Masterpieces of Swiss Entrepreneurship : : Swiss SMEs Competing in Global Markets.

• Author: Jeannet, Jean-Pierre.
• TeilnehmendeR: Volery, Thierry.; Bergmann, Heiko.; Amstutz, Cornelia.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2021.; ©2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (579 pages)

Table of Contents

Masterpieces of Swiss Entrepreneurship -- Foreword -- Masterpieces of Swiss Entrepreneurship -- Foreword -- Masterpieces of Swiss Entrepreneurship -- Acknowledgments -- Endorsements -- Contents -- About the Authors -- Part I: Introducing the Project -- 1: Introduction -- Undertaking the Project -- Genesis of This Project -- Chasing a ``Big Idea ́́-- Recruiting a Team of Like-Minded Researchers -- Selecting a Research Design Fit to Purpose -- Identifying Firms to Research -- Establishing a Long List -- Selecting a Convenience Sample -- Creating a Company Specific Database -- Conducting and Documenting Interviews -- Compiling Company Profiles -- Requesting Fact Checks -- Performing Pattern Analysis -- Analyzing Management Practices -- Compiling Company Profiles -- Clustering Growth Trajectories -- Reflecting on Impact of Swiss Entrepreneurship Ecosystem -- How to Read This Book -- 2: Founders, Shakers, Prime Movers -- Who Were Those Guys? -- Founders from the Early Period -- Founders from the Interwar Period (WWI to WWII) -- Founders Creating Businesses During WWII -- Founders from the Post-WWII ``Baby Boomer ́́Generation -- Founders from the More Recent Era -- Differentiating Between Prime Movers and Founders -- Reflecting on the Background of Founders -- And Women? -- Part II: Governance Practices -- 3: Ownership Structures -- Ownership Structures for Stability and Control -- From Single Ownership to Family Company -- Family Ownership for the Long Term -- Owned by the Same Family Over Multiple Generations -- The Effort to Keep the Business Within the Family -- How Two Families Preserved Combined Ownership for the Next Generation -- Passing Ownership from One Family to Another Family -- Passing Ownership Through a Succession of Three Different Families -- Going Public to Assure Succession -- Employing Shareholder Agreements to Provide Stability.

Assuming Founding Partner Stakes to Provide Stability -- MBOs to Recruit New Owners -- Reflections on Ownership Models -- 4: Achieving Ownership Stability -- Stability Through Foundations -- Stability Through Private Investors -- Employees Riding to the Rescue -- Stability as Public Company -- When Ownership Stability Fails -- Independence Versus Autonomy -- 5: Boards and Governance -- Governance Arrangements -- Board Composition at Public Companies -- Board Roles in Family-Owned Companies -- Board Role in Foundation-Owned Companies -- Emergence of Dual Board Structure -- Board Structures at Investor-Driven Companies -- Evolving Role of Boards -- Part III: Managing for the Long-Term -- 6: The Role Played by Management -- Owner-Manager Versus Professional Manager Models -- Multi-generation Owner-Managed Firms -- First Generation Owner-Managed Firms -- Second Generation Owner-Managed Firms -- Challenges of Sticking with Owner-Manager Model -- Separating Ownership and Management -- The Challenge of Recruiting Successors -- Practicing a Unique Management Style -- 7: Financing the Enterprise -- Frugal Beginnings Predominate -- Starting Up in Garages and Old Factory Buildings -- Tapping into Personal and Family Savings -- Bootstrapping Mentality -- Leveraging External Investor Resources -- Utilizing Leveraged Financing -- Financing Current Business -- Relying on Cash Flow and Internal Sources -- Adopting Conservative Financial Policies -- Part IV: Focus Choices -- 8: Business Focus Choices -- Focus Comes in Different Forms -- Focusing on a Single Industry -- Experience Leading to Business Focus -- Focusing Around Core Competency -- Pursuing a Technology Focus -- Focusing on a Single Market -- 9: Franchise Focus Choices -- Focusing on a Customer Franchise -- Building a Customer Franchise Around Industries -- Building a Customer Franchise Around Institutions.

