The Great Place to Work Institute awarded the "Best Employers in Switzerland" for the 11th time on April 4, 2019 in Zurich. For the ranking, all employees of the participating employers are asked anonymously for their opinion. All organizations with 20 or more employees can participate. Currently, around 200 companies in Switzerland are working with Great Place to Work to improve their workplace culture. Last year, 70 of them took all the steps to be compared with the "Best Employers". Following Google and Cisco in recent years, Sensirion now won for the first time among large companies. The 34 "Best Employers" include international companies such as DHL, LGT Bank, Hilti as well as Swiss companies such as Holle baby food, Schweizer Salinen AG or Klinik Gut from St. Moritz.

High pay alone does not generate motivation

The study results show what the foundations of a good workplace culture are: Credibility, respect and appreciation, fairness (including compensation) and team spirit. Also very important are pride in what the company does. When it comes to the perception of an appropriate salary, there are large differences between the companies (70% positive perception in excellent vs. 39% in non-excellent organizations). What is striking here is that perceived fairness is more important than the absolute wage level. Here, even companies without high wages often achieve a better perception than industries with above-average but unfairly perceived wages. "It is surprising but at the same time impressive to see how even companies with lower wages create motivating working conditions thanks to fairness and good prospects. High salaries in an environment characterized by envy and power struggles, on the other hand, create frustration and stagnation in many organizations," says Michael Hermann, CEO of Great Place to Work.

Innovations require mutual trust and listening

However, even more is needed to awaken creativity, respond quickly to changes and inspire employees to make a special commitment. The importance of a sense of purpose and trust within the company is often underestimated, according to another conclusion of the study. Yet it is precisely these points that prove to be decisive for a special commitment on the part of employees. They want to be involved in decisions so that they can fully support them. It is increasingly important to employees today to make a valuable contribution to society. "Not only do we always want to perform at our best, but it's important to us that people are at the center of this. After all, today's generation expects different things from their workplace than it used to. They want an exciting, progressive and supportive employer" says Christoph Loos, Managing Director of Hilti.

Only proud employees are good ambassadors of a company

Management plays a central role. Among the award-winning employers, 82% consider their managers to be competent. The Swiss average, however, is only 50%. This shows how differently the working environment is experienced. Thus, 88% of the employees at the award-winning employers would recommend their company to others. However, the average recommendation in Switzerland is just 59%.

Michael Hermann continues: "In the workplace, it's just like in a relationship: if there is a lack of recognition and trust in the long term, commitment often declines and alternatives become more interesting. The award-winning employers also manage to meet the expectations placed on the company. After more than two years of service, satisfaction remains stable at 80%, while non-award-winning employers disappoint more and more employees and satisfaction drops to 59%.

These are the best employers in Switzerland

Large companies (250+ employees)

• 1st place: Sensirion AG
• 2nd place: DHL Express (Switzerland) AG
• Rank 3: LGT Bank (Switzerland) Ltd.
• Rank 4: Hilti (Switzerland) AG
• Rank 5: Cembra Money Bank AG

Medium-sized companies (50-249 employees)

• 1st place: dbi services AG
• 2nd place: Mars Switzerland AG
• 3rd place: Red Hat GmbH
• 4th place: AbbVie AG
• 5th place: Festo AG

Small companies (20-49 employees)

• 1st place: Rackspace International GmbH
• 2nd place: SAS Institute AG
• 3rd place: Holle baby food AG
• Rank 4: Alnylam Switzerland GmbH
• Place 5: Trek Fahrrad GmbH

Health and social services

• 1st place: Domicil Bern AG
• 2nd place: Klinik Gut AG
• 3rd place: Senevita AG

Participation in the competition is possible for any organization. To receive an award, 20 or more employees are required and at least 7 out of 10 employees must rate the company positively. Companies that do not receive an award will not be listed.

The complete ranking lists are here.

IT is not completely new for Ricoh: With its core business of printing and print services, the company is already active in a peripheral area of IT services. Ricoh sees itself in the market as an IT service provider that provides end-to-end support to customers from installation to operation. The focus is not primarily on the function of the system integrator, but on the function of the IT full service provider. The company sees an important plus point in its existing customer base. Ricoh was already active in the IT environment with Print Services and knows the needs of its customers. According to Toni Fuchs, Head of IT & Digitization Services, Ricoh Schweiz AG, "The majority of customers want to reduce the number of partners and thus the number of interfaces. With our expanded IT service portfolio, we can be the central point of contact or the sole contact for IT issues for the customer."

