As of December 8, 2022, the Swiss peer-to-peer camping platform MyCamper from Basel acquired 100 percent of the Swedish competitor Housecar. The provider Housecar, which has been active in Sweden since 2020 and in the meantime also in Norway and Finland, will thus be merged into MyCamper and will in future be known as their website be detectable.

From minority interest to complete takeover

In the markets of Sweden, Norway and Finland, there are a total of around 700,000 camping vehicles. That is almost seven times more than in Switzerland. MyCamper had therefore started in 2019 to build a presence itself in the very attractive camping market of Sweden. "After a few months, we noticed that the competition was doing a very good job and it would be difficult to achieve our growth targets there," reports Stefan Lieberherr, CEO of the young company. Instead, MyCamper had invested in the competition and acquired a minority stake in Housecar in 2021. It was by no means a hostile takeover, according to reports from both sides. "We share the same vision and values," said Rickard Magnusson, CEO of Housecar. "Camping vehicles are used on average about 20 days per year. We want to help make better use of existing resources. In addition, we want to make camping and the camping experience accessible to everyone."

Significant expansion of the volume

With the acquisition, four new employees join MyCamper, two of them in management. Thus, the team grows to 25 people. In the markets of Sweden, Norway and Finland, approximately 1100 new rentable private vehicles will be added to the platform. In Switzerland, there are currently more than 2000. In the new markets, MyCamper expects an additional booking volume of 5.4 million francs next year - about half as much as currently in Switzerland. "According to a survey, Scandinavia is one of the most popular camping destinations for our community. So we expect that in the future more Swiss people will take advantage of the opportunity to rent vehicles via MyCamper in the respective markets," says Lieberherr.

Success story in the sharing economy

MyCamper can be described as a Swiss start-up success story. The "Financial Times" ranked the company among the 1000 fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2021. Early investors in the company included Tobias Reichmuth and Roland Brack, known from "The Lion's Den Switzerland" and even die-hard outdoor fans. Already in the first active year 2016, more than 1000 rental nights were arranged. In 2019, it was already almost 26,000. The growth could be accelerated again during the pandemic. "This year we are slightly below last year, but firmly expect that we will return to the growth track," says the CEO.

MyCamper is the largest Swiss peer-to-peer sharing platform in terms of sales, the fourth largest camper sharing platform in Europe and the number one in all markets with its own presence (Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland). By means of the expansion to Sweden, Norway and Finland, economies of scale are to be taken along with the aim of entering further European markets in the future.

More information

Cyberlink AG has been an independent Swiss managed service provider for ICT infrastructures since 1995. The service portfolio includes Cloud- and Connectivity Services and is aimed exclusively at business customers. According to the company, its cloud platform is one of the most modern in Switzerland, and services provided on it are audited in accordance with the ISAE 3402 standard. Now Thomas Knüsel (49) has taken over the CEO position from Beat Tinner. Tinner, who founded the company, retired from management and operations at the end of October, but remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. Knüsel has worked for Cyberlink for ten years and was most recently responsible for the MSP's operations as COO, focusing on cloud and connectivity. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, an Executive MBA and completed a leadership program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Thomas Knüsel's successor as new Head of Operations and member of the Executive Board is Michael Sommer (37) - a long-time Cyberlink employee who has been on board for more than twelve years. Of these, he led the Operations team for five years. In the last two years, he was also co-responsible for internal and external project management and most recently was also responsible for the Service Delivery Team. The handover of operational issues to Michael Sommer offers Thomas Knüsel the opportunity to focus more intensively on strategic issues in the future and to operate even closer to the market, according to the statement.

The new Head of Finance, Sonja Bucher (30), also comes from within the company. She takes over the finance area from Simon Anderegg, who, as a member of the Executive Board, will focus on market issues in the future. Sonja Bucher holds a degree in Business Administration HF, has been working for Cyberlink since 2019 and was Team Leader Finance & Admin prior to her promotion, as well as HR Manager since autumn 2021. The Cyberlink management team is completed by CSO Stephan Ulrich. He continues to be responsible for the Sales division. With the anchoring of the two service areas in the management, the customer and market orientation of the company will be further strengthened.

The high level of customer satisfaction is also reflected in Bilanz Telekom's rating: this year, for the fifth time in a row, business customers have named Cyberlink the leader in the "Internet Service Provider & Corporate Networks" category.

