The crisis of confidence in the financial sector continues. Following Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, another regional bank, First Republic Bank, had to be rescued from collapse in the USA at the beginning of May - in this case through the intervention of JP Morgan. The collapse of First Republic Bank did not come as a surprise. In the April issue of the Global Outlook of the credit agency Dun & Bradstreet, the authors already pointed out the problems and the massive outflow of deposits at the Californian institution. They believe it is possible that other regional U.S. institutions with similar balance sheet and business profiles could become distressed. While it is reassuring that the big U.S. banks with strong earnings are willing to act as a protective haven for struggling smaller institutions, they add. However, deteriorating credit conditions in the U.S. could prove to be a problem, partly because of the threat of increased loan defaults as a result of the slowing U.S. economy. The risk of further dominoes falling and the banking sector being rocked by renewed panic attacks therefore persists, according to Dun & Bradstreet's assessment.

Economic slowdown and interest rate freeze in the USA

Interesting indications of global economic development were provided by the gross domestic product (GDP) data for the first quarter of 2023, which point to an economic slowdown in almost all economies. The report continues to classify the outlook for North America as "deteriorating." For example, GDP growth in the U.S. fell short of expectations in the first three months of the current year at an annualized 1.1 percent. The housing market in particular is prone to weakness. In addition, the sword of Damocles of insolvency hangs over the world's largest economy if Congress does not agree to suspend the debt ceiling. This day, known in US parlance as the "X date," could come sooner than expected.

Accordingly, the risk of renewed bank failures and a harsher credit environment persists in the USA. This aspect has prompted the Fed to stop the cycle of interest rate hikes earlier than inflation dynamics would probably justify. All in all, downside risks to the U.S. economy have increased, although a full-blown recession is still not in line with our baseline scenario.

Rising core inflation in Europe

According to Eurostat, economic growth in the European Union amounted to 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2023 and to 0.1 percent in the euro zone. Although some leading indicators give cause for moderate optimism, European economies continue to face challenges, concludes the Dun & Bradstreet report. It is true that the overall inflation rate in many Western European countries is on the retreat. However, this is no reason to sound the all-clear, as core inflation (i.e. inflation excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco) has continued to rise recently. As a result, the European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to raise key interest rates even further before probably taking a break in the course of the second half of the year. The rising number of insolvencies is evidence of the increased credit risk in the European economies. They increased by 27 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the previous quarter.

Asia: China benefits from catch-up effects

Furthermore, the latest Country Risk Global Outlook considers the economic outlook for the Asia-Pacific region to be "stable", although economic growth in the current year is likely to lag behind that of the previous year. The exceptions are mainland China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Thailand, according to the report. China is benefiting from catch-up effects following the end of the country's zero-covid policy and will probably achieve its growth target of around 5 percent this year, according to the authors. The Asian economies, which are closely intertwined with the Chinese economy, would benefit from this in the short term, while those countries in the region that export heavily to the European and US markets would see a decline in foreign demand. "On balance, we expect China's 'growth dividend' to have only limited positive effects for the rest of the world after the reopening," the report concludes.

Commodities: Supply shortage looms for oil

The oil price for Brent crude recently settled at around 80 US dollars per barrel. As the year progresses, however, supply shortages could cause prices to rise to as much as 100 US dollars. Firstly, because the EU embargo on refined Russian oil products has come into force. Secondly, because the production cut decided by OPEC probably cannot be fully compensated by non-OPEC countries due to their limited capacity reserves.

Source and further information: Dun & Bradstreet

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/bankenkrise-geht-weiter-wirtschaft-schwaecht-sich-weiter-ab/

The word "blended" seems to be the answer to the uncertainties that are spreading in view of the ever increasing number of communication channels and tools. Everything seems possible. It almost feels like when the word was first launched, when Starbucks liberated Americans from their Regular Coffees and us in Switzerland from Kafi-Crème and launched the first blended coffee varieties. Everything was possible when the coffee revolution began in the early nineties with one of the most sophisticated marketing and branding strategies in recent economic history. It was then that the word first appeared in German usage. Although initially frowned upon by Italophiles, Howard D. Schultz revolutionized coffee drinking worldwide.

