding. Simple work" refers to activities for which no formal qualification is required. Employees learn these activities as part of an induction program. Simple work is predominantly performed by people without vocational qualifications, but also by people whose qualifications are not recognized in this country or who cannot access the labor market with their qualifications. The high proportion of women and migrants in simple work is striking. In many sectors, low-skilled work is associated with a relatively high average age.

No data are available for Switzerland on the total extent of simple labor. In comparable economies such as Germany, the share in the manufacturing sector is around 25 percent. Depending on the industry, the share varies greatly; in Switzerland, for example, it is estimated that 50 percent of employees in meat processing are in simple labor.

"Simple work is central"

"Employees in simple work were long considered a flexible labor resource, easily exchangeable and replaceable, but that has now changed," says Thomas Geisen of the School of Social Work FHNW, who is leading the study together with colleagues from the School of Business FHNW and the University of Teacher Education FHNW. The study shows that simple labor is seen by many companies as a central productive factor. "For us, simple work is central," say unanimously managers of the catering group SV Switzerland and the meat processor Bell Group. And a manager at Planet GDZ, which manufactures and sells drop-down seals for doors, states: "These are the employees who create value for us."

Simple labor will not disappear

The widespread assumption that simple labor will all but disappear as a result of rationalization and automation is unlikely to be confirmed. Rather, simple labor is changing as a result of technological change and shifts are taking place in production chains or between sectors, for example through outsourcing. For example, the decline in low-skilled work in industrial production is being offset by an increase in personal services.

Much routine, endangered health, little continuing education

The risk of health problems is seen by companies as the central challenge of retaining staff in old age. Older people working in simple jobs have often performed routine and mostly physically stressful tasks under difficult conditions at low pay for many years. Such stresses, as well as a lack of development and advancement opportunities, can have a negative impact on employee retention. "A look at the continuing education statistics shows that people without vocational qualifications in particular hardly ever take advantage of formal continuing education and qualification offerings," explains co-project leader Nathalie Amstutz from the FHNW School of Business.

Strategies to retain proven employees

Companies that are actively addressing the challenges of simple work are looking for answers in the areas of health promotion, further training and personnel management. Several of the companies surveyed have introduced job rotation to counteract one-sided stress and excessive monotony. Financial incentives and benefits are also offered. And HR managers already keep an eye on the longer retention of new employees when hiring staff for simple tasks: Recruiting staff who live in the region or bringing in former temporary employees are common strategies here.

The topic has hardly been researched so far

The FHNW study "Aging Workforces and Simple Work" is the first study on this topic in Switzerland; internationally, too, the topic has been researched only sporadically. Twenty companies from the manufacturing industry, the hotel and catering industry, and the social and healthcare sector participated in the study. In addition to the aforementioned companies Planet GDZ, SV Schweiz and Bell Group, Syngenta, ABB and the five-star hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel also participated. In addition, ten interviews were conducted with experts from associations, social insurance companies and trade unions.

The project "Aging Workforces and Simple Work" is part of the research and development program "Aging Society". This program is one of four Strategic Initiatives with which the FHNW tackles societal challenges of our time. The other three current topics: There is a lack of scientific and technical specialists (strategic initiative "EduNaT"), a sustainable approach to energy is needed (initiative "Energy Chance"), and the competitiveness of the economy must be strengthened (initiative "Entrepreneurship").

Source: University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, School of Business

The HR manager of the future follows in the footsteps of today's CFO and becomes a core part of management.

The day of a CHRO - perhaps her title is Chief Employee Experience Officer or Chief People Officer - may look like this in five years: In the morning, she dials into a budget call to explain to the CEO how the new HR concept has led to recent profitability spikes. Afterwards, she sits in the virtual reality conference room in Tokyo for a press briefing.

Finally, for dinner, she meets the company's key logistics customers in Europe to get an idea of driverless trucks and fully automated ships, and what impact this will have on the culture and strategic direction of her company.

