Encounter with Bayer

Up close and personal with the global enterprise from Leverkusen, Germany Bayer is a prime example of a modern industrial conglomerate: large, diverse and international. While characterized by tradition and familiarity to those who know it, the company is perceived by outsiders as enormously complex. And yet it is interwoven with society on many levels: as an employer, as an innovator and as a stock market heavyweight. What happens in Bayer's offices, laboratories and production plants impacts countless lives every day. Drawing on expert historical analysis, the author combines facts and statements with narrative to trace key aspects in the development of the chemical and pharmaceutical enterprise since its re-establishment in 1951. Instead of following the company’s history in chronological order, the book explores Bayer’s different relationships with society – from research and environmental protection, to its significance to the financial markets, to its corporate social responsibility.