Is one still young at 30? "Yes, but ..." says Beat Bussmann, CEO and founder of Opacc Software AG: "Still young, because we are agile and top-fit in the market. But we also enjoy a certain 'seniority', because in the IT industry 30 years of successful business mean a lot. Continuity and longevity are match-decisive, especially in enterprise software."

Founded 30 years ago

The Lucerne-based company was entered in the Lucerne Commercial Register 30 years ago, on January 22, 1988. A business idea has grown into an established and renowned software provider with currently 125 employees. Company founder and CEO Beat Bussmann remembers the first days and weeks: "Our credo at that time has remained the same to this day: Quality instead of quantity!" SMEs from all industries use the OpaccERP, OpaccEnterpriseShop and OpaccEnterpriseCRM applications - on a single platform: OpaccOXAS provides all data, functions and services to manage the flow of goods, money, services and information throughout the company.

Record year 2017

As Opacc reports, the past fiscal year was the most successful in the company's entire history, both in terms of new customer business and the expansion of existing customers. As in all previous years, it was also possible to increase value added. Opacc, headquartered in Kriens, is also fully self-financed and thus financially independent. This ensures the ongoing further development of Opacc Enterprise Software applications in the future as well, the company continues.

New OpaccCampus in Rothenburg

In fall 2018, the software manufacturer will leave its long-standing location in Kriens and move to Rothenburg. The new Opacc company building in the immediate vicinity of Rothenburg train station and the Rothenburg freeway exit will be designed for around 200 employees. This will be sufficient for many years, especially as there is potential for expansion to accommodate a total of 400 employees on the company's own premises. The company, which has won several awards for progressive working conditions and has maintained a work-life balance strategy for many years, is thus setting a further milestone in the development of its corporate culture. The new building in Rothenburg will make a major contribution to an innovative working environment and open up new perspectives for in-house training and development.

The celebration of the company's anniversary 30 years Opacc will take place on the weekend of November 15-17, 2018 in Rothenburg.

Company website

Banks are restricting their lending for regulatory reasons. This opens the doors for alternative financing options, such as via crowdlending platforms. In this environment, Vicenda and creditworld are now expanding their offering for SMEs to obtain debt capital "unbureaucratically and securely," as it says in a media release. Furthermore, the new investment product offers institutional investors an interesting alternative in the area of fixed-interest investments in the current low-interest environment.

Commitments already for more than CHF 40 million

According to their own statements, Vicenda and creditworld are aiming for an investment volume of CHF 100 million, which will be passed on in tranches of CHF 100,000 to CHF 10 million to Swiss companies from all industries with sales of CHF 0.5 to 30 million in the form of investment and working capital loans. Investors have already committed for more than CHF 40 million, the two companies said. A gross return of 5 percent is targeted for investors. The minimum investment is CHF 150,000.

Closing the credit gap with institutional debt financing

Daniel Franc, Head of Asset Management Solutions at Vicenda, can be quoted as follows: "Private debt investments are an interesting investment opportunity for institutional investors. Our product is particularly interesting for pension funds because of its attractive risk-return profile and its link to Switzerland. We offer a simple and safe way to invest in a diversified portfolio of Swiss SME loans." And Philipp Schneider, co-founder of creditworld AG, adds: "Banks are increasingly restricted in their lending to SMEs. We can close the emerging credit gap with private and institutional debt financing. In addition, as a fintech company, the lending process can be implemented quickly and efficiently thanks to digitalized processing."

International investment fund in the background

Vicenda is responsible for the lending decision and the structuring and monitoring of the portfolio. creditworld is responsible for the identification and, in cooperation with its rating partner Euler Hermes, also for the assessment of the loans. Vicenda's Luxembourg-based securitization platform, Thalos Investment Platform S.A. Luxembourg, with SME Credit Finance Compartment I, serves as the vehicle for issuing the corresponding securities. Back in December, Vicenda and partners launched the Daneo Private Debt Fund. The Daneo Private Debt Fund brings together credit-seeking companies in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and institutional investors through an investment fund.

www.vicenda.com / www.creditworld.ch

The fact that Donald Trump confirmed to President Alain Berset at the WEF that he wants to work more closely with Switzerland in the future is seen by economiesuisse as a "welcome signal". It is obvious that the decisions of the U.S. president will have a major impact on Swiss companies, write Jan Atteslander, head of foreign trade, and Marc Engelhard in a Article on the website of the umbrella trade association. Looking at figures from the export statistics of the Swiss Federal Customs Administration, the authors name five reasons why the USA is so important for Switzerland. After all, the USA ranks second behind Germany with a trade volume of 88 billion Swiss francs and 46 billion. The large trade surplus should also be noted: This amounts to 17 billion francs and is higher for no other trading partner.

