The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that global environmental crime was worth between $91 billion and $258 billion in 2015 - 26% higher than estimates the year before.

The UNEP report attributes the increase to weak legislation and underfunded security forces. This allows international crime networks and armed rebels to profit from a trade that intensifies conflicts, destroys ecosystems, and wipes out species.

Environmental crime has literally exploded in recent decades and is now the fourth largest crime sector worldwide, after drug trafficking, counterfeiting and human trafficking. Growth exceeds that of the economy by a factor of two to three.

While the focus used to be on illegal trade in animals and animal products such as ivory, the criminals' portfolio has diversified to include trade in waste, chemicals, ozone-depleting substances, illegally caught marine animals, timber, and conflict minerals such as gold and diamonds.

The effects of these crimes are greater than those of "ordinary" crime. They have lasting effects on the environment that can last for generations to come: Deforestation, illegal dumping of chemicals, and overfishing destroy entire ecosystems, pollute water and air, alter the weather, impact food security, and affect human and wildlife health.

Environmental crimes are also considered a major threat to global security, as they are increasingly associated with armed groups and terrorists.

UNEP is now teaming up with Interpol to fight this type of crime in a more focused way. The two organizations are calling on governments to strengthen laws, increase international cooperation in combating environmental crime, release additional financial resources for this purpose and increase public education.

The risks for companies have not become smaller, but significantly larger in recent years.

Male supervisory board members earn a quarter more than their female colleagues. Of which there are still hardly any more on the supervisory board than in 2011: While almost 90 percent of supervisory board members were male five years ago, this figure is still eight out of ten today. This is the result of a recent study of the compensation and composition of European supervisory boards by the HR, talent and organization consultancy Korn Ferry Hay Group.

Switzerland at the top in salaries

Switzerland tops the compensation table for supervisory board chairmen with around €950,000, followed by the UK (€460,000), Italy (€238,000), France (€250,000), Sweden (€197,000) and Germany (€188,000). At the bottom of the table are Austria (€30,000) and Norway (€63,000). On average, the head of a supervisory board in Europe receives around €250,000, while a simple supervisory board receives €69,000. In the case of the latter, Germany is above average. Those who supervise a company here receive an average of €90,000 in compensation. This is an increase of 50 percent over the past five years.

Hubertus Graf Douglas, Managing Director of Korn Ferry Germany, says: "The speed at which business conditions are changing today presents companies with unprecedented challenges.

At the same time, complexity is increasing due to networking, digitization and globalization. The risk of wrong decisions increases exponentially. A situation that is particularly challenging for today's supervisory boards. However, it must be stated that the composition and selection of candidates for German supervisory boards still cannot compete with the professionalism of the Swiss or Anglo-Saxons.

There, intensive attention is paid to competencies and profile, and the selection procedures are tough. It should not be ignored that the powers of the heads of the supervisory board or board of directors are also much broader."

Partial risk responsibility   

And so, one hundred percent of German supervisory bodies cover audits, 97 percent cover the nomination of top personnel in companies, and 70 percent take responsibility for the compensation model for top managers. But only 17 percent of respondents also have a functional corporate risk committee in place. In Italy, this is part of the daily business of 83 percent of supervisory boards, while in Switzerland it is still the case for 30 percent and in the UK for 29 percent.

William Eggers says: "This result surprised me personally. After all, the risks for companies have not become smaller, but much larger in recent years. That's why I think it's obligatory for 'risk' to be firmly anchored in every supervisory board."

http://www.kornferry.com

With the annual CO2 statistics, the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN checks how CO2 emissions from combustibles and fuels develop. To ensure that the years are statistically comparable, the influence of winter weather on heating oil and gas consumption is mathematically compensated by means of the so-called weather adjustment.

The CO2 statistics for 2015 published on July 11, 2016, show that the decreasing trend in weather-adjusted emissions from fuels is continuing. Compared to 1990, these emissions were 23.6 percent lower. According to the CO2 Ordinance, the development of these emissions is decisive for the adjustment of the CO2 tax on fuels. The next increase could take place in 2018 if CO2 emissions from fuels in 2016 are not at least 27 percent below the 1990 level.

