The "Brown Bag Series" format launched in June by the HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich, Swiss Marketing Forum and AZ Konzept is aimed at executives in marketing and communications and is intended to impart specialist knowledge at university level with practical relevance.

The "homo oeconomicus" - the idealized image of the rational decision-maker for decades - has been facing more and more headwind in recent years. In many situations, people do not make decisions rationally, with abbreviated processes, unconsciously or simply emotionally. Our brain wants to make our work easier, and so only very few people are immune to the little nudges that we encounter almost everywhere.

The talk places people's decision-making and buying behavior in the context of marketing and communication, and uses selected examples to show where and how we allow ourselves to be influenced.

The live talk will take place online, Sept. 20, 2022, from 11 a.m. to noon.

Panel information 

Register free of charge

The current challenging geopolitical situation makes it clear how dangerous Switzerland's energy dependence is. One thing is clear: the energy transition is the only way Switzerland can ensure security of supply in the long term. This became clear at this year's aeesuisse congress.

aeesuisse Congress 2022: "Release the brakes. Act now!"

As part of the aeesuisse Congress 2022, the energy transition as a guarantee for security of supply was discussed by numerous relevant and prominent speakers. Under the motto "Release the brakes. Act now!", the conference on September 1, 2022 in Emmenbrücke met with great interest. The aeesuisse Congress has established itself as a central meeting place for the energy sector in recent years. aeesuisse is the umbrella organization of the renewable energy and energy efficiency industry. It represents the interests of 35 industry associations and thus around 35,000 companies in Switzerland.

Top-class speakers from business and politics

The congress day started excitingly and interactively with the "Market of Energy Turners": During a live project pitching, the audience chose Ernst Schweizer AG, the sustainability and solar pioneer of the first hour, as the winner of the competition. With the presented photovoltaic mounting system, Ernst Schweizer AG not only makes an important contribution to the urgent expansion of renewable energies, but also strengthens the circular economy. The "aeesuisse Prize 2022" was presented by Gianni Operto, President of aeesuisse. 

This was immediately followed by exciting keynotes on the heat transition, the possibilities of photovoltaic technology, and innovations in e-mobility charging infrastructure from Lars Hummelmose, Director at the Danish Board of District Heating, Noah Heynen, Helion CEO, and Patrick Kern, CEO of Brugg eConnect AG.

Insight into the current federal energy policy

In the afternoon, the congress started with a keynote on the current energy policy by Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga. This was followed by exciting and cutting-edge keynotes on Europe, business and transformation in the energy transition by Cornelia Daniel, owner of the Dachgold Initiative and Austrian of the Year 2020, Martin Schwab, CEO of CKW AG, Dr. Günther Bachmann, former Secretary General of the German Sustainability Council and advisor to the German federal government, and Helmut Ruhl, CEO of AMAG Group AG.

At the end of the congress, the energy transition as a guarantor of supply security was discussed with representatives from politics, science and business at the Energy Talk. The participants included Damian Müller, Member of the Council of States FDP, Peter Galliker, CEO of Galliker Transport AG, Gabriela Suter, National Councillor SP and Prof. Dr. Gabriela Hug, Professor Power Systems Laboratory at ETH Zurich. The congress was rounded off by a closing speech by Priska Wismer-Felder, National Councillor for the Center and Vice President of aeesuisse.

More information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/aeesuisse-kongress-2022-stoesst-auf-grosses-interesse/

Photovoltaics is the mainstay of the desired energy turnaround. Ongoing developments and research activities are continuously leading to improvements in the efficiency and production technologies of photovoltaic modules. Solar cells are therefore increasingly becoming a mass product. The state of the art today are the so-called heterojunction solar cells, which manage with a comparatively low use of the semiconductor metal silicon and thus have a low CO2 footprint. In addition, they achieve the highest efficiencies in industrial solar cell production. 

However, silver is still used in solar cell production. This precious metal is responsible for conducting the electricity generated in the silicon layer. Recently, however, the price of silver has risen massively; silver now accounts for around ten percent of the manufacturing costs of a PV module. In addition, supplies of this precious metal are very limited. The solar industry alone already processes 15 percent of the silver mined worldwide - and the trend is rising. And let's not forget other sectors, such as electromobility, which also have an ever-increasing demand for this metal.

Copper for solar cell contacts

So can silver be replaced by another material of equal value? And if so, what impact will this have on solar cell production processes? Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg i. Br. have addressed these questions. A research team led by Dr. Markus Glatthaar has developed an electroplating process to replace silver with copper for the promising heterojunction technology. Copper is many times cheaper and more readily available than silver.

