Kurt Jacobsen Knihy

This book tells the dramatic story of the Danish company GN Store Nord and its founder, industrialist and visionary C.F. Tietgen, the forefather of modern communication. C.F. Tietgen and the Great Northern Telegraph Company made history when they set up telegraph cables in China and Japan in 1870-1871 and thus connected the two countries with the rest of the world through the world-wide communication network. Soon transatlantic submarine cables across the Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean followed.Through the 19th and 20th centuries the company endured rivals, revolutions, and civil wars in China and Russia, conflicts and wars in the Pacific Ocean and East Asia, the terror during Stalin's reign, and not least two world wars and the Cold War up until today's globalised and digitalised world.The story of the book moves through government offices and imperial chambers in China, Russia, Japan, and UK, the construction of telegraph lines in Chinese paddy fields, and cable-laying in unknown waters, travels on horseback through the impassable Siberia, and seminal decisions in contemporary boardrooms.

Today Novo Nordisk is Denmark’s largest industrial enterprise and one of the most highly valued companies in the world. The company is a global leader in pharmaceuticals for the treatment of diabetes, hemophilia disorders, and obesity, and it has positioned itself at the forefront with re-gard to social responsibility, environmental protection, and sustainability.For the first time, this book tells the whole story of a basement business that was built into a global pharmaceutical company. It all began in 1922, when insulin came to Denmark and inspired the establishment of two companies, Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium and Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium. After many years of fierce rivalry, the two companies merged in 1989 in order to be able to survive in global competition. Soon after, years of merger negotiations brought Novo Nordisk to the brink of moving out of Denmark.The story of Novo Nordisk is a story of groundbreaking research and big bets but also of setbacks and crises. A story of strong leaders and personalities but also of family struggles and company infighting. The book is based on full and unhindered access to the company’s archives.