Without weather adjustment, CO2 emissions from fuels increased by 5 percent compared to the previous year. The strong fluctuation depending on the heating degree days is an indication that the building stock is still largely heated by fossil fuels.

Fewer emissions from fuels
Despite an increase in transport performance, emissions from fuels showed a marked decrease compared with the previous year. The abrupt drop in emissions observed is largely attributable to the abolition of the minimum euro exchange rate by the SNB and the resulting changes in fuel tourism (slump in fuel tourism from abroad in the case of gasoline and increase in fuel tourism by Swiss citizens in neighboring countries in the case of diesel). Although the use of biogenic fuels increased markedly compared with the previous year, the effect on total transport emissions remains low, as their share of total fuel consumption was just under 1 percent in 2015.

Weather adjustment
The aim of the weather adjustment is to determine the additional or reduced consumption of heating energy caused by the differently cold winter months and to convert it to an average weather condition. As a measure, the so-called heating degree days (days on which the temperature remains below 12 degrees Celsius) are used on the one hand, and the radiation values during the winter months (for well-insulated houses an important determinant of fuel consumption) on the other. The reference point is the year 1990, to which the time series is normalized; i.e., in this year the effective and weather-adjusted emission values are the same. The methodology of the weather adjustment corresponds to that of the total energy statistics.

In his book of the same name, published by Mankau Verlag to coincide with the start of the vacations, he has written down his method for the first time in a way that is accessible to everyone and can be implemented immediately. The aim of the book is to provide readers with a clear and simple way to get rid of burdensome patterns forever, to go through life with a new, more joyful perspective and to define and achieve their goals and desires.

For this, the HRC uses the effects of heart resonance, coherence and quantum physics, combined with methods from naturopathic and energetic medicine. Thus, it helps to achieve a higher quality of life with more joy and meaningfulness - permanently, even outside the vacation season.

"Heavy luggage" can spoil vacations

Our heart, the center of all feelings, generates an electromagnetic field with every beat: the heart resonance field. All our experiences, both positive and negative, are stored in this energy field. If burdensome topics get out of hand, physical and emotional stress reactions are the result, which can make us ill and lead to exhaustion, depression or burn-out.

Unfortunately, such "dissonances" often show up particularly clearly during vacations - when there is peace and quiet and away from the usual - for example in the form of disputes and tensions, extreme fatigue, passivity, susceptibility to illness, and even a crisis of meaning. Because no matter where the journey goes: You always take yourself with all the "trappings" (physical and emotional) with you. If you don't "come clean" with yourself, these dissonances remain and intensify in a downward spiral.

This is precisely where the HRC comes in. It wants to contribute significantly to clarification and improvement.

Follow the heart compass

Heart Resonance Coaching is about using the heart like a compass. The essential "heart" and working tool in this context is the so-called life map as a basis for creating clarity in the personal network of relationships of the past and present.

With its help, the current location in life is first determined and the cause of all negative issues - such as exhaustion, illness, accident, negative experiences or conflicts - is revealed and clarified. In a second step, all relevant interference fields (= causes/negative themes) that negatively influence the heart resonance field are identified and neutralized with simple resolution tasks.

Last but not least, thanks to the necessary clarity for the personal goals and visions, the heart compass can again work trouble-free.

Be in triad

"If we free the heart from that which burdens us, inner peace, tranquility and serenity return permanently," Claus Walter sums up the effect of his coaching model. The goal is to bring the head (= thoughts), heart (= feelings) and gut (= intuition, instinct, inner voice) back into a stable unity, a harmonious triad. If all three are in a balanced relationship, the person is more mindful in all his activities.

From the balance, insights occur that stimulate changes and promote their implementation. As a consequence, this process often leads to a (re)reflection on one's own knowledge, competencies and personal abilities and talents - the second important triad in the core of the human being - and suddenly the answers to possible questions of meaning are very close at hand. In this way, Heart-Resonance-Coaching leads to lasting joy of life and quality of life.

Claus Walter: "Heart-Resonance-Coaching" - with enclosed life map in A2 format - available from Mankau Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86374-305-5.

http://www.mankau.com

The weather in Switzerland in recent weeks has not exactly been kind: severe storms and flooding in some places have not only kept the population and emergency services on their toes - the losses for insurers have also run into millions. Allianz Suisse alone expects the hailstorm "Elvira" at the end of May and the storm "Friederike" at the beginning of June to result in around 3,000 claims and a total loss of around 10 million Swiss francs.

Although the extent of the damage was nowhere near as great as in many parts of Germany, France or Austria, after the storm is before the next storm in Switzerland, too. The climate in Switzerland is strongly influenced by the Alps, the most important weather divide in Central Europe, with large climatic differences in a small area. This results in severe thunderstorms with hailstones the size of tennis balls, torrential rain and heavy storms, which often leave behind a picture of devastation, especially in the summer months. Yet June 2016 doesn't even stand out that much in a ten-year comparison, even though it is considered one of the wettest months since weather records began. This is shown by the natural hazard calendar of Allianz Suisse, for which the loss figures of the past ten years were analyzed.

Hailstorms and floods are the most expensive
Since 2006, Allianz Suisse has recorded around 200,000 claims caused by natural events such as hail, floods, storms, lightning, avalanches and earthquakes, according to claims statistics. The total amount of damage was around 640 million Swiss francs, almost exactly half of which was caused by hailstorms (around 320 million Swiss francs in 96,000 claims), while floods accounted for around 170 million Swiss francs in 42,000 claims. Storm (around 55 million Swiss francs in 17,000 claims) and lightning (around 32 million Swiss francs in 21,000 claims) played the most important roles. At the bottom of the ranking are earthquake losses, with a loss expenditure of 120,000 Swiss francs in 51 claims over the past ten years.

And a glance at the calendar reveals that the years 2009 and 2013 in particular were the most loss-intensive for Allianz Suisse in a ten-year comparison - with insured losses of more than 85 million Swiss francs in each case. "Due to global warming, the humidity in the atmosphere is becoming greater and greater - which is why we expect a further increase in severe storms in the future," explains Markus Deplazes, Head of Claims at Allianz Suisse.

July is record month
More than a third of the natural events occur in July alone; Ticino and the canton of Berne are most frequently affected
These severe storms occur most frequently when Mr. and Mrs. Swiss want it least - in the summer months of June and July, which account for more than half of the natural events (around 110,000). And for those who are already looking forward to a refreshing dip in the lake at midsummer temperatures: the probability of a storm is greatest in July due to the numerous heat storms - with a total of 70,000 natural events, July occupies the lonely top spot at Allianz Suisse. Incidentally, the months with the lowest number of natural events in a long-term comparison are November (approx. 4,700 claims), February (approx. 6,200 claims) and October (approx. 6,500 claims).

And what the claims statistics also reveal: most claims due to natural events are reported to Allianz Suisse from the cantons of Berne and Ticino (approx. 25,000 claims each), followed by Zurich (approx. 23,000 claims). From an insurer's point of view, the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden brings up the rear in this cantonal ranking, with only 86 claims since 2006 - although with around 16,000 inhabitants, it is also the least populous canton in Switzerland.

(Source: Allianz Suisse)

What to do when an employee talks about suicide? What if a liquidity bottleneck threatens? Or one's own company is attacked on social media? Managers are often confronted with difficult questions. If they are at a loss, they can now turn to Switzerland's first Leadership Hotline®: By calling 071 523 88 88, they can get advice on a variety of topics.

Small companies - big problems

The Leadership Hotline® was officially launched on July 7, 2016 with a "kick-off event". Since that date, this service has been available - especially for SMEs. Because for them, changing framework conditions - political, economic, social, technological, regulatory or ecological - have a direct impact, as Dr. Urs Frey from the SME Institute of the HSG explained in a guest presentation. SMEs, especially the "great mass" of micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees, rarely have sufficient resources to solve acute problems themselves - with corresponding consequences that can ultimately develop dramatically.

