Due to the Federal Council measures, many General Meetings had to be held on a smaller scale, including that of Bank BSU. On June 23, 2020, the ordinary annual general meeting was held with the Board of Directors, the Executive Board and the independent proxy in the Uster customer zone. The members of the cooperative were able to submit their votes in writing to the independent proxy in advance. All proposals were accepted. Ms. Allegra Sosso was also brilliantly elected as a new member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Sosso completed her legal studies at the University of St. Gallen in 2003 and was admitted to the bar in 2007. Until 2019 she was an attorney at the renowned law firm Niederer Kraft Frey AG and since 2019 she is co-owner and partner of the law firm Quadra Rechtsanwälte AG in Zurich. Ms. Sosso is married, mother of two children and lives in Zurich.

Solid half-year result and strong equity base

Bank BSU - active in the Uster - Volketswil - Dübendorf region - recorded growth in total assets of CHF 16.8 million or +1.6% in the first half of the year. Customer loans increased by 1.9% to CHF 914.8 million. Customer deposits increased by CHF 6.5 million in the first half of the year. Despite the persistently low interest rate environment and the corresponding narrowing of margins, gross interest income increased by 2.2% year-on-year to currently CHF 4.9 million. This was primarily due to falling refinancing costs on the money and capital markets. In the commission business, income from the securities and investment business improved by 28.4% compared to the previous year. The increased volatility on the financial markets led to a significantly higher number of securities transactions. In parallel, costs in commission expenses were also optimized and reduced by 23.2%. The position "other ordinary income" was increased by +33.5% and thus by CHF 0.205 million to CHF 0.817 million. This improvement is primarily due to the sale of part of the financial assets and thus the realization of the price gains. Personnel expenses remained unchanged from the previous year at CHF 2.4 million. By contrast, general and administrative expenses of CHF 2.1 million were around CHF 0.1 million higher than in the previous year. At CHF 1.24 million, operating income was maintained at the previous year's level, despite declining interest income in the core business.

The eligible equity shows a value of CHF 83.1 million. This corresponds to a weighted equity ratio of 18.0%, legally required 10.5%. Thus, Bank BSU clearly exceeds the regulatory requirements by a factor of 1.7 and underlines the prudent credit policy with regard to the quality of financing.

COVID-19: Impact on the business activities of the bank BSU.

Within hours of the launch of the aid program by the federal government and the banks, Bank BSU recorded a relatively high demand for the COVID 19 loans. By July 31, 2020, 108 loans totaling CHF 9.4 million had been extended to clients.

During this turbulent period, around 50% of the employees have been working from their home offices to date, which has significantly reduced the headcount at the local offices. The internal teams were also split for security reasons and distributed among the Uster, Dübendorf and Volketswil offices. Likewise, the FOPH defined the number of people per square meter of business space, which led to significant restrictions in the use of customer zones. Customer behavior also changed during this period. The number of customers and thus the number of cash transactions at the counters decreased significantly; in return, Bank BSU recorded a significant increase in the number of new e-banking contracts in the first half of the year with a plus of 18%. The TWINT service (cashless payment by cell phone), which has been offered since 2016, has also enjoyed increasing popularity since the beginning of the year. Instead of ten to twenty new users per year, Bank BSU recorded up to ten new registrations per day in the first half of 2020.

More information

From October, large events with more than 1,000 participants may be held again - provided that a Covid 19 protection concept is in place. This is an essential prerequisite for such an event to be approved in the first place. Event organizers now face the challenge of aligning their ticketing systems with the protection concepts. NextEvent, a Swiss technology company based in Thun, is now launching its new Dynamic Distancing function, a digital Covid-19-compliant solution for the secure and optimal sale of a wide variety of event types such as football matches, tennis tournaments, wrestling festivals, field hockey matches, concerts, hit parades, Oktoberfest conventions and other events. Thanks to the NextEvent seating plan editor, every customer can freely choose his seat. The software takes care of the Covid-19 requirements and automatically blocks those seats that are necessary to maintain the spacing rules. The rules can be adjusted in NextEvent at any time, allowing the event organizer to react promptly and flexibly to new cantonal requirements. If a relaxation of the measures becomes apparent before the start of the event, the blocked seating groups can be released for sale immediately in NextEvent.

New framework conditions demand innovative, digital ticketing functions

NextEvent's solution seems to meet a great need in the event industry. As the solution provider explains, what is needed now is precisely such an event, ticketing and congress management solution with an intelligent, automated control system. In order to minimize further huge losses, a positive customer experience is essential right from the ticket purchase stage. Roger Kobel, Marketing Manager at NextEvent emphasizes: "Technological developments, digital possibilities as well as the Covid 19 rules have fundamentally changed the organization and handling of event organizers in the event industry. This is exactly where NextEvent comes in." The management of events, conferences and large-scale events is becoming increasingly extensive and complex due to compliance with Covid-19 rules. The event organizer wants transparent, digital and fully automated processes so that he has more time for his more important tasks.

Simple and secure registration for participants of large events

Participants register with just a few clicks and pay for their online ticket without cash via NextEvent. They store their ticket digitally in their mobile wallet. To ensure the consistency of visitor data and meet contact tracing requirements, organizers can have their visitors verify their cell phone number and even request a selfie for unique identification at the entrance. NextEvent's tickets also come with an encrypted QR code that stores all services and information. Admission can be controlled using any smartphone or tablet. In addition, offline scanning is possible and tickets from other event organizers can also be accepted. If an event still has to be canceled, NextEvent also helps the organizer - as a "digital savior" so to speak. In addition to the fully automatic refund, donation options can also be entered so that the participant can support the organizer in difficult situations. NextEvent offers both the organizers and the participants an efficient, digital and multilingual service for modern event ticketing and congress management, according to the company.

More information: NextEvent AG

Everything would be different. Without the corona virus, more than 700 people would flock to the Networking Day in the Olma Hallen on September 4, 2020. "We can't justify the usual execution this year," says Michael Federer, alumni director of the University of Applied Sciences St.Gallen (FHS). "This time we have to be 'abnormal'." Under the motto "The New Normal," he and his team of FHS Alumni are offering the Networking Talk as an alternative. A lunchtime format of about an hour, online, with four well-known speakers from previous runs. They talk about the changes that directly affect them and venture predictions about what scenarios are conceivable in the future for politics, business and social affairs. The free format seems to have found an open ear: Before the program was announced, around 300 people had registered so far.

The speakers

Nicola Forster takes the political perspective at the Networking Talk. He is co-founder of the think tank "foraus" (Forum on Foreign Policy), the State Laboratory as well as Operation Libero and co-president of the Green Liberals of the Canton of Zurich. Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello, honorary professor emerita of the University of Bern, gets to the bottom of social corona trends. As an expert in age research, she wonders: where do people over 65 stand who have suddenly been labeled a "risk group"? Stefan Scheiber speaks for the business community. The CEO of the Bühler Group and FHS alumnus provides insights into how the global corporation is holding its own against the corona virus. Fourth speaker, Dominik Tarolli, Director of Smart City Esri and also FHS alumnus, joins live from California. The virtual world expert knows a thing or two about smart city planning, Pixar and Disney. He talks about how his company, Esri, is on the front lines of fighting the corona virus. Sonja Hasler, known from the SRF Arena, moderates the talk.

With the speakers in the same chat room

Afterwards, participants can get in touch with the Talk guests directly by entering the corresponding virtual room. "Our claim for the Talk is definitely the same as that of the Networking Day. A socially relevant discourse is to be illuminated and discussed from different perspectives," says Michael Federer, who is responsible for the event.

The next Networking Day in its usual form will take place on September 10, 2021, on the topic "How much earth does man need? In the area of tension between economy and ecology".

For free registration and more information: www.networkingtag.ch.

Short-time work has become a major issue in many companies in recent weeks. For many SMEs, this meant new territory. The administrative effort involved proved to be not always easy to understand. Many companies therefore first had to obtain information on how they could best handle the issue of "short-time work".

Everything about short-time work

On August 15, a guide to short-time work, written by Marianne Wanner and Silvia Lang, will be published by SKV. In easy-to-understand language, this e-book explains everything about short-time work: the eligibility criteria; the advance notification, approval and introduction of short-time work; the settlement with the unemployment insurance fund and with the employees as well as interim employment during short-time work. The Covid 19 special regulations are also discussed.

Practice-oriented guide

The publication is enriched with many completed samples, templates, helpful links and checklists that facilitate the pre-registration, accounting and payment for those affected. "Short-time work - a guide for SMEs" is aimed at SMEs, HR managers, self-employed persons and employees of fiduciary offices.

Info about the book

Short-time work - a guide for SMEs
Everything important simply explained - with templates, examples and checklists
Expected publication date: August 15, 2020
1st edition 2020 E-Book (PDF)
Price: CHF 29.-
ISBN: 978-3-286-11771-6
Publisher SKV

Cyberattacks no longer affect only private individuals and large companies. Small and medium-sized enterprises are also increasingly being targeted by attackers. They represent attractive targets if they inadequately protect their IT infrastructure due to small IT budgets or a lack of security experts. In addition, many IT managers are busy with the normal operation of the IT infrastructure. SMEs often lack the know-how, time or even both for effective data protection and security.

Cyberattacks on the rise

This is even more true in times of crisis, as the Covid 19 pandemic clearly demonstrated. During the lockdown, working in a home office created entirely new challenges for corporate IT. Criminals used this circumstance for their own purposes. Three times as many incidents were reported to the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) during certain weeks of the lockdown than before the outbreak of the pandemic.

The attackers' methods range from social engineering to ransomware and phishing. Cyberattacks pose a serious threat to companies' IT systems, applications and data and can have serious consequences. In addition to a temporary failure of systems, data theft or espionage, a loss of trust among customers, damage to the company's image or financial losses can also result from the attack.

Laying the foundation and taking proactive measures

To prevent these scenarios, reliable and efficient storage solutions are essential as a basis for back-up and recovery as well as archiving. They allow short- to medium-term storage and, in the event of a loss, the recovery of data records. However, proactive measures must also be taken to protect the company's own data.

Examples of such proactive measures include cyber security solutions to defend against malware attacks and software for identity and access management (IAM), i.e. for managing identities and their access rights. In combination, they block malicious attacks and protect data stored on servers (local or in the cloud), PCs, notebooks or mobile devices from cyber threats and access by unauthorized users.

7 tips for a solid security strategy

A comprehensive strategy for backup, recovery and archiving as well as the use of cybersecurity and identity & access management solutions are essential components for the security of IT systems and data in small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs can additionally increase their security with the following measures:

• Prevent shadow ITShadow IT means that employees use applications without the knowledge of the IT department, such as cloud-based services or consumer tools. It increases risk because IT cannot provide support and loses control. Companies can prevent this shadow IT by quickly implementing requests from business departments or by introducing and managing common consumer tools themselves.
• Safety guidelinesSMEs should establish policies that define basic security strategies and practices within the company that employees must adhere to. These include, for example, rules for secure passwords, private Internet use, the use of mobile devices or specifications for backing up data.
• Safety awarenessPeople are considered the weakest link in the security chain. Therefore, companies should educate their employees about the policies, current threats and how to deal with them in training sessions to create security awareness.
• Permanent updatesCompanies should always keep their systems and applications up to date and install updates and the latest security patches.
• Secure connectionsThe firewall of the network and the WLAN router must always be activated, even for employees in the home office.
• Mobile device protection: Mobile devices pose significant security and management challenges. Companies must ensure that their employees' devices are password protected, data is encrypted and security applications are installed to prevent misuse.
• Password management: As part of a comprehensive security strategy, employees should be required to use strong passwords and also change them every three months.

If the solutions described are actively used and the recommendations implemented, SMEs will create increased security for their corporate data without having to invest too many resources. Malware is warded off, unauthorized access to data and the loss of sensitive information is prevented.

Author:
Frank Thonüs is General Manager Switzerland at Dell Technologies.

The first half of 2020 has made it abundantly clear: The digitization of business processes makes companies more resilient. The fuel for the digital future is data. In most companies, however, the topic of data quality is extremely unpopular because many doubt the sustainability of a data inspection. Not entirely without reason. The software provider proALPHA advises companies to ask themselves these four central questions:

In which processes does data have a significant influence on productivity?

Not every cog in the big wheel of a company is equally important. It is therefore important to identify those processes in which incorrect or incomplete data are critical to success. After all, inadequate data can lead to a great deal of additional work and thus high costs, for example through the incorrect transfer of parts data from the parts list to the work orders. Or they increase the delivery risk because it is recognized much too late that a customer has ordered not 100 but 1,000 pieces and now the necessary material is not in stock. Part of this initial analysis should also be the question of whether all areas have quick access to the information relevant to them at any time and from anywhere.

2. what is a good data set for us?

The next step is to define quality criteria - tailored to the company and the respective department. It is not only necessary to differentiate between transaction and master data. Even the requirements for customer information and prospect data can differ significantly. For example, communication with customers may require an e-mail address in order to notify them quickly in the event of a callback. For prospects, on the other hand, this does not apply. The ERP manufacturer proALPHA therefore advises companies to give sufficient thought to this point. This is the only way they can be sure not to overlook any important quality aspect.

3. where does the data quality currently leave something to be desired?

Then it's down to the nitty-gritty: The existing data pools should not only be examined for obvious criteria such as completeness and accuracy. There are numerous other aspects to be checked, such as compliance with archiving or deletion obligations. If you analyze these aspects in detail and clean them up consistently, you will directly increase the efficiency of mission-critical processes - and strengthen compliance.

4. how can more data quality be ensured in the long term?

A one-time data tuning is not enough. Both master data and transaction data change continuously. This starts with serial and batch numbers of parts and ends with quotation and order information. Ongoing, preferably automated checks, plausibility checks and workflows help to maintain the quality standard that has been painstakingly achieved. Or even to expand it further.

Checklist for medium-sized businesses

With these four questions, companies can tackle the unpopular topic of data quality in a structured and focused manner. proALPHA, the ERP manufacturer, has developed a practical checklist to get an even better grip on the issue. It includes the 30 most frequently asked questions for clean data. The checklist is here available for download free of charge.

Source and further information: proALPHA

In the fight against the corona virus, the three Bernese ICT companies baeriswyl tschanz & partner ag, it-processing AG and PageUp AG are teaming up: They have jointly developed the web application get-entry.ch. This is now available to restaurants, bars, clubs, sports and trade fair organizers, as well as other potential event organizers in Switzerland, to ensure that the collection of personal data, which has become necessary in the course of tracing Covid 19 infections, is carried out in compliance with data protection. Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, Kongress + Kursaal Bern AG and the Kunsthaus Interlaken have been recruited as supporting partners. "We would like to offer our support to the event organizers during this difficult time," said Remo Tschanz of baeriswyl tschanz & partner ag. "get-entry.ch is a straightforward web-based solution that guarantees unique verification without the need to physically install an app on the smartphone. Both the guests and the hosts of a venue or event benefit equally from a fast and secure process. "

Collection of personal data: Focus on data protection

At the heart of the application is the generation of a QR code - the so-called personal entry ID - which users must present on their cell phone or printed out together with an official ID when visiting an event. The personal entry ID can then be used several times and throughout Switzerland. Registration on get-entry.ch is a one-time process and the data is irrevocably deleted immediately after the registration process. Only when actually visiting a location or an event and showing the QR code, the data will be stored for 14 days. Only the first name, last name and date of birth are displayed to the operator on site so that they can be verified with the official ID. The operator does not see the other data - zip code, city, e-mail address and cell phone number. The date of birth, which is particularly sensitive, is only displayed for checking with the official ID, but is not stored afterwards.

No abuse with false information and Swisscom as a partner

In recent weeks, several incidents in connection with manual lists have shown how important it is to provide correct personal data. If the accuracy of the data is not guaranteed, contact tracing does not work properly; people cannot be contacted and protective measures such as quarantine cannot be implemented successfully. With get-entry.ch, misuse is prevented by means of 2-factor authentication: "A verified cell phone number acts as the first key via SMS, while checking the first and last name as well as the date of birth by means of an official ID upon actual entry acts as the second key," says Remo Tschanz. Swisscom is a strong and reliable partner for SMS verification. The verification of the cell phone number is carried out by sending an SMS, in which a link must then be clicked. Only then does the guest receive his personal entry ID. If the host wants to complete an evaluation of a day, the responsible office of the cantonal doctor is automatically informed by e-mail.

Recommendation by health authority of the canton of Bern

The get-entry.ch web application thus also meets the recently tightened ordinances of various cantons, which require event organizers to collect correct data and verified cell phone numbers. Bernese Health Director Pierre Alain Schnegg recommends the use of get-entry.ch: "We support technical solutions that ensure the collection of correct personal data and help protect the population with seamless contact tracing." In particular, he considers the verification of the date of birth to be very useful.

No fixed costs for organizers

For the visitors get-entry.ch is free of charge. In addition, the SMS dispatch for the verification is not charged. Each new generation of an entry ID is also free of charge. For the organizers, the following monthly invoices are made per entered data record: Up to 2500 entries/month CHF 0.30 per entry and from 2501 to 5000 entries/month CHF 0.20 per entry. From 5001 admissions/month, billing is on a quotation basis. "A certain level of security comes at a price," explains Remo Tschanz on behalf of the owners of the three companies involved. "However, we are convinced that the costs are very moderate at 30 or 20 centimes per admission. In addition, the organizers are not taking any financial risk, as there are no fixed costs and costs are only incurred when an event is actually held."

www.get-entry.ch

Having meetings online via Zoom, Skype or Teams is something we've become accustomed to in recent weeks, but how does it work in applicant interviews? My 7 simple practical tips on how to make the online job interview a success:

Tip 1: Set the stage

First of all, as an applicant, I have to realize that the interviewers can only see a section of my person and the room, but very intensively, and that I can shape this section. I would choose a room and a background that matches my personality and how I want to be perceived. Even if it is technically possible, however, I would avoid artificial backgrounds such as those offered by Zoom & Co. It could give the impression that I want to hide something.

Tip 2: Align lights

The lighting, especially of my face, is also very crucial. Too bright light is just as unfavorable as light from behind, e.g. in front of a window, which makes me appear very dark in the video. I would choose the clothes that I think would suit the company and the potential job and that I would wear in a real job interview.

Tip 3: Look me in the eye

Eye contact is particularly difficult. In a "normal" conversation, it's easy to look the other person kindly in the eye, but in a video conference, the other person's "eyes" are the camera next to my screen, not the eyes I see in the video. So it comes down to not looking at the interviewer's image on my screen, but looking at the camera that is recording me. It has an irritating effect on my counterpart if I look somewhere else than at the camera.

Tip 4: Practice makes perfect

It's really not easy, especially when the interviewer asks a question and I intuitively look at the picture and not at the camera. That's why you should definitely practice talking to the camera before working with such an instrument. It is also helpful, as far as possible, to use the gallery view, in which the images of all participants are displayed as small windows, and then to move the small image of the interviewer on my screen as close as possible to the camera - then it is less noticeable if I do not look directly at the camera, but at the image of the interviewer.