Building a Customer Franchise Around Professional Groups -- Adopting a Solution-Based Customer Franchise -- Employing a System-Centered Approach -- Consumer Franchise Focus -- 10: The Process of Focusing -- Focus Does Not ``Just Happen ́́-- Finding Focus Is a Journey -- Employing Multiple Layers of Focus -- Reaping the Benefit of Focus -- Lessons from Focus Journeys -- Part V: Marketing Practices -- 11: Segmentation Choices -- Segmenting Markets and Selecting Segments -- Defining and Segmenting Market Space -- Subsegments to Define Target Customers -- Playing the Product Features Game -- Targeting Multiple Segments -- Market vs. Technology Segments -- Selecting Quality and Premium Price Segments -- Moving into High-Volume Segments -- Niche-Within-Niche Segments -- Organizing Around Segment Choices -- Observations on Segmenting -- 12: International Sales and Distribution Strategies -- Early Pioneers of International Expansion -- Relying on Distributors and Agent Networks -- Building Distribution Partnerships -- Creating Subsidiary Networks -- Market Entries Around Manufacturing Acquisitions -- Cracking Difficult Markets -- Managing Changes in the Distribution Channel -- Reflections -- 13: Marketing and Sales Processes -- The Marketing vs. Sales Debate -- B2C SMEs Engaging in Global Brand Building -- Professionalizing the Marketing Process -- Itś All in a Name -- Marketing and Selling in a B2B Environment -- Application-Driven Sales -- Employing Key Account Systems -- Global Sales Practices in the Medical Cluster -- The Importance of Lead Customers -- Review -- Part VI: Product Building Choices -- 14: Production Footprint Choices -- Exclusively Swiss-Based Production -- Modified Swiss Manufacturing -- Swiss and International Production -- Globally Distributed Production -- Offshoring Production Capacity -- Colocating Production.

15: Production Processes Choices -- The Role of Proprietary Processes -- Designing Proprietary Production Lines -- Building Custom Equipment -- Installing Automation and Robotization -- Capitalizing on Long-Term Improvements -- 16: Product Design Choices -- Designing for Durability -- Designing with Flair -- Ergonomics, Broadly Defined -- Design Thinking by Tradition -- 17: Product Line Choices -- Adopting Modularization Strategies -- Employing Platforming Strategies -- Combining Modularity with Platforming -- 18: Supply Chain Choices -- Models of Supply Chain Integration -- The Integrators -- The Partial Integrators -- The Assemblers -- The Fabless Two -- Reflections -- Part VII: Innovation Practices -- 19: Sourcing the Defining Business Idea -- The Defining Idea -- Leaving Unresponsive Employer -- Capitalizing on Personal Experience -- Walk-Ins as Innovation Sources -- Power of Customer Suggestions -- Just Reading About It -- Rejected Job Application -- Exploiting Disruptions -- Borrowing from Other Industries -- Practicing the Open Mind Principle -- 20: Innovation Processes -- Product Innovation Over the Long Haul -- Reinventing at Regular Intervals -- Product Platform Innovations -- Innovating with Materials -- Innovating Production Processes -- Winning at the Innovation Game -- 21: Organizing for Innovation -- Organizing for Perpetual Innovation -- Creating an Innovation Assembly Line -- Entering into Customer Partnerships -- Business Model Innovations -- Resting on Laurels Not Allowed! -- Part VIII: Leveraging Strategies -- 22: Leveraging Local Competitiveness -- Leveraging Local Resources -- Engaging in Premium Pricing -- Leveraging Core Competencies and Skills -- Leveraging Talent -- Recruiting Talent in Urban Centers -- Recruiting Talent to Rural Areas -- Growing Talent Internally -- Apprenticed Managers.

Leveraging Institutions of Higher Education -- Leveraging Entrepreneurship Among Employees -- Leveraging ``Swissness ́́-- Leveraging Industry Clusters -- Swiss Framework Conditions -- 23: Leveraging Resources for Growth -- Different Strategies for Growth -- Differentiation Through Expansion Strategies -- Global Expansion Strategies -- The Role of MandA in Growing SMEs -- Decoding Drivers for Growth by Company Size and Age -- Examining Differences in Growth Patterns -- Clustering Companies by Development Trajectories -- Meeting the Long-Distance Runners -- Meeting the Middle-Distance Runners -- Meeting the Sprinters -- Meeting the Steeplechasers -- Who is in the Starting Blocks? -- Size vs. Longevity -- Surviving Crises -- Courageous Bets for Growth -- Resurrected Companies -- 24: Role of Swiss Entrepreneurship Ecosystem -- Why This Chapter? -- Why So Many SMEs in Switzerland? -- Swiss Tradition of Entrepreneurship -- Techne vs. Episteme: A Wall Street Bankerś Observation -- Swiss Dual Education System -- A Knack for Engineering Ingenuity -- Tradition of Cooperative Governance -- A Deeply Rooted Work Ethic -- Swiss Management Philosophy -- Switzerland: Exception or Role Model? -- Reflections -- 25: Epilog: Implications for Public Policy -- Observations for Business and Managerial Community -- Observations for the Entrepreneurial Community -- Observations for Financial Community -- Observations for Consultants and Advisors -- Observations for the Educational Community -- Observations for Political and Governmental Community/Public Policy -- Observations for Members of the Media -- Observations for Society at Large and Individual Citizens -- Part IX: Company Profiles -- 26: Company Profiles -- Company Profile 1: Sefar-A Big Business Based on Small Holes. From Cottage Weaving to Industrial Enterprise -- Business Founded in a Small Village.

Capitalizing on the Industrial Revolution Changing Grain Processing.