Proved the need

The Leadership Hotline® was initiated and developed by the management consultants Guido Kriech and Bettina Osterwalder from Eastern Switzerland. In their work, both repeatedly encountered situations where ultimately more than just the development of corporate strategies was at stake, namely deeper-lying leadership problems. : "In our work, we have found that there is a need for a quick intervention option for acute leadership problems," says Guido Kriech. "Leadership mistakes have unimagined consequences - in terms of health and business management. And there is a lack of appropriate prevention concepts. We want to close this gap with the Leadership Hotline®." Guido Kriech, "KMU-Beratung-Kriech" in St. Gallen, and Bettina Osterwalder, "BO-Consulting" in Wil, run the hotline administratively and in terms of personnel.

Cooperation with specialist partners

In order to cover the entire range of possible issues, the Leadership Hotline® works together with various specialist partners. The hotline serves as the first point of contact when a problem arises. If the hotline staff cannot solve the problem directly themselves, they refer the caller to specialists who can help: In the case of a suicide risk, for example, medical specialists are referred; in the case of an impending liquidity shortage, a financial advisor finally helps; and in the case of a social media attack, a communications professional. The telephone number also answers general management questions, as well as employment and contract law issues and marketing questions. In short, the Leadership Hotline® is the right number for all questions that concern leaders.

Available by subscription

Various subscription models are planned for customers, which include a certain number of calls for a fixed amount. The first call is always free of charge. A one-off call with an immediate initial consultation costs 50 francs. The following subscriptions are currently on offer:

5 for 4 200.- i.e. the first call is free of charge

10 for 9 450.-

15 for 14 700.-

20 for 19 950.-

25 for 24 1'200

More information: www.führungshotline.ch

The largest Swiss trade fair for marketing & communication, event & live communication, promotion and digital business celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Under the motto "Meet The Future", the most important business platform for the entire marketing mix is being created. On August 30 and 31, 2016, around 350 experts and consultants will showcase forward-looking marketing solutions in four themed worlds. With innovative exhibitor formats, top speakers and personal dialog in a professional ambience, the trade fair is taking on a new status as a B2B marketplace in the digital business world, according to the organizers. Together with the partner trade fair topsoft for business software, 500 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors are expected at the anniversary. Ticketing has recently gone online.

Digital competence for marketing decision-makers with new VIP knowledge ticket

As a result of technological progress, market cultivation with online measures is increasingly becoming the focus of entrepreneurial activity. SuisseEMEX'16 makes it clear which organizational and technological adjustments companies must make in order to reposition marketing within digitalization and to break new ground.

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 features 15-minute Short Learning Sessions aimed specifically at decision-makers. Topics range from consistent brand management and practical tips on marketing automation to lead management and sales automation. In the SEA Academy with Google, marketing managers will learn everything they need to know about Programmatic Creation, YouTube Content and Distribution Strategies, Traffic Search and Lead Generation in practical and solution-oriented workshops, including sessions led by Google specialists themselves. Prerequisite for participation in the Short Learning Sessions is the new VIP Knowledge Ticket, which can be purchased online for CHF 50.00 in advance. (www.suisse-emex.ch/tickets)

Trade fair opening with Council of States member and entrepreneur Ruedi Noser

The popular forum program will start with fireworks on the occasion of the anniversary: Ruedi Noser, Member of the Council of States, entrepreneur and owner of the Noser Group, Sunnie J. Groeneveld, Managing Director DigitalZurich2025, Jean-Marc Hensch, Managing Director Swico and Marcel Kohler, Member of Tamedia's Executive Board, Head of 20 Minuten will shed light on the digital transformation in marketing and communication from their very personal perspectives. The exciting panel will be moderated by Matthias Ackeret, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, persönlich Verlags AG (August 30, 2016, 10:00 - 11:15 a.m., Marketing Forum, Hall 1). Other exciting speakers during the two days of the event include international speakers and industry luminaries from research and business, such as Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Nils Hafner, Customer Competencies Institute; Carsten Szameitat, Chairman of the Board, LBMA; Lon Safko, innovator, bestselling author and futurist; Thomas Lang, Carpathia and Sigrun Gudjonsdottir, Sigrun GmbH. The detailed forum program is available at www.suisse-emex.ch/forenprogramm apparent.

