Les Roches Ranked Among Top 5 Higher Education Institutions for Hospitality and Leisure Management
Bluche (Switzerland), 15 March 2017—Les Roches Global Hospitality Education was ranked number 4 of the world’s top institutions for Hospitality and Leisure Management, and number 2 worldwide for employer reputation by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, released on 8 March.
The QS World University Rankings categorize the world’s top universities by subject areas, covering 46 different subjects in 2017. The rankings aim to help prospective students identify the world’s leading schools in their chosen field of study, extending the list of subjects each year in response to a high demand for subject-level comparisons. In the Hospitality and Leisure Management category, the survey included two criteria: academic and employer rating, used to assess institutions’ reputation among international scholars and industry leaders. In 2017, the QS World University Rankings draw on survey responses from 74,651 academics and 40,643 responses from graduate employers worldwide.
“Les Roches continues to provide students with the highest-quality hospitality management education rooted in the Swiss tradition of excellence across a global network of five campuses on four continents,” said Sonia Tatar, CEO Worldwide of Les Roches. “The goal of every hospitality management school is to prepare future leaders to evolve and successfully compete in a rapidly changing world to shape the industry of tomorrow. This survey confirms that employers appreciate the unique nature of our education model, combining experiential learning with digital innovations and an entrepreneurial approach.” Les Roches’ parent company Sommet Education strives to prepare graduates for success in the hospitality industry of tomorrow through academic rigor, skills-based learning and a multicultural outlook. According to the same survey, Sommet Education is the only network with two institutions ranked among the world’s top 5 institutions for employer reputation. “We welcome the QS World University Rankings by Subject to include hospitality for the first time and are pleased to see both our schools represented in the top 5 institutions for employer reputation,” said Benoît-Etienne Domenget, CEO of Sommet Education. “The survey supports Les Roches’ innovative and international teaching approach to equip students with the entrepreneurial and business management skills required in this dynamic global industry.”
PRESS RELEASE
About Les Roches Global Hospitality Education
Founded in 1954, Les Roches is a private institution based on the Swiss model of
experiential learning, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of
hospitality, tourism and event management. Les Roches prepares entrepreneurial and
innovative graduates across a global network of campuses in Switzerland, Spain, the US,
China and Jordan.
Les Roches is accredited at the university level by the New England Association of Schools
From the giving of presents to the food and drink consumed, every European country has its own customs surrounding Christmas. The Local unwraps the festive traditions in Switzerland so you can have yourself a merry Swiss Christmas.
Get baking!
Photo: Theo Crazzolara
Once the Advent calendar has been hung up it’s time to don an apron and look out the star-shaped cookie cutters.
“Many families, especially those with children, make and decorate their own Christmas cookies. It is an important family event where kids and parents participate,” says Katalin Fekete, co-author of the Swiss Cookies recipe book.
Milanese (Mailänderli) lemon shortbreads, cinnamon stars (Zimtsterne) and little Swiss “brownies” (Brunsli) are traditional in the German-speaking part, but have now spread to other parts of Switzerland. There are also regional specialities, such as aniseed cookies (Anischräbeli) from the canton of Aargau, leckerli spice biscuits from Basel and tirggel honey biscuits from Zurich.
“Rum balls (Rumkugeln) and Swiss chocolate truffles (truffes) are popular nowadays too, especially to give away as a present,” says Fekete.
Make your cookies (‘guetzli’ in German) in time for December 6th – St Nicholas Day – when the Swiss Santa visits. Another confection to try your hand at is the grittibaenz (bonhomme), a bread man with currant eyes that is associated with the saint’s day.
Welcome the Swiss Santa
Photo: Charles Christen, www.lebendigetraditionen.ch
December 6th is when it all gets going. St Nicholas himself (known as Samichlaus in German) processes through towns in Catholic Switzerland after leaving treats for the children overnight in shoes left outside the door.
Although he is dressed in red like the Santa Claus many of us are familiar with, the Swiss Santa is less of a grandfatherly figure. He is usually accompanied by a dark-robed helper (Père fouettard or Schmutzli) carrying a whip or broom of twigs as a warning to ‘naughty’ children. And instead of reindeer Samichlaus often has a donkey in tow.
“St Nicholas comes to the central square of our village where all the children are gathered. He tells a story and all the children receive a sack with sweets after they have recited a poem,” says Alexa Tschan from Lugnorre near Murten.
“When I was a child he would visit the house, carrying a big book with everything we’d done wrong written in it. We’d get told off. And I was really frightened of having to recite a poem,” she tells The Local.
Make gifts
Photo: Alan Cleaver
The DIY-happy Swiss like nothing better than to make their own Christmas presents, or to help their children make them. A Migros magazine survey from 2014 found that for 73 percent of Swiss present-making with the kids was a Christmas ritual.
“I always make presents with the children that they can give to their grandparents, to us and to their godparents,” says Tschan, who is the mother of teenage boys. “This year we are making lipsalves, body lotion and soap.”
Decorate the tree
Photo: Hannah Webb
Not content with just making gifts, many families also make their own tree decorations, according to the survey. If you don’t want to make your own, traditional straw stars and figures for the tree can be bought at Christmas markets around the country and also make great gifts.
The fir tree – in most cases real – is usually decorated on the 24th but the children are only allowed in to see it in the evening, according to cultural traditions expert Dr Konrad Kuhn. The tree stays up until Epiphany (Three Kings’ Day) on January 6th.
“Tree candles are very popular and widespread in Switzerland – despite the risk of fire and to the incomprehension of many expats,” Kuhn tells The Local.
In fact, every year there are reports of the fire brigade being called out to extinguish Christmas tree fires. “Electric lights, especially blinking strings of lights, don’t impress the Swiss at all, “ says the cultural scholar.
Spend Christmas Eve with family
For the majority of Swiss the evening of the 24th is spent with the extended family. The tree is decorated and the candles lit, presents are shared, carols are sung, music is played and a meal is shared.
Who brings the children’s gifts depends on where you live and your religion. “In German-speaking Switzerland – mainly Protestant areas – it is the Christkind (Christ child), which is a relatively new phenomenon,” says Kuhn. “In western Switzerland, and increasingly in Catholic regions, it is Père Noël or the Weihnachtsmann, a close relation of Santa Claus.”
Tschan describes the Christkind as “a baby Jesus with wings”. Recalling her childhood, she says “We had to stay in our rooms until the Christkind rang a bell, which was the sign that we could enter the living room. But sadly by that time the Christkind had already flown off out the window!”
After the presents are opened it’s time for the Christmas meal, followed – for traditionalists – by a visit to a midnight church service.
Have a fondue
Photo: Johann H Addicks
While there’s no ‘traditional’ Christmas dinner in Switzerland, a classic choice for the sociable Swiss is fondue chinoise. Instead of cheese, thin slices of meat are dipped into a shared pot of steaming broth and eaten with vegetables and other accompaniments.
“The reason is the relative simplicity of the preparation – everyone cooks their own meat and can choose their sauce, accompaniments etc.,” according to Kuhn, who sees this as a sign of our individualized society. “At the same time, fondue is the epitome of a pleasant meal among friends and family,” he says.
In French-speaking Switzerland a roast is often served, and in the Italian-speaking south a dish is eaten that isn’t known elsewhere in the country – trotters with lentils. If that’s not to your taste, pasta is also eaten at this time of year.
When it comes to the dessert, a Christmas log (bûche de noel) is a popular choice. And if you must have a cake, think light and airy rather than dense and fruity. “Panettone used to be the typical Christmas cake in the Italian-speaking part but it is now sold all year round in Switzerland,” says Fekete.
Original article from The Local (www.thelocal.ch)
Thai translation by Ekthana Education Services
วันอังคารที่ 16 พฤศจิกายนที่ผ่านมา เอกธนา เอ็ดยูเคชั่น เซอร์วิสเซส ร่วมมือกับ Swiss Learning และ Black Tie Services จัดงาน A Journey In the World of Excellence ในบรรยากาศปาร์ตี้น้ำชายามบ่าย ณ ห้องเดอะ เรสซิเดนซ์ โรงแรมแกรนด์ ไฮแอท เอราวัณกรุงเทพ โดยเชิญลูกค้ามาฟังข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับการศึกษาสวิสและสุดยอดโรงเรียนประจำชื่อดังของโลก
Ekthana Education Services, together with Glion and Les Roches, the world’s top hospitality management schools, hosts a special Hospitality Dinner at BBQ Terrace, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok for over 80 counselling teachers across Asia including China to exchange information about their schools and learn more about hospitality management education especially our brand new specializations: New Venture Creation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The darker the sky gets, the more spectacular the sight of Chaopraya River becomes. All the counselling teacher start to get to know each other and exchange information about their school’s education whilst enjoy zipping our special cocktails.
We are delighted to see everyone having a wonderful time on this Friday night. Not only appreciaite the beauty of the Chaopraya Riverver, they also have an opportunity to exchange information about their school’s education and learn more about “New Venture Creation”, “Innovation” and “Entrepreneurship” from Glion and Les Roches.
A small, Alpine country that lacks raw materials, Switzerland has had no choice but to continually reinvent itself over the centuries, developing alternative sources of income, such as agriculture, tourism and its service sector. What’s the secret of its success, and how long can it continue?
Well into the 18th century, Switzerland was known primarily for the Alps, cows and sheep. “O learn to know this shepherd people, boy!” wrote Friedrich Schiller in his play “William Tell,” referring to Switzerland.
Today, 200 years later, Switzerland is known for its innovative capacity and strong economy. It tops the major international rankings for innovation.
Patents are another indicator for measuring innovative success. Between 1985 and 2014, the number of patent applications worldwide nearly tripled, to just under 2.7 million annually. Over 43,000 applications were submitted in Switzerland in 2014. In absolute terms, Switzerland ranks eighth in the world; on a per-capita basis, it is number one (source: WIPO).
Lacking natural resources, Switzerland has always been forced to innovate. Given the country’s small and highly fragmented internal market, early on Swiss companies also had to look for foreign markets for their goods, and they had to be productive enough to compete internationally. Since the country was largely spared the ravages of the Second World War, it was in an excellent position, with intact, export-oriented production facilities, to benefit from Europe’s post-war reconstruction. Also helpful were Switzerland’s liberal, stability-oriented economic policy and traditional emphasis on hard work, dedication and education.
43,000 patent applications were submitted in 2014 in Switzerland
Skilled Migrants
Another factor has played an important role throughout Swiss history: immigration. From the 16th to 18th centuries, there were waves of immigration as Protestant Huguenots from France sought at least temporary refuge in Geneva. Many of them were wealthy or highly skilled in a trade.
One of their contributions was to bring the manufacture of portable timepieces to Geneva, which was a stroke of luck for the members of Geneva’s venerable goldsmith trade, whose source of income had been eliminated by Calvin’s strict ban on jewelry. The ban did not apply to watches, which were not considered jewelry. This marked the beginning of the Swiss watch industry.
After Switzerland was established as a liberal, federal state in 1848, political refugees fleeing the absolute monarchies of Europe arrived in Switzerland. Among them were professors from Germany, who helped to build up the new Swiss universities. As the pace of industrialization accelerated in the second half of the 19th century, Switzerland ultimately became one of the classic immigration countries, a development driven primarily by the high demand for labor.
>60% of annual expenditure on research and development in Switzerland is financed directly by the private sector
Foreign Investment
Throughout the centuries, Switzerland has also been able to attract highly qualified workers who have played a crucial role in its economic development. Today, more than 60 percent of annual expenditures on research and development, totaling approximately 18 billion Swiss francs, are financed directly by the private sector.
About a quarter of the funds come from the government, the rest from foreign investors. Switzerland ranks about average, compared with other countries, for the level of public financing relative to its gross domestic product (GDP).
The driving force behind Switzerland’s impressive success at achieving innovation is the business sector, particularly large companies. ABB, Roche, Nestlé and Novartis applied for between 400 and 600 patents each in 2014.
According to data from the European Patent Office, this puts them among the top 50 patent applicants in Europe. Switzerland’s small and medium-sized businesses, too, are international leaders in taking advantage of the latest knowledge for their own innovation processes and manufacturing high-quality, specialized products for international niche markets.
In a survey of companies conducted by Credit Suisse in 2014, about ten percent of all industrial SMEs reported that they were global market leaders for at least one of their core products. Thirty percent were market leaders for at least one core product in at least one country.
200patents a year are applied for by The Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne
World Renowned Institutions
Along with private industry, the higher education sector plays an important role in Switzerland’s innovative capacity – for example, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) and EPFL in Lausanne. Those two universities are in the top 20 worldwide. The central mandate of Switzerland’s institutes of technology is to promote innovation. Each year, more than 2,000 graduates of master’s degree programs and more than 1,000 PhDs leave ETHZ and EPFL to join the private sector. The two institutes also conduct basic research and partner with the private sector and public agencies to produce successful, market-ready innovations through the transfer of knowledge and technology. They apply for approximately 200 patents every year, and reported 49 spin-offs in 2014 alone.
How to Stay Successful?
If Switzerland is to maintain its top position internationally, it must ensure that the necessary conditions for innovation remain in place. These include, for example, business-friendly regulations and a moderate level of domestic taxation, as well as free access to foreign markets.
In addition, it should be made as easy as possible for Swiss companies and Swiss universities to recruit skilled workers from abroad, including from non-EU/EFTA countries. Finally, Switzerland must ensure that its education system remains strong. If these basic conditions worsen, it will have a hard time competing in the international marketplace. One thing is certain: International competitors, too, are larger and faster than ever before.
