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Corporate philosophy

Here you will find information about the mission statement and corporate policy of Studentenwerk Dresden.

Our mission statement

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1. How we see ourselves

Studentenwerk Dresden is a non-profit public company for the promotion and support in social, economic, cultural, and health terms of students in Dresden, Tharandt, Zittau, and Görlitz. Oriented toward the living environment of students, we fulfill our legal mandate to improve equal opportunity at universities. Our long tradition and the intensive student participation in the design and development of our programs makes us a reliable partner with great professional and technical competence. The networking of our business divisions enables us to offer our services from a single source, orienting our program toward demand and coordinating content across areas of operation.

Studentenwerk Dresden

  • Provides high-quality studies-related services to ensure the basic needs of students in everyday life and in special situations
  • Promotes social contacts, community, and cooperation
  • Brings student interests to public and political attention

In this way, in cooperation with student bodies, universities, university towns, and the Free State of Saxony, Studentenwerk Dresden helps to shape the university living environment.

Our tasks serve the public interest and are co-financed by student contribution fees and public funds. We therefore bear a high level of responsibility for the efficient and effective use of these resources and for the long-term, reliable fulfillment of our obligation to supply high-quality studies-related services to students.

At Studentenwerk Dresden, we work for the good of others. Each person has individual abilities, talents, and resources, but everyone is also imperfect and can make mistakes. We respect people in their diversity. Everyone is equal and has equal rights. As a social being, each person is dependent on community and bears responsibility for themselves, for others, and for their environment.

2. Our values

On the basis of our mission and how we understand ourselves, we feel particularly committed to the following values:

Respect

We respect the individuality of each person. For us, this means being open to the unique and showing tolerance for otherness. The basis for this is the esteem in which we hold each person. It finds its expression in respect, honesty, and friendliness.

Community

We see the individual as part of a community. Each needs the other. That is why community is a value we particularly want to promote. Trust, reliability, security, transparency, and fairness form the foundation of any functioning community. Community also demands the opportunity and the willingness for participation and cooperation.

Sustainability

We acknowledge our social responsibility and are committed to economically, ecologically, socially, and culturally sustainable action. The measure of this is our orientation towards a student environment that provides fair opportunities for studying. Sustainable action requires that we provide our services reliably and effectively in the long term. High quality and corresponding professional and technical competence as well as an economic, environmentally conscious, and law-abiding action are a prerequisite for ensuring the necessary acceptance among student bodies, universities, and society.

3. Our vision

Based on its values, Studentenwerk Dresden continually adapts the shape its mission takes to a changing environment. "Zusammen. Wirken." (Work. Together.) is the idea that guides us.

We want to have an impact.

We can only do this if our actions are oriented toward students’ living environment, taking social, political, economic, and technical developments into account.

We can only do this together.

Our most important resource are the people who are committed to our mission, both within and without Studentenwerk Dresden. Our strength is in our diversity if we see it as an opportunity.

And so we want to work together.

This applies internally—between departments and divisions, employees and management. It also applies externally—between students, prospective students and their families; universities, the Free State of Saxony, and university towns; as well as between international partners and those in other student service providers, associations, the economy, the media, and society at large.

Corporate policy

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On the basis of the above mission statement, Studentenwerk Dresden formulates the following corporate policy. It describes the demands on the actions of the entire organization where all various areas of operation must work together in order to make an impact. The principles and goals of the various areas of operation are derived from the corporate policy.

Diagram of the Studentenwerk Dresden corporate policy
Diagram of the Studentenwerk Dresden corporate policy

1. Services

Studentenwerk Dresden provides services in support of programs of study, especially in the public education sector.

Orientation toward social environment

In order to have a lasting effect, the individual offers must be oriented toward students’ social environment and the changing structures of their studies. With these services, Studentenwerk Dresden satisfies basic student needs such as Student Dining Services, Housing, Student Financing, and Communication and Culture. We offer counseling and support to students in special circumstances. In designing the services in line with the needs of the students, we also have to take into account the developments at universities, in university towns, and the market as well as social trends, and changing moral concepts and demands.

A culture of welcoming

Studentenwerk Dresden stands for a culture that welcomes all students. A respectful approach requires that the concerns and needs of students are taken seriously and that they are helped to help themselves. We expect students to treat our staff with equal respect.

Diversity

Student bodies are becoming increasingly diverse. Studentenwerk Dresden respects differences such as gender, age, origin, educational background, socialization, ideology, and lifestyle, and works through its responsibilities toward equal opportunities in studying.