Toni Fuchs sees another advantage in being able to serve internationally active customers with Swiss headquarters, since Ricoh itself is active worldwide, also in the IT sector. To implement this comprehensive service, Ricoh relies on its own expertise but also on cooperation with partners. In addition, the company can build on Ricoh resources in other countries, particularly in the areas of business intelligence and automation. These include its own software development teams in Italy and Spain and a Service Operations Center in Poland.

The initiative to offer a complete IT services portfolio on the Swiss market is based on Ricoh International's strategy. This strategy has already been implemented in numerous countries. Worldwide, Ricoh already generates more than 20 % of sales with IT and IT-related services.

More information on Ricoh IT Services at www.ricoh.ch/de/its

KPMG's "Swiss Tax Report 2019" compares the profit and income tax rates of 130 countries and all 26 cantons. The stagnation in ordinary corporate tax rates that has persisted for years continued last year - with two major exceptions: The cantons of Vaud and Basel-Stadt significantly reduced their profit tax rates: Vaud reduced its profit tax rate from 21.37% to 14.0%, Basel-Stadt from 22.18% to 13.04%.

Since the start of the observation period in 2007, the average ordinary profit tax rate for Swiss companies has fallen by 3.70 percentage points. Various fiscal reform efforts in Switzerland and abroad, such as the AHV tax proposal, will ensure significantly increased momentum in tax competition in the future, according to KPMG's assessment.

Vaud and Basel-Stadt as harbingers of increasing momentum

In the ranking of ordinary profit taxation, the cantons of Central Switzerland and the canton of Appenzell-Ausserrhoden continue to have the lowest tax rates. On average, corporate income taxes in Switzerland were only marginally reduced compared with last year, for example in the cantons of Zug, Schwyz and Glarus. Only the cantons of Vaud and Basel-Stadt have significantly reduced their tax rates this year. These two cantons also serve as harbingers of a dynamic that is likely to significantly change the Swiss corporate tax landscape in the near future.

In the long-term view since 2007, average profit taxation in Switzerland has fallen by 3.70 percentage points. The long-term trend, however, shows stagnating profit tax rates. Only the cantons of Graubünden (-12.94 percentage points), Schaffhausen (-7.02), Lucerne (-6.58) and Neuchâtel (-6.57) have steadily and significantly reduced their rates over the past years. In practice, the 12% mark has effectively established itself as the lower limit - the cantons can hardly afford lower ordinary rates for corporate profit taxes.

Ireland remains Europe's toughest location competitor

In a European comparison, there were hardly any changes in the top group of locations with very low tax rates. The cantons of central Switzerland were also very well positioned in this segment in 2018. Only the Channel Islands (0%) and some (southern) eastern European countries apply even lower ordinary profit tax rates. The largest location competitor in Europe remains Ireland with a profit tax rate of 12.5%.

Bringing up the rear in terms of tax attractiveness are various Northern, Western and Southern European countries - with Norway and Greece (-1 percentage point) as well as Sweden (-0.60) having moderately reduced their rates for 2019. France plans a gradual reduction in ordinary profit taxation to 25.0% by 2022. Compared with 2018, the ordinary profit tax rate was reduced by 2 percentage points to 31.0%.

The world's most attractive locations for tax purposes continue to include various offshore domiciles as well as Qatar, Hong Kong and Singapore. Switzerland continues to rank in the top third in a global fiscal comparison.

Central Switzerland also unrivaled attractive for natural persons

In terms of individual taxation, the cantons of central Switzerland also traditionally occupy the top positions in an intercantonal comparison - together with the canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden. The cantons of western Switzerland, Ticino and the Mittelland again share the bottom of the rankings for individual taxation.

After a gentle downward trend, the average top income tax rate has settled just below the 34% mark over the past ten-plus years. The cantons of central Switzerland as well as Appenzell-Innerrhoden have topped the rankings since 2007. Overall, the cantons have only made minor tax rate cuts for individuals - with the exception of the canton of Uri, which has reduced its income tax rate from 33.0% in 2007 to 25.35% in the meantime (2019).

There has also been little movement since 2007 in the high-tax cantons, which show little variance in rates. Exceptions are Aargau and the cantons of Solothurn and Jura, which have made significant tax rate reductions over the long term. Individual taxation has remained unchanged for more than ten years in the cantons of Berne, Vaud and Geneva.

