As the first sports event in Switzerland, the Zurich New Year's Eve Run will be held energy-neutral on December 11, 2016. This is made possible by EWZ and other companies who ensure that as much energy is saved as the New Year's Eve run consumes as an event.

Saving energy instead of offsetting CO2

The concept of energy neutrality was developed by EWZ. Unlike conventional models, it is not a matter of compensating the CO2 emissions with certificates by means of money, but actually saving as much energy as the Zurich New Year's Eve run consumes in total: for example, the mobility of the participants, catering, lighting and infrastructure.

This works as follows: On the one hand, the energy consumption of the Zurich New Year's Eve is to be reduced as far as possible with own energy saving measures. On the other hand, EWZ as an energy partner has implemented efficiency measures with other companies, i.e. so-called binding target agreements for energy savings. In total, the total energy consumption from the Zurich New Year's Eve run of 324,600 kWh is thus compensated. This corresponds to the annual energy consumption of around 100 households.

Due to the sharp increase in customer expectations of digital solutions, the pressure to turn 'digital' into a successful strategy is increasing all the more," explains Holger Greif, Digital Transformation Leader at PwC Switzerland.

Corporate culture is the backbone of any digital transformation. Only with an agile and flexible culture are companies able to transform successfully. If these values are also reflected in the structure and lived cohesively by management, companies can benefit from digitization.

Four relevant implications could be derived from the study:

1. harmonization

Across all industries, there is a lack of common understanding of the increasingly rapid digital transformation. In order to come to the same denominator within the company, top management (strategy definition), middle management (strategy execution) and ultimately the customer - whose needs are to be satisfied - must all have the same idea of what is meant by digitization.

2. customer orientation

The ever faster evolving customer needs are often not satisfied by new digital products and services. In order to offer customers added value, it is necessary to place them at the center of everything we do.

3. external perspectives

Being innovative with existing resources is one of the greatest challenges. Accordingly, it is central to bring fresh perspectives and new talents with new approaches into the company.

4. self-disruption

Companies must be willing to rethink and embrace a culture of error. Only those who learn from their own mistakes can succeed quickly. Pursuing new business models and questioning one's own success is not only a way to challenge oneself, but also to drive digital transformation.

Implement digital strategies and turn them into measurable initiatives

It has never been so relevant to transform the mentioned factors into a digital strategy. "Only when management and customer expectations are aligned can companies generate added value in the digital domain. Due to the sharp increase in customer expectations of digital solutions, the pressure to turn 'digital' into a successful strategy is increasing all the more," explains Holger Greif, Digital Transformation Leader at PwC Switzerland.

www.pwc.ch

74 percent of visits are still gained by European retailers via the desktop. The smartphone continues to catch up, but remains behind the desktop.

For the "Adobe Mobile Retail Report," consumer data was examined on the basis of over 300 billion visits to more than 16,000 and over 90 billion app launches. No figures were collected for Switzerland, but similar trends are likely to emerge as in the European e-commerce market as a whole.

Sales generated via smartphones increased significantly in Europe last year, even doubling in France (+103 percent) and the UK (+99 percent). In Germany, too, the trend is clearly toward mobile shopping (+90 percent). Smartphones are thus clearly ahead of desktop PCs and tablets as growth drivers in the retail sector.

Despite the enormous growth rate in smartphone sales, however, the desktop PC remains the cash cow of e-commerce: German retailers, for example, booked 79 percent of their annual sales via the desktop channel and only 9 percent were generated via the smartphone. This is the result of the current "ADI Mobile Retail Report 2016" from Adobe.

Desktop (still) preferred

The current ADI report shows a similar picture for online retail traffic: the smartphone is also a convincing traffic driver in terms of visits to retailer websites, with immense growth averaging 54 percent in Europe (UK: 42 percent, Germany: +80 percent, France: +88 percent). The importance of desktop PCs, on the other hand, is declining somewhat year-on-year (-6 percent). Overall, sales via the desktop "keep their nose in front":

74 percent of visits are still gained by European retailers via the desktop. The smartphone continues to catch up, but remains behind the desktop.