It all came down to the right blend. The right blend. Not just for the coffee, but for the entire marketing strategy. No advertising, only internal communication. No compromises, but consistent implementation of the "Third place" strategy (Home. Work. Starbucks.) made the brand the darling of investors. The rapid global growth then also led to a Starbucks being opened on almost every corner of a major city, and wicked tongues even claimed that the Seattle company would also open a Starbucks in an existing Starbucks just to keep the number of stores rising.

But what this global campaign has taught us, along with hundreds of different coffee-related products, is that the word "blended" or "blend" exudes a certain magic. And this is precisely what our industry is looking for right now.

Marketing mix was yesterday - today everything is blended

The translation into German, "Mischung", then became "Mix" thanks to Tom Dickson. Because his "Will it Blend" videos were clicked on over and over again in the agencies in the mid-noughties. In short, they went viral before the word was really known.

But anyone who talks about marketing mix in marketing today is looked at askance, as if he or she had just ordered a Kafi-Crème or put their iPhone in the blender. "Blended" is what it's called now, please! Blended learning, blended marketing, blended communications, blended identities, blended styles - the list can be extended at will and feels like one of those endless orders at Starbucks.

There are no limits to the imagination. Everything can be blended today. Art with fashion, for example. Louis Vuitton is currently engaged in a creative exchange with the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and her Pumpkins. For fashion purists, this used to be as unimaginable as a Pumpkin Spice Latte is for coffee purists. Watch lovers probably thought the same thing before the launch of the Kermit Edition. Dazzle TV series with watch brands? No way? Who knows!

So if you don't want to appear like Waldorf and Statler from the Muppet Show at meetings or simply don't want to serve cold coffee, you can talk about blended. But customers should not be blinded by the zeitgeist (German), because in the end it's what brings success that counts, whatever the mix. Not only in our industry.

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

Telecommunications service provider Swisscom has published its latest Cyber Security Threat Radar. This publication is intended to serve as a guide and compass for maneuvering safely through the cyber world. The report observes trends and challenges in the cyber world, links and evaluates them, and provides a compact overview of the threat situation and its development in Switzerland by pooling expert knowledge. And the situation presents itself as follows: The number of cyber threats remains unabatedly high. New cyberattacks are reported in the media every day. Regardless of whether it is a large company or an SME, it can affect anyone. Hackers are constantly on the lookout for new methods to improve their attacks.

AI-Based Attacks on the Rise

Accordingly, this year's Swisscom Cyber Security Threat Radar focuses on AI-based attacks (artificial intelligence). These are cyber attacks in which artificial intelligence technologies are used. This enables hackers to carry out their attacks more effectively and efficiently in order to circumvent defensive measures. 

Swisscom has observed a sharp increase in threats in this area in recent months. This has to do with the publicly available tools, which have made a real evolutionary leap. These include, for example, the Large Natural Language Model ChatGPT, which was published in November 2022. The AI model was developed to generate human-like text and act as a voice assistant. Cybercriminals have also discovered it for themselves. It can be used, for example, to formulate personalized phishing emails more convincingly. This makes phishing attacks harder to detect and can trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.

Perennial Ransomware

Phishing is in most cases also the gateway for Ransomware attacks - another major challenge for IT security. Hackers penetrate a system via malware, encrypt files and then demand a ransom for their release. Here, Swisscom's security specialists expect a significant increase in multiple extortion, i.e. the combination of several attack tactics such as ransomware, data theft and denial of service. Managed service providers are also increasingly under attack, as they are often willing to pay ransom and their customers can be attacked directly.

Preventing the shortage of skilled workers with internal training

In order to strengthen the resilience against cyber threats in one's own company, it is essential to consider cyber and IT security in its entirety. After all, in addition to technical precautions, well-trained employees and internal cyber experts also play a key role. However, IT security experts are in high demand and hard to find. In a constant battle for talent, a company can get carried away and try to work the labor market that has been fished dry. Another option is to look inward and invest in the further education and training of your own employees. 

The report explains more about this and what other countermeasures companies can take in the current threat situation.

