STEP Analysis (0)

STEP Analysis
Switzerland
Liisi Nigul
Turundus II
Sociological factors:
Religions: Main religion is Roman Catholic 41,8%, then comes Protestants with 35,3% and on the third place are so called non-believers (people with no religion) 11,1%. ( Other : muslin, orthodox , other Christian and so on).
Birth rates: Switzerland has a birthrate of 9, 51 births to 1000 people, it’s in the 199 place in the world’s birth rate comparison.
Leisure activities : Leisure activities range from taking part in grueling sports to relaxing with family and friends . Many people also devote part of their leisure time to the public service .
Life expectancy at birth: total average is 81 years but if you look at genders separately it’s: male – 78 years and female – 84 years.
Environmental problems: air pollution from vehicle emissions and open -air burning ; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers.
Education: The education system in Switzerland is very diverse , because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons. The Swiss constitution sets the foundations, namely that primary school is obligatory for every child and is free in public schools . The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden, where it is five years and three months. After primary schools, the pupils split up according their abilities and intentions of career paths. Roughly 20% of all students attend secondary schools leading , normally after 12 school years in total which grants access to all universities . The other students split in two or more school- types (depends on the canton) differing in the balance of theoretical and practical education. It is obligatory for all children to visit school for at least 9 years.
Technological factors:
Science and technology in Switzerland play an important role in economy as very few natural resources are available in the country . The Swiss National Science Foundation, mandated by the Federal government , is the most important institute promoting scientific research. The raw output of scientific research from Switzerland consistently ranks within the top 20.

For example, it has a well known astronomy and space program. Switzerland Space Agency , the Swiss Space Office, has been involved in various space technologies and programs. In addition it was one of the 10 founders of the European Space Agency in 1975.

Switzerland is one of the leading countries in computer applications. Some say that proper IT research or Computer Science, exists only in Switzerland universities and in a few industry labs. Even though compared to others Switzerland is a small country, it offers IT curricula at 9 universities.

Economical factors:
Switzerland is a peaceful and modern market economy with low unemployment (in contry comperison to the world it was on the 27 place with 3,1 % and dropping, 1 being the lowest), a highly skilled labor force (about 4,3 million working people), and a per capita GDP among the highest in the world.
Switzerland's economy benefits from a highly developed service sector , led by financial services, and a manufacturing industry that specializes in high-technology, knowledge -based production . Its economic and political stability, transparent legal system, exceptional infrastructure, efficient capital markets , and low corporate tax rates also make Switzerland one of the world's most competitive .
The Swiss economy is not built on mass production, but on high-quality work and well-trained workers . The important areas for Swiss exports are micro-technology, high technology, biotechnology, the pharmaceuticals industry and banking and insurance know -how.
Swiss products can command high prices in world markets because consumers are ready to pay for high quality. But with such a strategy , Swiss companies cannot sit back on their laurels. There has to be a strong emphasis on research and development . In Switzerland, a higher percentage of people work in research and development than in other industrialized countries.
Political Factors:
Government type: formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic.
Political conditions: Switzerland has a stable government. Most voters support the government in its philosophy of armed neutrality underlying its foreign and defense policies.
Foreign relations: Switzerland has avoided alliances that might entail military, political, or direct economic action. The foreign relations of Switzerland are handled by different departments of the federal administration of Switzerland.
Trade agreements: Switzerland's main trading partner is the EU. On the other hand, Switzerland is currently the fourth largest trading partner of the EU. Trade figures in 2008 show €80 billion in imports and €97.6 billion in exports. In terms of imports, Switzerland was the EU's 5th most important trading partner in 2008. Switzerland has a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union (EU) of 1972; also Switzerland currently has a network of 26 free trade agreements (FTAs) with 35 partners outside the EU. Switzerland normally concludes its FTAs together with its partners Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, in the framework of the European Free Trade Association ( EFTA ). Nevertheless, Switzerland has the possibility to enter into FTAs outside the EFTA framework as well, as it has been the case of Japan and the Faroe Islands.The aim of Switzerland's free trade policy is the improvement of the framework conditions for economic relations with relevant economic partners. The objective is to provide Swiss companies with an unobstructed, stable and non-discriminatory market access in these countries compared to their main competitors.