"The impressive growth figures in the current ADI Mobile Retail Report 2016 make one thing clear above all: there is no way around mobile in future e-commerce. However, it is also clear that there is still a huge gap in performance between desktop and smartphone. Across Europe, the conversion rate for desktop is 2.6 times higher than for smartphone," says Andreas Helios, Senior Group Manager Digital Marketing Solutions at Adobe Systems.

Retailers urgently need to catch up here. It is no longer necessary to transfer desktop business one-to-one to the smartphone, but to meet the specific mobile requirements in terms of a successful customer experience. Only in this way can customers complete their purchase directly on their smartphone and not be left somewhere along the way on their customer journey, says the Senior Group Manager Digital Marketing Solutions at Adobe Systems.

http://www.adobe.ch

Andreas Küng, Dominique Urech, Erich Schwegler, Franziska Hirschle, Hanspeter Gisler, Jürg Blattner, Markus Schelbert and Patrick Weber are the first graduates of the new VSE course for federally certified energy and efficiency consultants. They are to play a leading role in the practical implementation of the Energy Strategy 2050.

Generalists for the energy transition

Renewable energies - such as water, sun and wind - will shape the future. And the careful use of energy, i.e. energy efficiency, is becoming increasingly important for companies. That's why VSE has developed the Energy and Efficiency Consultant (EEB) training.

EEB offer comprehensive professional consultations in both areas. They also know where and how renewable energies can be ideally used. This demanding profession combines the fields of society, economy, technology and ecology. In the ongoing restructuring of the energy system, these consultants therefore also act as a valuable interface. In terms of their qualifications, EEBs are generalists who have already passed a professional examination (or an equivalent qualification). The training is aimed at committed professionals who know the opportunities of the energy transition and want to tackle them.

There are still a few places available in the next course in spring 2017. Start: April 28, 2017. Interested parties can still register until the end of December 2016. Information and registration on the VSE website.

effeSTRADA is the national funding program of the Lighting Industry Association (fvb) to support municipalities in converting their street lighting to an intelligent LED solution. effeSTRADA is promoted by ProKilowatt and coordinated by the Professional Association of the Lighting Industry (fvb). The Swiss Agency for Energy Efficiency (S.A.F.E.) is responsible for the operational management of the program. Neutral experts are on hand to provide advice and monitor the program.

Targets exceeded

The purpose of effeSTRADA is clear: to promote energy-efficient lighting in public spaces. Street lighting accounts for about 1.5 percent of total electricity consumption in Switzerland. Modern LEDs in combination with intelligent control could save 70 percent of the energy.

With the funding amount of 1 million Swiss francs, effeSTRADA pursued the goal of triggering investments in the amount of 5 million Swiss francs and saving 1.7 million kWh of electricity per year from 2014-16. According to Daniel Cathomen (fvb), the goals of the first phase of effeSTRADA were achieved faster than expected and were also significantly exceeded: instead of the targeted 5000 LED light points, 5500 were funded. However, many more were submitted. Several projects had to be rejected because the savings were too low or because the criteria were not met. In the end, projects were rejected and the budget was exhausted.

Furthermore, 390 kWh/a were saved per light point and year instead of 345 kWh/a. With energy savings over 20 years, a quota of 124 percent was thus achieved, namely 42.7 GWh instead of 34.5 GWh. A total of 48 communities were supported. effeSTRADA paid 100 Swiss francs per light point.

Funding threshold lowered

With effeSTRADA+, the successor project which starts on January 16, 2017, the bonus of 100 Swiss francs per light point remains the same. For this, applications from 25 (previously 50 light points LED) will be funded, if the luminaire is equipped with a motion detector. At least 225 kWh/a (previously 200 kWh/a) are to be saved per light point; as a rule, old sodium vapor lamps are replaced. The subsidy program will run for three years, or until the subsidies of 1.2 million Swiss francs have been exhausted. The funded projects must be completed no later than 18 months after submission.

