In terms of bankruptcy filings, French-speaking Switzerland was hit particularly hard. According to Bisnode's "Bankruptcies and Foundations as of May 2016", business bankruptcies in French-speaking Switzerland rose by a full 23 percent. In general, particular caution is advised when companies from the construction industry, catering businesses and craftsmen want to be supplied on account.

In these previously traditional industries, there is a massively increased risk of bankruptcy - and in the worst case scenario, affected suppliers of bankrupt companies are left sitting on their unpaid invoices. This is why Bisnode D&B recommends a thorough examination of business partners. - However, it is not only insolvencies that have increased, but also the number of new start-ups.

A total of 17,086 new companies were entered in the commercial register from January to May, an increase of two percent.

Download study bankruptcies and incorporations as of May 2016 in this Link

www.news.admin.ch - Stricter efficiency criteria for new cars from January 1, 2017

Since March 2003, the energy label for passenger cars must be prominently displayed on every new car offered for sale. The energy label divides passenger cars into seven efficiency categories from A to G: A stands for an energy-efficient vehicle, G for a comparatively inefficient one. In addition, the label contains further information, such as fuel consumption or CO2 emissions, thus enabling an energy- and environmentally-conscious car purchase.

The energy label is adapted to the latest state of the art by DETEC every year (cut-off date: May 31), as otherwise the proportion of vehicles in the best efficiency category A would constantly increase. In the process, the factors for calculating the gasoline equivalents and the primary energy gasoline equivalents are also reviewed and adapted to the new findings of science and technology as well as to international developments. The new limits of the efficiency categories are set out in the DETEC ordinance on information on the energy label of new passenger cars (VEE-PW). They apply from January 1, 2017. In addition, the factors of CO2 emissions from fuel production were newly included in the ordinance. Previously, only the CO2 emissions from electricity production were listed on the label.

The energy label must also show the average value of CO2 emissions for all new cars put on the market in the previous period (June 1 - May 31). This was previously 139 grams of CO2 per kilometer. However, due to improved engines, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new cars are steadily decreasing, so that the average CO2 emission for new car models in Switzerland is now 134 g/km.

Simplifying the job and candidate search for environmental and cleantech professions: This is the aim of the online job exchange that has been open since July 1. environmentalprofessionals-jobs.ch.

Behind this is the Association Organization of the World of Work (OdA) Environment, which is dedicated to the goal of promoting the environmental professions in vocational education and training as a sustainable occupational field, to strengthen their image and to contribute to the exchange of information and opinions.

The aim of the new platform is to act as a bridge-builder between specialized employers and employees and thus make a contribution to combating the shortage of skilled workers. Specifically, the job exchange is intended to reduce the search effort for both companies and skilled workers: employers will find better-qualified applicants, while employees will find job offers tailored to their skills.

The offerings are divided into the areas of "Waste Management and Recycling", "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies", "Nature and Landscape Conservation", "Environmental Protection and Environmental Engineering" and "Water and Wastewater Supply". The whole of Switzerland is covered. The vacancies can be filtered by activity.

For the second time, the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) can help export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to strengthen their innovative power. The Federal Council approved the funding requested by the Federal Council as part of the supplementary procedure to the 2016 budget. The funding will be secured by offsetting the funds approved in the current period for the ERI sector.

This is the second time since 2015 that the federal government has responded specifically to the ongoing difficulties faced by export-oriented SMEs, helping them to invest in innovation and maintain or expand their research and development capacities.

Mentoring Program

The special measures not only allow business partners to reduce the cash contribution in innovation projects, but also enable them to make a lower personal contribution to project costs. At the same time, the use of CTI innovation mentors to support the SMEs in focus is being increased. The first special measures in 2015 have already shown that such measures are having an impact.

In addition to the regular projects, 314 projects were assessed under the special measures. Of these, 154 were approved and supported with a total federal contribution of 57.7 million Swiss francs. And the demand from SMEs for support from the innovation mentors has also increased further with the special measures. In 2015, for example, around 70 percent more research and development projects and innovation checks were launched with innovation mentors than in the previous year.

President of the Confederation and head of the EAER Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, who initiated the first measures to cushion the impact of the strong Swiss franc back in 2015, is convinced that he has once again been able to make a directly effective contribution: "We have succeeded in providing targeted incentives for the innovative capacity of strongly export-oriented SMEs. This will enable them to strengthen their competitiveness even in this difficult phase and safeguard jobs."

Just a few years ago, it was the other way around: too many school leavers were applying for too few apprenticeships. But the trend has now reversed, and it is not changing in 2016, especially in the construction industry. The most recently published figures from SERI even signal an increase in unfilled apprenticeships compared to 2015. According to berufsberatung.ch, the cantons with the most open apprenticeships in construction are St. Gallen (470), Zurich (402), Bern (304). SERI does not record vacant apprenticeships by sector and canton. The apprenticeship situation in the construction industry has therefore worsened overall. This has implications for the entire economy. After all, construction not only contributes around 6% to GDP - ahead of banks; it also has a key position in the economy and in implementing the federal government's energy strategy. After all, buildings have an energy-saving potential of up to 50%. However, so far only 1% of the buildings in need of renovation are renovated each year.

Attractive job profiles with great career opportunities

There are around 50 professions in construction, often paying top wages. Rapid careers are not uncommon. Anyone who starts an apprenticeship in construction today will be managing construction sites and holding management positions in construction companies in five years at the latest. Switzerland's dual vocational training system also makes it easier to follow an academic path. On June 29, 2016, 6 apprentices from 6 construction sectors demonstrated how demanding and exciting jobs in construction are at a media talk held by bausinn.ch. All industries and also the media have been talking about apprentices for years. At today's bausinn.ch media talk at the National Museum, the apprentices talked eye to eye with the journalists; for the first time ever, the apprentices were the main people at a media event. The six young men are scaffolders, painters, bricklayers, welders, metal workers and poly builders. Not only are they all good at planning, grappling and implementing plans at a young age. Above all, they also learn teamwork and how to deal with deadline pressure and changing processes. This means they are well equipped for a career at any time.

• Scaffolder Andrea Baltensperger from Winterthur, 3rd year apprentice: "Scaffolding ensures work safety in construction. Everyone is familiar with scaffolds on buildings. They are also important for bridges, such as the renovation of the Quai Bridge in Zurich. For the construction of bridge scaffolds, someone has to have a lot of experience in math. Because here the statics have to be calculated." After his apprenticeship, he plans to train as a group leader and later become a site manager - who draws plans and inspects construction sites.
• Bricklayer Robby Hinnen from Seuzach (ZH): Robby Hinnen proves how quickly and far talented young people can go in construction. He completed his three-year apprenticeship as a bricklayer in 2015. "I now know a lot about materials like concrete and stone. I know the construction site procedures and have learned to work in a team and also under stress. I find it particularly exciting that you can see what you have done. The job is very varied. My favorite building is my boss's apartment block." At the media briefing, he explained the many steps involved in building a supposedly simple retaining wall over several days.
• Metalworker Alex Trüb from Lausen (BL): Whether he builds aluminum doors, steel doors or conservatories in the workshop and later installs them on the construction site - he enjoys the quick sense of achievement: "I also think it's nice to see what you've accomplished. If the customer is happy, then you like it twice as much yourself." He recommends the four-year apprenticeship to anyone who appreciates individual work and can work out solutions very quickly.
• Welder Sven Schlüchter from Bowil (BE), 1st year of apprenticeship: 16-year-old Sven Schlüchter is completing an apprenticeship as a plant and apparatus engineer at Ferdinand Steck Maschinenfabrik AG in Bowil (BE). At the media conference, Schlüchter represented a profession that does not exist, but for which professional championships are held: The welder. The importance of welding in construction is increasing. With the new European standards, which have also applied to construction in Switzerland since 2015, certain jobs require certified further training in welding. For example, with the EN 1090 standard, metal construction companies can only apply for certain projects if they employ a certified welder.
• Polybauer, Jan-Eric Allenbach from Säriswil (BE): Before he started an apprenticeship as a polybuilder specializing in roofing, he attended high school for a year. He had to realize that this was not necessarily his world. He comes from a family business that also deals with roofing and photovoltaics and decided on this profession after several trial apprenticeships. He is not worried about his future either: "Every house needs a roof; this job will therefore never die out. With regard to the future, I see working on the energy transition as a special opportunity."
• Painter Stella Francescato from Thalwil, 1st year apprenticeship: "For only being in my first year of apprenticeship, I have already been able to learn a lot. Even in school, I've been able to acquire knowledge about a wide variety of materials." For her, the painting profession is the most beautiful of all construction professions. She is particularly interested in the artistic aspect as well as the fine work, such as decorative painting. In doing so, she can give free rein to her creativity. She has also learned to prove herself as a woman on the construction site.

After completing their apprenticeships, all of these six apprentices are aiming for further training so that they can either take on management functions later on or even take over their parents' business. Overall, they are not worried about the future of their industry either, because construction will always take place, and even despite digitalization, there will be a need for well-trained craftsmen.

