Street festivals, open-air cinemas, festivals: partying outdoors is part of a successful summer for many people. But if your smartphone is suddenly missing when you reach into your pants pocket or handbag, it can quickly dampen your spirits. Summer is the peak season for pickpockets, as AXA's loss statistics over the last ten years show. Almost a quarter of all cell phone thefts reported to the insurance company occur in July and August. The fewest occur in April, with only one in 15 cell phone thefts happening then. "In the summer, people are outside more often. That gives thieves more opportunities to strike - especially in large gatherings of people," explains Stefan Müller, head of property insurance at AXA. So it's hardly surprising that most thefts occur at the weekend, when numerous festivities are taking place. Over 40 percent of all cell phone thefts occur on Saturdays and Sundays. The risk is lowest on Wednesdays, when only one in ten cell phone thefts occurs.

Increase in thefts by 40 percent

The fact that people are more mobile again and more events are taking place is one reason why the number of stolen cell phones has increased since the end of the pandemic. In 2022, 40 percent more cell phones were stolen than in 2021 and as much as 50 percent more than in 2020. "Cross-border crime, which is now more feasible again, is probably also playing its part in the fact that the theft rate has increased," says Stefan Müller. In the first half of 2023, Axa's figures show a further increase of around 20 percent compared with the same period last year, so that the pre-pandemic level is likely to be reached again.

Caution in Geneva, Basel and Bern

AXA's evaluations show large differences not only between years, months and days of the week, but also between the cantons in which the insured persons reside. People from the canton of Geneva reported stolen cell phones to AXA around 5 times more frequently than the Swiss average and as much as 11 times more frequently than people from Ticino, who seem to be exposed to the lowest risk. Insured persons from the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Bern are also affected more often than average - but rarely from the cantons of Graubünden and Uri. These two cantons and Ticino record less than half as many stolen cell phones per insured person as the Swiss average.

Smartphone gone - what to do?

If the cell phone has been stolen, this must be reported to the local police station and the insurance company. Cell phone theft away from home is covered by the household insurance, provided that coverage for simple theft away from home or all-round coverage for smartphones, tablets and consumer electronics has been taken out.

Source and further information: AXA

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/diebstaehle-von-mobiltelefonen-im-sommer-am-haeufigsten/

The study was conducted this spring in 91 countries with around 13,000 people - 224 of them from Switzerland. Overall, more women (63% worldwide, 57% in Switzerland) than men (37% worldwide, 43% in Switzerland) took part. This indicates that the topic of DEI - short for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion - could be more relevant for women.

DEI is a reason to quit for nearly one in seven people

The results of the study show that around 14 percent of the marketing professionals surveyed worldwide would like to leave the industry due to a lack of diversity, equality and inclusion. In Switzerland, around 8 percent of respondents would like to turn their backs on the industry. This figure rises to 11 percent for people with disabilities - and even 17 percent for LGBQ+ people.

Swiss companies make progress in terms of DEI

Based on the answers to the questions relating to well-being, positive behaviors and the absence of discrimination, the global DEI inclusion index is 63 percent worldwide. Switzerland scores above average, with an index of 70 percent above the global average. The Inclusion Index is made up of three sub-indices, "sense of belonging," "absence of discrimination," and "presence of demeaning behavior," based on employees' perceptions of their work environment and the company.

In this context, 57 percent of the Swiss marketers surveyed agree with the statement that their company is taking active steps toward more diversity and equality. 49 percent believe that the situation has improved with regard to DEI compared to the last two years.

According to the study, all minority groups are relatively well represented in the Swiss advertising industry - compared to global data. Only persons with disabilities are underrepresented at 6 percent, compared to an international average of 22 percent.

The most common grounds of discrimination: Age, gender and marital status

Globally, the study cites age, gender and marital status as the most common forms of discrimination. Forty-one percent of women, 42 percent of parents and 39 percent of dependents believe family responsibilities hinder careers.

It is particularly interesting to note that both 12 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 15 percent of 55- 64-year-olds say they have experienced discrimination because of their age. Some because they are too inexperienced, others because they are too old.

The situation is very similar in Switzerland: 22 percent of respondents think that age is an obstacle. This figure rises to 28 percent among respondents aged 44 to 54. Furthermore, 44 percent of those who have dependent children believe that marital status hinders their career in their company.

Significant wage differentials in Switzerland

The study shows a considerable pay gap for women at all positions in Switzerland: -22% at executive management level, -9% at senior level, a considerable -32% at specialist level and -2% at junior level.