Anyone involved in electroplating knows that surfaces which are not to be plated must first be masked with a non-conductive layer. The copper then builds up in the electrolyte bath only in those areas that are not coated with this insulation. Until now, expensive polymer-based coatings or laminated foils have been used for this insulating layer. Their disposal is time-consuming and costly. However, Dr. Markus Glatthaar's team has now succeeded in replacing the polymers with aluminum. Just like copper, aluminum is fully recyclable. The double material change, from silver to copper and from polymer to aluminum, also brings a double benefit: Solar cell production not only becomes more sustainable, but also significantly cheaper.

Innovative electroplating technology and improved electrolytes

The special electroplating process now makes it possible to replace silver with copper. According to the researchers, it was even possible to improve the conductivity of the so-called busbars, i.e. the link between the individual solar cells. Due to the laser structuring used, the copper lines are particularly narrow. Due to the extremely narrow width of the copper line of only 19 μm (micrometers), the light-absorbing silicon layer experiences less shadowing than with the silver lines. This and the high conductivity of the electrodeposited copper improve the current yield.

But aluminum as a masking layer? Isn't aluminum also conductive? At first glance, this metal does indeed seem unsuitable as a mask. However, aluminium has the property that it oxidizes quickly and forms an oxide layer a few nanometres thick, which acts as an insulator. "We were able to adjust the process parameters and develop a special type of electrolyte that ensures that the extremely thin, native oxide layer of aluminum can reliably fulfill its insulating function. This was an important milestone for the success of our research project," says a delighted Dr. Glatthaar.

Push for cheaper solar cell production

The researchers are convinced that both copper and aluminum, as recyclable materials, can bring photovoltaic production a good deal closer to the circular economy and improve environmental and social standards in the process. As a next step, a spin-off was founded by Fraunhofer ISE, which plans to create a pilot production plant together with industrial partners at the beginning of 2023.

Substituting silver with copper could give a further boost to solar cell production. This is because copper is more readily available than silver and has shorter supply chains. In addition, the price of copper is currently less dependent on international commodity markets. The price of a tonne of copper averaged 7545 dollars in July 2022. In comparison: in May 2021, more than 10,000 dollars had to be paid per tonne of copper.

Sources: Techexplore.com / Fraunhofer ISE

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/guenstigere-solarzellenproduktion-dank-kupfer-statt-silber/

25 years ago, Bobby Gertsch founded Promoton as a sole proprietorship in Wynigen. The company specialized early on in audio and radio advertising and created sounding content for clients such as Migros Aare or various Bernese private radio stations and SMEs.

In recent years, Promoton, now based in the city of Bern, has expanded its core competencies and is now increasingly focusing on innovative multimedia content and concepts for the information and entertainment sector. Nice Noise's portfolio includes spots, soundtracks, gripping videos and immersive audio.

The name Nice Noise as well as the new, dancing branding, implemented by the Bernese agency Studio Thom Pfister, emphasize the expanded company focus that appeals to all senses. The young and highly creative team of Nice Noise passionately implements the visions of its customers and creates new listening experiences. Nice Noise's range of products is at the cutting edge of technology and offers implementations in the trendsetting binaural 3D production technology.

The creations of Nice Noise can be encountered on the radio, in the cinema and on television, in museums and exhibitions or at events that radiate beyond Switzerland's borders.

Bobby Gertsch, his company partners Nadja Ender and the enterprising composer and sound designer Moritz Schneider, as well as the dynamic team, sum up the Nice Noise DNA as follows: "Sound, music and moving images are our passion. With great commitment we work with people for people. Passionate, familiar and with the highest quality. We don't want to be the biggest studio, but one of the best."

The rebranding event took place on September 1 in Bern.

The enhanced appearance is intended to sum up the enthusiasm and emotionality of top sporting performances and improve perception and brand performance.

Founded in 1928, the Weltklasse Zürich international athletics meeting is one of the most renowned athletics events and brings the world's best athletes to Zurich every year. In addition, the Weltklasse Zürich organization uses its organizational and event expertise to realize a wide range of offers in competitive and popular sports - such as the UBS Kids Cup. Weltklasse Zürich thus pursues the goal of connecting people and promoting an active lifestyle. The promise the organization makes to its audience is summed up in the claim "Never Stop Getting Better.

Bringing "Never Stop Getting Better" to life

To enhance brand performance, Weltklasse Zürich's brand identity was further developed, emotionalized, and the excellence of the brand was elaborated. The "Never Stop Getting Better" attitude and the associated dynamism now run consistently through the entire brand identity, from the layout to the motion behavior. The focus is on top sporting performances and the associated emotions of the athletes, as well as the enthusiasm of the spectators. The iconic logo was optimized for digital use, the color palette was refreshed, and the entire design system and its existing brand elements were optimized for efficiency and impact in all channels.

