Master's students support companies
Successful Collaboration Between Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH’s Görlitz location, has successfully implemented a cooperative project in the field of workplace Health Management (WHM). A total of 20 students from the Master’s program in health care managementand the Bachelor’s program in International Business Communication participated in this collaboration.
The project took place during the winter semester from October 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025. The collaboration took place within the modules “Health Sciences” and “Research Seminar—Health-Oriented Corporate Management” at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The project leader on the university’s side was Daniel Reimann, M.A., who, as a faculty member, oversaw the implementation and coordination of the collaboration. The project was sponsored by the Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
During the project, the students gained valuable insights into various aspects of Workplace Health Management and were able to gain practical experience. At the same time, Birkenstock Productions benefited from the students’ fresh perspectives and was thereby able to develop innovative approaches for its own workplace health strategy.
A distinctive feature of this project is Birkenstock’s bilingual workforce. This provides an intriguing foundation for analyzing intercultural communication. The students in the International Business Communication program are examining these linguistic and cultural dynamics. They are analyzing how communication functions in this environment and developing strategies for successful integration. This results in a practical approach to intercultural business communication.
“We view the collaboration with Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the master’s students very positively. The students have succeeded in analyzing and addressing specific issues that we can take into account and incorporate into our workplace health management initiatives in the future,” says Ronny Löchel, HR Business Partner at Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH, reflecting on a successful collaboration.
This successful collaboration will continue in the future to further deepen the mutual exchange of knowledge and learn from one another. 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 drives the transfer of academic knowledge into practice.
This collaborative project impressively demonstrates how the university and the business community can work hand in hand to both provide students with practical experience and enrich companies with fresh ideas.
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