Possible trends

The HR manager of the future follows in the footsteps of today's CFO and becomes a core part of management. The CFO is a successful role model: He has learned to speak the language of the board and to present the right facts to turn his recommendations into strategically valuable contributions.

HR Manager Skills

What does the human resources executive of the future need to be able to do? "A CHRO must diagnose problems, forecast outcomes and propose solutions that help create value for the company at the HR level [full article in English at this Link ].“

The crux of the matter is forecasting:

By modeling his or her plan for the future, the CHRO can show the board what the right talent in key roles will mean for the company in concrete terms - and how they can be used to achieve corporate and profit goals.

But reliable forecasts require robust analysis. With reliable figures, HR managers can finally convince even the traditionally number-oriented board members of their plans and shed the reputation of the "feel-good department" HR.

Data analysis, the way to the boardroom table

The best approach to begin analysis is from the back to the front. Instead of digging through the mountain of data for patterns, the CHRO defines his or her goals, finds a clear question, and works his or her way back to the beginning. To then use data successfully, three things are needed: an affinity for analysis and evaluation, clean data sets, and the right software.

All of this can be learned or procured - and is part of the basic toolkit of a successful and business-oriented CHRO.

From the data, the CHRO of the future recognizes the fundamental challenges facing the company: anonymous surveys or specific feedback on individual managers, everything can be evaluated to identify important currents in good time. Armed with this knowledge, the CHRO will soon be sitting at the table with the CEO and CFO as an equal partner, briefing the press on HR strategies that solve fundamental problems, and having a direct line to corporate customers and current trends. So let's look forward to the future! (Text: Christoph Kull/Workday)

www.blogs.workday.com

"Today, the name Knigge is synonymous with everything related to manners, behavior and style. - And it has regained a high status today, especially in business, because the need and the necessity of our values for positive interaction are recognized and desired by a great many people."

Ms. Beckmann, Knigge has been dead for a long time. Why do we still talk about him today?

Susanne Beckmann: What Adolph Freiherr Knigge wrote well over 230 years ago was not a set of rules for how to hold your wine glass properly or how to fillet the fish on your plate. His goal was to help people from different classes and different backgrounds to live together in a respectful manner. Today, the name Knigge is synonymous with everything related to manners, behavior and style. - And today this has regained a high value, especially in business life, because the need and the necessity of our values for a positive coexistence are recognized and desired by very many people.

What do good manners look like from your point of view?

I would like to illustrate this with a small example: Today, you often see employees during a meeting who spend a long time on their cell phones. On the one hand, I see this as disrespectful behavior towards the person leading the meeting, and on the other hand, the meeting is unnecessarily prolonged due to lack of concentration. This example can be applied to many other areas. It starts with appropriate dress and appearance, continues with attention and appreciation, and ends with appropriate table manners and behavior at business dinners.

How do you differentiate how you deal with different people and professional groups?

Not really, because I think it's natural to show respect for everyone. That applies to the cleaning service or the production employee just as much as it does to the Chairman of the Board of Management. All people, with their abilities and personalities, are important in companies and, of course, in our society. Therefore, one should adapt to different professional groups, situations and occasions in terms of content, language and appearance. To this end, one can develop one's own style within certain limits and rules. The important thing here is to be authentic with appreciative behavior instead of appearing put upon. I see our social rules as something like guard rails within which everyone can go their own way.

Is the "span" of these guardrails changing?

In any case, there are always changes. In the past, we have experienced times when attempts were made to completely remove these guard rails. In the meantime, the trend is moving in the other direction again: Good manners are once again highly valued, even in business.

Where does this change come from and what does it mean for companies?

We live in a time when products and services are often interchangeable. The only difference is made by the person and his or her effect on the business partner or customer. Those who can convince here with attention, style and appreciation will be successful. In addition, respectful interaction within the company creates a motivating corporate culture, which then also achieves a positive image externally. For these reasons, company leaders attach great importance to the appropriate behavior of their employees - from learners to managers. Many bosses are now going out to lunch with job applicants again to experience their manners. This shows how necessary a confident demeanor is in this area, because it can be decisive in awarding jobs when qualifications are equal.

