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Hey guys I am enjoying this thread very much, as I have never been to Switzerland but living in Northern Italy I am very curious about this unique country very near but also very different.
To sum up what I learned from reading first-hand experience here, it looks like Switzerland is a very beautiful country marred by a populace too strict-minded and xenophobic.
Now living at the foot of the Alps I am well aware that people living in valleys up in the mountains, even in Italy, tend to have a narrower and more xenophobic mindset. It is no secret that many valley-dwellers here vote for the anti-immigrant and borderline racist Lega Nord party.
But something does not add up here. These racist people in Italy are our "white trash", i.e. they are the lower-income, uneducated less successful people. So how comes that Switzerland is SO successful a country even if the Swiss are xenophobic mountain people? Mind that the Swiss economy is in NO WAY based solely on its thriving banks. Switzerland has plenty of multinational companies doing business in many different industries, for more info read here: Switzerland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
My guess is that its pro-capitalist Calvinist roots coupled with the unique system of government really do help.
My guess is that its pro-capitalist Calvinist roots coupled with the unique system of government really do help.
Only a small portion of the population is Calvinist. Protestants only make up 26.9% of the population and are further divided into other subgroups. 38.2% are Catholic. Historically it used to be an almost even split.
Also, the "unique system of government" (some elements of direct democracy) is usually targeting the foundations of the Swiss economy. Namely: lax banking laws, a corporate friendly tax regime and tourism.
HMind that the Swiss economy is in NO WAY based solely on its thriving banks.
No country is solely based on any one industry, but yeah, Switzerland's main economic driver is its banks, which are subjected to limited regulatory oversight.
And many non-banking companies are still essentially domiciled in Switzerland for the protective regulatory environment. Nestle is in Switzerland and not the U.S./U.K. even though it has more divisions and employees in those places because the regulatory environment is looser in Switzerland (for example, it's much harder to sue Nestle in Switzerland, corporate taxes are much lower, and there are stronger laws on corporate privacy and non-disclosure).
No country is solely based on any one industry, but yeah, Switzerland's main economic driver is its banks, which are subjected to limited regulatory oversight.
And many non-banking companies are still essentially domiciled in Switzerland for the protective regulatory environment. Nestle is in Switzerland and not the U.S./U.K. even though it has more divisions and employees in those places because the regulatory environment is looser in Switzerland (for example, it's much harder to sue Nestle in Switzerland, corporate taxes are much lower, and there are stronger laws on corporate privacy and non-disclosure).
Not really.
Nestle, Roche, Novartis, ABB, Swiss Re. and Zurich Insurance are all world leaders in their industry. The two world class banks are UBS and Credit Suisse. In addition, Switzerland has a very strong watch industry based around the Swatch Group and higher end brands like Rolex. There is also a very successful high precision engineering sector.
Nestle is, and always has been, a Swiss company in the same way that Kraft is a US company even though it has more divisions and employees outside the USA.
It is true that Switzerland has a business-friendly regulatory and tax environment. If that helps drive high salary, high employment then maybe we should try it.
I wouldn't feed pizza hut pizza to a dog on the street. It's horrible, even for low quality fast-food pizza.
Why are we discussing we discussing garbage fast food pizza in a thread on Switzerland?
Heck if I know.
I don't even LIKE pizza so I am certainly no pizza expert. I only eat it about 4 times a year. When I do, it's usually from Pizza Hut and we've usually ordered it to be delivered because we unexpectedly had a bunch of people show up at our house.
So no - I wouldn't know a good pizza if I saw one - but I do know when a pizza costs WAYYYYY too much!
To give another real life example (aka a "personal anecdote" - LOL) my husband and I just ordered two medium hand tossed crust supreme pizzas from Pizza Hut the other day when we had the grandkids over, and the bill was about $22. The same order would have been $28 in Germany. That's about 25 percent higher. Now I realize we're talking about Pizza Hut and not other restaurants, which is an American company operating in Europe so it's not like we're talking about going down to the great little Italian place on the corner and getting fabulous pizza, but I was talking about the shock of the difference in price - that's all.
Pizza Hut here is considered fast, cheap and good, but it's not considered true Italian food. It's just fast food. We do, however, have some really cheapo places with much lower prices than Pizza Hut. Blech!
Yes, and though I said it's hard to believe the prices, it was a figure of speech, I do believe you if you say so. The only problem I'm having is that you take an American franchise chain as an example of the price level in European countries. A franchise has fixed prices by country, so it's not even free market.
Meanwhile, you could phone Kemal and Ãœmit and they make you two pizzas for the price of one Pizza Hut pizza. That's the real price level.
I consider myself an expert on the subject, not franchising but pizza, and I would not pay $28 for two medium pizzas at Pizza Hut, as the quality does not reflect the price compared to other pizza places. I would bring my business to Kemal and Ãœmit, and as I frequently go there, I could even barter a couple $, something that is impossible at Pizza Hut.
But ok, I think this pizza thing has been beaten to death.
Yes, and though I said it's hard to believe the prices, it was a figure of speech, I do believe you if you say so. The only problem I'm having is that you take an American franchise chain as an example of the price level in European countries. A franchise has fixed prices by country, so it's not even free market.
Meanwhile, you could phone Kemal and Ãœmit and they make you two pizzas for the price of one Pizza Hut pizza. That's the real price level.
I consider myself an expert on the subject, not franchising but pizza, and I would not pay $28 for two medium pizzas at Pizza Hut, as the quality does not reflect the price compared to other pizza places. I would bring my business to Kemal and Ãœmit, and as I frequently go there, I could even barter a couple $, something that is impossible at Pizza Hut.
But ok, I think this pizza thing has been beaten to death.
LOL I totally agree! I also agree with not paying $28 for two pizzas at Pizza Hut. Anywhere.
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