Under the title "Content Marketing 2018: Balancing act between real hurdles and theoretical requirements", the German full-service media provider w&co Media Service recently conducted a survey. For this snapshot study, managing directors as well as marketing and sales managers of online retailers and brand manufacturers in Germany were asked about the topic of content marketing in personal interviews at the Internet World trade fair 2018. A central topic of the w&co study was the goals and hurdles in content marketing. At first, the answers do not appear spectacular: the absolute top answer among the most important goals in content marketing is differentiation from the competition at 37 percent, followed by 15 percent strengthening the brand or corporate image. 13 percent want to use it to strengthen brand awareness. In other words, a full 65 percent are using content marketing to achieve classic goals that are no different from those of traditional advertising formats. Only a few dare to take a more concrete approach. For example, 15 percent state customer loyalty as the most important goal, a good one in ten (11 percent) wants to use it to increase sales to existing customers, and six percent focus primarily on new target groups with content marketing. For only two percent, the focus is on transporting certain corporate values.

Missing answers reveal interesting insights on content marketing

However, no one opted for the response option to better understand customer needs from the response analysis of content marketing. There was also no agreement on generating leads or customer contact data for a personalized approach. It is therefore not surprising that building a community or influencers who actively engage with the brand did not receive a vote either. "When it comes to the question of content marketing goals - given the answer options in the survey - it is much more exciting what is not one of the goals in practice today," explains Janina Pielken, Marketing Manager at w&co MediaServices. "In content marketing - at least in theory - the possibilities for personalization, analysis of customer needs and multiplier effects through communities and influencers are considered key advantages and are discussed in all facets. It is unlikely that executives from marketing, sales and management are unaware of the diverse potential of content marketing."

The reasons for these vague objectives in content marketing are technical and organizational. About one-third (31 percent) see complex processes as the biggest challenge. Many interfaces and time delays in coordination between teams and service providers stand in the way of content development, production and release.
Another 14 percent say their content management is inadequate and error-prone. Searching for specific versions and formats of content takes time, approvals are complex, and much is done manually without system-supported workflows. A good one in ten (11 percent) consider the lack of control options during content production to be the biggest problem, and corrections are only made at a very late stage.

Majority cannot achieve content marketing goals

A total of 56 percent - over half - therefore lack suitable IT infrastructures and workflow control via media platforms. "This makes content marketing cumbersome, responsiveness decreases, and active interaction with customers or communities is thus impossible," adds Pielken. "The technical deficiencies significantly impact the marketing team, making them unproductive and - much worse - stifling creativity, a core competency that makes all the difference in content marketing in particular to differentiate a brand."
For almost one in four (23 percent), the problem is that content is not produced in a coherent way. Content marketing via individual channels therefore contributes too little to overarching brand development and identity. This means that the current highest goals of these measures cannot be achieved from the outset for 79 percent of those surveyed.

Unnecessary increases in cost

Almost one in five (18 percent) complain that different teams are responsible for different channels. As a result, multiple use of existing content is hardly possible, and no synergy effects can be exploited in content creation for different channels. This makes content marketing unnecessarily expensive for organizational reasons alone. No resources are left for the actual requirement of positioning oneself consistently on the market with unique selling points.

Source: www.w-co.de

Travel prices are expected to rise sharply in the coming year, according to the fifth Global Travel Forecast, published annually by the Global Business Travel Association GBTA and Carlson Wagonlit Travel with support from the Carlson Family Foundation. Alone in Western Europe, hotel prices are expected to increase by 5.6% and airfares by 4.8%. "Although most markets are on a good path economically, there are several factors that could have a negative impact on the global economy. These include protectionist measures, the risk of trade wars and the uncertainties surrounding Brexit," explains Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO of GBTA. And Kurt Ekert, president and CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, adds, "Prices are expected to rise in many markets around the world, even as inflation remains subdued."

Forecasts for airfares 2019

The airline sector will be characterized by the introduction of ultra-long-haul flights, the tendency of airlines towards new distribution models and growing competition from low-cost carriers, which are now also entering the market for intercontinental flights. Higher airfares are ultimately to be expected as a result of the rising price of oil, increased competition due to a shortage of pilots, possible trade wars and an increase in price segmentation.