Reason 1: "Made in Switzerland

The first reason why the USA is so important for Switzerland is the exported value added. After all, the customs statistics only provide information on the gross figures. All intermediate inputs and individual parts that are purchased by Swiss companies abroad are also included. The OECD regularly collects figures on the value added actually exported. For the USA, this amounts to 34 billion US dollars, i.e. 13 percent of Switzerland's total exported value added. Only to Germany is more Swiss quality sold. In the eyes of economiesuisse, therefore, "Made in Switzerland" continues to be a cash cow in the United States.

Reason 2: USA as top customer for services

It is a fact that the service sector is growing. However, economiesuisse fails to mention at whose expense this growth is taking place. After all, it should not be forgotten that the industrial sector in Switzerland is shrinking overall. Exports of services now account for one third. According to the Swiss National Bank, Swiss service providers generate around CHF 33 billion in sales in the United States with services (excluding tourism). The United States is thus the most important trading partner in this sector. By comparison, Swiss service companies generate sales of CHF 12 billion with Germany.

Reason 3: Desire for free trade

The largest share of importing and exporting companies are SMEs. Some of these are global market leaders in their fields. If you ask SMEs which country Switzerland should cultivate better trade relations with, they answer most frequently: the USA. According to a 2014 Credit Suisse survey, the franc shock is likely to have strengthened the desire for a free trade agreement with the USA. According to Swiss SMEs, it is a "major omission" that no such agreement exists between Switzerland and the USA, says economiesuisse.

Reason 4: USA as investor

Donald Trump should be pleased: Many Swiss companies are already investing in the US. According to the SNB, the capital stock in the United States amounts to CHF 234 billion. Conversely, the US also invests heavily in Switzerland: it is the third most important direct investor, behind Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It is therefore clear, says economiesuisse, that any measures Donald Trump takes on tax and investment issues will have a direct impact on Switzerland as a business location.

Reason 5: Still a lot of potential

According to economiesuisse, the U.S. offers the opportunity for enormously high trade profits for Swiss companies. In this respect, the American market is comparable to the EU. However, the current trade figures indicate that much more is possible. One prerequisite, however, is optimal trade access in the U.S. economiesuisse is therefore pleased that Donald Trump has confirmed to President Alain Berset that he wants to cooperate more closely with our country. According to economiesuisse, both sides would benefit from a free trade agreement, based on the figures cited here.

More information: Position paper from economiesuisse

Despite or perhaps because of the hype surrounding digital and agile organizations: Retaining employees is the top HR topic for 2018. Making work structures more flexible ranks second on the HR agenda in companies. Promoting the employability of employees is the third most important item among HR topics for the first time. This is shown by the results of the HR Report 2018, which Hays and the Institute for Employment and Employability (IBE) have now published. Over 1000 people from companies and organizations were surveyed.

Increase employee loyalty through more flexibility

"Due to the pressure sparked by demographic developments, digitalization and the shortage of skilled workers, the battle for employees is increasing significantly. As a result, employee retention is at the top of the agenda and employees need to be given more flexibility. Due to the increasing speed of change, it is also an imperative to keep employees employable," Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump, Director of the IBE, explains the ranking. Employees can be retained above all by a good working atmosphere (57 %). This is followed by flexible working hours (46 %) and remuneration in line with the market (44 %). The companies surveyed have made progress in implementing these topics. The difference between the importance and implementation of these instruments has narrowed significantly.