For ethnic minorities, this wage gap exists only at the lower levels with -25% at the junior level. One possible reason for this could be that the new employees are not sufficiently familiar with the wage structure. No corresponding differences could be identified at the other function levels.

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Interested parties can download the entire study from the SWA website. The international results on "The Global DEI Census 2023." there are here. The "Deep Dive" Switzerland is available here.

Currently, 66 percent of the companies surveyed rely on content marketing, as the study shows (Werbewoche.ch reported). And the majority of those who are not yet using content marketing are at least planning to do so. By way of comparison: two years ago, around half of all participating companies stated that they were using content marketing - so a clear trend is emerging.

The content marketing study was conducted by the ZHAW School of Management and Law on behalf of Watson and AZ Konzept for the third time. In December 2022, around 680 Swiss companies of various sizes were surveyed by online questionnaire.

For those interested there is a 25-minute orientation to the current study. The study itself is available in full length as PDF download.

Michael Widmer is the new Head of the Legal & Data Privacy Consulting Competence Center at Swiss Infosec AG and also a new member of the Executive Board. After studying law in Zurich, Michael Widmer gained a great deal of experience in various functions, particularly in the telecommunications industry. Most recently, he was a member of the Executive Board at SwissSign, where his responsibilities included legal, compliance, finance and HR. "Reto Zbinden, CEO of the company, is convinced that "Michael Widmer brings with him all the prerequisites to further develop the Data Privacy and Legal Competence Center in a high-quality and successful manner. 

Michael Widmer will lead a team that has grown steadily in recent years and enjoys an excellent reputation. Swiss Infosec AG's data protection competence center now employs more than 10 lawyers, several of whom are admitted to the bar. This makes it probably the largest data protection team in Switzerland in terms of the number of people working outside of law firm structures.

At Swiss Infosec AG, Michael Widmer joins the management team as head of the Legal & Data Privacy Consulting team. In addition to his management duties, he will advise companies, public institutions and non-profit organizations in the areas of data protection and ICT law and act as an external data protection consultant for companies and organizations. Michael Widmer will also pass on his extensive best practice knowledge in training courses as part of the company's training and development offering.

Source and further information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/swiss-infosec-neuer-leiter-des-kompetenzzentrums-legal-data-privacy-consulting/

For the eighth time, the 3DMC is organized by the WZL of RWTH Aachen University in cooperation with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the University College London (UCL), the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and this year for the first time by the two Spanish partners Tekniker and IDEKO. After successful editions in Aachen, Hamburg and London, the conference now travels to the high-tech region of the Basque Country.

Metrology as a driver of innovation

At 3DMC, up to 200 industrial users and academically renowned experts exchange ideas and shape the innovative and open character of the event. This is also reflected in the program design: a top-class lecture program paired with an open industry exhibition, special interest sessions and dedicated networking formats. Prof. Ben Hughes and Prof. Robert Schmitt will moderate and shape the event as Chairman and Host.

The conference will focus on measurement technology as an innovation driver in automation and quality assurance. Industrial end users will provide insights into successful use cases from various sectors, such as automotive, aerospace and energy. In addition, leading international scientists will present advances and associated new application possibilities in measurement technology itself. 3D data and machine vision form the DNA of the conference and are complemented by other technologies, e.g. from the fields of digitalization and artificial intelligence.

Accompanying industrial exhibition

With two strong partners on site, 3DMC offers the unique opportunity to get to know leading technology drivers and their pioneering research facilities up close: For the first time, the industry exhibition will be spread over two presentation venues during the two conference days, giving participants and exhibitors the opportunity to enter into a creative dialog with each other in various unusual settings, present innovative use cases live and cultivate their own network within the community. The 3DMC thus combines the advantages of a trade fair, a production technology laboratory and an expert forum in a single event.

Selected papers can additionally be published as an associated peer-reviewed article in the Open Access Journal Metrology will be published, further reinforcing the sustained scientific excellence of the conference. The conference language is English.

Participation is still possible as a visitor (Delegate), speaker (Presenter) or exhibiting company (Exhibitor). Further information: https://www.3dmc.events

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/3d-metrology-conference-2023/

For a long time, a beer brewed in Switzerland was not allowed to be called "Pils". The background: Since 1927, Switzerland and the Czech Republic (previously with Czechoslovakia) had an international treaty that allowed the designation only for beer of Czech origin. This agreement was abrogated at the end of 2022. For Feldschlösschen, this was an occasion to develop a Swiss Pilsner and thus expand the product range.

