The company primarily provides management services for its American parent company in Europe. The company fulfills this purpose by carrying out commercial and industrial business activities and managing and supervising the trade and industrial activities of other companies in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's purpose also includes scientific, economic, and industrial research of all kinds, particularly in the field of chemistry and related fields, as well as the purchase and sale, use, and exploitation of patents, patent rights, and trademark rights. The company directs its business activities, to the extent permitted, towards the group's goals. Accordingly, the company may conclude contracts and, in particular, grant loans or other financing to its direct or indirect shareholders, its direct or indirect subsidiaries, or companies in which its direct or indirect shareholders hold a direct or indirect interest, and provide security of any kind on its assets, including by pledge or fiduciary transfer or by guarantees of any kind to secure their obligations, in each case with or without compensation and even if these transactions are in the exclusive interest of third parties. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and acquire, hold, sell, or finance any type of business. The company may acquire, hold, and sell real estate, except for the ownership of residential buildings, directly or through participations subject to the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners. The company may engage in any commercial, industrial, or financial activities that are directly or indirectly related to the company's purpose and take any measures that appear to promote the company's purpose or are related to it.