In the World of Digital Business (Hall 6), the digital transformation and its consequences for marketing will be brought to life in special areas, presentations, continuing education offerings, guided tours and personal expert discussions. Highlights include the Digital Competence Park, which will feature 15-minute Short Learning Sessions is aimed specifically at decision-makers. The topics range from Consistent brand management and Practical tips on marketing automation about the Lead Management up to the Sales Automation.

How do I successfully advertise on Google and with YouTube content?
In the SEA Academy with Google, you will learn everything you need to know about Programmatic Creation, YouTube Content and Distribution Strategies, Traffic Search and Lead Generation in practical and solution-oriented workshops, among others from Google specialists.

Secure your VIP Knowledge Tickt for CHF 50.00/day and benefit from

• Access to the VIP lounge with free snacks & drinks
• reserved seats in the forums until 10 minutes before the start of the presentation
• Admission to the Short Learning Sessions
• Admission to the opening slot of the Marketing Forum on Tuesday, August 30, 2016.
• an exclusive test drive in the Evotek F1 simulator

P.S.: "Boost your brand!". It still has expert booths and promotions at attractive prices and conditions free! We will be happy to advise you so that you generate new contacts and top leads. 15'000 visitors are expected!

www.suisse-emex.ch

Being able to put "failure" into perspective and rationalize it is important for any self-confidence.

How self-confidently and confidently people tackle new tasks often has little to do with their real abilities. Time and again, we see that people who are actually predestined to solve certain tasks lose their courage when they "see" them. Others, on the other hand, of whom one thinks, "He still has a lot to learn," go courageously to work. This shows: How we react to challenges depends strongly on our subjective certainty: "Somehow I will be able to solve the task. Even if I don't yet know how."

Self-efficacy: a new key competence

In our modern, change-driven world, we are increasingly faced with new challenges - both professionally and privately. So dealing with them adequately is becoming a key competence. Human resources managers in companies have also recognized this. In recent years, they have debated this topic intensively under the heading of "employability" and have come to the conclusion that, in the future, employees in our companies will increasingly need to possess the following qualities:

• Self-efficacy: a new key competence
• Ability to self-reflect,
• Openness to new ideas and problem solving,
• Ability to handle unfamiliar situations,
• Ability and willingness to learn. And:
• Ability to recognize and willingness to take advantage of opportunities.

In a nutshell, this means: Companies increasingly expect their employees to take on and master new challenges; moreover, they expect them to take the initiative and responsibility to acquire the skills they need for their jobs (in the future). Or to put it another way: Employees should be more self-effective.

The energy sources of self-efficacy (checklist)

But how can a person increase his or her self-efficacy? According to research by the Canadian psychologist and learning theorist Albert Bandura, it is primarily fed by the following four sources:

1.) Own experiences in mastering difficult situations: These are very important for the development of self-efficacy. After all, anyone who has repeatedly experienced "I can solve difficult tasks" will have the confidence to do so in the future. So-called "mastery experiences" are of particular importance. They occur when a person masters a task of which he or she did not initially know: How can I solve it?

2.) Learning from models and role models: If a person observes another person solving a difficult task, this can also boost his or her self-confidence - true to the maxim: "If this person can do it, so can I!" One prerequisite for this is: there must be a certain similarity between the two people. For example, they must have a similar biography or personality structure.

3.) Social and emotional support: People also gain confidence in their abilities through encouraging encouragement - but only if they attribute the competence to judge their skills to the person who encourages them. Also having a positive effect on self-efficacy is the knowledge that "when things get tight, I have supporters" - professional and emotional.

4.) Emotional states and reactions: People infer their abilities from their emotions and physical reactions. For example, if they feel their heart racing when they are faced with a task, they usually immediately think "I can't do this" - often before they have even checked the feasibility. That's why it's important to be able to analyze the causes of your own emotions and physiological reactions. Is the reaction appropriate to the task or is it an initial "startle reaction"?

Increase self-efficacy

Knowing these sources allows us to create learning environments that promote self-efficacy. It is indispensable to regularly set oneself challenges where one initially suspects "this task might be too much for me". For it is through such tasks that we grow.

When attempting to solve such tasks, it makes sense to view them as a project and analyze them first: What subtasks are involved?

