Switzerland

Riley Supler
CSIT120 ECA-EEA

Capital of
Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland

Religion and
Language

There are four languages practiced by the

Swiss citizens. The primary language is
German, with 65% of people speaking it.
They are followed by the French at 18%,
Italian at 10% and the remaining speaking
Romansh.

The primary religion is Roman Catholic

with about 41.8% of the citizens practicing.
There is also a large number of citizens
practicing the Protestant religion.

Zurich

Tourist Attraction 1

Located on the northern

shores of Lake Zurich with a
great view of the
snowcapped Alps.

Multicultural styles and

leisurely activities make it
one of the most popular
destinations in Switzerland.

Home of 50 museums and

over 100 art galleries to
visit in downtown Zurich.

Chillon Castle

Tourist Attraction 2

Located on Lake Geneva

and at the base of the
Swiss Alps, the Chillon
Castle is one of the most
visited attractions around
the world.

Quiche Lorraine &

Fondue
National cuisine of Switzerland.
Anything to do with cheese is a sure thing!

Stereotypes of the
Swiss
The Swiss are fairly reserved and not outgoing.

They are extremely clean and organized.

They pride themselves on being punctual. Being

late is a "no-no."

They are very frugal individuals and believe in

paying their bills ahead of time.

They are "tight" with rules. One must follow all

rules.

"They do not know how to have fun."

Swiss Superstitions

Some superstitions are quite serious, while others tend to

be silly.

The most serious superstition is about death. They believe

that in order to avoid death on July 25th, one should never
go out on Lake Bienne. This was confirmed when a steamer
capsized, killing all passengers on board.

The also believe that one should never bring a periwinkle

flower into the house or something bad will happen.

A pine tree is believed to be a symbol of fertility and luck

and is often planted outside a newlyweds home.

They believe that is unlucky to mention the due date of the

child and that the luckiest day to cut babies nails is on a
Friday.

Hand Gestures

Switzerland's hand
gestures are very much
alike the United States.

Business Culture

Etiquette: Punctual, formal use of

surnames a must, and private.

Body Language: Maintain eye contact,

Good posture all the time, no slouching,
and shake hands with everyone you meet.

Relationship Building

Reserved, take their time building and

maintaining relationships with strangers
and associates.

Relationships take patience and

perserverance.

Must be honest and modest.

Do not ask personal questions until a

relationship is formed.

Communication styles in
Decision-Making

Direct.

Plainspoken.

Avoid excessive enthusiasm.

Avoid personal questions.

Do not attempt humor i.e.; jokes.

Power Structures in
Decision-Making

Operates with a clearly defined leadership

structure.

Leaders are modest with their power.

All decisions are team based, however final

decisions are made by the highest
authority.

How does their business culture

differ to that of the United States
body language?
Summary:

Similarities: Maintains eye contact.

Differences: Maintain a distance from each

individual, keep gestures to a minimum as
it is seen as rude and over-whelming, and
leaning back makes people suspicious,
that you are essentially withdrawing from
them.

Internet Penetration
Rate

As of 2013, Switzerland was ranked 23rd

by Internetworldstats.com, with an internet
penetration rate of 86.7% with an average
6.9 million users daily.

Its top search engine site is Google.com

with GMX.net being the top email site.

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Myspace

are the top social networks.

Individualism vs.
Collectivism

Individualist Society.

Score of 68.

High preference of individuals who are expected to take

care of themselves.

Offense causes guilt and loss of self-esteem.

Employer/Employee relationship is a contract based on

mutual advantage.

Hiring and promotion decisions are based on merit only.

Management of individuals.

Large or Small Power

Distance

Small Power Distance & a score of 34.

Lower.

Believes that inequalities amongst people should be minimized.

Independent.

Hierarchy for convenience only.

Equal rights.

Power is decentralized and managers count on team members.

Control is disliked.

Attitude towards managers is informal.

Strong or Weak
Uncertainty Avoidance

Score of 58

Emotional need for rules.

People like to be busy and hard at work.

Punctual is normal.

Security is important to individual

emotion.

Masculinity vs.
Femininity

Score is 70.

Masculine for both German and French.

High success oriented.

Driven.

People live in order to work.

Managers expected to be decisive.

Solve conflicts by fighting them out.

Individualism vs.
Collectivism

Switzerland:

High preference for individuals to take care of

themselves and immediate families only,
employer/employee contract based on mutual
advantage, hiring and promotion based on merit only,
and they prefer to do business with people they know.

United States:

Hierarchy for convenience, equal rights, society loosely

knit, managers & employees expect to be consulted,
and accustomed to doing business with people they
dont know well.

Power Distance

Switzerland:

Inequalities should be minimized, power is

decentralized, equal rights, and control is
disliked.

United States:

All people are not treated equal, inequality

is endorsed by the followers as much as
the leaders, and Control is also disliked.

Uncertainty
Avoidance
Switzerland:

Emotional need for rules even if they dont

seem to work, "time is money," needs to be
busy and work hard, punctuality is the norm,
and does not accept new ideas with ease.

United States:

Does not require a lot of rules, accepts new

ideas, punctuality is expected but people
seldom are, and are less emotionally
expressive

Masculinity vs.
Femininity
Switzerland:

Highly success oriented and driven, lives in order

to work, managers expected to be decisive,
conflicts resolved by fighting them out, emphasis
on competition and performance, and private
about successes.

United States:

Lives to work, shows drive individually, has can

do mentality, competition is welcomed and
expected to bring out the best in people, and are
not private about their successes.

Current Events

Swiss Anti-Immigration Party Wins Big in

Elections
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/world/e
urope/swiss-antiimmigration-party-wins-big-inelections.html? ref=topics&_r=0

FIFA Officials Extradition Approved on

Eve of Meeting in Zurich
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/sports/
soccer/fifaofficials-extradition-approved-on-eve-of-

Works Cited

"Internet World Stats." - Usage and Population Statistics.

N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

Ruiz, Rebecca R. "FIFA Officials Extradition Approved on

Eve of Meeting in Zurich." The New York Times. The New
York Times, 23 Sept. 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

"Swiss Anti-Immigration Party Wins Big in Elections." The

New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2015. Web.
11 Oct. 2016.

"Welcome to Global Road Warrior." Global Road Warrior

Login Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

"What about Switzerland?" Switzerland. N.p., n.d. Web. 10

Oct. 2016.