Internationalization

The fulfillment of our tasks depends to a considerable extent on public funds and student contribution fees. Studentenwerk Dresden is committed to further developing its internationalization strategy, aligning its staff policy with these needs, providing necessary resources, and supporting its employees in acquiring the appropriate skills.

Financial framework

Die Erfüllung unserer Aufgaben ist in erheblichem Maße von öffentlichen Mitteln und studentischen Beiträgen abhängig. Studentenwerk Dresden is therefore faced with the constant challenge of providing its range of demand-oriented services, in high quality and with a socially acceptable price-performance ratio, even in the face of a changing financial framework. As a non-profit organization, Studentenwerk Dresden is obliged to cover its costs.

2. Company management

Studentenwerk Dresden is a non-profit institution under public law and uses commercial accounting and corporate management methods.

Organization and management

Studentenwerk Dresden strives for a decentralized organizational and management structure as well as results-oriented corporate management. We seek to strengthen our areas of operation in their responsibility for their respective fields of action while ensuring central overall management. This requires managerial understanding and the willingness to take responsibility at all levels as well as clear goals, a good flow of information between central and decentralized units, efficient controlling, and a functioning internal control system.

Process orientation

Studentenwerk Dresden uses a process-oriented control system of which quality management is the central element. Through continuous process optimization, we ensure the high quality of our services with efficient use of our resources. All measures and process performances are checked regularly for effectiveness. Through prevention we seek to avoid process-related errors from the very beginning. However, our success rate can never be 100 percent. For this reason, it is important to develop a culture of constructive criticism that allows mistakes to be openly and objectively addressed and initiates adequate corrections.

Opportunity and risk policy

Entrepreneurial activity involves both opportunities and risks. The aim of management at Studentenwerk Dresden is to fulfill our legal mandate with high quality and reliability in the long term. Since the tasks are in the public interest and are financed among others by student contribution fees and public funds, Studentenwerk Dresden must secure its resources in the long term. We operate an opportunity and risk management system which ensures that we only take risks which serve the fulfillment of our tasks and that do not compromise our obligation to supply high-quality studies-related services to students.

Compliance

The work of Studentenwerk Dresden is largely determined by the legal developments in university, social, economic, and tax policies. As a company under public law, we feel a special obligation to comply with legal requirements. The trust that underlies our public mandate requires compliance with regulations in all our areas of operation.

Sustainability

Studentenwerk Dresden is committed to sustainable action in economic, ecological, social, and cultural aspects. This applies to the services we offer, how are processes are designed, personnel development as well as the procurement of resources, especially for investments. Developments in science and technology, in particular findings on the efficient handling of resources, must be taken into account. A modern IT infrastructure as a basis for IT-supported processes increases efficiency and effectiveness and saves resources. Particular attention is paid to our mission of social sustainability, especially where objectives clash. Studentenwerk Dresden also combines a mission for aesthetic education with its goal of cultural sustainability. Therefore, when it comes to making investments, in addition to a long service life, energy efficiency, a sustainable and functional design as well as low production, operating, and maintenance costs, we pay attention to the quality of design and the art of construction.

3. Human resources

The most important resource at Studentenwerk Dresden are motivated employees. Our greatest management task in human resources management is promoting the ongoing development of Studentenwerk Dresden employees and managerial staff.

Diversity

The diversity of our employees, their skills and talents, their knowledge and experience is a strength if we succeed in using them together for our mission. It is the task of each individual and particularly of our managerial staff to develop and maintain this resource.

Employees

All employees are called upon for commitment, to treat each other with tolerance and respect, to communicate openly and constructively, and to behave in a loyal and compliant manner. In addition, they should seek to be informed about, interested in, and committed to Studentenwerk Dresden beyond their own area of operation as well as continue their further education, think critically, and be open to constructive criticism. Each employee assumes responsibility for their share of our overall success.

Managerial staff

The essential tasks of our managerial staff include appreciative management behavior that is sensitive to individual situations as well as personnel development that promotes the strengths of the employee and tries to compensate for their weaknesses. To this end, direct superiors should be the primary and supportive contact persons for employees. Persons in managerial positions should encourage a willingness to deliver maximum performance and quality as well as foster personal responsibility, initiative, self-control, and team spirit. This requires suitable instruments for feedback and assessment and that managerial staff are appropriately qualified. Motivational leadership demands a transparent informational policy, participation in decision-making processes, and delegating responsibility without overwhelming as well as provides the necessary help when problems arise. In order to promote and motivate employees, managerial staff should also enable participation in projects and cross-departmental cooperation.

