Monday, June 10, 2013

Book Review- Swiss Made



Reading this now.  Fascinating.  Review to come.

Update: I have always been fascinated by the relatively large proportion of multinationals and brand names originating from Switzerland. This book provides a cursory glance and examines some salient historical, geographical, cultural, and political factors.  My main take on the causes of Swiss success is the ability of its citizens and businesses to adapt to constant change over an extended period of time, due to a willingness to absorb and integrate foreign talent, a decentralised political structure, and the lack of a domestic market forcing its entrepreneurs to deal with brutal competition right from the outset. The ability to absorb and integrate foreign talent has occupied a greater part of my thinking when considering the future of countries such as the USA and China. Even Lee Kuan Yew has stated that he believes the ability to integrate foreign talent to be vital to the future success of the USA, and this same factor may prove to be a problem for China moving forward.  I am nowhere near a stage where I can form strong opinions, but this book is certainly a step in the right direction.

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