Switzerland
Switzerland is best described by conveying an understanding of its geography, political, economic, cultural and social environments. The geography of the country has had a significant impact on its way of life. Switzerland is bordered by Germany in the north, Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein in the east, Italy in the south and France in the west. This represents many significant European cultures converging on Switzerland – the German speaking region, the French and the Italian. Two thirds of the Swiss population lives in the Plateau, between Lake Geneva and Lake Constance, in 30 percent of the country’s surface area. There are 450 people to every 1 km2 (1,166 per square mile). This makes the country one of the most densely populated regions of Europe and a promising prospect for marketing a product. The country that we know today took its final shape only in 1848. Before that time, we cannot really speak of "Swiss history," but rather the history of its various parts, which only gradually came together.
Political Environment
Switzerland is a nation shaped by the resolve of its citizens: it is not an ethnic, linguistic or religious entity. Since 1848, it has been a federal state - one of 23 in the world and the second oldest after the United States of America. Like the U.S., Switzerland values the idea of federalism and sovereignty, which has ensured its historical survival.
The main political parties in Switzerland are the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Social-democratic Party (SP), Radical Democratic Party (FDP), Christian Democratic Party (CVP) and the Green Party. The Federal Constitution is the legal foundation of the Confederation. It contains the most important rules for the smooth functioning of the state. It guarantees the basic rights of the people and the participation of the public. It distributes the tasks between the Confederation and the cantons and defines the responsibilities of the authorities.
Switzerland has a federal structure with three different political levels:
• the Federation
• the cantons
• the local authorities
The Federation is the Swiss designation of the State (the term Confederation is also frequently used). The Federation has authority in all areas in which it is empowered by the Federal Constitution - for example, foreign and security policy, customs and monetary p...
... middle of paper ...
...tzerland is positioned to expand its role in the global market and will continue to improve with the expansion of foreign investment and trade. It is a strong and stable market, for US companies, looking Central and Eastern European expansion.
Works Cited
Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation.
http://www.eda.admin.ch/washington_emb/e/home.html
http://www.economist.com/countries/Switzerland/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-Political%20Structure
http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/schweiz/political.html
www.swissworld.org
Switzerland, Economy - bartleby.com 2004
Focus on Switzerland – joneslanglasallehotels.com 2004
Switzerland, Economy – nationmaster.com 2004
CIA, The World Factbook, 2003
Li, Jian; What Connecticut can Learn from Switzerland’s Oscillating Economy, Fall 2003
Switzerland, Economy – encarta.msn.com 2004
Switzerland and the EU – eurolegal.org 2004
http://www.stthomas.edu/mgmtctr/Newsletter/Articles/intercultural.htm
http://www.globaltmc.com/Articles%20html/temp.fugit.html
http://www.geert-hofstede.com
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
http://www.cia.gov
http://www.1uptravel.com
http://religiousfreedom
http://radar.ngcsu.edu
Federalism is the federal principle or system of government. In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered the people is first divided between two distances government (states and federal), and the portion allotted to each subdivided among distance and separate departments. In their attempt to balance order with liberty, the founders
This party developed because of the ratification of the constitution process; one way the Federalists tried to persuade people that their views were right about a strong central government during the ratification process was through several articles, which became known as The Federalist Papers. The Federalists argued that the people needed a strong central government to keep order and protect the union (Doc 1). They believed that this form of government was needed because the Articles of Confederation was proof that the union needed a strong central government. They argued that the Articles of Confederation gave the central government too little power and as a result the Union, faced economic difficulties, foreign problems and state quarrels (Doc 3). They processed Checks and Balances, which was a system designed so that the central government would not get more powerful than the other would, and was intended to counter arguments being made by the Anti-federalists (Doc
Confederation- a group of individual states that are in an alliance, but the independent states each have more power than the central government
In my point of view, the Democratic-Republican’s Party is the best side to join. As compared to the Democratic-Republican Party, the Federalist Party’s doctrine is grounded on fewer ideologies. This party is not outwardly strong, and its supporters lack the sense of boldness since in political arena, the spirit of boldness is highly beneficial. It helps to determine whether the party will move in a positive or negative direction.
The national government is often though to be the sole sovereign authority of a territory, however, governmental authority is not so often clearly delineated or concentrated. Large, regionalized identity groups within an existing state may call for greater autonomy, or existing states may see unity with another as politically or economically advantageous, either development leading to multiple governmental levels within the same territory. Differentiated models of constitutional organization amongst regional governments and centralized national or super-national structures developed from this tension between autonomy and unity, namely the unitary state, the federation, and the confederate models. Each of these systems seeks to accommodate regionalized
National, Local, and State governments work together cooperatively to solve common problems rather than making separate polices. They work more on an equal level to get things fixed. This type of federalism is hard to tell where one type of government ends and the next one begins. National and state governments are independent and interdependent with an overlap of functions and financial resources. It is difficult for one to accumulate absolute power with this type of federalism.
Compared to other countries, France’s economy is the fourth largest in the world. France is a very industrialized nation, yet it has kept some of the cultural characteristics that contribute to its old-world charm. The economy is “exceptionally diversified” (“Economic Structure”, 1). It produces everything from aircrafts to pharmaceuticals.
Russia, spanning 11 time zones and serving as home to about 150 million people, possesses tremendous natural and human resources. Demand today for imported consumer goods, capital equipment, and services remains remarkably strong, with imports representing an unusually large percentage of the national market. Despite outstanding long-term market potential, Russia continues to be an extremely difficult country in which to do business.
A Federal system is a system of government where power and sovereignty are shared constitutionally between a central authority and subunits. The central authority retains primary sovereignty while the subunits (state, province etc.) retain a degree of autonomy. Examples of federal countries include Ethiopia, Germany, and USA etc.
Norway is one of the “three fingers” of Scandinavia, and is just larger than New Mexico. It covers 125,181 square miles. It is located in Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. The coastline stretches 21,925 km. The population of Norway is 4.3 million and growing. The population is predominantly or Nordic (Scandinavian) decent. There is also a small minority (20,000) of native Sámis (Laplanders), who live mostly in the North. Many aspects of business and management in Norway are very similar to those of America including language and communication, power structures/politics, work ethics, food and eating habits, dress, and religious beliefs.
known for decades: it pays to invest in Canada. There is a government commitment to attract foreign direct investment. Canada's government provides a competitive, welcoming climate for international business. It is committed to fiscal responsibility, deficit reduction and job creation.
Some of the characteristics that make up a modern nation-state are; the population of the territory is united in the national identity and traditions, has an official language or languages and common descent, has an organized government, shall have independence and sovereign (self-ruled), and has a defined territory and/or boarders.
Federalism is a legal concept that is centered around the concept that law is best handled as a two layered responsibility. Federalism is also built on a belief that sharing power with the local government is key to a successful governance. According to the text book, “the United States was the first nation to adopt federalism as its governing framework” (pg83). The following are a few examples of some advantages, as well as disadvantages of Federalism.