Switzerland in the European midfield for individual taxation

In a continental comparison, (southern) eastern European countries continue to have the lowest tax rates for top incomes - partly due to flat-rate tax systems. The majority of Swiss cantons are in the European midfield in terms of top income tax rates. The Western European and Scandinavian countries continue to have particularly high income tax rates.

A global comparison of income tax rates paints a slightly mixed picture: While the well-known offshore domiciles and a few Middle Eastern countries continue to forego income taxes altogether, countries such as South Africa, Australia, China and Japan have very high top tax rates.

In the long term (2007-2019), the Central and Eastern European countries stand out in particular with their tax rate cuts for top incomes: Hungary has reduced its rate by 21 percentage points since 2007, Bulgaria by 14 and the Czech Republic by 10. This contrasts with the Western European countries, some of whose tax rates have risen significantly in the last ten-plus years - most sharply in Iceland from 35.70% (2007) to 46.24% today.

Source: KPMG

"Inquiries have continued to increase over the past year. This shows how important the topic of work-life balance is," said Corinne Indermaur, Managing Director of the Family Platform Eastern Switzerland FPO. Most of the approximately 100 personal consultations with employees of member companies dealt with aspects of childcare. The topic of care for the elderly, for which FPO also offers support, is becoming increasingly important. This offer is to be publicized even more in the future.

Management of the family platform increased

At the general meeting, members approved the annual report, accounts and budget. They also approved the change in membership fees: municipalities now fall into the same category as other employers. For associations, the category "Supporter" was also created. In order to strengthen the impact of the family platform, a lot of energy will be invested in the acquisition of new members in the coming years. Association president Christof Stürm therefore proposed to increase the management from 40 to 50 full-time positions for the next two years. In view of the association's capital, the financial scope for this is available. The members followed the proposal.

Survey shows potential

Corinne Indermaur emphasized that the search for new members has started successfully. Several new member companies have already joined in the first quarter of 2019: The more than 100 member organizations currently have over 50,000 employees who can benefit from FPO consulting. She is also optimistic that she will be able to decisively advance the cooperations with the cantons of Graubünden and Schaffhausen in the course of the year. In order to gain deeper insights into the family-friendliness of companies in eastern Switzerland and to be able to respond even better to needs, a survey on the subject of paternity leave was carried out last year, in which around 170 companies from eastern Switzerland took part: it showed that paternity leave is granted in the vast majority of companies, although the number of vacation days varies greatly between companies.

Outreach for families

The members of the FPO then took the opportunity to look around the recently opened headquarters of Lidl Switzerland in Weinfelden. Gisela Schoch, Department Manager Employee Engagement at Lidl, showed, among other things, how the discounter is committed to the compatibility of work and family by means of a parent-child office equipped with toys. Lidl, which is itself a member of the FPO, is also one of the pioneers when it comes to paternity leave, offering two weeks.

More information: www.familienplattform-ostschweiz.ch

Contrary to many media reports, employees of companies in Switzerland do not see the future of their own jobs or their employer's business model in danger from AI and bots. Two-thirds of those surveyed consider it unlikely that AI will replace them in their jobs. Not even one in five sees their business model in danger. In addition, as many as 41.6 % feel that talking to a machine is qualitatively just as good as talking to a human being or would even prefer dialog with a computer. These results were determined by the Swiss Social Collaboration Study 2019 by Campana & Schott and the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Social collaboration tools are used

Overall, it is clear that more and more employees are using social collaboration tools. On a scale of 1 to 7, the maturity level of the companies rose from 3.96 to 4.05 compared with the previous year. However, this was the first time that the so-called firstline workers were specifically considered. These are employees in direct contact with customers or in production who contribute directly to the company's value creation. They include, for example, employees on production lines in industry, nursing staff in hospitals, drivers, security and cleaning staff, cashiers and sales staff. They make up the largest part of the workforce worldwide with over 60 %. When it comes to using digital technologies for daily work tasks, they are well behind information workers, i.e. office staff (4.26), with a maturity level of 3.54. There is therefore a great need to catch up here. As a result, they have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to equipping and using social collaboration tools. Previous studies have already shown that the use of social collaboration tools greatly increases work efficiency. This effect increased again significantly compared to the previous year - from 30 to now up to 50 %.

AI as a guarantee of success

The use of artificial intelligence to support digital communication brings additional benefits. Many employees have recognized this. They expect it to make work even more efficient and of higher quality (over 40 % each). Among managers, as many as around 60 % expect AI to increase efficiency in the company and the quality of work processes. In this context, employees also accept chatbots, for example. A significant proportion of them consider dialog with a computer to be of equal value compared with humans (34.5 %).