In a second step, we can then determine whether the overall task or only individual subtasks make us cringe. Once this is clear, we can investigate why we shy away. For example, because we lack resources and knowledge? Or because we have no experience with this yet? Or because the solution requires us to give up certain habits? Or because conflicts with other people are foreseeable when solving the task?

Once we have determined this, we can create a preliminary action plan and derive sub-goals from the subtasks that need to be achieved on the way to the big goal. In addition, we can organize the necessary support. Important is a point that is unfortunately often forgotten: Since mastering the challenge also serves to increase our self-efficacy, we should also define learning areas in which we would like to increase our competence. Furthermore, we should define criteria how to measure the achievement of the learning goals.

Putting "failure" into perspective

Being able to put "failure" into perspective and rationalize it is important for any self-confidence.

Defining learning objectives has the function that at the end of the project we can determine which new competencies we have acquired and which comparable tasks we can therefore easily master in the future. It also allows us to identify our remaining development needs.

If we proceed in this way when tackling challenging tasks, we enter a learning spiral. It leads to a systematic expansion of our competence. So our ability to master new challenges also increases.

(Summary of a text by Frank Linde and Michael Reichl)

About the authors: Frank Linde and Michael Reichl are the managing directors of im-prove coaching und training GmbH, Lingen (Ems) and Heldenstein (Bavaria), They are recognized consultants of the funding program of the EU and federal government unternehmensWert: Mensch

http://www.im-prove.de

When asked about the current pricing model for shipping costs, Swiss online retailer Vögele-Shoes gives a short and clear answer: "We have free delivery". But the path to this led via three adjustments.

Sabine Schwärzler took over the e-commerce division of Vögele-Shoes in fall 2012. The then new online store opened with a delivery flat rate of three francs. Starting in October 2015, a second step introduced free delivery for orders of ninety francs or more. The third renewal finally leads to free delivery. Since spring 2016, the customer no longer has to pay any shipping charges for her order. Possible returns, however, are still at their expense.

Branches delivery popular

Vögele-Shoes justifies this circumstance with its dense store network, which allows the customer to return the ordered shoes at any time and anywhere in the sales store. The UPS study supports this statement. The study, conducted in both Europe and America, shows that 38 percent of customers choose to deliver to the store. The channels are obviously merging.

At Swiss sporting goods retailer Athleticum, the driving force behind the introduction of a unit price in shipping was the change in the overall contract with the supplier. The decision at group level had a positive impact on services in the online store. Prior to this change, the pricing model at the retailer was as follows:

Acceptance against signature

The online retailer operated with the Swiss Post delivery price system (Priority and Economy). In May 2016, Athleticum introduced the uniform price. Excluding large equipment and extra deliveries, such as bicycles or fitness equipment, shipping for all orders is carried out at seven francs and fifty centimes. The goods are no longer sent to the mailbox, as in the post office, but delivered only by acceptance against signature.

"This is a fundamental change," says Carlo Bergamin, e-commerce manager at Athleticum, "...which we accepted. Whether there will be more customer feedback because of it is a premature prediction." Since the innovation is for product delivery security, it could have a positive impact on the buying process.

Conversion rate as a decisive argument

In the long term, Athleticum wants to follow market conditions and introduce free delivery above a certain amount. This can increase conversion: according to the study, 43 percent add more items to get the goods delivered for free.
At Vögele-Shoes, the decisive factor for the introduction of free delivery came from a competitor analysis among the most important Swiss shoe retailers.

At the time, Vögele Shoes was the only shoe retailer in Switzerland that charged for delivery. To increase sales in the online store, the company unceremoniously switched to free delivery. At the beginning of the rollout, they were worried about getting more returns. This fear proved to be wrong.

For the shoe retailer, the conversion has paid off. It has a positive effect on the conversion rate.

For more details on the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper study, see this Link

Garry Gürtler, Country Manager of Switzerland at Regus: "Flexibility and the opportunity to work closer to home are becoming increasingly important.

In a new study, Regus, the world's leading provider of workspace solutions, shows that flexibility plays a crucial role for workers. Many of them would even turn down a job that didn't offer a flexible work model. More than a third of respondents say that if they had options to work flexibly, they would have stayed longer in a previous job. This illustrates the high value placed on flexible working among employees.

