The company's purpose is to participate in and take an interest in enterprises of all kinds, as well as to control and promote such enterprises. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad, and may participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad. The company may acquire, hold, manage, encumber, utilize and sell real estate and intellectual property rights in Switzerland and abroad, and may finance other companies, except for transactions prohibited by the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (BewG). The company may grant secured or unsecured loans to its shareholders, direct or indirect subsidiaries, parent companies or sister companies, as well as to third parties, or provide guarantees or securities in their favor. Furthermore, it may engage in cash pooling with its group companies, including periodic account balancing, or join such an arrangement. The company may do all of this without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest or other compensation, excluding the company's profit motive and assuming cluster risks. The company may engage in all commercial, financial and other activities that appear suitable to promote the company's purpose or are related to it. In doing so, the interests and general orientation of the group to which the company belongs shall be taken into account, to the extent permitted by law.