New "Agency Day" with special programs

All agency employees are cordially invited to the "Agency Day" on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 free of charge on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of SuisseEMEX! The registration takes place via www.suisse-emex.ch/agenturen. Special highlights for professionals from the advertising and communications industry await at the Marketing Forum, including keynotes by Robin Höfler (Tesla Motors Switzerland GmbH) and Prof. Dr. Dieter Georg Herbst (Digital Brand Lab). Finally, Matthias Ackeret (persönlich Verlags AG) will welcome Peter Röthlisberger (Blick, Ringier AG) for a discussion as part of the persönlich Talk.

Effective advertising and media recipes for cross-media campaigns as well as new trends and innovations for marketing products are presented first-hand in the Crossmedia Kitchen (Hall 1). The focus will be on intensive networking and exchanges with experts. Experts on site will also impart their knowledge on hot cross-media topics in short practical tips. The agency aperitif at 1:00 p.m. with co-partners APG|SGA Promotion and KS/CS Kommunikation Schweiz invites you to exchange ideas and experiences.

More information and tickets at www.suisse-emex.ch

Customers need a lot of time to open an account. For example, it takes an average of 7.5 days until a transfer was possible with the opened account.

As part of mystery shopping, Namics opened an account and ordered a credit card between February and May 2016. The resulting experience reports were the basis for the collected key figures, for example the number of documents received. Independently of this, usability experts examined the closing process for problems. The aim was to examine the significant process of "becoming a customer.

Today's customer relationships

Because this is not just any marketing moment, but the foundation of a successful relationship. The customer has expectations here both of the products and services ordered and of the way in which the process from ordering to use should be designed.

For the study, Namics' digital experts evaluated the "becoming a customer" process, also known as the onboarding process, at 14 leading banks in Germany and Switzerland.

Matthias Bitzer, Senior Consultant at Namics: "Online is mandatory. However, our analysis shows that something is usually promised online, but the customer quickly ends up in the offline area. Therefore, it must be stated that many of the banks studied are sham-digitized. Some are also steering clear of today's digital trends." When it comes to guaranteeing end-to-end customer experiences, leading providers sometimes ignore efficient processes and lose sight of the customer.

For example, there are still long waiting times (e.g., on the phone), complex documents cannot be compressed or simplified, and customers cannot avoid having to make multiple entries. In addition, banks often forget to address prospective customers personally.

Inefficient pseudo-digitization

Almost two-thirds of those who open an account online go through the process at a bank offline. In individual cases, up to 74 percent of the contact points were outside the digital world. In addition, prospective customers received an average of nine mailings until the online account was activated and the credit card delivered. In addition, they received an average of three phone calls and at least one visit to the branch. Only fintechs like Number 26 offer a genuine online experience: up to 90 percent of the contact points here were digital.

Customers need a lot of time to open an account. For example, it takes an average of 7.5 days until a transfer was possible with the opened account. The worst bank took 33 days, the best one day. The waiting time until the first purchase by credit card is also long: the median was 11 days, at the best bank it took 4 days, at the worst 50 days. Further, there are various "channel changes", such as sending the printed online form by mail.

The worst bank charges its customers 26, the best five, and the average is ten.

Various usability problems

A panel of experts examined the banks surveyed in terms of their user-friendliness (usability) and rated them using the Nielsen Norman "severity rating". The analysis revealed that there are fundamental problems in the product ordering process at many banks. The customer starts online, but goes through an offline process designed in an analogous way. This promise can lead to irritation and frustration.

Banks don't have the effort of their customers in mind. Anyone who wants to become a customer of a bank usually has to go through 20 steps.