With Feldschlösschen Pils, the brewery is offering a new spicy-tart beer made from Pilsner and Munich malts and a blend of hop varieties. Feldschlösschen Pils is available now in the 50-cl can as a 6-pack in selected Coop supermarkets and in the online store JustDrink.ch. From October, the Pils will also be on the beer shelves of Coop Pronto.

Due to the state treaty on the designation "Pils", which had been in force for almost 100 years, a separate category of beer had been created in Switzerland: The Spezialbier or Spezli. While originally including beers brewed in the Pilsner style, the category evolved over the years and adapted to the tastes of Swiss consumers.

Why are there still fewer women on boards than men? Several factors come together here, as the founder of the management consultancy The Boardroom had to realize. It's not just the boards that are to blame, but it's not just the women either. The question of blame is a vexed issue anyway, because only with synergetic cooperation do the two groups converge!

Boardroom women on the way up - when the board becomes the goal

On a rainy May day in Zurich, nearly 20 women gather for a meeting to listen to successful businesswoman Mirjam Staub-Bisang (Blackrock Switzerland). She gives a lecture on investments, leadership challenges and diversity in business. All the listeners have one thing in common: they are professionally successful! Whether CEOs or HR managers, they have already found their way.

But that's not the end of the story, because the dedicated businesswomen want the space on the board of directors, for more diversity. Career women have one more thing in common: They belong to The Boardroom, the club that wants to revolutionize the quota of women on Swiss boards of directors.

Currently, only 30 percent of board seats are held by women, the rest by men. Diana Markaki, founder of The Boardroom, received her very first mandate at 36 and had only one female fellow member. She felt odd, alone, the great exception. Things didn't get any better after she moved to a Swiss company.

All of this led Markaki to feel a strong pressure to perform, which also brought insecurities. From the perspective of numerous other women, these feelings were a blessing. They eventually moved Markaki to create The Boardroom. The bootcamp where women (and men, too) can learn, to hold their own on the Board of Directors or get there at all.

With The Boardroom, an exclusive club, Markaki wants to change that and prepare women for leadership positions. The club's excellent network plays a major role in this and leads to advancing and living diversity within the framework of various event formats and trainings.

The right personalities are more important than gender

Although Diana Markaki thinks highly of women in leadership positions, gender is not the most important factor for her. It takes the right people for the position. Everywhere discussed about shortage of skilled workersMany of these positions are often filled incorrectly.

The more diverse people's experiences, the more the board benefits. Complex decisions often have to be made, which can be completely re-evaluated through different perspectives. The Boardroom is therefore not specifically aimed at female careerists, but also at those who have not yet thought outside the box. The goal is to tease out strengths and prepare women to assert themselves on boards. This works through networking, trial and error, and assertiveness, even with men!

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/the-boardroom-will-frauen-in-den-vr-holen-fuer-mehr-diversitaet-auf-der-fuehrungsebene/

The system for preventing backflow, known as STOPR, was developed by vonRoll hydro. The function of the human heart valve was the "godfather" for this development: the best flow values and reliable closure are crucial for the performance of the heart. The situation is similar with hydrants: they must be able to supply large quantities of water quickly and at the same time protect the water network against contamination caused by backflow. The spring-loaded non-return valve of the STOPR is mounted in the so-called Storz and reliably closes the hydrant from a pressure of 0.003 bar, which corresponds to the force of a water column of just 3 cm. The STOPR has been flow-optimized by vonRoll hydro engineers to ensure that water can be drawn without impairment. Where previous systems cause flow losses of up to 40%, the system does not significantly impair the performance of hydrants.

Easy mounting and permanent protection

Today, the safety of drinking water supplies is more important than ever. Accordingly, vonRoll hydro relies on permanent solutions for water safety technologies. The STOPR is permanently installed, which can be done in the simplest way on hydrants from all manufacturers, even retrofitted. Thanks to a patented venting system in the system itself, no modification of hydrants is required. By simply changing the Storz, any water supply can inexpensively implement a new standard of drinking water safety.

Pioneering role of the water supply Würenlos

Felix Zürcher, well master of Würenlos (AG), emphasizes the importance of reliable protection of drinking water: "The municipality of Würenlos is proud to have realized the first reference project with the new technology in Switzerland. This reliable and permanent protection of drinking water will set an example at home and abroad," he is convinced. Jürg Brand, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the vonRoll hydro Group, comments: "Water has become the fundamental strategic issue par excellence. With the mission statement ZEROWATERLOSS, we are directing our commitment towards the Water and water supply safety. The new STOPR performs an important function in this regard and, after Switzerland, will also be delivered in Europe and worldwide."

Source and further information: FromRoll hydro / Community Würenlos

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/trinkwassersicherheit-gemeinde-wuerenlos-als-vorreiter/

71% of Swiss people use at least one platform specializing in music streaming. This is the result of the latest streaming study by Moneyland.ch, which was conducted in the form of a representative survey of 1,538 people. This means that the proportion of people who use at least one music streaming service has remained roughly stable compared to the 2022 study.

All music streaming services are beaten by the video platform YouTube, which 73 percent of Swiss people use to listen to music. However, only 22 percent use the Youtube Music Premium service, which specializes in music streaming. This puts the service in third place in a comparison of music streaming platforms. 52 percent use Spotify in this country. This makes the Swedish platform the most-used service that specializes exclusively in music streaming.

Apple Music, which is used by 25 percent of the Swiss, ranks second among music streaming services by a wide margin. This is followed by the smaller offerings Soundcloud 20 percent), Amazon Music 17 percent), Deezer 16 percent), Tidal 13 percent) and Napster 13 percent).

Of the 1538 respondents, only 39 percent said they paid to use music streaming platforms. 25 percent of all respondents said they pay for Spotify. However, only just under half of all users of the Swedish streaming platform spend money on their service. The rest either switch to a free version or use someone else's login. Other platforms have an even lower proportion of paying customers.

By comparison, the proportion of paying users at Netflix is over 65 percent.

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The Streaming Study 2023 is based on a representative survey conducted by the market research institute Ipsos on behalf of Moneyland.ch in April 2023.

This year's Street Parade around the Zurich lake basin has a new main partner for its 30th anniversary: the music platform Sunrise Starzone. At the parade, the Sunrise Starzone Lounge is centrally located at Bürkliplatz and is a meeting point for the visitors. It offers its own bar and catering, a direct view of the Center Stage and its own sanitary facilities.

Ticketcorner as the initiator of Starzone is convinced of the partnership: "With Sunrise starzone and the Street Parade come together,
what belongs together. The new home of the Swiss music scene meets the biggest techno party in the world," says CEO Oliver Niedermann. André Krause, CEO of Sunrise, adds: "Starzone is a key cornerstone of our loyalty offer Sunrise Moments. We are pleased
We are delighted to be able to offer our customers an exclusive experience with the lounge at the Street Parade and thus thank them for their loyalty."

The initiative supports the cultivation of existing or fostering of new friendships and personal relationships and includes numerous sub-projects. To coincide with the publication of the major Swiss friendship study conducted by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute on behalf of the Migros Culture Percentage, a prize draw for 1000 x CHF 250 Migros vouchers for experiences among friends will be launched on August 7.

In the fall of 2023, a creative ideas competition will follow, supporting larger friendship projects. Social commitment is close to Migros' heart: the retailer has been committed to social cohesion since 1957 with the Migros Culture Percentage. Friendships play a central role in this. Because our social network not only provides support and serves our well-being - it also promotes tolerance, understanding and diversity.

Even before the pandemic, the figures for loneliness in Switzerland were rising, and "social distancing" is on the rise even without a circulating infectious disease. For this reason, the Migros Culture Percentage commissioned the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute GDI to conduct the survey. And the study results reinforce the feeling that is spreading throughout society: There is a need for action when it comes to friendships. After all, friendships - whether close or more distant - ensure that we can continue to hold together and be content as a society.

The various sub-projects are played out and made available to the general public throughout Switzerland - via social media and displays, store announcements and cash register sampling.

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Responsible at Migros Culture Percentage: Hedy Graber, Kerstin Klauser, Esther Unternährer, Barbara Salm. Conception, creation and realization: Rod Communication. Production Company: Navada. Photographer: Horatiu Sovaiala.

ChatGPT has been making headlines regularly since November 2022. Never before has an AI been able to understand and follow user instructions so precisely. ChatGPT can provide information on almost any topic, summarize books, write programming lines, formulate poems and much more. The tool represents the beginning of a new generation of AIs. It is foreseeable that this technology will be ubiquitous in the coming years.