Source and further information: Cyberlink AG

"Where electricity flows and is used, we are the successful execution provider of electrical installations and systems for low voltage, extra-low voltage and signal transmission" is the vision of Jaisli-Xamax AG. In order to now give even more relevance to the day-to-day business, the position of the operational areas of electrical installations, building systems technology and switchgear construction PLUS will be emphasized by having one management member per area. At the same time, the functions of the resources Purchasing, HR Management and Central Services will be strengthened. The goal of Managing Director Rolf Weber is that in the course of 2023, each of the following divisions will have one division manager present as a member of the Executive Board.

Newly composed management

Accordingly, as of January 1, 2023, the Executive Board of Jaisli Xamax will consist of Rolf Weber (Managing Director), Markus Schmid (Division Manager Finance), Danijel Martinovic (Division Manager Electrical Installations), Kosta Vellidis (Business Development Manager), Marco Acikgoez (Division Manager Strategic Purchasing/Acquisition), Giovanni Marzocchi (Division Manager Central Services) and Sandra Schiesser (Division Manager HR Management). The new GL member Marco Acikgoez, Division Manager Strategic Purchasing/Acquisition says about the integration of his division into the new corporate organization: "Strategic Purchasing makes a significant contribution to the company result, therefore it is part of the corporate policy of Jaisli-Xamax AG. The centrally managed procurement, which consequently acts as a pivot, pursues a common, uniform and sustainable purchasing policy as internally and externally."

Into the future with a new organization

In the course of the adjusted organization, strategic goals were set for the core business, field of activity and employer branding, with which the company intends to further expand its success in the business field of electrical installations throughout German-speaking Switzerland. In doing so, the business areas of building systems technology incl. energy management and switchgear construction PLUS are also to be further strengthened. The consolidation as a secure and attractive employer with optimal employment conditions, development opportunities and career planning continues to be very important to Jaisli-Xamax AG. Sandra Schiesser, Head of HR Management and new member of the Executive Board, sees the reorganization and expanded GL as an important step for the company: "Our employees are our most valuable resource. In order to pursue the strategy and vision of Jaisli-Xamax AG and to continue to be successful, we ensure that the line and the employees are supported to receive the necessary training as well as motivation to work as efficiently and effectively as possible." Giovanni Marzocchi, another new member of the Executive Board, is also pleased with the integration of his operational unit Central Services and is quoted as saying: "Through uncomplicated, streamlined and digitalized processes, we support our employees in carrying out their daily work with efficiency and pleasure. What was good yesterday needs to be rethought today. Constant innovation and organization distinguishes us from our market competitors."

Jaisli-Xamax AG has been serving its customers with innovative solutions in the entire electrical sector for almost 55 years. The company operates in Dietikon (headquarters), Basel, Bern and Zug. The electrical company is committed to the new generation in the industry and trains around 100 apprentices off.

Source and further information

Where is my data? A simple question that is difficult to answer today - unlike in the past. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications like Microsoft 365 or Salesforce behave like software, are a software, but the data is in the cloud, the data flows change with the state of the networks between the data center and the user in the office. No one can guarantee that data will flow undamaged across all network points. In upcoming crisis scenarios, such as a power shortage, the risk of data corruption increases if, for example, the service in the data center is still running thanks to emergency power, but access to it is repeatedly interrupted, either planned or unplanned. It is therefore time for a backup and disaster recovery strategy that is easy to implement and that answers the question posed at the beginning of this article: Where is the data in an emergency? In the backup. Checked, tested and stored according to the well-known 3-2-1-1-0 rule.

Salesforce is one of the best known and most common SaaS applications around, at the heart of what we do with and for our customers. Switzerland is therefore one of Salesforce's top global markets. In general, it can be said that the strategic value of customer and company data increases exponentially. Data-driven customer relationship management (CRM) therefore also means that defective or non-existent data directly leads to lead losses and thus to revenue losses. It is therefore all the more surprising that backups have not yet been given a particularly high priority. A survey conducted by Veeam among 800 IT decision-makers and Salesforce implementation partners revealed this and more. That could change in the near future, as IT risks increase - as does the complexity of IT environments and use cases.

