Dr. Albena Björck

Personal profile

Position at the ZHAW

Senior Lecturer & Researcher

MSc International Business, Financial Times Ranking
Leading Lecturer and Module Head "International Marketing", "International Business Projects", "Advanced International Project 2", "Master Thesis"
Lecturer International Strategy Formulation, Change and Innovation, Global Marketing, Design Thinking

Other Programs:
Bachelor BSc International Management - Module Head "International Strategic Management"
MAS BA: Module Head "Marketing Management"
MBA Modul "Strategische Führung": Stakeholder Relations

Research:
Research on strategic management with a focus on positioning, industry and organizational transformation, legitimacy and stakeholder relations in times of change, crises, and renewal in global firms.

Since 2020 European Academy of Management
SIG Strategic Management
SIG Development Chair and Track Corresponding Chair "Purpose-Driven Strategies" (since 2022)

Head of Corporate Education (2015-2018)
Development and project management of corporate universities and other customized executive programs. Full responsibility for the acquisition, set-up, and delivery of two custom corporate programs targeting C-level and high potentials for a leading multinational steel manufacturer. Coaching and advisory in international skills development and organizational learning. Didactic design of organizational topics, leadership and transformational skills and simulation games.

www.zhaw.ch/aib

Professional development teaching

• MAS Business Administration
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• CAS Managing Circular Economy
• MBA Executive Leadership Modules

Expertise and research interests

Research on strategic management with a focus on positioning, industry and organizational transformation, legitimacy and stakeholder relations in times of change, crises, and renewal in global firms.
Current projects: The Conceptualisation of Purpose, Purpose-Driven Strategies and Purpose-Driven Transformation (global context)
Strategic orientation, positioning and the origins of strategic crises (co-evolutionary lock-in)
Strategic Crisis Readiness: general and in the context of cyber risks
Strategic Crisis Communication and the Covid-19 pandemics

Strategic Partnerships Business-Academia

Teaching:
- Award-winning teaching and didactic design for skills development on bachelor, master, executive, and corporate levels.
- International Strategy and Marketing combined with future literacy, interdisciplinary and design-driven skills as a core of the leadership curriculum today.

Current Research Themes and Projects:
The Conceptualisation of Purpose and Purpose-Driven Transformation
Strategic orientation, positioning and the origins of strategic crises (co-evolutionary lock-in)
Crisis Readiness: International and interdisciplinary perspectives
Internal Crisis Communication and Cyber-Risks
Strategic Crisis Communication and the Covid-19 pandemics

Special Knowledge:
Value Chain Transformation and Strategic Positioning, Strategy Change and Crisis, Strategic (Branding, Change and Crisis) Communication, Rebranding & Organizational Change, Media and Litigation Relations, International Business, International Wholesale and Retail Management, Wealth & Asset Management, Swiss Financial Industry, Pharmaceutical and Health Industries.

Educational background

- University of St. Gallen (HSG): Dr. oec. HSG (Strategic & Marketing Management, International Wholesale and Retail Management)
- University of St. Gallen (HSG): Studies of Business Administration, Strategic and Marketing Management.
- University of National and World Economy, Sofia/Bulgaria: MSc International Relations - Studies of Economy and Diplomacy.

- INSEAD, Design Thinking & Creativity for Business
- ZHAW School of Management and Law, CAS Higher and Professional Education

Professional milestones

Since 2013
Management consulting, independent advisory, and sounding board to executive management and board of directors, focusing on: strategic communication, branding, change and crisis management and communications, marketing management.
Industries of current focus: education, financial industry, healthcare, telecommunication, retailtech.

Since 2013
Lecturer and Executive Coach I Strategic Communication
Swiss Journalist School MAZ, Lucerne and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Lucerne

2000-2013
A career in different departments and functions at Wegelin & Co. Private Bankers
- Head of Communications and Media Relations during the legal dispute and settlement with the US authorities
- Head of Corporate Communications and Media Spokesperson
- Head of Marketing & Corporate Identity & Quality Management

2008-2013
National and International Media Relations for President of the Swiss Private Bankers Association & Chair of the Board of the NZZ Media Group.

2000-2006: University of St. Gallen, Institute for Marketing & Retail Management, Research Associate and associated PhD-candidate

Membership of networks

• AOM (Academy of Management)
• EURAM (European Academy of Management)
• EUPRERA (European Public Relations Education and Research Association)
• ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association)
• Gesellschaft für Marketing
• HSG Alumni
• LinkedIn

Publications

• Barthelmess, Petra; Björck, Albena; Gysin, Emanuel; Dela Cruz, Jeremy,

  2021.

  Preparing agile transformation : a framework for assessment of the organizational culture readiness.

  Journal of Applied Business and Economics.

  23(6), pp. 232-246.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.33423/jabe.v23i6.4689

• Kendzia, Michael Jan; Björck, Albena,

  2018.

  The digital revolution and the organization of work : contemporary management techniques.

  Advances in Applied Sociology.

  8(3), pp. 212-232.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.4236/aasoci.2018.83013

• Björck, Albena,

  2016.

  Crisis typologies revisited : an interdisciplinary approach.

  Central European Business Review.