For more appreciation of the construction industry

The bausinn.ch community of interest is committed to greater appreciation for the Swiss construction industry and to the professional pride of construction professionals. The supporting organizations of bausinn.ch are currently AM Suisse, Gebäudehülle Schweiz, the Swiss Association of Master Builders (SBV), the Swiss Scaffolding Contractors Association (SGUV), the Swiss Painters' and Plasterers' Contractors Association (SMGV) and the Welding Technology Association (SVS). Ueli Büchi, Head of Vocational Training Policy of the Swiss Association of Master Builders (SBC), Siegfried Dauner, Head of Vocational Training Metaltec of AM Suisse, Mario Freda, Central President of the Swiss Painters' and Plasterers' Contractors' Association (SMGV), Karin Gamma, Head of MarKom & Events Building Envelope Switzerland, Dr. Marc Harzenmoser, Director of the Swiss Welding Association (SVS), Dr. Josef Wiederkehr, President of the Swiss Scaffolding Contractors' Association (SGUV). The training supervisors of the six apprentices also gave their views and emphasized the versatility of training in the construction industry by referring to their own professional careers.

Information: www.bausinn.ch

The Green Controlling Study 2016 was designed to ascertain the current status of green controlling. The main focus was on changes in the degree of implementation and relevance of green controlling compared with the first study from 2010. For the first time, the controlling of social issues was also considered.

Volatile times for the sustainability issue

The authors begin their report by noting "volatile times for the sustainability issue." Although the issue of sustainability has continued to gain in importance, contradictory developments cannot be overlooked. For example, landmark decisions at the climate summit in Paris were overshadowed by environmental scandals that "clearly call into question the seriousness of sustainable development at the corporate level" for some companies. In parallel, regulatory pressure to publish non-financial information (e.g., on environmental and labor issues) is increasing, he said. At the same time, a decline in commodity prices such as oil can be observed, which in turn can be detrimental to the business case for sustainability.

Meet customer requirements, improve corporate image

The ICV's second Green Controlling Study has shown that the strategic importance of sustainability in companies has increased compared to 2010, albeit to a lesser extent than had been expected five years ago. In corporate controlling, the topic of sustainability has matured in recent times. By a more "grown-up" approach, the authors mean that economic benefits are now in the foreground, combined with social responsibility and the fulfillment of legal obligations. It also became apparent that a company's sustainability strategy is decisive for how green controlling is designed. According to this, companies that are holistically sustainable, for example, rely significantly more on green controlling than companies that follow a compliance-dominated strategy, for example.

Since the first study, the proportion of companies pursuing a market-oriented strategy of "green products and solutions" in the context of sustainability has grown. "Meeting customer requirements and improving the company's image are among the most important objectives to be achieved with an ecological orientation," the study said. This had also examined where the main responsibility for the topic of sustainability lies in the companies: Here it is not controlling, but top management and the departments specializing in this topic (e.g. environmental management).

Measure- and reporting-oriented tasks

When asked about the most important motives for involving controlling, the main reasons given were better financial evaluation of sustainability measures and the provision of suitable systems and processes by controlling. In contrast, a lack of resources in controlling and the conscious decision not to involve controllers were among the main barriers to involvement. Management seek support for environmental and social decisions primarily through the provision of KPIs and reporting information. Companies with a holistic green strategy also have a very comprehensive need for support, including in the context of strategy development and implementation.

The majority of the companies surveyed view the future responsibility for green controlling as integrative, i.e., as a shared responsibility between corporate controlling and sustainability management. The most important tasks of green controlling include above all those that can be characterized as measure- and reporting-oriented task types.

More self-promotion needed

As the study also shows, controlling often lacks the capacity to take on green controlling tasks, or the involvement of controlling is even undesirable. The authors conclude: "In summary, it should be emphasized that the management of many companies apparently does not yet see the controllers as a point of contact for green controlling. In this respect, controlling should be more active in promoting its own cause so that it can become involved in the implementation of ecological and social goals in the company. In addition, controlling should network more closely with the departments that deal with sustainability aspects. This includes both environmental management and the human resources department."

More information: www.icv-controlling.com

The umbrella organization of the Swiss consulting industry ASCO (Association of Swiss Consultants) annually honors the best and most sustainable business transformations in Switzerland. At this year's "Oscars of Management Consultants" ceremony on June 28 in Zurich, Pfyffer Schmid Organisationsentwicklung GmbH was named the winner in the category of consulting boutiques (1-9 employees). The award was given for the project to merge the two civil engineering offices of the canton and city of Schaffhausen into a joint competence center.