Rigid processes stand in the way of development

For half of the respondents (51 %), the topic of agile organization already plays a large or very large role today. The importance of an agile organization increases significantly with increasing position. The respondents consider overly rigid processes and workflows to be the biggest hurdle (36 %). For 31 percent, it is the employees' lack of willingness to change. "In the future, it will be more important than ever to set up networked and integrated processes. These start from the customer and not from internal process manuals. At the same time, they must offer a high degree of flexibility in order to be able to react quickly to new market conditions," says Marc Lutz, Managing Director at Hays Switzerland.

Professional competencies determine management careers

The study also asked about career opportunities. For leadership careers, professional skills (43 %) are disproportionately more important than social skills (29 %). When asked how leadership careers are made, respondents' opinions differ. Half of the respondents see a systematic approach (25 % each consider recommendations and strategic succession planning crucial). On the other hand, a quarter think they emerge via internal networks, and for 21 percent, chance plays a prominent role.

The annual HR Report analyzes key HR issues in organizations. It is based on an online survey in which 1036 employees from companies and organizations in German-speaking countries took part. The respondents were managing directors (17 %), HR executives (22 %), department heads (38 %) and employees without HR responsibility (24 %).

Source: www.hays.ch

Here is an important impulse for success at the beginning of the year so that you can achieve this: Take your foot off the brake! From my observation, there are 3 groups of behaviors in the new year (ask yourself which group you and your colleagues most likely belong to):

• Group 1: The Onward Makers. They simply carry on as before with the result that 2018 will be rather worse or only marginally better than last year. This is the largest group of people (note: also in your company or team!).
• Group 2: The ambitious. You set big goals, inspire yourself and others and take some actions. With a little luck and perseverance, you can increase your success a little in 2018. Maybe half of the leaders in business act like this.
• Group 3: Those in the fast lane. You do everything as in point 2, plus: you release the brakes that have so far kept you and your team from greater success. Very few people do that. What do I mean by that?

Braking mindsets

Your brakes consist of mindsets, habits and fears. In other words, it's your ingrained mindsets and habits, as well as your fears (yes: we all have them!) that are holding you and your peers back from doing something truly great.

You can put your foot down on the inspiration, goal and training side: If you and your people are on the brakes of mindsets (aka mindset), habits and fears, not only will nothing change, but you'll be frustrated and exhausted instead. Sound familiar?

Well, release your brakes! Here are three ideas on how to do that:

1. Mindset. Expect your team (and first and foremost the leadership team) to have a winning mindset. This can be trained and coached. More on this in another Success Impulse.
2. Habits. Examine your habits (and ask your colleagues to do the same): "What daily routines aren't helping us on the path to really greatness?" This could be unproductive meetings, handling emails, conversational skills, as well as things like eating habits, fitness routines, and more. Put everything to the test!
3. Fears. Ask yourself what is currently the biggest internal barrier to greater success. For salespeople, it's often calling unknown potential customers; for leaders, it's showing true enthusiasm; and for team members, it's asking uncomfortable questions. And so on. Important: Train to overcome these fears systematically. Yes, you can. Top teams do it all the time.

So then, take your foot off the brake and step on the gas in 2018. The world (at least your customers and your team) needs you and your business!

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

A study by consulting firm Accenture predicts that artificial intelligence could increase enterprise revenues worldwide by an average of 38 percent as early as 2022. For the global study, Accenture surveyed Accenture Strategy 14,078 employees and self-employed persons as well as 1,201 managers in eleven countries (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, USA) on their attitudes toward and expectations of artificial intelligence. Business leaders attach great importance to this technology: More than two-thirds of them (72 percent) believe that the introduction of intelligent technologies is crucial to their organization's ability to differentiate itself in the market. In addition, 42 percent are convinced that all innovation in the future will be based on artificial intelligence. This is one of the reasons why more than half of companies (61 percent) plan to automate more tasks and processes on a large scale in the next three years. According to the study, automation is being pursued very systematically in the USA (92 percent) and the UK (84 percent) in particular, while in China only just over half of the companies surveyed (56 percent) are aiming to do so.