Company

The identification of employees with Studentenwerk Dresden through performance and loyalty corresponds with fairness and support on the part of the employer. For this reason, we aim to create, maintain, and secure jobs in accordance with company requirements, pay wages adequate to performance and responsibility, enable appropriate further training and education, and support employees with social benefits. We are committed to long-term employment relationships, as far as economically reasonable and legally possible. A company health management system is implemented to maintain the health of our employees. We promote the compatibility of family and career. Our company also honors exceptional performance and innovative suggestions for improvement from our employees.

Demographic change

Demographic change among our staff itself is a particular challenge. On the one hand, it is important to maintain health and manpower and to structure generational change so that valuable knowledge is not lost. On the other hand, Studentenwerk Dresden must be and remain attractive on the job market; that is, it must find and retain employees. Besides human resources marketing, this requires above all an authentic company culture.

4. Communication

Studentenwerk Dresden is committed to ensuring credible communication through transparency.

Internal communication

Good internal communication serves to inform and promote dialog with employees. It motivates employees, makes business objectives comprehensible to them, and contributes to our success and corporate culture. Very different people come together at Studentenwerk Dresden. In addition to diversity of origin, educational background, and age, the professional socialization of the industry defines our behaviors of communication. Compared to other companies, Studentenwerk Dresden is a place where many different professional groups come together. This repeatedly confronts internal communication with great challenges. Loyal, appreciative, and constructive communication is a basic requirement for Studentenwerk Dresden to improve internal cooperation true to its guiding principle Zusammen. Wirken. (Work. Together.). It is the task of every employee. Managerial staff in particular has a special responsibility and function as a role model. They should provide employees with sufficient information and promote cross-divisional projects.

External communication

For Studentenwerk Dresden services to have a lasting effect, potential users have to be made aware of them. This requires clear and comprehensive external communication, since without a high level of awareness of our services, we cannot expect our programs to enjoy a high level of use. For this reason, information and advice is provided to ensure that existing demands are satisfied. Through transparent presentation of our services, we seek to strengthen the decision-making competence of students. In addition to information, users should also be given the opportunity to give feedback. Only through regular analysis of needs can our services be designed to reflect the social environment of students. We are committed to friendly, respectful, and constructive communication with all partners. The actions of Studentenwerk Dresden should be communicated openly to the public.

Media and data protection

We focus in particular on the development of media and their use. On the one hand, it is necessary for Studentenwerk Dresden to adapt to technical progress and changes in communication behavior. On the other hand, our work depends on the confidence that is placed in us. Careful handling of personal data is important in order not to endanger this trust. When using communication technologies, data protection must therefore always be guaranteed.

5. Cooperation

"Zusammen. Wirken." (Work. Together.) means internal and external cooperation.

Internal

The particular strength of Studentenwerk Dresden is our ability to offer a wide range of services related to studying from a single source with both human and material resources at its disposal. The effectiveness of the services provided by the individual departments can be increased by coordinating and networking existing services and sharing resources, thus creating synergies. All areas of operation are therefore called upon for intense cooperation.

Students and their committees

For Studentenwerk Dresden, the basis for our approach that is oriented toward students’ social environment and based in partnership is cooperation with students themselves and their interest groups. This has a decisive influence on the development of our needs-oriented services. This is why Studentenwerk Dresden offers students opportunities for dialog and takes their concerns into account.

Universities

The development of universities has a significant influence on the scope and quality of the services provided by Studentenwerk Dresden. The changing numbers of first-year and undergraduate students, study situations, location conditions, and content priorities have a direct effect on Studentenwerk Dresden. At the same time, demand-oriented expansion of the high-quality services provided by Studentenwerk Dresden makes an important contribution to the profile of the universities and to the national and international attractiveness of the university locations. For this reason, Studentenwerk Dresden is committed to a close, partnership-based cooperation with all parties involved.

Studentenwerke

Studentenwerk Dresden sees a special opportunity in the exchange with other student service providers, especially through networking with groups from Saxony and East Germany.Cooperation with Deutsches Studierendenwerk and our international partners is also important. In this way, synergies are created, resources are better used, and knowledge and experience are exchanged. These cooperations support openness and tolerance and are an important source of new ideas for improving our services.