Source and further information: Swisscom

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/cyberkriminalitaet-die-bedrohungslage-im-ueberblick/

The cult Swiss chocolate Toblerone is relocating its production to Slovakia - and is therefore no longer allowed to depict the Matterhorn on its packaging, among other things. It also has to change the text from "Swiss Milk Chocolate ..." to "Established in Switzerland ...". Will it lose its Swissness as a result?

Neuromarketing agency Zutt & Partner investigated this question in its Emo Comparr study. For this purpose, the emotions towards the old as well as the new Toblerone packaging were examined - and then again compared with Swissness emotions. The result on the emotional map clearly shows: The new packaging pulls away from the Swissness pin and triggers significantly fewer Swissness emotions. Thus, it differs not only visually, but also in its effect on the customer brain. Without the Matterhorn, an important connection to Switzerland is missing.

In addition to the emotions of Swiss consumers, the minds of German consumers were also picked up. The outcome: The emotional impact of the Toblerone packaging changes both in Switzerland and in Germany, whereby the domestic consumer brain misses the Matterhorn only slightly more than that of the German clientele. A possible and also already discussed assumption that the emotional loss of the Matterhorn is of great emotional importance exclusively for Mr. and Mrs. Swiss is thus refuted.

The new Toblerone packaging has received a general facelift and is now designed differently on all sides. While the front shows a slightly changed Toblerone lettering with a generic mountain, the chocolate itself is visible on the back. The side features the old Toblerone lettering - a tribute to the original logo from 1899.

Are these packaging design efforts worth it?

Yes, as this study shows. Because both the chocolate corner shown and, in particular, the side view (with the time-honored logo) pull in the direction of Swissness emotions. The old lettering thus seems to trigger valuable associations with Switzerland in the customer's brain. However, these measures do not succeed in replacing the strong Swissness effect of the mighty and iconic Matterhorn.

Project manager Fabian Krüger from trade fair company P. E. Schall can be pleased with a successful Control 2023 trade fair: "The trade fair week was a great success. We experienced four full halls with impressive solutions for quality assurance (QA) and saw many groundbreaking new solutions. It was bustling with activity and a great atmosphere from the very first hour," said the project manager. "589 exhibitors from 32 countries showed on 42,000 square meters of exhibition space that quality assurance is on the direct path to the future."

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/fachmesse-control-2023-stiess-auf-begeisterung/

The traditional Swiss Quality Day is jointly organized by the SAQ and SQS. SHIFT Switzerland was also involved this year as the third event partner. In his opening speech, its president Christian Häuselmann, together with SAQ managing director Prisca Zammaretti and Felix Müller, CEO of SQS, noted that sustainability and quality thinking are firmly rooted in the Swiss DNA. But he also regretted that personal responsibility in sustainability still worked too little and warned against more and more regulation through "hard laws".

"New Leadership" on Swiss Quality Day 2023

But then it was back to the actual conference topic "The human being in focus". A hall survey revealed that "customer satisfaction" is the most important key term in connection with quality. And people are still largely solely responsible for this customer satisfaction. But the world has become more complex, as Prof. Dr. Lukas Scherer from the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland noted in his presentation on "New Leadership": "Nothing is fixed anymore". Using facts proven in countless studies - for example, 77 percent of workers are dissatisfied with their leadership, "collegiality and fun" are top priorities for new employees, and salary is no longer the focus - he explained how difficult leadership has become today. "New leadership requires cooperation, inspiration, charisma, informal interaction with employees," and much more, Scherer said. Specifically, for leaders, it's about being a role model, taking employees seriously, valuing them and providing psychological security. Can AI help with this? Lukas Scherer showed an example of an employee assessment by ChatGPT. It read coherently, but the emotional, i.e. the human element was missing in it. Scherer's conclusion: "Even with New Leadership, the human being remains the old one." At best, AI can be a supplement to make processes more efficient.

What business can learn from sports

Prisca Zammaretti then talked by video with André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Roche Holding AG, about linking quality with sustainability. Hoffmann regretted that in the past there had been too much focus on short-termism and quick prosperity. "We cannot go into the future with the systems we have had so far," Hoffmann said. "We need the courage to become more modest again," he concluded.