  5(3), pp. 25-37.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.18267/j.cebr.156

• Gadgil, Maya; Guhl, Selina; Björck, Albena,

  2021.

  A conceptual study customer-centric luxury ecosystems : an innovative strategic approach for luxury customer experience management [paper].

  In:

  Proceedings of the Global Fashion Management Conference 2021.

  Global Fashion Management Conference, Seoul, Korea, 5-7 November 2021.

  Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Associations.

  pp. 231-235.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.15444/GFMC2021.04.02.01

• Duma, Fabio; Björck, Albena,

  2021.

  Establishing brand legitimacy in the subculture of watchgeeks : case study of a newly launched Swiss niche luxury brand [paper].

  In:

  Monaco Symposium on Luxury 2021 : Managing Luxury Brands : Past, Present & Future.

  4th Edition of the Monaco Symposium on Luxury 2021.

  MONACO SYMPOSIUM ON LUXURY.

  pp. 13.

• Björck, Albena; Carvajal-Ramirez, Michelle,

  2020.

  Does brand origin matter? : an analysis of low-involvement developing market brands internationalizing into a developed market [paper].

  In:

  2020 Global Marketing Conference at Seoul Proceedings.

  Global Marketing Conference 2020, Seoul (Virtual Conference), 5-8 November 2020.

  pp. 174-177.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.15444/GMC2020.02.05.02

• Barthelmess, Petra; Björck, Albena; Gysin, Emanuel; Dela Cruz, Jeremy,

  2020.

  Organizational culture readiness for agile [paper].

  In:

  20th European Academy of Management (EURAM) Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 4-6 December 2020.

• Björck, Albena; Barthelmess, Petra,

  2020.

  The role of organizational culture for creating understanding and trust through internal crisis communication [paper].

  In:

  Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference.

  International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference, Orlando, USA, 9-11 March 2020.

  Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

  pp. 17-20.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.30658/icrcc.2020.4

• Björck, Albena; Barthelmess, Petra,

  2019.

  Internal crisis communication and corporate culture : forging the links [paper].

  In:

  ERAZ 2019 Conference Proceedings.

  5th International Conference – ERAZ 2019 - Knowledge Based Sustainable Development, Budapest, Hungary, 23 May 2019.

  Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans.

  pp. 215-222.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.31410/ERAZ.2019.215

• Björck, Albena,

  2018.

  Interdisciplinary understanding of a crisis : towards an international crisis classification matrix [paper].

  In:

  4th International Scientific Conference ERAZ 2018 Conference Proceedings.

  ERAZ 2018, Sofia, Bulgaria, 7 June 2018.

  Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans.

  pp. 323-329.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.31410/eraz.2018.323

• Casián, Carlos; Pugnetti, Carlo; Björck, Albena,

  2022.

  Cyberrisiken aktiv managen.

  Swiss IT Magazine.

  2022(5), pp. 44-46.

• Björck, Albena; Colleli, Daniele,

  2020.

  Business Development zwischen Theorie und Praxis.

  KMU Magazin.

  2020(11/12), pp. 2-5.

• Björck, Albena; Vervoort Isler, Petronella,

  2017.

  Aus- und Weiterbildung I : corporate education : betriebsinterne Weiterbildung nach Mass.

  KMU Magazin.

  2017(10), pp. 10-13.

• Björck, Albena,

  2017.

  Interne Krisenkommunikation : Herausforderungen, Ziele und Lösungsansätze.

  KMU Magazin.

  2017(5), pp. 88-91.

  Available from: https://www.kmu-magazin.ch/forschung-entwicklung/herausforderungen-ziele-und-loesungsansaetze

• Björck, Albena,

  2017.

  Strategische Krisenkommunikation : professionelle Krisenkommunikation.

  Management und Qualität.

  46(5), pp. 20-21.

  Available from: https://www.saq.ch/mq/

• Björck, Albena,

  2017.

  Wenn die Kommunikation eine Krise auslöst.

  KMU Magazin.

  2017(6/7), pp. 94-96.

• Björck, Albena; Guhl, Selina; Sticher, Robin,

  2021.

  Strategic internal communication and generational change : chances and challenges for the segmentation and customization according to generations.

  In:

  EUPRERA 2021 Annual Congress, Pamplona, Spain, 7-9 October 2021.

• Björck, Albena; Scholze, Frederike,

  2021.

  The dynamic of organizational crisis : impact of a crisis development and changing crisis communication on consumer reaction.

  In:

  International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference (ICRCC), Orlando, USA, 8-10 March 2021.

• Nichols, Keisha; Farley, Michael; Björck, Albena,

  2020.

  Innovation through partnership.

  In:

  2020 AIEA Annual Conference, Washington DC, USA, 16-19 February 2020.

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

Björck, Albena Dr. (2006). „Positionierung und zweiseitige Profilierung im Grosshandel – eine Untersuchung am Beispiel des Pharmagrosshandels“ (Dissertation Universität St. Gallen) I "Positioning and Dual Differentiation of Wholesale Services - a framework on the example of merchant wholesalers in Swiss and European pharmaceutical markets" (PhD-Thesis, University of St. Gallen)

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