• In Western Europe, a price increase of up to 4.8% can be expected for flights. The increase is particularly significant in Norway (+11.5%), Germany (+7.3%), France (+6.9%) and Spain (+6.7%). In contrast, airfares in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa will fall between 2% and 2.3%.
• In North America, only a slight price increase of 1.8% is expected, according to the forecast. Airlines in the U.S. are revising their offerings to better respond to market demand, depending on how trade relations between the U.S. and other countries will develop. Prices for flights in Latin America are expected to fall by 2% in the coming year. However, a slight increase of 0.1% and 1.2% can be observed in Mexico and Colombia, respectively. The price increase will be very significant in Chile (+7.5%).
• In the Asia-Pacific region, the forecast predicts a price increase of 3.2%. Demand in China remains high (+3.9% for airfares) - the country will also be the world's largest travel market in 2020. In addition to China, however, other countries in the region see rising airfares ahead - particularly New Zealand (+7.5%) and India (+7.3%). The only country in the region where prices will fall is Japan, at -3.9%, because the country has already expanded its capacity for the 2020 Olympics.

Hotel price forecasts 2019

The forecasts for hotel prices are directly related to the growth in the airline sector, which is creating greater demand for hotel rooms. Hotels are focusing on the use of new technologies to offer their guests a personalized travel experience. The hotel landscape will also change with further mergers, as high-priced hotels will have to compete with mid-priced hotels for younger travelers who are increasingly turning to boutique hotels.

• In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, prices in Western Europe are expected to rise by 5.6% for overnight hotel stays. Prices in Eastern Europe and Middle East/Africa, on the other hand, will fall by 1.9% and 1.5%, respectively. The price increase is particularly pronounced in Norway (11.8%), Spain (8.5%), Finland (7.1%) and France as well as Germany with 6.8% each.
• Hotel prices in North America will also rise, according to the forecast - 5% in Canada and 2.7% in the US.
• The Asia-Pacific region will see a price increase of 5.1%. There are major differences: while prices in Japan are expected to fall by 3.2%, there is likely to be a price increase of 11.8% in New Zealand.
• In Latin America, the forecast predicts falling prices of 1.3%. While hotel prices are expected to decline by 3.5% in Argentina, 1.9% in Brazil, and 0.7% in Colombia, prices are expected to increase in Chile (+6.4%), Peru (+2.1%), and Mexico (+0.6%).

Price forecast for bus, train, rental car and cab

According to the Travel Price Forecast, only North America is expected to see a slight increase in prices for means of transport such as buses, trains and cabs in the coming year (+0.6%). In all other regions, prices will remain stable. However, rental car companies may raise their prices, especially in the fourth quarter of 2019. Travelers will increasingly rely on apps for private ride services, while interest in high-speed trains will decline due to high costs associated with low expansion of the required technology. In the rental car sector, new technologies are setting trends, such as the use of connected cars.

• The forecast predicts stable prices for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. However, in some Western European countries, such as Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, price increases of over 4% may be possible - in Norway it is expected to be as much as +10%. In turn, Sweden can expect a price drop of 13.9%.
• While prices in the overall North America region will increase only slightly (+0.6%), they are expected to rise by 3.6% in Canada. The trendsetter in the region could be Audi's app-based car rental provider Silvercar, which enables mobile bookings and has greatly simplified the pick-up and billing process.
• In the Asia-Pacific region, the price development for road and rail transportation will also remain stable. Only in New Zealand (+4%), India (+2.7%) and Australia (+2.4%) will prices increase. Didi Chuxing will continue to expand its investments in autonomous driving, while Uber has already conceded the field to domestic private ride services in Southeast Asia.

Business travel is becoming increasingly personalized

In addition to economic outlooks and forecasts for hotel and airfares, the report also provides an overview of current trends in the business travel industry. "The future of business travel can be described as accelerated personalization. Mobile technologies, artificial intelligence and the use of chatbots and predictive data play an important role in this," says Kurt Ekert. "The success of a travel program is closely linked to new technologies and intelligent processing of data."

Source: Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Company sales abroad reached a new record between January and June 2018: 40 Swiss SMEs passed into foreign ownership, a striking increase of 38% compared to the same period last year. The majority of buyers are in Europe, with nine from Germany, three each from France and the UK, and two from Sweden. Six buyers are from the USA and only two from China, according to the half-year evaluation of the Deloitte SME M&A study.

