Opening a Business in Switzerland Research Paper

Opening a Business in Switzerland - Research Paper Example Switzerland is a democratic country with good relations with a vast majority of countries across the globe. Swiss workplace is decentralized with respect to power. There is an informal culture wherein employees freely interact with the managers and also expect to be involved in decision making. There is great respect for values and traditions in Switzerland. The opportunities of doing business in Switzerland include low tax rates tax exemptions, and business without licensing in some cases whereas the risks include the need to rely upon imports and the debt crisis that the Swiss banking sector is currently facing. With proper planning of the business and prudent management of resources, there is a lot of room for expansion of business in Switzerland. There is a whole procedure of establishing a new business in Switzerland that includes activities like registering the company, getting the signatures over the application form notarized, obtaining a legal entity, paying the stamp tax at the bank, registering for the VAT, and acquiring social insurance for the employees. II. Country Profile Location and size/population The total area of Switzerland is 41285 km2. Switzerland shares its boundary with Italy, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria. There are three main geographic divisions in Switzerland; Alps that covers about 60 per cent of the total area, Middle Land that makes up to 30 per cent of the area, and Jura that 10 per cent of the land (about.ch, 2012). As of July, 2011, the population of Switzerland was 7,655,628 (indexmundi.com, 2012). Topography and climate Almost two-thirds of the total land of Switzerland constitutes forests, mountains, and lakes. About 20 per cent of the Alps are hosted by Switzerland. â€Å"Approximately 100 peaks are close to or higher than 4000 meters (13125 feet) above sea level† (about.ch, 2012). There are many lakes in Switzerland that include the Lake Geneva and numerous little lakes. Glaciers constitute above 3000 km2 of the total area in Switzerland, though they are decreasing with the passage of time. Switzerland lies in the transition zone from the climatic perspective. The Atlantic ocean influences the west. There occurs frequent rainfall in Switzerland because of the moisture brought in with the winds. In the east, continental climate prevails whereas there is a climatic divide at the alps. Towards the alps’ south, the Mediterranean climate prevails. Natural resources Switzerland has almost no mineral resources because of which, most of the natural resources are imported and processed and then used or resold in the form of different kinds of products. The most important part of Swiss economy is services that include but are not limited to tourism, assurances, and banking. A very important part of the Swiss economy is farming. However, despite the country’s dependence on farming, Swiss farmers’ production is insufficient to meet the needs of the population which is w hy Switzerland has to import goods from other countries to meet the demand. Language and religion Switzerland has about four national languages that include French, Romanish, German, and Italian. The largest followed religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholic which is the religion of 47.6 per cent of the population, 44.3 per cent of the people are