Of these, he carries out at least ten steps independently. In addition, prospective customers receive an average of 22 documents by e-mail, by mail, and in the branch office! The relevant information must be understood and filtered by the customer, which increases the susceptibility to errors. In addition, customers have to repeatedly enter their data with different contact persons, and in some cases this data is also lost when the channel is changed. Even personal salutations often vary in the documents.
http://www.namics.com

Young entrepreneurs are driven by a desire for independence, a belief in social change and a commitment to employee satisfaction. The study shows how the ambitious generation is courted, engaged and involved in business. Some findings in detail:

• 61% forgo profit to stay true to their values - even 78% in South Africa, 71% in the USA and 72% in Singapore.
• 66% say life takes precedence over work, with the largest differences in Spain (79% vs. 21%), Portugal (75% vs. 25%), Switzerland and France (65% vs. 35%).
• One-third of respondents (34%) are driven by a desire to take control of their own destiny rather than wanting to make money (21%).
• Social action is particularly important to respondents in South Africa (80%) and Brazil (81%).

These findings stem from Sage's "Walk With Me Report," which examined the character traits, behaviors and attitudes of the Y generation worldwide.

5 personality types identified

Contrary to common generalizations about the behavior of this generation, the study shows that young entrepreneurs exhibit different characteristics that allow them to be divided into five different personality types related to the workplace. As the study shows, the realists (The Real Worlders) and the adventurous (The Thrill Seekers) are most strongly represented among young entrepreneurs in Switzerland:

• The Principled Planners - very methodical in their approach, they like to plan their success carefully. They have an ambitious streak, take nothing at face value and always ask lots of questions.
• The Driven Techies - love what they do and can't stand sitting around twiddling their thumbs, they rely on the power and efficiency of innovative technology to keep them one step ahead of the competition. They firmly believe that technology enables them to target their existing and future customers.
• The Instinctive Explorers - are carefree, love the unknown and exploring uncharted territory. They trust their gut feeling and demonstrate steadfastness. A modern image is very important to them, as well as leaving a legacy through which they remain unforgotten.
• The Real Worlders - are imaginative, but mostly rely on technology to succeed. When they have to make a decision, they sometimes rely on their gut feeling, sometimes on methodology.
• The Thrill Seekers - quickly bored, they are always looking for the next challenge. They do not care about appearances. They work best for themselves and believe that the social effect of work is overrated.

Want to make a difference

Other findings of the study include the desire to make a difference. In a country comparison, social action is particularly important for young entrepreneurs in South Africa (80%) and Brazil (81%). Respondents in Switzerland (24%), Australia (20%) and France (19%) say they are driven primarily by employee satisfaction, while 34% say they started their business primarily to take control of their own destiny.

When it comes to work-life balance, 66% rate life as more important than work. In Switzerland, the figure is 65%. For respondents in Brazil (71%), Australia (70%), Belgium (70%), Singapore (73%) and Switzerland (70%), reducing hours spent on work and retiring early are important.

Across all countries, 62% expect to be a "serial entrepreneur" and start more than one business - 52% say this because they have many ideas they want to share with the world. 33 % of those surveyed in Switzerland say they will start only one business. 67 % envision starting more than one business during their lifetime.

Generation Y: Anything but homogeneous

"Generation Y entrepreneurs are playing a big role in the startup economy and are transforming the modern workplace at a rapid pace," explains Stephen Kelly, managing director of Sage. "But you can't lump them into one homogeneous stereotype. Our study shows that they can be divided into different camps, each with their own hopes, fears, concerns and ways of working. They will be our next generation of business people, the heroes of business; and understanding what makes them tick will benefit us all in the future. That goes for the people who want to do business with them, buy their products, hire them, or develop strategies to help them grow."

Source: Sage Switzerland

At its meeting today, the Federal Council appointed Benoît Revaz as the new Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). The 44-year-old lawyer has been Senior Advisor to the company E-CUBE Strategy Consultants since 2014. He replaces Walter Steinmann, who is retiring, as of October 1, 2016. Among other things, the new director will oversee the transformation of Switzerland's future energy landscape.