But which provider will prevail? While OpenAI - the makers of ChatGPT - currently still enjoys a technical lead, the competition is not far behind. Giants like Google have also jumped on the bandwagon. And to win in the market in the long term, as always, not only technology but also emotions are decisive. So the question is, does ChatGPT trigger the right emotions in users? A question that Neuromarketing-Berartung Zutt & Partner got to the bottom of.

ChatGPT: Emotionally a powerful tool, but not a friendly helper

For this purpose, Zutt & Partner's Emocompass was used - a neuromarketing research tool that can break down emotions. On the one hand, it was used to measure the emotional user desire for AI tools and, on the other hand, to determine which emotions ChatGPT triggers in users. The results show: ChatGPT only meets one of two desired emotions - and also triggers an emotion that is not desired at all.

As a novel, promising technology, ChatGPT triggers inspiration and innovation. But ChatGPT does not succeed in meeting the second and actually more important desired emotion. Here, friendliness and closeness would be required above all.

Instead, ChatGPT primarily triggers emotions associated with power, strength, and self-confidence. ChatGPT is therefore perceived on an emotional level as a powerful and innovative tool - while users want a friendly and inspiring helper.

The Gold Standard consists of the emotion dimensions friendliness and inspiration. So customers want an AI chatbot that is friendly, approachable, and personable. But also inspiring, innovative and creative. ChatGPT evokes emotions of inspiration but not friendliness. Instead, the emotion dimension of power dominates with him. So emotions like power, strength and self-confidence.

The path to emotionally perfect AI

Based on these study results, initial recommendations for action can be derived that bring AI tools closer to the user's wishes. To make these recommendations as tangible as possible, Zutt & Partner has collected and structured practical examples.

Naming: What name should the AI have?

To trigger inspiration and friendliness, the AI should have a short, sweet-sounding name with a refreshing touch. "Real" names thereby bring an extra portion of closeness through the familiar sound pattern, while fantasy namings and creative variations of real names provide more inspiration.

A good example is Alexa - the name of Amazon's AI. Other ideas for emotionally apt namings would be Aria, Amaia, Siana, Lian or Milo, for example.

Hard-sounding, technical names like Microsoft's Cortana or ChatGPT should be avoided. The technical impression makes the naming seem futuristic and powerful, while closeness and friendliness come up short.

Appearance: What does AI need to look like?

In addition to a high recognition value, an emotionally coherent AI in terms of appearance should be a mix of soft as well as surprising design elements. This includes, for example, a round design language, friendly facial features, exciting / lively accents or materializations etc.

Moreover, an avatar contributes a lot to making a tool not only more emotional, but also more approachable and likeable (see Wysa Penguin). The designs of Google Assistant and Apple's Siri, for example, go in the right direction emotionally in terms of their formal language, but they do not trigger enough emotion due to their high degree of abstraction.

Communication style: How should the AI perform?

ChatGPT communicates politely, formally, and very controlled, but it is still completely lacking in humanity and freshness. Other AIs like Alexa, Siri, etc. maintain an even cooler and more "technical" style of conversation - no trace of empathy and closeness.

A friendly and relaxed communication style would be perfect. As if you were talking to a good friend. A good example of this is the therapy AI Wysa. This chatbot responds emphatically to users' feelings and has its own personality.

Voice: What must the AI sound like?

Text communication always seems somewhat distant. For an AI to appear truly approachable, it needs voice communication. The current AI tools use well-developed computer voices - which speak fluently, but sometimes seem emotionless. The missing "intermediate sounds", which are strongly represented in natural conversation (e.g. "Um", ...), also contribute to this.

One exception is Google's Call Assistant with its very natural and pleasant voice. In the best case, the AI would have a natural voice that also fits the region or the local dialect of the user. The voice should be fluent, use intermediate sounds and, depending on the context of the conversation, allow the appropriate emotions to resonate in the speech sound. In this way, it could respond to the user's feelings and thus act more like a friendly, empathetic helper.

Future Outlook: From chatbot to personal assistant

The new generation of chatbots is still in the start-up phase. Future developments will take the technology much further, according to Zutt & Partner. It is conceivable that chatbots will soon be intelligent enough to serve as personal assistants. Bill Gates assumes that in a few years everyone will be supported by a personal AI assistant. This assistant will then take over routine tasks in our private and working lives, such as sorting out emails, coordinating appointments or brainstorming initial ideas.

According to Zutt & Partner, it is highly likely that the new generation of AI will be ubiquitous in the future. It remains to be seen who will succeed in triggering the right emotions to profit optimally from it.