Bertelsmann Essentials—The Values of Our Company Worldwide

Our Commitment

We expect everyone at Bertelsmann to adhere to this mission and these core values.

Our Mission at Bertelsmann

Bertelsmann is an international media corporation. We provide information, entertainment, and media services to inspire people’s daily lives. We aspire to make a valuable contribution to society. We strive to be leaders in our markets and to achieve returns on capital that guarantee the growth and continuity of our corporation. Our joint efforts focus on creative content and customer relations. We seek to provide working conditions that are equitable and motivating for our employees. We commit ourselves to the continuity and ongoing progress of our corporation.

Bertelsmann Core Values Are Partnership, Entrepreneurship, Creativity, and Citizenship

Partnership
Our corporate culture is based on a mutually beneficial partnership between our employees and the company. Motivated individuals who identify with our values are the driving force behind quality, efficiency, innovation, and growth within our corporation. The hallmarks of our participatory leadership approach are mutual trust and respect as well as the principle of delegation of responsibility. Our employees enjoy autonomy to the greatest extent possible. They receive comprehensive information and participate in decision-making as well as in the financial success of the company. We are committed to the professional development of our employees and seek to provide long-term employment.

Entrepreneurship
The principle of decentralization is at the heart of Bertelsmann’s management philosophy. It enables our employees to act with flexibility, responsibility, efficiency, and entrepreneurial freedom. Our operating businesses are run by managers who act as entrepreneurs: They enjoy considerable independence and bear full responsibility for the performance of their companies. Our executives act not only in the best interests of their individual businesses but are also obligated to the interests of the group as a whole.

Creativity
We provide a home for artists, authors, and creative talents in all of our fields of business, promoting their creative development as well as their commercial success. We strive for the protection of intellectual property on a worldwide basis. We promote artistic freedom and freedom of thought, the protection of democracy and human rights, and the respect of traditions and cultural values. Consequently, the content we provide reflects a wide range of viewpoints and opinions. Continuous innovation and improvement, guided by customer needs and interests, are the cornerstones of our success, both in media services and in content businesses.

Citizenship
The continuity and development of Bertelsmann as an independent entity is ensured by the Bertelsmann Management Company’s control of the majority of voting rights. In the view of our shareholders, the possession of property creates an obligation to the community. They are committed to the idea that in a market economy a corporation derives its legitimacy by making a valuable contribution to society. The work done by the Bertelsmann Foundation—to which the majority of Bertelsmann shares has been contributed—is also guided by this principle. Our businesses are managed in accordance with the spirit and the letter of the law. They maintain high standards of ethical conduct and act responsibly toward society and the environment.

Check out our video “The Spirit” and dive deep into the culture, values, and emotions that make up the DNA and backbone of our thinking and leadership at Bertelsmann.

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