What can go wrong

The Veeam investigation has revealed a clear picture of where Salesforce's data risks lie. In addition to the usual human operating errors, corrupt data due to faulty imports are also a possibility. In addition, other cloud applications can be linked directly to Salesforce - another possible source of error. Data loss can often be traced back to many other causes, such as incorrectly set permissions or hardware defects, which are certain to increase with more power outages, for example. However, the most important reason for a backup strategy is the fact that companies themselves are responsible for their data and not the provider or service.

Salesforce's main responsibility is "only" to provide the global infrastructure necessary for the service. Salesforce has built-in data replication and geo-redundancy between data centers. The Salesforce ecosystem provides a variety of tools and resources to store, back up, move and interact with Salesforce data - always with the risk of data loss. If you take a look at the help pages, you'll quickly see that a recovery process is manual and can be quite complex.

Profound effect of defects

The creation and modification of data through manual or automated processes is the responsibility of the user or the company for which they use the data. Custom applications that the user creates for their requirements, workflows, fields, and validation rules - all of this is also the responsibility of the Salesforce user.

Salesforce data consists of two components: Salesforce data and Salesforce metadata. Both are essential for the success of the often widely ramified, international sales departments. Metadata are descriptions of the company's data, for example the labeling of the fields, so entire processes can be automated with metadata. It is understandable that defects here can cause unimagined profound interactions and error cascades. Therefore, it is simply business-critical that the clean state can be restored within minutes after a data loss.

How to use Salesforce more securely

Responsibility for your own data involves more than just address and date fields, but control over the fundamentals of business continuity as well as track record. That's why Veeam believes companies need a readily available copy of their data stored in a location other than the Salesforce infrastructure and stored separately from the source. To that end, our company recently launched Veeam Backup for Salesforce was launched. This enables backups to be restored within minutes at any granularity; they can also be stored on- and off-premises in any cloud environment. Salesforce records, hierarchies, fields, files and metadata are under the complete control of a company and its user groups.

Author:
Stephan Herzig is Enterprise Technical Advisor Switzerland at Veeam

A new study by Tradeshift - in cooperation with CFO Dive - highlights the challenges finance leaders face as they grapple with an expanding role and a range of strategic responsibilities that until recently were outside the purview of the finance department. A highlight of the study is that nearly half of CFOs (45 percent) cite attracting and retaining talent as their top concern in 2022 and beyond. Other top concerns include the increased cost of goods and services (42 percent) and the adoption of new technologies (39 percent).

The right investments made, but: "Afterwards you are always smarter".

For the most part, respondents were positive about their recent technology investments. But well over half (59 percent) admitted they would have taken a different approach if they could have anticipated the events of the past few years. This tension highlights how CFOs are coping with the sudden evolution of their roles and responsibilities triggered by the seismic events of recent years.

"The upheavals of recent years have brought the evolution of the CFO role to the forefront. CFOs now have to deal with an ever-increasing range of strategic tasks," says Mikkel Hippe Brun, co-founder and general manager, payment automation, at Tradeshift. "Finance executives recognize the critical role technology must play in addressing a growing number of strategic challenges, from supply chain risk mitigation to ESG. They also recognize that any investment in technology requires an equal investment in human talent capable of handling new technologies and extracting value from new data sets."

The difficulty of identifying the top priorities

The survey further revealed that many CFOs were struggling to juggle changing priorities. Indeed, most CFOs (28 percent) said they spend too much time on traditional finance functions (areas such as treasury, accounting, treasury and controlling), while 35 percent also said they spend too little time on talent development. CFOs, however, believe they have generally done an excellent job, according to the survey. However, they said the transition from efficiency to value creation is critical. Nearly all CFOs (93 percent) are at least satisfied with their company's finance function. More than a third (38 percent) described it as excellent. Still, 49 percent of CFOs ranked providing a more detailed view of the company's cash and liquidity and 41 percent ranked automating processes through intelligent automation as high priority areas for new technology investment. To reach the next level of value creation, CFOs expect to need financial technology expertise (59 percent), followed by data and technology skills (50 percent) and knowledge of business strategy (38 percent).

Further need for investment and lack of resources

Companies are lagging behind in adopting the latest technologies to help their departments do their jobs better and more efficiently. Only one-third (35 percent) of CFOs said their latest technology projects have reached the implementation stage or beyond, with most still in the planning or proof-of-concept phase.