"The Shape" becomes the Identifier

Alongside the logo, a striking elliptical shape called "The Shape" becomes an identity element and ensures visibility and high recognition. "The Shape" is inspired by the characteristic shape of the athletics track and the unique atmosphere at the Letzigrund stadium and is intended to unite history, excellence and colorful diversity that make up the unique success of the Weltklasse Zürich brand.

In its entirety, this has resulted in a powerful corporate design system that is easy to use and creates consistency across all application needs and touchpoints. "Never Stop Getting Better" is thus to be experienced in a concise and inspiring way.

The foreseeable stabilization of interest rates is having a positive impact on the stock markets, which are showing the first signs of recovery. At the end of July, the global stock markets (MSCI World Net +11.0%) closed clearly in positive territory and the Euro Stoxx 50 (+7.5%) and the German benchmark index Dax (+5.5%) also recovered somewhat from the sharp price setbacks of the previous months. In this environment, the medical technology and healthcare services sector also performed well. The sector, as measured by the MSCI World Healthcare Equipment & Supplies, posted a performance of 9.3% and significantly outperformed the broad healthcare market MSCI World Healthcare Net (+6.2%). We are also encouraged by the recent reporting of second quarter results. Boston Scientific, Stryker, Danaher or Thermo Fisher, but also US health insurers such as Molina or Centene reported results above expectations and were rewarded accordingly with rising share prices. However, even companies that did not quite meet expectations, such as Align, Intuitive Surgical or Edwards Lifesciences, recorded a positive share price performance. This is a further indicator that investors significantly reduced the risk discount thanks to the improved information situation, which more than compensated for the slightly lower outlook for the full year 2022.

Sales growth despite recession

The great uncertainty among investors regarding a recovery in treatment figures after the last wave of corona has given way to cautious optimism. Although the medtech sector is not completely immune to recession, inflation and interest rate changes, comments from companies have shown that the medtech and healthcare services sector has not lost its nimbus as a safe haven in difficult times. Looking back to the last major recessionary period in 2008-09, the vast majority of medtech companies showed revenue and profit growth at that time. Since then, the sector has continued to mature and has consolidated its character as one of the most defensive sectors. Medical technology is characterized by above-average earnings growth combined with low volatility. These strengths are particularly attractive in a market environment where investors are uncertain about the future development of the overall economy.

Acquisitions and new products in the medtech and services sector

We consider the further outlook for the 2022 stock market year in the medtech and services sector to be attractive. In the major markets of this sector (North America, Europe and Japan), infections and hospitalizations from the Omikron variant have declined rapidly and significantly. We believe that broad immunity will enable a significant recovery in elective procedures in 2022 and 2023.

The risk-return profile of the sector is seen as favorable by many investors. Regardless of a normalization of the Corona and geopolitical situation, long-term growth factors, such as rising life expectancy and high innovation, are causing the Medtech & Services sector to grow faster than the economy as a whole and to increase earnings at an above-average rate. For example, the long-term average earnings growth per share in the MSCI Medtech & Services is 12%, twice that of all companies included in the MSCI World Index. Higher material and logistics costs are real, but should be offset by well-managed companies. We also expect approvals and launches of many relevant products for diabetes and structural heart disease.

The sector's valuation base is moderate and not only offers opportunities for investors. We also expect increased takeover activity as the valuation multiples of many emerging growth companies have declined significantly. The Bellevue Medtech & Services fund (ISIN B-EUR LU0415391431) invests in the entire healthcare market excluding drug manufacturers. One of the reasons for the sustained success of the investment strategy is that the medtech and services sector is one of the most defensive healthcare sectors with sustainable outperformance potential. Combined with an additional growth spurt made possible by treatments postponed during the Corona crisis, this makes for an attractive entry point for investors.

Author:
Marcel Fritsch joined Bellevue Asset Management in 2008 and is portfolio manager of the Bellevue Medtech & Services and Bellevue Digital Health funds. Previously, he worked as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche for more than 3 years. His responsibilities included the development of corporate strategies, the review of organizational structures as well as the valuation of companies in the run-up to transactions. Marcel Fritsch studied economics at the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
More information: Bellevue Asset Management AG 

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/fuer-investoren-medtech-und-services-sektor-wird-seinem-ruf-gerecht/

The topic of sustainability has been part of the entrepreneurial thinking and actions of many Swiss companies for many years. Thurgauer Kantonalbank is taking a pioneering role in training on this topic. Starting in September, its 800 employees will be trained by a team of experts from the ZHAW School of Management and Law. "To varying degrees, all employees - from apprentices to members of the executive board - will come into contact with various sustainability topics in a tailored manner," says Andreas Schweizer, project manager and lecturer for Corporate Banking & Sustainable Financing at the ZHAW School of Management and Law.

