SwissCorp
12-12-2004, 07:18
[ooc: I'll be RPing only within the Modern World group for the time being and so all stats are based on modern Switzerland, with a little rejigging for the unique situation of SwissCorp. Feeback from others is welcome, though]
SwissCorp World Factbook
http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/switzerland--80.jpg
Geography
Location
Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Area
41,290 sq km
border countries Austria (NPC), France (Elkazor), Italy (NPC), Liechtenstein (NPC), Germany (NPC)
[ooc: I feel lonely]
Climate
temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Natural resources
hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use
arable land 10.42%
permanent crops 0.61%
other 88.97% (2001)
People
Life expectancy at birth
total population 80 years
male 76.5 years
female 83 years
[ooc: this is slightly less than the RL figure, I'm assuming more people will drop dead from work related stress]
Ethnic groups
German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Religions
Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)
Languages
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%
Government
Country name
conventional long form The Swiss National Corporation
conventional short form SwissCorp
local long form Die Schweizerische Korporation (German), La Compagnie Suisse (French), La Compagnia Svizzera (Italian)
local short form SchweizKorp (German), SuisseComp (French), SvizzComp (Italian)
Government type
Incorporated State
Capital
Bern
Administrative divisions
26 subsidiary corporations, formerly known as Cantons.
National holidays
Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
IPO of The Swiss National Corporation, 19 Janurary (1989)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal. Votes are allocated according to shareholding. The total number of shares in SwissCorp is set at 180 times the national population. All persons born in or permitted permanent residence within the borders of SwissCorp are given 100 non-transferable shares at birth. The remaining shares are freely traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SWX).
Executive branch
head of state Chairman Veronica SCHUBER (since 1 January 2004); Vice Chairman Bertrand JANOT (since 1 January 2004);
head of government Chief Executive Officer Heinrich WEBER (since 1 January 2004);
elections The Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are elected during AGMs on four year terms. Elections are held at alternating 2 year periods. Both positions are also subject to votes of no confidence at either AGMs or Extraordinary General Meetings
election results Albert SCHUBER elected Chairman; percent of shareholder vote - 78.7%; Heinrich WEBER elected CEO; percent of shareholder vote - 36.4 %
Cabinet Board of Directors appointed by the Chief Executive Officer but subject to approval by a majority of shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders.
Notable board members
Chief Financial Officer Uwe VORBECK
Director of Human Resources Stefano CAMORANI
Director of Public Relations Micehelle PORTEAUX
Director of Imports and Exports Franz PREUSS
Director of Legal Affairs Christian BONIG
Director of Training, Research and Development Elsa GRUBACH
Director of Welfare Lorella FALSINI
Director of Infrastructure Management Phillipe MARIN
Director of Security Martin KESER
Legislative branch
There is no legislative branch to speak of. Laws are decreed by members of the Board of Directors within the scope of their own departments. All laws are subject to repeal at AGMs, or in extreme cases EGMs, however.
Judicial branch
Federal Supreme Court (judges appointed by the Council of Experts)
Political parties and leaders
Of the many political parties that existed prior to the IPO only the Workers' Party (socialist) lead by Karl BÜRSTNER and Ticino League (regionalist) lead by Giuliano BIGNASCA remain as political parties in the traditional sense. Other parties have either disintegrated, as candidates elected to stand as individuals for national or local board positions, or have become NGOs in order to gain a position on the Council of Experts.
Note
There is also a consultative body, the Council of Experts, that has significant influence over government policy as well as power of appointment over the judiciary and independent commissions. Directors are required by the constitution to consult the Council before making any legislative decisions. Though directors are not required to follow the Council's recommendations the recommendations are put into public record, assuring that any director who goes against the Council will be under pressure to ensure their policy decisions deliver success.
All non-governmental organisations whose administrators are democratically appointed and who have over 1,000 members are automatically granted one seat on the council. Larger organisations receive more seats. In addition the Swiss Armed Forces have 8 seats, 3 for the army, 3 for the air force and 2 for the administrative and logistical branches.
Economy
Economy - overview
The economy of SwissCorp is fairly unique in the Modern World. Direct federal taxation is virtually non-existent, government revenue instead comes almost entirely from direct payments for Corporation services. Individuals pay to use Corporation roads, courts and administrative facilities. Businesses pay a yearly flat fee, regardless of size, to register within the borders of the Corporation and can choose to pay for Corporation services such as security, legal protection and representation at international trade meetings. Subsidiary (cantonal) corporations often levy yearly flat fees for individuals to pay for basic services but differ widely in policies towards businesses.
Most government services have been privatised since the IPO. The Corporation continues to maintain the Swiss military, police forces, courts, education and general administration. The Corporation maintains a monopoly over the military and administration but in all other fields there is much private competition. The Corporation also provides highly competitive loan and insurance schemes for healthcare and other welfare services.
Due to the lack of natural resources in the country the main industrial sectors are high-level manufacturing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and services. Since the IPO removed ethical trade barriers a number of high-tech arms manufacturers have moved operations to the Corporation.
GDP
purchasing power parity - $277.8 billion (2004 est.)
[ooc: I've assumed the new system would have resulted in a 1% average annual increase in GDP.]
GDP - real growth rate
0.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $37,960 (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
3.2% (2004 est.)
[ooc: after much wrangling I decided to lower the unemployment rate .5%. Switzerland has a pretty free labour market already so there would not be too many extra job losses and there would probably be significant gains as a lot of foreign companies move in]
Industries
machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Exports - commodities
machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products, military technology
Imports - commodities
machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles, crude oil, natural gas
Economic aid - donor
$650 million
Government policy is that free trade is more valuable than aid, though aid is usually provided to countries facing severe humanitarian crises.
Currency
Swiss franc
Transnational Issues
International disputes
None
Further information
The traditional ideal of Swiss neutrality has been expanded since the IPO. SwissCorp foreign policy is not to take part in any embargoes, sanctions or other punitive actions that may hamper trade. In an attempt to appear wholly impartial, and thus not arouse any suspicions amongst future trade partners, SwissCorp forces do not take part in any peace-keeping operations. SwissCorp foreign policy, then, is mostly concerned with removing remaining trade barriers worldwide and helping create a stable environment worldwide through advocating and helping create treaties and conferences.
SwissCorp World Factbook
http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/switzerland--80.jpg
Geography
Location
Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Area
41,290 sq km
border countries Austria (NPC), France (Elkazor), Italy (NPC), Liechtenstein (NPC), Germany (NPC)
[ooc: I feel lonely]
Climate
temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Natural resources
hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use
arable land 10.42%
permanent crops 0.61%
other 88.97% (2001)
People
Life expectancy at birth
total population 80 years
male 76.5 years
female 83 years
[ooc: this is slightly less than the RL figure, I'm assuming more people will drop dead from work related stress]
Ethnic groups
German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Religions
Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)
Languages
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%
Government
Country name
conventional long form The Swiss National Corporation
conventional short form SwissCorp
local long form Die Schweizerische Korporation (German), La Compagnie Suisse (French), La Compagnia Svizzera (Italian)
local short form SchweizKorp (German), SuisseComp (French), SvizzComp (Italian)
Government type
Incorporated State
Capital
Bern
Administrative divisions
26 subsidiary corporations, formerly known as Cantons.
National holidays
Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
IPO of The Swiss National Corporation, 19 Janurary (1989)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal. Votes are allocated according to shareholding. The total number of shares in SwissCorp is set at 180 times the national population. All persons born in or permitted permanent residence within the borders of SwissCorp are given 100 non-transferable shares at birth. The remaining shares are freely traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SWX).
Executive branch
head of state Chairman Veronica SCHUBER (since 1 January 2004); Vice Chairman Bertrand JANOT (since 1 January 2004);
head of government Chief Executive Officer Heinrich WEBER (since 1 January 2004);
elections The Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are elected during AGMs on four year terms. Elections are held at alternating 2 year periods. Both positions are also subject to votes of no confidence at either AGMs or Extraordinary General Meetings
election results Albert SCHUBER elected Chairman; percent of shareholder vote - 78.7%; Heinrich WEBER elected CEO; percent of shareholder vote - 36.4 %
Cabinet Board of Directors appointed by the Chief Executive Officer but subject to approval by a majority of shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders.
Notable board members
Chief Financial Officer Uwe VORBECK
Director of Human Resources Stefano CAMORANI
Director of Public Relations Micehelle PORTEAUX
Director of Imports and Exports Franz PREUSS
Director of Legal Affairs Christian BONIG
Director of Training, Research and Development Elsa GRUBACH
Director of Welfare Lorella FALSINI
Director of Infrastructure Management Phillipe MARIN
Director of Security Martin KESER
Legislative branch
There is no legislative branch to speak of. Laws are decreed by members of the Board of Directors within the scope of their own departments. All laws are subject to repeal at AGMs, or in extreme cases EGMs, however.
Judicial branch
Federal Supreme Court (judges appointed by the Council of Experts)
Political parties and leaders
Of the many political parties that existed prior to the IPO only the Workers' Party (socialist) lead by Karl BÜRSTNER and Ticino League (regionalist) lead by Giuliano BIGNASCA remain as political parties in the traditional sense. Other parties have either disintegrated, as candidates elected to stand as individuals for national or local board positions, or have become NGOs in order to gain a position on the Council of Experts.
Note
There is also a consultative body, the Council of Experts, that has significant influence over government policy as well as power of appointment over the judiciary and independent commissions. Directors are required by the constitution to consult the Council before making any legislative decisions. Though directors are not required to follow the Council's recommendations the recommendations are put into public record, assuring that any director who goes against the Council will be under pressure to ensure their policy decisions deliver success.
All non-governmental organisations whose administrators are democratically appointed and who have over 1,000 members are automatically granted one seat on the council. Larger organisations receive more seats. In addition the Swiss Armed Forces have 8 seats, 3 for the army, 3 for the air force and 2 for the administrative and logistical branches.
Economy
Economy - overview
The economy of SwissCorp is fairly unique in the Modern World. Direct federal taxation is virtually non-existent, government revenue instead comes almost entirely from direct payments for Corporation services. Individuals pay to use Corporation roads, courts and administrative facilities. Businesses pay a yearly flat fee, regardless of size, to register within the borders of the Corporation and can choose to pay for Corporation services such as security, legal protection and representation at international trade meetings. Subsidiary (cantonal) corporations often levy yearly flat fees for individuals to pay for basic services but differ widely in policies towards businesses.
Most government services have been privatised since the IPO. The Corporation continues to maintain the Swiss military, police forces, courts, education and general administration. The Corporation maintains a monopoly over the military and administration but in all other fields there is much private competition. The Corporation also provides highly competitive loan and insurance schemes for healthcare and other welfare services.
Due to the lack of natural resources in the country the main industrial sectors are high-level manufacturing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and services. Since the IPO removed ethical trade barriers a number of high-tech arms manufacturers have moved operations to the Corporation.
GDP
purchasing power parity - $277.8 billion (2004 est.)
[ooc: I've assumed the new system would have resulted in a 1% average annual increase in GDP.]
GDP - real growth rate
0.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $37,960 (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
3.2% (2004 est.)
[ooc: after much wrangling I decided to lower the unemployment rate .5%. Switzerland has a pretty free labour market already so there would not be too many extra job losses and there would probably be significant gains as a lot of foreign companies move in]
Industries
machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Exports - commodities
machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products, military technology
Imports - commodities
machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles, crude oil, natural gas
Economic aid - donor
$650 million
Government policy is that free trade is more valuable than aid, though aid is usually provided to countries facing severe humanitarian crises.
Currency
Swiss franc
Transnational Issues
International disputes
None
Further information
The traditional ideal of Swiss neutrality has been expanded since the IPO. SwissCorp foreign policy is not to take part in any embargoes, sanctions or other punitive actions that may hamper trade. In an attempt to appear wholly impartial, and thus not arouse any suspicions amongst future trade partners, SwissCorp forces do not take part in any peace-keeping operations. SwissCorp foreign policy, then, is mostly concerned with removing remaining trade barriers worldwide and helping create a stable environment worldwide through advocating and helping create treaties and conferences.