Broad political and internal support

The project was approved by the people in November 2015 with almost 70 percent of the vote in favor. It also enjoyed a high level of internal acceptance among managers and employees - although it also led to staff reductions. In July 2016, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new joint depot building will take place. In the new organization at the new location, the previous services can be maintained and in some cases even improved with reduced use of resources. Through the use of synergies, the project will generate recurring annual savings of CHF 1.3 million. The relocation of the municipal depot area to the periphery will also free up land in a central location for higher-quality residential use.

Cooperative leadership as the key to success

Pfyffer Schmid chose a collaborative approach - and developed the script of the transformation together with the client. In the planning and implementation phase, they facilitated the critical workshops and meetings. In each case, the content was prepared in a lean core team and then discussed and finalized in broad workshops with all executives. From the point of view of Dieter Schmid, the head of the mandate, this led to success: "Through the early involvement of all stakeholders and the cooperative handling of the issues, we were able to find viable solutions. This would not have been possible in a classic top-down process." The cooperative leadership methodology under the motto "rising above" was developed by Marc Pfyffer and Dieter Schmid; today it is also taught at the Zurich School of Economics HWZ.

A pioneering project throughout Switzerland

In its laudation, the jury judged the project "Competence Center Civil Engineering Schaffhausen" to be "a Swiss model project that demonstrates how synergies in public administration can be used constructively across the sovereign boundaries between canton and municipalities."

More information:

ASCO: Umbrella organization of Swiss management consultants: www.asco.ch

ASCO Award: www.asco.ch/award/asco-award-2016

Pfyffer Schmid Organizational Development Ltd: www.pfyfferschmid.ch

Cooperative leadership according to Pfyffer Schmid: www.uebersichhinauswachsen.ch

The Swiss machinery, electrical and metal industry (MEM industry) may have bottomed out. According to Swissmem, new orders recorded a year-on-year increase of 0.9 percent in the first quarter, following five consecutive quarters of decline. The cautious upturn was solely attributable to the increase in orders from abroad, Swissmem warns. In terms of sales, the negative trend continued in the three months of the reporting period following the poor results of 2015:

They decreased by 8.8 percent compared to the prior-year quarter. Capacity utilization in production, for its part, fell to 86.5 percent. With this figure, it nevertheless remains above the long-term average of 86.3 percent. Despite the slightly positive signals, the umbrella organization is still not overly optimistic. The workforce has shrunk by 10,800 since the removal of the exchange rate floor. In the first quarter of 2016, MEM companies in the country had only 319,400 employees. (Source: Swissmem)

In 2015, the military insurance (MV) paid for just under 30,000 cases of illness and a good 10,000 accidents of its insured, who were primarily performing military, civil defense or civilian service. This was roughly the same number as in the previous year. Of these, militia soldiers were affected in around 16,000 cases of illness and in just under 7,000 accidents. These are the findings of the latest military insurance statistics.

In total, the MV paid out 194 million francs in insurance benefits, 5 million more than in the previous year. "Slightly rising case numbers, expensive individual cases and the generally higher medical costs have led to this increase," says Stefan A. Dettwiler, head of the MV. Pension costs, on the other hand, have fallen further to the current level of 94 million Swiss francs, as the number of pension recipients is steadily decreasing. Not only are pension benefits at their lowest level in 40 years, but for the first time in 60 years they are also lower than the CHF 100 million spent on short-term benefits.

Last "oil soldier" died

Also for the first time in 75 years, the MA stopped paying benefits to so-called oil soldiers in 2015. In 2014, the last oil soldier on record died. Known as oil soldiers, they were the nearly 100 Swiss conscripts who were poisoned by refrigeration oil for machine guns in 1940. That summer, they mistook the cooling oil for cooking oil and used it to prepare cheese slices. The following fall, another company used the wrong oil for salad dressing. The conscripts suffered poisoning that resulted in permanent nerve damage.

Fatal mix-up

The mix-up occurred because the cooling oil was filled into edible oil canisters due to the lack of original containers. During transport, any labeling was lost and the cooling oil was fatally taken to the food warehouse. The cooks did not recognize the mix-up, as the cooling oil did not differ from the cooking oil in taste or appearance. Legally, there was no one to blame, making the event an accident. Only the battalion doctor was sentenced to 45 days in prison for breach of duty.

The MA paid a total of 46.1 million francs to the oil soldiers between 1940 and 2015. There was also great solidarity among the population.

The MV has comprehensively covered the chapter of oil soldiers in this year's edition of the Military Insurance Statistics. It is available at www.suva.ch/waswo (link will open in a new window) available.

"The digital transformation is in full swing. However, a successful transition towards Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things is not only a technical task, but at least as much a leadership task," says Oliver Back, Global COO of the ROC Group. "Ideally, a top executive in the company should already be living the working world of the future as much as possible today in order to set a good example for employees. This can be in the office, in production or in the development department."