"Resilience in business and sports or: The dance around the corner flag" was the next program item. What elements can business learn from top-class sport? And where do both industries reach their limits? In a refreshing conversation, moderator Andrea Vetsch chatted with former top footballer and Kathrin Lehmann. Today, she works as an expert for Swiss television on the one hand, and is also CEO of her own company on the other, so she now also knows the "business side". She misses the "emotional exhaust", as she calls it, the dance around the corner flag when celebrating a goal - but also expressions of frustration in the dressing room. Rituals to celebrate success should therefore also be allowed a place in business life. She takes a critical view of the notion of flat hierarchies: "They're just flattened pyramids," and showed herself to be an advocate of the advantages that a hierarchical organization can still have. And what business can learn from (team) sports: Goals against - in other words, mistakes - can only be ironed out as a team.

Recipes for success of good employers

So what do the best employers do differently or better? This question was addressed by Heike Henfling (Schindler Aufzüge), Marianne Reisner-Schmid (Südostbahn) and Marc Holitscher (Microsoft Switzerland) in a panel discussion. These three personalities represented companies that had recently been recognized as Switzerland's best employers. In their speeches, the terms "fairness" and "appreciation" and authenticity on the part of managers were heard again and again, especially when it comes to introducing innovations. "If something doesn't come across as authentic, it doesn't work," said Marianne Reisner-Schmid, for example. And there also needs to be a "culture of debate," as Heike Henfling explained. Feedback, even negative, is welcome. Marc Holitscher added that all mistakes should be seen as learnings.

Learning from mistakes was also the topic of one of the three open sessions offered. There, Zehra Sirin (SizeConsens) used a self-experienced failure to show how this can be turned back into positive energy through a "fuck-up event". SHIFT Switzerland's Open Session showed how to use diversity to make project collaboration more sustainable. And promoting health in the workplace was the topic of Friendly Work Space's workshop.

Life Skills Taken to the Grain

The final highlight was provided by the duo Roman Tschäppeler and Mikael Krogerus. With a lot of humor and a twinkle in their eyes, they presented five life skills: Making decisions (here: those who take longer to make decisions make better decisions), collaboration skills, technological literacy (demonstrated by the so-called "hype cycle"), knowledge skills (those who appear with little knowledge but a lot of self-confidence end up on "Mount Stupid") and lifelong learning.

Quality, sustainability, new leadership, artificial intelligence: It was a colorful bouquet of topics that were highlighted on this day. They are a reflection of the complexity in which we move. In his closing remarks on the Swiss Quality Day 2023, SAQ President Ruedi Lustenberger said: "In all of this, it is important to ensure that people do not fall by the wayside.

The next Swiss Quality Day will take place on April 23, 2024. Further information: www.saq.ch

Seghezzi Prize and new SAQ Presidium

Every two years, the Swiss Foundation for Quality Research and Education (SFAQ) awards the Seghezzi Prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of integrated quality management and sustainability. The prize, endowed with CHF 10,000, is named after the founder Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Dieter Seghezzi, who passed away last year. This year's winner is Julian Senoner with his dissertation "Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing - Augmenting Humans at Work". The jury particularly praised the practical relevance of machine learning in production processes demonstrated in this work. The author shows examples of how machine learning can support quality management and the people responsible for it.

 

At the SAQ General Meeting, also held on May 11, 2023, President Ruedi Lustenberger announced his resignation. After ten years in office, he will pass on the baton to a co-presidency consisting of Ursula Grunder and Guido Graf. Prof. Dr. Lukas Scherer and Michael Vogt were also newly elected to the board.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/das-war-der-tag-der-schweizer-qualitaet-2023/

The topic of sustainability has never been so explosive in companies: for some it is a matter of course, for others it is a regulatory constraint. As a result, managers are increasingly having to expand the sustainability aspects of their own business activities to include social, ecological and ethical issues.

Focus on sustainability issues

Wiebke Merbeth, a partner in Deloitte's strategy consulting practice and a member of the German government's Sustainable Finance Advisory Board, sees it as a clear duty for companies to do more to meet their social responsibilities. In her view, concrete sustainability measures must already start now from corporate management: "If we take too much time, then the transformation will become increasingly expensive, also because other industrialized nations will outstrip us."