Where are the most common mistakes made?

Well, I don't necessarily call it a mistake, because it's about developing a flair for certain situations and occasions. If you know the most important rules of modern manners, you can consciously decide for or against them and then, however, you also have to bear any consequences. Certainly, there is a certain trend towards casualness in clothing, which contradicts style and etiquette here and there. Table manners also do not always meet expectations. In communication, attention, i.e., classic listening, is often lacking. It's often just little things that bother the other person, but are decisive for sympathy or rejection.

Can you learn good manners?

Good manners, or at least a sense of appropriate manners, are definitely a matter of the parental home. Where this does not happen or no longer happens in the family or even at school, there is a need for seminars and training sessions in which people learn how to deal with each other confidently and respectfully in the relevant situations. The feedback I get at my events shows me that the topic moves many people and that there is a lot of uncertainty. I would like to transform these insecurities into confident and sympathetic behavior. What I want to convey is that it's not about memorizing individual rules or patterns of behavior, but rather getting a sense of what behavior is appropriate in a given situation. Good style has less to do with rules than with sensitivity for other people.

Susanne Beckmann is a business etiquette trainer and gives seminars in companies across all hierarchical levels on modern business etiquette. She has summarized tips and information specifically for young professionals in her book "#Benehmen" (ISBN 978-3-00-053228-3). www.susanne-beckmann.de

The upcoming print issue of ORGANISATOR will also feature an article by Swiss etiquette expert Susanne Abplanalp on office etiquette.

Bak-Heang Ung takes over as CEO of the Executive Board of the Digicomp Group; this includes Digicomp Academy AG, the French-speaking Swiss subsidiary Digicomp Academy Suisse Romande SA and Somexcloud GmbH, which was acquired in mid-August 2016. As CIO, Danko Petrovic will also be part of the management team and will drive forward the digitization of the Digicomp Group and its customer solutions.

Peter Kupper sees the greatest challenges for his team in the digitization of learning offerings: "We are working on designing the right mix of digital learning content, in-depth seminars and expert exchanges so that all learning types and learning requirements can be addressed. With our total solution for corporate training, we bring the knowledge of our experts close to our participants' workplaces, both geographically and in terms of time."

Peter Kupper remains Chairman of the Board of Directors of Digicomp Group. He is delighted: "With Bak-Heang Ung, Digicomp has a charismatic, well-connected personality at the helm who knows the learning business like no other. As the new CEO, she will set the right impulses for a successful future of Digicomp in the challenging time of digitalization."

www.digicomp.ch

Around 25 percent of all Swiss households and 13 percent of companies actively opted for an electricity product from renewable energies or a naturemade star certified green electricity product in 2015. Together, these customers purchased a total of 11.3 terawatt hours of electricity in 2015, which corresponds to around 20 percent of total electricity consumption in Switzerland.

Demand for electricity products from renewable energies has increased steadily in recent years. In 2015, six percent more end customers opted for one compared with the previous year.

The market survey conducted by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and the Association for Environmentally Sound Energy VUE looks at the active actions of electricity customers. Therefore, electricity volumes sold via green default products without opting out are not included in the survey. This is because these customers receive electricity from 100 percent renewable energy as a default product without the option to choose and cannot switch to a (partially) non-renewable energy product.

Water products and mix products most in demand

The frontrunners in terms of orders are pure water products and mix products - around 99 percent of the energy actively ordered is sold via such products. Pure water products have steadily increased in importance in recent years. This is also reflected in the figures for electricity production: According to the 2014 electricity indicator1 , 91 percent of the renewable electricity produced in Switzerland was generated in hydropower plants.

naturemade seal of quality as an important sales argument 

At Mixprodukte, naturemade certification plays a central role. 57 percent of the electricity sold through Mixproducts is naturemade basic certified, 11 percent bears the naturemade star seal of approval - the strictest seal of approval for green electricity in Europe.

Distribution among more and more electricity suppliers

A total of 380 out of 645 electricity suppliers offered an electricity product from renewable energies in 2015. The ever-growing sales volume has been continuously distributed among more and more market participants in recent years. While three suppliers were responsible for 85 percent of sales in 2008, 80 percent of renewable electricity products were sold via the 10 largest suppliers in 2015.

Source: Association for Environmentally Sound Energy VUE

Especially in complex payroll accounting, a flexible program solution offers enormous advantages. Of course, with the 2017 version, customers are ready for the ISO 20022 formats of the new payment traffic that Swiss financial institutions are gradually introducing.

Flexible cooperation with trustee

The new Sage Start offers the advantage that especially young and small entrepreneurs can start lean and cost-effective with the invoicing, but the trustee can access the complete range of functions of the software from his side. Thus, the trustee can manage the payroll accounting in Sage Start of the trustee customer, even if the customer has subscribed to Sage Start Invoicing only, for example.

Trilingual supported version

"Experience has shown that payroll accounting is the most difficult area for our clients because it is very complex," says Maxime Bossy, Managing Director at the fiduciary company Findea. "With the new Sage Start, it's easy for us to guide our clients safely and competently, especially when it comes to wages. Moreover, since Sage Start is trilingual, it is also suitable for serving our clients in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino."

Hybrid cloud model

Flexible collaboration is made possible by Sage Start's hybrid cloud model, in which only the application data is kept in the cloud. For example, if the fiduciary customer uses Sage Start Financial Accounting, he sees the corresponding posting of wages in his accounting. If the customer subsequently decides to subscribe to payroll accounting himself, he immediately receives full access to all payroll entries already made.

Data sovereignty remains with the trustee customer at all times. The customer can grant and withdraw access to his data to the trustee in just a few steps.

Ready for the new payment traffic

With ISO 20022, Swiss financial institutions are standardizing the formats for data exchange between companies and banks. Sage Start already provides all the new formats for transfers, account statements and ISR reporting. Thanks to the new ISO standard, all movements in e-banking can be reconciled with Sage Start accounting in a fully automated way, which greatly simplifies liquidity management. This bank account reconciliation works with all Swiss banks.

The business software is modular and available from CHF 30.-/month. Updates and support are included. Further links:

www.sagestart.ch
www.sage-treuhand.ch
www.findea.ch

Since 2012, the Family Business Award has annually honored a particularly sustainably managed Swiss family business. The award was established by AMAG in honor of its founder Walter Haefner. This year, Blumer-Lehmann AG from Gossau, FRAISA SA from Bellach and Groupe Volet SA from St-Légier were in the final. FRAISA SA convinced the expert jury with its corporate culture, long-term commitment and sustainable development.

As the winner, it joins previous winners Wyon AG (2015), Entreprises et Domaines Rouvinez (2014), SIGA Holding AG (2013) and Trisa AG (2012).

The award ceremony took place at AMAG Solothurn on December 6, 2016. All award finalists receive a vehicle from AMAG - this year it is a VW Passat Variant GTE. The plug-in hybrid from Volkswagen will accompany the finalists efficiently and sustainably for a year.

FRAISA shows passion for the product

FRAISA produces state-of-the-art cutting tools for metalworking. The company was founded in 1934 and with its 540 employees at seven locations today is one of the leading manufacturers in the industry. Despite its size and diverse locations, FRAISA is a truly family-owned company with a strong bond between the management team and the workforce. The employees are characterized by a high level of enthusiasm and identification with the product. Thus, the product is always the focus and all activities and services are aligned accordingly.

Family Business Award 2017

For the participation in the Family Business Award 2017, the application window will be available on the homepage from next February. www.family-business-award.ch available again.