Registration for the grant program at: www.effestrada.ch

Author: Stefan Harmann, Press store

Taking environmental, social and governance factors into account in investments is becoming increasingly popular among Swiss institutional investors, as the latest market study on sustainable investments in Switzerland revealed. "Due to the diversity of different approaches, it is often not easy for those responsible to gain an overview and select the approach that is suitable for their own organization. Together with around 30 experts from among our members, we have therefore developed a practical manual on the topic," explains Sabine Döbeli, Managing Director of Swiss Sustainable Finance.

In four parts, the context of sustainable investments is highlighted, existing approaches to sustainable investments as well as specific sustainable asset classes are presented, and a guide for the concrete implementation of a sustainable investment policy is presented. In addition, eight case studies illustrate how various Swiss organizations have successfully implemented their own sustainable investment policies.

Partners emphasize importance of independent information tool

The idea for the handbook came from the SSF working group "Institutional Investors", which includes well-known major investors such as Helvetia, Mobiliar, Nest Sammelstiftung, Swiss Re and Suva. These accompanied the process and, together with an editorial team, ensured that the publication was practical and neutral. "Organizations that hold money in trust can no longer avoid the topic, " explains Hubert Niggli, Head of Finance at Suva and Vice President of Swiss Sustainable Finance, "the handbook helps them learn about different options and their relevance for their own organization."

This opinion is shared by Ulla Enne, head of the SSF working group "Institutional Investors" and investment specialist at Nest Sammelstiftung, a pension fund that has been successfully investing with a sustainable investment strategy for years, and she adds: "Taking environmental, social and governance factors into account in the investment process can help to better identify long-term investment opportunities and risks. As a pension fund, we also see it as our duty to contribute to sustainable development." SSF's broad network made it possible to attract suitable subject matter experts as authors for each topic. As supporters, the Swiss Pension Fund Association ASIP, the Swiss Insurance Association SVV and SwissFoundations emphasize the relevance of the topic for their member organizations and welcome the neutral source of information on the topic.

Source: Swiss Sustainable Finance

Bad news for operators of PV systems: The compensation rates are to be massively reduced again in 2017. The photovoltaic remuneration rate will be reduced by up to 28 percent in two steps as of April 1 and October 1, 2017, and will then be a uniform 13.7 centimes for attached and free-standing systems and 15.8 centimes for integrated systems.

The one-time payment for photovoltaic systems with a capacity of up to 30 kW will be reduced in two steps as of April 1, 2017 and April 1, 2018. For attached and free-standing systems, the basic contribution remains unchanged, the performance contribution will be reduced by a total of 100 francs/kW in the two steps. For integrated plants, the basic contribution will decrease by 200 francs and the performance contribution will decrease in two steps by a total of 150 francs/kW.

The new KEV remuneration rates and one-off payments apply to plants commissioned after the entry into force of this ordinance revision.

Small hydropower: hydraulic engineering bonus and basic remuneration affected

Small hydropower plants are also affected. For these, the basic tariffs will be up to 18% lower and the hydraulic construction bonus up to 50% lower as of January 1, 2017. The new compensation rates apply to plants commissioned after the effective date of this ordinance revision. Operators of facilities that begin operation on or after January 1, 2017, but have received a positive determination and submitted the complete initial project progress report prior to that date, are not affected.

On December 2, 2016, the Federal Council set out these and other changes in a revision of the Energy Ordinance, which will come into force on January 1, 2017.

Source: Federal Council/UVEK/BFE

Companies play a crucial role in the implementation of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined in 2015. On the one hand, they provide those goods and services whose consumption leaves a "footprint" that threatens to exceed planetary impact limits. On the other hand, they have numerous resources and opportunities for influence that enable them to make significant contributions to sustainable development.

The relevance of concrete goals

The extent to which they are aware of their corporate responsibility can be seen, among other things, from whether they have recognized environmental issues as a strategic success factor and systematically anchored them in management.