Wiebke Merbeth will be taking a closer look at corporate management from a sustainability perspective at domeba's international "Compliance Days" forum. In the lecture "Sustainability as the new backbone of the German economy" on June 15, she will share her experiences from advising the German government with the participating companies.

One of the aims of the networking and lecture platform is to create greater awareness of sustainability issues at the entrepreneurial level. With the software solution iManSys from the Chemnitz-based company domeba, the compliance measures required for this can be mapped digitally. The event will also focus on presenting concrete solutions for implementation in the company.

Learn more about Compliance Management

The Compliance Days are aimed at existing and potential iManSys users from all company sectors and sizes. They will take place from June 13 to 15 at the Seaside Park Hotel in Leipzig. In various workshops and showrooms, participants will have the opportunity to learn and exchange information, for example on the digital implementation of risk assessment, hazardous materials management, and instruction and precautionary organization. Among others, the Institute Health of the City of Essen, the Autobahn GmbH of the Federal Government as well as the DKMS Life Science Lab gGmbH will be represented.

Matthias Domes, Managing Director of domeba, explains: "For 25 years now, we have been dealing with the topics that make up comprehensive and sustainable compliance management. But never before have they been as topical as this year. The great demand for the program items of our Compliance Days and the keynote by Wiebke Merbeth also speaks for this."

More information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/veranstaltungshinweis-compliance-days-2023/

Public Relations

Guide to modern communications management.

• Author: Dominik Ruisinger and Oliver Jorzik
• Publisher: Schäffer-Poeschel, 2021
• Pages: 464
• ISBN: 9783791048918

Corporate communications and image cultivation are experiencing tremendous changes due to digitalization and social media. PR measures no longer go in one direction alone. Public relations have evolved into a dialog between companies and their stakeholders. Well-connected consumers are intervening with self-confidence. Organizations are losing their sovereignty over information. In this challenging new world, this clearly structured, detailed guide offers orientation for all PR managers.

The human factor or what matters in professional life

50 behavioral economics findings.

• Author: Matthias Sutter
• Publisher: Carl Hanser Verlag, 2022
• Pages: 288
• ISBN: 9783446473133

Typical human behaviors shape virtually all areas of professional life: from the difficulties of finding a job to the crucial leadership skills of a CEO. Matthias Sutter's book is scientifically sound and highly vividly narrated. It offers surprising insights into what really matters in working life. Along the way, Sutter dispels many prejudices - such as that of the underqualified quota women. A recommended read for anyone interested in the findings of behavioral economics.

Between old and new lies good

How we can shape a sustainable work culture with GOOD WORK without having to redo everything.

• Author: Jule Jankowski
• Publisher: Vahlen Verlag, 2022
• Pages: 255
• ISBN: 9783800669332

The author's approach is convincing: If the advocates of new work models did not question everything that already exists, employees might be more open to new work. Despite all the sympathy for agile working methods, it is the pragmatic view of the tried and tested that sets the book apart from similar literature. Without claiming to be scientific, it questions fashionable management buzzwords and focuses on the context. It depends on the context whether this or that trend in the working world really represents progress.

Flow@Work

Brain-friendly leadership - attracting and retaining the best people.

• Author: Friederike Fabritius
• Publisher: Campus Verlag, 2022
• Pages: 288
• ISBN: 9783593516448

It is now well known that men and women work and lead differently. But the latest findings from neuroscience go into far more detail. They describe how not only gender, but above all our "neurosignature" influences behavior and performance. Companies that take this into account are rewarded with a more satisfied and productive workforce, neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius is convinced.

According to the global study "State of Ransomware 2023" by Sophos, cybercriminals in Switzerland succeed in encrypting data in 91 percent (76 percent internationally) of ransomware attacks on organizations. From an international perspective, it is the highest rate of data encryption by ransomware since the IT security service provider first published its annual Ransomware Report in 2020. Three thousand cybersecurity/IT executives from 14 countries were surveyed between January and March. 

Ransom payments double recovery costs

From a global perspective, the survey shows that companies that paid ransom to decrypt their data additionally doubled their recovery costs ($750,000 recovery costs versus $375,000 for companies that used backups to recover data). In addition, paying the ransom typically means a longer recovery time: 45 percent of companies that used backups were able to recover data within a week, compared to 39 percent of companies that paid the ransom.

Number of data encryptions at a high level

Overall, 75% of the companies surveyed in Switzerland (66% internationally) were attacked by ransomware. This indicates that the number of ransomware attacks has remained consistently high despite the supposed decline during the pandemic years. "Encryption rates have risen again to very high levels after a temporary drop during the pandemic, which is worrying. Ransomware criminals have refined their attack methods and accelerated their attacks to shorten the time it takes for defenders to thwart their plans," said Chester Wisniewski, Field CTO, Sophos, commenting on the study results. "The cost of incidents increases significantly when ransoms are paid. Most victims will not be able to recover all their files by simply buying the encryption keys; they will also need to restore backups. Paying a ransom not only enriches the criminals, but also slows down the incident response and increases costs in an already devastating situation," continues Wisniewski.

Vulnerabilities exploited

When analyzing the cause of ransomware attacks, the most common starting points in Switzerland were an exploited vulnerability 27 percent (36 percent internationally) and compromised credentials 25 percent (29 percent internationally). This is consistent with recent Incident response findings from the "2023 Active Adversary Report for Business Leaders" from Sophos to respond to incidents on site.

The study also shows the following additional findings:

• In 34 percent of ransomware cases involving data encryption in Switzerland, the attackers also stole data. This indicates that this "double-dip" method (data encryption and data exfiltration) is becoming more common.
• Internationally, the education sector reports the most ransomware attacks, with 79 percent of higher education organizations surveyed and 80 percent of lower education organizations surveyed reporting that they have been victims of ransomware.
• Overall, 38 percent (46 percent internationally) of the organizations surveyed in Switzerland whose data was encrypted paid a ransom and received data back. However, ransomware payments were far more common among larger organizations from an international perspective. More than half of organizations with $500 million or more in revenue paid the ransom, with the highest rate reported by organizations with more than $5 billion in revenue. This may be due in part to the fact that larger companies are more likely to have a standalone cyber insurance policy that covers ransomware payments.

Tips against ransomware and data encryption

"Two-thirds of organizations report being a victim of ransomware for the second year in a row. The key to reducing this risk is to dramatically shorten both the time to detection and the time to response. Human-led threat hunting is very effective at stopping these criminals, but alerts must be investigated and the criminals removed from systems within hours, not during weeks and months. Experienced analysts can spot the patterns of active intrusion within minutes and take immediate action. This is likely the difference between the one-third of companies that remain secure and the two-thirds that do not. Companies need to be on alert 24/7 to build effective defenses these days," Wisniewski said.

IT security specialists offer the following three tips to protect against ransomware, data encryption and other cyberattacks:

1. Reinforce the defensive shields by:

• Security tools that defend against the most common attack vectors. These should include endpoint protection with strong anti-exploit capabilities to prevent vulnerability exploitation and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to thwart the misuse of compromised credentials.
• Adaptive technologies that automatically respond to attacks, disrupt attackers and buy defenders time to respond
• 24/7 threat detection, investigation and response. Either in-house or through a specialized managed detection and response (MDR) provider.

2. Optimize attack preparation, including regular backups, testing to recover data from backups, and maintaining an up-to-date incident response plan
3. Maintain good security hygiene, including timely patching and regular review of security tool configurations

Source: Sophos

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/noch-nie-so-viele-datenverschluesselungen-durch-ransomware/

Obtaining ISO-20121 certification sets out the requirements for a sustainability management system for events or event-related activities and provides guidance on how to comply with these requirements. Over the past few years, Bernexpo Groupe has been working intensively on the topic of sustainability and has looked into the goal of ISO-20121 certification. During this time, many intensive discussions were held with partners. The topic was also addressed in detail internally. "ISO certification is an important step in the right direction. With these guidelines, we exemplify sustainability in the event industry and can show, especially with regard to the new event and congress hall in Bern, that we mean business," says Tom Winter, CEO of the group of companies.