Flexible work

The study, with around 40,000 participants worldwide, found that flexible working offers a surprisingly wide range of benefits. Of particular importance is the shorter distance between work and home: If employees have to commute less and can instead get to work on foot or by bike, they feel more rested and are healthier. Perhaps even more important is the fact that shorter commutes allow employees to spend more time with family and friends.

Key findings of the study:

- Flexible workers have more free time, according to 73 % of respondents, because they can choose the place and scope of work;

- Four out of five respondents say that flexible workers are better able to balance work and personal life;

- 63 % indicate that flexible workers pay more attention to their well-being;

- Business owners believe that flexible workers are more rested (58 %) and healthier (67 %) thanks to shorter commutes, in addition to having more opportunities to exercise (76 %);

- However, the most significant benefit of flexible working, according to respondents, is that workers can spend more time with family and friends (94 %); therefore, it is not surprising that 98 % would choose a job with a flexible work model when in doubt;

- 69 % even indicate that they would turn down a job that did not allow flexible working.

Garry Gürtler, Country Manager of Switzerland at Regus: "Flexibility and the opportunity to work closer to home are becoming increasingly important. For today's workforce, a balance between their hectic professional lives and their physical and mental needs is increasingly important. Companies that want to attract and retain valuable, highly qualified workers can no longer ignore the importance of a good work-life balance."

"What is surprising is how many different benefits respondents see in working closer to home: In addition to being able to bike to work and sleep longer, respondents cited greater mindfulness and better health, as well as more time for friends, family and hobbies."

For more information, please visit www.regus.ch

Voluntary offsetting of CO2 emissions has declined for the first time: this is reported by the MyClimate Foundation in its Annual report 2015. In total, 550,000 tons of CO2 were offset last year with the Foundation's climate protection projects, which is the same level as in 2013.

Last year was actually a positive one for climate protection: With the Paris Agreement, the world committed itself to climate-improving measures for the first time. At the same time, oil and energy prices were at a record low - which should have given a boost to compensation payments. After all, the payments for the 13.5 tons of CO2 that the average Swiss emits per capita per year are 400 francs cheaper than what they saved thanks to the low prices.

MyClimate complains about the lack of willingness of private individuals and companies to voluntarily offset their emissions. René Estermann puts it in a nutshell in the report: "We could and would like to realize significantly more climate protection much faster with biogas plants, efficient stoves or solar plants. However, due to a lack of financial resources, we contre cœur have to massively restrict the development of existing projects. In addition, there are tens of possible new projects in the queue. We also have to put these off until the time when more companies and people are ready to internalize the costs of their CO2 emissions, or have to then."

Strengthen cooperations

There is, however, one encouraging piece of news: The calculators of MyClimate were used by 25% more people. This allows users to calculate how much CO2 emissions are generated by flights, car journeys, at home or at work.

In addition, MyClimate intends to step up its cooperation with partners such as Mobility and the German mobility provider BlaBlaCars: Whereas with the former, customers are asked at the time of each booking whether they want to offset their trip, with the latter, offsetting is already automatically included in the booking price. BlaBlaCars users can also vote on which projects the money should be invested in.

For the first time, the International Energy Agency IEA investigated the connection between energy, air quality and health. Their conclusion: no other sector is as responsible for global air pollution as the energy sector. 85% of all particulate matter and almost all emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are due to the combustion of fuels. And this has an impact on people's health.

Every year, around 6.5 million deaths are attributed to poor air quality. This makes air pollution the fourth biggest threat to human health - after high blood pressure, poor nutrition and smoking. And according to the IEA, this figure could grow again in the future: as the global economy grows, so does the demand for energy. The IEA estimates that 7.4 million people will die each year from the effects of polluted air by 2040 if no action is taken.

7% higher investments

But it doesn't have to turn out that way: The IEA presents in its Report a strategy for countering this development with existing technologies. To this end, it identifies three key areas for government plans:

1. A long-term, ambitious goal for improving air quality that all stakeholders can agree on
2. Binding guidelines for the energy sector on air pollution - a combination of direct emissions control, regulations and other measures.
3. Effectively monitor, enforce, evaluate, and communicate these stratagems

The measures and guidelines should focus on the three factors of prevention - innovation - reduction - i.e. more efficient energy services, technological advances and binding emission limits.

