Planning for the future? Of course you are. We all are. But a solid plan needs to be based on a vision of how the future might change. How solid is your vision? Most organizations rely on projections or forecasts to try and get a handle on the way things will develop in the future. […]
Apple takes aim at Swiss watch industry
Apple, the US-based technology company, has predictably tried and to a degree succeeded in getting a rise from the Swiss media by claiming that its latest device, a digital watch, will cause the demise of the Swiss watch industry. The campaign disingeniously ignores the truism that a wristwatch is worn for far more than just […]
Housing: Going up or down?
Given a growing return migration of Swiss and expatriate residents from across the border in France, but also economic uncertainty in Switzerland itself, there appears to be a contradiction in the way property prices are moving. Nation-wide, prices have continued to rise in 2014 – albeit at a slower rate. The Lake Geneva region, however, […]
Uber ignores edict and comes to Geneva
Uber, a licensed taxi substitute operating in more than 200 cities worldwide launched in Geneva this week. The controversial service connects people with a “private driver” at the tap of a button, boasting “Anytime! Anywhere! Without cash!” But all is not as it seems: the company ignores local licensing rules. Recently, licensed cabbies in London […]
Pictet unveiled
Geneva-based private bank Pictet has for the first time in its 290-year history published its financial results. The move to transparency is a result of the Swiss group’s re-structuring and transformation into a Société Anonyme – the equivalent of a UK public limited company or US public traded company. The bank reports that it has […]
Swiss search engine jumps for moon
Swisscows.com – Switzerland’s answer to Google – is beginning to give the California search engine a run for its money. Since launched by Hulbee AG in June, it has attracted 400,000 users. Responding to Google’s market hold, Swisscows presents itself as the first intelligent “answer engine” based on semantic information recognition coupled with intuitive search […]
Cheaper restaurants – not on the menu
Don’t uncork the champagne just yet. Finance minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf this week outlined the Federal Council’s response to the popular initiative “Stop discriminatory VAT in the restaurant business”, to be put to the vote on 28 September. For several reasons, she rejected the proposal of GastroSuisse, the hotel and restaurateurs association, to bring the standard […]
Pay gap widens
Top executives earn more than 230 times the salary of their lowest-paid employee, according to a new study released by the Travail Suisse union. Its study of 27 Swiss companies suggests that the pay gap is widening, despite legislation mandated by a national referendum (the Minder initiative) to stop “abusive” pay in the country’s boardrooms.
Nestlé is no longer the most desired employer
According to an annual survey completed by 11,000 business students in Switzerland, Swiss company Nestlé is no longer the most desired employer. They chose instead American multibillion dollar company Google. Other companies on the list were UBS, Credit Suisse and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
EY Global Fraud Survey
An EY Global survey of 50 Swiss executives highlights that unethical behaviour persists, with 36% of executives feeling that it is justified to survive an economic downturn. Emerging risks are not being taken seriously enough with more than half of Swiss respondents considering cybercrime a low risk, suggesting that executives may not have a proper […]