Company sales to Chinese investors on the decline

"The increase in sales abroad is a clear sign of the strength and attractiveness of Swiss SMEs. Many of them have established significant positions in niche markets and are well networked internationally. As a result, they are also sought-after targets, whether for financial investors or for companies in the same industry. With the weakening of the Swiss franc, prices have also become somewhat more affordable. The vast majority of investors also have long-term plans and want to keep know-how and jobs in Switzerland," explains Jean-François Lagassé, Partner Financial Advisory at Deloitte Switzerland. Chinese investors have become more cautious and are also divesting their Swiss investments again, observes Stephan Brücher, also Partner Financial Advisory and Corporate Finance Advisory.

Swiss SMEs were able to buy less

SMEs have been somewhat cautious or less successful so far this year with investments and acquisitions of competitors in Switzerland and abroad. While 65 companies dared to take this step in the same period of the previous year, only 60 did so in the current year. As in previous years, Swiss SMEs went on a buying spree primarily in neighboring countries. Of the total of 31 companies that became the property of Swiss SMEs, 24 came from Europe and 11 from Germany alone. Swiss companies made 5 of their acquisitions in the USA, making it the second most attractive market for takeovers.

Industrial sector and telecommunications very active

The largest number of transactions was recorded in the industrial sector with 22, followed by services (16) and consumer goods (14). A striking number of companies from the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) sector changed hands, with eight sold abroad and three finding a new owner from Switzerland. "New technologies and digitalization promote growth and increase productivity in many sectors: forward-looking SMEs are actively exploiting this potential and finding suitable purchase candidates in Switzerland. This is hardly surprising, given that Switzerland has world-class universities that regularly produce exciting startups and spin-offs," Lagassé explains.

Swiss companies buy many industrial companies abroad; 12 of 31 acquisitions came from this sector, half of which were German companies. Of these six, four were strategic investors buying up companies matching their product portfolio, and two were financial investors.

Private equity under investment pressure

In the first half of 2017, private equity funds were still involved in 28% of the transactions, but this figure has now risen to 36%. Many PE companies are benefiting from the still attractive interest rate environment and are raising a lot of money to invest. "They are under high investment pressure and are looking hard for investment opportunities. High-quality and underfunded companies are highly sought after and expensive. The companies that are bought up are being purposefully realigned. Processes as well as structures are improved in order to sell the company again later. This development makes sense from an economic point of view, because unused potential is being exploited. Today, investors are also more conscious of assets such as long-standing employees or brand names that have been established in the market," says Brücher.

In addition to PE firms, strategic investors with healthy balance sheets also have investment pressure and are therefore also on the lookout for suitable acquisition targets. Prices therefore continue to rise and the valuation indicator for the so-called 'deal multiples' has already been increasing for six years, and in the first half of 2018 it climbed again, from 9 to 9.5. "This is a new record high and clearly shows that the prices paid do not always correspond to the real values. We see this trend not only in Switzerland, but also throughout the eurozone. Sooner or later, a correction is on the cards here," warn the specialists at Deloitte.

High uncertainty makes forecasts difficult

Internationally, political and economic uncertainties have tended to increase this year. "There is no end in sight to the trade war, interest rates are slowly rising, Italy is causing instability in the eurozone and the franc has picked up again somewhat. We never know when the markets will turn again, which is why we remain cautiously optimistic for the rest of the year," Lagassé explains.

However, the trend toward more disruptive acquisitions (disruptive M&A), which is already becoming clearer at the global level, could gain in importance and stimulate business. In the last six months, buyers and sellers were from different industries in only ten percent of transactions. "More and more companies are buying digital know-how in order to expand their own business model or turn it completely upside down. Traditionally oriented companies are now under particular pressure to make themselves fit for the future through strategic acquisitions, with SMEs from the areas of fintech, artificial intelligence, robotics or cyber security under particular scrutiny," adds Brücher.

Source: Deloitte

The consulting firm Deloitte surveyed 1,000 office workers in Switzerland on how the much-discussed current changes in the world of work are actually reflected in everyday life today. The respondents spend at least half of their working time in front of a computer. Two-thirds of them are no longer permanently tied to their employer's office. 40 percent work at least one day a week at home or in another location, such as a coworking space.