The IEA's calculations show that realizing these plans would result in around 7% higher investments in the energy sector worldwide by 2040. This would prevent 3.3 million deaths a year from air pollution. It would also massively curb CO2 emissions.

Replacing heating, cooling systems and machinery often means a major investment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Those who pay attention to energy efficiency when renewing their operations can apply for financial support from the Swiss Climate Foundation. The foundation is accepting applications for large energy-saving projects until September 1. Projects that save more than 666 tons of CO2 or more than 2,000 megawatt hours of electricity over ten years are considered large.

"Most of the large projects we support are in the area of heating and cooling," explains Vincent Eckert, executive director of the foundation. In recent years, the Swiss Climate Foundation has provided financial support to many hotels and retirement homes that have replaced oil heating systems with pellet heating, heat pumps and other sustainable heating systems. Several dairy and cheese factories have switched from fossil fuels to renewable energy in their production. Several companies have replaced their cooling systems or installed cooling with outside air.

Deadline and exceptions

Companies with up to 250 employees count as SMEs. To be eligible for funding from the Swiss Climate Foundation, companies must be based in Switzerland or Liechtenstein and also implement their energy-saving projects there. However, the measures must not yet have been implemented and the investments not yet triggered when the application is submitted. SMEs planning smaller projects do not have to adhere to the September 1 submission deadline.

They can submit their applications quickly and easily online and receive a response from the foundation within a month. In addition to large projects, the September 1 deadline also applies to SMEs that do not save energy themselves but develop climate-friendly products. They can also benefit from the foundation's funding.

"Protect climate. Strengthen SMEs." According to this motto, the Swiss Climate Foundation supports projects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that contribute to climate protection. Since its establishment in 2008, the foundation has supported around 1,200 SMEs in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein with CHF 14 million.

More information: http://www.klimastiftung.ch

Payment practices in China continued to deteriorate in 2016 and the Middle Kingdom will bring up the rear among global late payers for the first time this year. Invoices are paid after an average of 92 days, compared with 88 days in 2015. This is the conclusion of the latest Euler Hermes study on global payment behavior, "Worldwide DSO - Paying the penalty for low growth".

The credit insurer analyzes payment behavior in 36 selected countries and 21 sectors. The benchmark here is the so-called "days of sales outstanding" (DSO), i.e. the period between invoicing and receipt of payment, of listed companies in the respective countries and sectors.

Traditional fast payer

Like many European countries, Switzerland remains one of the traditional fast payers. Invoices from listed companies were paid in Switzerland after an average of 48 days in both 2015 and 2016. This puts the Swiss among the top fast payers, just behind their Austrian neighbor (DSO 2015/2016: 44 days each) and ahead of Germany (53 days each). The ranking of fast payers also includes New Zealand (46 each), the Netherlands (47/46), South Africa (48/50) and Denmark (48 each), as well as the USA (49/50).

Payment behavior varies

"In Switzerland, however, payment behavior varies between the different industries. In the Swiss retail sector, payment is made after an average of just 15 days, and the transport sector, with 20 days, and the food industry, with 41 days, also settle invoices faster than average," said Stefan Ruf, CEO of Euler Hermes Switzerland. "However, in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, as well as in the paper industry and household goods, suppliers have to wait longer than average for their money."

Retail, food, transport industry

In industries close to the end consumer, companies worldwide generally pay their invoices very quickly. In the retail sector, listed companies took just 27 days between invoicing and payment - a quarter of companies even received their money in less than five days. In the food industry or in the transport sector, too, payment is made in less than 50 days, which is above average.

The details and analyses of the Euler Hermes study can be found at this Link

The Metal Bag is an action for the joint collection of metal food packaging. The Bag is organized by the two recycling organizations Igora and Ferro Recycling will be presented on a Swiss tour and handed over to interested consumers. From July 14 to 16, the collection novelty will be presented for the first time at the main train station in Zurich. Further stops are Lausanne, Montreux, Bern, Spreitenbach and other locations.

The question of where to put empty aluminum and food cans, aluminum trays, food tubes, etc. will no longer arise in the future. Because the new Metal Bag already brings order to the collection of metal packaging at home. On the current Swiss tour, the Metal Bag will be presented, can be tested and also taken home.

Order by SMS and support Pro Infirmis
For all those who do not meet the Metal Bag on its Swiss tour, there is the possibility to order it by SMS. The special thing about it: By buying a copy for only 5 francs, everyone is doing something good for the environment and at the same time supporting Pro Infirmis in its campaign "Together for disabled children". How to do this is explained at metal-recycling.ch. The Metal Bag is made of durable material, washable and infinitely usable.

What collect

The Metal Bag can be used to collect aluminum and sheet steel packaging that displays the respective recycling logo. This includes beverage and food cans, tubes for mayonnaise, mustard, etc., pet food trays as well as barbecue and menu trays. Finding collection points where the Metal Bag can be emptied is available at recycling-map.ch easier than ever before. Just enter your postal code and city and the addresses of the nearest collection points will appear.

The first-time Results of the national monitoring of surface waters (NAWU) reveal a varied picture of the condition of watercourses: pollution with phosphorus and nitrate has decreased, but that with micropollutants is increasing, and the biological condition shows considerable deficits in some cases. According to Marc Chardonnens, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), these findings confirm that there is a great need for action to restore and maintain water quality.

NAWA is the monitoring program for the holistic investigation of the state of water bodies, which is carried out jointly by the federal government and the cantons. These biological and chemical-physical investigations provide an overall view for the first time.

Less phosphorus and nitrate

Thanks to the construction of wastewater treatment plants, water quality has improved considerably since the 1980s. Significantly less nitrate and especially phosphorus enter the water bodies. Pollution levels in small and medium-sized watercourses, into which large quantities of treated wastewater are discharged or numerous nutrients from agriculture enter, are still too high. Excessive nutrient concentrations can cause rivers and lakes to suffocate.

More than 230 micropollutants detected

Micropollutants pose a problem for water quality. In 2012, over 230 different micropollutants were detected in a systematic study of five medium-sized watercourses representative of the Central Plateau. The partly high concentrations measured are not dangerous for humans. However, they indicate that they are partly responsible for the deficits in biodiversity that were found in the water bodies.

Deficits in biological condition

To measure the quality of water bodies as habitats, four categories of living organisms were studied. Based on the composition and density of invertebrates and aquatic plants, the biological status was rated as good to very good at two-thirds of the monitoring sites. Thus, the quality of the aquatic ecosystem is significantly impaired at at least 30 percent of the monitoring sites considered. In the case of fish, however - which have higher demands on habitat quality - the findings are even worse: the quality of the water body was good to very good at only one third of the monitoring sites, and a full two thirds were impaired.

These results confirm that there is a need for action to improve both the status of watercourses and their resilience, namely in view of climate change and its negative consequences for aquatic ecosystems.

Extensive work in the coming decades

Only in a good condition can water bodies fulfill all their functions, be it as drinking water suppliers, as local recreation areas for the population or as habitats for plants and animals. Special attention must be paid to small watercourses. They account for 75% of the water network and are important for biodiversity.

Extensive work to reduce micropollutants and renaturalize water bodies has already begun. To reduce micropollutants, Parliament has given the go-ahead for upgrading specifically selected wastewater treatment plants. They are to receive an additional treatment stage for the elimination of trace substances in wastewater. To prevent micropollutants from agriculture, measures must be taken at the source. An action plan for risk reduction and sustainable use of plant protection products is currently being drawn up under the leadership of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). It was sent out for consultation on July 5, 2016.

In parallel with the reduction of pollutant inputs, watercourses must also become more natural. According to the Water Protection Act, the cantons, with the support of the federal government, must revitalize 4000 of the total 15,000 kilometers of watercourses that are in poor condition by the end of this century. In addition, the negative consequences of hydropower utilization (e.g. fish migration obstacles or artificial discharge fluctuations) must be eliminated by 2030. Other measures, such as the designation of watercourse areas, are already underway.

A ten-year study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) compared organic farms with conventional farming. It was carried out in Thika and Chuka in Kenya with local partners since 2007.

It contradicts the myth that organic farming requires larger acreages for comparable yields. After five years, thanks to lower production costs and higher market prices for organically grown agricultural products, organic farmers achieve higher yields, which can be quantified at 53 % after the sixth year.