Artificial intelligence raises expectations among employees

Employees and freelancers view the transformation of the working world and the use of intelligent technologies with great confidence: Well over half (62 percent) of the employees and freelancers surveyed expect artificial intelligence to have a positive impact on their everyday working lives within the next three years. Respondents even highlight that smart technologies will create new opportunities for their work (62 percent). "Artificial intelligence has the potential to further boost growth and employment, especially in industrialized countries. However, companies will only benefit if they use the technology in such a way that their employees can take on new tasks," says Thomas D. Meyer, Country Managing Director of Accenture Switzerland. "In the working world of the future, humans and intelligent machines will work closely together. Many tasks can be done better as a result, because human skills will be supported by artificial intelligence. The decisive factor for the economic success of companies will be whether they succeed in qualifying employees and adapting previous job profiles to the new circumstances."

Nevertheless: reluctance to invest

According to the study, almost one in three companies (29 percent) has significantly redefined employees' areas of responsibility and role descriptions in order to cope with the technological changes in everyday working life. According to the executives, firmly defined role descriptions will soon be a thing of the past, as work will be much more project-based in the future and new technologies will require the constant acquisition of new skills. Under these conditions, firmly defined fields of activity and rigid work routines are an outdated model.

It is therefore all the more surprising that companies have so far shied away from major investments in preparing their employees for this new working world. Only three percent are planning significant additional spending on staff qualifications over the next three years. In contrast, 67 percent of the employees and self-employed people surveyed believe that they will need to acquire additional skills in order to be able to exploit the full potential of smart technologies in their day-to-day work. "In the working world of the future, the machine will not dominate the human. Rather, smart technologies are the key to more productive employees who can get rid of routine tasks and devote themselves to those with higher added value," says Thomas D. Meyer. "Companies must invest in the qualification of their workforce out of their own interest, for example by using the additional profits generated by higher efficiency for this purpose. In doing so, they will secure a competitive advantage in the long term, because only where humans and machines collaborate does productivity continue to rise and a basis for the business models of the future emerge."

www.accenture.ch

Christian Hunziker is the new managing director of SwissICT. In him, the association has gained a person with a wealth of experience: Hunziker was a long-standing member of the management boards of both foreign (including Sun Microsystems and Dell) and Swiss ICT companies (including ELCA). He currently joins the association from Comsoft direct AG, a subsidiary of Bechtle AG, and will succeed Thomas Flatt, who has held the position on an interim basis since March 2017.

Computer scientist, managing director and winner of the Swiss ICT Award

Hunziker, an ETH mathematician, has been active in the Swiss ICT industry for more than 25 years and has taken different perspectives on the industry through his experience with vendors as well as users and in the channel. As a former software developer, data warehouse expert, marketing and sales manager, and most recently managing director, he is very familiar with the issues facing the industry and swissICT, and has already come into contact with the association on several occasions. Among other things, with the software manufacturer ELCA as a finalist in the Swiss ICT Award 2008 and with the award of the then ELCA CEO Daniel Gorostidi as Champion People.

Christian Hunziker wants to drive digitization forward

Hunziker, a sales and marketing professional, intends to continue the association's chosen path and digitalization strategy with swissICT in order to make the association even more attractive to existing and future members. In doing so, he will push ahead with projects such as the renewal of the Swiss ICT Award, the online platform "Careers in ICT," the Life Long Learning initiative, our independent studies on salaries and fees, and also the relaunch of the swissICT website.

Hunziker himself sees a lot of potential at swissICT: "I was able to benefit from Switzerland's successful ICT workplace for many years myself. I am very pleased to be able to make an active contribution to its further development at swissICT. In doing so, I not only want to accompany our members on their way to a digital future, but also fully digitize our own products."

www.swissict.ch

Top managers worldwide are more optimistic than ever before: for the first time, the majority of the company leaders surveyed worldwide expect (57 %) that the global economy will grow in the coming twelve months. This is almost twice as many as in the previous year (29%) - the highest ever increase and also the most optimistic result achieved since the survey began. The view of their own company is slightly more skeptical: 42 percent of CEOs worldwide said they were very confident that their own company would grow in the next twelve months (previous year: 38%). Compared to last year, concerns about terrorism (41%) and cyber attacks (40%) have almost doubled. This is the result of this year's worldwide survey for the Global CEO Survey by the accounting and consulting firm PwC, in which 1,293 top managers from 85 countries participated. The results of the survey were published in the run-up to the World Economic Forum WEF 2o18 in Davos.