Furthermore, CFOs lack the necessary resources to support their teams in their work. For their teams to work better, they need better data integration (56 percent), better training (48 percent) and more modern technologies (42 percent), according to the survey. As a result of this, another finding can be gleaned: The vast majority of CFOs plan to increase budgets for digital transformation projects within their department. More than one in three respondents (36 percent) said they planned to increase technology spending by more than 26 percent, with one in five CFOs reporting an increase of more than 50 percent. Only 6 percent of respondents planned to reduce their investment in new technologies. According to the survey, CFOs place a high priority on several technology investments, but also acknowledge that their companies' main concerns about adopting new technology are many, including implementation costs (46 percent), ease of integration with an existing technical system (41 percent) and training or hiring employees who can best use the technology (38 percent).

CFOs believe their teams can meet tomorrow's challenges, but they lack skilled talent. While the vast majority (88 percent) of CFOs say they are strongly or somewhat confident that their current team can meet evolving business needs, more than a third (37 percent) say they lack the internal expertise to properly analyze their financial data.

Source reference: 

• https://hub.tradeshift.com/research-and-reports/talent-and-tech-investment-top-the-list-of-cfo-priorities-for-the-year-ahead/
• https://www.cfodive.com

The new Gold Partnership between Mazars and SVC will start from January 1, 2023 and is designed to be a long-term collaboration. José Caneda, Country Managing Partner of Mazars, is looking forward to this new engagement and says: "The partnership with SVC is an excellent opportunity for us to present and position ourselves in an inspiring SME environment in all economic regions of Switzerland. With its excellent network and the prestigious Prix SVC awards, the SVC is one of the most important platforms for entrepreneurs in Switzerland."

Mazars is a leading international firm specializing in audit, tax and legal, as well as accounting, financial advisory and consulting, with a presence in over 90 countries. More than 44,000 experts - 28,000+ in the integrated Mazars partnership, 16,000+ in the Mazars North America Alliance - work in a spirit of trust with their clients, helping them to sustainably secure and grow their business. In Switzerland, more than 300 employees work for the company at sites in Zurich, Berne, Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Sion, Delsberg and Lugano.

Mazars also on the SVC Board

As part of the new partnership, José Caneda will also sit on the SVC board. In addition, Mazars will serve with other representatives on the eight regional expert juries of the Prix SVC awards.

SVC is pleased to have found a seamless successor in the ranks of the national Gold Partners in the form of Mazars. SVC President Andreas Gerber is also convinced that the company ideally complements the existing partners in Switzerland's renowned SME network: "We are very pleased that we have once again been able to win a very competent national Gold Partner in the field of auditing and tax consulting. Mazars operates in a decidedly entrepreneurial manner and is very well positioned among medium-sized SMEs. This is a perfect fit for us, our award-winning companies and our members."

Long-term partnership with EY comes to an end

Mazars succeeds EY (Ernst & Young AG) as Gold Partner. EY was active as a Gold Partner at SVC for around 15 years. The firm was also represented on the Board, most recently by André M. Bieri, Markets Leader Switzerland & Liechtenstein. SVC would like to thank EY for its long-standing partnership and the very good cooperation in a spirit of partnership over this long period.

For more information on Mazars, please visit: www.mazars.ch; Source: Swiss Venture Club

"You're as intelligent as a refrigerator!" Many people might not take that as a compliment.

But the SmartFridge EMIL Fröhlich shows that a refrigerator can indeed be intelligent! Because the autonomous food station of the SV Group not only provides employees at a wide range of Swiss SMEs with up to 300 options of fresh, healthy and delicious meals, snacks and sweets. Thanks to the app and intelligent technology, the culinary selection is automatically refined according to the employees' tastes.

EMIL serves on demand, 24/7, conveniently and super-easy via "Tap, Grab & Go" at every workplace. Anyone who wants to keep shift workers, night porters, call center professionals, researchers after their lab appointments, flight attendants before their flights, and employees under stress or in a food desert equally happy and well fed has to have a fair amount of logistical, technical, and culinary intelligence behind them - especially if they're refrigerators.

The ultimate list of why the SmartFridge EMIL Fröhlich not only spreads good cheer, but also has a high IQ:

- "Tap, Grab & Go" - intelligently simple

Anyone who feels hungry or "Gluscht" goes to the SmartFridge and opens the EMIL app on their cell phone. One digital push of a button - and EMIL opens. Guests can select their food product directly, take it out and enjoy it right away.

IQ value: 20

- Automatic booking and billing via app - simply smart

If the refrigerator door closes, EMIL registers the product selection made via a live scan of the inventory. The "missing" product is associated directly with the EMIL user's guest account via the still-active app, where it is automatically charged and paid for. There is no need for cumbersome scanning of items and separate digital payment, as is the norm with other food ridges.

IQ score: 25

- Small but mighty: concentrated intelligence via RFID chip:

Grab&Go" RFID technology makes it possible. EMIL has a built-in radio frequency identification antenna. It recognizes each item by the RFID chip in the label. This means that EMIL always knows the status of its inventory and the purchases made by guests identified via the app - without complex sensor technology such as computer vision or weight measurement.

IQ value: 15

- EMIL is capable of learning - Smarter catering thanks to back-end knowledge

Via app and RFID, EMIL not only handles shopping seamlessly and smoothly. Via the live inventory, EMIL recognizes missing products and handles reorders of the most popular dishes in the SV Group manufactory. On this basis, EMIL Fröhlich even analyzes the shopping behavior of its guests at the individual location and adjusts the stocking in the medium term according to their preferences. The clever EMIL is capable of learning!

IQ score: 25

- Clever functionality: little data, high protection

In addition to providing information about the menu, dish, additives, and allergens, the EMIL app allows users to store almost any means of payment (except cash!) in the "wallet. And although it also sends invoice vouchers for expense debiting (with VAT no.!) or newsletters on request, all that is needed to register is an e-mail address without the need for a clear name. Only our external payment service provider sees personal data and payment method information. Who protects them securely and reliably.

IQ value: 20

- Intelligent rental model - for the benefit of all

To cater for their staff with EMIL, corporate customers, such as SME owners or HR managers, pay a monthly service fee (rental price flat rate from CHF 2100.-) for the 24/5 or 24/7 operation of EMIL, with an additional option for flat-rate subsidization of the products. Employees pay for their own consumption and thus not only enjoy high-quality curries, wraps or seasonal dishes with price points close to those in the retail trade. Since EMIL provides in-house catering, it also saves employees precious time during their lunch break! EMIL is simple, efficient, convenient - a smart catering solution!

IQ score: 12

- Smart Move: Culinary Quality and Food Safety

Based on more than 100 years of gastronomic experience of the SV Group, EMIL offers culinary top quality from fine, tasty and non-industrial production. Thanks to its own supply chain and system landscape, SV Group's self-produced products and raw materials can be traced back to their origin - if necessary, all the way to the animal breeding farm. EMIL and SV Group thus guarantee the highest level of food safety - a smart move for any responsible company when it comes to healthy catering for its workforce.

IQ value: 10

EMIL may be "just" a refrigerator, but he's got it in spades. With all its smart features, it reaches an IQ of 127 - it's actually a Smartfridge!

More important than its above-average intrinsic intelligence quotient, the SmartFridge is a Smart Choice for Swiss SMEs. Thanks to its simplicity, elegance and intelligent design, it is simply the sensible choice for entrepreneurs and HR managers who rely on objectively high-quality and flexible catering to express the highest appreciation for the workforce, even without maintaining a company canteen or restaurant.

Test now without obligation!

EMIL Fröhlich

Wallisellenstrasse 57

8600 Dübendorf

We will gladly advise you

T +41 79 518 84 54

info@emil-froehlich.ch

www.emil-froehlich.ch

In spring 2023, Prof Dr Sybille Sachs will retire as Head of Research at the HWZ. In her many years of service, she has strongly promoted research at the HWZ, the University of Applied Sciences says. It is thanks to her commitment that the reputation of the HWZ as a research institution is of national and international importance today and that research has been further anchored in teaching, the statement continues. Sybille Sachs remains head of the Institute for Strategic Management HWZ.

Stefan Joller succeeds Sybille Sachs

Her successor as Head of Research is Dr. Stefan Joller. He studied sociology with a focus on organization and knowledge at the University of Lucerne and Konstanz. He was active in qualitative as well as quantitative methods training at the University of Lucerne and subsequently worked for several years as a lecturer and researcher at various universities in Germany. In the course of his teaching and research activities, he published several articles and books and was also a research and project coordinator within the framework of the state research initiative of Rhineland-Palatinate.

"We want to promote the unity of teaching and research even more strongly in the future by using synergies," says Matthias Rüegg, Rector of the HWZ, about the current personnel appointment. He adds that this will be favored by the merger of the Research Department with the University Development Department. For the Executive Board, the Research Council and the Board of Directors of the HWZ, the further development of research is a central element for this university with its in-service education offering.

Further strengthening of research by Claude Meier

Research and university development are strengthened by the affiliated and new Center for Research and Methods. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Claude Meier, students and lecturers are supported methodologically in their scientific work. In the area of research coordination, networks and partnerships are developed that enable research activities in specialized clusters. Prof. Claude Meier studied political science and business administration at the University of Zurich, where he earned his doctorate in these disciplines. He has been at the HWZ since 2008 and has headed the Scientific Methodology Unit since 2015. He is also a subject specialist for strategic management and deputy head of the Institute for Strategic Management. His areas of expertise are global governance, stakeholder management and corporate responsibility. In the various application-oriented research projects at the Institute, he works with different scientific methods (including case studies, process tracing, Delphi studies, surveys). He is the author of various publications as well as the reader Science Methodology for the HWZ.

Source: HWZ

It's sabotage of their own reputation on a grand scale: managers who obviously let themselves go too well. Gigantic salaries, a respectable fleet of cars and escapades at parties are made public. The whole thing becomes explosive due to high losses, employees are laid off and the company is faced with the question of how its own survival can still be secured. Disputes are prominently aired in the media, and the company's image suffers. All the more so when the investment bankers exaggerate their game in the financial center.

So far, so good. In the current world, where headlines sell well and many a scandal is chased through the village like swine, some things are quickly forgotten. Usually. Homemade mistakes, no matter how absurd, disappear again one day in the fog of everyday business. But when this very bank regularly makes a name for itself with such excesses, things get quite tricky. After all, each time an incident occurs, the company's management assures the public that nothing like this will happen again. That the company would do everything in its power to ensure that such things would not happen again in the future, and that personnel consequences would be drawn. The bank regularly wanted to swear itself to a new modesty.

I'll just say this one more time...

On the one hand, this form of communication creates an expectation. On the other hand, precisely this strategy definitely becomes a communicative super-GAU when, a few months later, there are again similar excesses to be recorded, articulated and put into perspective. Only action makes communication credible. Or the non-action makes it unbelievable. This is by no means only a matter of big banks and their trained communication departments. Even a parent who tells a child three times in a row: "You must not climb this ladder - I'll tell you just once more!" not only loses credibility, but the whole affair degenerates into farce.

The logical conclusion must therefore be: If I know how to act, I know how to communicate. But hand on heart: How often does it happen that you just jump into a discussion without clearly knowing what you want? In the end, once again nothing comes of it - in the best case. In the worst case, that's exactly why credibility has suffered. "Talking about something" carries the risk of coming across as untrustworthy, i.e., not very truthful, due to the lack of tangibility of the message.

He who has not defined his goal cannot communicate

In so many companies meetings are held, of which often a large part of the participants do not quite know why one is here now and above all: why I am here right now. If I don't know, the purpose is missing and the conversation is correspondingly tepid and unsatisfactory. In the end, the discussion between the meeting room and the break room leads to the realization that "once again, that was useless. It's not even about the well-known SMART formula of a cunning meeting leader, it's about my appearance, my behavior in the meeting. This has nothing to do with the late arrival of the meeting agenda, but with the fact that I did not define my goal at that very moment.

From such experiences, well-known behavioral theses can be formulated beautifully and courageously: One should be clear, goal-oriented and yet humanly close and tangible. The demands that are made are not only high, but often have an apparent contradiction in them. At the same time, one should have an overview of everything and yet always be in the here and now.

A look at the theater world can show how credibility in communication is related and can succeed. No, it is not about playing something for the other person, but about looking at elements from theater work, with which credible characters and communication are worked on there.

Actions and content must match 

Credibility is not only created in the theater world by ensuring that any downstream actions match what is communicated beforehand. It is like the conclusion of a message when the action takes over what is said. Only then does a coherent, credible overall picture emerge. In addition, there is a key rule from stage work: no action without a goal.

Every little action, even the tiniest one, is concrete and has a goal. There is no actor who is looking for or doing anything on stage. He looks for a lost key, he admires the lamp, counts the flowers - everything has a goal, a purpose. The rest is dismissed by the director with the label "without motivation" and will never have an effect - and therefore will not get a space or a time slot on stage.

The action must have a clear goal. It must have a clear object. An action is meaningless if it is not completed or if it is performed without an objective. And it is precisely for this goal that an actor must be able to feel enthusiastic. Only actions performed with inner commitment to the goal achieve the effect one intends.

Goal, effect, motivation - then action 

The actor admires the rose lying on the floor. He picks it up because he either wants to remove it, in which case he is motivated by a sense of order. Or he has the urge to cover all traces of his ex-wife. Or he puts them in a vase because he has inner fire for beautifully designed spaces. That is the goal, the effect, the motivation that leads to the action and that makes this action credible.

If, for example, as a team leader you walk through the production rooms in the morning and shout "Good morning!" to the workforce, there are those who do this because they have read in a motivational book that you do this. But it doesn't work - at best, because at worst, such things can come across as cynical. However, those who are aware of what they are doing here, because they know what their goal is, walk through the halls differently, encounter their fellow human beings differently, as long as they stay in touch with this goal during this time.

Conclusion: Every action - no matter how small - has a goal in everyday life.

Author:
Stefan Häseli is an expert in credible communication, keynote speaker, moderator and author of several books. As a trained actor with years of stage experience, he writes entire evening programs himself. In addition, he has engagements in feature films, TV series, TV commercials and training films. He runs a training company in Switzerland. Häseli is a multiple international award-winning speaker and trainer. Communication in its different worlds and the details in language fascinate him and shaped his professional career. His professional articles and columns are characterized by subtle humor. 

The company Felfel, itself a startup until a few years ago, continues to focus on growth and acquires Snäx. Since its founding three years ago, the young company Snäx has successfully established itself in the market for employee catering and built up a large customer base in German-speaking Switzerland. The startup was founded in 2019 by Sparrow Ventures. Like Felfel, Snäx relies on refrigerators that can be placed in companies and are regularly filled. Order processing for meals is done through an app. Lida Ahmadi, CEO and co-founder of Snäx, is delighted and says: "We are very pleased that the exit of Snäx could be completed successfully. We are convinced that we have found the ideal buyer in Felfel, because we not only share the same vision, but also have confidence in Felfel's team that they will best represent the interests of our employees and customers."

Founded in 2014, Felfel now serves 800 customers across Switzerland and employs 120 people - a large proportion of whom work in culinary development, technology and data analysis. In addition to its focus on fresh meals at the workplace, the company also runs Gavetti also its own brand of coffee tailored to offices. "In order to be able to meet the high quality requirements despite the complex market conditions, reaching a critical size is essential," explains Anna Grassler, co-CEO of Felfel. "We have been following Snäx's developments since its inception and are convinced that the young company is not only an ideal fit for us, but will also integrate seamlessly with us. We look forward to this challenge and to welcoming new customers and team members to our family."

Source: Felfel AG

Rising energy prices, supply chain issues, supply shortages and growing inflation are shining a new spotlight on sustainable and environmentally conscious behavior. The most environmentally friendly and at the same time most cost-effective resource is the one that is not used or consumed in the first place. In a thoroughly digitalized society, this also and especially applies to the handling of data. Aparavi, a solution provider for data intelligence and automation, explains how responsible data hygiene reduces costs, minimizes risks and at the same time contributes to sustainability. It's a matter of shedding data baggage.