Two-thirds of those surveyed consider it unlikely that artificial intelligence could replace them in their activities. Only one in five recognizes potential problems for the business model of their own company or other companies. This means that the expected potential of artificial intelligence clearly exceeds the challenges it could pose.

Firstline Worker suspended

The fact that firstline workers, e.g., sales representatives or service employees, have a lower degree of maturity is particularly problematic when working on forms and team coordination. These scenarios have a high relevance for firstline workers (4.80 and 4.58), but a low maturity level (3.79 and 3.23). This pent-up demand affects their work efficiency, which is lower overall (4.69) than for information workers (4.86). "Better connecting firstline workers to digital communication processes in companies offers great potential," says Boris Ovcak, Director Social Collaboration at Campana & Schott. "For example, digitizing analog processes can optimize workflows, reduce costs and increase productivity. The tools also increase IT security and reduce staff turnover, as employees are more satisfied with the solutions and their work overall."

There are many possible application scenarios. For example, sales staff in the store can use tablets to call up additional information about the product. Shift workers can see their tasks for the next day at home the night before and swap shifts with each other in an emergency. And the operations manager of an event service no longer has to call employees and ask who is available next weekend. Instead, colleagues check in via a central planning tool. The bottom line is that a company can only achieve digital transformation if it also digitally involves and supports its first-line workers.

Main objective: Better corporate culture

Decision-makers are adopting social collaboration tools primarily for three reasons: to improve corporate culture (18.4 %), followed by cost savings (15.4 %) and fostering innovation (14.9 %), which was the most frequently cited reason last year. In this context, almost half of the respondents confirmed that they perceive an increase in collaboration across different teams and departments as a result of social collaboration. Employees use digital tools especially for researching information and news as well as filling out applications and searching for documents. They are used less frequently for searching for experts and exchanges in interest groups. Structured and recurring tasks in particular can therefore be ideally handled with digital technologies.

Introduction of the tools often not optimal

How intensively new technologies are used depends not only on their existence, but above all on their acceptance. Almost two-thirds of respondents are not satisfied with the way social collaboration tools have been introduced in their company so far. This is mainly due to a lack of consideration for the specific needs of individual employees and too little time to get to grips with the tools. The introduction is only successful with holistic change management. This is because the combination of all measures contributes to employees communicating and collaborating more frequently with colleagues, completing tasks more efficiently and being less afraid of making mistakes.

Source and further information: Campana & Schott

As every year at the end of March, the Bechtle companies Acommit, ARP, Bechtle direct, Bechtle Steffen and Comsoft direct invited to the Bechtle IT Forum on March 26. More than 700 participants gathered in the Umwelt Arena in Spreitenbach, of which 405 were end customers from SMEs, enterprise and public companies. This was another record attendance and an increase of 100 visitors compared to the previous year. The Bechtle IT Forum thus asserted its position as one of the largest IT events in Switzerland, according to a company media release.

"Digitization is mandatory"

The program included keynotes from Aruba, HPE, and Microsoft, an exhibition with over 40 manufacturers, and 30 breakout sessions on current IT topics such as cloud, workplace, security, and services. Hanspeter Oeschger, Divisional Board Member Bechtle IT System House & Managed Services Switzerland, opened the Bechtle IT Forum with an address on digitalization and digital transformation: "Today, digitalization is mandatory for companies, digital transformation is the freestyle. At an event like the Bechtle IT Forum, IT decision-makers have the opportunity to learn about the most important topics in one day."

Honor for the host

Bechtle Steffen came to the Citrix booth to receive the award for second place as "Growth Partner of the Year Central Europe" from Citrix Country Manager Steve Mayer. The award is representative of a very successful business year for the IT system house with Citrix.

The event was concluded with a presentation by Sunnie J. Groeneveld, young entrepreneur and expert in digital transformation. Her message: Digital transformation can only succeed with the right corporate culture that allows flexibility, risk-taking and enthusiasm.

www.bechtle-steffen.ch

On March 28, 2019, the sixth Randstad Award ceremony took place at Aura in Zurich. The motto of the event was "learning from the best". With this in mind, five HR industry professionals engaged in a lively discussion about trends in HR as well as insights from the latest Employer Brand Study. The Randstad Employer Brand Research is an independent study in the field of "employer branding". Companies cannot apply to participate, they are selected for the study based on their number of employees.

It is after all the reward...

This year's study found - somewhat to the surprise of those present and against the pan-European trends - that in Switzerland good pay and other benefits are the top factor for employment, followed by good working atmosphere and job security. In other European countries, the top factor is "good working atmosphere." Poor pay is also the main reason for Swiss employees to leave their jobs, according to the study. Lack of recognition or insufficient work-life balance are other reasons. The panel agreed that a coherent employer value proposition is therefore important in order to be attractive as an employer across all generations. Dr. oec. HSG Marcel Oertig, partner at the consulting firm Avenir Group, was representative: "You have to enter into a dialog with employees."

Taking even uncomfortable paths

Nicole Brandes, international management coach, showed the event participants in her keynote speech what distinguishes true leaders and how to lead into the future between digitalization and humanity. Thinking the unthinkable or taking risky paths anyway - "where there's fear, there's the way" - were among the strategies the speaker mentioned to set a leader or an organization apart from the average.

Award helps with recruitment

The Randstad Award for the most attractive employer was then presented. For the second time, the winner was Swiss International Air Lines. Christoph Ulrich, Head of HR, was quoted as saying: "We are very pleased to have defended our title. Swiss is hiring 1,000 new employees this year. A strong employer brand and a good reputation on the labor market are therefore crucial.

The Randstad Award is presented annually in 30 countries to the most attractive employer. The results are based on the representative and, according to Randstad, the world's most comprehensive employer branding study. 

The top 10 most attractive employers in Switzerland 2019

1. Swiss International Air Lines
2. Patek Philippe
3. Rolex
4. Zurich airport
5. Swissport International
6. Swatch Group
7. Migros
8. Banque Pictet et Cie
9. Lindt & Sprüngli
10. Siemens

This year, Siemens made it into the top 10 most attractive employers for the first time. Glas Trösch made the biggest leap forward: The company gained a full 56 places and is now ranked 49th.

www.randstad.ch

Social partnership is regarded as an important pillar for the economy in Switzerland and is often proudly described as a model of success. A significant pioneer for the Helvetic social partnership is considered to be the so-called Peace agreement in the Swiss metal and machinery industry.

The peace agreement in the Swiss metal and machinery industry

In 1937, the peace agreement is signed in the Swiss metal and engineering industry. It is intended to secure industrial peace in Switzerland and will make a decisive contribution to the country's sustained and gratifying economic growth in the decades that follow.

How does the peace agreement come about?

As in other countries, strikes were a frequent phenomenon at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. Between 1880 and 1914, there were over 2,400 strikes, and the class struggle hardened. The clashes reached their peak in 1918: 250,000 workers and trade unionists took part in the general strike, and three people were killed by law and order troops.

The rigid fronts between the social partners are softening to

The fascist threat from the near abroad increases, dictators are on the rise in Europe. Hitler dissolves the trade unions, the Swiss franc loses massively in value. Against a background of social and economic insecurity, unemployment and loss of real wages, the Federal Council wants to introduce compulsory arbitration, although this instrument is rejected by the majority of employers as well as the unions. Now the social partners are striving to expand contractual relations.

National Council Konrad Ilg (1877-1954, President of the Swiss Metalworkers' and Watchmakers' Federation, SMUV) takes the initiative and meets with Ernst Dübi (1884-1947, President of the Employers' Association of Swiss Machinery and Metal Industrialists, ASM). On July 19, 1937, they signed a five-page agreement for the watch and metal industry. This document, which is binding on both parties, stipulates an absolute peace obligation and a multi-stage arbitration procedure for the next two years. It also regulates new rights and obligations such as the procedure for resolving disputes, wage determination, insurance, vacation compensation and employee participation. To ensure compliance with these provisions, the contracting parties each deposit a security of CHF 250,000 with the Swiss National Bank. The peace agreement is the basis for the collective labor agreement (CLA), which has been in full force since 1974. The signed peace agreement of 1937 (ASM copy) is now on display in the National Museum in Zurich.

Machinery sector: Cooperation SNV and SWISSMEM

Standards create uniform standards for objects and services. Thanks to this standardization, products are used more appropriately, safely and efficiently, and cooperation becomes easier. Particularly in the international context, standards ensure the exchangeability and thus the tradability of products and services. Within SNV, the mechanical engineering industry is represented by a so-called specialist division. On behalf of SWISSMEM, SNV has been managing the industry's standards for many years and represents the standardization interests of the machinery industry in the European standards bodies European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and at international level in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Sources: Social Archive, Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Wikipedia, SWISSMEM.

"Labor peace is an important locational advantage"

In an interview with Ivo Zimmermann, Head of Communications and Member of the Executive Board of SWISSMEM, it becomes clear that it is still possible to draw a line between the historical events of 1937 and the current situation of the Swiss social partnership.

The 1937 Peace Agreement covers nine articles or topics in five pages - how comprehensive is the CLA today?
Ivo Zimmermann: The treaty currently comprises 58 articles and two annexes on 73 pages. Under this Link you can find the current CLA.

What are the advantages of a CLA?
The CBA of the Mechanical, Electrical and Metal Industries (MEM Industries) guarantees progressive working conditions for the employees of the subordinated companies. In return, they are obliged to respect the absolute duty of peace. This means that the work process may not be disturbed by fighting measures. Industrial peace is an important advantage of Switzerland as a workplace.

At what intervals is the CLA renegotiated?
As a rule, every five years. The current MEM industry CLA (MEM CLA) came into force on July 1, 2018 and is valid until June 30, 2023.

How hard is the negotiation?
The contracting parties to the MEM-GAV are the ASM (SWISSMEM), the employee associations Angestellte Schweiz, Kaufmännischer Verband Schweiz and Schweizer Kader Organisation, as well as the Unia and Syna trade unions. Each of these organizations brings its demands into the negotiation process. The negotiations are correspondingly long and tough.

Is the CLA of SWISSMEM also binding for non-members?
The MEM industry CLA is not generally binding. Currently, around half of the more than 1100 SWISSMEM member companies apply the MEM CLA.

How many strikes do you record each year?
The CLA stipulates an absolute obligation to maintain peace. This means that any kind of industrial action is prohibited in the companies covered by the CLA. In the past ten years, there have only been two serious labor disputes in the MEM industry.

To what extent is the peace agreement of that time still known today? For example, do the employees of SWISSMEM the history of the peace agreement?
SWISSMEM employees know the value and history of the peace agreement very well. The same applies to the employees in the MEM companies. The social partners also conduct joint training sessions for employee representatives covering this topic.

How important is the agreement in Switzerland to renounce strike weapons and lockouts?
That is absolutely central. Absolute labor peace is an important locational advantage of Switzerland as a workplace. It can be the deciding factor for investment decisions in favor of the Swiss location.

How often do employers and employees sit down at the negotiating table?
The social partnership functions well in the companies. Discussions between employee representatives and management take place regularly. If differences of opinion arise, the employee representatives and management try to resolve them at the company level. If this does not succeed, the CLA sets out clear processes for settling the matter in association negotiations or even before a court of arbitration.

Successful people talk to a large extent about fundamentally different topics than less successful people. The question now is: what is cause, what is effect?

Are the successful more successful because they talk about other topics, or do they talk about other topics because they are more successful? The latter assumption is certainly true because, of course, with sustained success, you simply have other topics surrounding you.

 But the first assumption (topic selection as a cause) is also demonstrably correct: Your choice of topics determines how successful you are.

 What do successful people talk about?

Thus, the successful ones usually talk about the Decisions the present and about the Targets the future. Average people, on the other hand, focus on the Situation and problems the present and on the past ("it used to be better").

 Successful people often talk about visions and goals, while mediocre people tend to talk about other people and events.

 Successful people see the opportunities and control the risks. The less successful see the risks and avoid the opportunities.

Become more successful by choosing the right topics

This isn't black and white, of course, but you see the pattern, I hope. Here are three things to look for in yourself and your colleagues in your next conversation or meeting to become incrementally more successful just by your choice of topics:

1. Future. What opportunities and possibilities do you see that you can seize from today's situation? How can you learn from mistakes? Where can you grow? (Instead of: "What was better in the past, and where are the problems today?")
2. Destination. What do you want to achieve with the respective discussion? Where is the journey going? In many discussions, I have the impression that people are frantically trying to change the past. That is a waste of energy.
3. Decision. What decision do you make with the help of the discussion? Successful people decide more consistently than the average. Discussions without consistency are mostly useless, except for entertainment.

And last but not least: You can continue as before - or you can change something. That, too, is a decision for more success or against it.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

This year's Foreign Trade Forum was dominated by mature markets. The EU, the USA and Japan are still Switzerland's most important trading partners. All of these markets are characterized by a high degree of saturation. Nevertheless, according to Daniel Küng, President of Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), they continue to be the cash cows of most export companies. Disruptive innovations also mostly come from saturated markets. Even if many companies are increasingly focusing on markets "on their own doorstep," globalization is by no means "dead," Daniel Küng continues. It has merely slowed down somewhat. Andreas Gerber of Credit Suisse echoed this sentiment. Best export companies should keep an eye on both saturated and growth markets in equal measure. "Flexibility, reliability, innovation and quality are still important Swiss values that are appreciated worldwide," Gerber said. Adrian Steiner, CEO of Thermoplan AG in Weggis, then gave an example of how this works successfully. This company equips all Starbucks stores worldwide with coffee vending machines. In his keynote speech, Steiner pointed out that the road to this success was not always an easy one and that in the future, cooperation in particular - if necessary also with competitors - will be an important element.

Foreign trade strategies of the Confederation

Guy Parmelin, Minister of Economic Affairs, outlined the Confederation's foreign economic policy strategy at the Foreign Economic Forum. This comprises three pillars: ensuring good relations with the EU, maintaining a functioning WTO, and concluding and renewing free trade agreements. The latter, in particular, is becoming increasingly important because the unilateralism of major economic powers is now jeopardizing the WTO's rules and regulations. Negotiations with the Mercosur states, for example, are already well advanced, and the free trade agreements with Indonesia and Ecuador have been concluded. The negotiation of a free trade agreement with the USA is again being considered; corresponding clarification talks have already begun. Whether negotiations actually take place will only be considered by both sides if a real win-win situation can be created, Parmelin said.

Opportunities in saturated markets

In a talk with experts from S-GE, the focus was on opportunities and challenges in the saturated markets of Japan, the USA and the UK. Thanks to the recently concluded trade agreement, Switzerland continues to hold good cards for the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit, said Mareike Hood, who is in charge of the Business Hub for the British Isles. She adds that one must separate the Brexit issue from the business aspect anyway, "because business remains business." Claudio Mazzucchelli, in turn, looks after the Japan market for S-GE. He pointed out the importance of cultural knowledge, which one should have for this market. And Caroline Blaser - Head of Business Hub USA - reiterated how interesting the United States can continue to be as a market for Swiss companies.

Best export companies awarded

This year's Export Award went to the Zurich-based medtech company VirtaMed. The company, which manufactures simulation devices for surgery training, convinced the jury with its clever export strategy. VirtaMed was in the final together with the companies Andermatt Biocontrol AG from Grossdietwil and CAMAG from Muttenz BL. Twelve years after its founding, the SME in Schlieren employs 100 people from 20 countries and has established two subsidiaries and a global distribution network. VirtaMed is a leader when it comes to virtual training of minimally invasive operations. In the meantime, endoscopic skills are practiced cost-effectively with nearly 1,000 simulators in 50 countries - at training hospitals and medical training centers as well as at manufacturers of medical technology products.

The trophy was presented by Ruth Metzler-Arnold, President of the Board of Directors of S-GE. "VirtaMed AG has managed to convince the world market with highly precise simulators. With a well thought-out export strategy, the company supplies customers in both emerging and mature markets," says Ruth Metzler-Arnold proudly. "In addition, VirtaMed AG's success story shows how an international sales strategy can contribute to the rapid growth of a company in Switzerland."

www.s-ge.com

Even though a large part of the basic demand for goods and services in mature markets is already covered, Swiss exporters position themselves in profitable niches in these countries. Switzerland earns around three out of every four export francs in mature markets. These are also the main drivers of growth in foreign trade. Since the global economic crisis in 2009, two-thirds of export growth has been attributable to mature markets.

Eurozone by far the most important trading partner

Switzerland's most important trading partner by far is the eurozone. Exports to these countries account for almost half of the volume of foreign trade. This is all the more remarkable because the eurozone was still in a slump after the global economic crisis. "Cultural and geographical proximity, as well as privileged market access, make exports to the euro countries attractive. Moreover, they have established themselves as good entry markets for export beginners," comments Daniel Küng, CEO of Switzerland Global Enterprise. In terms of export volume, the USA follows in second place with 16 %, Japan and Canada account for 3.3 % and 1.6 % of total exports respectively.

