Cofferia Advisory Report
Switzerland
Gurnoor Kahlon, Rhythm Abbi, Joban Saran, and Avi Sodhi
Table of Contents
Purpose 2
Discussion 2-8
Country Profile 2-3
Greetings 3-5
Meetings and Negotiation Tips 5-6
Communication Tips 6-7
Traditional Foods 7-8
Recommendations 9
Conclusion 10
Bibliography 11
Purpose:
The purpose of this report is to examine the culture (particularly the business culture) of Switzerland. By analyzing the country profile, how to meet and greet potential consumers, communication and negotiation tips, and traditional foods, a clear plan is developed to achieve success in this foreign country (Switzerland).
Discussion:
Country Profile:
Switzerland was first formed in 1291, when small weak alliances merged to create a new country. Switzerland was an independent country from 1499 until 1798, when Napoleon attacked Switzerland. Napoleon influenced many French descent residents to take side of the French causing lots of political disputes. However, Napoleon was defeated in 1815 and with the Treaty of Paris Switzerland was officially an independent neutral country. Switzerland stayed neutral throughout the World Wars and the Cold War.
Switzerland has four national languages, French, German, Romansh, and Italian. 64% of the population speaks Germen, making it the most used language, 20% speak French, 6.5% speak Italian and only 0.5% of the population speaks Romansh. German is the official language in 17 cantons of Switzerland. The official languages of the canton that we are opening our company (Bern) in are Germen and French. Therefore, learning some common Germen and French phrases will definitely benefit our team, when doing business there.
We decided to open our coffee shop in Bern the capital of Switzerland. We selected Bern because of its various benefits for a business like ours. Bern is a very compact city, and can be explored on foot in just hours. This allows residents and tourist throughout the city to easily access our shop without any hassle. In the early 1400’s Bern, had a major fire and in which many buildings were burnt. Therefore, the city was rebuilt with sandstone, and almost all the buildings remain still in the country, giving Bern a medieval look. With a modern styled coffee shop, designed with a medieval feel, we are guaranteed to catch the eyes of residents and tourists. Bern has over 4 miles of covered sidewalks; this allows people to walk with ease even if the weather is harsh. Therefore, our customers will be able to easily walk to our shop, as they are safe from harsh weather. Currency used in Bern and throughout Switzerland is the Swiss Franc; one Canadian dollar is equivalent to .85 of a Swiss Franc.
Over 45% of Switzerland population is Roman Catholics, Protestantism falls just under at 40% of the population. Islam is also one of the most followed religions in Switzerland in the present day. Switzerland has one of the most stable economies in the world. With a very stable political head, Switzerland is a great place for investors to invest in. Therefore the economy of Switzerland is slowly getting dependent on foreign investments. The economy in Switzerland is not much like the economy in North America; the economy is divided into three different sectors, agriculture, industry, and service. The service sector employs the greatest number of peoples in Switzerland.
Greetings:
“One for all, all for one,” is the saying all of the Swiss live by. This says a lot about the people themselves, and how the treat one another. Furthermore, how you treat one another all starts from first impressions and every country has different ways of greeting one another for the first time. In Switzerland the people are very formal and respective to one another. There are four types of languages in Switzerland which are; German, French, Italian and Romansh, however the bulk of Switzerland speaks German. In German hello is grüetzi, along with a hello in
