Switzerland in 2004
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Case Code: ECOA119 Case Length: 14 Pages Period: 2004 Pub Date: 2004 Teaching Note: Not Available |
Price: Rs.300 Organization : - Industry : - Countries : Switzerland Themes: - |
Abstract Case Intro 1 Excerpts
Excerpts
Profile
Switzerland was located in central Europe, with Germany to the north, Austria to the east, Italy to the south and France to the west. Placed high in the Alpine region of central Europe, most of the country's land area was too mountainous to permit any great density of population...
History
Switzerland was part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1499 when it gained independence. In 1515, Switzerland declared its neutrality after nearly being defeated by the French and the Venetians. In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia concluded the Thirty Years' War in Europe and recognized Swiss independence...
The Economy
With almost all its infrastructure in tact, Switzerland started with a huge advantage after the second world war. But as other countries started rebuilding their economies, the advantage was gradually eroded...
Industry
Swiss industry accounted for approximately 30 per cent of the country's GDP and employed about 33 per cent of the labor force. Among the important industries were machine tools, pharmaceuticals, textiles, watch making, food processing, chemicals and engineering...
Foreign Trade
Switzerland's principal exports included electrical non-electrical machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, clocks and watches, textiles and clothing, metals, jewellery and foodstuffs. Main destinations were Germany (19 per cent of 2001 total), the US (10.5 per cent); France (9.8 per cent), Italy (9.1 per cent); and the UK (7.4 per cent)...
Labor Markets
Traditionally, Switzerland's biggest competitive advantage had been its well-educated, sensible, conscientious and hard-working people. Labor-market participation was among the highest in the world, around 90% of working age people (though this included many part-timers, particularly among women)...
Social Policies
With no central ministry of education, each of the 26 Swiss cantons (semi-autonomous regions) was responsible for education, although there were federal teaching procedures to maintain uniform standards...
Politics and Government
The emphasis on consensus and popular endorsement had given Swiss politics a long-term orientation. Quick fixes were difficult because all the parties in government had to agree. Controversial issues were often put to a referendum...
Future Outlook
Tensions between the four main parties, following the strengthening of the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), and frequent recourse to referendums were expected to add to the difficulties in getting legislation passed...
Exhibits
Exhibit I: Fact Sheet
Exhibit II: Exports & Imports
Exhibit III: Economic Data
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