Tip 5: Cheat correctly

I would also stick small post-its on which I have written down important questions or information on my screen as close to the camera as possible, so that it doesn't irritate the interviewer when I quickly look up what else I wanted to say or ask on these cheat sheets.

Tip 6: Please do not disturb

In general, it is very useful to find out which video conferencing solution will be used before the call and then to familiarize yourself with this solution beforehand. There are a lot of suitable online tutorials for this purpose. It goes without saying that you should avoid possible sources of interference in the room, but electronic sources of interference, such as vibrating smartphones or incoming emails and chat messages, should also be switched off before the conversation in order to avoid distractions.

Tip 7: Be authentic and good luck with the online job interview

Otherwise, of course, the same rules apply in an online job interview as in a "normal" interview, i.e. appear natural and competent, be well prepared, and be able to present a clear picture of yourself and your skills. And just as in a face-to-face interview, you always need that famous bit of luck that your personal fit matches the job, the team and the company.

Author
Matthias Mölleney is head of the Center for Human Resources Management & Leadership at the HWZ.

Once again this year, the Commercial Association has analyzed the GDP growth forecast by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and the federal government's experts, as well as inflation and the associated costs for employees (price level, healthcare costs, rent, etc.). Normally, it derives sector-specific wage recommendations from this in order to counteract a loss of purchasing power and to allow employees to participate in higher productivity as well as in an increase in profitability. However, due to the Corona crisis and the current economic situation, the Commercial Association will not demand higher wages for individual sectors in 2021. Rather, it is advocating for the preservation of as many jobs as possible and the protection of incomes. It is also calling on employers to invest in strengthening the labor market skills of employees and managers, for example by providing further training. Nevertheless, companies are encouraged to grant wage increases if they have high added value and are not facing existential problems.

Jobs and wages preserved in the long term

"In view of the current difficult economic situation, it does not seem opportune for the Kaufmännischer Verband to demand higher wages across all sectors," says Caroline Schubiger, Head of Career and Consulting at the Kaufmännischer Verband. The lockdown in spring 2020 will have a negative impact on the economic situation and on the labor market, as predicted by the ETH Zurich's economic research center and SECO. It is particularly important now to secure jobs and income in the long term so that purchasing power is maintained and consumption and the economy are strengthened. "A particular challenge is to preserve jobs in industries that can expect the Corona pandemic to have a longer-term impact on the volume of work, such as air transport," Schubiger said. "If it is not possible to avoid job cuts, we will advocate for socially responsible solutions and actively support the affected employees."

Continuing education strengthens labor market skills

In today's world, learned expertise quickly becomes obsolete. New competencies such as change competence, self-organization or decision-making skills are needed to remain agile. The digitalization push brought about by the Corona crisis also shows that digital competencies, methodological, social and personal competencies are becoming increasingly important in this working world. It is precisely these competencies that the Commercial Association is focusing on in the reform of commercial apprenticeships (Kaufleute 2022). However, not only young professionals, but also experienced professionals and older employees need to develop these skills. "It is especially important now to invest in continuing education. Only in this way is it possible for employees to develop professionally and thus strengthen their marketability as well as that of the company," says Schubiger. The Commercial Association therefore calls on companies to motivate and support employees in continuing education. In other words, companies are called upon to create suitable framework conditions and a climate of trust so that further training becomes part of the professional career and working hours. In addition, employees and managers should be made aware of the importance of lifelong learning.

The Commercial Association offers comprehensive support

The Kaufmännische Verband offers employees comprehensive advice and support in matters relating to education and careers. In addition, in view of the Corona crisis, it has expanded its annual fundraising to help members who are affected by loss of income and financial bottlenecks. Members who wish to pursue continuing education but do not have the financial means to do so may also apply for financial assistance for their continuing education.

Source and further information: www.kfmv.ch

71% of executives in the EMEA economic region believe that it has added value for companies to promote employees who have a good understanding of technology through previous experience (e.g., as app or software developers) to senior positions. According to the study - which surveyed 2250 decision-makers in organizations with at least 500 employees - technologically savvy executives have a positive impact on the efficiency of the company (50%), increase the potential for innovation (40%) as well as the company's success (42%) and provide a better customer experience (37%).

Respond quickly to changing work situation

The respondents' statements are particularly interesting against the current backdrop - the survey was conducted in March and April 2020, when the pandemic in Europe was at its peak. According to the study, digital transformation - through the ability to modernize the business model using technology - makes an important contribution to companies adapting more quickly to market dynamics and changing business fundamentals. For executives, the benefits of modern applications in particular play a big role in improving their company's performance and resilience: In addition to the reliable operation of IT systems (37%), companies benefit most from modern applications that enable employees to work from home or on the road (57%). More than a third praised the ability to respond adequately to the changing work situation (39%).

No user experience without modernization

In fact, more than three-quarters (79%) of application developers and IT leaders in Europe believe that without successfully modernizing their applications, companies will not be able to deliver a superior user experience to their customers. This is confirmed by business executives worldwide: 88% of respondents to a Forrester study believe that modernizing the application portfolio will improve the user experience - and have a direct impact on revenue growth. In this aforementioned study, also commissioned by VMware and conducted by Forrester Consulting. "Improving Customer Experience and Revenue Starts With the App Portfolio." 614 CIOs and senior vice presidents from North America, EMEA and APAC were surveyed. They come from companies with more than 2,500 employees in the financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, retail and public sectors.

„CEOs should have technology in their blood if they want to succeed in the digital age"

"Never before have CEOs and executives faced so many and profound changes. Those with a technology background and who know how modern applications can help a company respond to changing market conditions - have a clear advantage. A majority of business leaders agree that technology leadership will be the key to success," said Ed Hoppitt, Director Apps & Cloud Native Platforms VMware, EMEA. "From the many millions of workers and students currently working and learning from home, to governments developing apps to track contacts in a matter of months, to banks needing to scale in the short term to provide the necessary cash flows, to enterprises and retailers looking to digital platforms virtually overnight, this pandemic has driven a decade of digital transformation in a matter of months. Critical to customer loyalty and future business success is the ability to develop crucial business apps that provide relevant information and timely and straightforward services to consumers. Executives should have technology in their blood and rely on a software-based digital platform - the recipe for success to emerge stronger in the end."

Rapid app development in high-performance companies

The study results reveal a competitive advantage from continuous development and deployment of new apps and services, as high-performing companies in Europe have a more efficient and effective app development pace: two-thirds (66%) of newly developed apps make it to production in high-performing companies, i.e., those with annual revenue growth of more than 15 percent, compared to 41% in low-performing companies. At 70% of high-performing companies, apps reach production maturity within the planned timeframe, while only 41% of low-performing companies do the same.

Source: VMware

Around 20,000 temporary workers are currently on short-time working. With the Federal Council's emergency ordinance expiring on August 31, 2020, this labor market measure will no longer be available to the industry. If the affected employees cannot be reinstated by then, their contracts may be terminated.

Industry association sounds the alarm

"It is incomprehensible why the Federal Council's emergency ordinance is not being extended until the new Covid 19 law has been passed by parliament" criticizes Leif Agnéus, president of the swissstaffing industry association. "The lack of a follow-up solution for short-time work for temporary employees unnecessarily endangers numerous temporary employment relationships at the beginning of September." Particularly tricky: Even though further, presumably regional or industry-specific lockdowns cannot be ruled out, the new law no longer provides for a short-time work solution for temporary workers. Despite public pressure, they did not send all temporary workers on short-time work across the board. Instead, they limited their applications to employment relationships with a long-term perspective, as stipulated by law and regulation. Leif Agnéus demands: "Parliament must act urgently and integrate short-time work for temporary workers into the law."

Temporary work in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino particularly affected

The Corona virus and the lockdown have hit French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino hard, not only in terms of health but also economically. A survey by gfs-zürich among swissstaffing members shows that the number of temporary workers in these regions fell by 80 to 90 percent during the lockdown. By comparison, the number of temporary workers in German-speaking Switzerland fell by a good 40 percent. Much of the decline is not due to layoffs, but to the expiration of temporary contracts on the one hand and a lack of new hires on the other. Looking to the future, it is worrying that business activity has not yet picked up strongly across Switzerland as a whole, despite the easing measures in June. Fortunately, however, a faster recovery is emerging in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.

Source: Swissstaffing

w&co MediaServices, a full-service media provider for omnichannel marketing, has published results of a study on B2B content marketing. What becomes clear is: Companies must - and will - leave their comfort zone in marketing in order to address customers in a more differentiated way, raise their profile and tap into new markets. The study from Germany shows three key developments in B2B content marketing: Own content in different formats is becoming increasingly important. The demand for quality in communication for an unmistakable brand identity is increasing. And purpose-driven marketing is also gaining importance in the B2B environment.

Complex products and revenue-relevant services require extended communication

This is driven by new requirements in B2B business: B2B companies expect consulting or engineering services to account for an increasing share of total revenue over the next five years. Currently, one-third (33 %) say their main source of revenue includes both product sales and consulting. In the next five years, that proportion will be half (49 %). In other words, products will become more complex or require more explanation in the future and will be linked to value-added services that are relevant to sales. This must be reflected in correspondingly expanded marketing communications.

Internationalization poses new challenges for marketing

At the same time, sales are becoming more international: The proportion of B2B companies that generate their sales both in German-speaking countries and internationally is rising from 39 to 50 percent. In fact, for one in eight B2B companies, the majority of sales will be generated abroad in the future. "Marketing in multiple languages and regions is in itself a challenging task," says Robert Schneider, Managing Director of w&co MediaService. "In addition, critical aspects are added by regionally different legal requirements as well as the challenge of ensuring consistent brand identity despite local adaptations."

Comfort zone is left in the direction of new markets

Companies are preparing for harsher times from a currently stable business base: Today, 53 percent see themselves in a healthy competitive environment. In the next five years, 89 percent expect increased competitive pressure. It is clear that the comfort zone must be left behind: If marketing has so far been primarily about generating leads in established markets and retaining existing customers, this will no longer be enough in the future. More than today, respondents will place a strong focus on lead generation in new markets, image cultivation and brand building, launching product innovations and increasing sales to existing customers through value-added services or follow-up purchases.

Increasing demand for distinctiveness and quality in marketing

B2B companies are concerned with brand development that reaches customers - and those who are to become customers - in a variety of ways. The goal here is to position multi-layered unique selling propositions. For example, B2B companies expect the demand for distinctiveness and quality in marketing to increase over the next two years, there must be better differentiation by target group, and the relevance of purpose-driven marketing is growing. Online education - a valuable tool in customer orientation - will also become more important.

Modernization in marketing must overcome technical and organizational hurdles 

There is still some way to go to meet these requirements: Although 66 percent say that their marketing measures are coordinated in terms of timing and content, it is questionable whether these are also designed to be customer-centric: because only 43 percent say that they gear their communications to the respective phase of the customer relationship. 39 percent said that they only differentiate between new and existing customers.

In order to make a leap forward in marketing - both in terms of a convincing presence on the market and in the efficiency of implementation - the technical infrastructures must be modernized and the marketing organization must also be adapted with an eye to the future. The B2B companies surveyed consider the high technical effort as well as the costs for digital marketing, the lack of competencies in this area and the complex processes to be particularly difficult.

The hurdles mentioned relate to special competencies and infrastructures that cannot be resolved briefly via service provider projects. Rather, they require a rethinking of the outsourcing strategy - toward long-term, integrated collaboration with partners in the sense of an ecosystem.

Source: www.w-co.de