Benoît Revaz holds a degree in law and an Executive Master of Science in Communications Management from the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Between 2005 and 2012, he deepened his management skills with further training in Lausanne, London and the USA. Prior to his current position as Senior Advisor of E-CUBE Strategy Consultants, a consulting firm specialized in energy and environmental issues, he worked in various functions in the former Entreprises Electriques Fribourgeoises (today Groupe E). He was also a member of the general management of EOS Holding and Alpiq Holding SA.

In Benoît Revaz, the Federal Council has appointed a high-profile personality with strong leadership skills. In his previous functions, he acquired knowledge of the economic realities as well as the political processes and public administration in Switzerland. At the same time, he gained valuable international experience during his professional career.

One of the central tasks of the new director is to accompany the transformation of the Swiss energy landscape. The focus is on the Federal Council's Energy Strategy 2050, which envisages an increase in energy efficiency, a reduction in fossil energies and an expansion in renewable energies, as well as a gradual phase-out of nuclear power.

Benoît Revaz will replace the previous Director Walter Steinmann, who is retiring, on 1 October 2016. The Federal Council thanks him for his many years of successful leadership of the SFOE.

Petroleum can be used to produce more than just fuel. Petrochemicals are also important raw materials for the chemical industry. Without petroleum, there would be no plastics and few medicines or fertilizers. However, the decline in oil production is foreseeable. To meet the resulting challenge, we need renewable resources as alternatives to petroleum.

Two research projects of the National Research Program "Resource Wood" (NRP 66) have now come an important step closer to replacing petroleum with plant biomass - especially wood. They are focusing complementarily on one of the two main components of wood each: cellulose and lignin. These two renewable substances are the world's most abundant organic compounds.

At EFPL, Sviatlana Siankevich has developed new, powerful catalytic processes that extract hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from cellulose, an important feedstock for the production of plastics, fertilizers and biofuels.(*) The team at FHNW in Muttenz (BL), led by Philippe Corvini, drew inspiration from fungi that break down rotting wood to find enzymes that break down lignin into aromatic compounds. These aromatics serve as starting materials for the production of solvents, pesticides, medicines and plastics such as polystyrene.

Chemicals instead of paper
Cellulose is a long-chain sugar molecule (carbohydrate) and makes up about two-thirds of the weight of wood. "Cellulose is mainly used to make paper today. The residues from it could be put to good use in the production of chemicals that are in demand," says Sviatlana Siankevich of EPFL's Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering. Together with scientists from Queen's University in Canada and the National University of Singapore, the EPFL team led by Paul Dyson synthesized several types of ionic liquids (liquid salts) to produce HMF from cellulose. Using their process, the scientists achieved a record 62 percent yield in one step.

"Our process works under mild reaction conditions and does not require very high temperatures and pressure or strong acids," Siankevich says. "We were also able to reduce the amount of unwanted byproducts. This is an important aspect for the industrial use of the process. Our process works with wood, but it's often easier to use cellulose derived from herbaceous plants."

Green chemistry
At the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) in Muttenz, Philippe Corvini and his doctoral student Christoph Gasser are developing processes for recycling lignin. This long-chain molecule is part of the cell walls and gives trees their stiffness. Wood consists of about 15-40 percent lignin. "This has hardly ever been recycled, but often just burned," says Corvini. "In the process, it can be broken down into aromatic compounds: molecules based on the hexagonal carbon rings that are ubiquitous in organic chemistry. Industry turns over a lot of these compounds, which are almost exclusively derived from petroleum. Currently, lignin is the most promising alternative to petroleum."

There are fungi that secrete a cocktail of enzymes to break down and degrade lignin. Led by Corvini, the FHNW team investigated combinations of dozens of these enzymes to determine the most efficient. With an additional catalytic step, they succeeded in breaking down 40 percent of the lignin into very small molecules - such as vanillin. The process is of interest to the chemical industry: the team is already working with a lignin producer. "Lignin today is mainly extracted from wheat or rice straw," Corvini says. "But softwood - such as that of spruce - would also be well suited, since its lignin is easy to break down."

The FHNW team has also developed a process to reuse the enzymes. "We bound the enzymes to iron nanoparticles coated with silicon dioxide," he explains. "After the reaction, we simply remove the iron particles using a magnet to recover the enzymes." These can be reused up to ten times, significantly reducing the energy and resources needed to produce them. The process thus fits in very well with the concept of "green chemistry".

Utilize all the wood
The wood must be recycled as extensively as possible so that it can be an economical alternative to petrochemicals. "Extracting small amounts of a single component is not enough," says Sviatlana Siankevich. "We therefore need to find complementary processes so that we can use all the wood." There are other aspects to consider when assessing whether wood is an economically viable substitute for petroleum. A third NRP 66 project recently examined the sustainability of producing succinic acid, another important chemical, from wood residues. The study, conducted jointly by ETH Zurich and EPFL, shows that intelligent process design can enable energy savings and also otherwise protect the environment - key factors for competitive biorefineries.

Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

Robert Half's labor market study underscores the fact that there is no such thing as the exact right time for salary negotiations.

Employees are much more patient than bosses assume: The majority (45 %) of the 5,000 employees surveyed in Europe wait for the next appraisal interview to repeat the pay request if the request for a higher salary is rejected. Only one in five finance executives (22 %) in Switzerland expects this reaction. Just as many (22 %) executives assume that the employee will then ask for other benefits, such as flexible working hours or other allowances. In reality, less than one in three employees (27 %) ask for alternative offers.

Employees complain much less often than managers assume

One in six bosses (16 %) also believe the employee would complain in the office or at home about being turned down for a raise. However, only 3 % of the surveyed employees agree with this.

"In our consulting practice, we repeatedly find that there are communication gaps between management and employees. As the labor market study shows, this also affects salary discussions. Employees do not make optimal use of their negotiating leeway," explains Sven Hennige, Senior Managing Director Central Europe & The Netherlands at Robert Half. "The good news is: employees may dare to put forward their wishes and should not be intimidated by objections from the boss. However, they must go into salary negotiations well prepared, clearly express their wishes and be open to alternative offers from their manager."

Robert Half asked, "How do employees react when you deny their request for a raise / How do you react when your boss denies your request for a raise?"

Respondents:

1. CFOs
2. Office employee

Responses:

Waiting for the next performance review to ask for a raise again

1.) 22 %

2.) 45 %

Ask for something else (more additional benefits, training, other tasks in the company with higher salary)

1.) 22 %

2.) 27 %

Looking for a new job 

1.) 32 %

2.) 15 %

Complain to friends, colleagues and/or partner

1.) 16 %

2.) 3 %

Other/ No reaction

1.) 8 %

2.) 9 %

(Source: Robert Half, Labor Market Study 2016 and Job Study 2015, Respondents: 100 CFOs in Switzerland and 5,000 office employees in Europe)

Checklist

Negotiation tips for the salary interview: How to refute objections.

Popular objection #1: "I'd like to, but unfortunately I can't".

Manager: "I can't decide that. I'd love to give you a higher salary, but that's up to management. And they probably see it differently."

Professional response, "What increase do you personally feel is appropriate?"

Popular objection #2: "Annual increase is too frequent."

Manager: "What do you mean, you want more money again? I just gave you a raise last year!"

Professional answer: "That's true, but since then, however, my area of responsibility has increased significantly (alternatives: I have broadened my qualifications/acquired important clients/achieved some notable successes).

I believe this warrants another increase."

Popular objection No. 3: "Bad timing".

Executive: "This is a very bad fit right now. Let's talk about it again in the new year."

Professional response, "However, my request requires an earlier appointment as I now have accomplishments/successes to show that warrant an adjustment. If today is not at all convenient for you, then we are happy to schedule an alternative appointment in the next four weeks."

Under this Link you will find more suggestions on how to properly respond to the most common objections