KMU und Ästhetik – Grundpfeiler konsequenter Kundenorientierung (SMEs and Aesthetics – The Intricate Cornerstone of Consistent Customer Orientation)

«Probably more than fifty years ago now, one morning in the middle of October, it was snowing in Appenzellerland. On waking up and looking out of the window, I saw snow, lots of snow! I was overjoyed and within seconds had jumped out of bed and into my clothes, boots on, off I went outside. School, breakfast, brushing my teeth … I wasn't interested in any of that right then! To feel the snow, to dive in headfirst, to smell the snowflakes, to tilt my head back and catch them like flying stars right on my tongue – that was all that mattered. Taking handfuls of snow in my hands, squeezing it to make a ball, while the snow was melting between my fingers. This feeling of snow was precious and exciting. Of course, I missed my targets with my snowball, but these treasured moments are fixed in my memory: the surprise and uniqueness of snow in October, just sheer joy. This is exactly how aesthetics should touch us.»
Urs Fueglistaller works at the KMU-HSG at the University of St.Gallen. He has been committed to the interests and needs of SMEs from a practical as well as a research perspective for many years.