Majority still with permanent job

Although agile and flexible working concepts such as home office or the flexible sharing of office workplaces (so-called hotdesking) are becoming socially acceptable in companies in Switzerland, the vast majority (77%) of Swiss employees are still permanently assigned to a workplace. By contrast, time allocation is much more flexible: 72 percent are largely free to organize their time in the office and only 9 percent say they have to adhere to rigid working hours. Only one-third of office employees work a fixed schedule at their employer's office every day. The majority can therefore work regularly without being tied to a specific location. However, there are large differences: 28 percent do this less than one day per week, 12 percent exactly one day per week and more than a quarter (27%) do not work in the employer's office for more than one day per week.

Workplace design adaptation often ignored

If employees work away from home more often and hotdesking is introduced in the office, the number of fixed workstations can be reduced. This creates space for special zones for concentrated work, exchange or rest. Carefully planned and implemented measures promote cross-divisional collaboration and employee satisfaction. "Many Swiss companies ignore necessary adjustments to workplace design and work models and lose money and employees as a result," Matthias Thalmann, Partner for Human Capital at Deloitte Switzerland, is convinced. "If they want to continue to have productive, creative and motivated employees in the future, they need to provide an innovative and inspiring work environment, regardless of where and how they work. To reconcile the high demands of young employees for more flexibility and the desire for security and orientation of the older workforce, intelligent and strategically supported concepts are needed."

Clear need to catch up with technology

There is great potential for improvement in the hardware provided by companies. Only just under half (47%) have received a laptop from their employer that enables mobile working. 11 percent have only a smartphone or tablet. A total of 42 percent of all employees surveyed are not provided with any digital device at all by their employer that allows them to work on the move and access company data. Just over half (53%) use chats or instant messaging, 39 percent use modern document management and 36 percent can conduct video conferences. Just under a third of companies, however, do not use any modern collaboration solutions at all.

New corporate culture and less regulation

An agile and modern workplace concept can only function properly and have a positive impact on employee performance and satisfaction if it is also communicated in a comprehensible manner and strategically supported. Many Swiss companies do not seem to have tackled this issue yet, as another Deloitte survey of HR managers already shows. The current study confirms this: Only 39 percent state that there are guidelines for flexible working in their company. However, there are clear differences depending on the size of the company: the proportion is 55 percent for companies with more than 250 employees, and only 24 percent for those with fewer than 50 employees.

Even more impressive: While flexible working hours are supported by more than half (56%) of the supervisors, only one-third of the respondents' supervisors are in favor of flexible work locations such as home offices or coworking spaces. Against the backdrop of an open and modern corporate culture, it is important that superiors not only support flexible working but also set an example and lead by example. However, a full 38 percent state that their superiors do not exemplify flexible working in any way.

Legislation lags behind reality

"The space design, workspace concept and technology can be as sophisticated as they are - ultimately, their impact can only be fully realized if the corporate culture is actively adapted and the attitudes of employees and managers change accordingly," says Luc Zobrist, economist at Deloitte Switzerland and co-author of the study. "Companies that only focus on cost reduction and ignore employee satisfaction will not successfully manage a sustainable workplace transformation."

The legal framework in Switzerland should also not be forgotten. In addition to flexible workplaces and forms of work, modern technology and a trusting corporate culture, there also needs to be a concession from the legislator: "Our labor law still stems from the industrial age and would have to be adapted accordingly for the digital age," explains Zobrist.

Source: Deloitte

The company bexio was founded four years ago and developed a simple, cloud-based business software for small businesses in Switzerland. Thanks to rapid growth, it is now one of the leading providers with over 15,000 customers. Now the company has been acquired by Mobiliar, which claims to be the largest SME insurance company in Switzerland. With this acquisition, Mobiliar wants to strengthen its position in the SME market. "also expand digitally," as it communicates. „Together with a strong partner and solid parent company, we will be able to further develop our platform even faster and more sustainably," bexio itself writes on its own Company Blog. It is emphasized that the company will not be integrated into Mobiliar, but will remain independent. Current contracts will remain in force, as will the management and founders as well as the entire team as contact persons. The existing cooperation between bexio and Swiss Life is also not affected by the new ownership. To the new owners it is important that the company retains its start-up character and can concentrate fully on its own growth, according to the statement. "Mobiliar gives us additional impetus to develop further as an SME platform and to quickly realize the needs of our customers," bexio continues to write.

