The European Business Review May/June 2020

Franziska Gsell has been the Chief Marketing Officer of IWC Schaffhausen since 2015 and also chairs the company’s Sustainability Committee. In this interview, she talks about what the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer does to become an environmentally and socially responsible company, and what it takes to create a great working environment. Q Franziska, what does sustainability mean for IWC as a company and yourself personally? A Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. IWC Schaffhausen has been manufacturing high-quality mechanical timepieces since 1868. Our watches are made with a combination of innovative technology and skills that are part of the cultural heritage of Switzerland, and they are designed to last for generations. The long life of our products is matched by our longterm thinking, and this concept of longevity has…

Fast-growing Italy-based company Mind The Value has made a name for itself with its consultancy services in support of management, operations, decision-making, and business and systems integration. Here, company president Giuseppe Zagami fills us in on what makes the company tick, and outlines how he envisions the future of management consultancy. Q Hello, Mr Zagami! Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk to us. Could we begin with a few words about your workday? What does a normal day look like for you? “There are no notmal days in my job; even the most normal day at the end turns out to be totally abnormal” A Hello, it is a pleasure talking to you. There are no normal days in my job; even the most normal day at…

The voice of customers (VOC) is recognized as vitally important in marketing and corporate communication. VOC is a key source of market insights and intelligence as well as feedback in relation to products and services. Customer insights and feedback are formally collected through market research, customer satisfaction surveys, net promoter score (NPS) surveys, and mechanisms such as customer councils and panels, as well as through phone calls to call centres, complaints, and website and social media comments. Also, the voice of employees (VOE) is increasingly recognized as important for understanding organizational engagement, satisfaction, loyalty, retention, and productivity. A Harvard Business Review survey found that 71% of participants rated “high level of employee engagement” as a factor most likely to bring business success, exceeded only by high levels of customer service and…

For customers in B2B and B2C environments, the true providers of the services they consume have become invisible. In this review, we gather the opinions of service providers and service managers in the airline, banking, telecommunications, beauty, education, retail, packaging and automotive sectors. Our interviews and supportive research allow us to gather very important insights and to contextualize certain realities of the importance and value that is given to service in each sector. We finish by pointing to some key factors that may encourage leaders to recognize the value of services, in order to take service excellence back into their strategies for the future. Invisible Service Providers – A side effect of efficiency and technological progress? In this article we define “service invisibility” as an evolving trend that, thanks mostly to technological advancements…

Dr. Fernanda Arreola is a Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at École de Management Léonard de Vinci where she is head of the Business Research Group. Her research focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship with a specific interest on the governance of innovative business practices. Alfonso Castañeda is the Customer Service Director at the COESIA Group, where he leads a transformation program to implement best-in-class processes, methods and tools for after sales service management, with a special focus on developing a customer-centric mindset.…

In times of uncertainty, investing abroad is an effective way to protect your personal portfolio. The tropical paradise of Belize is one investment location that is well worth taking into consideration. Here, Luigi Wewege, Senior Vice President and Head of Private Banking of Caye International Bank, sets out what the country has to offer. Q We’ve seen a lot of instability in the world economic situation in recent times. How would you describe the current local economic climate and prospects for the future in Belize? A With agriculture and tourism, the key elements of Belize’s economy, the country has a core strength to help it bounce back from global economic instability. The land, the ocean and the reef are sustainable natural resources that will help with its recovery. Q For someone who is…