Another important factor that the study explored is the improved fertility of soils in organic farming. Since organic farming does not use chemicals and therefore does not produce harmful residues, it has a beneficial effect on natural ecosystems and on the health of the population.

Long-term comparison
In parallel studies of cotton production in India and cocoa production in Bolivia, the organic approach produced similarly positive results. The long-term Systems Comparison in the Tropics (SysCom) aims to provide scientific evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of organic versus conventional farming systems. The goal of SysCom is to support the development of policies and strategies that can promote the adoption of sustainable land use practices at local, regional, and international levels.

The study shows that the organic approach in the tropics is a sensible strategy, whose main challenges include disseminating the necessary knowledge and training organic farmers. Funders of the long-term study in Kenya are Biovision, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Liechtenstein Development Service and the Coop Fund for Sustainability.

In addition to the long-term study, which will continue at least into 2019, on-farm research involving farmers will develop and promote sustainable farming practices adapted to local conditions. Together with local farmers and other stakeholders, various trial plots have been set up to test and analyze different innovative practices on the farms and at the trial stations.

(Source: FiBL)

Since March 2016, the Zurich tax office has valued the shares of startups for wealth tax purposes not according to the current value of the company, but according to the price that an investor had paid for a share. This valuation method has the consequence that owners of startups/young companies are in a worse position with regard to wealth tax than people who invest part of their assets in shares of established SMEs/listed companies.

In extreme cases, the wealth tax burden could even be higher than the total income. The canton of Berne has a different, more entrepreneur-friendly approach, as the Berne Innovation Promotion be-advanced in the Interview points out.

Will start-ups stay in Zurich?

Zurich start-ups are still mobilizing against the astronomical property tax bills of the Canton of Zurich. When talking about start-up founders in Zurich, one should certainly not disregard the high-tech companies and their business angels. The best startups (especially ETH spin-offs) now see themselves forced to leave the canton of Zurich or even Switzerland.

This is not only because of the horrendous tax bills, but because the search for investors for startups based in the canton of Zurich will become much more difficult due to the new tax practice.

Do grace periods help?

Due to strong resistance from the startup scene, the Finance Directorate eased the new practice somewhat on March 1, 2016, and introduces "grace periods" of three fiscal years (five years for biotech and medtech). However, this does not solve the actual problem, because ultimately the financing costs are shifted to later tax rounds.

While the Finance Directorate of the Canton of Zurich is pushing hard to make its new tax practice the national standard via the Conference of Finance Directors and the Swiss Tax Conference, all exponents of the startup scene fear massive damage to Switzerland as a location for innovation. Politicians are also active: FDP/CVP/SVP of the Zurich Cantonal Council have submitted an urgent postulate (KR-Nr. 168/2016) calling for a return to the practitioner method and thus equal treatment of all startups and SMEs.

37 percent would like to leave Switzerland

The national startup promoter venturelab wanted to know exactly and launched a study to investigate the consequences of the new Zurich tax practice on the best startups: 85% of the respondents are considering a move. While 33% are looking for a location in another canton, 37% want to leave Switzerland!

15% are still undecided about location. With the new tax practice, the canton of Zurich risks losing almost half of its top startups to foreign countries. This is particularly explosive in view of the enormous state investments that flow into research work and the promotion of these spin-offs.

In addition, startups affected by the startup tax are struggling with a much more difficult financing environment: For example, 20% of the startups surveyed believe that financing from business angels will become almost impossible due to the new tax practice in the canton of Zurich. And 70% assume that fundraising will become much more difficult for them than it already is.

Postulate for practitioner method

The 61 startups that have participated in the study so far will cost the canton of Zurich 1,050 jobs alone. This corresponds to around CHF 25 million in income taxes. To make up for the same amount with wealth taxes, assets worth around CHF 5 billion would have to be taxed. This calculation shows how absurd the new practice of the Zurich tax authorities basically is.

However, the Zurich government council is prepared to accept the urgent postulate in the sense of the practice-related considerations. Now it remains to be hoped that the Zurich government council will persuade its tax authorities to adjust their misguided practice within a useful period of time.

More information about the study can be found at this Link