"If someone authorized to represent another enters into a contract on his behalf, the represented person, and not the representative, becomes entitled and obligated." This is stated in Article 32 of the Code of Obligations - as far as it is relatively clear. But what happens if there is actually no authorization, but the supplier assumes in good faith that it exists? If the employer has created the appearance of a corresponding authorization to the outside world, the representative effect nevertheless comes into effect on the basis of Art. 33 Para. 3 OR. The good faith of the supplier is protected insofar as he has not acted carelessly. This is intended to strengthen legal certainty in commercial dealings.

What is a prima facie power of attorney?

A so-called "prima facie power of attorney" may already exist, for example, if an employee uses the employer's business stationery or e-mail address, at least if he orders items that correspond to the company's business purpose. This would, for example, easily be affirmed in the case of a large order of meat for a restaurant, but not for a trust company. The quantity must also be correct; if an employee orders a few boxes of chocolate bars for a kiosk, a prima facie power of attorney would be assumed, but not if a ton of chocolate is ordered.

When may goods acceptance be refused?

If, for example, an employee is entered in the commercial register with individual signing authority and the supplier is not aware of any internal restrictions on the power of representation, the purchase agreement also binds the employer and the latter must pay the purchase price. However, if there is already a lack of appearance of authorization, the supplier must take action against the employee if the employer does not subsequently approve the contract (Art. 38 para. 1 CO). If the authorization is not given, the employee is liable unless he proves that the supplier knew or should have known of the lack of authorization. In other words, the employer may only refuse to accept the goods if there is neither an expressly announced nor a prima facie power of attorney.

Verify signing authority

Conclusion: As a supplier, things must not get this far in the first place. The creditworthiness check is also accompanied by a check of the authorization to sign. This requires reliable information from a reliable partner!

To the author:
Raoul Egeli has been President of the Swiss Creditreform Association since 2008 and President of Creditreform International since 2014, as well as a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the SGV. He is also Managing Director of the Creditreform Egeli companies in Basel, St. Gallen and Zurich. From 2009 to 2013, he was the central president of TREUHAND|SUISSE. Raoul Egeli is the author of several specialist books on the subject of credit and receivables management. www.creditreform.ch

Once a year, St.Gallen becomes the meeting place for Swiss SMEs - this year for the sixteenth time. This year, the Swiss SME Day will once again focus on the current challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): What do SMEs have to pay attention to, how do they make decisions, and how confident can they be in doing so - this is what expert speakers will be talking about.

Transform and turn

After the introduction to this year's SME Day by host Tobias Wolf, Elgar Fleisch, researcher in the "Internet of Things", explains his topic "the digital belly". Miriam Baumann-Blocher, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Läckerli Huus AG, deals with the aspect of "tradition versus innovation". After lunch, Myriam Locher, founder and CEO of Bettermind, talks about "how artificial intelligence teaches us to think bigger." This will be followed by the presentation "How to decide in the South Pacific?" by Hansjörg Hinrichs, owner "Pacific Society". "The art of clear thinking" reveals Rolf Dobelli, author, while former soccer referee Markus Merk closes the conference by "Sich(er) entscheiden".

At no other conference are Swiss SMEs closer to each other.

The Swiss SME Day is an established and sought-after platform for the exchange of entrepreneurs and executives from Swiss SMEs - in line with the motto "At no other conference are Swiss SMEs closer to each other". Patronage for the Swiss SME Day has been assumed by important institutions: The Swiss Trade Association (SGV), economiesuisse, the St.Gallen-Appenzell Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Cantonal Trade Association of St.Gallen. The event is supported by a number of co-sponsors and long-standing main sponsors to whom SME concerns are very important: Raiffeisen, Helvetia, ABACUS, OBT and Swisscom, as well as numerous SMEs from the industrial and service sectors.

The event is offered and organized by the Swiss Institute for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises at the University of St.Gallen (KMU-HSG) and the agency alea iacta ag. Registration for the Swiss SME Day is now open via http://www.kmu-tag.ch/Anmeldung possible. In recent years, the event was always sold out early.

It was in 1998 that Alexis Caceda, together with his friends Reto Kasser and Dominik Breitenmoser, launched Netstream. Since then, the company has established itself as one of the most successful providers of Internet, telephony, hosting and TV solutions in the Swiss business customer environment. It has also enjoyed good success so far with the cloud solutions it launched at the beginning of 2018. Today, the company employs around 90 people and operates its own data center in Switzerland. More than 30,000 customers benefit from its services in the areas of cloud, connectivity, hosting, streaming, voice and wholesale. According to Netstream, the company is committed to continuity, both in terms of its customer relationships and in the management of the company. All three founding members are still active in the company. They share a passion for IT and telecommunications projects as well as the pleasure of working with their employees and customers, according to the statement.

Innovative products with added value for customers

"The ICT market is subject to a continuous development process. Netstream's goal is not only to keep up with this process, but to always be one step ahead of it and to inspire our customers with groundbreaking products," explains Alexis Caceda, CEO of Netstream AG. To ensure this, the focus in the design of all products is on added value for customers. In the future, this intention will also be reflected via Netstream's brand world. To this end, the company will present itself with a new logo and a new website, among other things, from September 2018.

Anniversary marks milestone

In addition to the new brand identity, further innovative new products will be presented to the public in the fall. For example, work is currently underway on a new solution in the TV area. With this, the company wants to continue a success story, as it was Netstream that launched the first Internet TV offering on the Swiss market in 2004 with "ADSL.TV". "The launch of ADSL.TV marked the beginning for the distribution of TV programs via the Internet in Switzerland," recalls Caceda. Since then, the offering has developed rapidly and is now indispensable. In fact, customers are constantly enjoying new services. Caceda promises, "Fall 2018 will be a milestone: for our customers as well as for Netstream as a company." This will be underpinned by a branding show on September 5 at the Air Force Center in Dübendorf.

More information

"Protect climate. Strengthen SMEs." According to this motto, the Swiss Climate Foundation has been supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make a contribution to climate protection for ten years. This can be done by saving energy in their own operations or by developing climate-friendly products. So far, 1,400 SMEs in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein have benefited from a total of CHF 18 million in funding.

From the economy for the economy

The Swiss Climate Foundation was founded on July 4, 2008 by service companies such as banks, insurance companies and consulting firms. The trigger was the CO₂-Act of the Federal Government, which came into force in January 2008. The law imposes a levy on fuels. The federal government pays part of the levy back to industry. Service providers benefit from this rebate because, compared with industrial companies, they generate little CO₂-emissions. Various service companies have therefore decided to voluntarily donate the surplus from the rebate. To this end, they have jointly established the Swiss Climate Foundation. Meanwhile, the number of partner companies has grown from 11 to 27.

Support in all industries

The Swiss Climate Foundation supports SMEs in all sectors. Improvements to buildings, machinery, heating and cooling systems account for a large proportion of the energy efficiency measures supported. In cooperation with the Energy Agency for Industry EnAW and the Cleantech Agency Switzerland act, the foundation also supports SMEs that enter into a voluntary target agreement with the federal government to save energy. The development of climate-friendly products is also promoted. The support contributions are non-repayable donations and are paid out after predetermined milestones have been reached.

More information

According to the Recruiting Index MEM Branche Schweiz©, the recruiting behavior of the Swiss MEM industries (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and metal industry) is - in the long term - sustainable and stable in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Switzerland counts more than 240,000 unemployed. The largest share (54,443) of these are people without recognized training. Commercial and retail trades account for 30,678 unemployed, the largest number with level II education. The professions of economics, in turn, already form the fourth largest number of unemployed with 7,883 people, according to the figures communicated by Swissmechanic. Practitioners with higher education (tertiary level B), on the other hand, are not to be found among the unemployed - the market has dried up. In short, there are too many academics, but too few practitioners with further training.

Practitioners, not academics

As the new index shows, it is not enough to be voted the most innovative country in the world for years by independent institutions, Swissmechanic complains. This innovative strength must be converted into sustainable jobs for the Swiss workplace. This does not require academics, but practitioners with a high level of expertise. This shortage of skilled workers must be countered by all means as quickly as possible.