Pioneering role of TKB and ZHAW

"We don't know of any other bank in Switzerland that takes on the development of knowledge about sustainability to this extent and trains its employees in this breadth," says Schweizer. To this end, the project team, consisting of employees from Thurgauer Kantonalbank and the ZHAW School of Management and Law, has developed a customized training concept. In around 1,900 training days, the staff of Thurgauer Kantonalbank will address the challenging question of how the opportunities of a sustainable economy can offer added value in daily customer contact. 

Sustainability training consisting of self-study and classroom instruction

The training courses are designed in such a way that knowledge is imparted in several stages and in a way that is appropriate to the employee's respective function. In addition, according to Andreas Schweizer, various forms of learning are combined, such as self-study, virtual live training and face-to-face instruction in particular. "We want to offer participants flexibility with location-independent access to learning content, but still promote dialog among each other in direct exchange."

Transformation causes costs

According to the Swiss Bankers Association, over 387 billion will need to be invested for a sustainable transformation of the Swiss economy by 2050. However, this figure will grow even further due to the additional social transformation. This large amount of investment will have to be financed to a large extent by the banks. That is why they have an important role to play. "There is a lot of potential, but also a great many risks. Among other things, this involves business models that are not fit for the future or new technologies that then do not become established," Schweizer specifies. "Against this backdrop, the development of knowledge in the banking industry is of great importance. With its training project, Thurgauer Kantonalbank is taking a big step in the right direction. 

Source: ZHAW

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/nachhaltigkeitsschulung-mit-pioniercharakter/

In time for the start of the 2022/2023 season, Bühnen Bern is launching a colorful and clear website. With the change in web design, the Bernese cultural institution, with its theater, ballet, Bern Symphony Orchestra and opera divisions, hopes to attract a younger audience.

The new season kicked off on Saturday with a "Theaterfest" that celebrated the new beginning with popping corks, streamers and all kinds of spectacle, and an open-air concert on Bundesplatz. The rest of the program of the new season can be found at the domain Buehnenbern.ch to be explored.

The new website was realized by the Zurich agency Update on the technical basis of the internet presence retread in 2018. The design comes from the agency Wapico. In addition to many functional and process adjustments, the focus was on the visual redesign. Increased use was made of fractal programming techniques and "responsive design", so that the website can be used optimally on all device sizes.

The proven CMS Processwire continues to be used. In addition, the interface to the internal theater system "TheaSoft" was optimized. Update has supported the Bernese cultural institution in its Internet activities since 2012.

Project Management: Oliver Arnoczky.

Last week, the well-known and widely used password manager LastPass reported a Security gap. According to the company, the security breach occurred two weeks earlier, when attackers broke into the system where LastPass stores the source code of its software. From there, the attackers stole parts of the source code and some proprietary technical information from LastPass. The cybercriminals rifled through the company's proprietary source code and intellectual property, but apparently did not get their hands on customer or employee data. This has now led to questions from concerned users: Are password managers still useful? Experts from IT security service provider Sophos comment as follows:

If I use LastPass, should I change all my passwords?

Users can, of course, change some or all of their passwords if they wish. However, according to reports, this security incident has nothing to do with the cybercriminals getting hold of personal data, let alone passwords, which are not stored in usable form on LastPass' servers anyway.

As a LastPass user, should I switch to another solution?

The fact is, according to LastPass, that neither personal nor password-related data (encrypted or otherwise) was stolen, but only source code and proprietary information of the company itself. A company's cybersecurity trustworthiness should be based on how it responds when a bug or vulnerability occurs, especially if the company's mistake did not directly and immediately endanger users. It is recommended that the LastPass incident report and the FAQ read and decide on further trust on this basis.

Doesn't stolen source code mean that hacks and exploits are bound to happen?

Source code is much easier to read and understand than a compiled, "binary" equivalent, especially if it is well commented and uses meaningful names for things like variables and functions within the software. In other words, this source code leak might help potential attackers a little, but firstly almost certainly not as much as one might initially think, and secondly not to the extent that new attacks become possible that could never have been found out without the source code.

Should I dispense with password managers altogether?

Fundamental concerns would be justified if password managers stored exact copies of all passwords on their own servers, where they could be read by attackers or queried by law enforcement. But no reasonable cloud-based password manager works that way.

Why should I use a password manager?

