1st public welfare-oriented university in NRW
Fachhochschule Dortmund is the first university in North Rhine-Westphalia and the second university in Germany to draw up a common good balance sheet for all of its activities. It was presented with the certificate on January 18, 2024.
What is the Economy for the Common Good?
When we think of Business Studies, most people probably think of large companies, profits and competition. The Economy for the Common Good wants to change that. Its aim is to anchor values such as solidarity, responsibility and exchange, which we live by every day in our interpersonal relationships, as fundamental values in Business Studies too. The Economy for the Common Good is therefore an alternative economic system. It is no longer primarily about profits, but the common good is at the forefront of this form of Business Studies. Companies and organizations that actively do something for the common good and strive to preserve nature are rewarded.
What is a common good balance sheet?
In an economy for the common good, the common good balance sheet is the main balance sheet. It is a form of sustainability report. It measures the extent to which a company - in our case Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts - contributes to the common good. The balance sheet indicates, for example, the extent to which the UAS enables employees to combine work and family life, whether ecologically sustainable products are used in purchasing or whether barrier-free studying is possible. The common good balance sheet thus provides answers to the question of whether and how social and ecological sustainability is actually practiced at the UAS and where there is still a need for action.
Economy for the common good at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts
How was the common good balance sheet drawn up at the University of Applied Sciences?
Under the guidance of the CSR Office and external public value consultants, the public value balance sheet was drawn up by the employees and students of the UAS themselves. It was therefore a participatory process in which all interested members of the UAS could take part. Workshops were offered to familiarize themselves with the common good balance sheet and to work out together which things should be included in the report. The workshops also provided an opportunity to develop concrete ideas on how things could be improved in certain areas of activity. The aim of the whole process is to engage in an exchange with as many people as possible about how we can shape our university for a sustainable future. At the end of the process, the UAS received a certificate confirming that it had drawn up the common good balance sheet.
You can find the detailed report and the certificate here:
