Today, market conditions are changing much faster and more drastically than they did a few years ago - the same applies to customer requirements, which have to comply with massive legal changes, among other things. How a holistic approach on the way to a crisis-proof, digital and process-optimized company can look in this environment and which questions have to be asked are explained by the experts of the Swiss consulting firms hpo and CNT Management Consulting.

Suffering pressure as an impetus for change

Our world, and so markets, tend to change faster and faster. With the increasing number of companies and new technologies, disruption seems to be the rule rather than the exception. In addition, the pressure on companies to meet the ever-increasing customer expectations is intensifying. Legal changes also have a major impact, as an example the currently discussed CO2 pricing on long delivery or distribution routes. "The impetus for change always comes from a certain level of suffering, and this can look very different," explains Andreas Lechner, Partner at CNT Management Consulting. Some customers cannot deliver the desired quality, are not fast enough in production or one has to become fundamentally more innovative in order to make resources available and to be able to bring a product to market at all. For others, the transition from the outgoing SAP model R3 to the newer S4HANA is the starting signal they need to take a critical look at their own Target Operating Model (TOM) and the processes it contains. For a company to evolve into a high-performance organization, clear strategic goals must be set and market positioning must be unambiguous. "The Target Operating Model, the digital core of the company and the entire organizational structure must be process-oriented," continues Stefan Zirhan, partner at hpo management consulting. In addition, employees with the appropriate skills and requirement profiles are crucial for success - and the intrinsic will of all those involved for further development should not be underestimated.

Ask the right questions

In order to establish a so-called process-based corporate structure and ultimately satisfy all stakeholders, the two consulting companies have developed a holistic approach. This is designed to look at and optimize the entire enterprise architecture. In addition to analyzing the processes, the digital core design and the actual transformation, this also includes a comprehensive performance check-up at the beginning. Here, an understanding of the individual functioning of the company is to be created, and the previous ERP (enterprise resource planning) landscape is to be recorded and evaluated. "Before we define and prioritize the individual action areas, we first need to ask the right questions, i.e. what is my market and who are my customers? What is my value proposition and what is its USP. How is my value chain structured and where do I source materials?" is how Zirhan describes the first step.

Target operating model must fit the market

Once the individual fields of action have been defined and prioritized, the TOM, or "target operating model" in German, can be developed. This is used to define and document future optimization strategies and thus represents the link between vision, strategy and the organizational structure. "This is often where the problem starts," explains Lechner. The TOM, he says, must fit what the company sells, the markets in which it operates and the suppliers it uses. "Because often companies never see the end customer who will use their product, not even the installation company that installs the heating system, for example, but only the planning office that orders the control valves. The question of the purchasing decision is not so easy to make here," Lechner points out.

Following the pressure of digitization

Only then do we move on to digital core design, in which all processes are individually defined in line with the TOM and the conversion of current business cases takes place. "In this step, we then implement digital solutions, such as SAP S/4HANA or Ariba," Lechner continues. After that comes one of the most important steps, namely the involvement of employees and the development of a suitable communication strategy - the aim is to turn those affected into participants. "Change management measures and subsequent regular check-ups to anchor the TOM help our customers to ensure implementation and then to actually be able to realize innovation," concludes Zirhan.

Sources and further information: https://www.cnt-online.com/de/ and https://www.hpo.ch/

The start is made by 21-year-old HSG student Tim Miljko with his company "PoCatWalk" from Baar (ZG). His idea: while shopping for clothes, young people try on outfits on a catwalk. This results in photos that go online. The hope is that this will generate feedback on the outfit and advertise the brand. His wish now: an investment of 160,000 francs in exchange for a 20 percent share in the company. But the lions were skeptical: Can this work? Is the business model right? The tenor could be summarized as follows: It's a good idea, but at this point in time it's still too half-baked to raise money for it. That's why no deal was struck.

Another record deal becomes fact

Then went straight into the full "SoFlow"a company from Flawil (SG) that manufactures e-mobility solutions for both private and industrial use. It has just developed a special scooter for a major German car manufacturer that enables employees to move around the company premises quickly and safely. And the turnover of the company, which was founded in 2015, also caused a stir among the lions: between 2016 and 2021, the turnover was increased six-fold to CHF 14 million, and even more than CHF 30 million is expected for the current year. However, the founders Manuel Hug (34) and Martin Neuckel (37) want to develop new products and have big plans in other respects as well. Their idea is correspondingly self-confident: the lions are to invest CHF 1.3 million. While the lions Jürg Schwarzenbach and Lukas Speiser wave them off, Bettina Hein, Roland Brack and Anja Graf join forces, but initially demand a 7.5 percent share in the company. In the end, however, they "bargained down" to 6.6 percent of the shares - and the record deal was a fact. Remarkably, SoFlow is already the second company from Flawil to receive such a high amount. A year earlier, Feey also made an investment of 1.2 million landed. SoFlow intends to use the money primarily to invest in its own structure and to expand the team. The company is also aiming for further internationalization in Spain, France, Benelux and the UK.

Good, but not enough well-developed ideas

The lionesses and lions bite at the next candidates: they taste a "Bean Piece", a sweet protein snack made from white beans - and are amazed at how good it tastes to them. However, they find the company valuation of the founders Nadine (27), Sarah (24) and Monika (27) rather hard to digest. The likeable young women want 230,000 Swiss francs and are offering 8 percent company shares in return. Especially the lion Tobias Reichmuth questioned the sales figures: Is an investment of this amount in proportion to the 2000 "bean pieces" sold so far at Fr. 4.80 each? The conclusion of the five lionesses and lions: Likeable product, but unfortunately not yet "shelf-ready", so no deal was made. But this will not stop the three young women from persistently wanting to continue on their way. They have plans to do so.

With the figures, the investors have also been able to "Loopia" Mühe, a circular economy app developed in Zurich to extend the life of products. The idea is an online platform that maps the entire life cycle of a device: At the time of purchase, the warranty period is stored, and any repairs can also be "booked" up to the point of disposal. According to the four founders, various partnerships already exist. "An egg-laying lizard," stated Jürg Schwarzenbach, a lion. 250,000 francs against 5 percent company shares is what the company now wants in order to take off with their app. They are not live yet, but are aiming for 12,000 users in the first phase. 250,000 users would be needed for break-even, which would be 3.8 million francs in sales. But how much time does it take to reach this goal? Bettina Hein sums up the mood among the investors: "You're here a bit too early. In half a year, we could talk again," she said, signaling at least an interest in the solution. The other four lions could not bring themselves to invest either.

Another deal - and many conflicts of interest

However, the lionesses and lions then find pleasure in "Pumphead", a Bernese start-up that upcycles disused bottles with pumps so that they can be used as soap dispensers, for example. The investors are impressed by how 29-year-old founder David Brönnimann wins customers and how little it costs him. Lions Tobias Reichmuth and Bettina Hein propose a deal: 100,000 francs in exchange for 20 percent company shares. David Brönnimann has to swallow a little empty at first, because his pain threshold was 15 percent. But then he relented - after all, he also gets "double the power," as he said.

Last but not least, the St.Gallen-based financial experts from "Kaspar&" for the favor of the lionesses and lions. Sebastian (33), Jan-Philipp (35), Lukas (34) and Lauro (31) have developed a card or account app that allows laypeople to invest by simply rounding up to the next franc when paying. The lionesses and lions are totally enthusiastic. And even the desired investment of 100,000 francs didn't seem like a big hurdle at first. But there was another problem: Four lionesses and lions (Roland Brack, Bettina Hein, Lukas Speiser, Jürg Schwarzenbach) had already invested in similar financial service providers (e.g. Neon, Yapeal). So there would be conflicts of interest. Therefore, they unfortunately had to decline. That left Anja Graf: But she is not interested in financial apps and also declined. The viewer asked himself the question: Is a product that is good in itself too late to stir up a market that is already very crowded? A few years earlier, "Kaspar&" might have been a candidate for a record deal...

Conclusion of the first broadcast of the fourth season: Apart from the record deal, only a few investments were made, which was not due to the good business ideas, but perhaps to the overly ambitious ideas of the young entrepreneurs - or perhaps because they wanted too much too soon? It was certainly instructive for everyone.

More information on upcoming shows: https://www.oneplus.ch/detail/1000604

The study "Switzerland's Digital DNA" was conducted for the sixth time, jointly by the international strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman and digitalswitzerland. It is published as part of the Swiss Digitaltage and shows the state of digitization in Switzerland. The online survey was conducted in July 2022. More than 1,600 people from German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland were surveyed for the study. A representative survey group was selected in terms of sociodemographic criteria.

Digitization in Switzerland is received differently

According to the study, 75 percent of the population currently see the Internet and technology as an opportunity for Switzerland - a stable figure compared with the previous year. The proportion of people who do not feel personally able to keep up with progress remains equally stable: at 22 percent, they account for more than one-fifth of respondents. Respondents see the greatest need to catch up in terms of digital skills in the further development of technological skills such as programming (44 percent) and the use of new technologies such as smartphones or VR glasses (18 percent). This view is shared by respondents across almost all age groups. Only the group of over 70s is different - 36 percent of respondents think they have no need to catch up in terms of digital fitness.

However, the perceived digital fitness varies greatly depending on the industry: While 15 percent of bankers rate themselves as not capable in this respect, 29 percent in healthcare and social services believe that their skills are not sufficient. The most self-critical assessment of their lack of digital skills is made by professionals in wholesale and retail (30 percent) and those in the hotel and catering industry (36 percent).

Differentiated view of opportunities and risks

"The Swiss view technology upheavals with detached optimism," Oliver Wyman partner Nordal Cavadini comments on the findings. "But quantum leaps have hardly been seen in this attitude so far." For example, according to the survey, only 29 percent feel comfortable trusting big tech companies with their personal data. Online retailers (36) also compare poorly in terms of trust. By contrast, there is widespread agreement when it comes to the use of data by hospitals, doctors and health insurance companies - 68 percent of respondents trust these service providers. It may come as a surprise that banks (64) and universities (61) are even more trusted when it comes to data sharing than the government and public offices (53).

Along with the willingness to disclose data, there is an increasing awareness of cyber risks. 74 percent of all respondents believe that the Internet and technologies will lead to an increase in cybercrime. There is general concern about cybersecurity. 30 percent of respondents said they have already been the victim of a cybercrime or corresponding attack. "Even though the fear of such attacks is constantly high, the willingness to share one's own data with third parties and to use services is growing," says Nordal Cavadini. What could be considered a paradox, the Oliver Wyman partner interprets pragmatically: the perceived benefit outweighs the perceived risk.

"The willingness to engage in lifelong learning is a constant in Swiss society," says Diana Engetschwiler, Deputy Managing Director digitalswitzerland. According to the survey, 75 percent of the population believes that the Internet and technology facilitate this lifelong learning - an approval rating that has remained at the same high level for years. "In Swiss education, however, digitization still lags behind in international comparison. Yet the continuous integration of digital learning content into education and training is crucial for the competitiveness of our future workforce. digitalswitzerland is committed to this, for example, as part of the Swiss Digitaltage with our 'NextGen Future Skills Labs' format, which brings children closer to digitization topics in an accessible and entertaining way," Engetschwiler continues. The fact that digitization will not be a foregone conclusion is also suggested by the attitude of 27 percent of all respondents who believe that their working lives will become more complicated as a result.

Banking offers convince users

This sentiment is also expressed in figures when asked about the specific use of and satisfaction with digital services. Digital financial services are way out in front: 93 percent of the population use them, and 90 percent of users say they are satisfied with them. Online stores receive a similarly positive response: 90 percent use them, 87 percent of whom are satisfied with the offerings. "Services that are used frequently also score higher in users' favor," says Diana Engetschwiler of digitalswitzerland. "You can see a habituation effect with highly frequented services on the one hand, but also a high degree of customer centricity on the other." So it may come as no surprise that telemedicine still has some catching up to do in this area: only 45 percent said they had already used telemedicine. Of these, 54 percent reported a positive user experience. The urban-rural usage comparison reveals other noteworthy points, for example in connection with digital mobility offerings (e-scooters, bikes) or e-food (online food ordering). The unevenly strong use of these offerings is probably also due to the different degree of coverage of these offerings in urban and rural areas.

Sources and further information:  oliverwyman.ch; www.digitaltage.swiss

The newly ordered bicycle will not be delivered for another year? The blinds can't be repaired because spare parts are missing? The shelves are empty in the neighborhood store? The logistics of goods and resources are based on supply chains that have become increasingly complex and thus more vulnerable in recent decades. For companies today, it is central to be able to rely on functioning supply chains. "It is therefore not surprising that most companies invest a lot in intact logistics and efficient supply chain management," says Ilja Bäumler, head of the new Master in Logistics & Supply Chain Management program, which will be offered at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts starting in the fall semester of 2023. The new master's program explicitly addresses the current and future challenges of global flows of goods, information, and finance.

Logistics as a success factor

Challenges with logistics and supply chains affect various business areas. They arise both in companies in the logistics industry itself and in companies in other industries. "There is now hardly a branch of industry that does not have to deal with the implications of global flows of goods and information," says Bäumler. For the head of the program, it is therefore clear: "Companies can set themselves apart from their competitors through functioning supply chain management and good logistics. They no longer compete only on the quality of their products and services, but also in particular on their supply chains."

Master in Logistics and Supply Chain Management against the shortage of skilled workers

To enable companies to position themselves accordingly, specialists are in demand. However, logistics professionals are in short supply, Ilja Bäumler knows from discussions with practice partners. "The studies in the new logistics master's program enable students to take on demanding specialist and management functions in industries where it is particularly difficult to find qualified specialists today," says the program director. The master's program has a broad thematic focus. In addition to classic logistics and supply chain management topics, students also delve deeper into the areas of information technology and digitalization, applied psychology, data science, and digital leadership. Bäumler is certain: "This results in a particularly high level of qualification for graduates in various professional fields." In concrete terms, students in the Master's in Logistics & Supply Chain Management could later, for example, fill a position in a logistics department in a large corporation, work in an SME as a contract logistics manager, or work independently as a management consultant.

Flexible studies with practical relevance

In order to prepare students as well as possible for real challenges from the business world, the master's program has a practice-oriented structure. In various project work, students deepen their knowledge on the basis of real problems from a wide range of application areas and in cooperation with practical partners. For example, the program is conducted in cooperation with Logistikum Switzerland and Logistikum Upper Austria. Every semester, students attend a block week at the Innovation Lab in Altdorf UR, where they can work with so-called "emerging technologies" (e.g. collaborative robotics, Internet of Things, augmented reality, etc.). "Our lecturers have both sound scientific knowledge and up-to-date practical experience," says Bäumler.

The master's program is deliberately designed as a part-time course. Ilja Bäumler: "We want to make it possible for students to continue working in a professional environment alongside their studies and to be able to bring their practical experience into the classroom." The program will start in the fall semester of 2023 and will run for four semesters part-time, with parallel employment possible.

Source: www.hslu.ch

In-service training

There are countless options in this area: Seminars and courses, but also the possibility to enter higher vocational education and obtain a federally recognized qualification. The professional examination (federal certificate) and the higher professional examination (federal diploma) certify in-depth specialist knowledge in a particular field. This educational pathway builds on professional experience. It combines classroom instruction and professional practice, thus ensuring the dual system of vocational education and training at the tertiary level as well. The training is action-oriented and promotes the rapid implementation of new technical knowledge in practice. In this way, tertiary vocational education and training provides the Swiss economy with qualified specialists.

Intermediate

Employees with an apprenticeship who want to continue their education in smaller stages can expand their expertise by gaining an additional qualification at the level between basic education and higher vocational education. For people wishing to return to professional life, career changers and practitioners without a professional qualification, these further education courses offer an attractive alternative in individual career planning. The open admission requirements make it possible to obtain a diploma that is recognized throughout Switzerland. These advanced training courses are practice-oriented, promote professional competence and enable job holders to work independently. This is a direct added value for employers and employees, because what is learned can be applied immediately in everyday life.

Three edupool.ch training courses of interest to SMEs:

Clerk:in Accounting edupool.ch

Well-founded specialist knowledge enables your employees to carry out operational work in financial and management accounting autonomously and to relieve you efficiently. Recognized as basic training for admission to the federal professional examination, this degree also enables people without a commercial apprenticeship to acquire the professional certificate.

On the other hand, this degree is the preliminary stage for further training as a Clerk:in Fiduciary edupool.ch and thus the start for a successful career in this economically important industry.

Higher Business Diploma edupool.ch

This course of education has a generalist orientation and imparts broad basic commercial and business management knowledge. Thanks to the strong practical orientation, students learn to use modern business management tools efficiently and to understand the interrelationships of the various business areas.

Quality label for continuing commercial education

edupool.ch is the most important quality label and the most important examination organization in Switzerland in non-formal commercial further education. The pioneer and market leader at the clerical level also develops offerings in the areas of basic knowledge, general commercial education and expert knowledge. The edupool.ch diplomas and certificates, which are recognized throughout Switzerland, are co-signed by the Commercial Association and, depending on their focus, by renowned industry and professional associations. Continuing education with the nationally recognized Quality label edupool.ch are carried out by accredited Partner schools (KV continuing education centers) conducted.

Contact:

edupool.ch
Baarerstrasse 77
6300 Zug
041 726 55 66
info@edupool.ch

www.edupool.ch

The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) demands: Global greenhouse gas emissions must fall from 2025 and be more than 40 percent lower than today by 2030. Only in this way can the 1.5-degree target of the Paris climate agreement, to which Switzerland has also committed itself, still be achieved. What we are doing and have done so far, however, is not enough - although we have little time left to mitigate the climate crisis. Much, much more needs to happen very quickly - but how?

Business has an effective lever to drive sustainability and climate protection. Even though many companies have already started with climate targets, studies (e.g. Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor) that green promises alone will not be enough. What is needed is a fundamental reorientation of the economy toward sustainability. But how can we succeed in anchoring sustainability deeply in the Swiss economy under the current time pressure?

Change is needed - and as we all know, that can only happen together

The question of how the reorientation of the economy towards sustainability can be accelerated through intensive cooperation is what the Forum ö 2022 with the title "Let's Rethink Business - Change can only happen collaboratively". The Forum ö is the participatory and practice-oriented annual conference of sustainable business and has been organized since 1989 by the Association öbu organized.

The Forum ö is not a classic annual conference, because the format already focuses on exchange and practice. The result is a collaborative, interactive event with the right balance between keynotes, breakouts and exchange rounds, which is also highly appreciated by the participants.

"Forum ö is one of the best events for me to share sustainability challenges and best practices with peers from other companies and other industries," says Julia Baumann, the head of the sustainability department at öbu member Lidl Switzerland.

The participants of the Forum ö represent the broad spectrum of the Swiss business world: representatives from large companies, SMEs and start-ups, personalities from science and civil society, and representatives from politics and administration. This leads to results.

How does the ö 2022 Forum work?

This year, the nominees of the Green Business Award, like Planted or Kyburz, for inspiration in the morning and show what rethinking and transformation can look like in practice.

Participants can work on concrete issues in the interactive breakout sessions. What can change look like in the participants' companies? What does collaboration in and between companies look like? The content of the practice-oriented breakout sessions will be supported by the following, among others ewz, Swisscom, Energy 360°, Danone Switzerland or also PostFinance.

The keynote speakers for the morning were Robert Szilinski, CEO esentri AG and Senator of the Economy, and Nele Kreyssig, Reference book author and podcast hosttwo rethinkers. However, the two do not paint the world beautifully, but give authentic insights into their world and want to inspire to be courageous and take concrete steps into a new way of management.

Forum ö 2022: Let's Rethink Business - Change can only be collaborative
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Tanzwerk eins0eins, Zurich

In his welcome address to the auditing and consulting industry, Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer spoke about the unavoidable necessity of the OECD tax reform and its implementation in Switzerland, and also presented an outline of the current financial policy challenges facing the Confederation. In a panel discussion, federal parliamentarians Judith Bellaiche and Erich Ettlin emphasized that inflation, the energy crisis and, in general, the development of federal finances will continue to occupy us intensively. They also pointed out that Switzerland also needs to keep up with digitalization and new forms of work. All representatives from Berne also agreed that the tax system plays an important role for a strong Swiss business location.

Withholding tax reform failed - reforms regarding OECD minimum tax mandatory

The unsuccessful vote on the partial abolition of the withholding tax on September 25, 2022, was described as a missed opportunity to strengthen Switzerland as a business location compared to other countries. The tenor at the event was that Switzerland could not afford another defeat in the vote - on the much more important issue of international tax compatibility with the greatest possible attractiveness of Switzerland as a business location. EXPERTsuisse President of the Tax Division, Daniel Gentsch, summed it up as follows: "There are many tax issues in the room; now it is a matter of setting the right priorities with a view to locational attractiveness, the ability to obtain a majority and financial viability.

Sustainability developments affect companies as well as the auditing and consulting industry

Prof. Thomas Berndt pointed out the international developments and stated that the topic of sustainability in reporting and auditing will increasingly reach the Swiss economy. In the panel discussion, Alessandro Miolo, President of EXPERTsuisse's Auditing Division, pointed out that, in addition to multinational companies with the various aspects of supply chains, Swiss SMEs will also be dealing intensively with this topic over the next few years. Thomas Koller, President of the Business Consulting and Fiduciary Division, saw this as a great opportunity for small and medium-sized member companies of EXPERTsuisse to play an important multiplier role. In this context, the industry partnership announced at the annual conference with "Digital SME Checkup Sustainability" (by tfy-consult) supportive.

Recruitment of specialists and quality of service require multidisciplinarity

Association President Peter Ritter pointed out that all size categories of member companies generate relevant revenues in the specialist areas of "Audit & Assurance", "Tax & Legal" and "Consulting & Business Services": "Consulting is already an important business area for all size categories today, which we as an association would like to increasingly support". Marius Klauser, Director and Board Delegate of EXPERTsuisse, added: "In general, it shows that the interplay of different disciplines is a necessary condition for high quality in audit and consulting mandates and, moreover, an important aspect of employer attractiveness when it comes to recruiting new people." Top graduates in auditing, tax and fiduciary services were also on stage at the annual conference during the presentation of the Newcomer Award.

Integration of ASCO into EXPERTsuisse as of January 1, 2023

The Swiss Association of Management Consultants ASCO will be fully integrated into EXPERTsuisse as of January 1, 2023. Marius Klauser showed how the so-called "Transformation 2025" - until the 100th anniversary of the association and beyond - will look like. In order to make the best use of the major trends of digitalization and sustainability as an industry and for the economy, complementary competencies are needed. "Since customer-oriented consulting and holistic management are gaining in importance in this context, the integration of ASCO into EXPERTsuisse is an important step in the association's development," says Marius Klauser. The previous cooperation with ASCO will become a full integration, giving consultants from EXPERTsuisse and from ASCO member companies an integration and training platform at EXPERTsuisse (Consulting & Business Services) and strengthening themselves as a profession throughout Switzerland.

In addition to the integration of ASCO, EXPERTsuisse also enters into a cooperation with the Swiss Umbrella Organization for Business Succession (CHDU) which is about the formation and certification of competencies in the field of holistic succession consulting. This will further strengthen the consulting ecosystem, according to the associations.

Source: EXPERTsuisse

The myth of a generation gap in the workplace is debunked in a new study published by HR consulting firm Egon Zehnder in cooperation with consulting firm Kearney. According to the study, Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Boomers are more similar than thought when it comes to their ideas about jobs and careers. In particular, when it comes to personal well-being, work-life balance and expectations of leaders, there is a great deal of agreement between the generations. The study involved 8181 respondents from eight countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UK and the USA. Differentiation was made between the following five generations: Gen Z (born between 1997 or younger), younger Millennials (born between 1988 and 1996), older Millennials (born between 1978 and 1987), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1977) and Boomers (born between 1957 and 1964).

Healthy work-life balance important for all generations

One of the key findings of the survey is that the financial solidity of the employer and a healthy work-life balance are just as important as an attractive salary for all generations (80 %). However, according to the study, mental and physical well-being is even more important to respondents when choosing an employer (82 %). Two-thirds of respondents would also leave their jobs for a position they personally find more meaningful. Willingness is highest among Millennials (70 %), compared with Gen X (59 %), Gen Z (58 %) and Boomers (54 %). All generations, on the other hand, value leaders who listen, empower their teams, are transparent about their decisions and communicate a vision. And of all generations, Millennials feel the most confident and empowered to overcome challenges. Seventy-six percent of them are optimistic that they will have the success they deserve in life, followed by Generation X (63 %), Boomers (62 %) and Generation Z (61 %).

Collaborative leadership receives greatest encouragement 

The desire to work autonomously is also reflected in employees' expectations of their superiors. They particularly appreciate being listened to and trusted, when managers ask for assessments and their decision-making process is comprehensible. "Today, working in line with the times also means, above all, giving your own employees the space to develop. To this end, freedom and the delegation of responsibility are just as important as active, transparent exchange with one another. Companies that lead the way here have a clear advantage," says Dr. Mirko Warschun, Partner, Managing Director and Head of the Consumer Goods & Retail Practice EMEA at Kearney. "A collaborative corporate culture is in demand across generations. Leaders who take the time to explain decisions, engage the workforce and treat their teams as equals make the difference today," says Simone Stebler, Consultant and Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Egon Zehnder Switzerland.

"With the study results, we refute the alleged conflict between generations and their expectations of their work environment. Instead of being guided by supposed opposites, employers should create a working climate that combines the expectations of all age groups. In implementing this, managers are crucial," says Dominik Schaller, Consultant and Managing Partner Switzerland at Egon Zehnder.

Source: www.egonzehnder.com

For many suppliers and their customers, trade shows are an attractive platform for knowledge exchange and personal contact. The business events provide a kind of all-round view of what's on the market in the relevant sectors and what's new - also in terms of price, quality and innovation. Industrial trade fairs in particular often present complex products that require explanation. Exhibitors have the opportunity to network at industry meetings or to observe the competition. However, a visit to a trade fair is often also associated with tourist activities - so the trade fair locations benefit in economic terms.

At the same time, however, trade fairs are also associated with an enormous amount of work, especially for the exhibitors and particularly when international trade fairs are involved. The transport of products is logistically and legally complex and involves high costs, which are offset by an unclear return. What there has been less awareness of so far is that major events such as international trade fairs have an enormous ecological footprint. And regional trade fairs also repeatedly cause increased traffic volumes, traffic problems and congestion.

Study exposes trade fairs as CO2 guzzlers

In the study "Trade fair industry - change of era or 'back to normal'?", the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences Cologne and the B2B platform operator Visable expose international trade fairs as true CO2 guzzlers. While many trade fair operators would do anything to be sustainable (e.g. with solar panels for energy supply, etc.), the problem lies in the high volume of travel they entail. Taking the prominent International Consumer Electronics Fair (IFA) in Berlin as an example, "The CO2 footprint of the IFA is enormous. It's as if Berlin were to grow by the size of Frankfurt for the duration of the trade show. That's not the official way of calculating it, but it illustrates the problem," says study author Prof. Dr. Mareike Müller. At the same time, it is a problem for which there is no awareness and apparently little political will to change anything: because clear rules on CO2 accounting for trade fairs would be missing. As co-initiator of the study, Visable CEO Peter F. Schmid says: "Organizing trade fairs and the associated travel of international visitors cause huge amounts of CO2. But no one is tackling the issue. We can't afford that if we're serious about climate protection."

Digital trade fairs offer new opportunities

But trade shows could just as well be handled digitally and take place in virtual spaces. Suitable digital presentations can depict products and product details even more accurately, including 3D animations or even directly to scale on the production floor via augmented reality. The seller can answer customers' questions using chatbots or in person. During the Corona lockdowns, the switch to digital sales solutions was also necessary in many cases. For example, during the pandemic, Visable, which operates the wlw (formerly "Wer liefert Was") and europages platforms, saw the number of listed companies rise to 3 million.

Haptics and personal contact are missing

For the time being, however, purely virtual trade shows are only replacing a small proportion of the trade shows where people are present. And they are not visitor magnets. They generate only a fraction of the traffic of their physical counterparts. A survey by Visable found that 69 percent of respondents would miss professional networking, meeting new customers or social aspects. Finally, customers want to see, try, experience and test the products they are so specifically interested in. Since trade show customers are usually a special clientele, they also have an interest in meeting and getting to know each other.

One criticism of virtual trade shows is the lack of a uniform model in which content can be provided without having to deal with a new system every time. In many cases, there is a lack of will on the part of the trade fair operators themselves to keep an eye out for new and uniform solutions - as well as on the part of politicians to ensure uniform framework conditions. For the time being, virtual trade shows still seem to have too little appeal. But a change is likely to be on the horizon - especially since the sharp rise in energy and fuel prices has recently been added to the mix.

Hybrid trade fairs as a model for the future

The current Macromedia study also sees virtual or hybrid trade shows as a possible path toward sustainability. Visable CEO Peter F. Schmid is irritated, however, by the reticence of trade show organizers regarding the transition to a digital age: "Haven't enough industries slept through the digital transformation yet? After all, trade shows are places where information transfer and communication are at the center of attention - and both are undergoing massive changes as a result of digitization. Who seriously believes that the deeply analog trade fair model from the Middle Ages doesn't have to adapt to this? After all, this is also an enormous opportunity for trade show operators."

Source: Visible

The IMD, Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, has published its world ranking on "Digital Competitiveness". The results for Switzerland will be explained at the Digital Competitiveness Summit 2022 on September 28 in Lausanne.

Among the top 10 in terms of digital competitiveness, Denmark takes 1st place, while the USA, in 2nd place, has to relinquish its top spot for the first time since the launch of the "IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking" in 2017. Sweden remains in 3rd place, Singapore improves by one rank (4th place) and the Netherlands also rises by one place to 6th place (from 7th place).

Digital competitiveness: Switzerland makes progress

Switzerland's rise in the rankings is due to its good performance in the knowledge factor, which the World Competitiveness Center defines as "the necessary know-how to discover, understand and develop new technologies". This factor is one of a total of three main categories according to which the researchers rank the results of the studies. The other two factors are future viability and technology.

Top rank in knowledge

For all subfactors in the range Knowledge ranks Switzerland among the top 10 economies, coming in 2nd in terms of talent, remaining 8th in terms of scientific concentration, and also 8th in terms of education and training. In the area of Technology Switzerland's position remains unchanged for the subfactors capital (12th place) and technological framework (11th place), while the regulatory framework has improved slightly compared to the previous year (2022: 8th place vs. 2021: 9th place).

