| Summary/Abstract |
SWITZERLAND holds a special place in Europe. It has one of the world's most stable and competitive economies, which uses the cluster model of organization and is based on sectors that have traditionally given competitive advantages to Switzerland such as high-tech industries, including the manufacturing of watches and precision machinery, the pharmaceutical industry, the manufacturing of some food products, and the service sector. Switzerland owes these advantages to customization for specific clienteles, to a relatively large share of capital-intensive and high-tech products in its total output, to high-standard after-sales service, to its convenient geographical location, and to the effective use of resources, and to the Swiss national character with its self-discipline and sense of responsibility. Switzerland's best-performing sectors are industries that need skilled labor and relatively low inputs of raw materials, and are chiefly export-oriented.
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