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Dr Margarita Cruz

Margarita Cruz , PhD

Qualification(s)

PhD in Economics, Università della Svizzera italiana

Function

Associate Professor

Teaching Location(s)

EHL Campus Lausanne
EHL Campus (Singapore)

Courses and Modules Taught

CERTIFICATE IN TRENDS, INNOVATION AND NEW BUSINESS MODELS (E-LEARNING)
• Trends, Innovation and New Business Models

Teaching Subject(s)

Corporate Strategy
Developing Entrepreneurial Projects
Trends, Innovations and New Business Models

Area(s) of Expertise

Entrepreneurship
Organizational theory
Role of authenticity on entrepreneurial outcomes
Strategy

Short Bio

Margarita Cruz, PhD in Economics, is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at EHL. Margarita’s research lay at the intersection between organizational theory and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on the role of authenticity on entrepreneurial outcomes such founding of new organizations and introduction of new products.


During her doctoral studies, Margarita has also been a visiting PhD student at Robert H. Smith Business School, University of Maryland (2015-2016), thanks to the competitive Fellowship for most promising candidates granted by the Swiss National Science Foundation. In her research, Margarita is passionate about breweries, restaurants, and luxury hotels.


In the classroom, Dr Cruz likes to bring state-of-the-art trends and practices about the entrepreneurial and strategic scene in the hospitality and F&B industries. Before joining academia, she gained experience as business engineer in the banking and chemical industries.

Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals

Cruz, M., Hodari, D., & Raub, S. (2024). The impact of management structure on guest satisfaction in chain-affiliated hotels and the moderating influence of chain scale. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 117, 103651.

Raub, S., Cruz, M., Gorka, J., Hodari, D., & Saul, L. (2024). The cruise industry workforce crunch – generational changes in work values of job seekers. Tourism Review.

Cruz, M., & Beck, N. (2022). All we want is authentic beer: the role of geographic communities and authenticity on breweries’ reactions to competition. British Food Journal.

Bivona, E., & Cruz, M. (2021). Can business model innovation help SMEs in the food and beverage industry to respond to crises? Findings from a Swiss brewery during COVID-19. British Food Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-07-2020-0643

Cruz M., & Schmitt, A. (2019). Strategy and Knowledge Management in Humanitarian Organizations. In Villa S., Urrea G., Castañeda J., Larsen, E. (Eds.), Decision-making in Humanitarian Operations (pp. 55-75). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91509-8_3

Cruz, M., Beck, N., & Wezel, F.C. (2018). Grown Local: Community Attachment and Market Entries in the Franconian Beer Industry. Organization Studies, 39(1), 47-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840617695357

Funded Research Projects

Margarita Cruz's Projects

Awards

Best Paper Award (with applications in the social sciences) : Barry Richmond Award. International Conference of the System Dynamics Society, Boston (2007)