Swiss company leaders expect continued growth

Over the next 12 months, 39 percent of Swiss CEOs expect sales growth. When it comes to the three-year outlook, they are somewhat more cautious: 33 percent of Swiss company leaders remain very confident that they will be able to achieve growth in their own companies over the next 36 months. Urs Honegger, CEO of PwC Switzerland, explains: "The growing confidence in the global economy is certainly positive. In Switzerland, however, people remain skeptical about whether this growth will be sustainable." Top Swiss managers are particularly concerned about overregulation and geopolitical uncertainty. With regard to digitization, they also see cyber attacks, new market players and insufficient availability of key skills as a threat. "Uncertainties about the ever-growing digitization and the associated need for skilled labor are causing CEOs to remain cautious about their own longer-term growth," says Urs Honegger. He adds that the survey also shows that awareness of the issue of cyber security has increased. "The recent examples of Meltdown and Spectre confirm the threat of hacker attacks to companies and government institutions. Being appropriately prepared for such attacks is essential and one of the major challenges for top management," says Urs Honegger.

Socially responsible top managers?

In keeping with the theme of this year's World Economic Forum, the majority of business leaders also said they live in a fragmented world with multiple fragmented economies. CEOs around the world see a move toward more diverse norms and values (82%), regional trading blocs (73%), rising nationalism (65%), different economic models (60%), and increased tax competition (54%). Doubts about the positive influence of globalization have also grown. They express these when looking at fairness in global tax competition (49%), combating climate change and resource scarcity (50%) and closing the gap between rich and poor (41%). The majority of CEOs see the need to measure prosperity by more than just financial metrics. So is social responsibility increasingly finding its way into the carpeted floors? "The results of this year's survey indicate that globalization and technological progress have contributed to increased productivity and prosperity for the population in many markets. However, there are also many markets that have barely benefited from this development. A decoupling of economic and social benefits is emerging, leading to a loss of trust and differences within and between societies. Accordingly, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to keep social requirements in mind in addition to financial requirements. Companies should therefore not only put this on the management agenda, but also clearly communicate it as a company goal and be measured against it," says Honegger.

www.pwc.com

Thomas Schreitmüller joins the Executive Board of SAP Switzerland as the new CFO. He has a wealth of experience in financial management and controlling. After graduating with a degree in business mathematics from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), he gained valuable professional experience in management consulting. In 2008, he joined SAP, where he held various global technical and management positions in the finance and controlling organization at SAP headquarters in Germany. When he moved to SAP Switzerland in 2013, he initially assumed responsibility for the controlling organization before being assigned the additional duties of commercial director two years later. Under his leadership, SAP Switzerland was able to record a large number of successful business quarters and further develop the commercial organization in a targeted manner in the digital transformation.

In his various expert and management positions, Thomas Schreitmüller has built up extensive knowledge in a wide range of topics and has continuously developed his skills. In addition to operational and strategic finance topics, accounting, risk management and compliance, he is passionate about pursuing digital innovation in the management of companies. "I am very much looking forward to my new role in the Executive Board at SAP Switzerland. I am particularly keen to exemplify the central role of finance in the digital transformation and the development into a "best-run business" and to make it visible to our customers," says Thomas Schreitmüller, describing his motivation and goals.

Thomas Schreitmüller (39) lives near Zurich, is married and has two sons. He enjoys spending his free time with his family. When traveling, he is interested in discovering foreign countries and cultures. He also enjoys active sports and is a passionate spectator of many sports.

In a multi-stage selection process, six award winners were able to prevail over hundreds of companies in the region and present themselves to over 2,200 invited guests at the Hallenstadion in Zurich. The final winner this year was the Schibli Group from Zurich. The Schibli Group offers comprehensive services in the fields of electrical engineering, building services, automation, communications and IT. Second place went to Reichle & De-Massari AG from Wetzikon, Swiss market leader for high-quality communication networks. Third place went to outdoor equipment specialist Transa Backpacking AG from Zurich. Other winners were Meister Abrasives AG from Andelfingen, Pumpstation Gastro GmbH from Zurich and QUALIPET AG from Dietlikon.