A relevant and meaningful indicator for this is the existence or non-existence of concrete objectives. For according to an old "management wisdom", you cannot and will not manage what you cannot measure. And in a business context, you can only measure something for which you have previously formulated an objective with associated indicators.

This was the starting point for the project "Environmental Goals of Companies in Switzerland", which was commissioned by the FOEN and developed during the summer of 2016 by a research consortium led by Prof. Dr. Claus-Heinrich Daub, Deputy Head of the Institute for Corporate Management at the FHNW School of Business, together with Herbert Winistörfer, Head of the Center for Corporate Responsibility at the ZHAW School of Management and Law.

The aim of the study was to find out which environmental goals Swiss companies publish (quantitative dimension), which topics or environmental fields of action are addressed and how the goals are formulated (qualitative dimension). Obstacles and potentially beneficial factors were also to be identified.

For this purpose, the research team looked at the 500 largest Swiss companies. Those that have public reporting and publish at least one environmental target were examined in detail. This basic sample consisted of 88 companies.

In addition, eight of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have a reporting system with sustainability targets and are considered pioneers, as well as eight multinational enterprises (MNEs) that are considered "best practice" in terms of environmental targets, were analyzed as a comparative sample.

Since an analysis of reports, among other things, cannot provide information on motivations and backgrounds for setting targets, individual and group interviews were conducted. Both business leaders or CEOs as well as sustainability or environmental managers of some selected companies were interviewed.

Industry differences large

Depending on the industry, very different proportions of companies can be found that have environmental targets at all: While there are 50% or more in the paper and cardboard industry, banks and in the cosmetics industry, the proportion in the computer/computer industry is 5%.

Most of the companies that formulate targets focus on energy, emissions, wastewater and waste and materials. Less attention is paid to biodiversity, products, transport and supplier certification. The majority limit themselves to areas that are dealt with in-house - the preceding or subsequent stages of the value chain are rather rarely considered.

The entire study as well as an abridged version can be found at the FOEN website. 

Only 6% of the women surveyed say they control their digital footprint.

Only just under one in ten German-speaking Swiss regularly check what can be found about them on the Internet. Yet almost one in three has already discovered undesirable content about themselves. Risky: One in four people under 30 posts private content on online networks, such as revealing pictures that employers are not allowed to see. This is the result of a representative study commissioned by the professional online network XING.

Personal information available on the Internet is influencing more and more areas of life. Whether it's a future employer who scans the social media profiles of candidates for incriminating content before hiring them, a new acquaintance who obtains background information online before a second date, or a neighbor who prefers to get to know his counterpart better in a noncommittal way through Google instead of chatting in the stairwell.

There's no question about it: our digital footprint, as the sum of this information is also called, is gaining in importance.

A conscious approach to information can create new opportunities in professional life. The following are the key findings of the representative study conducted by the opinion research company Marketagent.com AG on behalf of XING:

Different motives  

Not even 10% of the German-speaking Swiss regularly check their digital footprint, for example by searching for their own name in Google. 50% say they rarely check their information when they think of it by chance. 24% have checked their digital footprint only once and 17% have never even bothered to check what information about them is publicly available on the Internet.

Overall, men are more concerned about their virtual appearance. 13% of them state that they regularly search for information about themselves on the Internet. The figure for women is just 6%.

Unwanted content

There are certainly reasons for regularly checking the information we leave behind on the web. 30% of respondents have already found information that they would rather not see publicly on the Internet. Of course, the remaining 70% also include all the people who did not search at all.

Those who found it were mainly annoyed by personal details that were no longer valid and outdated social media profiles, followed by content that was published without consent.

Sitting on a "digital time bomb

26% of respondents in the age group up to 29 said they had already shared content online in their private lives that their employer was not allowed to see. The most common sins: photos that are too revealing, pictures with people you'd rather not be associated with professionally, and shots where you've obviously had too much to drink. Older age groups play it safe and are less likely to post content that could later become a problem.

In addition, women are on the whole more careful than men when it comes to sensitive content. Of them, 90% refrain from writing anything that might upset the employer. The figure for men is only 77%.

Conclusion: Swiss fail to recognize the relevance of their digital footprint for their careers

Two-thirds of German-speaking Swiss (66%) do not believe that their activities in online networks influence their professional careers. A fallacy, experts warn. Danica Ravaioli, Head of Human Resources at Adecco Switzerland, says: "Information that is publicly available on the Internet forms part of the overall picture we get of potential new employees. It's not even so much about possible negative content, but rather the opportunity to stand out from other candidates through interesting online profiles and an overall positive digital footprint."

According to Stefan Poth, Managing Director of smart.heads and lecturer in personal branding at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (HWZ), it is precisely these opportunities that are still being underutilized:

"Maintaining a profile in professional online networks is worthwhile. Particularly in the direct search for candidates, headhunting, more and more research is being done via digital networks, and an up-to-date and appealing profile is crucial here. The results of the survey therefore surprise me. Apparently, there is a gap between the perceived relevance of the digital footprint for the job search and the relevance that can be observed in practice."

This perception gap is particularly large among female respondents. 75% do not believe that their activities in online networks have any influence on their own careers.

www.xing.com

In the past year, nearly one-third (32%) of decision makers have made changes to business travel plans based on individual country risk assessments. "It is very important for corporate decision makers to have a reliable objective source to implement travel policies and travel plans," says Aurora Chatard, Regional Security Manager Europe at International SOS and Control Risks.

"What has happened this year has meant that travel to places previously considered safe is increasingly perceived as a challenge. Measures taken to mitigate these risks must be appropriate and based on the actual risk, not the general perception. Health care and road safety determined more than 70 percent of our assistance services last year."

More often, these issues would also be overshadowed by more prominent but significantly less likely incidents such as terrorist attacks. Information and a comprehensive assessment of all risk factors are the basis for successful business travel, protecting employees and maintaining business operations.

Current travel and safety checks

Accompanying the Travel Risk Map 2017, a broad survey was conducted by the Ipsos MORI Institute with more than 1000 decision makers. The participants come from 75 countries, represent around 500,000 mobile employees worldwide, and are responsible for travel risk mitigation in their companies.

Despite an increased perception of travel risk (72% of respondents), 44% said their travel activity increased last year. More than half expect travel to continue to increase in the coming year of 2017. Below are two travel trends:

• 80% of the organizations have changed itineraries in the past year due to health and safety concerns.
• Nearly half of respondents (48%) say their companies have increased investment in travel risk mitigation in the past year.

Similarly, around 47% of all companies surveyed expect their investments in safety measures to continue to increase. Under these perspectives, however, potential health risks should not be disregarded. - An overview of the regions that are more likely to pose a risk to health and safety is revealed by the Outlook (found at International SOS) in the interactive

TRAVEL RISK MAP 2017

"In Europe, base salary has been ranked first for years. We attribute the fact that this factor has now gained importance in Switzerland to the subjectively perceived economic uncertainty in this country as well," says Olaf Lang, Head of Talent & Rewards Consulting at Willis Towers Watson.

Two recent studies by Willis Towers Watson show that Switzerland has some catching up to do with regard to the modernization agenda in human resources management. They reveal that the views of employees and employers regarding important factors for attracting, retaining and motivating employees are still in part far apart. This and gaps in leadership skills jeopardize the sustained commitment of employees and thus the company's success.

At European level, basic salary (1), job security (2) and a challenging job (3) are among the most frequently cited reasons for the attractiveness of an employer from the employee's perspective. These factors are also mentioned first in Switzerland, but in a different order. In this country, challenging work comes first, followed by basic salary and job security. This places salary in the top 3 for the first time compared with 2014 (6th place) and 2012 (4th place).

Significance of the basic salary

"In Europe, basic salary has been ranked first for years. We attribute the fact that this factor has now gained importance in Switzerland to the subjectively perceived economic uncertainty in this country as well. What is clear overall is that basic job requirements such as compensation, job security and the like are gaining in importance," explains Olaf Lang, Head of Talent & Rewards Consulting at Willis Towers Watson.

Job security refers not only to concerns about job loss, but also to continuity, stability of a job, or overall career security.

Keyword: Employee retention

Further differences to the global sample can be seen in the greater relevance for Swiss employees of competent colleagues, flexible working arrangements and commuting times to the workplace. While the latter plays a less important role for employee recruitment, proximity to the workplace even ranks third among the most important factors for employee retention.

In terms of retention, employees cite an attractive salary package and career development opportunities in first and second place, respectively. "The fact that other factors need to be considered for employee retention is important to know and to take into account in the HR strategy. Because if these factors can only be realized through a change, Swiss employees benefit from the still healthy labor market," emphasizes Olaf Lang.

Employers need to catch up

Employers have some catching up to do when it comes to assessing the most important employee interests. For them, the salary package comes first as a basic need to be secured. Only then do career opportunities, job security or proximity to the workplace follow. Employers also assess the importance of other retention factors differently or even incorrectly. According to the Willis Towers Watson Global Workforce Study 2016, for example, the relationship with the supervisor or flexible working arrangements play no role for employees in deciding to remain loyal to a company.

Due to the new technical and digital support possibilities, the division between highly qualified and support activities will change drastically. "In the future, companies will therefore have to look even more closely than before at which know-how they need for which tasks and with which offers - be it salary, work content, working atmosphere or development opportunities - they can attract the right employees or freelancers. This will not least increase the demands on managers' leadership skills," emphasizes Lang.

You can order the English-language presentation of the most important results at willistowerswatson@open-up.ch.

Zurich Insurance also recently announced in a Survey found that SMEs are "catastrophically ill-equipped" against cyber attacks. Of course, a successful attack from inside or outside can never be completely ruled out. But even simple measures can make it much more difficult for perpetrators to tap into business-critical information. Gabriel Gabriel, Managing Director of Brainloop Switzerland, gives five tips for a life on the safe side.

1. identify and classify confidential information

Not every document is worth protecting. An easy-to-understand classification system with the categories open, internal, confidential, strictly confidential creates clarity about how individual documents must be handled and which groups of people have access.

2. define responsibilities

Not every employee needs access to all the data on the company server. This also applies to IT, which can act without restrictions in many cases. The smaller the circle of authorized persons, the easier it is to rule out misuse. Also helpful are a revision history and information rights management, which, for example, prohibits printing out a document or saving it locally.

3. protect information technically

In addition to the organizational regulations mentioned above, technical measures ensure information security. However, numerous requirements must be met, such as end-to-end encryption, effective access management, audit-proof logging, and information rights management. At the same time, they should be easy to use. Cloud-based solutions from external providers, for example, score points with simple implementation. However, if companies opt for such a solution, they must ensure that the provider does not gain access to sensitive data. The location of the data center is also important. It determines the data protection laws that apply in each case. Brainloop solutions such as Secure Dataroom meet these requirements and allow data to be stored in Switzerland and even in the company's own data center.

4. introduce internal policies and train employees

Even the best defenses against cybercrime only work if employees are aware of them and accept them. This requires that the solution used is user-friendly and that the company invests in training measures. Rules for handling sensitive data must be clearly communicated and visible to everyone.

5. monitor compliance

What remains: Make sure that all requirements are actually met. If there is a data leak, it must be possible to trace which data is affected and who had access.

"In recent years, the threat of cybercrime has continued to grow," Gabriel Gabriel continues. "So it's only logical that information security has become a management issue, and protecting sensitive and business-critical data is a priority." A secure working environment should be as self-evident as the seatbelt in the car, according to the Managing Director of Brainloop Switzerland, which offers highly secure cloud-based solutions for audit-proof compliance with legal requirements as well as compliance policies.

More information: www.brainloop.com