Consider it an iron law in any business transaction with a foreign customer: The place of jurisdiction is Switzerland. This also applies without restriction to online trading, which is gaining in importance at a rapid pace. In the United States, for example, it is already common practice to provide for a place of jurisdiction in the USA, regardless of where the customer is domiciled. In addition, provision should also be made for subordination to local law, and finally, the application of the so-called Vienna Sales Convention should be excluded. This international treaty, to which most industrialized countries, including Switzerland, are parties, defines the rules for international purchases of goods and deviates in part from national law. Clauses that exclude its applicability are permissible. In individual cases, it would have to be examined whether the Vienna Sales Convention might offer advantages to the seller. If so, an exclusion clause should be dispensed with.

General terms and conditions: Always keep a copy

The General Terms and Conditions are only valid if they are accepted by both parties. In online commerce, it is common for a check box to be displayed in the web store before the order is executed, stating "I have read and accepted the General Terms and Conditions". These must of course also be made available for reading on this occasion. The following rule applies: the more explicit the customer's declaration of intent, the greater the likelihood that a court will affirm acceptance of the terms and conditions in the event of a dispute. As a rule, the GTC are updated time and again. It is therefore advisable to keep a copy of each version.

What belongs in every GTC

The wording of the GTC is complicated and usually a matter for specialized lawyers, so that an interpretation to the detriment of the issuer can be excluded. Every GTC must include:

• Warranty
• Warranty
• Privacy
• Orders
• Invoice and payment terms
• Value added tax
• Delivery and delivery times
• Shipping areas
• Liability
• Applicable law and place of jurisdiction

Unfair statements such as "The shipping risk shall be borne by the purchaser" are inadmissible. Clauses that imply an increased risk for the purchaser are to be clearly emphasized.

Author: Raoul Egeli has been President of the Swiss Creditreform Association since 2008 and President of Creditreform International since 2014, as well as a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the SGV. He is also Managing Director of the Creditreform Egeli companies in Basel, St. Gallen and Zurich. From 2009 to 2013, he was the central president of TREUHAND|SUISSE. Raoul Egeli is the author of several specialist books on the subject of credit and receivables management. www.creditreform.ch

Under the motto "Innovation, Communication and Transformation", valuable impulses, experiences and advice from the world of business, communication and sport were presented at the 17th edition of the "ErfolgsSignale" business forum on October 25 at the Hotel Schützen in Rheinfelden.

Mental attitude and digital transformation

The former ski acrobat and Olympic champion Evelyne Leu, for example, underlined the importance of mental attitude for success in her presentation. Matthias Baumann, CEO of Möbel Pfister AG, gave an exciting insight into the digitalization of the furniture trade. "Digitalization will change the furniture trade even more in the future and call into question many things that were once true," said Matthias Baumann.

"Soulful women entrepreneurs"

Management consultant and book author Christel Maurer spoke about "soulful entrepreneurs" who put their heart and soul into their business. Other speakers included communications coach Marcus Knill and energy entrepreneur Alexandr Medici from Laufenburg, winner of the Axpo Energy Award 2014. (fm)

www.erfolgssignale.ch

On Friday, November 2, the communications company GGA Maur, together with ewz and Studerus AG, hosted an educational and networking event at the Kraftwerk in Zurich. Experts from business and science presented facts, trends and best practices on the topics of communication of the future and cybersecurity to over 90 participants.

Technological change offers more opportunities than problems

Jürg Leuthold made the start. With impressive facts and figures, the professor of photonics and communications at ETH Zurich showed how information technologies will develop in the future. "In 2000, we were satisfied with a transmission rate of 128 kbit/second. Today we need 1 Gbit/second, and by 2030 more than ten times that will be the standard." The use cases for new technologies are almost limitless - from customized clothing from 3D printers and numerous medical applications using machine learning to autonomous driving and cyborgs. "Information technologies will sustainably improve our standard of living. However, this requires the continuous expansion of the existing infrastructure," Leuthold said.

Physics is not a problem, that much is certain. According to the ETH professor, speeds of up to 1.01 petabytes per second can already be achieved in a single optical fiber in the laboratory today. Even with mobile data, the potential in terms of capacity is far from exhausted. Challenges in energy consumption, processor performance and optical components can be solved, Leuthold is certain. More difficult are the societal challenges arising from technological change - such as possible health hazards due to radiation, safety aspects and changes in the labor market and education system. "Technological change holds more opportunities than problems for us. But we must be prepared to adapt to the circumstances and realities. We won't contest the future with old ideas."

How much security is possible?

Marc Henauer from the Federal Reporting and Analysis Center for Information Assurance - MELANI for short - addressed cyber risks and challenges in his presentation. "Cyber risks arise from the use of IT to support processes and increase efficiency. They threaten every company regardless of industry or size." As information technologies become more important to businesses, the interconnectedness and value of access to information increases, according to Henauer. At the same time, this also increases the opportunity for fraud, espionage, extortion, sabotage and other cyber attacks. Henauer illustrated this with various examples, such as the WannaCry attack that crippled numerous computer systems worldwide in 2017. "Cybercriminals work in organized decentralized groups, continuously developing their methods and targeting their victims both virtually and physically. Complete protection is therefore impossible."

Henauer sees the solution for companies on another level. Cyber risks are only one part of a company's information security, because physical and personnel risks can also lead to corresponding attacks. "A technological solution makes sense as a security measure for IT. But for holistic information protection, companies need an overarching security approach that should be integrated into risk management at the executive level."

From the point of view of the opponent

Ivan Bütler, CEO of Compass Security AG, then offered a change of perspective. In December 2017, Bütler was able to successfully hack into the network of the energy supply company EBL in the canton of Baselland on behalf of SRF, despite the announcement, and switch off part of the Christmas lighting. "The Achilles' heel of the Internet is the people who fall for the hackers' stories and thus grant them access." This usually happens, for example, via a fake application on a USB stick or via a mail attachment. In the case of EBL, however, these approaches did not work, so Bütler relied on another trick.

A simple diversion at the EBL reception desk was enough to sneak a foreign technician into the company, who was able to install a malware program on the system undisturbed. "You shouldn't give out gifts - careless handling of email attachments, links or passwords is an invitation for hackers. A healthy measure of skepticism is appropriate," Bütler concludes.

Tips against cyber attacks

The topic of cybersecurity was rounded off by Hugo Bossard, CIO of Studerus AG. He explained how SMEs can deal with malware and presented specific firewall services from Studerus AG such as GeoIP or Content Filter for protection. According to Bossard, anti-virus and anti-spam services on the firewall are less effective.

In a second part, Bossard gave attendees five tips for ransomware prevention:

1. As a solid first defense, SMBs should install a firewall.
2. SMEs should make regular backups that are stored off-site and off-network and can be restored in an emergency.
3. The operating system used should always be up to date on all computers used. Security updates reduce the opportunities for cybercriminals.
4. Email attachments and unknown links should be handled with care and, if in doubt, should not be opened.
5. An up-to-date anti-virus program belongs on every computer in the company.

More information: GGA Maur

Four out of 10 business travelers admit to using corporate credit cards for personal purchases - 46 percent of European and U.S. travelers and 38 percent of Asia Pacific travelers. That's the finding of a study by global business travel provider Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). "Travel managers need to address corporate credit card misuse and also find out why travelers are not following the rules," says Christophe Renard, vice president of CWT Solutions Group, the consulting arm of Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Clear rules for the use of the business credit card

The practice is widespread, although 58 percent of Europeans and 63 percent of Americans say their company's policies prohibit the use of corporate credit cards for personal purchases - with an 85 percent implementation rate in both regions. Among Asia-Pacific travelers, 69 percent say their company prohibits personal use, with an 87 percent implementation rate. Overall, six in 10 global business travelers receive a corporate credit card from their employers - most likely in Asia Pacific (67 percent), followed by the Americas (61 percent) and Europe (56 percent).

Private credit card is also used for business

However, the results of the CWT study also show the opposite result: travelers often handle business travel expenses via their personal credit cards. Globally, 49 percent of business travelers always use their personal credit cards. Travelers from Asia-Pacific are significantly more likely to do so (55 percent) than travelers from the Americas (48 percent) or Europe (44 percent). "Using personal credit cards for business expenses means it becomes complicated for companies to track spending - and that makes it a lot harder to enforce policies," says Christophe Renard of CWT Solutions Group. "If companies don't want to issue credit cards to all employees - which is understandable - virtual credit cards are a good compromise. Travelers don't have to use their personal credit cards for business expenses, and companies know exactly what their money is being used for."

Source: Carlson Wagonlit Travel

In the mid-1940s and in the peak year of 1963, when 109,993 babies saw the light of day, Switzerland recorded historically unparalleled highs in the birth rate. In the meantime, the baby boomers have clearly passed the age of 50 - with massive demographic change in tow. The average age in companies is rising; starting in 2020, many people will leave the workforce each year "due to age," and if things go on like this, very many (58%) will even do so before reaching the regular retirement age. At the same time, HR managers complain about the lack of younger professionals, recruiting and also maintaining long-term relationships are becoming increasingly difficult. But even for companies that still have plenty to draw on (thanks in part to immigration), it might be worth asking older employees: "Do you still have to or do you already want to (work) - and if so, for how long? "Perhaps in order to then devote more attention to the motivation and commitment of those who have been working for a long time. In our experience, it is not done with the conclusion: "There are enough old people, too few young talents, then I just have to change my attitude, upgrade a few competencies with the older ones and bang, opportunity seized." Especially not in companies where it has been considered "best for everyone" for years to retire at 60 and, at worst, to retire even earlier. I don't think that a company automatically becomes better if it relies more on older people - but inspiring those who are already there anew, if necessary, is certainly worthwhile.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

The negative images from the world of work create a negative reality; the self-fulfilling prophecy is reflected in behavior. If we think of ourselves as old and moderately useful, we act that way. A consistent downward spiral, as many older workers will attest. Instead of personal development, stagnation is often felt. This often happens in combination with experienced, constantly increasing pressure and a growing workload that can no longer be put away as easily as in younger years. There is no age-specific adaptation of performance management. So what to do? Find out which of your older employees are struggling through the daily routine for fear of unemployment, for example, and who still has the feeling of being needed and of being able to shape things. Ask early retirees under what circumstances they would have stayed longer, and many answer: "If they had needed me."

Speaking of mixed-age teams

A recent study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Zürcher Kantonalbank and us (Neustarter-Stiftung, see box) deals with the integration of older people in the labor market and the question of the cultural change that is due. Among human resources staff, the statements regarding mixed-age teams range from "Age doesn't play a role for us" to "Conflicts are always generational conflicts for us." Fabiola Gerpott (University of Amsterdam) found in a field study, "The more diversity, the more it takes Psychological Safety to leverage team intelligence." That means individual team members need a good feeling about expressing their ideas and thoughts, in addition to the safety of being needed. By nature, this good feeling is more likely to be felt toward people of similar backgrounds (age, gender, origin, education level, etc.). Increasing age diversity thus requires even more sophisticated leadership that promotes security in various dimensions.

Working conditions in Switzerland

Surveys by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO on working conditions in Switzerland in 2005 and 2015 show that there is a general need for action in terms of job satisfaction: In 2005, around one-fifth of employees complained about "monotonous tasks"; ten years later, this figure had already risen to more than one-third. According to the responses, the opportunities to "learn new things" and "implement one's own ideas" declined by around 15 percent in each case from 2005 to 2015. These signals are clearly going in the wrong direction, insofar as the economy is threatening to decouple itself from the nature of the human being. But economic and human interests need not be contradictory. Among the clearest intersections are curiosity, the search for innovation and the joy of experimentation. Therefore: companies, allow and encourage experimentation! Develop different models of how to work in your companies and make them transparent - for all age groups.

Old and agile

Many older employees say, "Yes, I would like to work without a rigid age limit, but not as before." This fits well with new organizational forms and increasingly agile work environments. As an example, a credo of the agile development method Scrum is always to change things, even those that are supposedly going well, to discover new and better ways of working. Costs (leadership) time at first, brings self-responsibility, fun, motivation and in the end more innovation and outcome - right? "You sometimes have to teach an old elephant new tricks," Olmar Albers also says. He was desperately looking for a job at 55 when an internship among digital natives brought him back into the game.

More transparency

In addition, other entrenched factors play an important role in demographicsensitive HR work, such as pay. Is the pay structure, which in some places is still strongly geared to (service) age, really still appropriate and fair? If younger employees are fundamentally more favorable to a company than older ones, this further exacerbates the perceived gap between performance and recognition. In contrast, models such as an "arc career" (congratulations, whoever finds a better word!) with decreasing (often personnel) responsibility or part-time work with correspondingly decreasing pay are conceivable. Many older employees are open to discussions about this or explicitly seek them out and are willing to accept an average of about 10% in salary reductions. In general, greater transparency and fewer inequalities with regard to salaries appear to be desirable. This in turn fits with the logical development of thinking less in terms of job titles and more in terms of roles within different projects.

Older employees: Learning by doing works at any age

Much research has been done on the elderly, but the jungle of prejudices has not been cleared much. Research on the relationship between age and performance at least allows the rough conclusion that 55-year-olds do not lift less per se than 30-year-olds. Most deficits, such as longer reaction times, are compensated for - for example through practice and experience. Ultimately, it is not age but working conditions, living conditions, education and motivation that are decisive for performance. So it's more a matter of whether the task area suits the person or personality. The topic of digitization remains exciting. Which age group uses it and how? - Tools, information, communication and consumption will soon be available to 100% of the workforce in the relevant professions. But who is really networking in a meaningful way, designing, producing content and software? Generation-friendly talent management would say: Found startups in the companies. Learning by doing works at any age.

Talk is gold

The majority of older employees are often unaware of their skills and assets. And conversely, their superiors are not aware of their potential, or at best are very vague about it. It is therefore important to talk to people, to question activities, and to break down rigid structures. For example, in the form of honest employee appraisals in which deficits are openly addressed, by both sides. If it's not put on the table, we're left with vague hopes and fears. And then follow up the discussions with measures - from further training to a completely new area of responsibility, which the employees ideally help to shape themselves. Taking active responsibility, creatively exploiting one's own possibilities instead of being a cog in the wheel - that's motivating. However, this also requires a shared will to shape things, beyond internal company hierarchies. Ideally, generation-friendly talent management is defined in such a way that all those involved, i.e. employees, supervisors and the HR department, are joint designers of a transparent process. It would be great if, in the future, all age groups had the skills and motivation to help shape the world of work 4.0 and wanted to work without rigid age limits, perhaps in combination with family and volunteer work - depending on the phase of life.

About the author:

Since September 2016, Bernadette Höller (36), a qualified gerontologist (gerontology), has been the managing director of the Neustarter Foundation, bringing with her extensive entrepreneurial experience in addition to her specialist knowledge.

The non-profit Neustarter Foundation was established in 1999 as the Tertianum Foundation. Since 2017, it has pursued the goal of inspiring and encouraging people aged 49 and older to make a new start in their careers. Neustarter also supports companies facing demographic change and increasing digitalization at the same time, in order to inspire long-serving and older employees with suitable models and methods, e.g. design thinking, for future working worlds.

www.neustarter.com

"Back to the Future - Utopia or Reality?" was the theme of this year's series of events organized by sieber & partners. With this, the CNO Panel 2018 challenged the approximately 400 participants to ask themselves partly delicate but highly interesting questions, such as: "How will we move from Zurich to Ostermundigen?", "Will we be cared for by robots?", "Is it still necessary to learn languages?", "Who will do my job?", "What would happen if there were self-driving cars?" In workshops, presentations and meeting points, experts and participants jointly approached such acute future questions - and solutions.

Too much "organized" in place of open platforms

Pascal Sieber, founder and organizer of the CNO Panel, draws a rather mixed conclusion when asked how "future-proof" Switzerland is: "The state and state-related companies are lagging behind current developments. ten to twenty years behind. In the private sector, we are about average." In other words, "Back to the Future" seems to apply almost programmatically to our country. However, Pascal Sieber names a few Swiss companies that offer very advanced solutions for digitalization. "One example is Landis + Gyr, for example: the company is a leader in solutions for Energy-as-a-Service. But this is precisely what is currently not feasible in Switzerland, as many state-affiliated energy suppliers want to secure their sinecures," Sieber laments. Overall, he sees Switzerland as still too dominated by state-affiliated companies - in telecommunications, for example - and monopolies. Where open platforms are emerging in other countries, Switzerland is still too "organized" in many respects and prefers to rely on sluggish proprietary solutions.

Not just talking about digital business models, but acting on them

In his keynote address that evening, Jörg Eugster talked about what the digital future might actually look like. The successful internet entrepreneur and future missionary brought the digital megatrends closer in an informative and entertaining way at the CNO Panel 2018 by telling directly from his digital life. The subsequent roundtable discussion "Three Swiss in the Global Market" showed that there are many Swiss entrepreneurs who compete with their software in the international and even global market - even though the Swiss software scene is often referred to as the research and development scene. Three entrepreneurs gave insight into their experience: Dorian Selz, CEO and founder of Squirro, Jens Thuesen, VR president of BSI Software and Cristian Grossmann, CEO and co-founder of Beekeeper. This company has developed an employee app that allows blue-collar workers without their own PC workstation, for example, to better connect. This simplifies the exchange of information - software or IT "only" serves as a means to an end here. With solutions like these, digitization will increasingly permeate the working world of the future. Pascal Sieber hopes that events like the CNO Panel can become a kind of "melting point" where people not only talk about the possibilities of digital business models, but also actively act on them.

More information and impressions

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is an expensive process. It is mainly used to create prototypes, special components in aerospace or medical technology. New processes now promise significantly lower costs and thus the advance into mass production. In the study "Advancements in Metal 3D Printing," the consulting firm Roland Berger explains the innovation potential in the area of metal 3D printing. "Additive manufacturing is currently still not competitive compared to conventional manufacturing methods in mass production," explains Bernhard Langefeld, Partner at Roland Berger. "We can't expect major advances from established 3D printing technologies: the market is waiting for the next, big leap in innovation."

3D printing: Where does Switzerland stand?

"In Switzerland, some established and new players are sitting in the starting blocks to benefit from the additive manufacturing trend. But patience is still the order of the day, which is not always the case, especially for listed companies," says Sven Siepen, Senior Partner and industry expert at Roland Berger in Zurich.

The most widely used process at present is "Powder Bed Fusion by Laser" (PBF-L). For this, a 3D part is generated layer by layer using a fine powder as the printing medium. PBF-L is used, for example, for complex parts in the aerospace industry or prototypes. Prices for this technology have fallen in recent years and further efficiency increases in the double-digit percentage range are expected by 2020. Nevertheless, the costs are still 15 to 60 times higher compared to the classic construction of identical parts.

Many new technologies are in the starting blocks

In their study, the experts at Roland Berger focus primarily on new additive manufacturing methods such as direct energy deposition (DED), material jetting, material extrusion and binder jetting. With DED, three-dimensional components are created by buildup welding using wire or powder. DED is a common process for repairs, for example. "Material Jetting" creates metallic objects similar to an inkjet printer by applying liquid metal droplets. In the "Material Extrusion" process, metal powder is incorporated into binder material to create a rod or type of wire. This is heated in a nozzle and then deposited layer by layer. In the "binder jetting" process, binder is added to the top layer of the powder bed in each case, so that a component is formed via the layer structure. In the last two processes, a so-called "green compact" is produced in each case, which must be further processed.

Many of these new processes are still in the development phase, but will gradually become more relevant in the coming years and ensure market growth for additive manufacturing solutions, as they enable production with larger volumes, among other things. The resulting cost advantages over PBF-L can be a factor of ten, depending on the process. "At present, such innovative processes complement established 3D printing techniques, but in the long term they may also replace them," predicts Langefeld. "However, we do not assume that one technology will completely prevail and displace all other solutions. As we describe in the study, the future belongs to a mix of different processes, each addressing specific requirement profiles in terms of material properties, production volumes and costs."

The right strategies for the right technologies

The wide variety of innovative solutions provides manufacturing companies with new options, but also presents them with challenges. In order to analyze the full spectrum of possibilities and then make targeted use of them, the following project approach has proven successful:

1. Develop understanding of solutions: Given the complex environment, companies should first build a detailed understanding of the technology landscape.
2. Identify application areas: With this knowledge, companies can analyze their own product portfolio and see if they can benefit from 3D printing processes.
3. Grouping individual fields of application: To obtain a systematic overview, the individual applications can be assigned to different groups. For each of these clusters, companies should subsequently develop specific scenarios.
4. Institutionalize the process: The analysis described must not be a one-off exercise, but is designed as a cycle. Only in this way is it possible to incorporate technical improvements and innovations.

"The media hype surrounding the topic of 3D printing seems to have faded somewhat, but research and development are advancing rapidly. The new technologies in particular are further fuelling innovation competition among the various processes. Therefore, machine and plant manufacturers should put additive manufacturing at the top of their agenda," Bernhard Langefeld summarizes.

Source: www.rolandberger.com

163 zettabytes, that is 163 with 21 zeros: According to a recent study, this is the gigantic amount of data produced worldwide. IDC study by 2025. Companies that want to make the best possible use of this development for their business success must rethink their information management. This advice is now being given by the business software experts at godesysa German manufacturer of ERP solutions. Accordingly, digitization strategies urgently need to include the area of data management and analysis. godesys mentions the topics of business process management (BPM), mobility, omnichannel and information management in its campaign #digitalnormal the cornerstones of the digital transformation. The following five reasons speak for a more thoughtful, IT-supported handling of internal and external information.

Five reasons for comprehensive information management

1. Data management helps save time: With the help of an information management strategy paired with data management systems (DMS), processing times can be reduced and sought-after documents such as orders, purchase orders, invoices, contracts, lists, e-mails, notes and more can be retrieved quickly and easily. By automating recurring filing processes, companies can free up their employees to focus on core business.
2. Reduce costs: IT-supported information management reduces mountains of paper. Expensive storage space for folders and the like is also no longer necessary. In addition, digital document management increases productivity. Companies can invest the saved expenses in new business opportunities.
3. Information management increases efficiency: Archiving and automation functions included in the document management tool make processes traceable and transparent. This enables companies to optimize collaboration. At the same time, processing quality increases.
4. Data strategy strengthens security: Professional DMS tools create the best framework for audit-proof data management. Data can be reliably archived from capture to destruction. This significantly reduces the risk of data loss.
5. Companies increase their productivity: With the help of information management, companies improve the overview of their documents and processes. Functions that ensure the seamless interaction of different systems and employees, as well as social features so that all employees are on the same level, are useful here.

ERP as a hub

Hans-Jürgen Zinn, COO of godesys AG, comments: "The requirements for efficient information management are increasingly changing and growing. On the one hand, front-end functions are becoming more and more specialized, and on the other hand, all internal, and in some cases also cross-company, areas are to be continuously interlinked. The ERP system is the hub here, which has to cope with increasingly complex tasks. In addition, the amount of information is getting larger and larger. That's why today it's no longer just a matter of managing and preparing this information in line with requirements, but also processing it in a target-oriented manner."

In this context, a modern DMS must go far beyond a virtual filing cabinet. The focus is on company-wide and cross-site processes. Information management must be powerful and reliable, understand relevant processes and know which document belongs where and what its significance or purpose is. This is the only way companies can maintain an overview, leverage competitive advantages through digitization, and also meet the constantly changing legal requirements.

More information: www.godesys.de

As part of the CNO Panel 2018, the current Swiss Software Industry Survey (SSIS) was presented on October 30, which was conducted by the University of Bern and sieber&partners on behalf of the umbrella organization ICTswitzerland. The SSIS is the largest study of the Swiss software industry and also provides forward-looking statements on revenue and employee growth. The focus of this year's study was on the role of the Swiss software industry in a globalized economy. For the first time, the internationalization of the entire value chain from service creation to sales was examined.

The main results at a glance

• Declining profitability and slower sales growth: Profitability in the Swiss software industry has fallen further from an already low prior-year level of 9.1 % and now stands at 6.7 %. Revenue expectations have also dimmed: Swiss software companies expect revenue growth of 5 % in 2019, which is 9 percentage points slower than in the previous year's survey.
• Faster employee growth: Despite the gloomy expectations with regard to business development, Swiss software companies are planning to expand their workforce in Switzerland massively and at an increasing pace: in 2018, the workforce is to be expanded by 8.2 %, and in 2019 by as much as 13.6 %. This corresponds to around 20,000 additional jobs in the period 2018 to 2019.
• Increasing export orientation: In 2017, the Swiss software industry generated around 25 % of its sales abroad. This is a significant increase in the export ratio of 10 percentage points compared with the previous year. Around 70 % of these exports go to Switzerland's four major neighboring countries, with Germany remaining by far the most important foreign market with an export share of 35 %. On the international markets, Swiss software companies impress above all with their reliability, innovative strength and precision. In terms of price, marketing and sales, Swiss software companies still need to catch up with international competitors.
• Internationalization of service provision: Swiss software companies are not only increasingly selling software abroad, they are also increasingly producing it there. The companies are planning to expand the workforces of their foreign subsidiaries by 19.3 %. They are also increasingly working with external service providers from abroad; especially in the areas of implementation and testing.
• High-revenue activities: The strongest revenue-generating branch of software companies is custom software development (26.8 %), followed by customization of standard software (Customization 18.3 %) and maintenance and support (12.5 %).

Internationally successful thanks to reliability

ICTswitzerland is particularly pleased that Swiss software companies are increasingly successful in international markets. The export quota, for example, grew by 10 percentage points compared to the previous year. The industry attributes this success to the high reliability, innovativeness and precision of Swiss software companies.

Andreas Kaelin, CEO of ICTswitzerland, concludes: "The Swiss software industry is and remains a job engine for Switzerland. This is remarkable against the backdrop of strong pressure on profit margins and moderate growth prospects".

www.ictswitzerland.ch

Tobi Wolf opened the SME Day 2018 as host. He also presented the SME Day study that was conducted on the conference topic. It shows that decisions today have to be made ever faster and without complete information. The aspect of intuition - gut feeling vs. ratio - has gained in importance, according to another conclusion of the survey among current and former SME Day participants. In general, SMEs were satisfied with the decision-making culture in their companies. However, some entrepreneurs might wish for something like a "video evidence" like in football, where a disputed scene can be re-evaluated and, if necessary, decided again. "Cultivating a culture of error is one approach," recommended Tobi Wolf in his opening address, and he urged people to have more courage to allow bad decisions to be made.

Also a topic at the SME Day 2018: Digitalization

Decisions, especially rational and fact-based ones, will be taken more and more by artificial intelligence in the future. Prof. Dr. Elgar Fleisch, Professor of Technology Management at the University of St.Gallen, spoke about this in his presentation "The Digital Gut". This title implied that machines might also be able to make emotional decisions one day. But there is no talk of that at present: Machines should primarily be able to perform certain activities better and more perfectly than humans. Elgar Fleisch cited image recognition as an example. This is a key technology, for example for the development of self-driving vehicles. But everywhere in digitization, there will be no future without humans. "Digital and physical are growing together to form hybrid solutions," said Elgar Fleisch. Humans continue to take over the "common sense" that a machine cannot have; regulations are needed as to what ethics a machine must have.

Digitization also plays a role for a traditional product like "Basler Läckerli". This became clear from the presentation by Miriam Baumann-Blocher, owner, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Läckerli Huus AG. In particular, sales are increasingly taking place via online channels, but traditional direct customer contact at the points of sale is still more important. New products, such as chocolate, are also intended to address new customer segments, as the speaker explained. "We opt for tradition and Innovation," said Miriam Baumann, who described herself as a "non-risk guy" in the subsequent conversation.

Do not demonize machines - do not exaggerate nature

Myriam Locher, founder and CEO of Bettermind, gave a real "wake-up call" to the audience, showing how artificial intelligence teaches us to think bigger. "The rhetoric around digital transformation is still too peaceful," she said right at the start. "I don't believe in the calm that is still here". After all, she said, artificial intelligence will provide a growth spurt worth 15.7 trillion (sic!) U.S. dollars by 2030. It is regrettable, however, that machines are still demonized too much, Myriam Locher explained. She did not gloss over the fact that automation and digitization will cost jobs. Farsightedness is therefore necessary in order to be prepared when the big push really comes. To the entrepreneurs who want to actively shape the digital transformation, she appealed: "Change is not a great thing. But hang in there until the breakthrough comes. Because if something works right at the beginning, then you may not have thought big enough."

A counterpoint to this was the multivision lecture by Hansjörg Hinrichs. "How to decide in the South Seas?" was the topic of his presentation. He shared some of his experiences from his many trips to the primitive peoples of the Pacific region with the audience. The quintessence: Decisions are made among primitive peoples in conversation among the tribal elders. Decisions are thought about, but at some point an action has to be taken - in the sense of an intuition for the right moment. Hansjörg Hinrichs gave the audience the following advice: "If we manage to change our tempo into rhythm, then the measure is right again.

"Privilege to decide"

The last part of the presentation was given by book author Rolf Dobelli and former top referee Markus Merk. The former explained the "art of clear thinking" in a relaxed but lucid manner by exposing typical mistakes in everyday life. "If you don't analyze the mistakes in great detail, you will make them again and again," the successful author advised. Markus Merk, in turn, enthusiastically and with many examples from his international career, gave important advice on how to "make(er) up your mind" in companies as well. Analogous to his work as a referee, he said, it is important to be permanently in areas of tension, but to use leeway as opportunities. And ultimately, it is a privilege to be able to decide.

The current SME guidebook, which the organizers of the SME Day 2018 gave to the visitors, can also be understood in this sense: The authors Urs Fueglistaller, Roger Tinner, Walter Weber and Tobias Wolf provide concrete answers to 7 x 3 questions and pragmatic tips and advice on the "startup spirit in SMEs". The guidebook explores the question in which areas classic small and medium-sized enterprises can benefit from very young startups, their strategies and fundamentals. Handy and readable in small bites as bedtime or break reading. To order via info@kmu-tag.ch.

The next SME Day will be held on October 25, 2019. Further information: www.kmu-tag.ch

Once again this year, members of the management of SMEs or other people with management functions took part in a small online survey conducted by the trade magazine ORGANISATOR. They were asked about the economic outlook for the next twelve months. In this respect, 43 percent of the respondents are looking positively into the future, 48 percent assume that nothing will change in the current economic situation, and 9 percent assess the outlook as rather negative. Compared with the previous year, optimism has declined somewhat, although in 2017 58 percent of the SMEs surveyed still assessed the economic outlook as positive. It therefore appears that realism is spreading among companies. Nevertheless, the overall conclusion of the current SME Monitor is that the basis for 2018 is probably much better than last year.

(Still) little interest in agile methods

In addition to questions around economic prospects, challenges and investment behavior, this year's survey also asked how changes in the world of work are reflected in work organization. Here, a differentiated picture emerges: In addition to the digitalization of work processes, which is primarily noticeable in operational terms, a greater need for flexible working hours and more demanding employee management are at the top of the responses. At the bottom are collaboration with freelancers and the introduction of new work methodologies such as Scrum, Lean Management or similar. Since it was primarily small companies that took part in the survey, this finding is hardly surprising - however, for small companies in particular, working with freelancers would be an opportunity to better focus on core processes.

Digitization has arrived in the companies

How digitally positioned do the SMEs surveyed see themselves? The results show: Digitization has arrived in the companies. The majority of respondents see themselves as "solidly digitized," which means that a large proportion of support processes and even some core processes are digital. However, whether this is enough to be well positioned for the future is another question. At least a little more than one-fifth of the companies surveyed consider themselves to be "fully digital", i.e., they have their own digital business models or are, as it were, "children of digitization". The blessings of digitization - such as cost savings or efficiency gains - do not yet seem to have any influence on the workload of employees. Even if more and more machines or software take over the work: The majority of companies do not have less to do or more to pay.

Information about the sample

The companies surveyed for this year's 2018 SME Monitor were 76.8 percent from the services and trade sector, 16 percent from industry and manufacturing, and the remainder from the commercial sector. The majority (64.3 percent) of companies surveyed have fewer than 50 employees, 7.1 percent are in the 50-100 employee range, 16 percent are in the 100-250 employee range, and 12.5 percent have more than 250 employees. Turnover is below CHF 5 million for 50 percent of respondents. Overall, the sample is not representative, but it largely reflects the reality that over 90 percent of all Swiss companies are SMEs with fewer than 20 employees.

The ORGANISATOR special publication "KMU-Monitor 2018" with further information, commentaries and interviews is available download here available.

You're probably familiar with this: some people, teams and entire companies succeed over and over again, while others (perhaps including yourself) have to fight over and over again for every victory. The important difference is that the first group has created systems for success, while the second group is always starting over.

Systematically attract

One example: One of the very important systems for success is the principle that people - including your customers - want to deal with you again and again. In other words: If you can get other people to come to you because they love it, you'll have to worry less both about customers staying away. This (like most of the key insights) sounds simple in principle, but very few people apply it consistently. So the big question is: How do we manage to systematically attract others and keep them coming (and buying) to us?

Three tips for practice

Among many different ideas to accomplish this, there are three key human drives that you can harness. If you "feed" these drives, everyone will want to be involved with them.

1. Security. This is an absolute basic need. If you provide your customers with true certainty, they will be much more likely to buy from you. Attention: Any need for a decision creates uncertainty for the customer. The same with unclear communication. In too many sales conversations, the prospect becomes confused and uncertain rather than knowing exactly what to do. Make every interaction simple and clear. The customer will feel confident - and buy.
2. Affiliation. We all want to belong to groups. If you can create a "community" among your customers that they enjoy dealing with, your repeat business will go through the roof. Apple with its fan base sends its regards.
3. Meaning. Few things people thirst for more than to be perceived as important. If you credibly increase people's importance in the world, they will want to be with you (and buy from you) again and again. Porsche can tell you a thing or two about it.

So then, if you want to sell more, starting tomorrow you give your customers more security, more belonging and make them more significant. The same for more engagement in your team. Quite simple really, isn't it? But as success coach Jim Rohn said: "What's easy to do is easy to do, not to do."

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