First place for the Schibli Group from Zurich

The family business, now in its third generation and led by CEO Jan Schibli, successfully combines comprehensive services in the fields of electrical engineering, building services, IT, communications and automation. With 15 locations in Switzerland and one in Dresden (Germany) and around 500 employees, including 90 apprentices, Schibli offers its customers everything from a single source, from electrical installation to intelligent building automation or video surveillance systems to IT infrastructure or customized cloud solutions. The successful market positioning goes hand in hand with winning the coveted Prix SVC Wirtschaftsraum Zürich. Michael Steinmann, president of the 16-member jury of experts, paid tribute to the freshly crowned winner in his laudation: "The Schibli Group is an entrepreneurial pearl that stands for far more than electrification of Zurich apartments and houses." He continued, "Business acumen, a sense of family, the promotion of talent and respect for the individual ambitions of employees: This is the recipe of the family business that strongly impressed us jury members."

Reichle & De-Massari and Transa Backpacking AG in second and third place

Second place went to the Swiss family-owned company Reichle & De-Massari (R&M). "R&M is a successful transformation and growth story in a highly competitive future market," as jury president Michael Steinmann emphasized in his laudatory speech. Reichle & De-Massari develops complete cabling solutions for high-quality data communications networks in office buildings and data centers, for industry and in telecommunications. Leading the Swiss market, Reichle & De-Massari is now active in over 40 countries and has its own market organizations on six continents. The company employs 920 people worldwide, 250 of them in Switzerland, and is led by CEO Michel Riva.

Transa Backpacking AG, the leading supplier of travel and outdoor equipment in Switzerland, took bronze. The company has been on the market for 40 years and today offers over 33,740 products from 521 different brands in ten branches and outlets. In addition to providing qualified advice, Transa relies on its 320 employees and 19 apprentices to share their own outdoor experience. With an extensive range of services, user courses and test facilities, Transa, under the leadership of CEO Daniel Humbel, offers its customers a comprehensive service package covering all aspects of diverse travel and outdoor activities.

Awards for Meister Abrasives AG, Pumpstation Gastro GmbH and Qualipet AG

Also receiving awards were Meister Abrasives AG from Andelfingen, a global leader in manufacturing processes using highly productive grinding tools, the successful catering company Pumpstation Gastro GmbH from Zurich, and QUALIPET AG from Dietlikon, the market leader in Swiss pet supplies.

The sponsor and initiator of the Prix SVC is the Swiss Venture Club, an independent, non-profit association for the promotion and support of SMEs in Switzerland. Steven Himmelsbach, SVC Regional Head of the Zurich Economic Area, emphasizes: "We award companies that belong to Switzerland's SME elite. Our focus is on exemplary companies that create jobs and help shape the Swiss economy. With the Prix SVC, we offer these companies a platform to showcase their success to the outside world. Last but not least, the attention that our award winners receive through the Prix SVC should also be an incentive for other companies."

www.swiss-venture-club.ch

By 2025, Switzerland will need more than 25,000 additional specialists in the field of information technology, according to a study conducted by the ICT Vocational Training Switzerland is forecast. To counteract this development, investments in basic education as well as in further education in the field of IT are urgently needed. The education alliance between Microsoft Switzerland and the Institute for Vocational Education and Training (IBAW) of Migros Lucerne is therefore pursuing the goal of jointly training and educating more than 1,500 specialists by 2021, ranging from cloud architects, data analysts, and business informatics specialists to programmers and system and network technicians. The alliance is not entirely altruistic, as Microsoft also has a keen interest in reducing the technology skills shortage. The partnership with the IBAW is part of the company's commitment to Switzerland. Marc Weder, who is responsible for education customers at Microsoft Switzerland, is convinced of the importance of the education alliance: "The IBAW's innovative offerings for IT specialists, such as the new Data Scientist NDK HF course, as well as the special training courses for teachers in the use of digital tools, make an important contribution to reducing the shortage of skilled workers and thus to strengthening Switzerland as a place to do business and live."