Promoting new partnerships and sustainability

The certificate was signed by Rolf Schwery, Executive Director acting responsibly AG, and Christoph Kamber, President of the Expo Event Swiss LiveCom Association, and ceremoniously presented to Bernexpo Groupe. Both acting responsibly AG and the Expo Event Association are actively committed to increasing the focus on sustainability in the event industry.

With a detailed concept, various ambitious goals have been defined for the next three years in different areas to improve sustainability. These include the following: Energy, Catering and Food Waste, Waste and Recycling, Resource Consumption and Procurement, Integration, Diversity and Accessibility, Sanitation and Cleaning, Construction and Dismantling and Logistics, and Working Conditions and Safety. As part of these goals, the group is also looking forward to forming new partnerships and promoting sustainability in the events industry, according to a statement.

Further projects are in progress

In addition to obtaining ISO 20121 certification, Bernexpo Groupe is already involved in many other areas and associations and is targeting further projects. For example, the group of companies is a member of the Energy Saving Alliance as well as on board with Sustainable Switzerland. In addition, the Bernese company is involved in the Climate Platform and will soon also become a member of Swisstainable.

Over the next three years, Bernexpo Groupe will provide even more intensive information on the topic of sustainability and is committed to achieving its milestones. The company clearly sees itself in a pioneering role, thanks all those involved for their help and support in this process and looks forward to implementing the planned measures with its partners in the coming years.

Source and further information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/die-bernexpo-groupe-erhaelt-die-iso-zertifizierung/

Millions of articles are published worldwide every day. According to the business information service LexisNexis, over 200,000 texts are published in German alone. One of the greatest challenges for financial institutions is to recognize threats early on in this mass and avert damage. After all, anyone who does business with publicly known tax evaders, money launderers or even sanctioned persons risks hefty fines and expensive reputational damage.

At the Future-Compliance.ch conference, participants will be presented with concrete practical examples of how financial institutions can protect themselves from problematic individuals and organizations with reasonable effort. The morning program will shed light on what the regulator requires of them and how banks can integrate Adverse Media into their KYC process (Know your customer). In addition, participants will gain insight into how five banks in Liechtenstein keep the effort for adverse media screening under control despite millions of news articles per day.

In the afternoon, technically interested people will get the chance to look behind the scenes of artificial intelligence. It will be explained how ChatGPT & Co. work and how automatic text analysis and text production will facilitate and change everyday compliance. 

The event offers compliance officers and managers of banks an excellent opportunity to learn from experts and find out about the latest developments in this area. The event will take place both on-site in Zurich and online.

The most important in a nutshell

Log in:      www.future-compliance.ch

Date: May 25

Time: 09:00 - 16:15

Location: On site in Zurich or online

Referrer

• Michèle Hess, PwC: What does the regulator require of banks in Switzerland?
• Stefan Lampert, Kaiser Partner: How do five banks in Liechtenstein manage the daily monitoring workload?
• Veronika Schlegel, gwp: A problematic person or organization has been identified - what now?
• Jeanne Le Garrec, Rosette & Peter De Bie, Rosette at Babel Street: fewer false positives with modern name matching.
• Daniel Niklaus, Netlive IT AG: ChatGPT & Co. - A look into the lab and how artificial intelligence will simplify the work of the compliance department in the future.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/veranstaltungshinweis-future-compliance-ch/

Many industries and companies complain that customers are becoming less and less loyal. The price is a little lower, the offer a little more tempting - and loyalty is gone. In today's fast-paced world, is it still possible to build lasting relationships with customers? What does it take for people to voluntarily commit to a company?

These topics are discussed in the new edition of the Brown Bag series and various facets of purchasing behavior are examined against the background of psychological findings. Of course, it also shows how loyalty can still be achieved by customers today. The "Brown Bag Series" format launched last year by the HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich, Swiss Marketing Forum and AZ Konzept is aimed at managers in marketing and communications and is intended to impart specialist knowledge at university level with practical relevance.

Prof. Dr. Michael Grund, Head of Dept. Marketing & Business Comm. of HWZ, Sandra Mottola, CMO of RIMUSS and Silvia Beyeler, CMO of SOS Children's Villages will be present.

More information is available here, you can register here. The talk will take place as a webinar on 6/6/2023 from 11 am to 12 pm.