Swiss managers are more competent

The ROC study does show regional differences: Swiss and Austrian managers, for example, with 42 percent and 41 percent approval respectively, receive a clearly better report card from their employees in terms of Industry 4.0 than German managers (36 percent). British managers are even worse off, with just over one in four employees attesting to useful digital expertise.

Employees are at least somewhat more confident that their superiors will successfully lead the company and its employees into the future world of work. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, around one in two employees is confident that the learning curve will rise, while among Britons it is still a good one in three.

Trust in management not high enough

"As our survey shows, many employees' trust in their managers is not as high as it should be, given the technological and organizational challenges ahead. This is a cause for concern - after all, it is management that plays the key role in digital transformation," warns Prof. Dr. Armin Trost, Dean of Studies at Furtwangen University (HFU), who provided scientific support for the study.

Against this backdrop, companies' HR departments face a massive challenge. "It's up to HR developers to make the bosses, and then the entire organization, fit for a new corporate culture in the digital future. Permanent learning about Working World 4.0 is an absolute must. This applies to every individual in the company, but especially to the managers as multipliers," demands ROC COO Back.

Source: www.roc-group.de

As we all know, there's no accounting for taste - our individual preferences are simply too different for that. Taste is also impossible to search for, because it's just difficult to put into words. At least until now. Because this is precisely where the established search engine giants are reaching their limits. This is where the visual search engine Joixes (www.joixes.com) comes in: Developed by four young people from Zurich, Joixes uses a short visual game to learn the user's tastes via simple swipe gestures and then suggests individual results that match his or her preferences. These are not based on traditional product specifications such as color, material or price, but on the user's aesthetic taste. Joixes thus finds relevant results even if the user can't quite describe exactly what he or she is looking for. And it does so simply by "swipe and see" instead of "type and read", i.e. with visual representations and simple selection options by swiping instead of manually typing in search terms.

Self-learning taste calibrator as a world first
"Taste can be understood as an individual preference for certain symbolic properties and associations that people attach great importance to when choosing products and services. Joixes is the first search engine that can easily and entertainingly capture and apply these preferences: Joixes is therefore also a kind of taste calibrator," says David Holzer, co-founder of Joixes and PhD in taste research. Those who want to use Joixes first determine their personal "taste profile" with a short visual quiz: the user selects image combinations that he or she likes - and that's it. A self-learning algorithm then selects the results that match the user's taste profile from millions of different options. Joixes also learns from the user's search behavior in order to constantly improve the results for each user: Yes-not-too-trendy bars for the big-city hipster on the hunt for the next insider tip, jean shorts, pompom sandals and hippie blouses for the summer girl with festival fever, or a long-forgotten French arthouse film for the culture aficionado.

Millions of products from over 400 vendors - from A for Amazon to Z for Zalando - provide choice
The results, which Joixes compiles individually for each user, come from around 400 product sources - including Zalando, Amazon, Foursquare and Yoox - and can be purchased directly with one click. "We are constantly expanding our network of sources from all sectors - in the furniture sector, for example, there are still many exciting platforms in our pipeline as sources," says Joixes co-founder Benjamin Boesch. "Our vision is to make Joixes the first port of call for anyone who would like to trust their taste when searching online, but isn't quite sure how to express it. In the future, we want to enable our users to create and manage a taste profile and apply it in different online and offline situations - for example, as a guideline for a hotel concierge when users ask him for tips on cool restaurants or sightseeing activities."

Designed for mobile use
Since Joixes is personalized exclusively via the anonymous taste profile, users do not have to disclose any sensitive data - a simple registration with an e-mail address is sufficient to always access the determined taste profile. Joixes is also completely ad-free - and will remain so - as it has been generating purely referral-based revenue since day 1. Joixes.com was developed mobile-first, i.e. specifically designed for searches on smartphones, to take into account the fact that the majority of all search queries are already made from mobile devices.

www.joixes.com

The Kurszentrum Aarau was the first institute in Switzerland to develop a well-founded, practical training program for coaches 35 years ago. After that, solution-oriented coaching established itself in companies and non-profit organizations as an effective instrument for organizational and personnel development as well as conflict management. The courses at the Course Center impart the knowledge and skills for effective and sustainable coaching. The focus is on lively, effective and practice-oriented learning.

In addition to coaching training, the Kurszentrum Aarau offers a master's training for short-term counselors, systemic solution-oriented continuing education, and personality development courses. 7000 participants have expanded their professional competence at Kurszentrum Aarau to date.

Source: Course Center Aarau