1. Reduction of the data stockCompanies hoard terabytes of data on internal and external storage systems. Much of it is redundant. By analyzing and cleansing dark data, i.e. primarily unstructured ROT data (redundant, obsolete, trivial), storage requirements and resource consumption can be massively reduced.
2. Elimination of risk factorsUnstructured data is a ticking time bomb of unknown risks. For example, passwords, access data or sensitive, business-critical information can be hidden in this data swamp. This potential danger is eliminated if the data is identified as superfluous or critical and then either backed up or deleted.
3. Reduction of storage costs: Deleted data no longer needs storage. Data cleansing reduces storage space requirements and thus both hardware and software costs as well as space requirements, for example for backup and archiving. Companies thus save costs in the six-figure range. The costly oversizing of resources (provisioning) thus becomes superfluous.
4. Fulfillment of compliance and security requirementsEliminating risk factors also makes it easier to comply with security requirements and data protection laws, such as the DSGVO or the IT Security Act. In addition, the higher data transparency facilitates security handling.
5. Reduction of the carbon footprint: The more dark data that can be deleted after inventory, analysis, and cleanup, the fewer resources need to be allocated to data storage. This allows companies to reduce environmental impact and document a concrete verifiable measure in ESG reporting.
6. Minimization of the administration effortData cleansing can be carried out by trained employees in the specialist departments. This relieves the IT department. Once the data has been consolidated and reduced, another part of the costs for internal administration is eliminated. IT experts freed up as a result can thus be deployed for other, value-adding activities.

"Companies need to rid themselves of their data waste, because unstructured data is expensive and dangerous," explains Gregor Bieler, CEO EMEA at Aparavi. "By doing so, they also simultaneously reduce their CO₂-footprint - and create the basis for good karma." The company was founded by Adrian Knapp in 2016 in Zug, where its headquarters are also located. Other locations are Munich and Santa Monica, USA.

Source and further information: Aparavi

Until now, universities of applied sciences (UAS) have not had the right to award doctorates. Since 2017, the first cooperation models have been financially supported by the ERI Dispatch: Twelve cooperation projects for doctoral programs of UAS/PH in collaboration with Swiss universities and six cooperation projects for doctoral programs of UAS/PH in collaboration with foreign universities have been approved. More have been added in the meantime. The first persons have completed the doctorate in the cooperation model today. The umbrella association of UAS graduates FH Switzerland has conducted a survey to evaluate how the situation is currently perceived by the various stakeholders.

Young professionals want independent 3rd cycle at universities of applied sciences

According to the survey of UAS Switzerland, 88% of the interested parties would like UAS to be allowed to award the 3rd cycle (doctorate, PhD, etc.) themselves. The most frequently chosen argument is "so that the higher education landscape is really equivalent but different". Among students and graduates, 57% find a doctorate at universities of applied sciences useful. The most frequent reason given is "to complement the 3rd cycle with an application-oriented/practice-related program". In the case of supervisors, 60% of the participants in the survey are in favor of the requirement, and in the case of universities of applied sciences, the figure is 64%.

The reasons given for a doctorate at a UAS coincide with the argumentation of the umbrella organization of UAS graduates: The different profile of the UAS requires that this be transferred to the third Bologna level as well. According to the Higher Education Promotion and Coordination Act, the Swiss higher education area consists of "equivalent but different types of higher education institutions" with a research mission. An independent doctorate at the UAS can be derived from this law. The 3rd cycle can be supplemented by the participation of the UAS with an application-oriented/practice-related program. This would strengthen the UAS profile, ensure the transfer of research into practice, and promote young talent at the UAS. UASs would have the opportunity to train their own faculty more easily themselves. "New, different, practical, but still scientifically based: Therein lies the great opportunity of a 3rd cycle at the UAS," Andri Silberschmidt, National Councilor and President of UAS Switzerland, summarizes the arguments.

Further results of the survey

Among those interested, "I would like to complete my studies with a doctorate" is the most frequently cited reason for a doctorate at universities of applied sciences. Among students/graduates, planning a career at a UAS (lecturer, etc.) plays an important role.

For those already looking for a doctorate (50%), the search took an average of two years. For those who were able to start a doctorate (students/graduates), the search took less than a year. Those interested received an average of three rejections. 

According to 50% of the students/graduates surveyed, the cooperation between the university of applied sciences and the university colleges is working. 34% do not give a clear answer. 16% are dissatisfied with the cooperation. Reasons given include that the cooperation is not institutionalized in any way and that permeability is insufficient. The universities of applied sciences find that the cooperation works (73%). Among the supervisors, 65% state that the collaborations work.

Conclusion: Doctorate at universities of applied sciences should be possible

The existing opportunities for UAS graduates to do a doctorate should be further expanded. The cooperation model between universities of applied sciences and universities, with which good experience has been gained, serves as a basis. It should be initiated at further universities of applied sciences and departments so that interested UAS graduates are given access to the 3rd cycle.

Source: FH Switzerland