• A good password manager simplifies the use of passwords. It solves the problem of choosing and remembering dozens or maybe even hundreds of passwords - optionally reinforced by 2FA.
• A good password manager will not allow the same password twice. This is because when cybercriminals find out a password, for example by compromising a website, they use it or similar passwords to try to gain access to other accounts.
• A good password manager can generate and store hundreds or even thousands of long, pseudo-random, complex and completely different passwords.
• A good password manager will not allow the correct password to be entered on the wrong page. This protects users from phishing, for example.

Editor's note: A detailed blog post from Sophos security expert Paul Ducklin with in-depth answers to the questions is available on Sophos Naked Security to find.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/lastpass-sind-passwortmanager-noch-zu-empfehlensind-passwortmanager-noch-zu-empfehlen/

Urbanization, neo-ecology and connectivity, as well as their numerous follow-on trends, pose major challenges for society and the economy. This is leading to a transformation driven by digitalization and sustainability. As a result, more and more technologies, sectors and professional fields are merging and interdisciplinary solutions are emerging. The MCH Group is taking up this development with the Sustainability Days and is initially offering four platforms under its umbrella.

On this basis, the MCH Group briefed the Yellow team. Another challenge was that established formats such as Smart Suisse and the MUT environmental technology exhibition were included under the Sustainability Days umbrella.

The result is a brand house consisting of an umbrella brand and four subbrands. In order to give the entire event an unmistakable identity while at the same time respecting the thematic individuality of the four platforms, Yellow developed a modular visual world. The result is a diverse, flexible and yet visually consistent image. The first implementations of the brand creation are currently in use for exhibitor acquisition and online.

Responsible at MCH Group: Julien Rousseau (Brand Director), Marina Rusch (Head of Marketing & Communications). Responsible Agency: Yellow.

There is no sign of normality - war, inflation, high infection rates. The burning question for the advertising industry in these times is "How does the tense situation affect consumer behavior?" The Havas Media Consumer Pulse wants to shed some light into the darkness and this time deals with topics around Netflix, the Metaverse, travel and the cold season.

Advertising on Netflix and the Metaverse

Especially in the young age group, streaming services enjoy a loyal user base, which is why Netflix has recognized the potential for advertising space. However, 76 percent of users find advertising in the streaming area during the show annoying.

Among the young age group, the metaverse is also the talk of the town, but less than half have a clear idea of what it is. At the moment, 8 percent have already used the Metaverse, while a third can imagine using it in the future.

Summertime = travel (frustration) time?

In 2022, just under two-thirds of vacationers were affected by travel chaos caused by delays and strikes, which was accompanied by much frustration among those willing to travel. Surprisingly, travel plans for 2023 nevertheless remain in place, with Germany being particularly popular as a destination. Other European countries, on the other hand, are an option for less than half of respondents for next year. Overall, vacationers would prefer to travel by car in the future.

Saving is the new hoarding

Compared with the spring, more people will be cutting back on their consumption in the near future. Specifically, this means that respondents would now save two-thirds of their money, which is double the figure from the last survey in March. The drivers of this are inflation, the war in Ukraine and energy shortages. Associated price increases mean a very strong personal burden for more than half of the respondents. The older generation in particular is frightened - almost one in two people over 50 does not feel at all prepared for the challenges of the coming months.

In winter many things are different

This year's winter will be different: 37 percent of those surveyed will spend less on Christmas presents than usual this year. That is almost twice as many as last year.

Another first: For the first time, the World Cup falls in winter. But half of the German respondents who are otherwise so enthusiastic about soccer will watch fewer or no games this year. The main reason for this is that those surveyed do not want to support Qatar as the host country, partly because of human rights violations. The negative opinion of the host country does not rub off on brands that are active in advertising during the World Cup - according to the survey, they do not have to worry about a loss of image.

For the current "Havas Media Consumer Pulse. 500 people between the ages of 14 and 69 were interviewed by means of a representative online survey. The survey by Respondi took place from August 2 to 5, 2022.

Michael Waber, long-time partner of Ast & Fischer, is breaking new ground and founding his own company. Waber Brands supports SMEs in all matters of communication and offers services in strategy, marketing and communication planning.

Studio Thom Pfister develops the brand message, the name, the claim "We strengthen brands", the logo and the visual appearance for the young company with many years of experience.

Responsible at Waber Brands: Michael Waber, Karin Waber. Responsible agency, Studio Thom Pfister: Thom Pfister (Creative Director, Idea/Concept), Ursula Rytz (Consulting), Roland Zenger (Art Director), Juli Martinelli (Graphic Design). Photography and website: Nicolas Stadler.