Dr. Albena Björck

Position at the ZHAW

Senior Lecturer & Researcher

Bachelor
Module Head "International Strategic Management", Supervision of bachelor thesis

Master
Module Head "International Marketing", "International Business Projects ", "Master Thesis"
Lecturer International Strategy Formulation, Change and Innovation, Design Thinking

Continuous and Executive Education
Module Head "Marketing Management" (MAS BA)
Lecturer Stakeholder Relations (MBA)

Academic and applied research and publications in Strategy and Marketing, Strategic (Branding, Change and Crisis) Communication and International Stakeholder Relations.

Head of Corporate Education (2015-2018)
Responsibility for acquisition, curriculum development and project management of corporate universities and other customer executive programs. Coaching and advisory in international skills development, organizational learning, and change.

www.zhaw.ch/aib

Professional development teaching

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

Expertise and research interests

Working Foci:
Senior Lecturer & Researcher
Strategic Partnerships Business-Academia

Research Foci:
Strategic positioning, Organizational change, Strategic Communication, and International Stakeholder Relations

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): Management program MAPOW - AIESEC (studies of Marketing Management, International Retail Management, Logistics)
- University of National and World Economy, Sofia/Bulgaria: MSc International Relations

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

Professional milestones

Since 2013
Corporate Advisory and Sounding Board Rebranding, Strategic and Crisis Communication, Change Management

Since 2013
Lecturer, Coach and Advisor I Strategic & Corporate Communication, Internal and Change Communication, Strategic Issue Management at 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: University of St. Gallen, Institute for Marketing & Retail, Research Associate

Membership of networks

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

• 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

• 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.

Björck, Albena Dr. (2006). „Positionierung und zweiseitige Profilierung im Grosshandel – eine Untersuchung am Beispiel des Pharmagrosshandels“ (Dissertation)

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