Mature markets as a backstop for internationalization

However, exporting to mature markets also involves challenges that exporters often underestimate due to cultural proximity. For example, they have to take local regulations into account, adapt business models to the target country and convince with outstanding innovative strength in order to prevail against strong competition. In addition, there are an increasing number of trade hurdles as well as political uncertainties such as Brexit or the still unclear future of Swiss relations with the EU. "Exporting to mature markets is no Sunday stroll. However, it often forms the business basis for opening up emerging markets with higher growth rates," says Daniel Küng.

Growth continues

Swiss exports to mature markets are likely to continue to grow in the coming years - above all to Germany. However, there is also great growth potential in other countries such as Canada. Although the North American country does not play a major role in the statistics at present, if the growth trend continues, Canada is likely to become increasingly important for the Swiss export industry. In the last 20 years alone, goods exports to Canada have risen by an average of 7.5 % per year.

The high level of prosperity in the mature markets also ensures that demand for Swiss luxury goods will continue, which will support exports from the watch industry, among others. In addition, demographic developments in Japan are opening up new business opportunities for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

About the study 
The study by Switzerland Global Enterprise was produced in collaboration with Credit Suisse and looks at the five markets of Germany, the USA, France, Canada and Japan. It highlights the economic relations between Switzerland and the respective country, the development of export business, and the potential for the various industries. These facts on foreign trade are supplemented with practical tips on how Swiss SMEs can successfully tap into the respective target market and expand their business locally. The study confirms and deepens the annual ranking of the Top export marketswhich S-GE compiles together with the Swiss Institute for Business Cycle Research (KOF) of the ETH Zurich.   

Anyone who wants to successfully lead their company through the digital transformation needs new skills and leadership approaches. These include a sound understanding of digital technologies and business models on the one hand, and the ability to inspire and empower employees to embrace a digital vision on the other. In the new EMBA Digital Leadership, leaders address topics such as data-driven decision making, platform economics, intrapreneurship, and learn to operate in innovation ecosystems and work collaboratively with new stakeholders across industries. Program leaders Sunnie J. Groeneveld and Manuel P. Nappo designed this EMBA program from the ground up as they would like to attend it themselves.

Three pillars to becoming a digital leader

The EMBA Digital Leadership is based on the three pillars "Digital Business and Technology", "Digital Culture and Leadership" and "Digital Vision". In addition to imparting a sound understanding of digital technology, it focuses on the personal development as well as the entrepreneurial and communicative skills of the participants. With innovative elements, the course aims to set new standards for digital leaders in Switzerland:

• A conference organized at the HWZ in TEDx format. The students are accompanied by a rhetoric coach for several months and coached in their presentation skills.
• A Digital Startup Challenge. In this, students develop a concrete idea for a digital product or service, a business plan and a prototype. They pitch their idea to a jury consisting of business angels and startup experts with the chance of receiving startup funding.
• To enhance personal leadership skills and career planning, students can take advantage of personal career coaching throughout the program.
• During three study tours in Switzerland (to ETH, EPFL and CERN), the US (Harvard, Yale, MIT and selected tech companies in New York) and China (leading tech companies in Beijing and Shanghai), students visit leading innovation ecosystems.

Graduates of the program have in-depth digital technology and business expertise. They also possess the necessary methodological expertise to both implement a startup idea in the digital field and to implement a comprehensive digital transformation in an existing organization.

Study program management with great experience

"With her digital know-how, entrepreneurial experience and strong networking with the innovation hotspots of Switzerland and the USA, Sunnie J. Groeneveld is the ideal co-director of the program," says Manuel P. Nappo, Head of the Institute for Digital Business at HWZ. Groeneveld founded the consulting firm Inspire 925, was the first managing director of the digitalswitzerland location initiative and now sits on the board of directors of three medium-sized Swiss companies in the IT, engineering and media sectors. She is also the author of the book "Inspired at Work" (Versus Verlag), was named one of the "Top 100 Women in Business" and was included by the business magazine Forbes on its "30 under 30" list for German-speaking countries. She has lived in the U.S. for several years, working in Silicon Valley and New York, and has a degree in economics from Yale University.

Compact, 16-month course of study

The first program starts in February 2020 and lasts three semesters (60 days of attendance, consisting of 16 block seminars of three to five days each, including 16 Saturdays). Participants must have a university degree, at least five years of study-relevant professional experience and at least three years of management experience. Tuition fees are CHF 55,000, including study trips to the USA and China (excluding airfare and expenses). Part of the program is a 360° assessment, which serves as an orientation tool for participants to reflect on their own values and abilities.

For more information www.fh-hwz.ch/embadl