Beauty of Switzerland - Essay Example

Beauty of Switzerland Geography: Switzerland is located in western and central Europe. Its main features include the mountainous and landlocked areas. Its neighboring countries are Italy and Germany to the south and north respectively, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east and France to the west. The length from north to south is 220 Kilometers and the East West length is about 350 Kilometers. The land is divided in to three segments i.e. Alps, Jura and Plateau. 20% of the area is covered with Alps with approximately 100 peaks which are higher than 4000 meters above the sea level. There are many lakes as well which are used to operate the water turbines of power plants. Economy: Switzerland enjoys one of the most stable economies of the world with the lowest unemployment ratio and balanced budget. The economy is mainly dependent upon the foreign investments. Industry and trade are the most important factors of the successful economy of Switzerland. They have very skilled and qualified labors. The economy is divided into many areas most prominent of them are technology including biotechnology, banking and financial services and pharmaceutical industry. Small and medium sized enterprises play an important role in the economic development. The GDP growth rate is 2.8% nominal and 2.7% real. Dimensions of distance: The area of Switzerland is 41285 kilometer square and the boundary is 18558 kilometers. The boundary lines with the neighboring countries include France, Italy Austria and France. All the four dimensions have different names, such as, Oberbargen (N 47° 48' 35"), Piz Chavalatsch (E 10° 29' 36"), Chiasso (N 45° 49' 08") and Chancy (E 5° 57' 24"). Dufourspitze has the highest elevation i.e. 4634 m.a.s (15200 feet) and Lago Maggiore has the lowest elevation i.e. 193 m.a.s (633 feet) (Renouf 2010). Jura is 10% while the middle land is 30%. Time Zone is Central Europe (GMT +1 hour) i.e. 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Time. It is also known as Middle European Time zone (MET). Culture: Switzerland is highly influenced by the cultures of its neighboring countries and therefore it does not have its own distinctive culture. Languages: there are three main languages spoken in the country including German, French and Italian. Folk arts: it has given its due importance in all walks of life. It includes dance, music, poetry, wood carving and embroidery. Architecture: the architectural sense of the inhabitants is very strong. The remains from the 12 century of Romanesque are found in the country in cathedrals, fortresses and castles. Visual arts: there is very small number of internationally renowned artist in Switzerland but one will find very good collection of art material throughout the country. Literature: the country has produced remarkable writers including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jacob Burckhardt, Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Max Frisch. Music: basically Switzerland is not a complete musical country but in the 20th century it had some very good composers such as Arthur Honegger, Othmar Schoeck and Frank Martin. The music is categorized in different areas such as folk music, classical music, rock, pop and jazz. Science: The scientists from Switzerland have shown great contributions in the field of science for instance, they introduced chemistry in the medicine. There are recognizable contributions in physics and mathematics is also made. Leisure: The beautiful mountainous areas of the country have really influenced the leisure of the people. Their leisure activities include skiing, mountaineering, golf, tennis, football, basket ball, gliding, swimming, mountain biking and hiking. World heritage sites: there are many heritage sites throughout the country which actually play their role in increasing tourism. Power distance: the societies of Switzerland is somewhat influenced by power distance. There are inequalities found among the people. For example there is huge difference between French speaking and German speaking people. Individualism: the societies show an individualistic attitude i.e. the individuals are considered to take care of themselves or their immediate families only. Masculinity and femininity: Males consider being highly success in life. They want to face competition and challenges. While females consider love, affection and care for other to be more important. Uncertainty avoidance: French speaking people strongly prefer to avoid uncertainty. They are usually punctual, hardworking and consider time as money. Administration: Name: Another name for Switzerland is "Confoederatio Helvetica". Confoederatio means confederation and Helvetica means the name of the people who lived there. Flag: the flag is representative of the religious background of the people living there. The white cross shows the cross of Jesus and red background shows his blood. National flower and animal: they do not have as such national flower or animal, however, "Edelweiss" is considered to be the national flower. Capital: Bern is the capital city of Switzerland. Duties of confederation: the duties of the confederation are to provide protection to the citizens, to cater them with the basic needs of communication such as internet, telephone and postal services, to look after the monetary system and transportation, to perform the duties of military, customs and to maintain diplomatic relations with other countries. States: the states of Switzerland are called Kantone which are 23 in number. The duty of the state government includes education, transportation and social institutions. Each kantone consists of number of "Bezirke" who have the legislative, judiciary and executive authority. Opportunities for multinational businesses: Considering the above mentioned description about Switzerland it can be said easily that this country have vast opportunities for multinational organizations and business because the geographical location is perfect for multiple business and the strong economy of the country itself invites the investors to make huge investments in the country. Apart from this the diverse culture has helped the foreigners to setup their business there because they can adjust there easily and more readily. Moreover, the artistic sense of the people invites and the way they have maintained their historical places gives advancement to tourism, which is a highly competitive and profitable business itself. Political structure: There is a frame work of multi-party federal parliamentary democratic republic, after which comes the head of the state i.e. federal council of Switzerland. Government and the federal administration have the executive power. Government and the two chambers of the federal assembly control the legislative power whereas judiciary is independent. To make changes in the constitution referendum is must without which no alteration can take place. Federal assembly elects the government which comprises of seven members who act as the president. Social structure: The population in Swiss is about 7.78 million. Religious beliefs have lost their roots in the last years but there is diversification in religious landscape is seen. There is a large number of elder people since children are very less. Although there is an equality between the rights of men and women but women show less inclination towards studies. However, in the last few years this has turned the other way round. The family life starts very late and they usually have one or two children per family. The reason behind this is the financial pressure over the parents and the relative shortage of day care homes for children. Females usually feel difficulty in managing motherhood and careers simultaneously and therefore they forego their careers and give preference to stay back at home while men remain at work no matter what. Products: Tourism itself is a big product category in Switzerland because of its natural and historical places and geographical location. Apart from this agricultural products of Switzerland include different types of fruits and vegetables. Switzerland is also produce wine, cheese, chocolates, books, pumpkins, automobile, beverages, toys, watches and weapons. Labor: The unemployment ratio is very low. People are engaged with the agricultural and industrial sectors. High wages are paid to the labor as compared to the average of the European countries. Though the labor market is highly protected but still there are opportunities to foreign labor force. There is no concept of minimum wage. Employees also enjoy a four weeks paid holiday every year. Employees work 5 days a week and 40hours in a week. Impact on the multinational businesses: The highly stable political structure really helps the multinationals to look forward to Switzerland for expansion in that part of the world. The male and female both work to meet the necessities of life therefore the business sector have vast opportunities to flourish. The buying power of the people is also very strong. The multinationals whose headquarters are there in Switzerland enjoy the availability of local and agricultural products. The highly dedicated work force also impacts positively on the business sector. Industrial cluster: Switzerland has relatively small area and market therefore at the very initial stage the industries realized that they should remain qualified and specific. The economy puzzle is made up by many clusters including banking and finance, pharmaceutical, IT and communication, biotechnology, chemical industry and most of all tourism (Renouf 2010). Diffusion of technology: The literacy rate of Switzerland is comparatively very high which has resulted in great advancement in the technological sector. They enjoy all the upgraded technologies in almost all over the country ranging from internet to telecommunication, up to date gadgets and automation. Conclusion: The diverse industrial clusters and have attracted a lot of foreign company to work in Switzerland. Also the home companies have great opportunities of working abroad. Similarly, due to the advancement with in the country it has become somewhat easier for the multinationals to starts their operations in Switzerland. Works Cited Top of Form Renouf, Norman. Switzerland. London: Cadogan Guides, 2010. Print. Bottom of Form Read More