Bruckner studied and earned his doctorate at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and then worked for many years in various management positions for the major Swiss bank UBS AG in Zurich before moving first to the ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) in 2009 as head of the Business Administration program and then to the HWZ (Zurich School of Business) in 2013, where he was appointed professor in the same year. Bruckner's main areas of work and research include digital business, marketing and strategic management.

ZfU International Business School

Since 2011, the ZfU International Business School in Thalwil has been an independent part of the German WEKA Group, which in Switzerland also includes WEKA Business Media AG (Zurich) and Lernwerkstatt Olten GmbH (Olten). Werner Pehland, Delegate of the Board of Directors of ZfU: "I am pleased that with Prof. Bruckner we have been able to win a proven expert for the management and strategic development of ZfU. I am convinced that with Prof. Bruckner we will drive the further development of ZfU, especially with regard to digitalization and the development of individual education and training programs, and thus further consolidate and expand ZfU's position as one of the leading international business schools in the German-speaking region."

www.zfu.ch

Those who graduate from the "Höhere Fachschule Marketing" at SAWI from February or August 2017 will have the opportunity to have this degree credited as a prerequisite for the "Master Marketing Management" at ZHAW Winterthur.

Marketing Manager HF (possible in two years)
The three-year Marketing Manager HF course starts in February 2017. In it, a marketing or sales specialist degree can be obtained during the first year. Those who already have the Swiss Federal Diploma in Marketing or Sales can complete the course in two years from August 2017 at SAWI.

Professional model for the future: practical knowledge from SAWI and academic continuing education at the ZHAW
Today, it is important for companies to have specialists on hand who have the right feel for the market and are able to understand economic as well as social contexts. A bridge between the practice-oriented studies at SAWI and the academic continuing education at ZHAW closes this gap and enables ambitious students to pursue this high-potential path.

You can find out more about the cooperation between the ZHAW and the SAWI Dübendorf at www.sawi.com

The National Council approved the first package of measures for the Energy Strategy 2050 in the final vote by 120 votes to 72 with 6 abstentions, the Council of States by 35 votes to 6 with 3 abstentions. The majority of the SVP parliamentary group and some FDP representatives voted against.

The energy companies and associations expressed their relief. The Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE) welcomes the fact that the adoption of the Energy Strategy 2050 (ES2050) by Parliament has once again created a clear framework, as it announced in a media communiqué. In particular, he sees the support for existing large-scale hydropower as an important step for the Swiss energy system. The association also welcomes the lifetime limitation for nuclear power plants and the decision to give equal weight to landscape protection and renewable energies.

Swisspower is calling for rapid implementation of the measures. The group of companies, which includes 22 Swiss municipal utilities and regional utility companies, also expects the second package of measures to improve the framework conditions for the domestic production of renewable energy and effective incentive systems to steer energy consumption.

Referendum threatened

Various groups, including the SVP, have threatened to file a referendum. The SVP wants to decide this in the next few days. Should it come about, the population will have the final say.

"Employees everywhere in the world today are expected to be always available and connected. But in reality, there is something that affects their productivity quite severely and in subtle ways," says Garry Gürtler, Country Manager, Regus Switzerland.

Of the 40,000 or so participants in the survey, 37 percent say they consider commuting useless and superfluous. 27 percent even have a deep aversion to commuting and describe it as a waste of their valuable time. This means that for more than half of all respondents worldwide, a longer commute could be replaced by more productive working hours or a little more sleep in the morning.

Key findings of the study

Only a minority (17 percent) of global respondents consider commuting useful work time, while the majority see it as a burden on work or leisure time.

Therefore, companies should discourage unnecessary commuting and help their employees spend the time they save on something more productive or relaxing.

A small minority (19 percent) consider their commute to work as personal time to read or catch up on the latest news on their smartphone.

Garry Gürtler, Country Manager of Switzerland at Regus: "Commuting to work is taking up more and more time. It is all the more distressing that for the vast majority, the daily commute to the office and back home represents a massive impairment to their productivity and that they cannot use the time required for this for either personal matters or leisure activities."

"Employees everywhere in the world today are expected to be always available and connected. But in reality, there is something that affects their productivity quite severely and subtly - and that is their daily commute. Successful companies that want to boost their employees' productivity and give them more free time or a little more sleep would do well to let them work closer to home, at least occasionally."

www.regus.ch

The worldwide and largest independent consumer survey to date on the subject of fish consumption revealed that the issue of sustainability is playing an increasingly important role when buying fish in Switzerland. For the 653 fish consumers surveyed in Switzerland, the sustainability of a fish product is the most important factor after freshness and the health aspect - far ahead of factors such as price or brand. With this result, the Swiss are the most "sustainability-sensitive" fish consumers worldwide.

"The consumer survey also shows how differently the fish industry ticks compared to other industries. Sustainability obviously has real relevance here and consumers give it a higher priority in their choice of products than we thought.", according to Caroline Holme, Managing Director of GlobeScan, the market research institute conducting the survey.

Two out of three of the fish eaters surveyed in Switzerland (67%) expressed a willingness to dig deeper into their wallets for sustainable fish products than for non-sustainable ones. Even a price increase of 11% would still be acceptable for half of the respondents.

Consumers trust in NGOs - and in their own consumer power

The high willingness of Swiss people to buy sustainably caught fish (81%) in a global comparison is also related to the fact that there is a particularly strong awareness in this country - not least thanks to years of educational work by organizations such as the WWF - of the threats to our oceans and the problem of overfishing.

When asked who could contribute most to the protection of the oceans, consumers most frequently named non-governmental organizations (52%) and scientific institutions (34%). This is followed by consumers themselves: One in four believes that they can influence the protection of the oceans through their purchasing behavior. Governments, on the other hand, are rated as having little influence.

"Fish eaters in Switzerland are aware of the importance of sustainable fishing - and they are willing to change their purchasing behavior to protect the oceans. They feel empowered to vote for sustainability with their wallets.", says Andrea Harmsen, MSC press spokesperson for Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

The high level of consumer trust in the positive influence of non-governmental organizations and science also matches consumers' perception of the MSC: 73% of consumers who are familiar with the MSC label find it trustworthy and view the organization's influence positively. Three quarters of all fish consumers in Switzerland (76%) continue to believe that brands and supermarkets should have statements about the sustainability of their products independently verified.

Expanded range can facilitate sustainable choice

Sustainability awareness among the Swiss is high, as is their willingness to buy sustainably caught fish, and seals such as that of the MSC make it easy for consumers to recognize sustainable products at first glance. 69% of those surveyed - and the trend is rising - say they already buy fish and seafood with sustainability labels whenever possible. However, the supply of fish from sustainable catches is still limited. Only 10% of all fish and seafood worldwide comes from MSC-certified, sustainable fisheries.

"MSC's collaboration with scientists, other non-governmental organizations, the fishing industry and retailers has already led to many positive changes in our oceans. But we must continue to work with our partners and consumers to increase the share of sustainable fisheries in the global wild fish catch, laying the foundation for sustainable consumer choices.", Rupert Howes, managing director of the MSC, emphasizes.

The figures for the study as infographics (Source: MSC)

About the study

The latest global consumer survey was the largest of its kind on fish consumption to date. It was conducted this year by the independent research institute GlobeScan carried out on behalf of the MSC. The research was conducted according to the latest scientific standards and in collaboration with renowned country-specific online consumer panels. It took place in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The main sample included 16,876 consumers who said that they or someone in their household had bought fish or seafood within the last two months. In Switzerland, 811 consumers participated in the survey. The sample was weighted by gender, age, region and education.

Source: MSC

Retailers and consumers are demanding high-quality, healthy, low-residue and inexpensive food. They should also be produced in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. The framework conditions for the use of crop protection products have already changed significantly in recent years. This has resulted in serious cuts for agricultural production: the elimination of entire groups of active ingredients, restrictions in application regulations, increased residue and distance requirements and reduced application rates.

Pioneering role of the fruit industry at Lake Constance

In order to be able to continue producing fruit under these conditions, innovative and promising solutions are needed. In a research project entitled "Model Plants for Integrated Pest Management", such approaches are currently being researched across borders in the Lake Constance region. The aim is to show production and advisory services ways of producing high-quality fruit that has lower pesticide residues than current cultivation methods. Combinations of existing and new cultivation and plant protection strategies as well as the reduction of environmentally critical plant protection products are used.

Model plants for research, consulting and production

In addition to new research activities in existing production facilities, new apple and one new cherry facilities are to be established during the project period. In these, the effects of variety selection, crop management, weather, disease and insect protection as well as the use and promotion of beneficial insects will be researched. At the same time, the model plants are to be used as an experimental field and innovation platform where research, consulting and production come together. This will ensure that promising cultivation and crop protection strategies are quickly adopted in practice.

Combining strategies, using synergy effects

Breeding work has led to the development of varieties that are less susceptible to economically relevant pests such as scab and fire blight. In combination with the choice of cultivation system and crop management, the choice of variety thus has a decisive influence on the use of plant protection products. By appropriately combining variety and cropping system with different cover systems to protect against weather, diseases and insect pests, specific pesticide applications can be partially reduced or eliminated altogether. At the same time, insect pollination and the beneficial effects of beneficial insects must be ensured. A suitable combination of measures should enable synergy effects.

Example weed control

Findings on the use of mechanical and thermal methods for weed control are already available from other projects. Likewise, various seeding mixtures for the greening of tramlines or tree strips are already being investigated. These approaches are to be adapted and tested in the model plants. The aim is to carry out weed control with the greatest possible protection of the soil, in which chemical-synthetic agents are largely dispensed with and, at best, advantages or additional benefits for pollinators or natural counterparts in the orchard are created.

Economic evaluation as the key to success

The practicability of the strategies developed also depends on their economic viability. Therefore, the model plants will also be evaluated by means of cost-benefit and profitability analysis. Existing IP and organic farms will be used as a reference. In addition, the qualitative and quantitative use of plant protection products will be recorded, residue measurements will be carried out and compared with each other. Furthermore, a success and quality control at harvest and in storage will be carried out on the basis of disease and pest infestation and the occurrence of beneficial insects will be recorded.

Model plants for integrated pest management

The project Model Plants for Integrated Pest Management is supported by the Interreg program Alpenrhein-Bodensee-Hochrhein with funding from the European Union and the Swiss Confederation. Project partners are Agroscope, the BBZ Arenenberg Training and Advisory Center, the LZSG Flawil Agricultural Center, AGRIDEA, various partners from Germany, and the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture in Bregenz (A). The project is managed by the Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bodensee KOB in Bavendorf (D).

The further development of Integrated Pest Management plays a key role and is at the heart of the project. Concerns as called for in the National Action Plan for Risk Reduction and Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products will also be included.

Source: Agroscope

New leadership team and service expansion at GetDiversity, the Swiss placement agency for mixed strategic boards.

The two founders Dr. Barbara Rigassi and Dr. Michèle Etienne hand over the baton to two equally competent and committed successors as of October 1. The new management team Kaufmann/de Boer will implement the next development steps of GetDiversity. By expanding its existing services, the recruitment agency aims to increasingly support Swiss organizations in bringing effective diversity to their strategic boards.

The new consulting service "Diversity by Design" focuses on the systematic design of search and selection processes that increase results in favor of diversity and quality.

Mixed teams have more success

Now GetDiversity is recruiting its own top management. Future owners and managing directors are the experienced entrepreneurs and board members Esther-Mirjam de Boer (47) and Carla Jane Kaufmann (36). "We want to meaningfully expand the concept of diversity and make comprehensive use of new media. At the same time, we want to carry on the vision of the two founders: Strategic boards shape the future. Diversity ensures that this happens comprehensively and sustainably. GetDiversity systematically brings diversity to strategic boards, because it is a strategic success factor for innovation and evolution. In short: mixed teams bring more success."

Unlike executive search firms, GetDiversity maintains a personal and active network of over 100 female board members who know each other and share experiences. This network includes board experienced and strategically capable women from all industries and professional groups. The members include decision-makers from large companies as well as women entrepreneurs, senior female administrators, leading exponents of associations and interest groups, and scientists.

This breadth is unique in Switzerland and is convincing. In addition to boards of directors of family businesses, satisfied clients include boards of directors of SMEs and large companies, boards of trustees, advisory boards, expert commissions, committees and expert panels.

Dr. Barbara Rigassi will continue to be available to the new team for strategic development, as will the existing advisory board with Valentin Vogt (President of the Swiss Employers' Association, President of Burckhardt Compression AG and other board mandates), Monika Ribar (President of the Board of Directors of SBB and other board mandates) and Dr. h. c. Eva Jaisli (owner and CEO of PB Swiss Tools, member of the Board of Directors of Berner Kantonalbank and other board mandates).

Mediation of personalities

The services offered by GetDiversity to date include the placement of strategically capable women and men - "Diversity Search" - as well as the targeted addition of suitable women candidates in internal company recruitments - "Diversity in the Second Loop".

The new third focus area is a consulting offering entitled "Diversity by Design" and focuses on the design of search and selection processes that systematically increase team diversity as a result of recruiting processes and reduce bias in decisions. It is known from behavioral research, for example, that personnel decisions are made in favor of more diversity when resumes are assessed in a gender-neutral way.

For the entire GetDiversity offering, the new leadership draws from a broad spectrum of expertise and experience.

www.getdiversity.ch

"Thanks to the renewal of the CLA last year, the social framework conditions for employers and employees in the cleaning industry remain secure in 2017," says Jürg Brechbühl, President of the Joint Commission of the Cleaning Industry in German-speaking Switzerland and President of the Association of Swiss Cleaning Companies Allpura.

"By renewing the CLA last year, the social framework conditions for employers and employees in the cleaning industry remain secure even in this challenging environment," says Jürg Brechbühl, President of the Joint Commission of the Cleaning Industry in German-speaking Switzerland and President of the Association of Swiss Cleaning Companies Allpura.

Since 2004, the CBA for the cleaning industry in German-speaking Switzerland has ensured appropriate framework conditions and continuous professionalization. Since then, real wages for maintenance cleaners have risen by around 27 percent, and by 10-16 percent for special cleaners. In 2017, maintenance cleaners up to the age of 3 will receive a wage.

Employees with three to six years of professional experience receive CHF 3,726.45 and those with more than six years CHF 3,785.60. Special cleaning employees earn at least CHF 4,120.80 (unskilled employees with up to 4 years of professional experience), or CHF 4,594.- (employees with more than 4 years of professional experience) and CHF 5,284.05 (24 years of age or older and possessing the Swiss Federal Certificate of Proficiency or 2 years of professional experience after completion of the Swiss Federal Certificate of Proficiency). These salary figures include a pro-rata 13th month's salary.

Political development

The building cleaning industry is also affected by the current uncertainties for the Swiss economy caused by the difficult political developments and the currency situation in Europe. Among other things, this is due to the loss of cleaning and maintenance space as a result of the outsourcing of production facilities, and the unresolved implementation of the mass immigration initiative is causing additional unrest.

For more information on dressing measures and the training of specialist cleaning personnel, see www.fair-clean.ch

The report of the Air Pollution Monitoring Program NABEL documents the state of the air in Switzerland and shows the development of air pollution since the beginning of the 1980s.

The currently published report for 2015 reflects the special weather of the past year, with an unstable winter with windy conditions and a lot of precipitation and an above-average sunny and warm summer.

Accordingly, ozone pollution was higher than in the past five years. Especially in the canton of Ticino and at medium altitudes on the northern side of the Alps, the most frequent limit value exceedances were recorded.

The immission limit value for nitrogen dioxide was exceeded on an annual average only along heavily trafficked main roads. In urban and suburban areas, pollution levels were close to or below the limit value, while in rural areas away from the roads they were well below.

No limit value exceedances were observed in 2015 for sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, dust precipitation and heavy metals. The majority of these pollutants are far below the limit values.

Air pollution has decreased significantly

Over the past 25 years, air pollution with most pollutants has decreased significantly: For example, particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels are significantly lower than in 1990, while sulfur dioxide levels are now less than one-tenth of those measured in the early 1980s. Carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals in particulate matter, and the carcinogen benzene are also on the decline.

Only in the case of ozone no significant decrease could be observed.

Target not yet reached

Although significant progress has been made in keeping the air clean in recent years, the statutory goal of clean air is still far from being achieved. In particular, the health risks posed by excessive levels of particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and carcinogenic air pollutants, as well as excessive nitrogen inputs into sensitive ecosystems, should be borne in mind.

Source: NABEL /BAFU

Particularly in the case of larger foreign currency transactions, even small differences in pricing conditions have a major impact on costs and thus earnings. At the same time, it is almost impossible, especially for the smaller market participants, to maintain a full overview of the offers available on the market.

In response, two years ago QCAM Currency Asset Management launched FXBE/FX Best Execution, a unique currency management offering and an independent solution for transparent execution of foreign exchange transactions, in cooperation with the AAA-rated Zürcher Kantonalbank. The offering is primarily aimed at small and medium-sized pension funds, family offices and SMEs.

"Best Execution" guaranteed

With FXBE, best execution is guaranteed. "With this solution, QCAM offers clients an attractive one-stop solution - our clients have access to a number of banks as trading partners, the resulting counterparty risk is assumed by Zürcher Kantonalbank, which is the only counterparty for the client" explains Cengiz Temel, Head FX Services at QCAM, the innovative offering. "We support our clients in setting up an optimal multi-bank setup and execute their FX transactions transparently, independently and in their best interest."

For their part, with FXBE, clients are also acting in the best interests of their end customers, thereby also fulfilling their regulatory obligations and benefiting from the following advantages:

• independent and transparent execution of foreign exchange transactions
• Transaction execution via multiple banks
• Avoidance of unnecessary transaction costs - Increase in yields
• Access to the FX Prime Brokerage service with Zürcher Kantonalbank
• Simplification of processes (straight through processing) via FXBE
• As an FX Prime Brokerage customer of Zürcher Kantonalbank, there is no need for any further
• Trade lines with the commercial banks
• The counterparty risks are assumed by Zürcher Kantonalbank
• Transparent reporting

Information: www.q-cam.com

The Abendrot Foundation has been nominated for election for its efforts to achieve economic goals in harmony with social behavior. This is clearly demonstrated by various prominent real estate projects that the foundation has pursued in recent years. The project in Winterthur on the former Sulzer site became known throughout Switzerland. In Lucerne, it was the project of the "Teiggi-Überbauung", a former pasta factory in Kriens. In this project, a new, dense superstructure is being realized, with part of the historic factory buildings being renovated and repurposed for use as a living and working environment. The result is a lively mix of different rental apartments, condominiums (in building rights), studios, residential studios, stores and neighborhood infrastructure.

More awards

Awards were given to pension funds and foundations for the following special initiatives:

• Artes&Comoedia: Special pension solutions for cultural professionals, who often have several employers and also work freelance.
• ASGA Pension Fund: New online platform for better involvement of delegates. ASGA is a cooperative, its supreme governing body consists of 50 employer and 50 employee representatives.
• FAR Foundation: It is a pioneer in the design of flexible retirement within the framework of a collective labor agreement.
• Firmenich SA pension fund: pioneer of solutions for a gradual exit from professional life so that experienced employees can pass on their knowledge to younger colleagues.
• Pension fund of the technical associations: At the request of the insured, it has found a new innovative solution to the eternal question of "pension or capital?
• Zug Pension Fund: Comprehensive measures to reintegrate insured persons have led to a sustained reduction in the number of disability cases.

Social partnership is a basic principle of the 2nd pillar in Switzerland

The public often pays little attention to the social partnership-based management of pension funds. This is where the VPS Award aims to remedy the situation. One of the basic principles of occupational pension provision is the management of pension funds on a basis of social partnership and parity, with freedom to shape and responsibility to shape. The prize is awarded to bodies, individuals, organizations or employers who have contributed to the socially responsible development of the 2nd pillar with sustainable initiatives or achievements. The prize is intended to give them the attention and appreciation they deserve and to provide other pension institutions with input and ideas.

The election procedure 

Foundations or organizations were eligible to apply for the VPS award. From the applications received, a jury selected seven nominees who received an award. On the platform of the trade journal "Schweizer Personalvorsorge", the main winner could then be chosen.

www.vps.ch

The degree of digitization of Swiss SMEs varies. The larger the company and the younger the management, the fitter the company is in the digital field. The industry is also a deciding factor: Companies from areas of activity such as telecommunications and media are - not surprisingly - leaders in digitization. 80 percent of respondents expect the market to change fundamentally as a result of digitization in the next five years. This is the result of a survey of 300 Swiss SMEs.

Digital, but not everywhere

The companies surveyed focus on digitizing internal processes and on websites or e-commerce solutions. The customer and their experience are still rarely the focus: only 42 percent involve customers in their business processes. Companies that have opted for digital transformation now believe that the financial commitment has paid off.

Making digitization a top priority

"Success stories at homegrown companies show that digitization fundamentally changes a company. That's why the topic should be on the agenda of managing directors, CEOs and board members," emphasizes Patrick Warnking, Country Director of Google Switzerland. "Human resources are among the most important success factors of digitalization. It needs people who translate what has been planned into their everyday lives," adds Holger Greif, Digital Transformation Leader at PwC Switzerland.

Roadmap for champions

As a finding from the study, Norbert Kühnis, Head of Family Businesses and SMEs, PwC Switzerland, recommends showing courage and observing one's own market closely: "It often takes a courageous decision for a big step to succeed. I therefore advise Swiss SMEs to observe the market and see digital opportunities as opportunities. A champion uses digitization to expand the relationship with customers and to tackle customer needs in a spirited way."

You can download the current SME study under this link http://www.pwc.ch/de/dienstleistungen/consulting/digital/digitalisierung-wo-stehen-schweizer-kmu.html