Efficient implementation of priority for nationals

More than 120,000 people without work are without support from the unemployment fund. They are increasingly burdening the social costs of the municipalities. The priority for Swiss nationals is intended to counteract this development. Its implementation is already foreseeably highly inefficient, as the industry association notes. "We cannot wait for the ensuing resentment of the population to lead to further political decisions that jeopardize our ability to export," writes Swissmechanic in a statement dated July 1, 2018.

Cooperation should bring more efficiency

In cooperation between the employers' association Swissmechanic and the Swiss Foundation for Work and Further Education SSAW, a solution has now been developed for a more efficient implementation of the priority for nationals: A vacant position can simply be sent to ilv123@ssaw.ch be sent. The foundation checks free of charge for the SME whether it needs to be reported and suggests suitable social benefit recipients if necessary.

www.swissmechanic.ch / www.ssaw.ch

Until now, anyone buying addresses for marketing and other purposes had the problem that they included target persons with low solvency. For the first time in the Swiss market, credit management service provider Intrum, in cooperation with AZ Direct, is offering B2C address selection with an exclusively solvent target group. According to the providers, this is the first time in Switzerland that users can rely on credit-checked addresses.

Daniela Brunner, Head of Marketing Intrum AG, is delighted. "With this innovation, we are generating significant added value for the Swiss address market and thus for marketers. A total of 6.3 million addresses of private individuals have been matched with the creditworthiness database in the 'Intrum Marketingshop'." With this cleansed data, managing directors and marketing managers generate a profitable and sustainable effect for their direct marketing campaigns, the providers are convinced. In particular, the advantages cited are:

• If you rely on addresses of solvent persons, you prevent an unexpected payment default.
• General managers and marketers reduce their administrative burden by focusing on customers with a good payment experience.
• Since no potential new customer is turned away because of their poor credit rating, there is no anger and upset.
• Intrum says it has several years of experience with credit rating data and credit checks.

And this is how the "Intrum Marketing Shop" works: Under intrum-marketingshop.ch the managing directors and marketing managers select qualified addresses. Using various criteria such as household size, behavior or region, they can exclude or limit addresses. They also decide which attributes are supplied with the addresses. For larger address volumes or specific requirements, customers can contact Intrum's specialist department directly.

Source: Intrum AG

Often it is important what words you give topics. Examples: Do you talk in the subjunctive or indicative? Do you say "we become" or "we want"? Do you choose superlatives (e.g. "the shortest delivery time") or talk indefinitely ("a short delivery time")?

The point is that in society and in business, terms sometimes become ingrained that suggest a meaning that, on closer examination, makes no sense. "Strategic planning" belongs to this category for me. Because either you develop a strategy, starting from a strong vision, or you plan, starting from the current state. The result of the confusion in many companies is a weak strategy that is nothing more than a continuation of the past.

What "Change Management" Really Means...

I regularly address the importance of language as an important element of leadership. Today, I'm specifically concerned with the misleading term "change management." What's the problem with it?

When you "manage" change, it means you are reactive. Management is not shaping, but controlling. You control and optimize what is happening anyway. This is undoubtedly an important function in companies. But not for change!

Change must be initiated, shaped and led. This has nothing to do with management, but with leadership.

Initiate changes

So if you really want the change (which is doubtful for most change projects, by the way), here's what you do:

1. Vision. Lead the change instead of "managing" it. Set a bold vision and design the necessary steps to achieve it. This is often exactly the problem: I see again and again "change projects" with an unclear vision, i.e. where exactly do you want to be after the "change"? What do you want to have achieved? Without a strong vision for the change, you should not start a change project.
2. Mindset. Work on the mindset of the people who are to shape the change with you. In my view, inappropriate mindset is the most common reason for unsuccessful change programs. People must be able to clearly identify the emotional reasons for change and then commit to the changes. This is often not an easy task. But if people forget to do this, the change often gets stuck before it has really begun.
3. Courage. Take risks. Yes, that's right, you will never achieve real change that means something without risks and setbacks. This does not require "risk management" but leadership that leads through setbacks.

Keep this in mind during the next change and design you the change instead of manage. This is one of the differences between outstanding and mediocre companies.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch