Corruption could potentially concern many companies operating on international markets. In fact, in various countries the business environment is often characterized by systemic bribery, facilitation payments and kickbacks used to solve bureaucratic and administrative processes between private and public companies.
Due to their size, their limited resources and capabilities to avoid it, the companies that suffer mostly from corruption are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs): for many of them the fact of winning a particular contract, to be granted a license or to be able to sell a product in good time is often essential for their own existence, so when influential people offer their help… they may decide to accept it. What SMEs often do not know is that such acts are considered as a criminal offence in Switzerland and therefore subject to prosecution.
This event is multi-purpose:
– inform Ticino based SMEs on the corruption risks they may incur while doing international business transactions
– make them aware of the pertinent criminal law regulations in Switzerland
– provide them with the necessary instruments to prevent and fight against corruption.
Program:
16.30 Welcome speech
Marco Passalia, Deputy Director, Cc-Ti
16.40 Introduction on corruption and Corruption Perceptions Index
Eric Martin, President of Transparency International Switzerland, former Swiss Ambassador to the OECD and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements
16.55 Corruption: risks for SMEs
Thorsten Vogl, Vice-President Swisscham Africa
17.25 Support by the Federal Administration and the local Swiss Embassies
Barbara Maurer, Scientific Collaborator, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
17.45 Corruption prevention and avoidance strategies
Prof. Dr. Christian Hauser, Professor of Business Economics and International Management at the Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship (SIFE) at the University of Applied Sciences HTW Chur
18.15 Q&A – Conclusions
Monica Zurfluh, Head of S-GE Southern Switzerland
18.30 Networking apero