Switzerland's need to catch up

The ranking makes it clear that Switzerland's digital capabilities are in need of improvement: The availability of digital skills is viewed less positively by managers today than it was a year ago; this criterion has dropped to 18th place (from 11th). Scores also remain relatively low for science graduates (26th), women graduates (30th), number of female researchers (31st), and R&D productivity as measured by number of publications (35th) - despite improvements in most of these areas. Overall, the findings shed light on the factors that make it easier for governments and the private sector to improve their ability to protect digital infrastructure from cyberattacks, the experts said. In addition, they show how this promotes the adoption and diffusion of digital technologies. Switzerland ranks 27th out of 63 in terms of government cybersecurity capabilities, 15th in terms of the importance of cybersecurity to business leaders ("To what extent is cybersecurity adequately addressed by businesses?"), 18th in terms of e-participation, and 16th in terms of e-government (providing online government services to increase access and inclusion for citizen:s).

Source: https://digitalswitzerland.com/

It occasionally happens that federal councillors have to change their plans at short notice. This is particularly true of Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, whose agenda is one of the busiest among federal councillors; time and again, there are scheduling conflicts. The 26th Thurgau Economic Forum has now been affected by such a clash. It is with great regret that Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer has had to announce that he will not be able to be in Weinfelden on November 3. The reason is an important trip abroad.

Oswald Grübel: High-profile banker

The organizers of the Economic Forum succeeded in attracting a high-profile new speaker for the closing address: Oswald Grübel. He fits in perfectly with the core topic of the event: the impact of the current crises on the financial and innovation system. Grübel is often referred to as the last tycoon of Swiss banking. He began his career at Deutsche Bank, then worked for 37 years at Credit Suisse Group, where he was head from 2003 to 2007. From 2009 to 2011, he was group chief executive officer (CEO) of UBS. Next fall, Oswald Grübel will turn 80. With great interest and a wealth of experience, he continues to comment on the financial world with a critical eye.

Top-class trio

The rest of the program of the 26th Thurgau Economic Forum remains unchanged. With HSG economist Monika Bütler, Sandra Banholzer, CEO of Rausch AG, and German economist Hans-Werner Sinn, a top-class trio will address the challenges in times of crisis alongside Oswald Grübel. For the first time, the Thurgauer*in of the year will present himself/herself in conversation. The Economic Forum will be moderated by Thurgau-based SRF presenter Mona Vetsch.

Source, more information and registration for the event: www.wft.ch

For the third year in a row, second-hand goods were bought, exchanged, repaired, recycled or passed on throughout Switzerland and on online platforms on Secondhand Day on September 24, 2022. This annual day of action was launched in 2020 by Ricardo, myclimate and Circular Economy Switzerland to raise awareness and enthusiasm among the Swiss population for sustainable consumption in the form of secondhand as part of the circular economy. The idea behind it is simple: by using products longer, the amount of new goods that need to be produced can be easily reduced. There are many ways to do this: Share products, pass them on, reuse them, repair them or refurbish them. Secondhand Day takes into account the fact that this form of consumption directly saves resources and emissions such as CO².

2,330 tons of CO² saved

This year, around 2,330 tons of CO² were saved through the sale of used goods, which is almost a quarter more than in the previous year. This amount saved corresponds to the daily CO² production of the equivalent of 58,400 people or a city like Biel. The initiators Ricardo, Circular Economy Switzerland and myclimate draw a positive conclusion for the Secondhand Day 2022. "We are extremely satisfied that the third edition of the Secondhand Day was also a great success and that we could bring the colorfulness, the coolness, the high quality and ultimately the sustainable sense of second-hand goods closer to numerous people. We are getting closer step by step to our goal of getting the Swiss population to rethink their consumer behavior and change it in a sustainable way," says Francesco Vass, Managing Director of Ricardo.

Second hand goods are more and more accepted

The data collected annually on Secondhand Day gives hope: In 2020, 1500 tons of CO² were saved on the first Secondhand Day, in 2021 it was 1,895 tons of CO² and this year even 2,330 tons of CO². The trend is strongly increasing and the willingness to buy second-hand goods is growing. One of the reasons for this is the growing variety of modern second-hand and vintage stores, attractive second-hand shops as well as trustworthy online marketplaces and vehicle-occupation platforms in Switzerland. This diversity can also be seen in this year's Circular Heroes, who contributed physically or digitally from all over Switzerland. The frontrunners among the stationary Circular Heroes are the Salvation Army's Brockenhäuser, while the online leaders were the platforms Ricardo and tutti.ch.

Source and further information: www.secondhandday.ch