The Institute for Vocational Education and Training (IBAW) offers high-quality and practical training programs in the field of "Information Technology" for private individuals and companies/institutions at various locations in German-speaking Switzerland. There are currently eight courses of study and various seminars to choose from. In addition to the range of continuing education courses, investments are now also being made in increasing the quality of training. Existing training and continuing education courses at the IBAW are being enriched with manufacturer certifications such as the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert). The latest digital learning media, such as animated learning nuggets or VR learning sequences, are being designed and integrated into the training. Michael Achermann, Head of IBAW, on the collaboration: "As a technology leader, Microsoft is the ideal partner for us to align our training courses with the current and future needs of companies: Thus, we provide our students with state-of-the-art teaching forms and methods and develop new tools, such as mixed reality/hololens learning environments or machine learning, for varied and successful teaching."

More information:

www.microsoft.com/education

www.ibaw.ch

Will humans become obsolete after all? This rather gloomy vision of the future could well become reality one day, believes economic philosopher Anders Indset from Norway. He warned against underestimating the speed of technological developments. "Quantum computing will achieve a breakthrough before the end of this year," predicts Indset. "There will be an explosion of intelligence, in three to five years we will have machines with IQs like adult humans," he predicted. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will become Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). We should have respect for the vision of a "Homo Obsoletus," Indset warned, and called on the audience to become shapers of change themselves, so as not to simply be at its mercy. Algorithms cannot become the new authorities, he said.

For a good life

The presentations by Rolf Dobelli and Mahsa Amoudadashi were more about the "little things. Mahsa Amoudadashi pleaded at the Alpine Symposium 2018 for more cordiality in dealing with customers and employees. However, this cannot be learned, but must first be "awakened" through exemplary enthusiasm. Rolf Dobelli in turn gave a few inputs for a "good life", such as: Saying "no" more, being more modest, or stopping always comparing oneself with others.

Europe: The answer to the 21st century

Former German President Joachim Gauck also struck a calm note. He certainly sees a challenge in growing populism, but would like to see a little more composure, an "antihisteric," as he put it. People's justified fears must be given room to be expressed, he said. In response, he said, there is a need for inviting and simple language. But this field should not be left to the populists. Their recipes are too seductive. Instead, politicians are called upon to use communication to simplify the increasingly complex processes in an "enlightening" way. Joachim Gauck is convinced that an appropriate civil discourse is still possible through "robust civility.

The second "political heavyweight" at the Alpine Symposium 2018 was former German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück. He, too, warned against increasing populism, but in contrast made it clear that a "retreat into one's own wagon castle" was the wrong strategy. "No problem can be solved only nationally anymore," Steinbrück said. It is true that Europe is extremely challenged by Brexit, financial or demographic problems and uncertainties in the policies of major powers such as the United States or Russia. But it is precisely this Europe that is the only right answer to the 21st century, he said. And where does he see Switzerland in this Europe? In particular, the problem of the free movement of persons must be solved.

Rock star and businessman

The motto of this year's Alpine Symposium was "Plan B." Bruce Dickinson has many such "Plan Bs. As the lead singer of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, Dickinson is also a shrewd businessman. It's hard to imagine the rock genre without his band and its music. As a pilot - he flies a Boeing 747 with all the band's equipment from gig to gig himself - he also founded several aviation maintenance companies and managed an entire airline, Air Djibouti. In the spirit of "diversification", Bruce Dickinson also works as a beer brewer and watchmaker.

New working worlds, emotions and humor

Other impressive and emotional performances were given by the two sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen. As schoolgirls in Bali, they launched an initiative with the organization "Bye Bye Plastic Bags" against the immense pollution of the oceans and beaches with plastic waste. With their refreshing performance, they won the hearts of the audience at the Alpine Symposium 2018. Samuel Koch, on the other hand, reported on his way back to life, which had changed completely after his serious accident in front of running cameras in the TV show "Wetten, dass...?". Similarly, Michel Fornasier was born without a right hand. Thanks to his bionic hand prosthesis "iLimb Ultra Revolution", he is nevertheless able to walk with two hands and uses this example to demonstrate the possibilities of robotics. Bernese Professor Kathrin Altwegg reported on the mission of the "Rosetta" space probe to the comet Tschuri-Gerassimov. And entrepreneur Viktor Calabrò showed how new and more flexible forms of employment can bring new benefits to the economy. Finally, Dr. Roman F. Szeliga, doctor, manager, author and clinic clown, as well as cabaret artist Florian Schroeder provided the audience with a number of laughs with their performances.

www.alpensymposium.ch