Successful cooperation between Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH
The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has implemented a successful cooperation project in the field of occupational health management (OHM) together with Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH in Görlitz. A total of 20 students from the Master's degree in Healthcare Managementand the Bachelor's degree in International Business Communication took part in this collaboration.
The project was carried out in the winter semester from 01.10.2024 to 28.02.2025. The cooperation took place within the modules "Health Sciences" and "Research Seminar - Health-oriented Business Management" at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The project manager on the part of the university was Daniel Reimann, M.A., who led the implementation and coordination of the collaboration as a lecturer. The project was sponsored by the Faculty of Management and Cultural Studies at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
During the project, the students gained valuable insights into various aspects of occupational health management and were able to gain practical experience. At the same time, Birkenstock Productions benefited from the students' new perspectives and was able to gain innovative approaches for its own corporate health strategy.
A special feature of this project is the bilingual employee structure at Birkenstock. This provides an exciting basis for analyzing intercultural communication. The students on the International Business Communication course are investigating these linguistic and cultural dynamics. They analyze how communication works in this environment and develop strategies for successful integration. The result is a practical approach to intercultural business communication.
"We rate the cooperation with the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the Master's students very positively. The students have succeeded in analyzing and working through specific issues that we can take into account and incorporate into our OHM measures in the future," says Ronny Löchel, HR Business Partner at Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH, looking back on a successful collaboration.
This successful collaboration will continue in the future in order to further deepen the mutual exchange of knowledge and learn from each other. Birkenstock Productions is actively involved in regional training in Görlitz, thereby strengthening the development of skilled workers locally. At the same time, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences promotes networking with regional companies and promotes the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice.
The cooperation project impressively demonstrates how university and business can work hand in hand to provide students with practical experience and enrich companies with fresh ideas.
